Chapter 34

Yue Qing quickly won the favor of everyone. Led by Sanfeng, along with Erfeng and Dongxiu, they took turns toasting him.

Yue Qing said, "This is the first time I have come to visit Senior Sister without an invitation, feeling quite presumptuous. I have specially prepared some gifts to present to the esteemed disciples of the palace masters."

Upon hearing this, Sanfeng and the others were naturally pleased and ordered their disciples to be called over to bow to Yue Qing and receive the gifts.

The golden-bearded slave in the palace noticed that Xu Feiniang had ulterior motives. He had previously advised the three palace masters several times not to associate with Xu Feiniang, as he was not on good terms with her. He only stayed for a cup of wine at the beginning of the banquet and then left on a pretext. Although Huizhu also disliked Xu Feiniang, she would not show it as obviously as the golden-bearded slave. When she heard that Yue Qing was going to give treasures, she believed he was trying to win people's hearts and politely declined.

However, Sanfeng felt that her refusal was a slight to her face. Since Xu Feiniang was her good friend, Yue Qing naturally came to Ziyun Palace for her. Therefore, she insisted on having their disciples called over.

The first to come and receive the treasure was a teenage girl who gracefully bowed before Yue Qing and introduced herself as Lu Rongbo.

Yue Qing stared at her for a moment, then took out a Soul-Stealing Order and handed it to her.

Next, Chufeng's disciples Huang Feng and Zhao Tieniang, Erfeng's disciple Jin Ping, and Huizhu's disciple Long Lizi all came to pay respects to their Senior Uncle Yue Qing. Yue Qing took out the magical treasures he had prepared in advance from his treasure bag, one by one. These were given to him by Xu Feiniang before he set out, including the Seven-Star Needle, Jade-Breaking Knife, Wu Hook Sword, and Wave-Breaking Cone, among others. He distributed them all, and finally, he held a Five-Element File he had forged on Heng Mountain in the past, and said with a smile, "Before I came, Senior Sister had already told me the number of disciples in your palace. I prepared one for each person. Now, why is there one left? Is it because someone finds my Dao shallow and my magical treasures unworthy?"

Sanfeng's face showed displeasure, and she immediately ordered Huang Feng, "Go and call Wei Rong for me!"

Huang Feng replied, "When I called him earlier, Wei Rong said he had a mishap during practice the other day and was too weak to come."

Sanfeng raised her phoenix eyes, "If he can't come, are you all dead? Go and bring him here by force!"

Huang Feng shrank back in fear and quickly went to find him. Soon, he brought in a tall, handsome young man who first knelt down and apologized to Sanfeng, "Disciple made a mistake in his practice the other day, injuring his lung meridians and coughing up a lot of blood. That's why I didn't come earlier. Please forgive me, Third Palace Master!"

Huizhu knew that Wei Rong was introduced to the palace by the golden-bearded slave. Since Sanfeng and the golden-bearded slave were always at odds, and Wei Rong was not willing to deliberately flatter her, she also looked down on him and often made things difficult for him. She was about to plead for him, but Sanfeng pointed to Yue Qing, "Why are you begging me? Go and beg your Uncle Yue. If he is magnanimous and forgives you, it will be fine. Otherwise, you will be severely punished today!"

Wei Rong then came over and knelt before Yue Qing, asking for his forgiveness.

Yue Qing, seeing that he was still young but had already cultivated an inner elixir and had the potential of a transcendent immortal, said, "Nephew, are you really sick? I learned some medical knowledge from my master in the past. Let me examine you."

He bent down and reached out to grab Wei Rong's arm. Wei Rong was greatly alarmed and tried to dodge, but his right wrist was already caught by Yue Qing. Three fingers were placed on his pulse, and he focused his mind to examine it.

Wei Rong's heart was pounding. He couldn't help but be nervous. Sanfeng was known for her cruelty, and being in her hands today would surely mean a severe punishment. He had always disliked Xu Feiniang and, by extension, her people, and did not want anything from them, which was why he had lied about being injured earlier.

Yue Qing felt his tension and deliberately frowned and pondered, not saying anything for a long time.

Dongxiu also disliked Wei Rong and asked tentatively, "Junior Brother Yue, how badly is Wei Rong injured?"

Wei Rong's heart was in his throat, thinking that he couldn't escape a beating today. If Sanfeng ordered someone who was against him, like Wu Fan, to carry out the punishment, he might end up in a terrible state.

Yue Qing slowly shook his head, "Not good, not good. This child has indeed injured his lung meridians, and his internal organs are severely damaged. If not treated in time, he will likely have a chronic illness that will affect his Dao cultivation." He took out a jade bottle from his treasure bag and poured out a pill, which immediately filled the room with a fragrant aroma. "This is a secret elixir of the Wutai Sect, the Cooling Pill, which can remove fire toxins and nourish the heart and lungs. Take it, and you will be cured with one pill."

Wei Rong looked at him suspiciously, not knowing why he was helping him, but still took the pill and the Five-Element File given by Yue Qing. After thanking him, he left under the pretext of taking the medicine.

Wu Fan had previously received the Cold Flame Soul-Stealing Sand from Yue Qing, thinking he was the only one to get it and was secretly pleased for a long time. Now, seeing that everyone was treated equally, he felt disappointed. Knowing that Xu Feiniang was the most amiable and had never seen her angry, and that Yue Qing also seemed very kind and always smiled, he took advantage of Dongxiu's favor and came to toast Yue Qing, "Junior Uncle Yue, I offer you a cup of wine." After drinking, he said, "Uncle, you haven't given me anything yet!"

"Ah, I did forget. Why didn't you come over earlier?" He then took out the Mother and Child Soul-Stealing Nails, "Look, Uncle has already prepared this for you."

Wu Fan didn't expect to receive another magical treasure and was overjoyed. He held the treasure and knelt down, bowing repeatedly, "May Uncle Yue live forever! May Uncle Yue have boundless power! May Uncle Yue..."

Yue Qing quickly stopped him, not wanting to hear more flattery.

Everyone was pleased, and they continued to drink and chat for a long time before the banquet ended. Dongxiu took Xu Feiniang to stay with her in the Round Pepper Hall, while Yue Qing was arranged by Sanfeng to stay in a side hall of the Great Bear Reef, where guests were accommodated.

The Great Bear Reef was one of the nine main palaces of Ziyun Palace. The original owner, Tianyi Jinmu, used the Daoist magic of containing the universe in a grain of sand to confine boundless seawater here, forming a giant lake. Standing in the center, one could see the vast expanse of water stretching to the horizon. The lake was home to various strange fish, exotic shells, giant crabs, and precious shrimps, as well as dragons and other mythical creatures. These animals had thrived for thousands of years, and many species that had become extinct outside still existed here. In the middle of the vast sea was an island with pavilions and crystal palaces. From there, one could watch the crabs dance and the shells open, the fish and dragons move gracefully, creating a unique and charming scene.

On the first day, Wu Fan received two treasures from Yue Qing. Being sensible, he knew that Dongxiu was his support, and upon returning, he presented the two treasures to her. The Mother and Child Soul-Stealing Nails were not particularly impressive, similar to the treasures Dongxiu had forged herself, but the Cold Flame Soul-Stealing Sand was very powerful. Dongxiu was very envious but, being a junior's treasure given by Yue Qing, she couldn't bring herself to take it, especially as she wanted to leave a good impression on Yue Qing.

Wu Fan discussed with Dongxiu, "Junior Uncle Yue is new to the palace and might feel constrained. The servants and attendants might not know better and could inadvertently offend him. Why don't I go to the Great Bear Reef and take charge of the arrangements there? I can ensure that his needs are well met and also show our sincerity by taking him on a tour of the palace's beautiful scenery."

Dongxiu agreed, as the image of Yue Qing taking out treasures from his treasure bag one by one had deeply impressed her. She knew that her Dao cultivation was the weakest in the palace, and her treasures were not as impressive as others. If she could build a relationship with this "god of wealth" from the Wutai Sect, even if she couldn't gain a strong ally, getting a few treasures would be a pleasant surprise.

With Dongxiu's approval, Wu Fan went to the Great Bear Reef and took charge of the arrangements. He used all his ingenuity to try to please Yue Qing, personally picking immortal fruits and spiritual herbs to entertain him. Some of these fruits matured only once every few decades and were usually forbidden from being picked. He went to Sanfeng, who, like Dongxiu, had similar thoughts and was trying to learn more about Yue Qing from Xu Feiniang. Upon hearing Wu Fan's report, she immediately granted him a jade token and instructed the entire palace to prioritize the Great Bear Reef in all matters of food and supplies. With the token, Wu Fan brought out all the best things accumulated by Ziyun Palace over thousands of years to entertain Yue Qing. He even thought of getting some girls to serve Yue Qing, but Yue Qing stopped him.

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