"Hey Lele, how come there are people from the Holy Light Heavenly River here at your place?"
"Can people from the Holy Light Heavenly River actually come here now?"
"Is the Fairy okay with that?"
Jiuhun Miaomiao asked in rapid succession.
"They're friends of the Dao Sea," Wang Yuxuan said.
"Friends?"
"Lele, I'm telling you, this personality of yours really won't do. It's not a good thing."
"How can you just take anyone and call them a friend?"
"You're supposed to be the renowned genius of our Nine Souls Heavenly River — you need to change your ways. You can't be so nice to everyone."
Jiuhun Miaomiao pouted her little lips as she lectured, looking every bit like she was jealous, yet somehow utterly adorable.
"Come on, Miaomiao. Sure, the Holy Light Heavenly River may not be as strong overall as our Nine Souls Heavenly River."
"But that doesn't mean the Holy Light Heavenly River has no outstanding juniors. We can't look down on them," Wang Yuxuan said.
"Lele, you're way too naive. If they really had talented juniors, would the Holy Light Heavenly River have fallen into decline?"
But Jiuhun Miaomiao clearly didn't believe a word of it.
"Miaomiao, you really shouldn't underestimate that Chu Feng."
"He's genuinely skilled. All of my trials — he was the one who helped me complete them," Wang Yuxuan said.
"Lele, you passed the trials?" Jiuhun Miaomiao asked.
"That's right. I passed."
A proud smile bloomed across Wang Yuxuan's face.
"Well, congratulations then."
"Was it that Chu Feng who helped you?" Jiuhun Miaomiao asked.
"Without him, I definitely wouldn't have been able to pass," Wang Yuxuan said.
Hearing this, Jiuhun Miaomiao's bright, lively eyes grew even more luminous. Then she said, "Hearing you talk like that, I really am getting a bit curious about this Chu Feng."
"Huh? Where's the Fairy of the Dao Sea?"
Jiuhun Miaomiao suddenly asked.
Wang Yuxuan and the others quickly looked around, only then realizing they could no longer see the Fairy of the Dao Sea anywhere.
But just a moment ago, when they were seeing Chu Feng off, the Fairy had clearly been right there.
"That's strange — Master was just here a moment ago," Song Feifei and the others said.
"Master must have had urgent business and left ahead of us," Wang Yuxuan said.
"It doesn't matter. I can pay my respects to the Fairy some other time. I came here because I need to talk to you — let's head to your place and chat."
Jiuhun Miaomiao threw open her arms and wrapped them around Wang Yuxuan's neck.
The bold, unrestrained gesture was practically something a man would do.
Yet she was so beautiful that the motion, performed by her, came across as cute and charming instead.
Watching Wang Yuxuan and Jiuhun Miaomiao walk away together, Song Feifei and the others could only look on with envy.
That was the princess of the Nine Souls Holy Clan. They too wished they could have the kind of close relationship with Jiuhun Miaomiao that Wang Yuxuan enjoyed.
But they knew it was impossible — they simply weren't worthy.
For all that Jiuhun Miaomiao was polite to them on the surface, treating them like sisters, they all knew that in Jiuhun Miaomiao's heart, there was only one true sister — and that was Wang Yuxuan.
...
Inside the Fairy of the Dao Sea's residence, she had already returned.
And she was lying face-down on a special bed.
The bed was crafted from nine-colored jade, radiating a nine-colored aura that seemed to possess healing properties.
The Fairy of the Dao Sea sat cross-legged upon it in a cultivation posture, appearing to be circulating a cultivation technique.
But her complexion was dreadful.
Her face was deathly pale and her lips had turned a bluish tinge — as though she had been poisoned.