Upon returning to the Yu Chong School, a furious Hao Xia stormed over and took Tutu to inspect it and see if it was hurt anywhere or if its eyes were irritated.

Luckily, Chi Muyao had always kept Tutu covered with a blanket and took good care of it as well.

Sect Master Yi Lan also came over. He asked them how this expedition went.

Chi Muyao and Yi Qianxi were both wearing serious expressions. Chi Muyao said, "Shifu, please activate the Yushan Array. We need to make sure no word gets out."

Yi Lan was very surprised. He asked, "Why?"

Yi Qianxi simply stomped her feet. "Just do it already, Dad!"

The Yu Chong School's Yushan Array was special in a way. They activated it from time to time, not to prevent intruders from coming in, but to prevent some spirit beast on the mountain from running off.

So the other Sects wouldn't think much of it even if they did activate the Yushan Array.

Since the Yu Chong School was so low-key they had no enemies, who would go and cause trouble for them?

In the end, Yi Lan listened because Chi Muyao was usually the one handling Sect matters anyway. He just happily washed his hands of everything.

After the Array was activated, the group reconvened. Hao Xia was still hugging Tutu and cursing, "Making a big deal out of nothing. Are you afraid our voices will travel down the mountain when we admonish you for your poor scores in the expedition?"

Chi Muyao gestured to Yi Qianxi. "One thing at a time."

Or else it would be easy to scare these two.

Yi Qianxi nodded and took out the two pieces of Yunfei Jade from her Qiankun bag. "Shidi and I placed third and fourth respectively. We got two pieces of Yunfei Jade."

Hao Xia was so surprised that he put down Tutu.

Yi Lan went over to inspect the Yunfei Jade. Then he asked, "Why did you get two pieces? Couldn't you two have taken turns cultivating on one? You could've asked for a suitable spiritual artifact, perhaps something that could capture spirit beasts."

Instead of answering, Chi Muyao took out Yi Qianxi's two bamboo tubes and said, "Inside of these are the bodies of Golden-eyed Heavenly Wolves. Shijie kept most of it. I also have the alpha wolf's devil core."

Hao Xia basically jumped on the spot. "Golden-eyed Heavenly Wolves?!"

Yi Lan was also taken aback. "How-how did you two get this? Did a Nascent Soul stage senior tag along on this expedition?"

Chi Muyao and Yi Qianxi took turns explaining how the Golden-eyed Heavenly Wolves broke into the Array and how Xi Huai's group went to stop them.

Hao Xia collapsed onto a chair, basically hanging off the back of it as he sighed. "I heard long ago the offspring of that demonic cultivator who contracted with the Hui was fearsome. They said he could even fight against a Nascent Soul stage Heavenly Venerable for a while. I thought it was all a load of crap from the demonic faction, but apparently it was true... As expected of the Hui."

Yi Lan said, "It's quite embarassing for them since only Yu Yanshu went out of all the Nuan Yan Pavilion disciples present."

Chi Muyao looked down as he replied, "Everyone knows Foundation Building stage disciples aren't a match for the Golden-eyed Heavenly Wolf. It's only natural that they hid."

Yi Lan nodded, "Unfortunately, the Nuan Yan Pavilion cares greatly about face. Only the Guan Nan Heavenly Venerable could walk with his head held high after this."

Hao Xia hugged Tutu and asked again, "So you two took advantage of all the chaos to scavenge, and you managed to scavenge so much? That's quite gutsy of you. Weren't you afraid it would be dangerous?"

Yi Qianxi replied, "Everyone was too scared to head out. I only left shelter because I was anxious to find Shidi. It was only later that I found out he was the one who killed the alpha wolf."

Yi Lan was astonished. "Yaoyao killed it?"

Chi Muyao nodded. "The Golden-eyed Heavenly Wolf was already heavily injured. I just dealt the last blow."

Even if a Golden-eyed Heavenly Wolf was seriously injured, not just anyone would be able to deal the last blow. Many spirit beasts have more fight in them the closer they draw to death. Their final struggles could often be quite terrifying.

Everyone here was a member of the Yu Chong School, so they understood this point better than most.

Chi Muyao didn't conceal the matter of the Colourless Yunni Deer any longer. He explained everything in detail before releasing the little Colourless Yunni Deer from the gourd and revealing the antlers on his forehead.

Hao Xia and Yi Lan were dumbfounded to hear everything he had to say. When the little Colourless Yunni Deer came out, they dropped to their knees.

The two of them kowtowed to the little deer. For a while tears even streamed down their aged faces.

Yi Lan tremblingly said, "This disciple is Yi Lan, the twelfth-generation head of the Yu Chong School. I will definitely do my best to fulfill Your request and make sure the entire Sect is devoted to raising this young deer."

Hao Xia was also trembling with excitement and veneration alike. He couldn't help but glance at the little dear a few times as he kowtowed, squinting up at it with furrowed brows.

The corners of his eyes reddened at the sight, Chi Muyao noted.

He knew from the moment he entered the Yu Chong School that everyone here was lazy yet kind, and filled with a genuine love for spirit beasts.

Actually, they were all better suited to raising the Colourless Yunni Deer than him.

After everything was clear, Hao Xia began brainstorming how to use the Yunfei Jades to make a perfect nest for the little deer.

Yi Lan didn't even dare to sit down in a chair after the little deer came out for fear it would be disrespectful, so he sat cross-legged on a futon and sighed, "What a fortuitous encounter, ah. How fortunate that disciples of our Sect were present during this expedition. Otherwise...the young deer would probably..."

The Colourless Yunni Deer wouldn't make a spirit contract with just anyone. If there had been no Yu Chong School disciples present back then, it would've died quietly rather than choose someone else.

Perhaps even Heaven wanted for this little deer to live on.

Yi Qianxi and Chi Muyao knelt to one side. Yi Qianxi asked pitifully, "Are we going to have to kneel in the Sect from now on?"

Yi Lan immediately reprimanded her, "Of course! This was a rule made by our ancestors! It is a great honour for us to raise it so we must show our gratitude!"

Chi Muyao was a bit hesitant. "The other disciples in the Sect don't know yet. Wouldn't this make it too obvious?"

The younger disciples didn't have such a deep respect for the Colourless Yunni Deer. To avoid any problems, the care of the little deer would be left to the four of them for now.

Yi Lan saw sense in his words. Making it too obvious would actually be a terrible decision. Only then did he stand up and let Chi Muyao and Yi Qianxi stand as well.

Yi Lan worriedly glanced at the little deer before asking Chi Muyao, "Would feeding it Hundred Flavour Grains be too rough for its palate?"

"Actually, it should be fine. We can also pick some fairy grass to supplement its diet. I'll go to the market to pick up some seeds for varieties it might like."

"Why don't we feed it Immortal Flavour Grains instead?"

"Putting aside the matter of whether the Sect can afford that expense in the long term, people will know that we have a high grade spirit beast as soon as we buy some. I'm afraid that someone will come to inquire."

Many vendors had a cooperative relationship with the Yu Chong School.

The Yu Chong School would provide them with processed spirit beast materials on a regular basis. If there was something good like the pelt of a rare beast, many vendors would fight over who got to buy it or try and order in advance.

Some even tried to get an edge in by bribing Chi Muyao.

Yi Lan nodded after a moment of consideration. "You shouldn't delay this. Go today and take some of the Golden-eyed Heavenly Wolf corpses to sell with you. Leave some of the pelt to make a cloak. As for the alpha wolf's demon core, you should keep it. You got it through your own efforts after all. When you have the time to enter closed-door cultivation, remember to absorb the spiritual energy inside the demon core. You should be able to reach the Golden Core stage in one fell swoop. Consider that another part of your fortuitous encounter."

"En!" Chi Muyao nodded. Although he was the Sect Master, Yi Lan didn't covet the fortuitous encounters of his disciples. This was something Chi Muyao thought highly of him for.

Chi Muyao was still instructing Yi Qianxi as they left Pu He, "We must say to outsiders that we didn't get to grab much, lest they become jealous. We can't sell too much either, lest someone sets their sight on us. Things stored in the bamboo tubes won't go bad, so we can wait until the little deer grows up to sell them."

"En. Got it." Yi Qianxi agreed to everything.

This time, going to the market was like going to war.

As soon as the expedition ended, many people caught word that Golden-eyed Heavenly Wolves appeared during it.

Then immediately afterwards, Chi Muyao and Yi Qianxi brought parts of the Golden-eyed Heavenly Wolf bodies to sell, which caused quite a commotion across the entire Fang City market.

Since all the vendors in Fang City came over, Chi Muyao proposed holding an auction.

"Yo! It's really a Golden-eyed Heavenly Wolf! Just look at all that spiritual energy exuding from it, as expected of a heaven grade thing!"

"If a piece of meat can be used as a pill primer and a single bone can be used to refine artifacts, just how much is a wolf this big worth?!"

"You don't know, do you? The pelt is the most valuable part! The defensive properties of an enchanted vestment or cloak made from this would be nothing to sneeze at. Invulnerable to blades at the very least, and able to withstand a few blows from even a Golden Core stage cultivator! That's the potential of a heaven grade spirit beast's pelt, ah!"

The vendors were basically salivating as they hastily asked, "Little brother, at least tell us what there is to buy, right?"

"Yes, yes, don't let us go bankrupt on the first few items if you have better things in the back."

Chi Muyao replied loudly, "I'm sure you all know what parts are useful, and we've done business before. The good parts have all been taken by the major sects. We were only able to scavenge from what was left using our processing skills. Even I'm not sure what I have. You buy what you want and I'll sell what I can, okay?"

The parts Yi Qianxi kept were all good, the most valuable parts.

The wolf livers were bought by the pill refining vendor. They also took out the wolf tails, which could be made into things like brushes, as well as some of the pelts.

After selling all of that, they had to buy two more Qiankun bags to hold all the spirit stones they got.

Normally, Yi Qianxi would go pick out one or two pretty outfits or shop around for a storage artifact with more space. However, this time she dutifully went to buy Hundred Flavour Grains as well as some necessities the little deer would need.

On the other hand, Chi Muyao picked up many fairy grass seeds with the intention of planting them back at Pu He.

Pu He didn't have much else, but its soil quality was exceptionally good. That was the reason spirit beasts could be reared there.

After returning to the Yu Chong School, Chi Muyao went to the Sect Master's quarters to deliver the spirit stones. Upon knocking and entering, he discovered Yi Lan kneeling beside the little deer and combing its fur with tears streaking down his face.

Chi Muyao could only sigh, drop the spirit stones and leave.

He felt like that behaviour would be common sight for a while.

* * *

On this day, Zong Sichen wrote a letter to the Qing Ze Sect.

To Whom It May Concern,

To the respected Sect Master, the benevolent Zun Yue Palace Master, and Father, this is a letter to say that all is well.

Because the Young Sect Master accidentally did a good deed again, touching the hearts of these renowned righteous sects, Guan Nan Heavenly Venerable personally invited us to be guests at the Nuan Yan Pavilion and learn how to be good.

We are not imprisoned, but studying hard.

There is no need to attack the Nuan Yan Pavilion because we're fine.

Everything's fine.

Note: The Nuan Yan Pavilion doesn't hold any bad intentions or intend for this to be an insult. Please don't get angry. We are being treated kindly.

Note 2: Please have some of the Sect disciples bring me some more clothes. There are many female disciples here and I would like to stay a while longer.

Zong Sichen

He received a reply the next day.

The reply was heralded by three strikes of purple lightning above the Nuan Yan Pavilion's Heavenly Pool. Dark clouds suddenly gathered in the bright sky as three deafening purple lightning bolts struck one after the other.

This was the highest level of transmission in the cultivation world, one unable to be intercepted regardless of cultivation level.

Xi Huai's group strode forward to collect the reply under the eyes of all the Nuan Yan Pavilion disciples. Xi Huai burned the reply after they all had a look at it. Basically, the reply was all bark and no bite.

There were two letters enclosed, one from the Qing Ze Sect Master Xi Lin.

‘You little good-for-nothing, lazing-around-all-day-bastard, how dare you go hide out at the Nuan Yan Pavilion! Get your ass back here and into closed-door cultivation to form your core already!’

The second was from Zong Sichen's dad.

‘You useless wretch, still need to rely on clothes to seduce female disciples? Tell me which one you fancy, Laozi will send disciples over to attack and snatch her back for you.’

Zong Sichen looked a bit down. "He didn't even bring me any clothes. What a load of rubbish."

Song Weiyue sighed. "I told my dad he needed to learn more words. At least your Dads can write letters, all mine can do is send down a purple lightning bolt..."

Xu Huai was as contrary as ever. "Some things are best left unsaid."

However, everyone from the Nuan Yan Pavilion here knew that those three strikes of purple lightning were meant to give face to those three. The vicious trifecta of attacks that pierced through the Nuan Yan Pavilion's restrictions were brimming with warning.

As if they were being warned that the Qing Ze Sect would not let the matter rest if something were to happen to these three.

If this was some minor sect instead of the Nuan Yan Pavilion? They would've already been scared shitless and sent the trio back very respectfully.

Although they were being forced to stay at the Nuan Yan Pavilion, Xi Huai was quite interested in all the disciples coming here to study recently. He sat by the sign-in desk every day.

One of the artefacts in his Myriad Treasure Bell was a Waterside Pavilion. He sat with one leg over the other in it, looking down at the incoming disciples with one hand under his chin.

Participating in the Exam was a great opportunity to enter the Nuan Yan Pavilion, not only to broaden your worldview, but also to learn many things. Thus, many people were interested in coming.

The expedition last time was only meant for disciples needing fortuitous encounters. More gathered this time. Altogether there were several thousand Foundation Building stage disciples from all the major sects here.

Xi Huai looked on rather idly for three days until he spotted a familiar face.

The Nuan Yan Pavilion required visitors to be dressed in green, so Chi Muyao and Yi Qianxi had intentionally changed into smoky green robes and neatly secured their hair with jade crowns. A very clean and elegant look.

When the two of them lined up to be registered, Xi Huai finally got up and came out of the gazebo.

As Chi Muyao was standing in line, he heard people nearby whispering, "Those three to the side are demonic faction disciples, right?"

"Yeah. I heard that they're Guan Nan Heavenly Venerable's guests because they saved people during the last expedition."

"The look in their eyes is so scary..."

"Ah! He's coming! He didn't hear what we were saying right...?"

At this point Zong Sichen smiled and explained. "Don't be afraid, ladies. We don't bite."

The girls were still startled by him and huddled back.

Yet Zong Sichen was very talkative. He approached them and continued to chat with them intermittently for a while.

On the other hand, Song Weiyue remained in the gazebo with a dictionary in hand. He recently vowed to not be illiterate like his father, but unfortunately reading the dictionary just made him sleepy.

Chi Muyao glanced subconsciously at Xi Huai.

Even Xi Huai was wearing partially green robes on his tall body, probably because the Nuan Yan Pavilion required it. However...

He had changed into an inky black enchanted vestment with a partially dark green tunic, so dark that it appeared black from a distance. Only the sunlight shining on it revealed the decorative epiphyllum blossoms embroidered on it.

There was a cloak that seemed to be made from feathers draped across his shoulders, mostly dark green in colour. Yet underneath the sunlight it gleamed with rainbow-like light, almost giving off a disco ball feeling.

His getup was very...provocative. Xi Huai walked over to Chi Muyao and leaned down, staring at him with a flirtatious look in his eyes.

Chi Muyao subconsciously shrank back. When he looked around, he was momentarily panicked to see that all the disciples lining up to be registered as well as the Nuan Yan Pavilion disciples were staring at them.

He suddenly felt like he had before he transmigrated when he ran into bad students on the way to school with no one around to help him.

Fortunately, Xi Huai didn't do anything more than look at him. Without saying a word, he got in line behind Chi Muyao.

Chi Muyao didn't say anything to him either. After waiting in line until his turn came, he walked forward with his plaque, following the disciple there to guide them.

While walking, Xi Huai snatched away Chi Muyao's plaque and only returned it once he noted down where Chi Muyao was staying. He left just like that, without saying a word the entire time.

Yi Qianxi didn't understand. She transmitted using divine sense to Chi Muyao, "Why'd he look at your plaque? He couldn't be thinking of going to your room, right?"

The question made Chi Muyao's heart skip a beat. His legs immediately softened as his knees throbbed and ached.