Chapter 1616: This Day Will Change

“Huh?” Chu Chuyan’s breath caught in her throat as she recalled the fear she had felt when she first joined the sect. Copying the Frozen Heart Sutra clearly wasn’t a good memory for her.

She moved closer to Yan Xuehen and sat at her side. She said quietly, “I could tell that master had some thoughts on your mind for some time. I was just saying those things out of consideration for you…”

“Is that the kind of thing you should be saying to help me feel better?” Yan Xuehen replied, shooting her a look.

However, she felt helpless deep down. In the past, she could have just used her prestige as Chuyan’s master to apply pressure and discipline her. But now, she felt too strange. She felt guilty toward Chuyan, and in the future… Chu Chuyan would get married first in the future. She, her master, could end up having to pamper Chuyan as a later wife! What kind of thing was that?!

Yan Xuehen’s entire body trembled. A blush briefly appeared on her skin. What am I thinking? How could I possibly have any further relationship with that guy?!

She didn’t know whether she was upset at Zu An or at herself. She suddenly got up and said coldly, “A hundred times! I’d better not see even one less time!”

Afterward, she didn’t give Chu Chuyan the chance to throw a tantrum and turned around to leave. Chu Chuyan was left all alone and in distress.

Sigh, I used to always warn Snow not to gossip. Now, why couldn't I remember to not do that myself?

…

Meanwhile, Zu An’s group was enjoying some tea and resting in the Guidance Palace. Suddenly, he noticed something. He looked up and saw a middle-aged man descend to the plaza in front of the palace, before walking toward Zu An’s group with a steady and stable gait.

No matter how much of a narcissist Zu An was, he had to admit that with this guy’s style and bearing, he would definitely steal the hearts of countless female cultivators. There were some strands of white hair at his temples, but it didn’t make him look old. Instead, they simply gave him a mature and graceful air. That was obvious from all the young female disciples who were clutching their chests and blushing, as if they were about to faint.

This guy’s freaking handsome! He’s almost at my level.

“Sirs have come from afar. Excuse this poor daoist for not going out to meet you and showing negligence in your treatment,” Wang Wuxie said, cupping his hands toward Zhang Zijiang. His armor was the shiniest among the group, and his cultivation seemed to be the highest. Thus, Wang Wuxie reflexively thought that he was their leader.

“Armed Escort Division Deputy General Zhang Zijiang greets the State Teacher!” Zhang Zijiang replied, feeling a bit embarrassed. He quickly introduced Zu An, saying, “This is Marquis Sir Zu, general of the Armed Escort Division. He is our leader.”

Wang Wuxie was a bit stunned. He looked at Zu An with a hint of surprise. He had actually made an error in judgment? This person didn’t have the slightest ki aura coming from him, and he looked like a little pretty boy. Who would have thought that he was the one in charge?

“So it was Sir Zu. As expected, you are young and outstanding, worthy of admiration!” Wang Wuxie remarked. He had experienced all kinds of things, so he didn’t show any awkwardness and naturally exchanged greetings with Zu An. There was no trace of contempt on his face.

“The State Teacher is too polite,” Zu An said, returning the greeting. “I’ve come this time on his majesty’s orders to repair the palaces on Violet Mountain…”

He took out the Imperial Edict and read it afterward. Of course, he wasn’t so stubborn as to want the State Teacher to kneel as he read it. Fortunately, Wang Wuxie was still respectful during the entire process, so they still got along.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“Many thanks for his majesty’s benevolence…” Wang Wuxie said toward the capital.

Zu An was left in admiration. This handsome big brother really was impressive! He was even able to speak flattery in such an outstanding manner. He thought, This Zhang Zijiang still has a ways to go.

There were many disciples from all sorts of different sects outside. They were curious to find out just what kind of important figure would be able to make Wang Wuxie greet them personally. After all, there were sect leaders among the previous guests, but he had never come out to greet them.

However, when they saw that it was just a young man, they were disappointed. That was especially true when they saw that the young man was completely ordinary. Apart from being a bit taller and more handsome than average, and looking as if he had some money, he didn’t seem to have anything else going for him. Not a single ki fluctuation emanated from him; he was clearly just a normal person.

Of course, that was just what the men thought. Several female cultivators’ eyes were glittering.

“Look, there’s a really handsome big brother there!”

“But he looks a bit delicate.”

“What do you understand? He’s much better than those crude muscleheads! I really want to give him a hug.”

The male cultivators were all completely confused.

You have successfully trolled the surrounding male cultivators for +444 +444 +444…

Zu An felt helpless when faced with the storm of Rage points. The ladies like a handsome man; what did I do wrong?

He looked at the disciples outside, then said to Wang Wuxie to test the waters, “The State Teacher’s mountain seems to be quite lively.”

Wang Wuxie smiled and said, “The nine sects are holding a great competition that they hold every ten years. There are indeed more people than usual.”

“A competition between the daoist sects? Then our repair of the temples might be a bit troublesome…” Zu An said, thinking to himself, This guy isn’t holding anything back from me. Is it because he has a clear conscience or because he’s confident in his backing?

“There will be no issues. The competition between the great sects will be carried out mostly on Golden Peak. You may carry on with your repairs of the other places as usual. Once the repairs are close to being done, the competition should be just about finished too. At that time, the rest of Golden Peak can be repaired,” Wang Wuxie replied.

“May I ask how long the competition will continue for?” Zu An asked.

“Roughly half a year, I suppose. The exact time frame is difficult to say, as it will depend on the final battle outcomes,” Wang Wuxie chuckled. “Seeing as Sir Zu is so interested in this competition, why not make a guest appearance and judge the fights? There will be sect masters and elders in attendance as non-voting delegates. For the sake of fairness, I even specially invited some virtuous and prestigious seniors from the world of warriors to serve as witnesses.”

Zu An didn’t really have much interest at first. He was about to refuse when he suddenly thought of something, and subsequently agreed. “Alright. I’ll have to trouble the State Teacher for that.”

He thought to himself that based on the State Teacher’s earlier statement, the man didn’t seem to want the Armed Escort Division to come to Golden Peak. In that case, he would just have to personally see if there are any secrets hidden there.

Wang Wuxie was speechless. He had just made the offer out of politeness. How could he have known that this guy would actually just agree in such a straightforward manner? After all, all the other guest judges would be extremely famous figures from the world of warriors. If they weren’t sect leaders, they were highly experienced elders. Even the weakest among them were at the master rank, with many grandmasters among them.

Just where does someone like you with no cultivation get the courage to sit together with them?

However, as Wang Wuxie had already spoken those words, he couldn't take them back. He said with a nod, “Once the competition starts, I will send someone to inform Sir Zu. For now, you should all get some rest first. If there is anything you need, you may contact the sect’s disciples. This poor daoist has something to tend to, so I will leave for now.”

Zu An replied, “The State Teacher should do what he needs to do first.”

…

When Wang Wuxie left,a Righteous Sun Sect disciple quickly came to lead them to their residence. The people nearby began to discuss among themselves.

“So this is a marquis from the court, and he could even become a general? I feel as if any random disciple from our sect would be better than him!”

“Just which clan did this hedonistic son come from? The court has such a mediocre person in such a high position? It really makes one feel bitter and hateful!”

“Maybe he’s a prince and carries a magic artifact to hide his aura. It’s normal if you can’t tell,” a female cultivator couldn't keep herself from retorting. At least he’s handsome, okay?

“Are you still dreaming of becoming the wife of a king? Keep dreaming! The princes of the world are all well-known, and none of them look like him.Besides, he said his surname was Zu, not Zhao.”

“Besides the fact that the leader is just a pretty face, even the cultivation of that deputy general next to him isn’t all that. Forget about chief disciples, even some other true disciples could defeat him. I really don’t understand how the great sects were defeated by these guys back then.”

“Lower your voices! The court is most adept at military formations. Don’t think this deputy general’s cultivation is low. If he’s good at commanding an army formation, forget about a chief disciple, not even our sect masters would be able to stop it.”

“Brother Li, are you going a bit too far? If a grandmaster came out, he’d really be nothing in comparison.”

A group of debate warriors promptly began to argue over the strength of an army.

Just then, an old and gray-haired old monk came over from the foot of the mountain. There was a cute little novice monk at his side.

Zhang Xi quickly asked, “May I ask where the two of you are from?” These two monks definitely weren’t from the daoist sects. However, their temperaments looked impressive, so he didn’t dare to treat them negligently.

The old monk didn’t reply. He only raised his head toward Golden Peak and muttered to himself, “This day is about to change.”