Second Senior Brother

Tianyan Sect, Zhuji Peak.

Perhaps it was because the sect's mountain-protecting grand array was incredibly powerful, or perhaps spiritual energy was dense enough to alter the seasons.

The weather in the Tianyan Sect always seemed to remain the same. The emerald trees, rich in spiritual energy, showed not a hint of yellowing, and the flowers bloomed just as brilliantly.

Chen Baiqing raised her hand and picked up a chess piece. Her gaze fell upon Bai Xuanling, who sat opposite her with a leisurely expression, and she said softly,

"At a time like this, wouldn't it be more comfortable to get some more rest?"

Hearing this, Bai Xuanling raised an eyebrow and chuckled,

"I've been taking your master's pills. No matter how much I rest, how comfortable can I really get?"

Chen Baiqing could only fall silent at those words. Although she had never personally tasted her master's pills, everyone who had taken them had gone mad.

But that wasn't entirely true either. The only person who could still maintain a leisurely expression after taking them was Bai Xuanling, currently sitting right across from her.

Chen Baiqing remained silent for a moment before asking,

"Did Sect Leader Lü's method not work?"

"It didn't work," Bai Xuanling said thoughtfully, twirling a chess piece. "That's why I say, even though Chu Xingchen's pills are usually despised by everyone, at crucial moments, we still have to rely on them to work miracles."

"However, taking too many does indeed have side effects."

Chen Baiqing asked with concern, "What side effects? Master didn't mention anything to me before he left."

"Naturally, it's because they taste too awful. If you take too many, you start feeling like death would be easier than living." Bai Xuanling placed her piece on the board, then looked up at Chen Baiqing's concerned expression and continued to laugh.

"I'm just joking, of course. Before Chu Xingchen left, he sent me a message saying he had an idea we could try, as soon as he roughly sorted out the matters in Xiniu Hezhou."

"Compared to that unreliable Lü Xuan, pinning our hopes on your master might actually give us a better chance."

"There is always hope on the road ahead. It is this very thought that has supported me to walk this far."

Bai Xuanling said with a smile, but in her mind, she unconsciously recalled how Chu Xingchen had previously put on a serious face to coax her into calling him Master.

Thinking about it now, she felt she had really lost out by not giving that brat a severe beating.

If that brat came back and tried the same trick again...

She would definitely strike first.

Bai Xuanling's mind was a bit sluggish as she reminisced. When she shifted her gaze back to the chessboard, she realized she had played a complete mess.

If Chen Baiqing hadn't been going easy on her, this game of chess would have ended long ago.

Bai Xuanling's expression remained unchanged as she picked up the teacup beside her and took a gentle sip.

It was just a pity that although the tea brewed by Little Baiqing could make one feel relaxed and refreshed, it still couldn't counteract the medicinal effects of Chu Xingchen's pills.

Otherwise, drinking this tea wouldn't be considered suffering.

Bai Xuanling put down the teacup and let out a leisurely sigh.

"I've been quite idle lately. It's just a pity that Lingyu was coaxed away by your master, so I've truly become a loner."

"Isn't Qinghe still around? Speaking of which, it seems I haven't seen it for a while."

"Qinghe is too reckless and impatient. It's approaching the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage recently, so its temper has gotten even worse. I've already thrown it over to the Red Flood Dragon. For flood dragons, only by undergoing a good Deity Transformation can they have a chance to truly evolve. The Red Flood Dragon transformed quite well, so I sent Qinghe over to learn properly."

As Bai Xuanling spoke, she smiled. Seeing the people around her improve was a good thing for her. She looked at Chen Baiqing and asked,

"Do you have any complaints that your master didn't take you along this time?"

Chen Baiqing gently shook her head and said, "Master naturally has his own thoughts and arrangements. Right now, I can't help Master much, so at the very least, I shouldn't hold him back."

Bai Xuanling scrutinized Chen Baiqing for a moment.

No wonder Chu Xingchen had always doted on Chen Baiqing. Such a well-behaved and obedient disciple indeed deserved to be doted on.

However, being well-behaved and obedient also meant endurance and silence.

With Chen Baiqing's temperament, it would naturally be best for her to stay by Chu Xingchen's side, rather than keeping her company playing chess.

Noticing that Bai Xuanling had been silent for too long, Chen Baiqing looked up and then smiled.

"Isn't Second Senior Brother also staying in the Tianyan Sect? I'm not the only one."

"Xingtian?" Bai Xuanling murmured softly. "He is also a good child, it's just..."

But before she could finish her sentence.

The waist token hanging at Bai Xuanling's side suddenly flared with light. Her leisurely expression froze, but seeing Chen Baiqing's puzzled gaze opposite her, she forced herself to maintain her relaxed demeanor.

She reached out and lightly tapped the token at her waist. In the next moment, a surge of spiritual energy wrapped around her hand.

"I'm sorry, Little Baiqing, but I won't be able to finish this game of chess with you." Bai Xuanling sighed with a hint of annoyance. "That idiot sect leader has some troublesome matter for me again. It's probably another unreliable method he wants me to try."

Chen Baiqing hurriedly said, "Playing chess is just a pastime. Since you have matters to attend to, Baiqing won't disturb you any longer. Please go ahead with your work."

Bai Xuanling smiled and nodded. In the next moment, her figure shot up into the sky and flew away.

Watching Bai Xuanling's departing figure, the expression on Chen Baiqing's face slowly faded. Her gaze returned to the chessboard, and in the next moment, she reached out to pick up a chess piece.

Suddenly, a powerful surge of spiritual energy rippled across the horizon.

Chen Baiqing raised her head in confusion.

Having stayed in the Tianyan Sect for a long time, she naturally understood that the sect had many rules. At the very least, such an undisguised and powerful fluctuation of spiritual energy would absolutely never occur within the Tianyan Sect unless there was a major event or official business.

The enforcement of rules in a major sect was always the strictest.

In the next moment, Chen Baiqing saw a streak of azure flash past her eyes.

She furrowed her brows, a bad premonition rising in her heart.

She no longer used her hands to tidy up the chess pieces, but directly used spiritual energy to return them to their places. Then, she fixed her gaze into the distance.

She didn't have to watch for long before several streaks of rainbow light, carrying extremely heavy auras, emerged from various parts of the Tianyan Sect and shot straight toward the outside of the mountain gate.

Chen Baiqing immediately realized that something major had happened. Her figure instantly moved, heading straight for the Loving Family Peak.

Amidst the unease and palpitations in her heart, Chen Baiqing flew to the courtyard of the Loving Family Peak at her fastest speed.

Her gaze swept across the courtyard, and she found her Second Senior Brother there.

At this moment, Li Xingtian was also watching the fleeting streaks of rainbow light with an uneasy expression.

Chen Baiqing darted to Li Xingtian's side, raised her hand to grip his shoulder, and said anxiously,

"Second Senior Brother!"

Li Xingtian looked back at her. Seeing Chen Baiqing's anxious expression and her uneasy eyes, he naturally understood the meaning behind her calling out to him. He slowly spoke,

"There is no news..."

Chen Baiqing felt slightly more at ease.

Li Xingtian also reached out and gripped Chen Baiqing's shoulder, his tone serious,

"Believe in Master. Don't go there blindly."

"Baiqing understands," Chen Baiqing nodded heavily in agreement.

Chen Baiqing was not someone who couldn't understand the situation. She knew that with her current cultivation base, going there would only hold them back.

She gazed in the direction of Xiniu Hezhou, her lips pressed tightly together, a faint glimmer of tears in her eyes.

Li Xingtian raised his hand and gently patted Chen Baiqing's back.