"Fellow Xuhong... are you alright now?"
Upon hearing from his disciples that Chen Shuangbai had come to find him, True Lord Yandan was overjoyed and quickly walked out of the hall, his steps carrying a fragrant breeze.
Chen Shuangbai smiled apologetically and said, "It's just an old injury, plus the fact that I was struck by the Prince Shiyang from a distance some time ago in the Great Chu territory, which is why I lost my composure today."
Please excuse my poor attempt to impress you both.
Yan Dan was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this, but after carefully listening to Chen Shuangbai's experiences over the past few days, she became extremely indignant.
" The Great Chu was once just a small country in the Eastern Domain. Its current status is only due to the power of our ancestral court... Such ingratitude deserves divine retribution!"
This statement contains a lot of information.
Chen Shuangbai thought to himself, "As expected." Otherwise, how could the Great Chu be so hostile to the successor of the Heavenly River Dao Lineage?
However, he had no time to care about the Great Chu at the moment. The Xuan Eye still hung deep in the clouds, with thousands of ribbons hanging down, passing through the Jade Palace and the Qiong Peak, quietly hovering above the heads of every disciple of Pillow Stream Mountain, like ropes or sharp swords.
Chen Shuangbai calmed himself, forcing himself not to give anything away, and said, "Let's discuss the matter of Great Chu again for now."
"I am new to this place, and not a disciple of the mountain sect, so it is not appropriate for me to stay overnight in the mountains."
"Are you going out?"
Upon hearing this, True Lord Yandan suppressed his initial indignation and instead said with concern, "Junior Brother Xuhong, you were already injured, and you recently caused quite a scene... Why don't you stay in the mountains for a while? Your master won't mind."
Who says I wouldn't care?
Chen Shuangbai and Yan Dan looked outside.
Then a man in black robes strode into the hall, his face sharply defined, with a hint of arrogance between his brows. His eyes were dark and sinister, like a venomous snake lurking in the water, staring menacingly at Chen Shuangbai.
Upon seeing this, Yan Dan's expression immediately turned cold. She stepped in front of Chen Shuangbai, staring coldly at him, her tone icy:
" Zhaoguang, what are you doing here at the Cinnabar Firmament Hall?"
Since Pillow Stream Mountain settled here, it has only been about five generations since then.
Profound Lord Qingfang is Spirit Transformation Profound Lord with a long lifespan. He has never relinquished his position as the mountain lord and has cultivated many disciples, but only a few of them have reached the Nascent Soul.
Aside from Yan Dan, the most well-known among them is the Nascent Soul Peak True Lord Zhaoguang in front of us.
Zhaoguang's gaze passed over Yan Dan and landed directly on Chen Shuangbai, his eyes filled with undisguised hostility.
"This must be True Lord Xuhong?"
Chen Shuangbai didn't quite understand where his hostility towards her came from, and simply replied calmly:
"It is I."
"It's good that you dare to admit it."
True Lord Zhaoguang sneered and said without any politeness, "I don't care where Fellow Xuhong Hong comes from or what he wants to do in the mountains... In short, my Pillow Stream Mountain has finally managed to enjoy some peaceful days, and we cannot afford any major conflict."
"Fellow Daoist, please return to where you came from. Do not stay in the mountains, and once you leave, do not mention my Pillow Stream Mountain!"
This True Lord Zhaoguang actually issued an order to leave without any hesitation.
Chen Shuangbai frowned slightly, while True Lord Yandan was already pale with anger, pointing at Zhaoguang and cursing, "This Fellow Xuhong is the Mountain Lord's honored guest, Zhaoguang, what right do you have to drive him away?"
Zhaoguang let out another cold laugh.
"He is the mountain lord's honored guest, not mine, Zhaoguang's!"
" Alchemist, our Pillow Stream Mountain has been quietly residing in the Xi Kingdom, multiplying and expanding its lineage. Countless disciples in the mountain are wholeheartedly pursuing the Dao Path. We have no intention of ruining the entire mountain over some trivial matters!"
"You... you... you..."
Yan Dan was so angry that her hands were trembling.
Upon hearing this, Chen Shuangbai finally understood.
Since the time of Pillow Stream Mountain, the disciples who have been accepted since then have mostly diverged in their understanding of the origins of the sect's lineage.
Some, like Yan Dan, still uphold the same ideals as Profound Lord Qingfang and hold the Heavenly River Ancestral Court in high esteem, while others, like Zhaoguang before them, wish they could distance themselves from it.
This is human nature and understandable.
Chen Shuangbai thought to herself, "This is exactly what I was thinking."
He then looked at Zhaoguang, bowed in greeting, and then turned to Yan Dan, bowing in return. " Alchemist, thank you for your care tonight."
"I am not a disciple of the mountain sect, and it is indeed not appropriate for me to stay any longer."
"I'll visit again another day when I have more free time."
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the hall. Once outside, he rose into the light and landed in front of the mountain gate archway, heading straight out of the mountain.
Seeing this, Yan Dan was both angry and anxious, and said, " Zhaoguang, even crows know to feed their parents, and mortals know to be grateful for the source of their blessings... Your behavior is simply ungrateful!"
Zhaoguang was annoyed by what he was told.
His face flushed and paled in turns, but his temper remained stubborn. He said in a gloomy voice, " Alchemist, am I ungrateful? You might as well ask the disciples in the sect how many dare to openly claim to be the successor of the Heavenly... or whatever. I'm afraid they don't even have the life to be killed by others!"
Yan Dan was speechless.
Both sides had valid points, but neither could convince the other, so they could only give up in frustration.
As Chen Shuangbai left Pillow Stream Mountain and headed towards the market town she had come from, True Lord Yandan caught up with her.
Chen Shuangbai secretly activated the power of the [ Great Yin Dao Fruit ] and searched the void again. He still saw a pale golden silk ribbon, floating above his and Yan Dan's heads, swaying like a venomous snake ready to bite at any moment.
"Even after leaving Pillow Stream Mountain... are they still being watched?"
As Chen Shuangbai frowned slightly, True Lord Yandan caught up.
The Kunxiu True Lord's tone was slightly urgent as he explained, "Junior Brother Xuhong, Zhaoguang is just sharp-tongued, but he's not really targeting you, it's just..."
"I understand."
Chen Shuangbai interrupted Yan Dan's next words, simply saying, "I understand his fear."
"It's understandable that Pillow Stream Mountain's current situation is truly hard-won."
" Zhaoguang Daoist Zhaoguang's concerns are perfectly reasonable."
Yan Dan pouted, wanting to explain something, but the words caught in her throat. She could only stand there blankly, letting the starlight shine on her.
While talking to the Kunxiu True Lord, Chen Shuangbai secretly observed the silk ribbon hanging above their heads. Seeing that it remained still without any other unusual movement, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Unless this mysterious eye is resolved, Pillow Stream Mountain will remain a place of trouble, a broken jar that cannot hold water..."
Chen Shuangbai had already made up her mind. After chatting with True Lord Yandan for a while, they parted ways.