52: Second senior sister, I brought you something delicious!

The clamor of Yingxian Hall slowly receded like an ebbing tide.

The grand banquet held for Qin Feng finally drew to a close amidst the complex and inscrutable exchanges of glances from various factions.

The night was deep, and a cold crescent moon hung in the night sky of the Tianxuan Sect, casting a frost-like radiance.

On the way back to Qingxin Peak, there was dead silence.

Qin Feng walked in front, clearly sensing the three auras following behind him, and the three completely different states of mind behind those auras.

To his rear left was Revered Master Zhao Muxue. Her aura seemed calm, but it concealed a chill that threatened to freeze everything. Qin Feng knew without turning around that her expression must be ghastly at this moment.

The position of Saint, which Sect Master Bai Luoli had bestowed upon him—a move that could be called "killing with kindness"—was like an invisible sharp sword, ruthlessly severing the most delicate, reassuring relationship between her and him.

The bond of Revered Master and disciple was gone.

From now on, she could no longer use her status as Revered Master to rightfully "discipline" or "command" him.

Qin Feng could even imagine the frustration and helplessness in her heart right now.

To his rear right was Third Senior Sister Ye Nianxin. Her aura was gentle yet chaotic; worry, shyness, and a trace of relief from surviving a disaster were intertwined, making her seem somewhat absent-minded.

She must be feeling fearful for having publicly defied the Sect Master today, and also relieved that she had ultimately remained unscathed.

And following closely behind him was Junior Sister Lin Yao.

Her aura was as cheerful as a lark about to break out of its cage, filled with undisguised excitement and eagerness.

Qin Feng could even feel those large, watery eyes spinning around on his back like a scanner, plotting all sorts of mischievous ideas.

The Revered Master-disciple bond was gone?

To her, this was simply fantastic news!

It meant that she and Revered Master Zhao Muxue were finally standing on the same "starting line"!

One Revered Master, two Senior Sisters, one Junior Sister.

As the figures of these women appeared in Qin Feng's mind, he felt a massive headache coming on.

He hadn't even taken his seat as Saint yet, and the "backyard" at home was already surging with undercurrents, on the verge of catching fire.

The journey was silent.

The four of them, each harboring their own thoughts, traversed the silent mountain path and finally returned to the misty Qingxin Peak.

The night at Qingxin Peak was as tranquil as ever.

The Spiritual Qi in the mountains, mixed with the fragrance of grass and trees, was refreshing.

Yet today, this tranquility was permeated with the oppressive atmosphere of a storm about to break.

"Everyone... go back and rest."

In the end, it was Zhao Muxue who first broke the silence.

Her voice carried a trace of imperceptible fatigue and hoarseness, as if she had exhausted all her strength.

After speaking, she did not glance at anyone else, but transformed directly into a stream of light and flew toward the summit of the Main Peak, to that cold and lonely palace that belonged to her.

"Senior Brother..." Lin Yao immediately wanted to approach him.

Qin Feng, however, gave her a look, signaling her to behave.

Now was not the time for nonsense.

Revered Master was currently in a fit of anger; anyone who crossed her now would be courting death.

Lin Yao was bright and clever, instantly understanding Qin Feng's meaning. She pouted a little unwillingly, but still nodded obediently, waved at Qin Feng and Ye Nianxin, and then hopped away toward her own Immortal Cave.

That lighthearted figure seemed to silently declare: there is plenty of time in the future.

On the mountain path, only Qin Feng and Ye Nianxin remained.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.

"Jun... Junior Brother." It was Ye Nianxin who first mustered the courage, her voice as soft as a dream, "Thank you."

She could only use this simplest way to express the gratitude and adoration in her heart.

"What are you saying, Senior Sister." Qin Feng turned his head, looking at her face which appeared even more beautiful and moving under the moonlight, and revealed a gentle smile, "Between us, why is there any need for thanks?"

Ye Nianxin's heart skipped a beat.

She looked at Qin Feng's eyes, which were so gentle they seemed to drip water, and her cheeks uncontrollably flushed hot again.

She lowered her head, not daring to look at him anymore, and said in a voice as thin as a mosquito, "Then you... should also go back and rest early. Today... you must be exhausted."

"Alright." Qin Feng nodded.

He looked at Ye Nianxin's infinitely shy appearance, his heart softening.

He watched her transform into a cyan stream of light, disappearing in the direction of the Pill Room deep in the valley.

Only when he could no longer see her figure did Qin Feng let out a long, heavy breath.

Finally, things were temporarily stabilized.

He rubbed his throbbing temples and turned to return to his Immortal Cave.

However, the moment he took a step.

Hum—

A Jade Slip hanging at his waist, which had been silent for a long time, lit up without any warning.

Qin Feng's footsteps came to a sudden halt.

This Jade Slip was used for communication between Personal Disciples within Qingxin Peak.

Revered Master had a special communication Talisman.

Lin Yao and Ye Nianxin had just parted ways.

Then the only one left was...

In Qin Feng's heart, a figure he had almost forgotten instantly appeared.

The one who locked herself in the Talisman-refining room for over half a year at a time, known as the "No. 1 tech geek of Qingxin Peak"...

Second Senior Sister, Li Xiaoxiao!

With trembling hands, he probed his Divine Sense into it.

Inside the Jade Slip, there was only a line of crooked handwriting that radiated impatience.

"I've finished my seclusion. I heard you punk are pretty impressive now? Bring some delicious food and come see me immediately."

...

Qingxin Peak, Talisman Peak.

This was the place with the most peculiar style on the entire Qingxin Peak.

It lacked the dignity and solemnity of the Main Peak, the lingering medicinal fragrance of the Pill Valley, and the elegance and freshness of Lin Yao's Immortal Cave.

The first impression Talisman Peak gave people was that it was messy.

Everywhere one looked, there were discarded Talisman papers, exhausted cinnabar, and all sorts of strange tools used to test the power of Talismans.

The air was filled with a faint burnt smell, mixed with the pungent scent unique to spiritual ink.

And the Immortal Cave of the owner of Talisman Peak, Second Senior Sister Li Xiaoxiao, pushed this "messiness" to the extreme.

When Qin Feng stood at the entrance of the Immortal Cave, carrying a food box from the top-tier "Zuixian Tower" he had brought from the foot of the mountain, he even doubted for a moment if he had gone to the wrong place.

Where was this a Fairy's Immortal Cave?

This was clearly a garbage dump that had been ransacked eight hundred times!

The door of the Immortal Cave was wide open.

At the entrance, there was a mountain-high pile of ruined Talisman papers, some still bearing the charred marks of spiritual energy explosions.

Qin Feng carefully stepped over that "mountain of Talisman papers" and peeked inside.

He saw that the inside of the Immortal Cave was even more of a mess.

On the floor, walls, tables, and even the rafters, all kinds of Talismans were pasted everywhere.

Offensive, defensive, auxiliary, strange and peculiar... an overwhelming variety that dazzled the eyes.

And in this ocean of Talismans, a petite figure was lying on a huge workbench, focused intently, using a Talisman brush thicker than her own arm.

Writing vigorously on a huge piece of Talisman paper made from the skin of some unknown Yao Beast.

The figure was wearing a dusty robe stained with ink of various colors, her hair, which should have been silky, was messily pinned behind her head with a wooden hairpin.

A few unruly strands of hair had fallen down due to working with her head lowered for a long time, getting stained with cinnabar and turning a comical red.

Her face was also smeared with a few ink marks, like a little tabby cat caught in the act of stealing food.

Her whole person exuded the vibe of a "no strangers allowed, obsessed with research" tech geek.

She was Qin Feng's Second Senior Sister, Li Xiaoxiao.

An out-and-out Talisman fanatic who had carved the "Dao of Talismans" into her bones.

Qin Feng looked at her appearance, and the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

He even suspected that if he called out to her now, she might treat him as an enemy disturbing her research and throw a hundred "Explosion Talismans" at him.

"Ahem."

Qin Feng cleared his throat and called out tentatively.

"Second Senior Sister?"

The figure in front of the workbench remained motionless, as if she hadn't heard.

Qin Feng raised his volume.

"Second Senior Sister! I've brought you something delicious!"