An uncanny silence fell over the gathering for an instant.
Only the rumbling of the wind filled their surroundings.
It surged like a tide, vast and mighty...
Not far away, the little girl in green had both cheeks puffed out, round and plump as a piglet, just as she had been back in the Southern Territory.
Though they had not seen each other for several years, she felt no distance between them. She simply rushed up delightedly, hopping around Chen Heng, tugging curiously at his sleeve and asking questions now and then.
Chen Heng lowered his eyelids slightly, calmly concealing his gaze, his expression unchanged.
He did not find her chatter tiresome, either, and merely listened quietly, offering a few replies.
His voice was clear and measured, as usual...
After rambling about this and that for a little while.
And finding out just what Chen Heng had experienced over the past few years.
Qingzhi was startled, too. A strange look appeared in her eyes as she looked Chen Heng up and down several times, as though seeing the person before her clearly for the first time.
"You've only been in the Yuchen Lower Court a few years, and you already want to become one of the Ten Great Disciples and cultivate in Xiaoming Great Marsh?
"And you've come to this husband selection to win first place and borrow a Grotto-Heaven from these big mud loaches?"
Qingzhi muttered:
"Have you been eating immortal pills? How is your cultivation advancing so quickly? You're not much slower than Miss!
"If you really succeed, borrow a Grotto-Heaven, and then pass Jadechen's Four Courts Grand Competition, you'll truly soar into the heavens in a single flight. And you'll owe these big mud loaches a favor, too. Won't they be pleased to death?"
"Leaving the grand