Just as expected

"It's a new celebration being prepared in Yuzhou City."

As Cui Hao was deep in thought, a voice as melodious as heavenly music reached his ears. He turned his gaze toward the source of the sound.

There, Ah Nian and Zhao Wanqing were walking toward him.

This must be the reinforcements Master had called for.

Cui Hao felt his eyes grow warm with emotion—truly, his master never disappointed.

So reliable! No matter the situation, when it came to critical moments, Master never faltered!

He quickly chimed in, "Right… it’s a celebration. My brain just froze earlier and I couldn’t react."

Li Yingling ignored her fifth junior brother, who was acting unusually today, and instead smiled warmly.

"It’s you two. This event seems quite grand."

Ah Nian nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, the whole of Yuzhou City is preparing for it. It’s so lively!"

"When is the event?" Li Yingling asked. "If I have time, I’d love to join."

Ah Nian’s smile stiffened slightly, and her eyes flicked toward Zhao Wanqing.

Zhao Wanqing smoothly took over. "The date isn’t set yet. It depends on when everything’s ready. This celebration was a bit sudden, after all. Once we have confirmation, I’ll personally come to inform you."

"Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you?"

"Not at all. The Demon Suppression Bureau has also asked me to extend an invitation to your esteemed sect."

Li Yingling gave a slight nod. "Then I’ll trouble you for it."

Cui Hao exhaled in relief. As expected of reinforcements Master had arranged—utterly dependable!

Li Yingling continued walking further into the city, her eyes scanning the lanterns hung outside every household, the people all seemingly brimming with joy.

Curious, she asked, "What’s the occasion for this celebration? Everyone looks so happy."

Zhao Wanqing hesitated to meet Li Yingling’s gaze. According to Chu Xingchen, this senior disciple was far too sharp—she feared being seen through while spinning a tale.

Her eyes drifting to the streets, Zhao Wanqing followed Chu Xingchen’s instructions and sighed meaningfully. "Naturally, it’s for that matter. The entire city takes it very seriously."

"What… matter?" Li Yingling glanced at Zhao Wanqing, who had essentially said nothing.

The usually efficient Demon Suppression Bureau captain now seemed just as brainless as her fifth junior brother.

Had some dark cultivator been harvesting brains lately? Both Cui Hao and Zhao Wanqing seemed affected.

"Senior Sister, you don’t know?" Cui Hao feigned surprise. "It’s for Zen Forest Temple’s celebration—for Yuan Kong."

This excuse had been prepared in advance, but it required someone to back it up. Otherwise, Li Yingling might storm Zen Forest Temple for answers before they could cover things up.

So Cui Hao had to stall until reinforcements arrived.

"Yuan Kong?!" Li Yingling’s expression flickered with shock before settling into understanding. She sighed. "Abbot Yuanjing of Zen Forest Temple… is he nearing his end?"

"No, no! It’s just that Xuanwu Kingdom has been plagued by disasters lately. This is more of a prayer festival. Yuan Kong is just a side note." Cui Hao gestured to the townsfolk. "Otherwise, why would everyone be hanging lanterns on their own?"

Li Yingling nodded slowly, seemingly accepting the explanation.

Her gaze returned to Zhao Wanqing, curiosity lingering.

"For such a large event, do you need to report it to the Demon Suppression Bureau or the local authorities?"

Zhao Wanqing’s heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Ah Nian, only to find Ah Nian looking back at her.

This was likely the "mismatched answers" scenario Chu Xingchen had warned them about.

"Of course, it must be reported," Zhao Wanqing affirmed.

Before Li Yingling could press further, Ah Nian suddenly clapped her hands, feigning realization—and panic.

"Oh no! We forgot! You forgot about that guy we caught last time—"

Zhao Wanqing didn’t let her finish. Her eyes widened, and she hastily bowed to Li Yingling.

"My apologies… I just remembered urgent business. I must return to the Demon Suppression Bureau immediately."

Li Yingling nodded calmly. "Duty comes first."

"We’ll meet again. Once the celebration begins, I’ll personally notify your sect."

With that, Zhao Wanqing clasped her hands in farewell and hurried off with Ah Nian in tow.

Chu Xingchen’s senior disciple was truly formidable—just two sentences, and they were already retreating.

Cui Hao kept his smile intact, but inwardly, he was exhausted.

How had they collapsed so quickly, leaving him alone again?

As Zhao Wanqing departed, Li Yingling’s gaze lazily settled on Cui Hao’s face, her faint smirk making his heart race.

She didn’t ask anything further. Instead, she merely patted his shoulder with a look that said—You’re on your own now.

Faced with his senior sister’s expression, Cui Hao couldn’t tell if she had seen through the act.

But one thing was certain—Master’s fists might be far away, but his alchemy-refined pills were drawing near.

Li Yingling said nothing more and continued into Yuzhou City.

Cui Hao, clinging to hope until the very end, plastered on a grin and followed after her.

Sometimes, it doesn’t matter if things go wrong, but the attitude in handling them must remain proper.

Even if everything is already in complete disarray, one must still stand firm and pick up the scattered pieces.

Fortunately, Li Yingling’s subsequent itinerary brought Cui Hao some much-needed relief.

As always, the Eldest Senior Sister took the lead in visiting Lin Luoyu and Li Junzi.

They met at an elegant riverside pavilion.

Facing Li Junzi, the Eldest Senior Sister displayed remarkable patience.

Li Junzi’s stalling tactics proved effective—the Eldest Senior Sister answered every question without a hint of impatience.

In the end, it was Li Junzi who suggested wrapping things up.

Perhaps he simply ran out of topics to discuss…

After all, Li Junzi had even started recounting Lin Luoyu’s embarrassing childhood mishaps, leaving the Fourth Senior Sister itching to intervene but not daring to disrupt the grand plan.

She could only watch helplessly as those long-buried, awkward memories began to spread.

For the latter half of the meeting, the Fourth Senior Sister mostly kept her head down like an ostrich.

When Li Yingling agreed to end the discussion, she once again expressed her hope that Li Junzi might return to the sect to stay.

After Li Junzi politely declined, the Eldest Senior Sister didn’t press further, instead inviting him to visit the sect whenever he pleased.

All in all, Cui Hao found this meeting surprisingly relaxing.

For some reason, he suddenly felt that staying silent wasn’t so bad after all…

In any case, both Cui Hao and Lin Luoyu had put in considerable effort for this matter.

If he were to tally it up, Cui Hao still believed his Fourth Senior Sister had contributed the most.

Cui Hao had a premonition—within the sect, a brand-new story was about to unfold…

After the gathering dispersed, the sky gradually darkened.

To Cui Hao’s surprise, Li Yingling didn’t head to Zen Forest Temple to investigate further but instead chose to return to the sect.

It was as if her sole purpose in coming to Yuzhou City had been to greet Li Junzi.

But Cui Hao’s instincts told him otherwise. The Eldest Senior Sister had likely already seen through the ruse.

Sure enough.

The moment they returned to the sect, Li Yingling turned to Cui Hao and said:

“You little rascal, are you stirring up trouble again? What exactly are you planning to do during their celebration?”

In the past, hearing such words would have stunned Cui Hao.

Before, a remark like this would have felt like a demonic voice piercing his ears—a sign that the Eldest Senior Sister was about to take action!

But now, it sounded almost like heavenly music to him.

Cui Hao pressed his lips together. For some inexplicable reason, even though he hadn’t been exposed, he felt an indescribable emotion stirring within him.

“In the end, I couldn’t hide it from you, Senior Sister,” he admitted with a bitter smile.

Li Yingling’s face revealed an expression that said, Just as I thought—you could never keep anything from me.

“Don’t say I never look out for you. Keep your antics to a minimum during their celebration, lest you embarrass our immortal sect.”

“Behave this time, and just follow my lead quietly. I won’t report your misdeeds for now.”

Cui Hao’s face lit up with gratitude:

“Thank you, Eldest Senior Sister, for sparing my life…”