He Qiu took leave of Fairy Nan and hurried home to rest. He was exhausted now.
As for the matter in Tianxin City, he had completed the intelligence investigation task and fully reported it to Fairy Nan. Presumably, Elder Nangong would make a move tomorrow, so He Qiu stopped worrying about it.
Right now, he only wanted to go home and sleep. Then, after waking tomorrow, he would ask Master Nangong how the follow-up handling of the matter was going.
However, by the time He Qiu got home and pushed open the door, it was almost dawn outside. This sudden loneliness inexplicably gave him a sense of deja vu from his previous life, like staying overnight at an internet cafe and sneaking home in the morning.
When he entered his room, He Qiu found a pair of chopsticks, two dishes, and a bowl of rice still set on the table. He did not need to guess to know that Maid Meng’er had left dinner for him.
Last night, He Qiu had indeed told her he would be home late, but Zi Menghan probably thought he would not be too late, so she prepared some food, wanting the Young Master to eat when he returned at night.
But no one expected that by the time He Qiu returned, it was almost the next morning. The food had gone cold, and it no longer looked appetizing.
‘In my previous life, Auntie also left meals for me like this…’
Sitting down at the table, He Qiu stared at the food before him and was dazed for a long while. In the end, he picked up the chopsticks and began to eat.
Actually, he was not very hungry. While patrolling the streets of Tianxin City, He Qiu had been tempted plenty by the street vendors. He ate quite a few candied hawthorns and grilled gluten, and the late-night snacks had nearly filled his stomach.
But hungry or not, food still could not be wasted. This was absolutely not because He Qiu was moved by Meng’er’s thoughtfulness and could not bear to disappoint her.
After finishing the meal, He Qiu burped and finally lay down on the bed to sleep.
‘I’m getting old, getting old. I can’t even stay up one whole night anymore. I’m sleepy as hell…’
If it were his previous life, with this little bit of staying up, He Qiu could at least stay in an internet cafe and fight a few hundred more rounds. If he did not go for three days and three nights, it seemed he would be letting down his youthful vigor.
However, He Qiu did not want that now, because it was very easy to die suddenly and be reborn in another world.
Early the next morning, He Qiu was woken by anxious knocking outside, and the entire Longyin Sect seemed to be in unrest.
However, he was truly too sleepy now. He had not even slept three or four hours, his eyes hurt terribly, and he could not open them at all.
So he pulled the blanket over his head, pretended not to hear, and continued sleeping.
Outside the door, the young woman seemed to be arguing with someone about something.
“Young Master had an outside mission last night and came back very late. Please let him sleep a little longer!”
“Miss, you don’t know, but there really is an important matter in the Sect today. All disciples must attend!”
Although the several cultivators sounded anxious, the young woman still seemed unwilling to move aside. She only wanted He Qiu to sleep a little longer.
“What important matter is it that my Young Master must be present?”
“Yes, Junior Brother really must be present. Elder Nangong nominated him personally. The situation is urgent!”
“Miss, please don’t make things difficult for us. We are also here to notify him under Elder’s orders…”
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, a silver-white figure appeared from behind.
Immediately, everyone was overawed by the Saintess’s aura and instinctively made way.
“Meng’er, please call He Qiu. There is an emergency in the Sect today, and we need to go down the mountain.”
An Lingran spoke softly. Although her tone was still icy, it was clear she was trying her best to stay calm.
“Okay, okay…”
Zi Menghan’s beautiful eyes flickered, and she finally nodded, lifted her skirt, and returned inside.
But before she could knock, He Qiu had already dressed himself and pushed the door open.
“I just woke up. Sorry for the trouble, Meng’er Guniang.”
As he spoke, He Qiu pinched the young woman’s worried little cheek, yawned, then rubbed his eyes, trying his best to look energetic.
Zi Menghan’s pretty face reddened. In truth, she could tell the young man had heavy dark circles and was severely sleep-deprived.
But there was no other way. Today, the Sect had an emergency mission, and every disciple had to be present.
In the past, when she was in the Demon Sect, Zi Menghan had also often slept poorly. But after years of lurking in the shadows as a night owl, she had grown used to it.
He Qiu, however, was only an ordinary Righteous Path Cultivator, and most people could not withstand such exhaustion.
That was why she had just tried her best to decline on He Qiu’s behalf, so the young man could sleep a little longer.
However, the matter really did seem important, and it could not be declined.
“I ate last night’s meal. Please help me clean up, Meng’er… I’ll be going first.”
“Yes, take care, Young Master.”
Watching the young man straighten his clothes and leave with the silver-haired Senior Sister, Zi Menghan felt inexplicably lonely.
Going down the mountain on missions, doing chivalry and justice with the Senior Sisters, roaming the martial world…
How wonderful, how truly wonderful.
If only she were not a Demon Cultivator. If only she were not hiding in Longyin Sect just to survive. If only she were also a good person from a Righteous Sect…
In that case, Zi Menghan truly would have liked to go out with He Qiu, instead of being only a little Maid at home every day, watching the Young Master leave early and return late while her own future was hopeless and her prospects dim.
‘I want to go down the mountain with the Young Master too…’
The young woman sat by the window, silently expressing the extravagant hope in her heart.
Longyin Sect, Inner Gate Hall.
He Qiu was summoned there. Many cultivator disciples were already waiting at the scene, and at the very front of the hall sat several Elders.
Even the old Sect Master had appeared.
For the Sect Master to summon them personally, it could not be a small matter.
He Qiu roughly knew what had happened. After all, he had only reported the Tianxin City matter to Master Nangong last night, and today the Sect was already so solemn.
It showed that the high-ranking Elders of Longyin Sect took the matter very seriously.
Originally, He Qiu had thought the matter would not blow up so much. After all, he was just a newly entered junior cultivator, and his word alone was one-sided.
No matter how much Fairy Nan favored him, there could not be too great a response.
But He Qiu had not expected that early this morning, Longyin Sect would gather the Inner Disciples together in one hall.
This was indeed beyond He Qiu’s expectations.
“Fellow Inner Disciples, last night, Tianxin City’s City Lord’s daughter, Bai Muxue, was kidnapped by the Demon Sect. This is a major matter and has already alarmed the current Empress on the throne!”
“In addition, Tianxin City is a key transportation hub below our Longyin Mountain Range. Its significance is great. Our Sect will absolutely not allow Demon Sect villains to commit evil right under our noses!”
“Therefore, we have gathered all disciples today to order you to go down the mountain and search…”
“Tianxin City is now sealed by a barrier over the whole city. City Lord Bai Hong personally instructed that today, we cultivators of Longyin Sect may turn Tianxin City upside down if we must. We must rescue the little Young Sect Master, Bai Muxue!”
At the front, Sect Master Zhao spoke solemnly.
For a time, all the cultivators below were shocked. The disciples of Longyin Sect, when they had free time, went down the mountain to relax in Tianxin City because the city was right at the foot of the mountain and was prosperous in business, truly a blessed land.
And Tianxin City’s City Lord’s daughter, Bai Muxue, was also a famous little princess in the area. The young woman had inherited her mother’s beauty.
At such a young age, she was already devastatingly beautiful. Her usual personality was innocent and romantic.
She often took servants to play on the streets of Tianxin City and almost never put on the airs of a Young Sect Master. She often gave alms to poor families and was deeply supported by the common people.
Not only that, Bai Muxue also greatly liked cultivators. She was full of admiration for the Longyin Sect cultivators on the Longyin Mountain Range.
When many disciples went down the mountain on missions, they had been gazed at from afar by that little princess with envious eyes.
Therefore, with such a commoner-friendly Bai Muxue kidnapped by the Demon Sect, many cultivators felt strong sympathy.
They quietly clenched their fists and cursed the Demon Cultivator mastermind who kidnapped Bai Muxue as truly despicable!
Standing among the crowd, He Qiu could not help but wear a pained expression, with bean-sized beads of sweat sliding down his forehead.
‘Stop cursing, stop cursing. I also have no choice…’
‘And the plot is really off too. At last night’s Demon Sect meeting, didn’t they say they would act only on the second night?’
‘How come after coming back and sleeping, by the next morning Bai Muxue was already gone?’
‘These Demon Cultivators don’t even follow the usual playbook!’