The next morning, beneath the rising sun, Xiao Hua emerged from Xiangyang's cave abode in Myriad Thunder Valley. He cupped his hands in farewell to Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian, then, with the East Ridge Medicine Garden token Xiangyang had returned to him tucked into his robes, used an ordinary Flying Technique to head for East Ridge Medicine Garden.
Yan Qinglian and Zhuo's fondness for Xiao Hua remained unchanged. Though they were not as ruled by emotions as Xun Shu and Xue Xue, Xiao Hua could still see the delight in their eyes. Of course, Zhuo only asked about Xiao Hua's experiences during his trial, never mentioning anything that had happened to him after Mingxi, which put Xiao Hua considerably at ease. When Xiangyang brought up encountering Xun Shu and Xue Xue before the Reception Pavilion, Yan Qinglian even teased Zhuo about making a trip to Xun Lei Palace to properly get in touch with Patriarch Xun Ming. From her words, it seemed she regarded Xun Shu and Xue Xue alike.
This left Xiao Hua feeling somewhat awkward. In truth, after his last trial, once he had calmed down, he had naturally been able to see Xun Shu's feelings for him. Especially when he had fallen into the wind cave—Xun Shu had disregarded everything to chase after him. Had Qian Diheng not stopped her, she truly would have followed Xiao Hua into the wind cave. Whenever he thought of Xun Shu's actions, a trace of guilt arose in his heart. Hearing Yan Qinglian tease him now only made his face redden further.
Although last night's pleasant conversation had warmed Xiao Hua's heart, two matters still made him uncomfortable. First, Wu Nai had not shown herself at all. It seemed that after returning to the sect, she had gone straight to Myriad