Zeng Dalou led Cai Zhao slowly back.

"Junior Sister Cai, don't blame me for letting Lingbo off lightly. This matter... sigh. Actually, the rules of the Qingque Sect are extremely strict and absolutely do not tolerate the bullying of its members. It's just... sigh, it's just that Lingbo's talent and innate constitution are more like Master's than Mistress's... Slow-witted in her youth, but as long as she breaks through her meridians..."

"Wait, hold on." The more Cai Zhao listened, the more something felt off. "My aunt said that the former Sect Master Yin was a famous young genius who became renowned throughout the world in his teens."

Zeng Dalou turned his head. "The Master I'm talking about is Lingbo's father, the current Sect Master Qi, not her maternal grandfather."

Cai Zhao let out an "ah" and looked Zeng Dalou up and down. "Sect Master Qi is your Master, and you..." 'Judging by your age, shouldn't you be of the same generation as Cai Pingchun and the others?'

Zeng Dalou was expressionless. "I just look mature for my age. In fact, I'm several years younger than your esteemed father."

'Several years younger still puts him in his early thirties,' Cai Zhao laughed awkwardly.

"Has Heroine Cai never mentioned me to you?"

Cai Zhao shook her head. "In her spare time, my aunt often told me amusing stories about her past travels in the Jianghu. They were all trivial and fragmented matters. But when it came to the Beichen Sects, she never liked to mention them at all."

Cai Pingchun and his wife had always forbidden their children from actively questioning Cai Pingshu, fearing that in their youthful ignorance, they might ask something they shouldn't and touch upon Cai Pingshu's sorrows. This led to Cai Zhao's impression of the Jianghu being fragmented, a piece here and a piece there.

Zeng Dalou sighed softly and shook his head.

The two continued forward, and Zeng Dalou continued, "...Back then, if not for the kindness of Master and Heroine Cai, I would have been just a little beggar on the streets, nearly frozen and starved to death. How could I have entered the gates of the Qingque Sect? I will never forget Master's kindness for the rest of my life. Besides, cultivation level doesn't depend on age. Your esteemed father has made remarkable progress in his martial arts over the past decade or so, while I have mediocre talent and am just coasting by on my seniority within the sect."

Cai Zhao said, "The martial arts of Falling Blossoms Valley are like that. Progress is very slow at first. One must be patient and cultivate slowly. The further one goes, the more profound one's inner strength becomes. My aunt said that because of this, my father was bullied quite a bit in his youth."

The martial arts style of Falling Blossoms Valley is like a tree. When it is just a sapling, anyone can easily pull it up. But once the tree is large and its roots are deep, gripping firmly into the bedrock underground, it can't be destroyed no matter how fierce the wind and rain.

Of course, there were occasional exceptions.

Cai Pingshu was an exception.

Zeng Dalou indeed laughed. "So that's how it is. Then Heroine Cai was truly exceptionally gifted. Not only did she become famous in the Jianghu at a young age, overpowering all other heroes, but she also single-handedly slayed the master of the Demonic Cult. Her reputation as the 'Number One Master Under Heaven' was well-deserved. When I saw Heroine Cai at the age of ten, I was quite puzzled. This young lady wasn't much older than me, so why were so many heroes so respectful towards her?"

Cai Zhao fell silent. "Yes, but the price was too great."

"It was all due to the injuries sustained while slaying Nie Hengcheng that Heroine Cai passed away in her prime." Zeng Dalou was very sad.

Cai Zhao did not wish to continue this topic. "Senior Brother Zeng, please continue telling me about the senior brothers and sisters in the sect, lest I have another 'misunderstanding' with everyone later."

Zeng Dalou smiled bitterly. "You did nothing wrong today. It was Little Junior Sister who acted out of line. Chang Ning is the orphan of Great Hero Chang Haosheng..."

Before he could finish, Cai Zhao let out a soft "ah." "He's actually the son of Great Hero Chang. The Chang... the Chang Family is still..."

Zeng Dalou sighed. "Your Falling Blossoms Valley doesn't like to meddle in the affairs of the Jianghu and has been secluded for many years, so you may not have heard. Several months ago, the entire Chang Clan of Wu'an was massacred by the Demonic Cult. Only Great Hero Chang and his son escaped. Great Hero Chang's injuries were too severe, and he passed away on his way to Jiuli Mountain. Given his friendship with Master, when Chang Ning arrived with his deceased father's letter, how could Master not take him in? So he took him in."

Cai Zhao let out a soft "ah." "My aunt said she rarely admired anyone in her life, but Great Hero Chang Haosheng hated evil as if it were a personal enemy and was kind and benevolent. She admired him greatly. Great Hero Chang even helped Falling Blossoms Valley back then... Is Chang Ning also a senior brother in the sect now?"

"Not yet. Chang Ning is seriously injured, and the residual poison has not been cleared. Master plans to heal him first before accepting him as a disciple and teaching him martial arts, so he can avenge the Chang Family in the future."

"I see. So the Snow Lotus Pill is for healing Chang Ning's injuries and detoxifying him." Cai Zhao brought the topic back around.

Zeng Dalou could only continue to sigh. "Master has the rare 'Sky Fire Dragon' innate constitution. One is slow-witted at first, but as long as one does not fear setbacks and bravely forges ahead, once the meridians' blockages are broken through, practicing any martial art will yield twice the results with half the effort. Sigh, but the difficult part is this 'not fearing setbacks and bravely forging ahead'."

According to legend, during the Primordial Era, other giant dragons could roam the four seas freely after easily breaking out of their shells. Only the 'Sky Fire Dragon' had to endure eighty-one years of torment in scorching flames before it could hatch and look down upon the world.

Cai Zhao nodded. "I know this. My aunt said that when she met Sect Master Qi, he was being bullied. Originally, Old Sect Master Yin had other direct disciples. It was only after seeing Sect Master Qi break through his blockages and improve by leaps and bounds that he was accepted into the inner sect and carefully cultivated."

Zeng Dalou sighed. "Yes, that was Martial Uncle Qiu. He is now roaming the world and doesn't often return to Myriad Waters Thousand Mountains Cliff. I wonder if he'll be able to make it back for the anniversary of the Grandmaster's passing."

He turned back to look at Cai Zhao. "Master often says that he was able to successfully break through his meridians thanks to Heroine Cai. When they met, Master was still just a mediocre Outer Sect Disciple. But Heroine Cai said he was a hidden dragon in a pond, destined to soar into the heavens one day, becoming the center of attention, and that he must not be discouraged by his initial lack of success. Master says he has never dared to forget Heroine Cai's words all these years."

Cai Zhao tilted her head up. The mountain sunlight stung her eyes.

She could imagine how high-spirited and courageously radiant her aunt must have been as a young girl when she said those words.

"But Lingbo can't do it. To repeatedly assault one's meridians and practice ascetically, what kind of pain must one endure?" Zeng Dalou said somberly. "Mistress only has her. She's been coddled and doted on since childhood, how could she bear that kind of hardship? With the Snow Lotus Pill, she would suffer less when breaking through her meridians, which is why Lingbo had such high hopes. That Snow Lotus Pill was obtained by chance by Third Junior Brother, who then presented it to Master. After discussing it with Mistress, Master originally intended to give it to Lingbo. Who knew, who knew that Junior Brother Chang Ning would suddenly arrive... Naturally, saving a life is more important."

"There's no need to feel too much pity. Didn't Old Sect Master Yin have plenty of good pills back then? He earnestly hoped for his two daughters to become accomplished, but in the end, did the two Ladies Yin succeed in their training? Lady Qinglian was passable, but as for my future mistress, Madam Sulian... hehe."

Actually, Cai Pingshu's original words were that Yin Qinglian's skills were merely mediocre, and Yin Sulian could only be considered a tortoise flipped on its back.

Practicing martial arts was an extremely arduous affair. Training from dawn till dusk, without rest through summer or winter, the entire body's meridians and bones had to endure repeated tempering and impacts to be reborn and break through the limits of an ordinary physique. Girls of noble birth and beautiful appearance often couldn't endure this hardship, not to mention their father had already arranged fallback plans for both daughters.

Zeng Dalou's brow furrowed, then he shook his head with a bitter smile. "Heroine Cai and Mistress were never on good terms. It's one thing for her to say such things, but Junior Sister Cai, you must be more discreet. In the future, Mistress will also be your elder."

Cai Zhao ignored him. "Even if taking the Snow Lotus Pill can reduce the suffering while breaking through meridians, it doesn't guarantee success, does it? The Snow Lotus Pill is a sacred medicine for healing and detoxification. To use it like this, if the breakthrough fails, it would be a waste of good medicine."

Zeng Dalou sighed. "Success or failure doesn't matter. As long as Master's family can live in harmony, that would be for the best."

As the two walked and chatted, Cai Zhao soon learned that she would have five senior brothers and one senior sister in the future. She would be ranked seventh, and she had already met half of them.

Zeng Dalou was the Eldest Martial Brother. He was a little beggar taken in by Sect Master Qi Yunke in his youth. His innate constitution was ordinary and his martial arts were average, but his strengths were his warm and kind personality and his thorough and fair way of handling matters. Thus, he had unofficially become the chief steward of the Qingque Sect, managing daily affairs.

The second senior brother was the delicate-looking young man from earlier who had a fawning expression towards Qi Lingbo. His name was Dai Fengchi, the son of a distant relative of the late Old Sect Master. It was said that when he was still in swaddling clothes, his entire family was killed by the former master of the Demonic Cult, Nie Hengcheng. He was then adopted by the late Old Sect Master and later became a disciple under Qi Yunke. He was skilled with the Forty-nine Moves Meteor Chasing Wind Sword and had already made a name for himself in the Jianghu.

Cai Zhao expressed her long-held admiration, but she had never heard of him. Zeng Dalou could only shake his head and smile bitterly.

Next was Song Yuzhi.

Whether at home or in the sect, he was ranked third. Unsurprisingly, among all the disciples, he had the highest talent, the strongest martial arts, the most handsome appearance, the wealthiest family... and his own father and older brother were also the most arrogant.

"For Third Junior Brother to be willing to live an austere life on Myriad Waters Thousand Mountains Cliff is truly rare. You must know, the Vast Heaven Sect of Mingcui Peak is incomparably wealthy. As the saying goes, piles of gold, stacks of silver, and mountains of pearls..."

"Yes, I can tell." Cai Zhao smiled. "I just witnessed the pageantry of the Vast Heaven Sect on Wind and Cloud Peak. Not to mention, Third Senior Brother's mother was the late Lady Qinglian. I won't provoke him in the future."

Zeng Dalou smiled bitterly again and again.

Speak of the devil. Just as Zeng and Cai were talking, a familiar figure was seen speeding towards them from a distance—

"Eldest Martial Brother! Eldest Martial Brother."

As the voice arrived, so did the person. Song Yuzhi flew over. When he shouted "Eldest Martial Brother" the first time, he was still seven or eight zhang away; by the second shout, he was already right in front of them. Cai Zhao secretly praised, 'What exquisite lightness skill.'

"Eldest Martial Brother, Junior Sister Cai." Song Yuzhi cupped his hands to them, his jade-like face filled with urgency. "Eldest Martial Brother, did Lingbo cause trouble again?!"

Zeng Dalou was in a difficult position. He couldn't just deny Qi Lingbo's actions in front of Cai Zhao.

Song Yuzhi's face was ashen. "Eldest Martial Brother, stop protecting her. It's happened time and time again. I'm going to tell Master right now..."

"Wait!" Zeng Dalou grabbed Song Yuzhi. "What's your hurry? Can't we talk about this calmly? I'm here, I'll deal with Lingbo..."

"You'll just let her off easy again!" Song Yuzhi's gaze was cold as he looked directly at Cai Zhao. "Junior Sister Cai, were you bullied by them just now? Was Qi Lingbo the one leading them, was she!"

She had just arrived and couldn't tell a tortoise from a turtle. Heaven knew what kind of deep-seated romantic entanglements existed between these martial siblings. Cai Zhao had no intention of getting involved so easily.

So she shook her head, her smile as bright as a spring day. "Senior Brother Song, you may have misunderstood. Just now, I merely met Senior Sister Qi. The way she treated me was one part surprise, two parts joy, three parts intimacy, four parts warmth, and five parts utmost cordiality. One moment she was telling me to hurry and rest, not to tire myself out; the next she was teaching me the rules of conduct. It was truly like a refreshing spring breeze. Although it was only for a short while, I benefited greatly and have already come to think of Senior Sister Qi as my own sister. This must be what they call 'friends at first sight'."

Zeng Dalou's mouth hung open, unsure if he was shocked or delighted.

Song Yuzhi glared and said word by word, "You're lying."

"If you don't believe me, ask Eldest Martial Brother if I'm lying."

Zeng Dalou was stunned. "...No, she's not lying. Lingbo did indeed tell Junior Sister Cai to go rest and lectured her a bit..." 'Language is truly a magical art.'

Song Yuzhi looked at Cai Zhao. "Even if the first part is true, the part about her being like a sister is fake." 'It sounds too disgusting.'

Cai Zhao rolled her eyes. "How would you know if what's in another person's heart is true or false, Senior Brother? In any case, I'm fine. Third Senior Brother, you can go about your business."

Song Yuzhi's chest heaved. Getting angered twice in one day by this little girl was enough. He turned and left, never wanting to see this vexing future junior sister again.

Zeng Dalou breathed a sigh of relief. "Junior Sister Cai, you are very magnanimous. As your senior brother, I thank you. It's not that I'm unwilling to uphold justice, but rather... but rather if this matter isn't handled well, Master and Mistress will argue again."

'That 'again' was used so masterfully.'

Cai Zhao was smart enough not to continue this topic and instead asked Zeng Dalou to continue educating her about the sect—

Fourth Senior Brother, Ding Zhuo, was taciturn and obsessed with martial arts. It was unlikely she would see him on an occasion like this.

Zeng Dalou sighed. "Fourth Junior Brother carries a blood feud, so he trains diligently with all his heart, just waiting for the day he masters his skills to descend the mountain and take revenge on the Demonic Cult."

Cai Zhao stopped in her tracks. "In our sect, besides you and Third Senior Brother, is there anyone who doesn't carry a blood feud?"

"Yes, Fifth Junior Brother."

Zeng Dalou told Cai Zhao that if she later saw a young man entertaining guests with dimples on his cheeks and a constant smile, that would be Fifth Junior Brother, Fan Xingjia. He was the only disciple so far to be selected from the outer sect, recommended by Martial Uncle Li who was in charge of the outer sect. He had a good temper, excellent talent, both parents alive, and loving siblings. His original family life was perfectly blissful, and he was exceptionally skilled in alchemy and qi refining, a rare talent.

"Senior Brother Fan is skilled in alchemy and qi refining? That's a rare innate constitution." Cai Zhao's eyes lit up.

'So-called innate true qi is seven parts refining, three parts nurturing.'

Cultivators and martial artists defy the heavens, so it's inevitable that their meridians become disordered or their true qi goes astray. In severe cases, they might even suffer from qi deviation, where their true qi breaks out of their body. But if someone with nurturing qi could slowly guide and supplement them from the side, their recovery from injuries would be much better.

The problem was, during the great war between the righteous and demonic factions twenty years ago, Nie Hengcheng sent out his Demonic Cult minions far and wide to specifically assassinate the alchemists and qi refiners among the Six Sects of Beichen. Unfortunately, those who cultivated nurturing true qi often did not have high martial cultivation themselves. As a result, every assassination was successful, leading to many senior heroes suffering from grievous injuries that were difficult to heal. The combat strength of the Six Sects of Beichen was greatly diminished.

And not many were born with this kind of innate constitution. No wonder the outer sect's Martial Uncle Li recommended Fan Xingjia. Rarity makes things precious.

The sixth junior sister was Sect Master Qi's only daughter, Qi Lingbo. In a few more days, Cai Zhao would join and become the seventh.

"Master has accepted so few disciples? I heard the Siqi Sect widely recruits disciples and has over a thousand of them," Cai Zhao said doubtfully.

Zeng Dalou hesitated for a moment before choosing his words carefully. "Master says that capable people mostly grow on their own; they aren't nurtured. A considerable number of youths come to Jiuli Mountain every year. As long as their backgrounds are clean and their conduct is proper, Master accepts them all. They study and practice martial arts together. Those who can stand out will naturally stand out. It depends on their individual comprehension."

Cai Zhao rolled these words on her tongue and smiled softly. "What Master says makes sense. What was the use of Old Sect Master Yin accepting so many disciples? In the end, wasn't it Master, who came from the Outer Sect, who distinguished himself?"

"Correct. In the future, if Junior Sister becomes accomplished in her training, you can also contend for the position of Sect Master." Zeng Dalou teased.

Cai Zhao rolled her eyes. "I'll take that as a good omen."

As they spoke, the residence of the Qingque Sect, a magnificent palace that inspired sighs of awe, appeared before them.

With steps of white jade and castings of gold, white walls and black tiles, vermilion beams and painted rafters, the three-story palace seemed to float above the clouds. It truly deserved its reputation: 'A heavenly palace in the sky, the Twilight Palace on earth.'