In the Still of the Night

Su Luo had already drunk his fill, yet they showed no signs of stopping.

He felt like someone was secretly orchestrating things, with people constantly coming over to toast him and exchange a few words.

But after toasting him, they’d move on to others, as if it wasn’t intentional.

Su Luo couldn’t make sense of it and kept drinking in a daze.

Then the next person, Li Siyi, came over and said, “Su Luo, let’s drink.”

“Why are you joining in?”

“It’s been a while since I last drank with you.”

“Do you know what’s going on? They’re acting weird, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

“What’s so strange about it? They’re just happy.” Li Siyi actually had a rough idea of what was happening.

Those who came to toast Su Luo were all core disciples who knew about his past.

Thinking of this, Li Siyi quietly chuckled to herself.

“What’s there to be happy about?”

“The sect entrance exams ended successfully?” Li Siyi offered this excuse, though she wasn’t sure Su Luo would buy it.

“Fine.”

Su Luo didn’t believe it, but he didn’t care—it was just drinking, after all.

Yet before they could chat much longer, another wave of people came to toast him.

Amid the entire gathering, Su Luo had somehow become the busiest one.

Meanwhile, the ordinary disciples or newcomers who were out of the loop were utterly confused.

Why? He wasn’t even a member of the Seven Stars Sword Sect—just someone brought in by Peak Master Nangong.

Peak Master Nangong was right there—shouldn’t they be toasting her instead?

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to, but Nangong Xiyun’s icy aura was too intimidating to approach.

Of course, the main reason was that Su Luo had finally returned after so long.

Lin Jiaqiang was dumbfounded again—why were these senior brothers and sisters toasting that bandaged guy more than him?

Was he not outstanding enough?

But I’m the top newcomer this year!

True, but being first in this batch didn’t mean much in the grand scheme.

Little Yu watched Su Luo from the side, taking small sips of her drink—her alcohol tolerance wasn’t great.

She didn’t go over to interrupt them, since they all seemed to be having a good time.

Jiang Ningshu had also been observing for a while and asked Little Yu, “Doesn’t this seem off to you? Su Luo hasn’t done anything noteworthy.”

At first, it was just toasts, with occasional small talk—that was fine. But then they suddenly started hugging Su Luo out of nowhere.

What were these people thinking?

Since arriving at the Seven Stars Sword Sect, Jiang Ningshu had been with Su Luo the whole time, and he hadn’t done anything particularly impressive.

Was it just because he taught that kid a lesson on stage?

Did that really warrant so many toasts?

If it was because of Nangong Xiyun, that didn’t make sense either—she and Little Yu were also brought in by Nangong Xiyun, yet no one paid them any attention.

“It’s fine. Maybe Su Luo was always popular, and even now, his charm hasn’t faded.”

Little Yu wasn’t entirely sure, but she had an inkling of what was going on.

Either way, it was a good thing.

“That’s hard for me to believe.”

Jiang Ningshu didn’t see any charm in Su Luo’s current state—his disguise skills were impeccable, after all.

Su Luo had no idea how long he’d been drinking, but Nangong Xiyun had seen enough.

A gust of wind swept by, and Nangong Xiyun was already supporting Su Luo.

“Peak Master Nangong?”

Amid their confusion, Nangong Xiyun took Su Luo and left without a word.

The toast fest had come to an end.

Xie Feiran and the others were satisfied—they’d finally fulfilled their wish of drinking with Su Luo.

But why did Peak Master Nangong take Su Luo away? Shouldn’t it have been Li Siyi?

Whatever. Even without Su Luo, they were in high spirits—time to keep drinking!

Soon, more than half of the newcomers were drunk under the table by their seniors.

While the sect entrance exams always included a welcoming party, it had never been this wild before.

Passing elders could only shake their heads in bewilderment, sighing at how reckless the younger generation had become.

......

Seeing Su Luo being taken away, Little Yu, Jiang Ningshu, and Li Siyi naturally followed.

Nangong Xiyun brought Su Luo to his old residence in the Seven Stars Sword Sect.

“Ah, after all these years, this place hasn’t changed much.” Su Luo remarked as he looked around.

It wasn’t exactly the same, but the general layout was familiar, with a few added decorations to spruce it up.

“How does it feel? Familiar, right?” Nangong Xiyun smiled, remembering how she used to hide behind that tree to spy on him.

“Very familiar. But why was this place preserved?”

Logically, it should’ve been demolished long ago to make space for a training ground.

“Because I live here.” Li Siyi chimed in.

“Isn’t this place a bit too humble for you?”

As a sect elder now, Li Siyi deserved better accommodations.

“Well, since a certain someone never comes to visit, I had to settle for reminiscing here.”

Su Luo had no retort—it was true he rarely sought her out.

Jiang Ningshu glanced around. “So this is where you used to live. Just as plain as ever.”

Having seen many of Su Luo’s temporary lodgings, she could only say his style was consistent—no style at all, just simplicity.

“Sorry for the lack of flair, but it served its purpose.”

“Fair enough.”

Su Luo was slightly tipsy, though getting truly drunk was difficult for him.

He could even dispel the buzz instantly with a bit of qi circulation.

But he was in no hurry—this relaxed state was rare.

As night fell, Li Siyi, noticing Su Luo’s condition, said, “Alright, you’ve all been here a full day without rest. Let’s call it a night.”

Everyone knew cultivators didn’t need much sleep, but Li Siyi needed them to rest.

She began assigning rooms.

“No need to arrange one for me. I’m returning to Cloudsoar Peak.” With that, Nangong Xiyun flew off.

This was the Seven Stars Sword Sect—she had to maintain decorum. Staying overnight wouldn’t be proper.

Su Luo entered his room and collapsed onto the bed. Alcohol made for good sleep.

Little Yu also retired to her room.

Jiang Ningshu initially wanted to stay outside, enjoying the night breeze or stargazing until dawn.

But Li Siyi, seeing her linger, stayed too, occasionally glancing at her.

“Is there a problem?” Jiang Ningshu asked.

“No.”

“Do you have something to say to me?”

“No.”

Silence fell between them.

Jiang Ningshu got the feeling that if she didn’t return to her room, Li Siyi would keep staring at her until morning.

Better not push it.

Jiang Ningshu went to her room.

Li Siyi did the same.

The night grew still.

Li Siyi opened her eyes. Perfect—time to visit the neighbor.

Next door was Su Luo’s room.

She tiptoed in, quietly shutting the door behind her.

Then she set up a soundproofing barrier.

Because what came next… hehehe…

But Li Siyi noticed there were already two layers of soundproofing in place.

Huh? Since when did Su Luo have this habit?

Well, an extra layer couldn’t hurt.