Chapter 61: Meeting Qiu Luliu Again
The next day, Bai Yunfei still arrived at the agreed place half an hour early as before.
The sunlight seemed to be especially tender this morning. Everything looked vibrant, whether the grass on the ground or the weeping willows on the shores.
Bai Yunfei stood on the roadside, gazing at the willow trees that were fluttering in the wind on one side, his eyes somewhat unfocused.
"It's been two days since I arrived in this Jade Willow City but I haven't noticed anything unusual. Could it be the Zhang family's or I should say the Glacial School's forces haven't reached this place yet? Is this because... of the existence of the Green Willow School?
"I wonder if the two long tao brothers of that Long family will come to trouble me again. The Long family is quite influential in this place so it should have several soul cultivators. Last time I merely bullied two good-for-nothings so they didn't have too many men with them. If they still want to retaliate...
"Sure enough, it'd still be better for me to leave early? Then let's leave this place tomorrow! After strolling about today, I'll tell Liu Meng clearly that I'll leave tomorrow in the early morning..."
Although he had made his decision, another feeling was bred in his mind. Was it... unwillingness? Bai Yunfei shook his head gently with a forced smile and scolded himself for being hopeless and having become so indecisive.
"Bai... Bai Yunfei?"
Just when his mind was in an emotional turmoil, a reluctant voice rang out behind him. Slightly startled, he immediately turned around to take a look.
He saw a tall young girl dressed in emerald green clothes looking at him with a pleasantly surprised expression. Bai Yunfei was slightly stupefied and said in astonishment, "Qiu Luliu! Why are you here?"
This young girl was none other than Qiu Luliu, disciple of the Green Willow School, who had come to rescue her junior sister at that time when Bai Yunfei had stabbed Zhang Yang to death.
"These words should have been said by me, right? Who would have thought it would really be you? I even suspected I got the wrong person!" Qiu Luliu walked up to Bai Yunfei smilingly. After sizing him up a bit, she said doubtfully, "Why are you in Jade Willow City?"
At this point, seeming to suddenly remember something, she subconsciously looked around, saying in a low voice, "Right, now the Zhang family is looking for you everywhere. You must be careful! Last time, about ten days after we parted ways, Zhang Yang's father Zhang Zhenshan came looking for me and wanted me to reveal your appearance and whereabouts. I was able to casually fool him. Now that I know you're safe and sound, I can rest easy. But you're really quite something. I didn't expect you to be able to avoid the Zhang family's stool pigeons to reach this place..."
Hearing her words, Bai Yunfei was slightly dumbfounded then said with a forced smile, "I wasn't so lucky. Zhang Zhenshan caught up with me later and it was so difficult for me to escape..."
"What?! He caught up with you?" Qiu Luliu exclaimed in a low voice, "Plus, you were unexpectedly able to escape? How did you do that?"
"Er, this is a long story. At that time he..."
"Alas, this is not the right place for us to talk about this. How about going to a tea house to have a chat? Since we hurriedly parted ways last time, I've always wanted to thank you properly for saving my junior sister." Qiu Luliu said smilingly while looking around.
"This..." Bai Yunfei looked at the streets in the city then said in a somewhat embarrassed manner, "I'm afraid I can't do this today. I already agreed to meet someone and I'm waiting for her here..."
"Oh, I see..." Qiu Luliu thought for a bit and said, "Then, how about tomorrow? This will give me just enough time to go back to my school and tell my junior sister. She'll definitely be very happy. Tomorrow we'll talk about what happened together, okay?"
Bai Yunfei asked doubtfully, "Go back to your school? Oh, that's right. The Green Willow School is around this Jade Willow City, isn't it? Is it far from here? If it's too far, you don't have to take the trouble to do it, Miss Qiu."
"Never mind. The Green Willow School's headquarters is a large manor not far to the west of the city." Qiu Luliu said laughingly, "Ha ha, I really didn't expect that I'd run into you when I go out today. I think my junior sister Yuhe will be very happy to see you again too. You know what, she often talks about you, her 'lifesaver', again and again, he he..."
The image of that lovely petite girl hiding timidly behind Qiu Luliu emerged in Bai Yunfei's mind. He could not help giving a laugh inwardly, asking, "Right, how is Miss Chu now? She's already started training, right?"
"Yes, of course. My master loves this little disciple very much. Junior sister is very well-behaved and hardworking too. With my master's help, her soulforce awakened very quickly. Now she's already about to reach the mid-stage Soul Apprentice level!" Qiu Luliu seemed to be especially happy when talking about Chu Yuhe. One could tell that she really loved this little junior sister dearly.
Bai Yunfei also said smilingly with a nod, "Oh, it's good to know that. Where are we going to meet tomorrow? And when?"
"This... Let's do it this way. Just tell me the name of the tavern where you're staying and I'll come to look for you later. I've still got some things to do so I don't know exactly when I'll be there, but it'll definitely before afternoon..." Qiu Luliu thought for a bit and said.
"Oh, that's alright. I'll be waiting for you then. I'm staying in..."
......
After watching Qiu Luliu go away, Bai Yunfei shifted his eyes, searching the crowd a bit, and said doubtfully with his head lowered, "What's going on with Meng'er? Why hasn't she come yet? Could it be she's sick again?"
"Yunfei, I'm sorry for making you wait for a long time again..."
Just when Bai Yunfei was worried inside, Liu Meng's voice suddenly rang out. Happy in his heart, he raised his head to take a look and saw her looking at him smilingly with her hands behind her back from several meters away. Her long dress was white and her beautiful hair was like a waterfall with several strands sticking to her cheeks. When the wind blew past her, her silky hair flew upwards and her dress fluttered, making her look like a descending fairy in Bai Yunfei's eyes...
After seeing the slim and graceful young girl in front of him, Bai Yunfei unexpectedly had no reaction for a short time. He just stared at her in a somewhat stupefied manner.
"Mis-ter-Yun-fei!! Wake up please!"
A sassy shout came into Bai Yunfei's ears, waking him up with a start. Seeing Xiao Ning chuckling with her mouth covered, he laughed in a somewhat embarrassed manner and said, "You're finally here, Meng'er. You're okay, right? Did you feel sick again today?"
Hearing his words, Liu Meng suddenly blushed a little. On one side, Xiao Ning was the first to reply, "Hey, mister Yunfei, are you blaming my young lady for being late? Really, don't you know that every girl has to spend time dressing up before going out? Humph, my young lady even specially dressed up for so long. Could it be you haven't noticed that she looks more beautiful than yesterday?"
"What are you saying, Xiao Ning?! When did I specially dress up...?"Liu Meng pinched Xiao Ning's arms lightly a bit and said discontentedly.
Reproved by Xiao Ning once again, Bai Yunfei gave a couple of dry coughs in an embarrassed manner and changed the topic of conversation, "Um, it's about time already. Meng'er, let's set off for that Cuihua Temple now."
......
The three of them walked on a grassy road, talking and laughing with each other, slowly heading for that Cuihua Temple. As they went on their way, there were gradually more and more people around them. The temple's fortune sticks were said to be especially accurate, therefore quite a lot of people wanted to go there to burn incense sticks and make wishes or to stroll about and relieve boredom.
The closer it got to midday, the more intense the sun became. Even the air became hot and dry. Xiao Ning had already opened a pink oil-paper umbrella, blocking out all the sunlight that shone on her and Liu Meng.
Seeing Bai Yunfei begin to squint because of the scorching sun, Liu Meng seemed to suddenly remember something. She halted her steps and said softly, "Right, Yunfei, I almost forgot that I have something to give you!"
"Oh?" Bai Yunfei was surprised, "Something to give me? What is it?"
Liu Meng reached out a jade-like hand with a smile. A circular object appeared in her hand -- it was unexpectedly a golden straw hat...
"I remember that when we met for the first time, you were wearing a straw hat, but it seemed already very tattered. When I went out today, I happened to see someone selling this kind of hat on the side of a street so I bought a new one for you. Take it and put it on. It can block out the sunlight."
"......"
Bai Yunfei received straw hat, which was bright golden and also had a red stripe on the side, and was stupefied speechlessly for a long time. Actually he was extremely happy inside. He had not expected Liu Meng to give him a 'present', but... why did it have to be a straw hat??
"What's wrong, Yunfei? You're not happy?"
Liu Meng's doubtful voice rang out. Bai Yunfei regained his composure and hurriedly said, "Oh? No, no. I'm very happy. Ha ha, thank you, Meng'er..."
As he talked, he put the straw hat on his head directly, a happy smile showing up on his face. He then pressed it down a bit and immediately no longer felt the scorching sun. There was an indescribable 'cool' feeling in not only his body, but also in his heart...
"Mister Yunfei, my young lady has given you a present. Shouldn't you express your gratitude a bit?"
"Ah? Oh, of course, of course, I will..."
Xiao Ning's teasing voice and Bai Yunfei's embarrassed reply drifted into the air. The three silhouettes got farther and farther away...
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Chapter 62: The +10 Additional Effects of Accessories
In the morning of the next day,
Bai Yunfei was sitting with legs crossed on the bed looking at an orange bracelet in his hand with a slight frown.
Upgrade Failed
Equipment Destroyed
The information in his mind disappointed him for a while again. He reached his hand out to one side and tilted his palm. An amount of dust fell down and piled up on a piece of white cloth beside him. That basin-sized piece of white cloth had already been sprinkled with various powders of different colors. These powders were what was left of the pieces of jewelry that had been destroyed by failed upgrades in just the last two hours.
Because today Bai Yunfei had to wait for Qiu Luliu to come looking for him, he did not go anywhere. According to his original plan, he should leave today, but now he had no choice but to stay for another day. Because he did not know when Qiu Luliu would arrive, he had decided to make use of this period of time to continue his research into jewelry upgrades.
"It was the fifth one. I still haven't even got a +9 item. Somehow I feel that upgrading jewelry must be harder than upgrading weapons and defensive items?" Bai Yunfei shook his head in frustration. After being depressed inwardly for a while, he took out a milky white pearl necklace.
"Upgrade."
Upgrade Successful
Equipment Grade: High
Upgrade Level: +9
Additional Attribute: +23 Agility
Upgrade Requirement: 17 Soulpoints
Bai Yunfei had a happy expression, "I've finally succeeded!"
Putting this +9 necklace down to one side, he took out another bracelet and continued to upgrade it. Unfortunately, he failed again and it was destroyed.
Either because it really was more difficult to upgrade jewelry or because Bai Yunfei was unlucky, out of the twelve pieces of jewelry he upgraded afterwards, he was only able to obtain two +9 items, a bracelet and a ring.
"Alas..." Bai Yunfei let out a sigh of frustration again and looked outside the window. It was already morning, "Qiu Luliu said that she'd arrive before afternoon. She should be here soon. Will I just call it a day like this? But... I don't want to give up! Let's just upgrade these three items to see what will happen! If I successfully upgrade one of them, I'll know the additional effect of a +10 piece of jewelry!"
As soon as Bai Yunfei thought about this, he no longer cared about the fact that it had taken him several hours of hard work to obtain these items. As he picked up that necklace, his eyes showed an expression of expectation.
"Upgrade!"
Upgrade Failed
Equipment Destroyed
"Alas! I was indeed too naive to think so!" With a whimper in his mind, Bai Yunfei scattered the powder in his hand sadly and picked up that +9 ring.
"Now that I already started, I can't give up halfway through no matter what!
"Upgrade!"
Upgrade Successful
At first, subconsciously Bai Yunfei was prepared to sigh, but now he was suddenly dumbstruck for a moment then had an ecstatic expression: "I unexpectedly, unexpectedly succeeded!"
In an excited state of mind, Bai Yunfei looked at the ring in his hand impatiently and gave it a thought.
Equipment Grade: High
Upgrade Level: +10
Additional Attribute: +32 Endurance
+10 Additional Effect: Increase attack speed by 2%
Upgrade Requirement: 21 Soulpoints
Bai Yunfei frowned slightly, "An addition of 32 endurance would mean wearing this ring alone would increase an ordinary person's endurance by 30%... But it means almost nothing to soul cultivators. Attack speed? Is this an additional 'stat'? This is the first time I've seen something like this. Let's give it a try..."
Bai Yunfei sat straigt up, gently took a breath, clenched his right fist and punched into the air, creating an area of afterimages in front of him. At the same time, his eyes showed a thoughtful expression, looking like he was experiencing something silently.
After several breaths, he stopped his movements and put that ring on his left hand's index finger.
The moment he wore the ring, he felt a wonderful feeling. Although it was extremely faint, he could still feel it clearly. His endurance had become even more bountiful—this was the 'Endurance +32' effect.
After taking a deep breath, he raised his arm and began to punch into the air as before. A short while later, he stopped his movements and pondered with his head lowered.
"A 2% increase to attack speed is very good! Though this increase is very small in degree, but unlike those effects with chances of being triggered, I only need to wear this ring for it to be effective! This way, my power has also improved a bit!
"It's a pity I can't put two rings on one hand at the same time..." Bai Yunfei thought with some regret while looking at his own hands.
Regarding jewelry, only the first item was effective when worn, which also meant only one ring and one bracelet could be put on an arm. This was also true for earrings and necklaces, that is, an additional earring or necklace would be completely ineffective when worn.
Bai Yunfei picked up the last item, that +9 light blue bracelet, with a hesitant expression on his face, "Then... Should I continue to upgrade this one?"
"Yunfei, are you there?"
When Bai Yunfei was hesitating, the voice of a girl suddenly rang out outside the door.
"Miss Qiu has arrived? Oh, no, this is... Meng'er's voice!" Startled, Bai Yunfei hurriedly got off the bed, properly put on his shoes and walked towards the door of the room.
After he opened the door, he saw a young girl in blue clothes standing smilingly at the door. She was none other than Liu Meng. Beside her, the servant girl Xiao Ning was looking around somewhat curiously.
"Meng'er? Why have you come here?" Bai Yunfei was amazed in his mind. Temporarily he even forgot to tell them to enter the room.
"What's wrong? I can't come to look for you?" Liu Meng asked with the same smiling expression.
"Er, no, of course you can..."
"Young master Yunfei, you should invite my young lady into the room. Could it be you want to have a talk while standing at this door? Or could it be there's another girl hiding in your room so you don't dare to let my young lady come in?" The little servant girl Xiao Ning always had a sharp tongue. With just a few words, she made Bai Yunfei feel extremely embarrassed again. He hurriedly let the two of them go into the room.
"Meng'er, didn't I tell you yesterday that I'll have something to do today so I can't be with you? Why have you..." Bai Yunfei said doubtfully while looking at Liu Meng, who was sizing up the room with a bit of curiosity.
"What's wrong, Yunfei? You're not happy with me coming to look for you?" Liu Meng asked softly, her tone seeming to carry a trace of disappointment.
"No, of course that's not true. I just... I'll probably have to go out in a while, so..." Bai Yunfei hurriedly explained. As soon as he heard Liu Meng's tone, there was an indescribable trace of nervousness in his heart.
Seeing Bai Yunfei's totally anxious expression, Liu Meng smiled again, saying, "Oh, that's fine. I'll just stay for a while then leave. Is this okay?"
"Oh, that... That's fine..." Bai Yunfei hesitated in his mind for a moment. It seemed he subconsciously did not want to let Qiu Luliu and her meet each other.
"Oh? This bracelet is so beautiful!" Liu Meng's surprised voice rang out. Bai Yunfei lifted his head to take a look and his heart immediately tightened. It turned out before hurriedly going to open the door, he had casually put that +9 bracelet on the table. Now it had been found by Liu Meng and she was holding it in her hand observing it carefully.
"Mmm, it's so beautiful! Light blue, just happens to match young lady's clothes." On one side, Xiao Ning was also looking eagerly at this bracelet. Suddenly her eyes rolled and she turned to Bai Yunfei, saying laughingly, "He he, Mister Yunfei, could it be... this is the present you bought to give my young lady? Yesterday, after my young lady gave you that straw hat, you promised to give her a gift in return. Who would have thought you would get it ready so fast?"
When Liu Meng heard her words, her eyes flashed with a tinge of surprise, her face slightly reddening. She lifted her eyes looking at Bai Yunfei. In her eyes, there seemed to be... a trace of hope?
"This..." Bai Yunfei felt somewhat awkward, not knowing what he should do.
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Chapter 63: Is This Jealousy?
"This..." Bai Yunfei felt somewhat awkward, not knowing what he should do.
Seeing Bai Yunfei's hesitant expression, Liu Meng's eyes dimmed for a moment. She lowered her head slightly and put the bracelet back on the table, saying in a low voice, "Don't talk nonsense, Xiao Ning. Maybe this bracelet is very important to Yunfei. How can he casually give it to someone else...?"
When Bai Yunfei saw Liu Meng act like that and heard her slightly disappointed words, his heart shivered indescribably. There unexpectedly seemed to be a feeling of guilt surging into his heart. He felt that upsetting this young girl in front of him was an unforgivable sin...
"No... That's not true, Meng'er. This bracelet... Actually I was preparing to give it to you." Bai Yunfei's eyes glittered. In the end he clenched his teeth, walked up to Liu Meng, picked up the bracelet and put it into her hand, saying smilingly, "Originally I wanted to give it to you the next time we meet. Who would have thought you would come to look for me? This is perfect timing. I'll just give it to you right now."
"Really?" Liu Meng raised her head, looking at Bai Yunfei with slightly reddened cheeks.
"Yeah, I mean it!" This time Bai Yunfei said very resolutely. In his heart, even if just for this smiling expression, it was worth giving her this bracelet.
"He he, I said so, didn't I? This bracelet was definitely bought to give young lady!" Xiao Ning said laughingly on one side, "Humph, Mister Yunfei, you even scared young lady on purpose and almost made her cry. You're really so mean!"
"Er, this... Just now I didn't do it on purpose..." Bai Yunfei scratched his head in an embarrassed manner and said with a placating smile.
Seeing him behave in such a 'foolish' way, both girls burst out giggling in a lovely manner, making Bai Yunfei even more embarrassed.
With a smiling expression in her eyes, Liu Meng observed the bracelet in her hand carefully. One could tell that she liked this bracelet quite a lot. After quite some time, she put it on her left wrist.
Right after she wore this bracelet, she was obviously stupefied for a while. Then she looked at the bracelet on her wrist in a seemingly somewhat doubtful manner before unexpectedly closing her eyes, apparently experiencing something.
After several breaths' time, Liu Meng suddenly opened her eyes and raised her head to look at Bai Yunfei. Her face full of disbelief, she said in surprise and bewilderment, "Yunfei, this, this bracelet..."
"Here it comes!"
Bai Yunfei's heart jumped. When he had decided to give this bracelet to her just then, he had already expected the current situation. Now, doing his best to keep a calm exterior, he said smilingly, "Oh, there are some special things about this bracelet... My master gave it to me. It can, can make the person who wears it become more light and agile."
Hearing Bai Yunfei's explanation, Liu Meng was slightly stupefied. She observed the bracelet on her wrist carefully again in a rather astounded manner for some time then lowered her head. It was impossible to know what she was thinking.
Just when Bai Yunfei guessed that this explanation of his was too nonsensical, Liu Meng raised her head again. She unexpectedly looked at him somewhat apologetically, saying, "I'm sorry, Yunfei. I didn't know this bracelet has such a strange function. I, I can't take..."
As she said, she wanted to return the bracelet to Bai Yunfei.
Bai Yunfei was stupefied. It had been very difficult for him to decide to give her this bracelet, but now she said she did not want it. This unexpectedly made him somewhat anxious. He took two steps forwards and grabbed the hand with which Liu Meng wanted to take the bracelet off, saying, "Meng'er, you already put it on, so don't take it off. I know you like this bracelet, so just accept it. Its effect is not very great anyway..."
"Yunfei, you... Please let go of me..."
In a state of desperation, Bai Yunfei had been somewhat flustered. Only when he heard Liu Meng's slightly ashamed whisper now did he suddenly react. He hurriedly let go of her wrist and shook his hands again and again, saying, "Er, Meng'er, I... I didn't do that on purpose."
Her face slightly reddening, Liu Meng did not say anything. She no longer wanted to take the bracelet off. Instead, she was gently caressing it with her head lowered.
Xiao Ning was sitting on one side waiting for the two of them and looking at them with wide open eyes. Her face was full of curiosity about what these two people were saying, Aside from looking somewhat beautiful, what's so special this bracelet?
Temporarily, there was a short period of calm inside the room.
"Right, Yunfei, you said you had something to do. What is it? Can I go with you?" Liu Meng was the first to break the tranquility by raising her head and asking after hiding the bracelet into her sleeve.
"This... I'm afraid you can't. I'm going to talk about the past with two friends. They will come to look for me in a while..." Bai Yunfei said somewhat awkwardly.
"Friends? There are still people you know in this Jade Willow City? Why haven't I heard you mention them?" Liu Meng asked curiously.
"Oh, I just accidentally ran into one of them yesterday. She's... She's a disciple of the Green Willow School. Her name is Qiu Luliu..."
"What?! A Green Willow School disciple?" Hearing these words, Liu Meng immediately said in a somewhat amazed manner. Afterwards, she seemed to remember something and her face unexpectedly became gloomy. She lowered her head again. Nobody knew what she was thinking.
Bai Yunfei was anxious and hurriedly explained, "Don't get me wrong, Meng'er. We're just ordinary friends. It's just that... It's just that in the past I saved her junior sister so when we met by chance this time, she asked me to go and have a chat with them about the past..."
"There's still a junior sister?!" On one side, Xiao Ning could not help 'exclaiming'.
Sweat was all but come out on Bai Yunfei's forehead. He 'implored' with a miserable expression, "Xiao Ning, please don't cause trouble, will you...?"
"Ha ha, Yunfei, in fact you don't need to explain to me." Liu Meng lifted her head to smile at Bai Yunfei and continued, "After all, I'm nothing to you, so I don't have the right to be angry either..."
"That's not true, Meng'er. I..."
"You don't have to explain. I know already." Liu Meng still said smilingly, "I won't disturb you anymore. Your friend will be here in a while so to spare everyone the embarrassment, I'll leave first. When you and your friends have finished talking about the past, I'll come to look for you..."
Liu Meng suddenly changed her behavior, confusing Bai Yunfei's mind somewhat. Temporarily he did not know what to say and could only watched in stupefaction as she stood up then slowly walked out of the room.
"Humph! You're really such a fool, mister Yunfei! You've made me so angry. I won't care about you anymore!" Xiao Ning shook her little fist in front of Bai Yunfei 'fiercely' then walked out after Liu Meng. The moment she went out of the room, she even banged the door open with force.
"This... I, I obviously didn't say anything..."
Only a good while after the two girls had left did Bai Yunfei murmur in an almost tearful manner.
......
In a chaotic state of mind, Bai Yunfei walked back to the bed, lay down and looked absently at the roof with his eyes. Nobody knew what he was thinking...
"Bai Yunfei, are you there?"
A melodious voice came in from outside the door. He sat up as if getting an electric shock and was slightly stupefied. Then he shook his head gently and said in a low voice: "This time I'm sure it's Miss Qiu here..."
The door of the room was open. Qiu Luliu, dressed completely in emerald green clothes, was standing smilingly at the door.
"I'm sorry I'm a bit late. Let's go right now, okay?" Qiu Luliu said slightly apologetically.
"Oh, never mind, Miss Qiu. I've been waiting for just a short time." Bai Yunfei answered politely but he sighed inwardly in frustration, thinking that if she had come and take him out with her a bit earlier, things would have been better, because in that case he would not have inexplicably angered Liu Meng...
Slightly shaking his head, he temporarily put aside this matter. After looking behind Qiu Luliu for a bit, he said doubtfully, "Oh, Miss Chu doesn't come here?"
"Ha ha, you're right, Mister Yunfei. Yesterday I intended to come and look for you with my junior sister then we would chat about what happened, but after I went back to my school, I blurted this out in front of my master. She... She wants to have a meeting with the young hero who saved her little disciple too, so could I ask you to go to my Green Willow School as a guest? This is not a problem, right?"
"Oh? You master wants to see me? This..." Bai Yunfei was surprised. Qiu Luliu's master was none other than the Green Willow School's headmaster. Who would have thought she would want to see him?
"What's wrong? Is there any inconvenience?"
"No, there isn't. That's fine. Please lead the way, Miss Qiu..."
............
In a place about a dozen kilometers to the west of Jade Willow City, there was a massive manor. It had high walls and lofty buildings, looking rather extraordinary. Around the manor, there was a large expanse of greenness, with various rows of willows encircling the manor like guardsmen. The willow twigs swayed gently all the time, making the place look relaxing and pleasing from afar.
This place was the location of the Green Willow School's headquarters. A petite silhouette was standing gracefully in front of the main gate.
She was dressed entirely in white clothes adorned with various emerald green willow leaves. Despite being small in stature, she had a nice and slim figure. Her beautiful hair was long enough to reach her waist. The flat bangs of her hair covered her forehead, making her look very cute. Her slightly rosy cheeks looked chubby and could cause an impulse to slightly pinch them in other people. Her big eyes glittering, she was staring ahead with a tinge of hope in her eyes.
This was of course the young girl called Chu Yuhe, who had been abducted by Zhang Yang's subordinates then eventually rescued by Bai Yunfei in the past.
It seemed she had been waiting here for quite some time. At this moment, she curled her lips slightly and mumbled in a seemingly somewhat discontented manner, "It's been so long since senior sister left. Why hasn't she returned yet...?"
While 'complaining' softly, she raised her head again to gaze into the distance. Suddenly, her eyes brightened then showed a joyful expression. She unexpectedly trotted forwards impatiently to give a welcome.
In the distance, a man and a girl were going side by side. They were none other than Bai Yunfei and Qiu Luliu.
"The headquarters of the Green Willow School is up ahead. Yunfei, let's go a bit faster. Junior... Oh? Ha ha, you see, junior sister just can't wait to meet you." Qiu Luliu covered her mouth and said with a chuckle as she saw a petite silhouette trotting towards them from up ahead.
When Chu Yuhe ran up to a place about ten meters in front of them, she stopped hastily. It seemed only now did she suddenly realize that she was somewhat impatient. Her pretty face slightly reddening, her hands rubbing her clothes, she said, "Senior sister, you, you have returned... Um, Bai, Mister Bai Yunfei, how are you...?"
"Ha ha, how are you, Miss Chu? Have you been waiting for us here?" Seeing the young girl in front of him, Bai Yunfei was somewhat excited inside too.
"Um, my master, my master told me to stay here to welcome you, Mister Bai Yunfei..."
"You don't have to stand on ceremony like this, Miss Chu. It's okay to just call me Yunfei." Bai Yunfei said laughingly.
"Then, then I'll call you, call you brother Yunfei. You should also call me Yuhe..." The young girl said timidly.
On one side, seeing that her junior sister was still so shy, Qiu Luliu could not help shaking her head in frustration and saying to the two of them, "Alright, could it be you two want to stand here and chat? Let's come in first. We'll have a nice chat in a while."
Chu Yuhe gave a sound of agreement and walked up to the side of Qiu Luliu. The three of them then went towards the main gate of the Green Willow School together.
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Chapter 64: Green Willow School
In a small hall which was simply furnished but had an air of elegance and comfort about it,
Bai Yunfei and Qiu Luliu were sitting opposite each other on the left and the right respectively. Bai Yunfei was holding a teacup in his hand, carefully listening to her introduction to the Green Willow School and the situation in the entire Jade Willow City.
"Right, Luliu, do you know if there are forces subordinate to the Glacial School in this Jade Willow City?" Bai Yunfei suddenly thought of one thing and asked.
"Oh? Why do you ask this question?" Qiu Luliu was stupefied for a short while then immediately reacted, "Are you worried that... Zhang Zhenshan will employ the Glacial School's forces to search for you?"
Bai Yunfei nodded.
"Ha ha, you need not worry about this." Qiu Luliu laughed softly, "If this was a different place, I wouldn't dare to guarantee anything, but in this Jade Willow City, the Glacial School definitely won't dare to run wild. This place is the location of my Green Willow School's headquarters, how can my school let them cause trouble?"
Bai Yunfei pondered with his head lowered for a while then continued to ask, "For the last two days I've always felt that there seems to be something wrong, but I haven't detected anything. That Glacial School... If they already know that I'm here, but they don't dare to cause trouble in the city, then I'm afraid when I leave Jade Willow City, I'll be ambushed by them. Only, I'm not sure if they have found me by now or not..."
"I see..." Qiu Luliu's face showed a trace of solemnity. After thinking for a bit, she said, "According to my knowledge, there's no forces of the Glacial School in the city. But there seems to be some connection between that Long family and the Glacial School..."
"What? The Long family?!" Bai Yunfei asked in surprise, his expression changing.
"Oh? Could it be you know about that Long family?" Qiu Luliu asked doubtfully, having not expected such a reaction from him.
"The day before yesterday I had a conflict with the two young masters of the Long family. They..." Bai Yunfei casually said a few words but then he stopped all of a sudden. Seeming to remember something, he frowned slightly and began to ponder with his head lowered.
Seeing him like that, Qiu Luliu did not disturb him again. She sat quietly on one side sipping her tea.
"Master, brother Yunfei is inside..." Chu Yuhe's lovely voice came in from outside. She had gone to invite her master to come here earlier. Now they should be arriving together.
Sure enough, when her voice had just faded away, two people appeared at the door. One of them was a middle-aged woman with an elegant posture and at the same time an air of majesty about her. She walked into the room accompanied by Chu Yuhe.
Actually it was somewhat inappropriate to refer to her as a middle-aged woman because even though she had a plump, mature figure, she appeared to be very young. Judging from her appearance alone, she definitely could not be older than thirty years of age—this was none other than the Green Willow School's headmaster, Mu Wanqing.
"Master." Seeing the visitors, Qiu Luliu stood up and saluted at once.
The moment Chu Yuhe's voice rang out, Bai Yunfei woke up from his contemplation. Now he also stool up. Although he was a little surprised because the person called 'master' by Qiu Luliu was so young, this lasted only for a moment. He also saluted, saying, "I am Bai Yunfei. It is an honor to meet you, senior."
Mu Wanqing smiled at the two of them then said to Bai Yunfei, "There's no need to stand on ceremony, young hero Bai. Let's all sit down. Don't be too formal."
After everybody sat down, Mu Wanqing observed Bai Yunfei carefully for a good few seconds then said with smiling eyes, "Young hero Bai, I really wanted to thank you in person for having saved Yuhe in the past, therefore this time I took the liberty of inviting you to my school as a guest. I hope you don't take offense at this."
The fact that she, a school's headmaster and a Soul Ancestor, had such a polite attitude towards himself made Bai Yunfei feel somewhat uncomfortable. He shook his hand gently, saying: "Please don't stand on ceremony, headmaster. I'm not worthy of it. There was already a feud between Zhang Yang and me so at the time I merely saved Yuhe by accident. You don't need to thank me anymore..."
"Oh, since young hero Bai is so modest, I won't mention this again either." Mu Wanqing paused for a bit then continued, "As for the Glacial School, you don't have to be worried about it when you're in this Jade Willow City. If they dare to cause trouble in the city, my Green Willow School won't sit by and watch."
Bai Yunfei was happy inside because she had said clearly that she would help him. Although he did not know why she was so enthusiastic, having a 'backer' was always a good thing.
"Oh, thank you very much for your help, headmaster. I plan to leave this Azure Cloud Province tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. When I have arrived in the Northern Cliff Province, as long as I'm careful with my actions, I think the Glacial School won't be able to do anything to me."
"Oh? You're about to leave so soon? Um... Young people aspire to travel far and make their mark. Young hero Bai was lucky to be taught by a senior from the Fate School so you indeed shouldn't limit yourself to such a small place as Azure Cloud Province. You should go out and try to make a name for yourself."
Her sudden mention of the Fate School slightly stupefied Bai Yunfei. He cast a look at Qiu Luliu on one side then said modestly, "You flatter me, senior. I just want to go experience the outside world a bit. As for me being taught by senior Ge Yiyun from the Fate School, this was indeed a piece of luck."
Hearing the words 'Ge Yiyun' from Bai Yunfei, Mu Wanqing slightly raised her beautiful eyebrows, but they immediately returned to normal. She took a look at Chu Yuhe on one side, seeming to think of something, and said, "Right, young hero Bai, what do you think about this little girl Yuhe?"
"Oh?" Bai Yunfei was stupefied, somewhat unable to keep up with her sudden change of topics. Only after being stunned for a long time did he say somewhat doubtfully, "Yuhe... is very good. I heard from Luliu that she's well-behaved and sensible and got quite a lot of talent for cultivation..."
"Then... are you willing to accept her as your sworn younger sister, young hero Bai?" Mu Wanqing nodded smilingly then said a line that astounded the other three people at the scene.
Bai Yunfei felt that his thinking really could not keep up with this senior's thought speed. Temporarily he was stupefied and had no reaction. Mu Wanqing frowned slightly, "What's wrong, young hero Bai? Could it be you think that Yuhe doesn't deserve to become your younger sister?"
"Ah? No, no, that's not what I mean. Miss Yuhe is smart and lovely. How can I..."
"Oh, so this means you agree to this?" Mu Wanqing narrowed her eyes slightly, showing a smiling expression, "Then that settles it. From now on the two of you will be brother and younger sister. This way Yuhe won't feel guilty all the time about being unable to repay you for saving her life."
"Yuhe, are you willing to accept young hero Bai as your brother?" Mu Wanqing turned to Chu Yuhe and asked kindly.
In the beginning, when Chu Yuhe heard Mu Wanqing mention her, she had a somewhat confused expression. Then, when she heard her master ask Bai Yunfei about his view on her, her face slightly reddened. Afterwards, when she heard her master tell Bai Yunfei to accept her as a sworn younger sister, her face was full of amazement, but she did not dare to cut in. Now, hearing Mu Wanqing's question, she was slightly stupefied then said in a low voice, "Of course, of course I'm willing. I'm also very happy to have brother Yunfei as my sworn brother."
"Oh, that's good. From now on, young hero Bai is your brother. You have to respect your sworn brother, do you understand?" Mu Wanqing nodded in a satisfied manner and said smilingly.
"Yes, I will remember this..."
......
Just like that, Bai Yunfei got a nominal younger sister in a puzzling manner.
Looking at Chu Yuhe, who now had slightly red cheeks and a happy expression, Mu Wanqing secretly let out a sigh of relief.
It had to be said that it actually took Mu Wanqing a lot of effort to come up with this 'sudden' suggestion. Right after knowing that Bai Yunfei had saved Chu Yuhe, she had already noticed that Chu Yuhe had a vague love for him. Only, the little girl had seemed to still be ignorant of it. Therefore, Mu Wanqing took this opportunity to turn her just-budding love into an admiration for a brother. All it took was a couple of advices for Chu Yuhe. Mu Wanqing had achieved her goal. Now the little girl had already listened to her master's words, regarding Bai Yunfei as an older brother...
Mu Wanqing wanted to facilitate a love between the two of them as well, especially when knowing just now that there was some connection between Bai Yunfei and Ge Yiyun. At the time she could not restrain her heart from palpitating with eagerness because a junior highly regarded by Ge Yiyun would definitely have outstanding achievements in the future, and if she could build a good relationship with him, this would absolutely benefit the Green Willow School. However, she could also tell that Bai Yunfei did not have that kind of feeling towards Chu Yuhe, therefore, in order to spare her little disciple future grief, she had no choice but to manipulate them into becoming sworn brother and younger sister in such a puzzling way.
Seeing that the other three people present were still somewhat bewildered, looking thoughtful, Mu Wanqing laughed softly and said said to Bai Yunfei, "Right, young hero Bai, in this Jade Willow City you..."
"Headmaster, a guest has come to pay a visit!" Before she could finish what she was saying, a reporting voice coming in from outside the door interrupted her.
Mu Wanqing frowned slightly and looked outside the door at that reporting disciple, asking, "Who is that? Take them into the side hall on the west wing first. I'll come over in a while."
"Headmaster, this is senior You Qingfeng from the Wood School." The disciple outside the door hesitated for a while then still said again in warning.
After Mu Wanqing heard these words, her originally indifferent face suddenly froze for a moment then showed a happy expression. Although it was suppressed by her immediately, that fleeing hint of a girlish smile still captivated Bai Yunfei for a bit when he saw it.
"Young hero Bai, you should have a chat with Qiu Luliu and Chu Yuhe. I think the three of you must have many things to talk about. After that you can let them take you on a stroll in my school..." Mu Wanqing stood up said to Bai Yunfei with a smile.
He nodded, "Oh, that's fine. Please feel free to go and receive your guest. There's no need to care about me."
Only after Mu Wanqing had left did Bai Yunfei ask Qiu Luliu somewhat doubtfully, "Who is this person called You Qingfeng...?"
"Senior You Qingfeng is an outstanding disciple of the Wood School in the Five Elements Schools. As a late-stage Soul Ancestor, he's even more formidable than my master!" Qiu Luliu explained then looked outside the door quietly, seeming to confirm that her master had really gone far away. Afterwards, she said in a lowered voice, "He's my master's cousin! If not for my master's inability to let go of the Green Willow School, she would've probably gone with him to the Wood School. They..."
At this point, seeming to suddenly react to something, she immediately sat upright and said with a straight face, "As juniors, we can't discuss our seniors' affairs."
But that expression was obviously telling Bai Yunfei that, "You get the picture..."
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Chapter 65: Sudden Event
After Mu Wanqing had left, Bai Yunfei and the two girls chat with each other leisurely.
Qiu Luliu talked about various interesting things in Jade Willow City, Chu Yuhe 'gave an account' of her life since joining the Green Willow School in a low voice and Bai Yunfei also talked about what he had gone through from when he had parted ways with them at that time until now.
Of course, he concealed some details that should not be mentioned. Even so, his story still made the two girls nervous and anxious, especially Chu Yuhe. Upon hearing that Bai Yunfei had fallen into a trap in the town of Old Well then fled for three days in a row and even been caught up with by Zhang Zhenshan, she was so tense that her little face became very red. When she heard that Bai Yunfei had eventually escaped after an arduous battle, she had a very happy expression, looking extremely delighted. Seeing this, both Bai Yunfei and Qiu Luliu could not help laughing.
Only when a person came and informed the three of them that lunch was ready at noon did they stop chatting. Mu Wanqing unexpectedly did not show up during lunch. According to Qiu Luliu, all the senior members of the school ate their meals in a different place.
In the afternoon, under the guidance of the two girls, Bai Yunfei went for a stroll in the Green Willow School. The three of them talked and laughed with each other quite happily as they walked.
Bai Yunfei raised his head to observe the color of the sky. It was almost evening already. He halted his steps and said to the two girls by his side: "Luliu, Yuhe, it's time I went back already..."
"Ah? You want to leave so soon?" Qiu Luliu asked somewhat disappointedly. On one side, Chu Yuhe also had a trace of unwillingness on her face.
Bai Yunfei laughed and said: "Yeah, I still got some things to do. Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I'll probably leave Cuiliu City, but I'll come to say goodbye to you two before that."
He looked at Chu Yuhe, who was looking at him anxiously on one side, and said smilingly: "When the time comes, I'll give younger sister Yuhe a present. Hopefully you'll like it."
Chu Yuhe was stupefied then showed a happy expression. She said expectantly: "Really? What's the present?"
"Ha ha, you'll know at that time."
Bai Yunfei lifted his head to take a look. Suddenly he saw two silhouettes going towards them side by side from up ahead. After taking a careful look at them, he said in amazement: "Oh? Isn't that headmaster Mu? This is perfect timing. I'll say goodbye to her then leave."
The three of them walked towards Mu Wanqing, who had already noticed them as well. As they came near her, Bai Yunfei cast a look at the person by her side -- a man about thirty years old. He had an upright posture and a handsome face. The rare thing was that his elegance contained maturity and dignity. This was a man who could make a good impression on people at first sight.
"This must be that man called You Qingfeng from the Wood School." Bai Yunfei thought to himself.
Mu Wanqing first nodded slightly to Bai Yunfei then waved to Chu Yuhe, saying: "Come here, Yuhe. Greet your senior uncle You."
Chu Yuhe was always somewhat timid in front of strangers. She did what she was told by walking up to Mu Wanqing and making a salute to that man, saying in a low voice: "It is an honor to meet you, senior uncle You..."
"Ha ha, is this the little girl you told me about? Not bad, well-behaved and sensible, and pretty talented, very good." You Qingfeng nodded to Chu Yuhe and said laughingly. His tone was amiable and his voice gave a feeling of intimacy too.
Qiu Luliu also went forwards to salute him then stood respectfully to one side.
Bai Yunfei took another look at this man, but met the smiling look in his eyes. He nodded slightly in salute then folded his hands to Mu Wanqing, saying: "Headmaster Mu, I still have something to do so I can't stay any longer. I have specifically come here to bid farewell to you before leaving."
"Oh? You want to leave already, young hero Bai? That's fine. Then I won't ask you to stay either. If you need my help with something in this city, feel free to come to the Green Willow School. Now that you're already Yuhe's sworn brother, my Green Willow School will definitely do our utmost to help you."
"In that case, thank you very much, headmaster. Before leaving Cuiliu City, I'll come here to pay a visit again."
......
After watching Bai Yunfei walk outside seen off by the two girls, Mu Wanqing suppressed her smile, a thoughtful expression showing up in her eyes.
"Wanqing, is he the young man related to the Fate School you told me about? From what I saw, he's just a mid-stage Soul Warrior. Besides, there doesn't seem to be anything special about him either..." You Qingfeng withdrew his eyes and asked somewhat doubtfully.
Mu Wanqing shook her head, saying: "Don't underestimate him, Qingfeng. No matter his power level, just the fact that he was taught by senior Ge Yiyun is already enough to show that he's definitely not an ordinary junior. Plus, I heard from Luliu that when they met for the first time, he was using a spear that should have been a high-human tier soul armament at least, or maybe even an earth-tier one! Besides, after killing the son of that Glacial School elder Zhang Zhenshan, he was still able to reach Jade Willow City safely even though the Zhang family has been doing their utmost to hunt him down. This is already enough to show that he definitely has outstanding qualities."
"Oh? These things happened as well? You didn't tell me about them earlier." You Qingfeng was slightly surprised, "In that case, he's indeed worthy of your help. To this kind of man, if you take advantage of the fact that he's not powerful at the moment to help him, when he really accomplishes something in the future, this will benefit the Green Willow School greatly as well."
............
With his head lowered, Bai Yunfei was walking alone on a road leading back to the city. His eyebrows slightly wrinkling, he seemed to be considering some issue.
"No matter the reason, the fact that the Green Willow School's headmaster is willing to help me is a good thing to me. There's nothing bad about it! Though I already decided to leave right away, I always feel that something is wrong...
"I must not get involved with Jade Willow City's Long family again. Now the ideal scenario is, though Zhang Zhenshan has mobilized a large number of men to search for me, he hasn't employed all of the Glacial School's forces. After all, he's just an elder. So, even if the Long family is connected with the Glacial School, it's also possible that they haven't received information about me...
"The longer I stay here, the more dangerous it gets! I've been delayed for two days already. I can't stay here any longer! Now let's go back and tell Meng'er clearly that I'm leaving tomorrow!"
As soon as he thought of Liu Meng, he felt somewhat frustrated in his heart because he did not know if she was still 'angry' or not. Moreover, when he thought of the fact that he would leave this place tomorrow, a feeling of unwillingness came into being in his heart for no reason...
Thinking of these things confused Bai Yunfei's mind somewhat. In this complicated state of mind, he slowly entered the city then headed for the place where Liu Meng had said she was currently staying.
However, he did not find anyone after arriving in that tavern. Bai Yunfei was rather disappointed, thinking that she had probably gone out to relieve boredom. Now he had no choice but to decide to come here again tomorrow in the early morning.
When Bai Yunfei returned to the tavern where he was staying, he was surprised to see a person waiting for him anxiously at the door -- this was unexpectedly Xiao Ning!
As soon as she saw Bai Yunfei, her eyes brightened. She ran up to him hurriedly. Only now did Bai Yunfei see clearly that tears were rolling down this servant girl's face, which also looked extremely anxious.
"Mister Yunfei, it's bad! Young lady has been abducted by the Long family's men!!"
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