Chapter 364: Getting Better and Better

They looked at each other, and the air seemed to fill with an awkward silence.

Jingque True Man hadn’t even finished the grilled squid in her hand.

Over there, Shui Ping was also still in the middle of a bite.

Both of them saw Jingque True Man, and Shui Ping awkwardly swallowed the last mouthful of cake.

Her body and Su Huanli’s tensed up, and they quickly called out, "Sect Master!"

"Sect Master!"

It had been so long since they’d last seen her that, for a moment, they had almost forgotten that Wang’an County was still Feique Sect territory.

"They said you were in trouble."

Jingque True Man was rather composed. She put her unfinished squid into her Jiezidai and, with a simple spell, wiped away the traces of food from her face.

She looked Su Huanli up and down. "It seems you’ve mostly recovered."

She had returned in a hurry and later received news that Su Huanli had already recovered.

But messages could easily be mistaken, so she didn’t know the full extent of the recovery.

Seeing her now, Jingque True Man actually had no idea just how severe Su Huanli’s injuries had been in the first place.

After all, something like the Heart Firming Pill was not suitable for discussion in a message.

If that were to leak, it would cause a major incident.

"Thanks to the Longevity Sect, I’ve recovered well." Su Huanli looked at Jingque True Man. As a genuine Golden Core Stage Cultivator, the Sect Master’s presence was quite heavy.

This was especially true since Su Huanli felt a pang of guilt on behalf of the Longevity Sect.

After a moment, Jingque True Man smiled. "I’ve only just returned and am not aware of many things. It seems I’ll need you to clear up some of my confusion."

Su Huanli took a deep breath, then nodded. "Sect Master, please follow me."

Shui Ping naturally went with them.

Seeing their expressions, some players naturally took notice.

The Sect channel grew lively once again.

[Mao Yuzhu: AHHH! The Feique Sect’s Sect Master is back! Shit, we can’t hide our business anymore!]

[Darkness Under the Lamp: Pfft, anyone who isn’t an idiot would know the second they got back.]

[Fan Guzhou: It’s fine. We’re all part of a community of shared interests now. The Feique Sect Master won’t say anything.]

[Zhou Tian: This Sect Master seems like a good person.]

[Lin Baobao: Are you serious? Using a phrase like "good person" in the Cultivation World?]

...

As the players discussed, news of Jingque True Man’s return spread throughout the entire Feique Sect.

Some disciples were surprised by Jingque True Man’s return this time, while others weren’t.

The news of Su Huanli’s incident was possibly related to the Fierce Eagle Sect, so it was normal for the Sect Master to rush back.

They just didn’t know what she would think when she saw the current state of Wang’an County.

「Inside the Feique Sect.」

Su Huanli stood before Jingque True Man, a drop of cold sweat beading on her forehead.

The atmosphere was quiet and oppressive. Shui Ping stood to the side, not daring to make a sound.

Su Huanli had already selectively explained everything she could.

The recent changes in the Feique Sect, and the matter of a Sect Master named Song Jiulai taking over the Longevity Sect.

And how she had developed the Longevity Sect to its current scale.

After listening, Jingque True Man was silent for a long time, merely sipping the freshly brewed tea on the table.

After a good while, Jingque True Man suddenly spoke, "Did they brew this too?"

Su Huanli quickly nodded. "Yes."

The Longevity Sect had changed many things in the past few months, with food and drink being the most obvious.

They improved almost everything they could. There was no way they could let Cultivators continue living such bland and tasteless lives as before.

’Time to show off!’

’We have to make everything amazing!’

A smile suddenly touched the corners of Jingque True Man’s lips. "It seems you’ve all hidden quite a few things from me in the past six months."

Those words almost made Su Huanli drop to her knees.

Fortunately, the Feique Sect didn’t have a custom of kneeling at the drop of a hat. Su Huanli and Shui Ping immediately lowered their heads and said, "We beg the Sect Master’s forgiveness."

"Forgiveness or not, it’s already too late," Jingque True Man said slowly. "You just said that the Sect Master named Song Jiulai took over the Longevity Sect. Do you know where she came from before that?"

Su Huanli shook her head. "I do not know."

"If you don’t know, then why do you trust that Sect Master so much?"

Her tone betrayed no particular emotion.

Su Huanli replied, "Because she saved me with a Heart Firming Pill."

"A Heart Firming Pill?"

Jingque True Man’s pupils contracted.

The Heart Firming Pill came from a Fourth-grade Pill Recipe, something only Major Sects possessed.

Ordinary disciples had never even heard of it.

"Are you certain it was a Heart Firming Pill?"

Su Huanli shook her head with a bitter smile. "At the time, my injuries were beyond recovery. My meridians were completely destroyed, and my Dantian was more than half-ruined. With wounds like those, only a Heart Firming Pill could have saved me. After their Sect Master found out, she brought out the Elixir Recipe for the Heart Firming Pill."

Zhai Xiaotian had provided the Elixir Recipe, but no one knew.

In any case, it was Chen Miaomiao who refined the pill.

And the only one who could have provided the materials was Song Jiulai.

Jingque True Man was also deeply shocked.

Admittedly, Su Huanli had some small talent within the Feique Sect, but in the greater Cultivation World, she was unremarkable.

No one would perform such a good deed.

To take out a Heart Firming Pill for an ordinary disciple.

Even Jingque True Man herself wouldn’t have given it, not just the pill, but not even a single one of its ingredients.

She could be gentle with her disciples, but beneath that gentle demeanor, a Cultivator would certainly prioritize themselves and their Sect.

’Su Huanli is just an ordinary disciple.’

Jingque True Man felt her entire worldview being overturned. She asked blankly, "Why would she do that?"

Su Huanli knew what Jingque True Man was thinking, because most people would have thought the same.

However, the other disciples didn’t know Su Huanli had been saved by a Heart Firming Pill; they only thought her injuries had just looked severe.

"Because..." Su Huanli recalled what Song Jiulai had said that day. "She said I was her friend, and that saving a friend is what one should do."

Jingque True Man was stunned.

’How ridiculous.’

Precious friendships might be rare in the Cultivation World, but among low-level cultivators...

...they were exceedingly rare.

It wasn’t uncommon for people to backstab even their own family members for the sake of resources.

Of course, one couldn’t generalize completely.

But Song Jiulai and Su Huanli definitely hadn’t known each other for long.

To have built such a friendship in such a short time.

’Could it be that Su Huanli saved Song Jiulai’s life before?’

But then Jingque True Man thought of something else.

’A Sect Master who could produce a Heart Firming Pill...’

A thoughtful look flashed in her eyes.

’This is no simple matter.’

Regardless of what the Longevity Sect was like, the moment an Elixir Recipe like the one for the Heart Firming Pill appeared, Jingque True Man knew she would have to turn a blind eye to certain things.

After all, the Heart Firming Pill recipe was something even she couldn’t obtain.

’Besides, looking at the Feique Sect’s current state, hasn’t there been an astonishing transformation?’

Thinking of all this, Jingque True Man waved her hand. "In that case, I won’t ask any more questions."

She would find out what she needed to know on her own.

Relying on just a few words from Su Huanli, she would only get the surface details.

Su Huanli and Shui Ping nodded. They glanced at each other and then both let out a sigh of relief.

They had hoped the Sect Master wouldn’t antagonize the Longevity Sect. Anyone with eyes could see that the Feique Sect was getting better and better.

And they hoped it would continue to improve.