Nangong Yao nodded and swept his gaze over them. "Coming to Servant Disciple Peak as a group to admire the scenery? What refined tastes you elders have."
"Heh, heh, heh..." The elders laughed awkwardly.
Liu Yunjian forced a laugh. "Have you come to admire the scenery too, Sect Master?"
Nangong Yao's expression chilled. "What? Has the Grand Elder started policing even me now?"
Liu Yunjian hurriedly bowed. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. You misunderstand, Sect Master. The elders and I were merely curious. Heh, just asking."
Nangong Yao narrowed his eyes. "Enough. I'll return to Heavenly Dao Peak first. If you elders wish to admire the scenery, please, go ahead."
With that, he made as if to leave.
"Wait, Sect Master!"
Liu Yunjian hurriedly called out.
Nangong Yao turned around and glanced at the elders. With a cold snort, he asked a question whose answer he already knew. "Enough. Stop trying to fool me. Tell me, what brought you here?"
Liu Yunjian glanced back at Chu Ningshang, then lowered his head and said cautiously, "Over the past year, we've noticed that you frequently visit Servant Disciple Peak... Today, our curiosity finally got the better of us, so we came together to have a look."
At his words, Second Elder Liu Xuan Yin, Third Elder Jiang Bailu, and the other elders exchanged awkward looks.
It had been a year. None of them were blind.
It was as though Servant Disciple Peak had suddenly become a sacred land. The sect master came here remarkably often.
At first, some elders had wanted to come alone or with a companion to investigate, but they had felt apprehensive, afraid of angering Nangong Yao. Thus, they had gathered today to discuss coming together.
No matter how displeased the sect master might be, surely he would not lose his temper with all his Core Elders.
In truth, the elders already had a rough idea of what was going on.
They had learned it from Chu Ningshang.
When they first noticed the sect master's unusual behavior, Chu Ningshang had remarked that an extraordinary master lived on Servant Disciple Peak.
The elders had been startled to hear it.
An extraordinary master, on Servant Disciple Peak?
They had pressed her with questions, but out of consideration for Nangong Yao, Chu Ningshang had revealed nothing more.
Now, seeing the elders looking at him expectantly, Nangong Yao could only shake his head helplessly. He cupped his hands toward the Thatched Cottage and said:
"Very well, I'll tell you. I visit Servant Disciple Peak so often to pay my respects to the esteemed master."
What?
Pay his respects to an esteemed master?
The elders looked stunned, and even Chu Ningshang's heart skipped a beat. If she remembered correctly, the sect master had previously called him "Senior." To think that after a year, his form of address had grown even more reverent.
Anyone whom the sect master addressed as an esteemed master had to be extraordinary!
In the cultivation world, cultivators generally addressed those of a higher realm as "Senior." When someone's realm was unknown or equal to their own, they used "Fellow Daoist."
But "esteemed master" conveyed a far deeper respect.
To think there really was such an extraordinary master on their Heavenly Dao Sect's Servant Disciple Peak!
When had he arrived?
And why would he settle for living here?
Of course, what Liu Yunjian and the other elders most wanted to know was just who this extraordinary master was.
Their minds were full of questions.
Nangong Yao smiled. "Do you elders remember the day Zhao Ting was invested as a Purple-Robed Disciple?"
Apart from Chu Ningshang, Liu Yunjian and the others looked bewildered.
Of course they remembered the day Zhao Ting was invested as a Purple-Robed Disciple. Only a year had passed, and a deranged mortal had caused a disturbance that day, making it particularly memorable.
Ah!
Suddenly, they seemed to notice a certain detail!
Their gazes turned toward Nangong Yao, seeking an answer.
Nangong Yao said nothing and merely nodded lightly.
At that, the elders' pupils slowly contracted...
It was him!
The esteemed master the sect master spoke of was actually him!
No wonder... No wonder. Everything made sense now.
At the Investiture Ceremony for a Purple-Robed Disciple that day, such an incident had occurred before the various sects and factions. Anyone else would have met a miserable end, yet the sect master had brushed it aside with a simple "Let the matter end here"...
That incident had puzzled the elders for a long time. Today, they finally had their answer.
Liu Yunjian went blank, then suddenly staggered.
Fortunately, Liu Xuan Yin and Jiang Bailu, standing on either side of him, immediately caught him.
"Grand Elder, what's wrong?" Liu Xuan Yin asked worriedly.
The others were puzzled as well.
Liu Yunjian's face was pale as he murmured, "S-Sect Master, wasn't my tone disrespectful toward that senior that day? I truly didn't mean for something like that to happen! Had I known his identity beforehand, I would never have dared!"
The others immediately understood.
Nangong Yao sighed helplessly. "Don't worry, Grand Elder. As you said, had you known beforehand... As the saying goes, ignorance carries no guilt. I'll find some time another day to take you to offer the esteemed master a sincere apology in person."
Only then did Liu Yunjian let out a great sigh of relief, looking much more himself.
Jiang Bailu suddenly asked, "Sect Master, I recall that the senior is Zhao Ting's friend, isn't he? How could Zhao Ting have any connection to him?"
Even the sect master treated that senior with such reverence. Though Zhao Ting was now a Purple-Robed Disciple, the gulf between their standing was still enormous.
Seeing that the others were equally baffled, Chu Ningshang explained, "I know something of this. Before my disciple joined us, while he was still a mortal, he met Senior Chen by chance on the day before our sect recruited disciples."
Nangong Yao and the elders nodded. That explained it.
Zhao Ting truly was blessed with profound good fortune. Not only was his talent outstanding, but a chance encounter had even allowed him to meet that senior. He really was someone favored by tremendous luck.
Then again, Zhao Ting probably still believed this "friend" of his was a mortal, didn't he?
"Sect Master, then... why would Senior Chen..."
One elder ventured hesitantly and cautiously.
Though he did not finish his question, everyone understood.
He simply wanted to ask why Senior Chen was in such a deranged state.
Nangong Yao shook his head. "No, no. You truly let a single leaf blind you to the world. The esteemed master isn't mad. He is merely playing among mortals."
As he spoke, a reminiscent look entered Nangong Yao's eyes, and he sighed with feeling. "You elders don't know this, but when I was returning from Southern Heaven, I passed through a remote stretch of mountains and encountered the esteemed master. He wasn't like this then. He sat cross-legged atop a mountain, drawing countless birds and butterflies with a melody of heavenly music. He truly stood apart from the mortal dust, the very image of a master beyond worldly affairs."
The elders' gazes sharpened, and they pricked up their ears.
They also realized that this must have been where the sect master first met Senior Chen.
Listening to the sect master's description, their eyes filled with yearning.
Nangong Yao continued, "On a whim, I wanted to approach and make his acquaintance, so I introduced myself. Unfortunately, the esteemed master merely said, 'We meet like duckweed drifting upon the water; names need not be mentioned,' before scattering like grains of sand and vanishing. It truly seemed like the work of an immortal."
A solemn look appeared in Nangong Yao's eyes. "You elders may not realize this, but such a feat is beyond Nascent Soul cultivators like us. Even a Spirit Transformation True Lord, I dare say, could never accomplish it."
Nangong Yao had long since reached the Nascent Soul peak and had undergone the Spirit Transformation Heart Tribulation. His breakthrough to the Spirit Transformation stage was only a matter of time, as certain as a nail driven into a board, so he also had a fairly deep understanding of the abilities of that stage.
The elders were already dumbstruck.
From the sect master's description alone, that senior was clearly no ordinary figure...
It seemed he truly was merely playing among mortals.
To think such a person existed in this world.
"Enough. It's late, and the esteemed master has retired. Don't disturb him any further. Come away with me."
Nangong Yao waved his hand.
"Yes..."
The elders bowed in assent, but their hearts simply would not settle.
Before you continue