novelraw Chapter 474: Look, big sis, she’s so fierce
Chapter 474: Look, big sis, she’s so fierce
Ancestor Sui Bian stood in the middle of the crowd, each of his arms clamped tight by a female cultivator. To his left was the awe-inspiring Senior Qun Fang; to his right a woman in a pale violet dress, features as if painted and manner gentle as water. One on either side, neither would release him, and sparks seemed to fly where their gazes crossed, as if a fight might break out at any moment.
“You two, let go first and talk it out. My old arms and legs are about to be yanked off,” said Ancestor Sui Bian, dragged left and right, fine brows knotted and handsome face pinched with genuine pain.
At once the surrounding female cultivators spoke up in chorus: “Yes, you’re hurting him. Let go.” “Stop tugging. Can’t you see he’s in pain!” “Exactly. Do you not know how to cherish someone!”
The pressure in the air spread outward; it felt as if a single spark could set the mood ablaze. For the first time, Yu Zhao grasped the terrifying pull Ancestor Sui Bian had over people, and she was astonished.
Just then she felt someone tug her sleeve. Looking up, she found the Old Black Daoist winking furiously at her. Yu Zhao shot him a retreat signal. He nodded solemnly. The two exchanged a look and quietly melted backward into the crowd.
“Sui Bian, I’ve been looking for you forever. I can’t believe you secretly got together with big sis and didn’t even tell me. That is just too much,” the violet-robed woman complained in a sweet, wheedling tone as she shook his arm.
“Who is your big sis! Take your hand off him,” snapped Senior Qun Fang, her razor gaze cutting to the woman’s slender fingers.
“Sui Bian, look, big sis is so fierce, unlike me. I hardly ever lose my temper,” cooed the woman.
“Xiu Yu, you’re no spring chicken. Stop pretending to be a little maiden. It is disgusting,” said Senior Qun Fang coldly.
“I like it. Sui Bian hasn’t said a word against it. What business is it of yours,” Xiu Yu shot back.“You—”
“Enough,” said Ancestor Sui Bian, his head pounding. For once he managed to be firm, yanking his sleeve free from both grips. Newly freed, his momentum faltered at once. He gave Senior Qun Fang a look that said be patient, then turned and asked Xiu Yu in a gentle voice: “What brings you here?”
“I came to find you,” said Xiu Yu, guileless as could be.
“How did you know I was here?”
Her eyes flickered: “I didn’t. I just came to big sis’s place to try my luck.”
Ancestor Sui Bian reached into his sleeve as if to feel around and asked with suspicion: “Did you put another marker on the gifts you sent me?”
Xiu Yu pressed down his hand and hurriedly changed the subject: “Sui Bian, I missed you. Did you not miss me?” Saying that, her soft, boneless body tipped straight toward Ancestor Sui Bian’s chest. He startled and skittered back, and as Xiu Yu closed in step by step, he could only grab Senior Qun Fang and pull her in front. With a playful cry, Xiu Yu toppled into Senior Qun Fang’s arms. Their gazes collided and both were briefly stunned.
Seizing the moment, Ancestor Sui Bian strode forward and in a couple of quick steps plucked Yu Zhao out of the knot of onlookers. Xiu Yu had barely disentangled herself from Senior Qun Fang’s embrace when her warm eyes sharpened with attack, and she demanded: “Who is she?”
“My junior, Yu Zhao,” said Ancestor Sui Bian, giving Yu Zhao a little push. “Hurry and pay your respects.”
Under Senior Qun Fang’s cutting stare, Yu Zhao bowed with full courtesy and said: “Junior Yu Zhao greets Senior Xiu Yu.”
“Junior?” Xiu Yu’s expression gentled visibly. “So you are Sui Bian’s junior. That makes you my junior as well. Here is a meeting gift. Take it first, and when I find good things later I will set aside a share for you.” As she spoke, she drew a person-high slab of spirit jade from her storage space and pressed it into Yu Zhao’s arms.
Cradling the plain yet exceedingly practical gift, Yu Zhao once again marveled at the staggering magnetism of her ancestor.
“Yes, yes, we are all our own people. No need to be polite,” Ancestor Sui Bian said quickly, keeping his voice low. “There are too many eyes here. Let us sit and talk properly rather than standing around.” Seeing the crowd of onlookers swelling, Xiu Yu and Senior Qun Fang reluctantly nodded, and the group made for the Lingyin Sect encampment at a brisk pace.
Elder Heng Nan was already directing disciples to set up the camp and lay out the rest areas. Ancestor Sui Bian, meanwhile, invited Xiu Yu and Senior Qun Fang aside for a private talk. After a brief inner struggle, Yu Zhao decided to sidle over and eavesdrop before going to help. Unfortunately, Ancestor Sui Bian gave her no chance. He spotted her before she had even gotten close and unceremoniously shooed her away.
So Yu Zhao turned to help with the work, only to find that Lingyin Sect had left her nothing to do. Elder Tie Shan’s two disciples were named Wei Da and Chen Shi. Each stood nearly eight feet tall, all muscle, and each worked like three men. In the time Yu Zhao dawdled, they had already handled the bulk of the chores, and even the leftovers offered no place for Yu Zhao to squeeze in.
After some thought, she informed the Heng Nan Sect Master that she planned to look around. “I will go with you,” the Old Black Daoist declared, popping out from who-knew-what corner. Knowing he did not like the idea of her wandering alone, Yu Zhao readily agreed, and the two strolled a circuit along the paths.
Over a hundred sects had come to this sect discourse, and each had sent a fair number of participants, so the mountain’s foot was packed, lively as could be. Beyond the cultivators, another spacious, flat stretch had been set aside to house a multitude of massive demon beasts. Each beast bore a clear mark, often a hanging token, announcing that it had an owner. Yu Zhao even spotted quite a few species already extinct in the cultivation world, and she could not help her constant, quiet wonder.
What she had not expected was to be stopped repeatedly along the way by people asking about Ancestor Sui Bian, some even attempting to entrust gifts to her to pass along. Yu Zhao could only laugh and refuse them one by one. Some gave up at once when refused, but others were stubborn and refused to leave unless she agreed. That, however, was when the Old Black Daoist would take the stage. Without even drawing his sword, sheer presence alone was enough to cow a crowd into retreat.
By the time they returned to the Lingyin Sect encampment, Yu Zhao had a seven-tenths grasp of the sects participating in the discourse. She compared their overall strength, ranked them in her heart, then tracked down the Heng Nan Sect Master to ask after those sects in more detail so she could be fully prepared.
Elsewhere, heaven knew what price Ancestor Sui Bian had paid, but he finally got Senior Qun Fang and Senior Xiu Yu to coexist without open war. Even so, the barbs still flew whenever they spoke, and he had to keep stepping in to smooth things over.
Three more days passed. The number of cultivators at the mountain’s foot swelled and swelled, until at last the hour for the sect discourse arrived.