Chapter 24: A Rather Complicated Seniority

In the inner sect of the Black Desolation Sect, in front of the Teleportation Array through which Gu Yuan had once arrived, a woman dressed in black stood quietly waiting.

Her upright and silent posture, resembling a loyal subordinate waiting for his master, drew quiet whispers from the disciples on guard duty. But, a single cold glance from her was enough to silence them all.

No one dared to say another word, and a moment later, the Teleportation Array suddenly lit up, its dazzling light announcing the arrival of someone from the outer sect. When the light faded, two women with identical, breathtaking features appeared within the array.

Luo Yunjin immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"Greetings, Master."

"Greetings, Martial Aunt."

Had anyone else heard those words, they would have been enough to send the inner sect into an uproar. Unfortunately, the disciples standing guard seemed unable to hear them.

Ji Yue gave Luo Yunjin a faint nod, while Ji Yan didn’t even bother acknowledging her. Without further exchange, the three of them made their way to the quiet pond behind Luo Yunjin’s hall.

Seated inside the small pavilion there, both twins glanced toward the hall nearby, as though they had noticed something unexpected. In the end, neither of them commented on it.

Luo Yunjin, still standing, began reporting the events that had occurred during their absence from the Black Desolation Sect.

Ji Yan listened for a while, but one dull piece of news followed another until she was beginning to wonder whether she could simply fall asleep where she sat.

That was when Luo Yunjin casually added, "There is another matter. Two years ago, that disciple Gu Yuan entered the inner sect. He has been staying in my hall ever since."

Ji Yue’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"You mean... you accepted him as your disciple?"

"Yes." Luo Yunjin nodded. "He wished to become my disciple, and considering Master’s attitude toward him previously, I thought it would be acceptable. Was I mistaken?"

For several seconds, the pavilion fell silent, neither twin saying a word.

Then Ji Yan, no longer able to hold herself back, burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

Her gaze moved between Luo Yunjin and her sister, and the more she thought about it, the harder she laughed.

Her disciple had taken her own Dao companion as a disciple.

Was Luo Yunjin trying to climb above her in seniority?

The thought alone was hilarious.

Ji Yan only managed to restrain herself after receiving a sharp glare from Ji Yue.

Luo Yunjin, clearly sensing that something was wrong, asked carefully, "Is there something wrong with Gu Yuan? If he has offended Master in some way, just give me the word. I will kill him immediately."

She had only wanted to assure Ji Yue that she would deal with the problem herself. Unfortunately, she had chosen exactly the wrong words.

Ji Yue’s expression changed. The warmth that had been in her eyes vanished completely, replaced by an icy killing intent so sharp that even the air around the pavilion seemed to freeze.

Ji Yan too, who supposedly couldn’t stand Gu Yuan, had the smile wiped clean from her face in an instant.

"Master, I didn’t mean-"

Luo Yunjin dropped to her knees, she had only just begun to explain herself when Ji Yue interrupted her.

"Don’t ever think about hurting him."

Determined to leave no room for misunderstanding, Ji Yue continued in the same quiet, absolute tone.

"Treat him as you would treat me. Show him the utmost respect."

"Yes, Master! I understand!"

Luo Yunjin nodded repeatedly, not daring to raise her head.

Only after a few moments did Ji Yue finally withdraw her killing intent. Her expression returned to normal as she looked at her disciple.

"Anyway, what has he been doing in the inner sect?"

"Nothing." Luo Yunjin was still trembling slightly as she thought of Gu Yuan. The young man had become increasingly mysterious in her eyes, especially after seeing her master’s reaction to him.

"He has remained inside the hall this entire time and has not taken a single step outside. He has simply been cultivating."

Ji Yue raised an eyebrow, then she nodded and waved her hand dismissively.

"You may leave."

Luo Yunjin did not dare linger. After another respectful bow, she quickly withdrew, leaving the two sisters alone in the pavilion.

For a moment, silence hung between them. Then a teasing smile returned to Ji Yan’s face.

"It’s enough," Ji Yue said without even looking at her.

"I didn’t say anything."

"You are about to."

Ji Yan’s smile widened. "I was just thinking that your disciple has quite good taste."

Ji Yue glanced at her.

"She chose you as her master, yet somehow ended up taking your future husband as her disciple. Should we pay our respect to her later? As our martial aunt?"

"Yan."

"What? Did I say something wrong?."

Ji Yue sighed. "You really enjoy making things more complicated than they need to be."

"Of course. Otherwise, what fun would there be?"

Ji Yue shook her head, but there was no real anger in her expression. After a while, their banter finally died down, and Ji Yan turned serious.

"Anyway, we are going out again immediately, right?"

"Yes. I won’t feel at ease until we complete the sacred ceremony."

This time, Ji Yan didn’t object, and the two immediately left the pavilion. Before long, they arrived at the quiet room where Gu Yuan was cultivating.

Neither of them bothered concealing their presence, so Gu Yuan naturally noticed them the moment they entered. His expression cracked for a brief moment before he quickly regained his composure.

He stood and cupped his hands.

"Greetings, senior sisters."

Ji Yue nodded, her gaze sweeping over him.

"Fourth Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Not bad."

"Thank you for your praise. But..."

Gu Yuan hesitated for a moment before gathering his courage and looking at Ji Yue.

"Was the Thousand Forms Ring not supposed to conceal my cultivation? Is there something wrong with it?"

"You want to hide your cultivation from us?"

Gu Yuan immediately shook his head.

"No. I simply wanted to confirm its abilities. That way, I won’t be caught off guard if something unexpected happens later."

"Then don’t worry. The ring is working perfectly. Within the Black Desolation Sect, no one other than us can see through it."

Gu Yuan nodded thoughtfully, and Ji Yue finally moved on to the true reason for their visit.

"Anyway, we are leaving the sect to perform the sacred ceremony and officially become Dao companions."

She wasn’t asking for his opinion. She was informing him, and remembering the decision he had made before, that he couldn’t always be the one on the receiving end of this relationship, Gu Yuan took a deep breath.

"Actually, there is something I wanted to talk about since the last time we met."

Both sisters turned their attention toward him, and Gu Yuan steadied himself before continuing.

"I was given a test to determine whether I was worthy of becoming your Dao companion, so..." He paused, then looked between the two of them. "Shouldn’t you be given a test too?"

Silence filled the room for a brief moment. Then Ji Yan burst into laughter, "Hahaha! Are you serious?"

She laughed so hard that she had to cover her mouth.

"First, you were tested because you were the one lacking. But what do we lack?"

She looked at Gu Yuan with an amused smile.

"You were lucky enough to get the two of us as your Dao companions, and now you want to test us too? You really dare?"

"Why not?" Gu Yuan met her gaze without backing down.

Ji Yan’s laughter gradually faded. She stared at him for a moment, seemingly surprised that he had actually dared to answer her like that.

Then her lips curled into a teasing smile. "And what exactly are you going to do if I fail? Kill me?"

Gu Yuan didn’t answer. He simply continued staring at her.

"Just for reference," Ji Yue interrupted, apparently genuinely curious, "what kind of test were you planning to give us?"

"Personality compatibility?"

Gu Yuan wasn’t even sure what kind of test he could give them. More than actually testing them, he simply wanted to make his dissatisfaction known.

"Why?" Ji Yan asked. "You don’t like our attitudes?"

Yes. Unfortunately, disciplining either of you is still beyond me... Gu Yuan kept that thought to himself.

"On that point, you need not worry," Ji Yue said with absolute conviction. "I told you before. We are destined for each other. Naturally, everything about us is compatible."

Gu Yuan let out a quiet sigh at her tone, yet he still pressed on.

"Consideration. Do you know the meaning of this word?"

"Yes." Ji Yue answered without hesitation.

Ji Yan followed immediately. "Turn this mortal world upside down and you still won’t find anyone more considerate than the two of us."

Gu Yuan slowly closed his eyes. For a moment, he could almost see the grim future waiting for him.

Both of them have a screw loose somewhere... and somehow, he had the feeling that fixing it would become his responsibility.

But how was he supposed to accomplish that?

"Anyway, those were your only concerns, right?" Ji Yue asked calmly. "Then let’s go."

Gu Yuan opened his eyes. He had already given up trying to reason with them for the moment, so he simply followed the twins out.

It’s not too late to work on their attitudes later...

At least, that was what he told himself.