Bing Rong raised her head in visible confusion, “Why would she do tha—”
But before she could finish asking her question, Shen Yuan responded, “They were demanding that I be handed over to them because I had hurt their young master quite badly. So, Elder Xiang Mei decided to teach them a little lesson.”
Bing Rong’s eyes turned icy as she processed what the Ironwood Mountain Clan had asked for. “They deserved death. Elder Xiang Mei was absolutely right in her actions,” she replied coldly.
Shen Yuan’s eyes twitched as he thought to himself, ‘Is it just me, or has she become even colder toward those who are unrelated to her? She really seems to be turning more and more like a yandere.’
“Ahem, never mind them. Elder Xiang Mei already taught them a lesson. I bought quite a lot of good stuff from the Mystique Realm. Let’s get to the sect sooner so I can show it to you,” Shen Yuan changed the topic as he pulled her hand to walk again.
Bing Rong nodded her head blankly as she followed after him. After a while of silence again, she asked him, “Yuan’er, tell me about what you experienced inside the Mystique Realm, and what do you think about the disciples of our sect.”
Shen Yuan smiled and nodded, “Sure, there were a total of 10 disciples chosen to go inside the Mystique Realm from each sect…”
Shen Yuan and Bing continued to chat as they walked through the empty streets of the city since they were in a desolate area.
Shen Yuan had chosen this route as he knew Bing Rong might have mood swings while listening to his experiences.
…
Soon, they came in front of the gates of the Sect. “And here we are,” Shen Yuan said energetically as he looked inside to see two outer sect disciples standing guard.
“Let’s go. I think someone will come to invite you to meet up with the Sect Leader soon after our arrival,” Bing Rong said as she walked toward the gate of the sect.
Shen Yuan followed after her as they both soon approached the disciples.
Two outer sect disciples were on duty today as they looked at Bing Rong vigilantly, but their eyes soon lit up as they saw Shen Yuan, “Greetings, Senior Brother Shen Yuan!”
They both shouted in unison, which made Shen Yuan chuckle softly as he realized they didn’t recognize who Bing Rong was.
Shen Yuan came forward a bit and said, “Morning, Junior Sisters, here,” as he took out his disciple badge, as was the standard procedure to gain entry to the sect.
The disciples smiled as they realized the rumors were true; Shen Yuan was indeed an approachable disciple who didn’t put on airs in front of his juniors.
“There is no need for this, Senior Brother,” one of the guarding disciples said, yet she glanced at the badge multiple times to confirm its authenticity.
Shen Yuan laughed and put the badge back in his storage ring, “Until we meet again then,” he said as he began leaving with Bing Rong.
“Who was that with Senior Brother Shen Yuan?” one of them asked the other curiously.
“Probably his Dao Partner; didn’t you see how beautiful she is?”
“True, true. She looks like a fairy.”
…
“Why did the disciples not recognize you?” Shen Yuan curiously inquired while walking along the stone pathway toward a spatial portal.
Bing Rong’s eyes twitched as she remembered how none of the guarding disciples recognized her, “Because they are new disciples, and I have not been in the sect for years now. And Inner Elders don’t interact with Outer Disciples much as well.”
“You made up the last reason or is that true?” Shen Yuan chuckled softly as he asked back.
“How many Inner Elders have you even met since arriving in the sect? I bet not more than one or two.” Bing Rong confidently asked, as she was sure about that since most Inner Elders don’t even enter the Outer Sect.
“Hmm let’s see… I encountered one while going through the Ancestral Pagoda test, then I met the Sect Leader, then a few elders while going to the Mystique Realm… I think I have encountered like five or six Inner Elders by now,” Shen Yuan counted and replied to her.
Bing Rong paused in her steps as she looked at him, “You really met up with a lot of elders during this time, huh? Well, it’s not surprising since the one we are talking about is you.”
“Haha, you flatter me.” Shen Yuan laughed and shrugged it off. “Should we head to mark—” he continued to ask her, but before he could finish, a gentle gust of wind blew as a woman descended from high up in the air.
“Disciple Shen Yuan, the Sect Leader has requested your presence on the Radiant Heart Pe—” she spoke after slowly landing in front of the two, but her words stopped as she glanced at Bing Rong.
Her eyes slightly widened in surprise, “Oh my, Bing Rong, I didn’t know you were coming here as well. You even brought Shen Yuan with you; good, good, my younger sister is finally being useful.”
Her eyes widened in surprise as she exclaimed, “Oh my, Bing Rong, I didn’t know you were back as well.” She stepped toward Bing Rong and continued, “I had a feeling you would return soon since Huo Rong came back some time ago.”
“Yes, and I won’t leave the sect for a long time now. Master will be back soon as well, after all,” Bing Rong replied in her usual cold tone.
“Ah, how cold of you to treat me like this, Bing Rong. Anyways, what is your relationship with Shen Yuan? I heard rumors that Huo Rong was with him as well when he entered the sect, and now even you.”
“He is my little brother, and the adopted son of our Master. Is that enough for you, Lan Rui?” Bing Rong looked at her straight in the eyes while asking.
Lan Rui turned her gaze to look at Shen Yuan. She stared at him for a bit, while Shen Yuan waved his hand in a casual greeting.
“I see, so he’s the son of Senior Shen Yuxin. No wonder he’s so talented despite not belonging to any sect before this,” Lan Rui repeatedly nodded her head.
“If I didn’t know better about the Ancestral Pagoda, I would have thought he entered the sect through his connections,” she remarked casually, attempting to pry something out of Shen Yuan.
He only gave her a calm smile, as if the topic being discussed was not about him but something completely unrelated.
Bing Rong felt her eyes twitching at her remark as she grabbed Shen Yuan’s hand, saying, “Let’s go and meet up with the Sect Leader first; we can discuss other things later.” Bing Rong moved forward, gently shoving Lan Rui aside.
“Don’t forget to meet up with me later when you have free time!” Lan Rui turned around and shouted at Bing Rong, softly giggling.
Shen Yuan looked at the elder first before glancing back at Bing Rong, his eyes flashing with amusement as he asked her, “Who was she? She seems to be on good terms with you.”
