The news of the sect leader appointing Yu Mi as the master of Lingyun Peak and Bao Gu as the deputy master quickly spread throughout Xuantian Sect, causing a stir among the various peaks.
Although Xuantian Sect had a small number of disciples, not just anyone could become a peak master.
After all, it was a position of great responsibility, overseeing an entire lineage.
Therefore, the selection and appointment of a peak master had always been done with great caution, usually from the elders who had reached the Nascent Soul stage, or by promoting a deputy peak master who had reached the Nascent Soul stage.
Although the various peaks were shocked by the promotion of Yu Mi and Bao Gu, no one stood up to oppose it.
Instead, they all sent congratulatory gifts.
Bao Gu had just received the sect leader’s decree and the items, including the deputy peak master’s attire and identity token, brought back by her master.
She then saw the Mountain Guardian Granny appear at the door.
The Mountain Guardian Granny stepped into the Lingyun Hall, bowed slightly, and informed Bao Gu that elders from Zhuoyun Peak, Shuiyun Marsh, Tianyun Peak, and Liuyun Peak had brought congratulatory gifts to celebrate the promotion of Bao Gu and Yu Mi.
They were currently waiting at the tavern at the foot of the mountain.
The Mountain Guardian Granny asked if she should send them back or bring them up.
Zhuo Wangchuan said, “Invite them all up.”
The Mountain Guardian Granny responded, “Yes!” and turned to leave.
Zhuo Wangchuan sighed inwardly, thinking how times had changed.
A year or two ago, people from the various peaks could come to Lingyun Peak without any need for reporting.
They could come and go as they pleased, and they could only turn a blind eye.
Now, Lingyun Peak had become a crucial place for Xuantian Sect, protected by multiple formations set up by his master.
If anyone dared to intrude, even if they could escape unscathed from the formations, they wouldn’t escape the sect’s punishment.
He believed that if Bao Gu could continue to manage Lingyun Peak well, having Bao Gu and Yu Mi as peak masters would be better than when he was the peak master.
He said to Yu Mi and Bao Gu, “You two go prepare. Soon, you will officially take over Lingyun Peak.”
Yu Mi and Bao Gu bowed and left the Lingyun Hall together.
Yu Mi said, “Why do I feel a bit nervous?”
Although she had been the acting sect leader for a long time, it was just a title.
As long as she could take care of herself, it was enough.
When real issues arose, her master and Little Martial Aunt would handle them.
Now, the responsibility of Lingyun Peak truly fell on the shoulders of her and her junior sister.
Bao Gu understood how Yu Mi felt at this moment.
Suddenly growing up in a day, it was inevitable to feel uneasy and anxious, but people always had to grow up.
Her senior sister’s current situation was much better than hers back then, at least she wasn’t alone.
When she was twelve, it was during the drought in Qing Shan County.
Her father was bedridden and later became delirious.
She had to take care of her sick father, deal with debt collectors, people coming to buy or borrow grain, government grain levies, thugs’ extortion, and workers borrowing grain.
After her father passed away, she was left alone to support the family’s grain shop, with dwindling grain reserves and increasing numbers of starving people outside.
Bao Gu said, “Senior sister, you will be a good peak master.”
Yu Mi glared at Bao Gu.
If she didn’t know that Bao Gu’s cultivation level was too low to be the peak master, she would have shouted, “If you want to be the peak master, you do it.”
Bao Gu smiled good-naturedly.
She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, “From now on, we will manage Lingyun Peak together. You handle the fighting, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Yu Mi asked with a stern face, “What about your cultivation?”
Bao Gu said, “I promise not to neglect my cultivation.”
She hugged Yu Mi’s arm and said, “Trust me.”
Thinking about the current situation of Xuantian Sect and Lingyun Peak, Yu Mi felt overwhelmed.
She felt like she was being dragged into an uncontrollable whirlpool by Bao Gu, unable to extricate herself, and could only follow Bao Gu’s lead.
She said angrily, “Fine, I trust you. From now on, you give the orders, and I’ll follow.”
Then she angrily pulled her arm out of Bao Gu’s embrace and walked towards her courtyard.
Bao Gu lifted her skirt and took small steps to follow Yu Mi, calling out, “Senior sister, you are the peak master, and I am just the deputy. Senior sister, don’t be angry. Getting promoted is something to be happy about. Others can’t even dream of it. Why don’t you ask the other true disciples from the various peaks if they want to be a peak master? It’s very prestigious!”
Yu Mi stopped and glared at Bao Gu, asking, “What’s so prestigious about being the peak master of Lingyun Peak?”
Bao Gu stood in front of Yu Mi and said, “The status is higher, on par with the other peak masters, even higher than some of the elders in the Elder Hall.”
She winked at Yu Mi and said, “Even Little Martial Aunt has to listen to us.”
Yu Mi rolled her eyes at Bao Gu and said, “Do you think becoming a peak master means you can ignore Little Martial Aunt? If you provoke her, she can still beat you up, and you can only take it.”
Bao Gu dragged out her voice and said, “Just an example.”
Yu Mi ignored Bao Gu and turned to walk into the courtyard.
Bao Gu followed closely behind Yu Mi and said, “Senior sister, you’ll understand once you become the peak master.”
She suddenly heard faint voices coming from the courtyard.
She listened carefully and indeed heard various voices coming from the courtyard.
“Master, this place is so poor, the houses are empty.”
“Master, I heard that the God of Wealth is very rich. Why is her place so poor?”
“Master, when are we going home? I want to soak in the fragrant bath. There’s only well water here, no fragrance…”
“Master, eat this fruit. I just picked it.”
“Master, master, look, a bellyband…”
Bao Gu suddenly noticed her senior sister’s face darken.
She then saw her senior sister summon her flying sword and soar into the sky, heading straight for the courtyard.
There were only two women on Lingyun Peak, her and her senior sister.
All her bellybands were kept in her storage bag, so it couldn’t be hers.
It must be her senior sister’s bellyband that was found.
Bao Gu quickly rode her flying sword and followed Yu Mi into the courtyard.
She saw Jade Shura sitting at the jade table in the courtyard, resting her chin on her hand, watching the little demon pets flying around the courtyard.
Jade Shura was very alert.
Sensing Yu Mi’s aggressive approach, she raised her hand and collected all her little demon pets, leaving only a red peony bellyband floating in the air.
Yu Mi grabbed the bellyband and looked towards her courtyard, seeing that the formation had been broken!
She angrily raised her sword and charged at Jade Shura.
Jade Shura hooked her finger around the hilt of her curved blade at her waist, drawing it out to meet Yu Mi’s attack without showing any weakness.
Bao Gu saw that Jade Shura, as a guest at Lingyun Peak, had let her demon pets mess around and found her senior sister’s bellyband to play with.
She felt that Jade Shura had gone too far and shouted, “Senior sister, don’t hold back. Take down Jade Shura’s bellyband!”
Jade Shura heard Bao Gu’s shout but had no time to respond.
She had only heard about how terrifying the Fire Dragon was but had never actually fought Yu Mi.
She had always been dismissive.
Now, fighting Yu Mi, she felt the immense pressure from Yu Mi’s formidable strength.
Yu Mi’s strength didn’t lie in her cultivation level or the grade of her Lihuo Sword, but in her sword intent, sword energy, and her fierce spirit.
Yu Mi’s sword strikes came like a storm, with sword intent and sword energy intertwining with the firelight of the Lihuo Sword, forming a sword formation.
As soon as they clashed, Jade Shura felt herself being suppressed by Yu Mi, trapped in Yu Mi’s sword net.
A rare opponent, Jade Shura became excited and fought Yu Mi with all her might.
The courtyard was filled with the clash of blades and swords.
The jade table, trees, flower beds, and courtyard walls were all destroyed, and even the nearby houses were torn down.
Bao Gu was forced to retreat to the courtyard wall.
Seeing the increasingly intense fight and the mess, she felt heartbroken and shouted, “You two are tearing down the house! Stop it!”
Yu Mi said, “To the back mountain!”
and rushed out of the courtyard towards the back mountain.
Jade Shura followed closely.
Bao Gu pouted and shouted, “They’re really getting into it!”
She rode her flying sword and followed.
She had only flown a few feet when she lost sight of them!
Her senior sister and Jade Shura had disappeared.
She stood in place, looking around, and suddenly saw her senior sister flash in the air, followed by Jade Shura appearing where her senior sister had just been.
They were actually engaging in assassination techniques!
Bao Gu had no choice but to return to her room.
She released Little Celestial Fox, gave it two fifth-grade spirit fruits, and asked it to clean up the courtyard ruined by Yu Mi and Jade Shura.
She then released Duobao Spirit Monkey to exchange spirit herbs and fruits for monkey wine.
After exchanging the wine, she took out her extra spirit fruits and herbs to trade with Duobao Spirit Monkey for spirit herbs, fruits, or seeds she didn’t have, and asked Duobao Spirit Monkey to plant them in the herb and fruit gardens in her oversized storage bag.
She estimated that the people from the various peaks had probably been waiting in the Lingyun Hall for a long time, so she quickly washed up, changed into her deputy peak master attire, and headed to the Lingyun Hall.
Bao Gu arrived at the Lingyun Hall and saw it filled with people.
The peak masters and elder stewards from various peaks were all present.
She quickly went in to greet them and secretly used a sound transmission talisman to call Yu Mi over.
Lingyun Peak had few people, not even a servant to serve tea.
As the deputy peak master, Bao Gu couldn’t personally run errands, so she had to use Duobao Spirit Monkey and Little Celestial Fox as temporary servants.
Little Celestial Fox transformed into a seven or eight-year-old girl and placed the spirit fruits Bao Gu gave her on jade plates on the jade table.
Duobao Spirit Monkey, unusually well-behaved, put away its mischievous nature and obediently served as a little servant, placing the monkey wine on the table as Bao Gu instructed.
The originally lively Lingyun Hall fell silent as soon as Bao Gu released Little Celestial Fox and Duobao Spirit Monkey to serve as servants.
Having Duobao Spirit Monkey personally pour wine was not just a sign of respect; it was downright terrifying!
Little Celestial Fox, in the form of a cute little girl, was indeed adorable, but it was still a ninth-grade demon beast!
Even Zhuo Wangchuan was stunned.
He had been worried that Yu Mi and Bao Gu, due to their low cultivation levels, would be looked down upon and mistreated by the various peaks.
He had planned to support them, but he didn’t expect them to not only hold their own but also impress him!
After a while, Zhuo Wangchuan suddenly slapped his thigh and shouted, “Good!” startling everyone in the hall.
He laughed and said, “Bao Gu, I was worried that you and your senior sister wouldn’t be able to manage Lingyun Peak, but now I’m relieved.”
Bao Gu was taken aback, looking at her laughing master in confusion.
Her master, Zhuo Wangchuan, put the seventh-grade monkey wine on the jade table into his storage bag, took out a pot of ordinary spirit wine, and stood up to toast the various peaks.
The people from the various peaks also laughed heartily, putting the monkey wine and spirit fruits on the table into their storage bags, then taking out their own wine and food to place on the jade table, drinking and eating merrily.
Bao Gu was dumbfounded.
She had imagined that she would give a speech thanking the elders for their support and then her master would formally hand over Lingyun Peak to her and her senior sister.
But now…
Bao Gu thought, “Where are the formalities?”
She suddenly understood why her senior sister had gone to fight Jade Shura over a bellyband instead of hurrying over for such an important occasion.
“So lively, and you didn’t call me!”
A familiar voice rang out, startling Bao Gu.
She quickly got up to greet him, smiling and bowing, “Bao Gu greets Grandmaster. Grandmaster, why are you here?”
Zi Tianjun smiled, “It’s rare to have such a lively occasion. How could I not come?”
He sniffed the air and said, “It smells so good!”
He looked at Bao Gu with a smile and said, “The smell of monkey wine.”
Bao Gu thought, “Why is it like this?”
She quickly took out the supreme monkey wine she had just exchanged from the little monkey and gave it to her grandmaster, saying, “Grandmaster, you can’t drink my wine for free.”
Zi Tianjun accepted the wine with a smile and said, “Oh…”
Bao Gu said, “Grandmaster, I know that not only is your talisman-making the best in Xuantian Sect, but your artifact refining is also the best. Little Martial Aunt’s artifact refining skills were taught by you!”
Zi Tianjun smiled and said, “Oh, you want to learn artifact refining? No problem, Grandmaster will teach you.”
Bao Gu thought, “I can’t learn it all!”
She quickly shook her head and then tiptoed to whisper in her grandmaster’s ear, “Grandmaster, I got a lot of dragon bones from the ancient ruins. My senior sister also has a whole dragon’s spine, skull, and tailbone. I want to use them to make a vehicle that combines offense and defense, preferably a warship. I originally wanted to ask Little Martial Aunt for help, but she’s seriously injured and I don’t know when she’ll recover…”
Bao Gu’s whisper was clearly heard by everyone in the hall, and they all silently watched Bao Gu and Zi Tianjun.
Zi Tianjun smiled and said, “Your wine is not easy to drink! Fine, gather the dragon bones and bring them to me. I’ll make a vehicle for you.”
He glanced around the hall and said, “Why so quiet? Just because I came? Never mind, enjoy yourselves!”
With that, he turned and left.
Bao Gu happily watched her grandmaster leave.
When she turned back, she saw her fellow disciples, elders, and even her master staring at her like she was a treasure.
Zhuo Wangchuan said slowly, “Bao Gu, my artifact refining skills are also quite good.”
His eyes showed a hint of resentment.
Bao Gu froze for a moment, then quickly smiled brightly and said, “Thank you, Master.”
She then walked towards the elders from the various peaks, who all had high skills.
They looked at her like she was a treasure, and she looked at them like they were treasures.
After making a round among the skilled elders from the various peaks, everyone was confused.
Zhu Tou from Shuiyun Marsh asked, “Bao Gu, what exactly do you want to do?”
Bao Gu didn’t answer, just smiled with bright eyes.
Fan Tuan from Zhuoyun Peak laughed and said to Zhuo Wangchuan, “Zhuo Junior Brother, your little disciple is not simple…”
He leaned back in his chair, half-jokingly pointing at Bao Gu and said, “She has big plans. Haha, this wine, as Grandmaster said, is not easy to drink!”
Bao Gu shyly lowered her head and smiled, saying, “Actually, there’s no big plan. I just want more defensive items. I used up all my Nascent Soul stage artifacts and talismans in the ancient ruins and barely escaped. I’m afraid of encountering danger again, so I want to prepare more life-saving items. I’m a five-element root, slow in cultivation and weak in strength, so I can only rely on the elders to get more external items for protection.”
Zhuo Wangchuan said, “Bao Gu, remember, external items can only be auxiliary. Only when you are strong yourself are you truly strong.”
Bao Gu nodded and said, “I understand.”
Zhu Tou said, “Bao Gu, you can rest assured in your cultivation. Although the various peaks of Xuantian Sect have their little schemes and calculations, they are united in the face of major issues and the honor of the sect. We have all seen your contributions to Xuantian Sect and will not treat you unfairly.”
Bao Gu bowed and said, “Thank you, Uncle Zhu Tou, and thank you, uncles and elders.”
Laughter and conversation came from outside the hall.
Everyone looked up to see Jade Shura and Yu Mi walking in together.
Bao Gu was surprised to see Yu Mi and Jade Shura, thinking, “How were they fighting to the death just now, and now they’re like good sisters?”
Yu Mi stepped into the hall, first greeting the elders and apologizing for being late, then introducing Jade Shura to the elders of Xuantian Sect.
Jade Shura greeted the elders one by one and then said, “It’s an honor to meet you all today. Bao Gu and Yu Mi are my close friends. Their masters are my masters. If you ever need someone taken down, just come to me, and I’ll give you a 20% discount!”
Everyone: “…”
Yu Mi said quietly, “You can’t even beat me, and you want to stand up for my uncles and elders, who are at least in the mid to late Nascent Soul stage?”
Jade Shura rolled her eyes at Yu Mi and said, “Don’t think that only you can call on your masters and uncles for help. I can also call my master…”
She realized she had said too much and quickly swallowed her words, giving Yu Mi another eye roll to cover it up.
Calling the master of Soul Chasing Pavilion to personally take action…
Everyone felt a chill and shivered.
