Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 445 Yun Jiu's Little Thoughts

The group of Nascent Soul cultivators stopped three zhang away from Lu Kong and bowed in unison.

The leader had white hair and beard, a thin face, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

"This junior, Yun Jiu, is an elder of the Tian Shu Hall. I was unaware of your arrival, senior. I apologize for not being able to greet you properly."

His voice was respectful to the point of humility, and his back was bent so low it was almost broken in two.

The seven or eight Nascent Soul cultivators behind him also bowed, none of them daring to raise their heads.

Lu Kong stood there, watching them with a smile.

"Elder Yunjiu, you're so old, aren't you afraid of shortening my lifespan by bowing to me?"

Yun Jiu was slightly taken aback, inwardly cursing, "Why are you pretending to be so young? In our cultivation world, do we judge a person's age by their appearance?"

But he really misunderstood Lu Kong. According to the story of traveling through three thousand years, he wasn't even born yet. Lu Kong was born fifty years after this point in time, so he was currently -50 years old.

However, Yun Jiu dared not say such a thing. He lowered his head even further and said, "Senior is too kind. In the path of cultivation, those who have attained the highest level are given priority. Senior's cultivation is unfathomable, and my meager cultivation is insignificant in front of you. It is only right to pay my respects."

Lu Kong looked at him and suddenly burst out laughing.

The laughter was soft, yet it made the group of Nascent Soul cultivators bend their backs even lower.

"Elder Yunjiu," Lu Kong said, "you've worshipped the wrong person."

Yun Jiu was stunned.

He raised his head, his gaze lingering on Lu Kong's face for a moment before quickly looking down. The group of Nascent Soul cultivators behind him exchanged bewildered glances.

"Senior, what is this...?" Yun Jiu asked cautiously.

Lu Kong stepped aside, revealing the young man in dark cloth behind him.

"This is my martial uncle," he said. "I am just an insignificant disciple and do not deserve such a grand gesture from you."

The eyes of the group of Nascent Soul cultivators all fell on Chen Anran.

Yun Jiu stood there, stunned, unsure how to react.

He looked at the young man.

He wore dark cloth, had long hair, and looked excessively young. He carried a vermilion gourd on his back; the gourd was entirely crimson, its surface shimmering with a faint spiritual light, clearly not an ordinary object. Yet, apart from that, there was no trace of spiritual energy emanating from him.

Yun Jiu's heart sank.

Another old monster whose cultivation level is impossible to discern, and he's also the martial uncle of another old monster...

Yun Jiu took a deep breath, turned to Chen Anran, and bowed.

"Junior Yunjiu greets Senior."

The group of Nascent Soul cultivators behind him also bowed in unison, their movements even more respectful than before, their heads bowed lower and their waists bent even more deeply.

Chen Anran ignored him. He simply stood there, his gaze passing over Yun Jiu and landing on the open door behind him.

The gates of the Tongtian Pavilion were wide open, leading to a spacious corridor. Several gray-robed cultivators stood on either side, peering curiously in this direction. At the end of the corridor was a staircase that spiraled upwards, leading to a higher level.

Yunjiu remained bowing and waited for a long time, but received no response.

His lower back was a little sore.

But he dared not move.

Having lived for nearly eight hundred years, he had seen countless important figures. He had met the Palace Master of the Heavenly Pivot Palace, the Vice Alliance Master of the Immortal Alliance, and even the elusive Alliance Master himself. Each of those people possessed their own unique aura, but this young man before him had none at all.

He just stood there, his gaze calmly fixed on the doorway, as if he were waiting for someone.

Yunjiu's heart started beating a few beats faster.

These two are incredibly powerful, far beyond the capabilities of a group of Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

Yun Jiu didn't know where these two old monsters came from, but he knew one thing: they were very powerful and not to be trifled with. In any case, he had to find a way to report the situation here to the Immortal Alliance headquarters as soon as possible.

Only the elders within the headquarters can fight these two.

This is Yun Jiu's idea. We can't force them right now. The only way is to feign indifference and appease them first.

Where is she?

A voice suddenly rang out; it was Chen Anran.

Yun Jiu raised her head and met those eyes.

Those eyes were calm, without any condescending gaze, without any scrutiny or appraising. They were simply... looking.

But that gaze made Yun Jiu's heart sink even further.

"What is the senior asking about...?" he asked cautiously.

"Su Changning."

Yun Jiu was slightly taken aback, then quickly said, "Master Su is upstairs, upstairs. Please wait a moment, Senior, I will go and invite him right away..."

"Need not."

Chen Anran interrupted him and stepped into the doorway.

Yun Jiu stood there stunned for a moment, then became very anxious.

Although it's unclear why they sought out Su Changning, Su Changning's personality makes him prone to offending people. Let's not even talk about the people within their Immortal Alliance—who can blame them when the other party has powerful backers? But these two old monsters aren't from the Immortal Alliance! If he knew them, that would be fine, but if he didn't, offending these two...

Yun Jiu's mind raced, and she was about to give chase.

Lu Kong suddenly stopped as he passed by him, looking at him with a smile.

"Elder Yunjiu," he said, "guess what the relationship is between my martial uncle and Su Zhenchuan?"

Yun Jiu opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Yun Jiu opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Lu Kong smiled, said nothing more, and followed.

Yun Jiu stood there, watching the two figures disappear around the corner of the stairs, his Adam's apple bobbing.

The group of Nascent Soul cultivators behind him surrounded him, chattering amongst themselves.

"Elder Yunjiu, who exactly are those two people?"

"His cultivation is unfathomable, yet I've never heard of him before. Could he be a reclusive old monster?"

"That young man, with that gourd on his back, I feel like I've seen him somewhere before..."

"Have you seen him? Where?"

"I can't remember, I can't remember..."

Listening to their cacophony, Yun Jiu's face darkened, and he hissed, "Why aren't you reporting the situation here?! What are you all still doing here?!"

…………

Tongtian Pavilion, seventh floor.

Chen Anran stopped in her tracks.

This floor was much quieter than the floors below, with only a few closed doors on both sides of the corridor, each bearing a different wooden plaque: Council Chamber, Library, Meditation Room.

At the end of the corridor, a door was half-open, letting in a dim, yellow light.

Chen Anran walked in that direction.

Footsteps fell softly on the wooden floor. The sound echoed in the quiet corridor, one after another.

Chen Anran stopped in front of the door.

A figure could be seen through the crack in the door.

The woman sat behind her desk, a pen in her hand, writing something with her head down. The desk was piled high with documents, some already reviewed and neatly stacked to the side; others were still open, the ink not yet dry. An oil lamp sat on the corner of the desk, its flame flickering and casting an indistinct glow on her profile.

She wore a light blue Taoist robe, and her hair was simply tied up with a wooden hairpin, falling over her shoulders.