Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 110 But the old friends remain

"Young lady, who are you looking for? You can't just walk in here." A middle-aged man in a security guard uniform walked over, his tone fairly polite.

"...I'm going home." Wei Qingyi composed herself.

Wei Qingyi's words startled the security guard. He looked at the simply dressed, travel-worn young woman, whose delicate beauty was undeniable, and then at the huge suitcase in her hands. He asked in confusion, "Going home? Young lady, you're from this village?"

"Yes, my home is on the mountain..." Wei Qingyi pointed to the direction of Yunyin Mountain, which was shrouded in clouds and mist.

The security guard paused for a moment, then immediately plastered a respectful and enthusiastic smile on his face. "Oh my! So you're a celestial master from the mountain! Look at my sharp eyes! Miss Zhao and General Manager Li have both instructed that anyone from the Cloud Hidden Sect should be allowed to pass!"

As he spoke, he quickly gestured to another young security guard next to him to remove the temporary roadblock, and pointed solicitously to a carefully preserved bluestone path leading to the foot of the mountain: "If you follow this path, you will reach the entrance to the mountain."

"Thank you, Uncle." Wei Qingyi said, pulling her suitcase, and stepped onto that familiar yet unfamiliar road.

Walking past the edge of the noisy construction site, looking at the towering building frames and the grand plans for "Hidden Immortal Footprints in the Clouds," Wei Qingyi was still deeply shocked. She had only been gone for less than half a year, and the changes in her hometown were nothing short of earth-shattering.

As I walked to the stream, the familiar "Yunyin Xiaozhu" courtyard was indeed still well preserved, appearing exceptionally tranquil and elegant against the backdrop of the surrounding hustle and bustle.

As soon as she reached the gate of the courtyard, Fatty Li, who was standing at the gate holding a purple clay teapot and looking out at the construction site, spotted her with sharp eyes.

"Master Wei...Master Wei?!" Fatty Li exclaimed in surprise, almost dropping the purple clay teapot in his hand. He quickly put the teapot down and ran to greet him, his fat face trembling with excitement. "You're back! Oh dear, why didn't you tell me beforehand? I could have sent a car to pick you up!"

"Boss Li, long time no see." Wei Qingyi greeted him with a smile, her gaze sweeping over the interior of the small building. "It's still the same here, but the outside has changed so much."

"Thanks to you all! It's all thanks to you all!" Fatty Li rubbed his hands together, saying repeatedly, "Chairman Zhao and the others have invested a lot in our Yunyin Sect! Please come inside, have some tea and rest! I'll call Master Chen, Master Feng, and Sect Leader Su on the mountain right away!"

While inviting Wei Qingyi inside to sit down, Fatty Li quickly instructed Xiao Zhou to bring the best tea and snacks, and then he hurriedly took out his phone to make a call.

Wei Qingyi sat on a bamboo chair, looking out the window at the scene so different from what she remembered. She listened to Fatty Li excitedly reporting her return, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She picked up the spirit tea offered by Xiao Zhou; the delicate fragrance of the tea soothed her throat, easing much of the fatigue from her days of travel.

Not long after, hurried footsteps and Feng Xiaolu's cheers came from outside the courtyard:

"Second Senior Sister! You're finally back!"

Before she could finish speaking, Feng Xiaolu rushed in like a gust of wind, giving Wei Qingyi a big hug and jumping excitedly, "I missed you so much! You've lost weight! Did you not eat properly at school?"

Immediately afterward, Chen Anran strode in, and upon seeing Wei Qingyi, a gentle smile appeared on her face: "Second Senior Sister, welcome back."

"Little Deer, all is well." Wei Qingyi looked at her junior brothers and sisters in front of her. "I'm fine, just a bit busy with finals. You all seem to be doing well."

Her gaze lingered on Chen Anran for a moment longer, keenly sensing that his aura was much stronger and more solid than before he left home. She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Anran, you've broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining?"

Chen Anran nodded: "Yes, I just broke through not long ago."

Feng Xiaolu, arm in arm with Wei Qingyi, began to chatter on about Chen Anran's "thrilling" breakthrough, emphasizing the importance of her "relaxation therapy" and how she "motivated" her junior brother at a crucial moment.

Wei Qingyi listened, sometimes surprised, sometimes smiling.

"By the way, Second Senior Sister, it's so lively down the mountain now! Chairman Zhao and his group have built a super huge resort area. We'll have so many places to go when we go down the mountain!" Feng Xiaolu couldn't wait to share the amazing changes down the mountain. "And also, a fellow Daoist from Maoshan has come, named Qi Lan. She's going to open a cat café down the mountain! Isn't that interesting!"

"A cat café?" Wei Qingyi was also somewhat surprised. A cultivator opening a cat café was indeed a novel combination.

"Yes, Qi Dao is quite... special." Chen Anran interjected, briefly recounting the disappearance at Qingya Cave, Shen Zui's visit, and the attack that night, omitting some of the more dangerous details to avoid worrying Wei Qingyi.

Upon hearing this, Wei Qingyi frowned slightly: "Qingya Cave... such a thing actually happened. Senior Sister, she..."

"My senior sister is fine. She just happened to be passing by on the night of the incident and was questioned by Section Chief Shen. She has already explained everything," Chen Anran said.

Wei Qingyi finally breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."

As the group was talking, Zhao Mengmeng arrived after hearing the news.

"Master Wei, hello!" Zhao Mengmeng greeted respectfully.

Looking at the unfamiliar young girl in front of her, Wei Qingyi couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Who is this?"

Just as Chen Anran was about to introduce her, Feng Xiaolu interrupted, saying, "She's our junior brother's newly accepted disciple."

Upon hearing this, Wei Qingyi's calm eyes widened slightly, a hint of disbelief in them, as she scanned back and forth between Chen Anran and Zhao Mengmeng.

"Disciple?" She looked at Chen Anran.

Chen Anran suddenly felt a headache coming on. She glared helplessly at her third senior sister, who seemed to thrive on chaos, and quickly clarified, "Second senior sister, don't listen to your nonsense. This is Miss Zhao Mengmeng, the daughter of Chairman Zhao Qiming of Lincheng. She is quite interested in cultivation and happened to visit the sect a while ago, where she helped us a lot. She is not my disciple."

Zhao Mengmeng blushed instantly, hurriedly waving her hands and respectfully bowing to Wei Qingyi: "Hello, Master Wei! Master Feng was joking. I... I have no honor to be Master Chen's disciple... I'm just... just temporarily staying on the mountain to learn some things." Her tone was urgent, afraid of leaving a bad impression on this second senior sister she was meeting for the first time.

Wei Qingyi was an exceptionally intelligent person, and she understood most of the situation at a glance. She looked at Zhao Mengmeng with gentle eyes, "I see. Miss Zhao, there's no need to be nervous. Xiao Lu is a lively person and loves to joke, which I know very well. It's fate that you came to Yunyin Sect, so please settle down here."

Her tone was calm and had a reassuring quality, which made Zhao Mengmeng breathe a sigh of relief and gratefully reply, "Thank you, Master Wei."

"Oh, Second Senior Sister, you're ruining my plans as soon as you get back!" Feng Xiaolu pouted, shaking Wei Qingyi's arm. "But Mengmeng is now... well, a prospective disciple? Anyway, she's such a nice person. She bought us so many gifts and even helped us plan the internet cafe and bar down the mountain!"