"I'm about to die of anger!"

Out of nowhere, a woman with a head full of silver hair appeared in the public square. When the Heartless Palace disciples saw her, they respectfully greeted her. "We welcome your return from your closed-door meditation, Master!"

Xiao Chen thought, "So that's Huashang?" She didn't sound old. Seeing as how she managed to turn a late-stage Core Forming Realm cultivator into a b.l.o.o.d.y mist, her cultivation was indeed high.

Huashang suddenly turned around, giving Xiao Chen a fright. He had imagined Huashang to be an elderly woman, not this beautiful woman. It seemed that she was practicing the same appearance-preserving method as Moxuan Zi.

Huashang cast him a cold gaze. "I said not to allow any man into the valley, especially a fair and pretty boy!" Several blades made of Qi flew out of her palm and claimed the lives of Old Monster of Mount Ding's disciples.

"Murderous aura!" Xiao Chen sensed a potent murderous aura coming from Huashang and the aura was targeted at him, not the dozen of disciples!

Seeing this, one of the female disciples hastily said, "Please calm down, Master! He's not a bad person. It's thanks to him that we..." Huashang glared at her before she could finish. "Are you pleading leniency for a man?"

Looking like a bolt of lightning had struck her, the girl shuddered and dared not continue. Suddenly, a cold radiance flashed and the long sword tied to her waist flew toward Xiao Chen's forehead.

Xiao Chen immediately said, "I'm Zither Saint Qingfeng's..."

The sword, now an inch away from the s.p.a.ce between his eyebrows, stopped. Huashang said coolly, "Continue."

"Disciple." Sweat formed on Xiao Chen's forehead and trailed down his chin to the ground. It wasn't that he didn't want to dodge earlier. Rather, Huashang had him bound with her psychokinesis and he was unable to move at all.

Huashang waved his hand and the long sword trembled with a clanging sound before returning to the girl's scabbard. She flicked her sleeves coldly. "Come to the palace in two hours!" Then, she flew away.

Next, Chu Lingjiao ordered the other disciples to clear up the mess. Xiao Chen sighed in relief and walked to the girl who spoke up for him earlier. Seeing as she was still pale in the face, he said, "Thank you for your help earlier, Junior Sister."

He had been addressing the Heartless Palace disciples as his senior sisters out of etiquette but now that he had declared himself to be a disciple of Qingfeng, Huashang's senior brother, he could no longer address them as such. Otherwise, he would sound like he was mocking and teasing them.

The girl said nothing and walked away with her head lowered. Xiao Chen stayed behind to help Chu Lingjiao clear the corpses of Old Monster of Mount Ding's disciples. Two hours later, after was.h.i.+ng up, he left for the main hall of the Heartless Palace with Li Muxue.

Huashang sat upright in the chief seat of the hall, looking grave and stern like an iceberg that had remained unmelted for a millennium. Underneath the seat, more than 10 disciples sat silently in two rows with their head lowered. They weren't as easygoing as the Jade Qing Sect disciples.

Xiao Chen led Li Muxue into the main hall and stood between the two rows of disciples. When Huashang saw him enter, she said placidly, "You said you're my Senior Brother Qingfeng's disciple?"

Xiao Chen saluted her. "Correct." Before he left, Perfected Immortal Qingchen repeatedly reminded him to mention that he was Qingfeng's disciple and not to bring up other people from the Jade Qing Sect. More importantly, he mustn't reveal his ident.i.ty as a Jade Qing Sect disciple.

"Thump!" Huashang crushed the wooden table next to her with a palm attack. Her entire face was lit up with anger. "How dare you! Senior Brother Qingfeng never takes in any disciples!"

Right then, a girl dressed in a green dress appeared from the rear of the hall and said softly, "Master."

Li Muxue was startled. Huashang turned her head to smile at the girl. She said gently, "Xin'er, how are you feeling?"

Xiao Chen raised his head to stare when he heard the name, utterly dumbfounded. Never in a million years did he expect to see Huangfu Xin'er here or for her to become Huashang's disciple. Was she the one the Heartless Palace disciples told him about? The one whom Huashang doted on...

Only then did Huangfu Xin'er noticed the attention she was receiving from beneath the platform and turned her head. She cried out in surprise when she saw it was him. The sharp-minded Huashang noticed the drastic change in the two strangers' expression and asked, "Xin'er? Do you know them?"

Huangfu Xin'er immediately regained her calm and shook her head with a chuckle. "I mistook them for someone else."

Huashang's eyes gleamed with emotion. She continued asking Xiao Chen, "Can you prove that you're Senior Brother Qingfeng's disciple?"

Xiao Chen was still wondering why was Huangfu Xin'er here. If she was in the Violet Manor, shouldn't she be at the Skygale Sect? But after hearing Huashang's question, he gave up explaining with words and took out the Nine-heaven Jade Pendant. He sat on the floor and started playing the song that Qingfeng would frequently play by himself in the peach forest in their two months in the Human World.

The mellow zither song that seemed to be carrying deep emotions lingered inside the main hall, giving rise to sentiments that people were afraid to reveal. The sentiments ultimately scattered to all corners of the world. From start to finish, the song remained heart-rending.

Huashang trembled ever so subtly, her gaze losing its coldness and gaining a gentle, sweet quality. She muttered, "It's really Senior Brother Qingfeng. He would always play this song for me..."

Xiao Chen pressed on the strings of the zither and sighed. "Yes, my master often thinks of you. He has kept the Milky Way Zither that you gifted him close all this while."

Huashang shuddered, her face clouded with occasional misery and occasional joy. She sighed. "Senior Brother, it's been so many years. Why bother..." She seemed to be speaking to herself now. "Senior Brother Qingfeng is the one who treats me the best in this world..."

Xiao Chen was no longer taken aback by her mood swings. He glanced at Huangfu Xin'er from the corner of his eye and saw that she had been keeping her head lowered and hands bunched up into fists. He wondered if something had happened to her. Right then, Huashang chuckled and said softly, "My dear child, what's your name?"

It took Xiao Chen some time to snap back to his senses. Even though he knew that she was more than a hundred years old, she had maintained her youthful looks. He was nonetheless a little uncomfortable to have her call him a child. He saluted her and answered, "I'm surnamed Xiao and my given name is just 'Chen'."

Huashang couldn't help leaning forward after hearing his answer as if she wanted to rush toward him. However, she sat back down and smiled. "So it's you. The younger generations will surpa.s.s us in time, indeed."

"Don't tell me she's talking about the previous zither incident?" Huashang had sent Chu Lingjiao to infiltrate the Teal Jade Sect as a spy for many years, all so the latter could find an opportunity to seize the zither. However, in the end, he had gotten ahead of Chu Lingjiao. Would she take this chance to make things difficult for him?

However, things didn't seem as dire as he was imagining. Huashang smiled and said, "Why have you come to the Heartless Palace to look for me?"

Xiao Chen exhaled. They had finally reached the main point. He had told himself countless times to explain Patriarch Guanshan's matter in detail without mentioning the Jade Qing Sect. After briefly pondering over it, he said, "Not long ago, the Skygale Sect..."

He told her everything about Patriarch Guanshan and how they needed her help to kickstart the Seven-stars Soul-transfer Formation. His explanation was detailed and prudent as he carefully left out the words "Jade Qing Sect". However, he failed to notice how Huashang's gaze was becoming increasingly cold. In the end, she said coolly, "You're ultimately asking me to return to the Jade Qing Sect, aren't you?"

Xiao Chen stared blankly at her, never expecting her to bring up the Jade Qing Sect herself. He didn't know what to say either out of fear of offending her. He could only nod.

"Hahahaha..." Huashang laughed heartily before spitting out resentfully, "When I left, he didn't try to make me stay. Now, he wants me to return with just a word? I won't return even if he comes here today to invite me personally! Hahaha..."

Hearing the clear resentment in her voice, Xiao Chen was sure that she wasn't referring to Qingfeng. Could it be Perfected Immortal Qingchen? He kept quiet and waited for Huashang to regain her calm. Only then did he salute her and say, "This relates to the survival of the East Continent. I ask that you reconsider, Senior."

"Hahaha..." Huashang once again burst into laughter. She said resentfully, "Sure enough, this is his way of doing things! He shows concern for all living things in the world but has he ever shown concern for me? I'm not returning, absolutely not! Let him die!"

Looking at how crazed she was acting, Xiao Chen became fairly certain that she was referring to Perfected Immortal Qingchen. He wondered what happened between them. Moments later, when he saw that she was calm again, he saluted her and asked, "What will it take for you to agree to return?"

"Hehe!" Huashang looked at him and then at Huangfu Xin'er beside her. She smiled faintly. "I don't mind returning if you promise me something."

Her drastic change in att.i.tude made Xiao Chen wonder if she had put up a front earlier just to await his words earlier. If this was about the zither, he didn't mind temporarily giving it to her. He saluted her again. "Please tell me your condition, Senior. I won't refuse it as long as it's within my capabilities."

Huashang smiled and motioned at Huangfu Xin'er beside her. "I want you to marry my disciple. Moreover, I want you to promise that she'll be your only wife."

Her words shocked not only Huangfu Xin'er, Xiao Chen, and Li Muxue, but the dozen of disciples inside the hall as well.