Chapter 699 - 646: Master and Disciple Reunited
Feifeng Forest, Nangu Market.
Jiang Yuebai tried on outfit after outfit in the vestment robe shop, but was never satisfied.
They were either too plain or too fancy, lacking that perfect balance to highlight the seasoned and restrained elegance of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
No matter what, it couldn’t achieve sophistication without losing elegance.
Blame it on the fact that after her Nirvana, her face became increasingly youthful, making only soft colors look pleasing, unable to handle stable darker shades.
The Heavenly Interence Sect was already within sight, and though she was eager to return, she couldn’t neglect her image. After all, she was the senior sister of Heavenly Cry Peak, the True Monarch Wangshu returning home in glory.
She had to make an impressive entrance, not look impoverished!
In the end, Jiang Yuebai chose a set of white floating light brocade clothes, adorned with matching gold clothes and hair accessories. When she emerged from the fitting room in her new outfit, her long white hair cascading down her back, the shopkeeper and patrons were all stunned.
Jiang Yuebai’s eyes sparkled with a smile, as bright as stars, her entire being elegant and graceful, inherently charming.
"This... this fairy is..."
A late-stage Foundation Establishment male cultivator beside her flushed, wishing to get to know Jiang Yuebai.
Jiang Yuebai purposely concealed her cultivation, quickly paid, and then left the shop wearing a matching white veil.
The male cultivator rushed out, but amid the crowd, Jiang Yuebai was nowhere to be seen. Only a streak of tunneling light flashed across the sky like a meteor, disappearing into the blue sky and white clouds.
Immortal cranes descended swiftly, turning into a shower of feathers landing on the plaza at the Heavenly Interence Sect’s mountain gate. Jiang Yuebai stepped out from the feathers with the Taihe Umbrella in hand, and the guards at the mountain gate had been replaced by two young Qi Cultivation disciples.
When the two saw Jiang Yuebai, they were awestruck, staring dazedly.
"Go notify your Sect Master that his disciple, True Monarch Wangshu, has returned!"
Jiang Yuebai’s words snapped the two guards out of their stupor, her delicate brows slightly furrowed before they suddenly reacted.
"You... you are True Monarch Wangshu of Heavenly Cry Peak?!!"
"You’ve really returned? True Monarch, please wait, we will go and..."
Before the guard could finish speaking, a ripple spread out beneath the mountain gate archway, a breeze ushered in as a figure appeared beside Jiang Yuebai.
Clad in a green robe, with a jade pendant at his waist, his face clean and handsome, a writing brush clutched in his hand, surrounded by a tranquil, calming aura.
Upon seeing who it was, Jiang Yuebai removed her veil, a smile tugged at her lips, as she flicked her sleeves, bowing respectfully.
"Disciple Wangshu greets Master!"
Lii Jiuchuan still had ink dripping from his brush. He was reviewing sect matters but sensed the presence outside the mountain gate before his mind could register, and he was already there in a flash.
The two guards beside him were unfazed, as they had seen the Sect Master suddenly appear at the mountain gate several times in the past few days.
But each time, he would gaze disappointedly towards the North Sea for a moment before shaking his head and leaving.
Lii Jiuchuan stared at Jiang Yuebai in a daze. The last time they met, she was at the early-stage Nascent Soul. In less than ten years, had this girl reached mid-stage Nascent Soul, the same as his cultivation?
"Master, the ink is dripping on your clothes."
Jiang Yuebai straightened up, teasingly gesturing with her chin at the brush Lii Jiuchuan held in mid-air. Earlier at the Mountain and Sea Building, not being able to return to the sect immediately, she had asked them to send a message to her Master, saying she would return after finishing her business.
Seeing him like this, it was clear he had been waiting for her. This feeling of being longed for made Jiang Yuebai’s wandering heart settle down like she had returned home, especially joyous and content.
Who could have imagined that the Heavenly Interence Sect, which she once disliked, would eventually become her ’home’?
"Ahem~"
Lii Jiuchuan hastily put away his brush, hiding his hands behind his back, putting on a senior’s demeanor. He had wanted to explain that he wasn’t constantly watching the mountain gate, just happened to glance by chance, but felt it unnecessary. If he spoke, Jiang Yuebai would surely tease him.
In the past, when Jiang Yuebai was in the sect, Lii Jiuchuan was constantly troubled, but when she had really left for years, he missed the days of her constantly seeking and pestering him for guidance.
His current two disciples, Shi Xiaowu delved deep into Math Dao and Array Dao and besides their main cultivation technique, he had little to teach. Jiangg Ziying didn’t have Jiang Yuebai’s thick-skinned nature. Most of the time, he figured things out himself, seeking help only when he truly couldn’t solve something.
Perhaps it is that the most ’worrisome’ child tugs at one’s heartstrings the most.
"Come on, let’s head back, no need to stand outside."
Lii Jiuchuan took Jiang Yuebai into the sect, the master and disciple walking one after the other, step by step up the Ascension Stairs.
"The Mountain and Sea Building only sent word that you were returning, but not for what reason." Lii Jiuchuan spoke softly, pausing, waiting for Jiang Yuebai to come to his side.
Jiang Yuebai glanced around. Heavenly Interence Sect hadn’t changed at all; it was exactly as before.
It was even thriving, full of vitality. From afar, she could hear many people practicing in the woods.
"I’ve come to take you all to the Upper Realm. Where are Second Junior Brother and Little Junior Sister? What about my people from Huaxi Valley? And where are Yun Shang, Ge Yuchan, and Hee Wangchen? And and..."
"No more ands," Lii Jiuchuan interjected, feeling a twinge of disappointment that she didn’t first ask about her Master’s well-being upon returning...
"Apart from Yun Shang, who doesn’t like going out and remains in the sect, your friends are all traveling outside now. I’ve issued a Recall Order, and they’ll gradually return. Once everyone is here, I’ll host a splendid welcoming feast for you as your Master."
Jiang Yuebai, sensing a change in Lii Jiuchuan’s expression, stepped forward with a cheeky smile, "Master, has it been tough being the Sect Master all these years? You’ve become thinner."
Lii Jiuchuan snorted with a laugh, in no mood to entertain her teasing, and continued walking upwards.
Though Jiang Yuebai was eager to learn about everyone’s changes over the years, she decided to clarify her purpose for returning for her Master’s sake.
Upon learning that the Heavenly Interence Sect had settled smoothly in the Upper Realm, Lii Jiuchuan was both emotional and reflective, yet also with an inexplicable sadness unclear to Jiang Yuebai.
It was clearly a good thing, so why was Master troubled?
The two walked along the path returning to the Heavenly Interence Sect’s main peak, Heavenly Chief Peak. Lii Jiuchuan mainly cultivated and managed sect affairs there, too busy to return to Heavenly Cry Peak.
He left Heavenly Cry Peak to Shi Xiaowu and Jiangg Ziying to manage, and because sect affairs were so demanding, Lii Jiuchuan hadn’t taken on new disciples over the years.
Arriving at the side hall study of Heavenly Chief Peak, upon entering, Jiang Yuebai saw the study desk covered in documents and books from various sect locations, with many fallen on the floor as well.
Jiang Yuebai’s smile froze on her lips as she suddenly understood what was troubling her Master.
His cultivation hadn’t significantly progressed over the years, and she felt a pang of sympathy. Cultivating with Five Spirit Roots inherently took longer, and he was burdened by sect affairs.
If he took on the Sect Master role in the Upper Realm, he’d be utterly swamped by sect matters!
Hence, the previous requirements for a Sect Master of the Heavenly Interence Sect were cultivators whose Great Dao seemed unattainable, able to focus solely on sect affairs, with the sect providing the nine best Lifespan Extension Pills.
Jiang Yuebai wanted to help tidy up, but Lii Jiuchuan quickly stopped her.
"Don’t touch anything or it’ll be hard for me to find things. Let’s leave it for now and discuss your plan for the Grand Competition."
Lii Jiuchuan led Jiang Yuebai to the side to sit at the tea table, just like before, personally brewing tea for her.
Sitting across from Lii Jiuchuan, he recalled how she used to be so small, her chin barely reaching the table’s edge while sitting in the chair, having to kneel on the chair to write.
Now, Jiang Yuebai had become the famous True Monarch Wangshu of the Earth Spiritual Realm. The tale of her vanquishing the Three Elements Sect in the external sea was gradually spreading throughout the Earth Spiritual Realm, making him, her Master, doubly proud and gratified.
Jiang Yuebai said, "The Grand Competition should be held as grandly as possible, inviting everyone the Heavenly Interence Sect can, for a grand celebration!"
Lii Jiuchuan understood the purpose of such a move, nodding, "In that case, I think it would be best if you personally extend invitations to the Vajra Platform and Guiyuan Sword Sect. Rest in the sect for a few days, and I will write a letter for you to present to the Divinity Transformation True Venerables of both sects."
"Ah? I just came back and you’re sending me out again?"
Lii Jiuchuan focused his qi into his dantian. If Jiang Yuebai didn’t leave soon, that Qingfeng lad would surely rush over once he got the news. Although that kid had impressed him over the years...
It still wasn’t feasible!
Such an outstanding disciple like her, with someone as mediocre as him, wouldn’t do at all!