40: Chapter 40 Chi Family Patriarch Chi Shuying

Inside the Snow Pavilion, the atmosphere was subtle.

"Second Junior Sister, how are you? I heard that you..."

Chi Wanhe's voice carried urgency; her voice arrived before she did.

She had originally intended to find Revered Master to request something.

However, on the way, she heard a Disciple say that Elder Xuemei (Qin Zhaoxue) had fainted and that Revered Master had brought Second Junior Sister back to the Snow Pavilion, so she came directly here.

Chi Wanhe pushed the door open and barged in; the scene that met her eyes instantly caused her to freeze in place.

Revered Master Ling Hao was sitting by the bedside, his gaze fixed intently on Second Junior Sister... on her slender and delicate lower leg!

And Junior Sister was lying there, her clothes disheveled, her cheeks flushed...

This scene instantly overlapped with the image she had previously encountered of the two of them walking out of a room with disheveled clothes!

Chi Wanhe felt a sharp prick in her heart, as if she had been pricked by a fine needle, and a wave of inexplicable bitterness and disappointment instantly surged up.

Her footsteps halted, the look of concern on her face froze, and then it transformed into a forced calmness.

"...Revered Master, perhaps... Disciple has come at a bad time?"

Ling Hao was startled by her sudden intrusion and turned his head upon hearing the voice:

"Xiao He? Why have you come?"

Chi Wanhe quickly lowered her eyelids, concealing the complex emotions in her eyes, and said in a low voice:

"I heard that Second Junior Sister fainted, so Disciple... Disciple came to check on her."

She paused, her voice dropping a little lower:

"Since Junior Sister... is unharmed, then Disciple will take her leave."

After speaking, she did not wait for Ling Hao to respond, but turned around hurriedly and left the Snow Pavilion as if fleeing.

That slender back revealed a sense of disheartened gloom.

The romantic atmosphere was broken; after Ling Hao confirmed multiple times that Qin Zhaoxue's body was fine, he also walked out of the room.

That girl's expression was clearly not right.

A trace of doubt and worry flashed through Ling Hao's heart.

With a flash of his figure, Ling Hao left the Snow Pavilion and headed in the direction of Fuqu Courtyard.

...

After the Sect was re-planned and the Tianyuan Main Peak was expanded, the distance between Fuqu Courtyard and the Snow Pavilion had also become much greater.

Chi Wanhe's thoughts were in chaos; she walked with her head down, just wanting to quickly return to her own Fuqu Courtyard to escape the scene that made her chest feel stifled.

Just as she walked to the courtyard entrance, she was surprised to find a familiar figure already waiting there.

"Mas... Revered Master?"

Chi Wanhe's footsteps paused, and she looked at him with some astonishment.

She had assumed Revered Master should be guarding by Second Junior Sister's side in the Snow Pavilion at this moment... How could he appear here?

Ling Hao looked at her slightly red eye rims and the difficult-to-conceal low mood, his brows furrowing slightly:

"I saw that your expression was not right just now; it wasn't just to visit Zhaoxue, was it? What exactly do you need from me?"

Chi Wanhe's heart trembled; she subconsciously clenched her sleeves and avoided his inquisitive gaze:

"No... nothing important. Revered Master, as for Second Junior Sister..."

"She consumed too much energy, has already taken a Medicinal Pill, and is resting; she is unharmed."

Ling Hao interrupted, his gaze falling on her face, "What about your matter?"

"Disciple does have one matter to ask of Revered Master."

"Revered Master, please follow Disciple."

Chi Wanhe brought Ling Hao into Fuqu Courtyard and walked toward the side room.

On this short walk, countless images uncontrollably flooded into her mind.

By the Fuqu pond, she had clumsily brewed spirit tea; although Revered Master didn't say anything, he had finished all the tea she brewed.

At that time, the sunlight was just right, reflecting on the water droplets on the lotus leaves, and also reflecting the seemingly faint smile on Revered Master's lips.

Under the tree in the courtyard, she had picked an unknown pale purple flower and pinned it in her hair; when Revered Master passed by and casually said, "This flower suits you," it made her hold the flower stem and giggle foolishly for a long while.

And also... the day before yesterday... her fingertips held a honey cake and offered it to Revered Master's lips; those warm, soft lips inadvertently brushed against her fingertips, like a weak electric current darting through her heart, making her instantly panic.

Many, many similar, trivial, and warm fragments...

The series of tasks in the Four Symbols Token were strange, but the point rewards were exceptionally generous.

Following the task guidance, she poured tea for Revered Master, accompanied Revered Master to admire flowers, and even just stood quietly by his side while he read...

Every time she saw Revered Master reveal a trace of relaxation or pleasure because of what she did, her heart felt as if it had been gently brushed by a feather, rippling with a circle of softness, and she herself felt inexplicably happy along with it.

She had always thought that this joy was the duty and satisfaction of a Disciple serving her Revered Master.

But... why? Why this time, seeing Revered Master looking at Second Junior Sister so intently, seeing him stay in the Snow Pavilion to accompany her, did her heart feel like it had been fiercely pinched by something, bringing out such unfamiliar bitterness and discomfort?

Clearly...

Clearly the previous time she bumped into Revered Master and Second Junior Sister coming out of a room with disheveled clothes, she was only slightly blushing and curious, feeling a bit awkward, and did not have this kind of... suffocating discomfort like now?

This intense, unprecedented negative emotion made her feel incredibly confused and bewildered.

She couldn't distinguish whether this was towards Second Junior Sister... or towards Revered Master... or perhaps something else?

"Xiao He?"

Ling Hao's voice pulled her back from her chaotic thoughts.

Only then did she realize she had walked to the door of her side room.

"Revered Master, please come in."

She suppressed the strangeness in her heart, composed herself, and pushed open the door.

The room was elegantly and warmly decorated, carrying the faint, unique fragrance of a young girl.

She walked to the dressing table and opened an exquisite small sandalwood box.

Chi Wanhe carefully took out a cyan jade pendant with an ancient style and a warm, smooth texture from it, then turned and handed it to Ling Hao.

"What is this?"

Ling Hao's gaze fell on the jade pendant and discovered that there was a fine crack on it.

"This is... a jade pendant left behind by Disciple's parents."

Chi Wanhe's voice carried a hint of trembling.

"Does this jade pendant... have any special qualities?"

Ling Hao asked further.

Chi Wanhe took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"Inside this jade pendant... resides the Nascent Soul of Old Ancestor Shuying."

"She, the Elder, was one of the Old Ancestors who, together with Old Ancestor Chitie, founded the Chi Family of Fushan City three hundred years ago."

She paused, her tone carrying deep gratitude,

"Old Ancestor Shuying's Physical Body was destroyed back then, leaving only her Nascent Soul to reside in this jade."

"Disciple previously did not know that Old Ancestor Shuying was in the jade pendant."

"After Disciple... was expelled from the Chi Family, every time I encountered danger, it was Old Ancestor who stepped in to save me."

"Before meeting Revered Master, this jade pendant was Disciple's only reliance."

Ling Hao's heart stirred; he did not expect that this jade pendant actually hid a Nascent Soul True Lord!

"But Old Ancestor took action many times and was eroded by erosion qi... Now the Nascent Soul is extremely weak and is about to dissipate..."

"In order to preserve her Nascent Soul Qi as much as possible, Old Ancestor came out once before, and after asking me to collect Heaven And Earth Treasure to reshape her Physical Body, she completely sealed herself."

"And just a short while ago, I discovered that the jade pendant actually had a crack; I am afraid... Old Ancestor cannot hold on for that long..."

So that was it!

Ling Hao looked at Chi Wanhe's slightly red eye rims and that hard-to-conceal low mood, and everything became clear in his mind.

No wonder this girl was so disheartened at the entrance of the Snow Pavilion just now!

No wonder her expression was so gloomy! It turned out it wasn't...

Ahem, it wasn't anything else, but because the Nascent Soul of this Chi Family Old Ancestor, who was as kind as a mountain to her and like a close relative, was about to perish.

"So, you came to find me, it is because you want..."

Ling Hao had already guessed a few points.