Chapter 29 : Xuanqing City
When Xuanqing Sect was established, it occupied an entire mountain range, and it had been there for thousands upon thousands of years, to the extent that the original name of the mountain range had long been forgotten. Now people only knew this place as Xuanqing Sect, and thus the mountain range had been renamed Xuanqing Mountain.
Xuanqing Mountain covered a vast area, originally chosen by Xuanqing Sect's founder as a place for quiet cultivation. But now, thousands of years later, what was once a secluded mountain range had long since become a gathering place for people—not every disciple of Xuanqing Sect had forsaken emotions and love. They would marry, take disciples, have descendants, and maintain relationships with relatives in the secular world. Those who could cultivate stayed in Xuanqing Sect, while those without aptitude left the sect and went down the mountain.
Gradually, the once-desolate area at the foot of Xuanqing Mountain became inhabited. As these people gathered and settled, developing from a village to a town, and from a town to a city, by now the prosperity of Xuanqing City was no less than any other place in the world.
Yun Qingyue wasn't one to make a show, so she carried the little white tiger on her sword all the way to the outskirts of the city before descending from the sword light.
The city guards who saw this weren't surprised; they merely bowed respectfully to Yun Qingyue as she entered the city, without saying a single extra word. As for the little white tiger in Yun Qingyue's arms, seeing this classical-style city for the first time, she was quite intrigued. She stood up in Yun Qingyue's arms, her front paws on her shoulders, looking around curiously.
Many people naturally saw the little white tiger, but ordinary people who didn't know the white tiger's identity wouldn't care, and cultivators who knew the value of white tigers wouldn't believe they could encounter one so casually. Even those with the discerning eye to recognize it, after briefly examining and discovering how pitifully weak this little white tiger was, would only think they had mistaken it.
And so, Yun Qingyue carried the little white tiger openly into the city.
The little white tiger looked around at the bustle for a while, her curiosity somewhat satisfied, then lowered her head and called "awoo" "awoo" a couple of times, her little paws stepping on Yun Qingyue's shoulder, asking: "Senior Sister, Senior Sister, where are we going now?"
Yun Qingyue seemed to be connected to her spiritually, and hearing this, she said: "We'll go to Yingxian Tower first. The disciples from Tiandao Sect and Buddha Sect won't arrive for another day or two. I've arranged to meet Senior Brother Su Hao from Mount Tianyang and Senior Brother Bei Luo from Mount Luoxing at Yingxian Tower. After meeting with these two Senior Brothers and discussing the reception arrangements, I'll take you to look around the city."
The little white tiger was immediately delighted upon hearing this—her level was too low to communicate with people, and apart from Divine Lord Zhiming, there wasn't a second person who could understand her words. But Yun Qingyue was particularly attentive, and even though she couldn't understand her words, she was still considerate in every way.
Even the system was curious, asking from the side: "Oh? Can Senior Sister understand what the host is saying?"
Unfortunately, she couldn't. Yun Qingyue's response was merely a coincidence. And her offer to take the little white tiger sightseeing around the city was only because she had noticed the tiger looking around curiously when they entered the city, appearing particularly interested in the city's sights.
But sightseeing would have to wait until after the main business was completed. At present, Yun Qingyue didn't delay, continuing toward Yingxian Tower with the little white tiger in her arms. Along the way, they attracted many glances—some looking at the beauty, and some at the white tiger. Fortunately, this was Xuanqing City, right next to Xuanqing Sect, and no one was bold enough to cause trouble here.
Yingxian Tower wasn't far and was easy to spot—a four-story tall building with overhanging eaves that could be seen from a considerable distance, standing in the middle of the city.
Just as Yun Qingyue, carrying the little white tiger, appeared in front of Yingxian Tower, she heard someone call from upstairs: "Junior Sister Yun, you're here. Come up quickly, Senior Brother Su and I have been waiting for you for quite some time."
The little white tiger looked up and saw a young man on the second floor leaning against the railing, calling down to them—when cultivators begin cultivation, they draw qi into their bodies while expelling impurities, and with the added quality that cultivation techniques bring, there seemed to be no truly ugly person in the entire cultivation world. The man upstairs was no exception; not only was he handsome, but his unrestrained bearing was also quite distinctive.
Who was this person? Was he Su Hao from Mount Tianyang? Or Bei Luo from Mount Luoxing?
The little white tiger's curiosity didn't last long, as Yun Qingyue quickly carried her up to the second floor and greeted the two people in the private room: "Senior Brother Su Hao, Senior Brother Bei Luo, sorry to have kept you waiting."
That person was Bei Luo. Su Hao, on the other hand, had a cultured and refined demeanor, the closest to the imagined appearance of an orthodox cultivator. Hearing her words, he smiled and then shook his head: "Junior Sister Yun, there's no need for such formality. Junior Brother Bei Luo was just joking with you; we've only just arrived as well."
As they spoke, the two people in the private room also noticed the little white tiger in Yun Qingyue's arms. Because the little white tiger's aura wasn't strong, initially they thought that the ice-cold Junior Sister Yun had changed her nature and suddenly started raising a spirit pet. But upon closer inspection, they realized this little spirit pet looked remarkably like a white tiger. Yet could a white tiger be this weak? Even a newborn tiger cub shouldn't be this frail, right?
Though the two were highly cultivated, unlike Senior Brother Qu from the Spirit Beast Garden, who had dealt with spirit beasts for years and could immediately recognize Jianbing's identity, they couldn't be certain. They could only look at the human and tiger with questioning gazes.
Seeing this, Yun Qingyue understood their doubts and simply stated: "This is Jianbing. The Sect Leader and Divine Lord Zhiming instructed me to care for her temporarily."
Su Hao and Bei Luo exchanged a glance, no longer daring to underestimate the currently weak tiger cub. Instead, they both stood up and bowed to the little white tiger: "Disciples pay respects to Jianbing." Their manner was more solemn than any Xuanqing Sect disciple Jiang Mo had previously encountered.
Jiang Mo was startled by this unexpected formality and instinctively looked toward Yun Qingyue, only to see her expression remain calm without any surprise—in fact, Su Hao and Bei Luo's reaction was quite normal, as they were the senior disciples of their respective lineages, and their perspective naturally couldn't be compared to ordinary disciples. While ordinary disciples might only see the current weakness of the little white tiger, they could understand what this divine beast meant for the sect.
Divine Lord Zhiming was already eight thousand years old, and while outsiders didn't know what realm of cultivation he had reached, his bloodline was pure, and he was likely not far from ascension. His profound cultivation was a good thing, but once such a divine beast was no longer there to guard the sect, the impact on Xuanqing Sect would be significant.
Although the white tiger before them was small, her presence represented hope and foundation, so Xuanqing Sect naturally had to support her.
Jiang Mo didn't know these things, but seeing Yun Qingyue's expression, she understood there was no need to be surprised, and thus her mindset stabilized. She jumped out of Yun Qingyue's arms onto the table, raised her head proudly, and lifted her paw toward the two bowing individuals, indicating that they needn't be so formal.
The white tiger was a war deity, supposed to be an awe-inspiring presence, but the one before them was clearly too small.
Su Hao was fine with this, being naturally proper and gentlemanly, showing great respect to the future Divine Lord Jianbing. But Bei Luo was different. With his unrestrained nature, seeing the little white tiger holding her head high and trying to appear dignified, he found it somewhat amusing. So he deliberately took a plate of dried meat from the table to tease her: "Has Jianbing grown hungry from the journey? Would you like some dried meat to chew on?"
Jiang Mo wasn't truly a cub and could easily see through Bei Luo's teasing. Even though he was good-looking, with Yun Qingyue's jade-like presence as a standard, she wasn't interested in responding. So she raised her paw and solemnly pushed away the plate of dried meat.
Seeing this, Bei Luo sighed with disappointment and tossed a piece of dried meat into his own mouth to chew.
Jiang Mo refused Bei Luo's feeding, but that didn't mean she didn't want the dried meat. In fact, having eaten the iron pot stewed goose, her appetite had been thoroughly aroused. The bland milk could no longer satisfy her, she was tired of peaches, and pills certainly couldn't be eaten as meals... The dried meat before her was undoubtedly tempting, but the person offering it was wrong.
Glancing at the dried meat, Jiang Mo was too embarrassed to immediately contradict herself, so she instinctively turned her gaze toward Yun Qingyue again.
Yun Qingyue keenly noticed her gaze, and with an inward laugh, she stepped forward to sit at the edge of the table. Then, under the eager gaze of the little tiger cub, she picked up a piece of dried meat and brought it to her mouth.
This time Jiang Mo didn't stand on ceremony, gobbling down the dried meat with an "awoo," so satisfied that her eyes narrowed.
Bei Luo, who had failed in his feeding attempt, paused upon seeing this, then shook his head, half lamenting and half teasing: "She won't eat when I offer, but she'll eat from Junior Sister Yun. Such discrimination from Jianbing truly breaks my heart..."
Though he spoke of heartbreak, his eyes were bright with laughter, and no one would take him seriously—Yun Qingyue knew his personality and didn't bother to respond. As for Jiang Mo, enjoying her dried meat, she didn't even spare him an extra glance, thoroughly maintaining the discrimination. Finally, Su Hao, seeing the topic drifting away, stepped in to smooth things over and steered the conversation back to the upcoming Three Sect Martial Arts Competition.
The Three Sect Martial Arts Competition was held once every sixty years, with not a single day's deviation in timing. Now, though there was still over half a month until the competition, the disciples of Tiandao Sect and Buddha Sect were arriving early to observe Xuanqing Sect's own competition.
This internal competition was meant to select disciples to participate in the main event. Besides Xuanqing Sect, disciples from Tiandao Sect and Buddha Sect had already held their competitions before arriving, so those coming were the winners. However, this time, as the host, Xuanqing Sect had postponed its selection competition, waiting for the disciples from the other two sects to arrive before beginning the trials. This was partly to build anticipation for the main competition and partly to demonstrate their strength.
These were customary practices. Even if disciples revealed their abilities during the internal competition, it couldn't be helped, because in the past when it was Tiandao Sect's or Buddha Sect's turn to host, they did the same. Thus, no one could claim to be at a disadvantage or accuse the other side of taking advantage.
The three present were all senior disciples of their respective peaks, naturally having their own calculations about the upcoming competition, and not focusing too much attention on the sect's internal trials. Bei Luo set aside his casual joking manner and suddenly asked seriously: "What kind of people are coming from Tiandao Sect and Buddha Sect this time? Have Senior Brother Su or Junior Sister Yun received any information?"
Yun Qingyue's nature was cold and quiet, with few social interactions, so she typically wouldn't inquire about such things: "No, I haven't asked. But the people will arrive in the next day or two, so we'll see for ourselves then."
Su Hao, with his gentle temperament and social finesse, was more well-informed than the other two. But after Yun Qingyue's statement, he wasn't sure whether to speak up. After a moment, he smiled: "Junior Sister Yun is right, but knowing one's opponent is always beneficial. Among those coming from Tiandao Sect is Jiang Shen, who is said to have a lightning heavenly spiritual root, cultivating very rapidly with a powerful technique. As for Buddha Sect, I heard they produced a Buddha's Child in recent years, but the people of Buddha Sect have always been low-key, so the specifics are unknown. In any case, we shouldn't underestimate them."
Yun Qingyue and Bei Luo acknowledged this, and the three quickly moved on to other topics.
The little white tiger half-listened, treating it like a story that had nothing to do with her. Taking advantage of the moment when the three weren't paying attention, she extended her paw and pulled the plate of dried meat toward her, secretly finishing the entire plate.