Your Mother and I Were Old Acquaintances

As soon as the flying boat came to a stop, Nan Gurong hurried to find Sang Ying and, as her host, led her off the boat.

The Plain Robe Pavilion was quite unlike the immortal sects Sang Ying was used to seeing. Even the Flowing Light Sword Sect, which cared only about strength and rarely competed with other sects, had been built on an immortal mountain. Its buildings and decorations all displayed the refinement and elegance of cultivators, and the sect stood far removed from mortals.

The Plain Robe Pavilion was different. The sect stood right at the foot of the mountain, with mortal homes in front of its gates. If not for the three characters "Plain Robe Pavilion" written above the entrance in bold, sweeping strokes, Sang Ying would have thought she had come to the wrong place.

But she saw nothing wrong with such an arrangement. On the contrary, she felt completely at ease.

"Fellow Daoist Sang Ying, we at the Plain Robe Pavilion do things a little unconventionally. Please don't mind," Nan Gurong said. Seeing Sang Ying look around as soon as she stepped off the flying boat, she thought Sang Ying was displeased with the place.

This was not the first time it had happened. In the past, whenever Nan Gurong brought friends she had met elsewhere back to visit the sect, they would let slip their disapproval, no matter how courteous they were.

In cultivators' minds, immortal sects were supposed to stand high above, far removed from the mortal world.

At first, Nan Gurong had tried to explain, but after it happened enough times, she stopped caring so much. She could even make a few jokes at her own expense.

She knew Sang Ying came from the Flowing Light Sword Sect, one of the four great sects, and had already expected as much.

To her surprise, Sang Ying smiled and said, "This arrangement is quite ingenious. Was the sect placed at the foot of the mountain to make it easier to treat people?"

Nan Gurong's eyes lit up, and she said in delight, "That's right! That's exactly why. When our founder established the Plain Robe Pavilion, it was actually to treat mortals, not cultivators. If the sect were built on an immortal mountain, cultivators could naturally come and go as they pleased with their spiritual power, but mortals would have to drag their sick bodies along such a long mountain road. Never mind seeking treatment—they probably wouldn't even make it halfway."

"Your sect's founder was kind and benevolent," Sang Ying could not help saying with a sigh.

Nan Gurong pressed her lips together and smiled. Only at that moment did she truly feel that she and Sang Ying had become friends.

"Elder Chanyi sent word back earlier and had someone arrange lodgings for you. Let's go see my master first, and then I'll take you to rest!" Nan Gurong had not forgotten that Sang Ying had come to ask her master for treatment.

Nan Gurong's master was the current head of the Plain Robe Pavilion. Her surname was Meng, and her Daoist name was Surong. She had already reached the Nascent Soul stage.

Sect Leader Meng was an alchemy cultivator. Though she was only at the Nascent Soul stage, she was already a seventh-grade Alchemist.

There were only three seventh-grade Alchemists in the Twin Orchid Realm. Sect Leader Meng's skill in alchemy alone was enough to keep the Plain Robe Pavilion standing strong.

And now that Nan Gurong had obtained Immortal Lord Fusheng's inheritance in the Dao of Alchemy, her future achievements would likely surpass even Sect Leader Meng's.

Nan Gurong led Sang Ying all the way to the Plain Robe Pavilion's main hall.

Along the way, Sang Ying saw many young medical cultivators dressed in white, either carrying Jade Slips or preparing medicinal ingredients. Even the air seemed filled with the fragrance of spirit medicine.

For some reason, as Sang Ying watched them, she felt more at ease than she had at the Flowing Light Sword Sect.

When she entered the main hall, Sang Ying immediately spotted a middle-aged woman with bound hair and wide sleeves. The woman's expression was stern, but the moment she saw Nan Gurong, a trace of tenderness appeared in her eyes.

Before Sang Ying could begin to guess, Nan Gurong called out, "Master! Your disciple is back."

Sure enough, the female cultivator was the head of the Plain Robe Pavilion.

"Hmph, so you still remember to come back?" Sect Leader Meng chided. "You were gone so long without sending a single message. If your martial aunt Chanyi hadn't sent word back, I wouldn't even know you'd stirred up such a huge mess!"

Sect Leader Meng's words were sharp, but she showed no sign of anger.

She raised a hand to beckon Nan Gurong over, then gave her disciple a gentle tap on the forehead, full of affection. "You've got some nerve, getting mixed up in Luo Fengyuan's affairs. He's a Soul Leaving Stage cultivator, someone even I wouldn't dare provoke lightly. If those two mighty figures hadn't intervened, do you think you'd still be alive to come back?"

Nan Gurong hurriedly begged for mercy. "I was wrong, I was wrong! Master, I'll be more careful from now on!"

Away from home, she was the eldest senior sister everyone praised, proper and considerate in everything she did. But before her own master, she showed a rare glimpse of youthful behavior.

Sang Ying felt a little envious at the sight. She, too, had once imagined what it would be like to get along with her master.

But Gu Huaiwei alone had shattered all her fantasies.

Master and disciple soon finished catching up, and Nan Gurong did not forget to introduce Sang Ying to Sect Leader Meng.

But when Sang Ying stepped forward at Nan Gurong's prompting and was about to greet Sect Leader Meng, she saw the sect leader's expression change in an instant.

"Your name is Sang Ying?!" She stared intently at Sang Ying's face, as though she saw traces of someone she once knew.

Sang Ying was taken aback, but she finished her greeting before replying, "This junior is Sang Ying of the Flowing Light Sword Sect. Greetings, Sect Leader Meng."

"The Flowing Light Sword Sect? Yes, that's how it is..." Sect Leader Meng looked at Sang Ying's face, murmuring to herself.

Sensing that something was amiss, Nan Gurong hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "Master, this is the friend who saved me several times. She's still injured and came here to recover. If there's nothing else, I'll take her to rest first."

"You're injured?" Sect Leader Meng had only heard the first part before reaching out to take Sang Ying's pulse.

Both Sang Ying and Nan Gurong were startled. They exchanged a glance, each seeing the same confusion in the other's eyes.

A moment later, Sect Leader Meng released Sang Ying's hand. Her brows knitted slightly, as though she had encountered a difficult problem. "You've pushed yourself to use your sword several times, and you injured your internal organs before. You already had old injuries, and now you've added new ones. Not only that, even your Spirit Root..."

At that point, Sect Leader Meng suddenly fell silent, as if she had just realized something.

Sang Ying looked at her, a few guesses forming in her mind. "Sect Leader, do you know me?"

Sect Leader Meng paused, then sighed. "Yes, I do know you, but only through what someone else told me."

"Is your mother the formation cultivator Wen Miaoshu, and your father Sang Zheng of the Flowing Light Sword Sect?"

Sang Ying said, "Your guess is correct, Sect Leader."

"I didn't guess." Sect Leader Meng's gaze gradually softened as she looked at Sang Ying, taking on a touch of affection. "I could tell by looking at you. You look very much like your mother."

Sang Ying's eyes sharpened, and she hurriedly asked, "Were you just talking about my mother?"

Sect Leader Meng nodded with a smile. "You probably don't know this, but your mother and I were old acquaintances. I knew her even before your father did. Back then, they left the Flowing Light Sword Sect to travel in search of medicine for you, but who would have thought they would never return?"