Worried that Fang Shuwen would actually be crazy enough to set his sights on Miao Feichan, Chen Yan had done his best to avoid mentioning the topic of a mount for the past few days.

But who would have thought that upon arriving at Yuqing Pavilion, the first thing he’d see would be the famous Immortal Light Transformation.

Chen Yan subconsciously glanced at Fang Shuwen, terrified that the guy would be audacious enough to rush right up and ask Miao Feichan if she wanted to be his mount.

When he saw Fang Shuwen merely glance at her before looking away, he finally breathed a small sigh of relief.

He couldn’t help but curse himself internally. ’A miscalculation.’

As the Young Master of Heaven-Reaching Pavilion, he naturally knew about the relationship between Miao Feichan and Yu Yaoguang, the Sect Leader of Yuqing Pavilion.

He had seen her on the road a few days prior, and today he’d heard the Yuqing Pavilion disciple guiding them mention a friend of the Sect Leader. He should have realized long ago that she would be here.

And yet, it only dawned on him after he actually saw her.

’That was a real oversight on my part.’

Fang Shuwen paid no mind to Chen Yan’s worries, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall.

He didn’t recognize most of them, however.

He only recognized people like Zuo Qingshuang and Lan Yue. The remaining strangers were all dressed in Yuqing Pavilion attire; he figured they were Elders of the pavilion.

The men and women seated across from them must be the so-called experts from outside the domain.

Leading them was an old man with an air of profound gravity. His hair and beard were white, his gaze deep. Merely by sitting there, he was impossible to ignore—clearly an extraordinary individual.

Four people were seated calmly by his side. The youngest looked to be in their thirties, while the oldest was around fifty.

Every one of them was brimming with vigor, their eyes holding a hidden gleam of power.

The two people currently fighting in the center of the hall were both young.

One was a young woman in the attire of Yuqing Pavilion, and the other was a young man dressed in black.

The young woman was bare-handed, her finger strikes as swift as flight.

The young man in black wielded a short blade.

The blade was no more than two feet long. Its reach was short, but its movements were treacherous and exceedingly unorthodox.

The two fought in close quarters. At times they exchanged rapid blows, their techniques exquisite. At others, they unleashed powerful strikes, switching between offense and defense, each displaying the full extent of their abilities.

Everyone was captivated by the duel. Even the Yuqing Pavilion disciple who had led Fang Shuwen inside was watching the fight with gritted teeth.

Seeing that no one was paying him any mind, Fang Shuwen led Xu Shuxin and slipped deeper into the hall.

Only Chen Yan was still watching Fang Shuwen’s every move. He didn’t dare let his guard down, terrified that Fang Shuwen would fly into a frenzy, run over, and snatch Miao Feichan to be his mount.

As it turned out, Fang Shuwen simply walked up behind Zhou Qingmei and coughed softly.

Zhou Qingmei heard the noise but paid it no mind.

The hall was filled with people, so it was perfectly normal for someone to come up from behind.

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Fang Shuwen reached out and tapped her on the shoulder.

Zhou Qingmei frowned and turned, the fierce glint in her brow, already sharp, becoming even more pronounced.

But the instant she saw Fang Shuwen behind her, her mouth fell open.

The fierceness in her expression melted away, replaced by a dumbfounded look that made her seem almost adorably foolish.

Fang Shuwen couldn’t help but laugh.

"What’s with that look? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you really that surprised?"

Zhou Qingmei had already forgotten all about the duel in the hall. She just nodded dazedly.

"Brother Fang? Is it really you?"

Zuo Qingshuang, seated primly in front of them, had also been focused on the match.

Hearing the commotion behind her, she subconsciously turned her head, and her eyes instantly lit up.

"Young Hero Fang?"

Fang Shuwen gave Zuo Qingshuang a fist-and-palm salute.

"Greetings, Elder Zuo."

Then he turned back to Zhou Qingmei and said,

"I had some business that brought me to Yuqing Pavilion. I didn’t expect to see you here."

Zuo Qingshuang wanted to chat with him more, but it wasn’t the right time or place.

She could only nod before turning her attention back to the match.

Zhou Qingmei, however, paid no mind to the circumstances and asked in a low voice,

"What are you doing at Yuqing Pavilion? We were actually about to head back to Zhuji Pavilion, but my master and Elder Lan Yue hadn’t seen each other in ages, and the more they talked, the less they could bear to part."

"In the end, Elder Lan Yue used the upcoming Yuqing Banquet as an excuse to invite Master to stay at Yuqing Pavilion as a guest, so that’s how we ended up here."

"Oh, right, the Yuqing Banquet is..."

Before Zhou Qingmei could explain it to him, Fang Shuwen waved his hand.

"I already know what the Yuqing Banquet is."

Hearing that, Zhou Qingmei didn’t press the matter.

Fang Shuwen briefly explained his own situation, and Zhou Qingmei wasn’t particularly surprised to hear that he was working as a guard again.

After all, it wasn’t the first or second time.

Besides, she didn’t think there was anything wrong with him working as a guard.

Not only could he earn silver, but with his level of Martial Arts, the danger was minimal.

Fang Shuwen then asked her,

"So what’s the situation here? Who are all those people?"

So Zhou Qingmei explained to Fang Shuwen,

"The people across from us are from Setting Sun Valley in the Southern Domain. They’ve come to Yuqing Pavilion to ask for a Yuqing Fruit."

"But the Yuqing Fruit is no ordinary item. It’s incredibly important to us, the Seven Eastern Sects, so naturally, they can’t just have it."

"That old man is supposedly Weng Zhenliu, the Vice Valley Master of Setting Sun Valley."

"His attitude is quite aggressive, and it looks like he’s ready to fight for it at the slightest disagreement."

"But just as a conflict was about to erupt, that senior stepped in to mediate... you know, the very beautiful one."

"According to Weng Zhenliu, she is Miao Feichan, also known as ’Immortal Light Transformation,’ the greatest master of the Lightweight Technique in the world."

"With her mediating, Weng Zhenliu didn’t dare to make a move. In the end, he said that he wanted the Yuqing Fruit for his own juniors. And since that was the case, he proposed letting his juniors compete against the disciples of Yuqing Pavilion."