Cangzhou.
Two individuals vying to be the most diligent were hard at work.
Li Yingling stood atop the water's surface, her spiritual senses probing deep into the river as she surveyed the water veins while casually remarking,
"Junior Brother, don’t you think our encounter with Senior Uncle Lingyu this time was a bit too coincidental?"
Li Xingtian had been observing the surrounding terrain and sketching a topographic map when he suddenly heard his senior sister’s unmistakably gossipy tone.
Her implication was clear—Li Yingling suspected their so-called "chance meeting" in Cangzhou was anything but accidental. It was likely that their Master and Senior Uncle Xie had coordinated this behind the scenes.
After a brief pause, Li Xingtian decided against indulging in gossip about their Master and replied calmly,
"It’s nothing unusual. Where there’s opportunity, people will naturally gather."
Li Yingling shot him a skeptical look. "You’ve changed after your trip to the Central Continent. You never used to speak so diplomatically. What happened to my straightforward junior brother?"
Li Xingtian ignored her remark, his expression suddenly turning serious as he focused on the eastern sky, his spiritual energy surging.
Li Yingling reacted swiftly, summoning her spiritual sword as she tensed in alert.
Within moments, however, Li Xingtian withdrew his aura, having assessed the situation.
A small figure streaked toward them, accompanied by a familiar voice:
"Not bad, you two youngsters actually sensed me."
Qinghe landed gracefully on the river’s surface, looking at them with an approving smile.
"Though the Tianyan Sect’s concealment techniques are mediocre, it’s rare for someone a whole realm below me to detect me. You’ve cultivated well—no wonder Grandma Bai thinks highly of you."
Li Yingling studied Qinghe’s smug expression, finding it hard to reconcile with the memory of the dragon being thoroughly thrashed by their Master not long ago, pinned at the bottom of the river.
This little flood dragon clearly had a short memory when it came to beatings.
Still, the incident had been somewhat disrespectful to Qinghe, and Li Yingling couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty.
She sheathed her sword and asked, "Weren’t you supposed to be resting? Why come here?"
"Ah, resting was just a joke! Ask anyone in the Tianyan Sect—I’m known for my diligence."
Qinghe thumped his chest proudly, adopting the air of a model worker. At least until these two visited the sect, he could boast with confidence.
"Besides," he continued, "surveying water veins isn’t easy for humans. It’s quite troublesome."
Though Li Yingling didn’t buy a word of it, she nodded understandingly.
"In that case, my junior brother and I will survey eastward while you take the west. We can compare notes later to complete the map."
Qinghe froze. Splitting up meant no slacking off!
He’d only come because he’d teased Xie Lingyu earlier—if he didn’t put in some effort now, there’d be consequences.
And if Xie Lingyu let slip that he’d sold out Grandma Bai’s trip to Yuzhou City…
Knowing Grandma Bai’s temper, he’d be banished from the mountainside to the sect gates.
"Water veins are complex," Qinghe hastily interjected. "Let’s stick together. If you make a mistake, we’d have to backtrack."
Li Yingling saw right through him. This dragon hadn’t changed—he’d clearly been strong-armed into working after crossing their Master and Senior Uncle Xie.
Still, out of lingering guilt, she maintained a convincingly earnest expression and agreed,
"Very well, we’ll work together. Please bear with us if we make any errors."
Qinghe’s heart swelled with relief at her unquestioning acceptance.
This kid was still too naive.
So easy to fool.