RPDPHW Chapter 51

Early the next morning, when Gu Qingyin came downstairs, several members of the Bloodflame Sect were already seated around a long table formed by pushing two square tables together, drinking porridge.

Lin Ziyan and Shan Wenshu were also sitting with them. Judging by their lively conversation, it seemed they were getting along quite well.

“Good morning, Doctor Gu!” Upon seeing Gu Qingyin come down, Ju Yuze took the initiative to stand up, filled a bowl with porridge, and placed it on the seat beside Shan Wenshu. Then he asked, “By the way, Doctor Gu, is our sect leader still not awake?”

“Hmm.” Gu Qingyin sat down beside Shan Wenshu, curling her lips into an ambiguous smile. “She was exhausted last night, so she’s sleeping a bit.”

Hearing this, Lin Ziyan, seated above Shan Wenshu, gave a knowing smile and teased, “Qingqing, that’s a bit much, isn’t it? She was already injured so badly last night, and you still have the heart to go through with it?”

“Go through with it? Go through with what?”

Qiu Chengye, who sat at the head of the table, immediately widened his eyes and looked at Gu Qingyin with suspicion.

Gu Qingyin gave Lin Ziyan a fleeting glance before replying calmly, “Senior, don’t misunderstand. I merely performed acupuncture on her to expel the residual internal injuries caused by the backlash.”

Upon hearing this, Qiu Chengye’s wariness was instantly replaced by joy.

Not only him, but the other members of the Bloodflame Sect were also visibly relieved and delighted.

After all, this was the renowned Poison Doctor! With her intervention, there was no longer any need to worry about their sect leader’s internal injuries.

“Doctor Gu, we truly appreciate your help!” Qiu Chengye expressed his gratitude happily.

Sitting directly across from Gu Qingyin, Leng Shaoying then added, “Looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the sect leader after we finish eating. She saw so many snakes last night—she must have had trouble sleeping. She probably won’t wake up easily today.”

Hmm, Gu Qingyin also thought that Zhong Shujin probably wouldn’t wake up so easily today.

After all, they had been up late last night, exhausting themselves.

“By the way, I find it strange—how can Sect Leader Zhong, with her high level of martial arts, be so afraid of snakes? Besides, the forest barriers outside Bloodflame Sect must be full of such creatures. Has she always been this scared?”

When Shan Wenshu asked this, the Bloodflame Sect members didn’t think much of it. After all, it was common knowledge in the martial world that the sect was surrounded by dense barrier forests.

However, Lin Ziyan’s gaze darkened slightly upon hearing the question.

Since when did Shuer know so much about matters of the martial world?

“Oh, you mean the snakes? Actually, our sect leader wasn’t afraid of them at all before! When she was little, she used to catch them just to scare us!” Ju Yuze enthusiastically explained. “But for some reason, around the time she was six or seven, after she went on a trip with the old sect leader, she suddenly became terrified of them. That day, I even caught a few snakes as a gift for her, but she ended up fainting from fright! She was unconscious for three whole days—it scared us to death!”

“Exactly! I was so confused back then. Our sect leader was always the one bullying others as a child. Who would’ve thought she’d get scared like that?” Leng Shaoying reminisced fondly. “I even thought that brat must’ve done something terrible to make the sect leader faint, so I strung him up and beat him! Didn’t let him eat for three days!”

“It was thanks to Brother Ziming secretly bringing me food that I survived!”

Li Ziming added, “And because of that, Uncle Qiu punished me too.”

Qiu Chengye chuckled, “Well, our sect leader not only fainted but also came down with a high fever. Of course, we felt bad for her!”

Ju Yuze laughed, “If the old sect leader hadn’t later explained that our sect leader was probably scared by a little girl who was traveling with them, I think they would’ve tormented me to death back then!”

After listening to Ju Yuze’s story, Gu Qingyin’s expression turned a little strange.

So… was she the reason Ajin was so afraid of snakes?

Thinking back carefully, it seemed that back then, she really had caught a few venomous snakes to scare that little troublemaker…

“You guys! What bad things are you saying about me now?”

To everyone’s surprise, Zhong Shujin, whom they had expected to sleep in for a long time, had already come downstairs.

Qiu Chengye quickly stood up, intending to give up the main seat for her, but she pressed down on his shoulder.

“No need to be so formal, Uncle Qiu. You just stay seated.”

With that, Zhong Shujin walked straight over and sat down beside Gu Qingyin.

Leng Shaoying, who was sitting across from Gu Qingyin, was momentarily stunned. Huh? Wasn’t the seat next to her also empty? Why didn’t the sect leader sit beside her instead?

“You came just in time.” Gu Qingyin took a sip of the perfectly warm porridge, then handed the bowl to Zhong Shujin. “It had cooled just right. Have some firsts.”

The Bloodflame Sect members saw this and were about to remind her that their sect leader didn’t like eating things others had touched.

But before they could say anything, Zhong Shujin had already taken the bowl naturally—

And drank a sip without hesitation.

The sect members exchanged glances in silent shock.

Since when was their sect leader willing to eat something someone else had eaten?

Without even picking up her chopsticks, Zhong Shujin took a sip of the porridge, then nodded toward the pickled radish on the table.

Seeing this, Gu Qingyin, understanding her meaning without words, picked up a piece and fed it to her.

At the same time, she asked, “Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?”

After swallowing the side dish, Zhong Shujin spoke with a hint of grievance, “When you left, you didn’t tuck me in properly. I woke up from the cold…”

Gu Qingyin paused for a moment before chuckling softly. “I did tuck you in. Maybe you kicked the blanket off later?”

Zhong Shujin refused to admit it and huffed in embarrassment, “You just didn’t do it properly!”

“Alright, alright, it was my fault,” Gu Qingyin said indulgently. “Do you want to go back upstairs for a bit after finishing your porridge?”

“No, let’s just set off right away!”

The thought of finally getting rid of the people from Feiyun Manor put Zhong Shujin in an unexpectedly good mood. And with Gu Qingyin’s gentle coaxing, she couldn’t help but let a smile creep onto her face.

“Leader… am I seeing things? You seem to be smiling a little differently today…”

Hearing Ju Yuze’s comment, Zhong Shujin immediately wiped the smile from her face and lifted her head. Only then did she realize that several sect members were staring at her intently. She quickly straightened her posture and asked sternly, “Why are you all looking at me like that? Have you packed everything? Where’s Rong’er? Why isn’t she here?”

Just as she finished speaking, Yun Yifei’s voice rang out from behind.

“Miss Jingrong is still in my sister’s room.”

At the sound of Yun Yifei’s voice, Zhong Shujin’s expression immediately darkened.

To make matters worse, the man seemed completely oblivious and shamelessly sat down beside Ju Yuze with a grin. “You all are up quite early.”

“You’ve come at just the right time, Second Young Master Yun.” Leng Shaoying still remembered Zhong Shujin’s instructions from the night before. Taking advantage of Yun Yifei’s presence, he quickly brought up the matter. “We were just about to bid you farewell. It was kind of you to host us these past few days, but we won’t trouble Feiyun Manor any longer. We wouldn’t want to give others any reason to gossip or bring unnecessary trouble to you.”

Yun Yifei was momentarily stunned. “You’re leaving?”

Zhong Shujin was finally satisfied and lowered her head to continue drinking her porridge.

“That’s right.”

After all, the righteous and the unorthodox followed different paths. Even if Feiyun Manor didn’t mind, if word got out, there would inevitably be petty people in the martial world who would seize the chance to stir up trouble.

Yun Yifei originally didn’t care whether they left or not, but now that Gu Qingyin was involved, he had no choice but to take an interest.

After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Gu Qingyin and said, “Doctor Gu, our group is heading to celebrate the Qingyang Sect Leader’s birthday. This time, the banquet is being held on a grand scale. All the major sects have sent their core members, and some sect leaders are even attending in person. Many highly respected seniors have also been invited. I’ve even heard that Master Tianchan from Tianyin Temple will be there. Since Qingyang Sect has gathered so many prominent figures, I thought you might find it interesting. Didn’t you ask me about this before…?”

“Oh? Will even Master Tianchan be attending?”

Gu Qingyin quickly interrupted him before he could finish.

Yun Yifei’s eyes lit up. “Yes! So? Why not come with us and see the excitement?”

“This does seem like quite an event,” Gu Qingyin said with a knowing smile, tapping her fingers lightly on the table. “It seems the Qingyang Sect Leader’s birthday banquet won’t be as simple as it appears.”

“Hah.”

Yun Yifei’s eager gaze irritated Zhong Shujin. She put down her bowl of porridge and scoffed, “Isn’t this the year for the Wulin Alliance Leader’s re-election? The Qingyang Sect is obviously using this opportunity, with all the major righteous sects gathered, to secure that title for themselves.”

The Qingyang Sect has long been at the forefront of the orthodox martial world. With so many sects assembled for the birthday banquet, it was indeed a perfect chance to propose a leadership transition.

“Hmm, that makes sense.”

Gu Qingyin nodded in agreement.

“So, will you come with us?” Yun Yifei pressed. “Feiyun Manor has an invitation, so getting you in won’t be a problem at all!”

Realizing that inviting only Gu Qingyin might seem too obvious, he quickly turned to Zhong Shujin as well. “Sect Leader Zhong, would you like to join us and watch the excitement?”

Zhong Shujin was about to refuse when she suddenly heard Gu Qingyin respond, “In that case, I’ll go with you and take a look.”

“What? You’re going with them?!”

Zhong Shujin’s eyes widened in shock.

Gu Qingyin thought for a moment and realized that if they were going to Qingyang Sect, it wouldn’t be suitable for the members of Xueyan Sect to come along.

“That’s right. Wouldn’t it be inconvenient for you all to go?”

Did that even need to be asked? Qingyang Sect had been plotting the downfall of Xueyan Sect for years. If they stepped onto Qingyang’s territory, they certainly wouldn’t be met with any kindness.

Ju Yuze admitted honestly, “It really wouldn’t be convenient for us…”

“That’s wonderful!” A delighted voice rang out from behind—it was Yun Huitong. “Sister Yin, just come with us without worrying! We’ll protect you! You have no idea how upset I was when Rong’er told me you were planning to leave with their sect earlier!”

Yun Yifei also chimed in joyfully, “Doctor Gu, don’t worry, we’ll definitely keep you safe!”

It seemed Yun Yifei was quite pleased to be rid of the Xueyan Sect burden.

Zhong Shujin was instantly furious.

This guy was heading to Qingyang Sect to break off his engagement, but if he brought her dear Qingqing along, what kind of message would that send? Who knew—by the next day, the entire martial world might be gossiping about how the two of them were a perfect match!

“Ah, so are we really going to be separated from Doctor Gu…?”

Jing Rong, who had come downstairs with Yun Huitong, trailed off mid-sentence when Zhong Shujin immediately cut in.

“Who said we have to split up? If Qingqing wants to go, then we’ll all go together and enjoy the excitement!”

Gu Qingyin blinked in slight surprise.

Qiu Chengye was equally taken aback. “Sect Leader, didn’t you say…”

“What did I say?”

Zhong Shujin narrowed her eyes at Qiu Chengye, her voice cold.

“Didn’t you say that we…”

That they were going to part ways with Feiyun Manor…

Ju Yuze swallowed the rest of his sentence under Zhong Shujin’s icy gaze.

“I said what?”

“… Nothing.”

“You clearly said you were going to separate from us!” Unlike the members of Xueyan Sect, Yun Huitong wasn’t afraid to speak up. “You even said Sister Yin was going with you! Looks like you made that decision all on your own without asking for her opinion! Sister Yin isn’t going with you—she’s coming with us!”

“Who said that?” Zhong Shujin remained expressionless as she swept a cold glance at Jing Rong. “Rong’er, did I say that? Did I?”

That one look made Jing Rong shiver. She quickly stammered, “I… I must have remembered wrong… Sect Leader, you never said that…”

“Yeah… Sect Leader, you really didn’t say that…”

With Jing Rong taking the lead, the rest of the Xueyan Sect members quickly decided to forget Zhong Shujin’s firm declarations from the night before.

The one who had spoken so resolutely about parting ways with Feiyun Manor—surely, that wasn’t their sect leader…

“Good, since everyone is free, let’s all accompany Qingqing and see the excitement together.” Only then did Zhong Shujin smile in satisfaction. “Second Young Master Yun, you don’t mind bringing along a few more ‘troublesome’ people, do you?”