As the two of them were passing through the training ground, their steps suddenly came to a halt. Standing right in front of them was an extremely beautiful girl, her hands resting on her waist. Her gaze was firmly fixed on the two of them, and the anger on her face was unmistakably clear.
The moment they saw her, both of them turned stiff like wooden statues. Forget running—even blinking felt dangerous. They knew it very well: a long, soul-cleansing, life-questioning lecture was about to rain down on them.
They slowly looked at each other. At that exact moment, Su Hao's eyes started dancing as he sent frantic signals—
"Brother, your fate ends here."
"I've already written your name in my heart."
"This disaster is yours alone—please don't drag me into it."
His expression clearly said: "I would love to help you, truly… but I also love my life."
Gu Zhe smiled faintly and muttered to himself,
"Hey, don't drag me into this."
He paused, then shook his head.
"…Who am I fooling?"
"You're the protagonist, The chosen one." he glanced at Su Hao, "and she's obviously your partner."
Letting out a quiet sigh, he thought, "If this is what you truly want, then don't come crying to me later."
Qingyue stood there with both hands on her waist, her beautiful face tightly knit with anger. She raised an eyebrow and let out a soft laugh—the kind that made both of them feel a chill down their spines.she said slowly.
"I was wondering which two great geniuses had decided to turn the training ground into a sightseeing spot."
Su Hao immediately straightened his back, standing so upright it looked like he might salute next.
Gu Zhe, on the other hand, had already started regretting every life decision that brought him to this exact moment. He had always known this would happen, yet knowing something and experiencing it were two entirely different matters.
Qingyue's gaze shifted to Gu Zhe, sweeping him from head to toe. For a brief moment, his presence held her captive—but she quickly forced herself to regain control. She clicked her tongue.
"Wow, impressive. Mask gone, confidence up?"
"Or did you think that if you showed your face today, the sect would forgive you for skipping proper training?"
Gu Zhe opened his mouth to speak—
but she didn't even give him the chance.
"And you," she added, turning sharply toward Su Hao,
"don't look so innocent. That face of yours screams 'I was dragged into this' every single time."
Su Hao internally screamed.
How does she always know?!
Gu Zhe couldn't help himself and smiled faintly,
Qingyue crossed her arms and sighed dramatically.
"Honestly, I don't even know why I worry about you two," she continued, shaking her head.
"One of you acts like the world owes him explanations, and the other behaves like he's already planned ten steps ahead."
She paused briefly, a chilly smile appearing on her face as she went on.
"So, where are you sneaking off to this early in the morning? and what are you carrying in your hands? Or should I assume you've already found a new way to cause trouble?"
At that moment, everyone present on the training ground had their eyes fixed on the three of them. Most were clearly enjoying the drama—except for one group.
That group, which always found ways to trouble Su Hao and Gu Zhe, could do nothing this time because Qingyue was there. All they could do was stand aside, clenching their teeth in frustration.
Listening to her, Gu Zhe sighed helplessly and shook his head. With a faint smile, he stepped closer to Qingyue and gently flicked her on the forehead. The moment Gu Zhe did that, Qingyue's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. Until today, no one had ever touched her like that—except her father.
She quickly tried to hide her shyness and put on a show of fake anger. Stammering, she said,
"Y-you… you…"
But before she could finish her sentence, the words refused to come out.
Seeing her condition, Su Hao gave Gu Zhe a thumbs-up.
Gu Zhe responded with a wink, as if saying, "Don't worry, I've got this."
Qingyue was still trying to understand what had just happened to her, but her mind completely refused to cooperate. Seeing her lost in her own thoughts, Gu Zhe grabbed Su Hao and quickly slipped away from there. When she realized that both of them had already run away, she angrily stomped her foot, adjusted her sash, and then stormed off from there.
After they left, whispers immediately spread through the crowd.
One person said, "Did you see that? He actually managed to calm down a tigress in the middle of a battlefield."
Another snorted, "Huh, what kind of technique was that? I'm definitely trying it on my girlfriend later. Thank you, Lord Gu Zhe, for showing us such a divine technique!"
A third one laughed loudly, "My master is always troubled by problems like this. I'll tell him about this technique—who knows, if he's happy enough, he might even reward me! Hahahaha…"
And just like that, similar chatter and jokes rippled through the crowd, the scene buzzing with amusement long after the trio had disappeared.
A short while later, Gu Zhe and Su Hao arrived at Elder Yun's residence. Following Elder Yun's instructions, a maid showed them to their respective rooms and said,
"Master will meet you at the dining hall in half an hour. Until then, please arrange your belongings and freshen up."
Half an hour later, as instructed by Elder Yun, the two of them stepped out of their respective rooms and arrived at the dining hall. There, they saw Elder Yun already seated at the dining table, accompanied by three others—two young men and a young woman.
All three were quite attractive in appearance, but the young woman stood out the most. She carried herself with a distinctly cold and elegant aura, her presence calm yet commanding, making her impossible to ignore. Sensing the presence of the two of them, Elder Yun spoke up.
"From today onward, these two will be your juniors. From now on, they will also be living with us."
Upon hearing Elder Yun's words, the gazes of the three immediately fell upon the approaching Su Hao and Gu Zhe.
Then, one of them stepped forward. His name was Ye Tianheng, around twenty or twenty-one years old. With a faint trace of arrogance on his face, he spoke,
"Oh? So you're the ones Elder accepted as his disciples. And you've even become Inner Disciples without putting in much effort."
His lips curled slightly as he continued coldly,
"Don't think that just because you've come here, the road ahead will become easy."
Hearing this, the other young man—around twenty-two years old—lightly smacked the back of Ye Tianheng's head. Then, turning to Gu Zhe and Su Hao, he said,
"His name is Ye Tianheng, and he's your second senior brother. Don't pay too much attention to what he says—he never thinks before speaking."
The moment he was smacked, Ye Tianheng's arrogance vanished in an instant, replaced by embarrassment. Rubbing the back of his head, he complained,
"Senior Brother Lin, you actually hit me in front of the juniors. What are they going to think of me now?"
His gaze then unconsciously shifted toward Gu Zhe and Su Hao. Seeing him in such a state, the two of them struggled to hold back their laughter. The sight only fueled his anger.
Glowering at them, he snapped,
"This is all because of you two—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Elder Yun spoke up calmly,
"Gu Zhe, Su Hao, this is your First Senior Brother, Lin Feiyang. You already know him."
He then turned slightly, preparing to introduce the final person,
"And this is—"
Before Elder Yun could finish his words, the young woman—around twenty years old—spoke up abruptly. Ever since the two of them had arrived, her gaze had been fixed on Gu Zhe.
"My name is Mo Qinglan," she said calmly. "I am your Third Senior Sister. If you need anything at all, you can come to me."
For a brief moment, he seemed unsure how to respond.
He then gave a small, polite smile and nodded slightly.
"Thank you, Senior Sister," he replied calmly, his tone respectful,
Everyone present was utterly stunned. After all, they had never seen her take the initiative to speak to someone first—ever.
Su Hao, however, was shocked for a completely different reason. Inside his head, he let out a dramatic sigh.
Gu Zhe… oh Gu Zhe. You just arrived and you've already captured Senior Sister's attention. At this rate, in this world, no girl is safe from you.
He glanced at Gu Zhe, then silently shook his head as if mourning for his future, his lips twitching as he struggled not to show his emotions. Meanwhile, Gu Zhe glanced toward Su Hao, clearly sensing what was going on in his mind. Ignoring him completely, he lifted both shoulders in a casual shrug, his expression saying it all—What can I do? You were the one who told me to take off the mask.
Watching the silent exchange between Gu Zhe and Su Hao, Ye Tianheng finally snapped.
"HEY—WHAT'S WITH THAT LOOK?!" he burst out, practically leaping to his feet. His face twisted with pure jealousy as he pointed straight at Gu Zhe.
"You just arrived and you're already acting familiar? Senior Sister Mo doesn't even talk to us like that!"
He clenched his fists, grinding his teeth. Lin Feiyang let out a tired sigh and rubbed his temples, while Su Hao turned his head away, shoulders shaking as he desperately tried not to laugh.
After a while, the lively chatter gradually died down. Elder Yun then gestured for the two of them to take their seats at the dining table.
"Alright, that's enough conversation for now," he said calmly. "Let's eat."
Just as everyone began eating upon receiving permission, Elder Yun once again swept his gaze across the table. His expression turned solemn as he spoke in a serious tone.
"And since all of you are gathered here, there's something important I need to tell you."
At once, the atmosphere around the table subtly shifted, Everyone fell silent after hearing Elder Yun's words, waiting for him to continue.
At that moment, Ye Tianheng spoke up with a look of pride on his face,
"I already know what you want to say. It's about the Sect Assembly, right?"
He straightened slightly and continued confidently,
"In one month, the Sect Assembly will be held, where twenty Inner Disciples from each sect will be given the opportunity to participate. And the top three will receive extraordinarily generous rewards."
Elder Yun nodded in agreement before continuing,
"But this isn't only about the competition."
His tone turned solemn as he went on,
"You may not be aware of what happened yesterday. Last evening, at a tavern, several Inner Disciples from the Sakura Sect were bullying one of our sect's disciples…"
In this way, Elder Yun informed the three of them about the incident that had taken place at the tavern the previous night, explaining everything in detail.
After finishing, his gaze sharpened as he warned,
"This time, you must all be especially vigilant. To avenge their humiliation, they will certainly take action—and their primary targets will be your juniors."
The moment Elder Yun finished speaking, the atmosphere at the table grew heavy.
Lin Feiyang was the first to react. His casual expression faded as he set down his chopsticks, his eyes turning sharp.
"If they dare lay a hand on our juniors," he said calmly, but there was an unmistakable edge in his voice, "they won't leave unscathed."
Mo Qinglan's gaze flickered briefly toward Gu Zhe and Su Hao. Though she said nothing, a faint chill spread around her as she spoke softly,
"As long as they are under our watch, no one will touch them."
Even Ye Tianheng, who was usually loud and impulsive, snorted coldly. Crossing his arms, he muttered,
"Hmph. Sakura Sect or not, if they think they can bully our juniors, they're dreaming."
Hearing their words, Su Hao felt a wave of warmth rise in his chest, while Gu Zhe's eyes narrowed slightly—calm on the surface, yet carrying a quiet resolve, as if he had already etched those words deep into his heart.
After some time, once everyone had finished eating, they all returned to their respective rooms. And just like that, the night quietly passed.