When the White Moonlight Holds the Script - Chapter 38

“Aren’t you afraid of anything?”

Almost the moment he heard that voice, Daoist Chunhao widened his eyes in disbelief, his face turning ashen.

“How could it be you?” Daoist Chunhao’s voice trembled.

When Luan Wu released her pressure, she targeted only Daoist Chunhao. To the onlookers, it appeared as though Daoist Chunhao had suddenly taken two running steps forward and knelt before Zhu Zhihan.

The abrupt change left everyone bewildered. “What’s going on?”

“Who is this newcomer in red? Wasn’t this Daoist guy acting all high and mighty just a moment ago? Why is he trembling like that now…”

The murmurs reached Daoist Chunhao’s ears. As someone who always cared deeply about face, his complexion turned livid. But in this situation, not only could he do nothing, he even had to force a smile for Luan Wu.

“May I ask, what is this young lady to you, Daoist Venerable? Haha, I was blind, truly blind.”

The bystanders naturally overheard this and, realizing the newcomer was the renowned ‘Daoist Venerable,’ collectively gasped in shock.

They no longer dared to watch the spectacle.

“Uh, my stomach feels a bit off.”

“Ah! I still have morning lessons to attend.”

Zhu Zhihan watched from the side, the rapid shift in circumstances feeling almost comical even to her, the person involved.

The soft crunch of boots on snow sounded quietly in the stillness.

The figure in red approached slowly from a distance, leaving Zhu Zhihan somewhat dazed.

Luan Wu is truly formidable.

It seemed there was nothing she couldn’t handle. Wherever she was, bullying and injustice simply couldn’t occur because no one was more powerful than her.

“Disciple.”

In response to Daoist Chunhao’s question, Luan Wu replied with characteristic brevity.

Daoist Chunhao looked even more terrified. “So, this is the one.”

The plump alchemist nearby had already grasped the severity of the situation. He retreated several steps, his face even paler than Daoist Chunhao’s, he had originally run into his uncle nearby and, recalling past grievances, had lodged a complaint out of resentment. How could he have known he’d stumbled upon someone even his uncle dared not provoke?

Over there, Zhu Zhihan found herself staring blankly at Luan Wu’s profile as she handled the matter, lost in thought.

Something she had denied and suppressed within herself seemed to be stirring, breaking through the soil to grow anew.

By the time she snapped back to reality, almost everyone had vanished Daoist Chunhao, the plump alchemist, and their attendants were all gone.

Trying to recall, she remembered the Daoist had offered a profuse apology and, only after receiving Luan Wu’s consent, left dejectedly with his people.

Luan Wu pressed a small storage pouch into Zhu Zhihan’s palm.

Zhu Zhihan took it belatedly and opened it to check. “Wow, so many spirit herbs.”

And they were the rare kind, enough to refine plenty of elixirs.

Suddenly, encountering this incident early in the morning didn’t seem so unlucky after all.

“Has Shizun finished her tasks?”

“Temporarily done.”

“That’s great.”

The two walked toward the main tent.

Luan Wu asked, “What were you spacing out about earlier?”

For some reason, Zhu Zhihan felt a surge of panic. “…Ah.”

Was it that obvious?

Misinterpreting the reason for Zhu Zhihan’s distraction, Luan Wu advised coolly, “Feeling soft-hearted? The dog that bites doesn’t bark. Don’t assume they’re kind.”

Zhu Zhihan nearly choked, then secretly sighed in relief.

So, that’s what Luan Wu thought.

Thank goodness.

But really, what kind of image did she have in Luan Wu’s eyes!?

That Chunhao Taoist nearly harmed her; there was no way she would waste her ‘kindness’ on such a person…

After this incident, rumors seemed to sprout quietly in the shadows.

Sometimes when Zhui Zhihan went out, she would notice people looking at her with a mix of awe and reverence.

Her snow-white hair was far too distinctive, making her instantly recognizable. Because of this, she began to venture out less often and secretly thought to herself: I must get a disguise artifact in the future.

Somehow, her Sixth Junior Brother later learned of her troubles. Worried she might get bored staying indoors, he began sharing various anecdotes and gossip he’d heard outside just like he did when she was ill.

Sixth Junior Brother was quite well-informed, and somehow, he even found out about the discord between Bo Mingwei and the Tianjing Sect, gleefully recounting it to her.

“I heard she was severely injured in the secret realm. Even though she made it out alive, even with the best healers, it won’t be easy for her to fully recover.”

“Now her subordinates don’t respect her anymore, and the Tianjing Sect is in chaos.”

“It seems her injuries were actually caused by a fellow disciple who took advantage of the chaos. Tsk tsk, as expected of a major sect so, complicated.”

Zhui Zhihan: “…”

So Bo Mingwei had indeed survived, just a bit more disheveled than in her previous life. It turned out that in her past life, she had meddled unnecessarily her help wasn’t something Bo Mingwei truly needed.

Sixth Junior Brother continued to muse, “Hey, Shimei, do you think this young sect leader might even lose her position? Doesn’t she have quite a few siblings?”

Zhui Zhihan: “No.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Because she has the ability.”

Zhui Zhihan took a sip of her fragrant tea and said calmly, “She is destined to be an eagle soaring through the skies.”

Sixth Junior Brother let out an “Oh,” then realized something was off. “Shimei, why are you speaking up for her? She’s so arrogant and annoying!”

“It’s just the truth.” Zhui Zhihan smiled faintly. “No matter what she does, it has nothing to do with me anymore.”

A few more days passed, and the incident with the Lu Yun Clan was mostly resolved.

Only then were all the participants of the secret realm allowed to return.

When Zhui Zhihan and her group had arrived, there were five of them. When they left, they had one more.

Luan Wu traveled back with them on the spirit vessel.

This time, they weren’t crammed into an ordinary cabin with many others, the Lu Yun Clan had recently received many treasures from the Immortal Alliance, and Young Clan Leader Su Chaya, returning the favor, specially gifted them a spirit vessel.

Sixth Junior Brother stood by the railing, waving reluctantly to his newly-made rogue cultivator friend. “Make sure to come visit our sect sometime!”

Zhui Zhihan stood quietly nearby, watching as the ground grew farther away and the people below grew smaller and smaller.

Su Chaya, the familiar Lu Yun Clan guard, the endless snowy plains, the dark green pine forests. All the familiar sights faded into the distance.

Unconsciously, they had been away for so long.

What a long journey it had been.

“Reluctant to leave?”

Luan Wu’s voice came from beside her.

Zhui Zhihan was slightly startled. She turned her head and saw Luan Wu standing there.

She shook her head. “No. All good banquets must come to an end; parting is a natural thing. Besides, without parting, how could there be reunions?”

“When I was your age, I wasn’t this philosophical.”

“You flatter me, Shizun.” Zhui Zhihan smiled and pointed toward the cabin. “I’m a bit tired, so I’ll head back now.”

Luan Wu: “…Hmm.”

Gazing into the shadows enveloping the ship’s cabin, Luan Wu suddenly turned to the Third Elder leaning against the railing, drinking, and asked, “Has she been avoiding me these past few days?”

The Third Elder took a satisfied sip of deer wine, a specialty of the Snow Realm, and upon hearing her words, slightly opened his eyes, which were narrowed to slits. “Avoiding you? I haven’t noticed.”

“Look at it this way isn’t this how master-disciple relationships often go? Young people tend to avoid those who discipline them. And just look at you, your expression alone is enough to intimidate anyone…”

Luan Wu: “…”

Without any visible movement, her right hand flashed, and a wine gourd appeared in her palm. In contrast, the Third Elder’s hands were empty, still frozen in the motion of raising a drink to his lips.

Third Elder: “Hey! What are you doing?”

Luan Wu said coolly, “It seems to me you’ve had too much to drink.”

The Third Elder protested indignantly, “Taking out your frustrations from your disciple on me is there no justice left in this world?”

Luan Wu: “Elder, I haven’t yet had a proper discussion with you about how your drunkenness led to my little disciple being taken away by the Tianjing Sect.”

Third Elder: “How is that my fault? She was the one who…”

And so, the spirit vessel glided through the clouds, gradually descending into the territory of the Blade Sect.

The disciples of the Blade Sect had never witnessed such a spectacle. Elder Shi, hearing the commotion, abandoned his abacus and hurried down the mountain.

Seeing Luan Wu disembark from the spirit vessel and learning that it now belonged to their sect, Elder Shi was moved to tears. “I never thought that, after all this time, I would see it again, thanks to you…”

Luan Wu: “…”

Meanwhile, as soon as Zhu Zhi Han stepped off the spirit vessel, she spotted three unfamiliar figures.

Wan Mengchen, however, recognized them immediately. “Second Senior Brother, Fourth Junior Brother, Fifth Junior Brother! You’ve returned from your travels!”

Fourth Junior Brother grinned. “You’ve been away for quite a while on this trip.”

Wan Mengchen shook his head. “Don’t even mention it, it’s been one twist after another.”

Noticing Zhu Zhi Han behind them, Fourth Junior Brother’s eyes lit up, and he nudged Wan Mengchen. “Hey, isn’t this…?”

Wan Mengchen took the opportunity to make introductions.

Zhu Zhi Han learned that these three senior brothers were the true pillars of their generation in the Blade Sect, wholly dedicated to the way of the blade and possessing considerable strength. Second Senior Brother Li Yihe had even reached the Golden Core stage.

Amid the lively atmosphere, Aunt Tu Meng also arrived upon hearing the news.

Her focus, however, was entirely different from Elder Shi’s.

“Why were you gone for so long?” Tu Meng frowned.

Instantly, the Third Elder stopped drinking, Sixth Junior Brother dared not joke around, and Wan Mengchen’s lips moved without a sound, his voice caught in his throat.

Zhu Zhi Han could feel the atmosphere turn icy.

How could they have forgotten about this?

They hadn’t discussed it or more accurately, had completely overlooked, how to explain things to Aunt Tu Meng.

What were they to do now?

Sensing their unusual reactions, Aunt Tu Meng narrowed her eyes. “Are you hiding something from me?”

Zhu Zhi Han and the others: …

If they were hiding things, there were far too many to count.

Sneaking off to sell elixirs outside the secret realm behind Tu Meng’s back, and even provoking other alchemists. Then, inside the secret realm, encountering unexpected changes, being separated from the group, facing monstrous beasts, and surviving countless dangers…

If Tu Meng found out about any of this, they would surely be in for it!

“You’ve forgotten, I sent you a message.”

In the end, it was Luan Wu who spoke up calmly.

Tu Meng still felt something was off: “You said you were taking them for training, but does it need to take this long? And where did this spirit boat come from?”

Luan Wu’s expression remained unchanged: “There’s quite a lot to teach them. As for the spirit boat, it’s the reward for the training mission.”

The primary source of income for the Blade Sect actually came from disciples going out on training missions, completing tasks issued by the Immortal Alliance or others, and earning rewards.

That explanation made sense.

Tu Meng muttered, “That’s quite a generous reward. Who’s the rich patron behind this…”

In the end, Tu Meng nodded, half-convinced and half-skeptical: “Alright then. You must be tired from the journey, so don’t just stand here at the entrance. Go inside and rest.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Watching Tu Meng’s retreating figure, Wan Mengchen and the others cast grateful glances toward Luan Wu.

The Sect Leader is someone you can count on, when there’s trouble, she really steps up!

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