At those words, the entire Heavenly Origin Hall fell silent.
Shen Qingyue breathed a sigh of relief.
Su Mianmian looked at Pei Zhen as though he were an idiot. Even she had sensed Ning Hai's displeasure; she refused to believe Pei Zhen had not.
Not only Su Mianmian, but several other disciples also glanced at him as though they suspected someone had put a hex on him.
Pei Zhen had never imagined that being in the Heavenly Origin Hall could be such an ordeal.
While everyone was still caught in that awkward silence, someone arrived.
A white-robed figure appeared at the entrance to the Heavenly Origin Hall, a milky-white Jade Token and a distinctive bell hanging at her waist.
Everyone watched as the newcomer strode like the wind, her robes fluttering, her posture straight, her presence cool and aloof.
Su Jiu gave everyone in the Heavenly Origin Hall a polite nod, then fixed Pei Zhen with a blazing gaze. A chill laced her words. "Fellow Daoist, I wonder whether my return today counts as being within the allotted time?"
This was Su Jiu's first time meeting Pei Zhen in this life, but she had seen him many times in her past life. He was not a bad person, really; his mind simply was not very sharp. She had not progressed nearly as swiftly in her past life as she had in this one, so the two had rarely crossed paths.
She had never expected their first confrontation in this life to take place in the Heavenly Origin Hall.
Pei Zhen's face flushed red as he struggled to respond. Finally, he turned his head away and simply refused to look at Su Jiu.
Su Jiu did not mind. After bowing with clasped hands to the sect master, peak masters, and elders