Volume 1, Chapter 58 – An Unexpected Windfall

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the square before the Liu residence, more than a hundred selected boys and girls had already assembled.

They were dressed in their newest clothes, their faces filled with hopes for the future, unease toward the unknown, and reluctance to part with their families.

Just as Yun Yun was about to take out the Cloudsea Spirit Vessel and lead the new disciples on their journey, a slight commotion suddenly arose at the edge of the square.

The crowd parted as though pushed aside by an invisible hand. A group of cultivators dressed in Qingyun Sacred Land’s distinctive azure, cloud-patterned Daoist robes slowly approached.

Leading them was a calm and composed middle-aged man. He was Lu Mingyuan, the Foreign Affairs Elder of Qingyun Sacred Land.

Several Golden Core deacons followed behind him, along with a number of disciples carrying heavy gift boxes in their arms.

Their arrival instantly drew every gaze in the square!

“Qingyun Sacred Land? Why are they here?”

“That’s Elder Lu Mingyuan! He’s an important figure in Qingyun Sacred Land!”

“What are they here for? Could it be because…”

Everyone’s gaze involuntarily turned toward Yun Yun.

A few days ago, the Flying Cloud Sect and Qingyun Sect had questioned the very existence of the Yaochi Immortal Palace.

Could Qingyun Sacred Land have come to cause trouble?

A mild and courteous smile rested on Lu Mingyuan’s face. From a distance, he first bowed toward Yun Yun and called out in a clear voice:

“I am Lu Mingyuan of Qingyun Sacred Land. By order of the Sacred Lord, I have come to pay my respects to Deputy Palace Master Yun of the Yaochi Immortal Palace and congratulate the Immortal Palace on opening its gates and accepting disciples!”

He adopted an extremely humble attitude and observed every courtesy, showing none of Qingyun Sacred Land’s usual arrogance.

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After all, the other party was very likely a sect with a mighty Tribulation Transcendence cultivator. They absolutely could not afford to make an enemy of it lightly.

However, what would he think if he learned that the woman standing before him alone possessed cultivation at the ninth heaven of Tribulation Transcendence?

Yun Yun’s expression remained indifferent, without the slightest ripple of emotion. She merely inclined her head.

“You have traveled a long way, Elder Lu. I appreciate the thought.”

Only then did Lu Mingyuan lead his group forward.

His gaze inevitably fell upon Gu Luoli.

The young woman before him had a rosy complexion, clear eyes, and an aura that was calm, restrained, and steady.

She even seemed to possess greater spiritual charm and confidence than she had at her peak three years ago.

Although Lu Mingyuan had mentally prepared himself, towering waves still surged through his heart!

She truly had recovered!

Not only had her Dao injury healed, but the spiritual charm of her double pupils was now deeply contained, and her cultivation had returned to the peak of Foundation Establishment!

The sharpness and brilliance she had once possessed seemed to have returned to her. In fact, they had become more tempered and even more dazzling!

“Disciple-Niece Gu Luoli… Young Friend Gu.”

Lu Mingyuan suppressed the shock in his heart. The smile on his face remained unchanged, though his gentle tone carried a trace of complicated emotion.

“It has been three years since we last met. Seeing that your bearing now surpasses even what it was in the past, this old man is… deeply gratified.”

Gu Luoli looked at the elder before her, who had once taken considerable care of her in the sacred land, and her feelings were equally complicated.

Lu Mingyuan had been one of the few elders who had not kicked her while she was down after her fall from grace. He had even occasionally looked after her in secret.

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Yet by now, all resentment had already vanished from her heart, leaving only calm.

Everything in the past was as though it had died yesterday.

From the moment she entered the Yaochi Immortal Palace and became her Master’s disciple, she no longer had anything to do with Qingyun Sacred Land.

“Elder Lu.”

Gu Luoli dipped into a slight bow, offering him the ordinary courtesy of a junior toward a senior.

“Thank you for your concern. I am doing very well now.”

The words “Elder Lu” and that ordinary junior’s bow had already made her attitude clear.

Distant, yet not discourteous.

A clear boundary had been drawn between them.

Lu Mingyuan sighed inwardly. He knew that what had happened in the past could never be undone.

However, his purpose in coming was not to win her back. It was to express goodwill and resolve any possible enmity.

“Seeing that you are well puts this old man’s mind at ease.”

Lu Mingyuan nodded, then turned toward Yun Yun and gestured to the disciples behind him.

“Deputy Palace Master Yun, upon learning that the Immortal Palace was opening its gates and accepting disciples, Qingyun Sacred Land specially prepared these modest gifts as congratulations. They are merely a small token of our regard. Please accept them.”

Several disciples stepped forward and opened the gift boxes one by one.

At once, the gleam of treasures filled the air, accompanied by swirling spiritual energy!

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There was century-old Purple Jade Ginseng, thousand-year warm jade, complete sets of high-grade artifact robes, rare artifact-refining materials, and more.

Although these items could not compare to the heritage of the Yaochi Immortal Palace, they were already an exceptionally generous gift for an ordinary sect.

This was not only an acknowledgment of the Yaochi Immortal Palace’s strength, but also an indirect acknowledgment of Gu Luoli’s current status.

Countless people in the square watched the scene with bated breath.

Qingyun Sacred Land, one of the overlords of the Southern Region, had actually taken the initiative to show goodwill to the Yaochi Immortal Palace and present such generous gifts!

The implications were self-evident!

Many quick-witted people had already realized that the Yaochi Immortal Palace’s status was probably even more transcendent than they had imagined!

Yun Yun swept her gaze over the pile of gifts. Her expression remained calm, as though she were looking at nothing more than a collection of ordinary objects.

“Qingyun Sacred Land has been thoughtful.”

“I will accept these gifts on behalf of the Immortal Palace. Does Elder Lu have any other business?”

Lu Mingyuan hurriedly replied, “I would not dare impose. The Sacred Lord also entrusted this junior with a message for Young Friend Gu.”

He looked toward Gu Luoli with a solemn expression.

“The Sacred Lord said: ‘The past is over. I only hope that Young Friend Gu enjoys a splendid future and walks an ever-flourishing Great Dao.’”

“Qingyun Sacred Land will always remember the brilliance Young Friend Gu displayed in the past.”

His words were skillfully chosen. They acknowledged the past, offered blessings, and subtly expressed that Qingyun Sacred Land bore no hostility.

Gu Luoli remained silent for a moment. A ripple flashed through her eyes before they returned to calm.

She bowed to Lu Mingyuan once more.

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“Please convey my thanks to the Sacred Lord for his concern, Elder Lu.”

“I also wish Qingyun Sacred Land lasting prosperity in its Dao fortune.”

After saying this, she spoke no more and calmly turned her gaze elsewhere.

Her attitude was clear: the past had been settled, and each side should live well on its own.

Lu Mingyuan understood. He knew this was already the best possible outcome.

He did not linger. After bowing to Yun Yun once more, he said, “In that case, this junior will not delay the Immortal Palace’s journey any further. Farewell.”

“Mm.”

Yun Yun responded indifferently.

Lu Mingyuan led the members of Qingyun Sacred Land away as calmly as they had arrived. Before long, they disappeared beyond the crowd.

This unexpected interlude made the atmosphere in the square even more subtle.

The new disciples now looked at Gu Luoli with even greater curiosity and reverence.

Even Qingyun Sacred Land had taken the initiative to befriend her, and its Sacred Lord had personally entrusted someone with a message for her.

It seemed that this senior sister had once held no ordinary status!

As Liu Ruyan watched the scene, countless emotions also filled her heart.

With this, her Third Junior Sister’s ties to her past had truly been settled.

From now on, she would simply be the third disciple of the Yaochi Immortal Palace, Gu Luoli.