"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."
Faint insect calls drifted from the bushes outside the little courtyard.
Beneath the old osmanthus tree, Nangong Ye sat obediently beside the chess table, his beautiful phoenix eyes filled with bewilderment. He could not understand how the master he had only ever seen in paintings had suddenly returned, and with Xie Jinhuan, no less...
Could Xie Jinhuan's elder from the Hidden Immortal Sect be my master...?
Then wouldn't Xie Jinhuan and I be senior sister and junior brother, making Qingmo the one Reversing the Heavenly Gang...?
Pah, pah...
Bu Yuehua sat with her hands folded at her waist and her full bottom resting on the stone stool, her posture equally demure. When the patriarch still had not returned after a long while, she asked softly:
"Sister Nangong, is there something between you and Xie Jinhuan...?"
Nangong Ye shuddered all over, displaying the sharp edge of the Thousand-Mile Ice Seal:
"What do you mean?"
Bu Yuehua leaned an arm on the chess table, her eyes curving as though they were sisters chatting about everyday matters:
"Qixia True Person had a point. However strong you are, you're still at the first grade peak, while Xie Jinhuan is almost the strongest martial artist below transcendent grade. If anyone's guarding anyone's Dao, he should be your bodyguard. Before, when you concealed your identity, I assumed you were afraid he'd grow too secure in his backing. But in that situation just now, if I hadn't chimed in, you really couldn't have explained yourself."
Nangong Ye knew that stubbornly refusing to pay his respects just now had been rash, but he really had had no choice. After some thought, he replied:
"I have my own plans, which I cannot reveal to outsiders. You'd best keep your lips sealed. Otherwise, you weren't my match