Translator: xiiannie Editor: adeadaxe
Lu Mingshu led Little Daze into the public square of the main palace.
Five years, has it been?
Five years since she had last been here.
There was a huge vehicle parked outside the public square, and curious disciples swarmed around it.
The “vehicle” was a sort of giant, three-story building, with a fence made of jade and shining golden walls, it was a very distinct, emerald-coloured structure, with a carriage-like place to attach some beasts. It was parked in the middle of the square, and disciples of every level came to have a look.
As Lu Mingshu arrived, many gazes fell on her – jealousy, admiration, curiosity, hate, and disdain.
“Look, that’s Senior Sister Lu!”
“Senior Sister Lu? You mean the one that won eighteen fights in the competition?”
“Yes! She’s attending the Qilin Festival this time, I’m sure she will create history once again!”
“She looks so young. Is she really that good?”
“Hey! Watch what you say! A winning streak of eighteen is no joke, man! Even Senior Uncle Kuai lost to her!”
“Hey, look at that…. Is it a horse or a goat? It’s so fat!”
“Yeah, it’s so fat! Imagine if we cook it! It would be so tasty….” the disciple gulped.
Little Daze became alert and stared fiercely at the disciple who suggested to cook it.
“Oh my god, it’s staring at us! Does it understand us?”
“Maybe… perhaps it’s a rare beast?”
Lu Mingshu chose to turn a deaf ear to the gossip. She handed Little Daze over to the disciple who was leading the way, and she entered the vehicle.
Near the palace gates, a servant girl was looking around. When she spotted Lu Mingshu, she scrambled back to report.
After a moment, a group walked over majestically, with Stewardess Yao leading the way.
They walked toward Lu Mingshu in pairs under the eyes of the crowd.
“Eldest Miss,” Stewardess Yao smiled warmly to Lu Mingshu as she bowed. “Madame has instructed me to prepare some luggage for you. Fortunately, you haven’t left yet.”
Lu Mingshu stared at her emotionlessly. She didn’t even bother to reply.
The atmosphere became awkward. Stewardess Yao tried to salvage things, so she smiled warmly at Lu Mingshu, “I apologize for coming late. Please don’t be angry, we will load everything on the vehicle right now.” She turned around and gave a signal. The servant girls immediately picked the luggage up and proceeded to move it onto the vehicle.
Lu Mingshu eyed the servant girls.
“The name-list was released days ago. You could have sent me this luggage earlier, why are you only in such a rush now?” She commented without any interest.
Stewardess Yao immediately apologized to Lu Mingshu, “It’s Maid Yao’s fault for being all thumbs. Madame instructed me to make some clothes for you, but I took a long time to get them done.”
Lu Mingshu looked at her in disdain and sneered.
After a few moments, the servant girls returned, “Stewardess Yao, Eldest Miss’s luggage is all loaded.”
Stewardess Yao nodded and turned to Lu Mingshu. With a smile on her face, she passed a message from Zhou Miaoru to Lu Mingshu, “Madame wanted me to help pass a message to you; ‘Take care, and safety first. The Sect Leader will wait for you to return safe and sound.’
“Maid Yao will leave now. Please rest well, Miss,” Stewardess Yao bowed and left, not waiting for Lu Mingshu’s reply.
Whispering could be heard among the crowd.
“Rumors say that the Sect Leader’s wife dislikes her stepdaughter, but it doesn’t look like that’s true!”
“I know, right? It’s more like Senior Sister Lu is the one who dislikes them.”
“Bullshit. Would you like someone who forced your mother to her death?”
“True. They didn’t treat her this good in the past either. Maybe now that Senior Sister Lu has become more powerful, they’re suddenly bootlicking her?”
“Hey, watch what you say! No matter what, she’s still only in the Harmonization Realm. The Sect Leader is way more powerful than her, why would they bootlick her?”
There was a ton of gossip.
The Heavenly Door Competition had only ended a few months ago. It was still the talk of the town nowadays, and people were still interested in Lu Mingshu.
However, Lu Mingshu chose to turn a deaf ear to the gossip as she silently waited for the chaperones to arrive.
The main chaperone was an old and experienced Elder named Kang Tian. There were also two assistants: Yin Hong, Jie Wenhan’s Senior Sister from the line of Fluffy Cloud, and An Tongchen.
Among the disciples who would be going on the trip, she saw Shao Zhengyang and Tan Yubing. Shao Zhengyang nodded at her, and Tan Yubing came over to greet her.
“It’s been a while, Junior Niece Lu.”
“Senior Aunt Tan,” Lu Mingshu replied.
“No need to be over-courteous. I was so glad to see your name on the name-list. It’s great to have someone I know with me on this trip. With you here, time will pass faster.”
Lu Mingshu smiled thinly as a reply. It was obvious that Tan Yubing was deliberately being friendly. Pass time? That’s not hard; just cultivate and time will pass on its own.
Both of them were so engrossed in their conversation that, before they knew it, the vehicle had been fully loaded. Fu Shangqing came personally to send them off. Under the eyes of the crowd, the disciples going to the festival boarded the vehicle one by one.
When Lu Mingshu passed by, Fu Shangqing added, “Be careful, and listen to Elder An, okay?” He spoke to her like a concerned father who was worried about his daughter’s safety.
Lu Mingshu looked astonished. She let out a sardonic laugh as she boarded the vehicle.
Such a good actor he is!
Fu Shangqing just smiled and waved goodbye when all the disciples had boarded.
Disciples from the Earth Spirit Palace brought in three majestic, emerald-coloured heavenly beasts and hooked up their harnesses to the vehicle. With a command from the beast trainer, the three beasts soared up to the sky with the vehicle in tow.
“Wow!” The disciples in the public square were all left in awe.
Under their gazes full of envy and shock, the vehicle soared up to the sky and slowly disappeared into the vast horizon.
Within the vehicle, the disciples in the Inner Breath Realm couldn’t contain their excitement, and their chattering could be heard from quite a distance.
Compared to them, the Harmonization Realm disciples just greeted each other and went back to their rooms.
The first floor consisted of a hall with a red carpet and a few dining tables. It could be used for many purposes, like gathering or reception.
There were stairs on each side that lead to the rooms of the disciples.
The second floor contained the rooms of the Inner Breath Realm disciples. Two or three disciples shared a single room, while the Harmonization Realm disciples all had their own rooms on the third floor.
As for the three chaperones in the Assimilation Realm, they each had the biggest rooms, located at the end of the third floor.
Lu Mingshu found the room with her name on it. As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw an unexpected scene.
“Eldest Miss.”
Two servant girls were standing in the room, and they greeted her as soon as they saw her.
Lu Mingshu stared daggers at them.
However, the cold stare didn’t scare the servant girls away. They continued to serve her as if nothing had happened.
Only
“Eldest Miss, the tea is ready, and so is your bed. It’s cold here, so please take a cup….”
“Get lost!” She stepped into the room and yelled at them. “Actually, nevermind. It’s okay if you don’t, I’ll just throw you off the vehicle. I doubt the Sect Leader’s wife would come and take revenge for you two.”
The servant girls turned white upon hearing that. Now that the vehicle is in the air, being thrown off is guaranteed death. We would be turned into meat paste.
They made a quick decision in their mind and replied, “Yes.”
“Wait.”
Both of them turned back, full of hope.
“Never come into my room ever again, and stop calling me Miss! I don’t know how you don’t find it disgusting to call some random person Eldest Miss when you’ve called someone else that for years, but I find it absolutely disgusting!”
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