Sun'er's sister was still weak from the drug's effects, leaning limply against a tree as she rested.
Mu Chen took the packet of medicine Su Qing had tossed him and revived the others one by one.
"Hello, my name is Ye Qingling."
The girl held out her hand to Su Qing.
Su Qing shook it lightly and let go. "I'm Su Qing."
"Um-thank you so much for rescuing me and my companions. And thank you all for looking after Sun'er!"
Ye Qingling bowed solemnly to Su Qing and the others, expressing her gratitude.
"Sorry for the trouble."
"Looking after her was no trouble at all. Besides, we're quite fond of her."
Standing beside Su Qing with her arm linked through his, Tang Qian'er waved politely, a hint of wariness in her eyes as she looked at Ye Qingling.
In her spare time between cultivation sessions, she had read plenty of unofficial biographies and tales about the leading figures of the Great Thousand World.
Love stories were always an inevitable part of their lives.
To use the terminology of those stories, someone like her, who had known Su Qing since childhood and shared a close bond with him, was a "childhood sweetheart," or a "green plum" for short.
Someone like Ye Qingling, who met Su Qing through a series of chance events after he had grown up, was a newcomer who had dropped into his life.
But none of that was the main issue.
The main issue was that in the stories Tang Qian'er had read, the green plum usually lost to the newcomer.
And a hero rescuing a beauty was one of the most common ways those newcomers appeared.
At that thought, Tang Qian'er glanced at Su Qing. With his swordlike brows, starry eyes, bright gaze, and pearly teeth, there was little to fault except the cold expression he always wore around outsiders.
Then she looked at the girl opposite them. The dust on her face did not make her skin look dirty; instead, it brought out its fair complexion. Her frailty from her injuries also made it terribly easy to feel protective of her.
According to Sun'er, she was also a gifted young lady who had participated in the Spirit Road.
She was a genuine young lady, not a "young lady" like Tang Qian'er, who had come from somewhere as remote as the Northern Spiritual Realm.
How am I supposed to compete with her-
At that thought, Tang Qian'er's sense of danger grew stronger. She had never felt this way in the Northern Spiritual Realm, but after seeing the wider world, she truly felt ashamed of her own inadequacy.
And so Tang Qian'er tightened her grip on Su Qing's arm.
"This happened because of Mu Chen, so it was only right for me to intervene."
Su Qing followed Tang Qian'er's words with a lukewarm reply. Seeing that Ye Qingling wanted to offer more polite thanks, he grew a little impatient.
"We've brought Sun'er back. If there's nothing else, we'll be leaving."
Ye Qingling looked somewhat embarrassed at that. Lowering her gaze, she smoothed the stray hair at her temple.
Just then, a clear voice broke the awkward silence.
"Huh? You're leaving?"
Sun'er ran over and tugged at the hem of Tang Qian'er's clothes. "We're all going to the Northern Cang Hall anyway. Let's go together!"
"Brother Su, Sun'er seems really fond of you all. Why not travel with us for a while?"
"There are quite a few of us. Traveling together would make things easier when we stop to rest at night."
Ye Qingling followed Sun'er's lead and extended an invitation.
She had two reasons in mind: first, to repay their kindness; second, having seen Su Qing's strength, she wanted to cling to this powerful backer.
Although Su Qing had used a clever shortcut to deal with the hundred-odd Spirit Wheel Realm cultivators earlier,
he had then genuinely taken out several middle- and late-stage Divine Soul Realm cultivators in an instant, Yu Yue included.
And he himself was only at the Divine Soul Realm Middle Stage.
His potential was enormous, his future boundless.
Judging by his expression, Su Qing was somewhat tempted by the offer.
Ye Qingling struck while the iron was hot. "We also have information about the Northern Cang Realm. We can share it with each other, to everyone's benefit."
Beside Su Qing, Tang Qian'er grew anxious at the sight.
What is this? She's blatantly trying to steal him right in front of me!
Vixen!
But before Tang Qian'er could say anything, Su Qing spoke.
"Sure. But in a few days, I have something to take care of, and it won't be convenient to bring those two along. I'll have to trouble you to look after them then."
Su Qing gave a slight smile.
He smiled! He smiled! He smiled at someone he'd only just met!
Tang Qian'er's eyes widened in astonishment as she stared at the smile that had just appeared on Su Qing's face.
This was the first time she had ever seen Su Qing smile at someone he was meeting for the first time-and such a friendly smile, at that!
Alarm bells rang in Tang Qian'er's heart.
Tang Qian'er, Tang Qian'er, use that clever little head of yours! Think of something! Think!
Ugh~
Just then, Su Qing gently pushed Tang Qian'er's forehead, snapping her out of her wild thoughts.
"What's on your mind? I've called you so many times, and you haven't made a sound."
Tang Qian'er gazed at Su Qing with affection.
"You won't fall for that woman, will you?"
Su Qing was so exasperated that he laughed.
"What on earth are you thinking? We've only just met. Have you already picked out names for our children?"
"No."
Tang Qian'er let out a soft whine in protest.
Su Qing smiled without saying anything, flicked her forehead, and let the matter drop.
That night, tents spread across a gravel clearing deep in the forest, forming a campsite amid the greenery of the ancient woods.
Su Qing had noticed that the trees in the Northern Cang Realm had wide, pale growth rings, yet he had heard that a land of ice and snow lay just beyond this forest.
From the looks of it, someone must have used immense power to fix the climates of the different regions within the Northern Cang Realm.
He could not help marveling at how obscenely wealthy the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy was.
Su Qing sat quietly in a corner, grilling skewers of meat. After several fruitless attempts to strike up a conversation, the members of the Ye Gang had sensibly stopped bothering him.
Mu Chen and Tang Qian'er were chatting happily with Ye Qingling, Sun'er, and several other members of the Ye Gang, with occasional bursts of laughter drifting over.
They're still just boys and girls, after all. Spending every day with a sealed gourd like me must have left them stifled.
Su Qing shook his head at the self-mocking thought.
On the other side of the camp, Sun'er's arrival had brought some joy, dispelling the shadow Yu Yue had cast over them.
Almost everyone adored the innocent, lovely little girl and spoiled her terribly.
"Are you and Su Qing brothers? Why do you have different surnames?"
After holding back for quite a while, Ye Qingling finally asked Mu Chen the question.
"We aren't brothers by blood. He's my father's adopted son. But even though we aren't blood brothers, we're closer than if we were."
Mu Chen thought nothing of the question and explained with a cheerful smile.
"Y-your brother's so strong. How come you're only at the peak of the Spirit Wheel Realm?"
A boy beside them asked, emboldened by the alcohol.
Before Mu Chen could say anything, Sun'er pursed her lips and spoke in her clear voice.
"Don't underestimate Brother Mu Chen! He's really strong. He's been to the Spirit Road too, and he's a Level Two Spirit Array Master, just like me!"
"You've been to the Spirit Road?"
Ye Qingling froze at that.
"I was expelled halfway through."
Mu Chen explained calmly. He had nothing to say to the boy's earlier remark, either. His big brother was a freak, after all.
If his brother had not suffered cultivation deviation before, he would probably have entered the Three Realm long ago.
"Mu Chen... leaving halfway through. I feel like I've heard that name somewhere."
Ye Qingling murmured to herself.
"I remember!"
Suddenly, Ye Qingling's eyes widened as she looked at Mu Chen, her face filled with shock, and uttered the words:
"Spirit Road Blood Calamity!"