Luo Qingyu brought Ye Qiao to the residential area for outer sect disciples. The Changming Sect offered generous accommodations, and every outer sect disciple was allocated a small courtyard of their own.
On their way there, Luo Qingyu's high-profile entrance on the Somersault Cloud had already caused a stir throughout the entire outer sect.
Countless disciples along the way turned their heads to stare, their eyes filled with curiosity as they looked at Ye Qiao.
They secretly speculated that since this new girl had been personally escorted by Senior Brother Luo to register, she must possess some extraordinary talent that set her apart from the rest.
Arriving at the courtyard gate, Luo Qingyu stopped, turned to Ye Qiao, and said, “We're here. This will be your residence from now on. I still have some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first.”
Ye Qiao quickly snapped out of her thoughts and smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Senior Brother, for bringing me into the Changming Sect. Please, go ahead with your work. I can familiarize myself with the surroundings on my own.”
Luo Qingyu nodded slightly. Just as she was about to leap onto the Somersault Cloud, she paused and turned back.
Reaching into her storage ring, she retrieved a transmission jade slip and tossed it to Ye Qiao, advising her warmly.
“Junior Sister Ye, if you ever run into any rules you don't understand or trouble you can't resolve in the future, you can use this jade slip to message me. I'm always available.”
After giving her instructions, Luo Qingyu finally hopped onto the Somersault Cloud and leisurely flew away.
Looking down at the transmission jade slip in her palm, Ye Qiao couldn't help but murmur, “I didn't expect this beautiful Senior Brother Luo to be such a nice person.”
After counting the spirit stones she had earned from selling talismans today, Ye Qiao decided to head out and explore the outer sect.
A stranger—a disciple who had been highly curious about her—walked straight up to her and spoke up.
“Hey, hello! I'm Du Chun, a sword cultivator. What about you?”
Ye Qiao replied casually, “Ye Qiao. I'm an orphan.”
Du Chun choked on his words. This was the first time he had ever met someone who could kill a conversation so effortlessly.
Having no other choice, he wracked his brain for another topic and quickly offered a smiling invitation. “Ye Qiao, do you want to head to the cafeteria together?”
Thinking that having a companion would save her some trouble, Ye Qiao readily agreed. “Sure.”
With that, the two of them made their way toward the cafeteria.
On the way, Du Chun, unable to contain his curiosity, couldn't help but ask, “Ye Qiao, do you know Luo Qingyu?”
Ye Qiao blinked, then answered offhandedly, “I suppose so. He's the one who brought me to register at the Changming Sect.”
Du Chun was rather surprised and exclaimed, “I can't believe Senior Brother Luo personally brought you here to register. That's incredibly rare.”
Hearing this, Ye Qiao also felt a bit curious and probed, “Why is it rare?”
At her question, Du Chun immediately raised his chin and said proudly, “Well, you've asked the right person.”
“I've heard the senior brothers and sisters in the inner sect mention that Senior Brother Luo is recognized as the number one handsome man in the cultivation world.”
“Even Ye Qinghan is outshined by him. He reached the mid stage of the Golden Core Realm at just sixteen, and he's a rare artifact cultivator to boot. The elders practically want to enshrine Senior Brother Luo.”
“What's more, his popularity in the sect is even higher than Senior Brother Ming Xuan's. Even Senior Sister Ning from the inner sect has a crush on Senior Brother Luo.”
Ye Qiao nodded thoughtfully after hearing this.
“With looks that bewitching, he'd draw attention wherever he stands. It's only natural that he's popular.”
Beside her, Du Chun looked at Ye Qiao and spoke seriously.
“But there's one thing I have to tell you. Senior Brother Luo is usually very gentle with others, always wearing a smile on his face.”
“Even when he's angry, he never takes it out on anyone else. Yet he has never treated anyone with so much care before. You are the very first.”
Ye Qiao was taken aback and asked in surprise, “Really?”
Du Chun replied with absolute certainty, “Of course it's true.”
Conversing along the way, the two eventually stepped into the cafeteria.
Du Chun's face instantly lit up with surprise and delight when he spotted braised pork belly on the menu.
“I didn't expect the cafeteria to make braised pork belly and meat buns today!”
“We're really in luck!”
The moment Ye Qiao heard there was meat, her movements became faster than anyone else's. She immediately dashed forward to line up, leaving a completely dumbfounded Du Chun standing frozen in place.
Watching Ye Qiao rush off with single-minded devotion to food, he felt utterly speechless. Is there really a need to be in such a rush? It's not like I'm going to snatch it from her.
Ye Qiao ordered a serving of braised pork belly, grabbed three meat buns on the side, and found an empty seat to sit down.
Du Chun quickly sat down across from her, trying to strike up a conversation while eating.
“Ye Qiao, I—”
Before he could finish, a whirlwind of a figure burst into the cafeteria, shouting to the old man serving food from afar, “Old Chen! Give me two servings of braised pork belly!”
Hearing Mu Zhongxi's voice, Old Chen laughed and scolded, “You rascal! Today, everyone only gets one serving of braised pork belly—no extras. But we have plenty of meat buns, so take as many as you want.”
Mu Zhongxi's eyes lit up at the mention of meat buns. He quickly took his serving of braised pork belly and snatched up four meat buns as well.
He called out, “Got it, Old Chen!”
Spotting Ye Qiao eating nearby, he quickly strode over and sat right next to her.
Mu Zhongxi stuffed a meat bun into his mouth and chewed a couple of times. “Mmm, delicious.”
Seeing how familiar he made himself, Du Chun was filled with curiosity and couldn't help but look at Ye Qiao.
Ye Qiao turned her head to look at Mu Zhongxi and asked softly, “Why did you sit next to me?”
Taking a bite of his bun, Mu Zhongxi replied matter-of-factly, “I don't know anyone else here except you, so of course I'm sitting next to you.”
Hearing his perfectly logical reasoning, the corner of Ye Qiao's mouth twitched.
Her gaze drifted to the Zhaoxi Sword hanging at his waist, and she asked casually, “Is this your natal sword?”
Mu Zhongxi mumbled around the meat bun in his mouth, “Yeah, Master gave it to me when I first joined. What do you think? Cool, right?”
Ye Qiao replied flatly, “Yeah, it's indeed cool.”
She paused, then asked a rather forward question. “Can I touch it?”
Hearing this, Mu Zhongxi immediately clutched his natal sword tightly to his chest, protecting it fiercely. “No way! She's my wife.”
Ye Qiao followed up, “Then can I touch your wife?”
Sitting on the side, Du Chun was utterly flabbergasted. He silently gave Ye Qiao a thumbs-up.
“Impressive, brother!” This was the first time he had ever seen someone ask to touch Senior Brother Mu's natal sword.
Mu Zhongxi was left speechless by Ye Qiao's remarks. After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately handed the Zhaoxi Sword to her. “Fine, you can touch her.”
Ye Qiao happily got to touch the Zhaoxi Sword.
Watching Ye Qiao sit there completely unscathed, Mu Zhongxi was somewhat bewildered. “Huh? The Zhaoxi Sword didn't attack you?”
“In the past, anyone who tried to touch her got blasted away.” (Except for Fourth Senior Brother.)
Ye Qiao grinned shamelessly. “That's obviously because I'm just so lovable.”
Du Chun: ...
Mu Zhongxi: ...