Sense of Friendship

After the celebration was over, Chen Wentian and Jasmine retreated to the Moonlit Sanctum to further discuss the upcoming operation to subdue the beast kings. Since it was a matter that involved Spirit Lords and Spirit Kings, the other disciples did not need to be involved. They all understood how important this was to their master and their sect.

Bei Yingluo and Peng Lingxi were the first ones to leave. They bid the others farewell and flew away inside Tortoise Can Fly. Bei Yingluo still had to continue her training and Peng Lingxi was still searching for sword saint Dugu's hidden sword ground.

"How is your training going?" Peng Lingxi asked while they crossed through the clouds.

"Oh… it's going pretty well." Bei Yingluo answered, "I recently broke through to the 6th Level of the Mind Focusing Realm. The next few days should be consolidating my foundation before I continue my progress."

"Sister Bei, you are really amazing." Peng Lingxi sighed, "When master told me about Sister Jasmine, I was amazed. When master told me about you, I actually couldn't believe it. Crossing realms, when you reach the Spirit Initiate Realm, you will have already surpassed me."

Bei Yingluo smiled warmly, "Thank you, Sister Peng, for your praise… though I am rather slow and not very talented. It is only because of this hidden ability of mine that let master accept me as his disciple. My ability really is difficult to control and has many drawbacks."

Peng Lingxi shook her head, "Sister Bei, maybe you haven't thought about it fully yet. But I think you are the strongest disciple out of all of us. Perhaps even Sister Jasmine might not compare to you in the future."

"Hmm? Really?"

"Look at it this way, when you are at the 1st Level of the Spirit Initiate Realm, you will be able to fight people at the tenth level, perhaps even the first lesser realm of Spiritual Growth. When you reach the tenth level, surely you will be able to fight against the third lesser realm of Spiritual Awakening or the fourth lesser realm of Spiritual Ascendance."

"And then, what will happen if you reach the lesser realm of Spiritual Ascendance? I heard in the past that going from that final lesser realm to the immortal realms is still a vast chasm that only one in ten people are able to cross. But what about you? Will you be able to cross it without even needing to break through? That is a feat that will shake the heavens and defy the laws of the world."

"I…" Bei Yingluo opened her mouth but she was too astonished to speak.

She really had not considered matters that far ahead. She had only recently learned how to activate her power at her will and had been too busy with training. But Peng Lingxi's words made complete sense, her secret ability really seemed crazy and unreasonable.

Peng Lingxi sighed but still maintained a light-hearted mood, "Master is a great man. He has gathered so many special disciples. I can only do my best, make pace with this reality, and move forward along my own path of the sword."

"Sister Peng, you can do it! I believe it!" Bei Yingluo said, "Out of all of us, you are the most talented cultivator I have ever seen."

Peng Lingxi smiled, "Thank you. Sister Bei, you have a good heart. I am glad."

"Hehe, of course!"

The two women shared a laugh and spent the rest of the trip chatting. They weren't familiar with each other before but by the time they reached Drifting Sand City, they were already moving towards being good friends.

---

Back at the sect, an interesting gathering was taking place at the bathhouse. A scene that Chen Wentian had dreamed about for a long time had appeared under a moonless night. Too bad, he wasn't here to experience it firsthand.

The cold pool was occupied by five beauties. The cold water and yin attribute spiritual energy created a fog of ice and snow crystals that barely obscured their figures from view. Among them, Li Yuechan was cultivating alone in the deep end, with the water up to her chin. Her eyes were closed and she was trying to block out the noise from all around her.

In the shallow end, two figures were wrestling and splashing about. Song Wushuang had Xu Lanyi in a headlock while the latter was still fondling the other's large breasts.

"Wushuang! Tell the truth! Have you gotten bigger lately?" Xu Lanyi shouted.

"Don't be ridiculous! Stop it!" Song Wushuang struggled to subdue her attacker, "Why can't you be jealous of big sis? Why is it always me?"

"Look at them! They could probably feed a whole village! Hahaha… oww…"

Song Wushuang finally managed to extricate herself, sending Xu Lanyi flying with a kick. Xu Lanyi landed with a heavy splash which left her stunned and speechless. However, her helpers soon arrived in the form of Su Xue and Su Yue. They trapped Song Wushuang between them and started poking and prodding the objects of their jealousy. The result was high-pitched screams and desperate cries that echoed around the small bathhouse area.

On the other side, in the hot pool, Lin Qingcheng and Zhou Ziyun were bathing in the comfortable water. They heard everything that was going on and couldn't help but feel a little naughty.

"Sis, I have an idea…" Lin Qingcheng said and eyed the lonely figure at the other end of the pool.

"Do tell." Zhou Ziyun said in a whisper, also looking in that direction.

"Master told me before he left with Sister Jasmine, that we should make sure Sister Wu is alright. She seemed a little sad during the party."

"Hmm, I noticed it too. Very well, let's go!"

The two of them swam over and sat down on either side of Wu Qianyu.

"Hi?" She opened her eyes and greeted them.

"Sister Qianyu!" Lin Qingcheng said and cozied up to Wu Qianyu until their bar arms were touching.

Wu Qianyu tried to lean away, not used to such intimacy. But this only led to her bumping shoulders with Zhou Ziyun.

"Sister Qianyu, do you like the new bathhouse?" Zhou Ziyun asked.

Wu Qianyu looked at the two helplessly and sighed, "It's nice…"

"That's good." Zhou Ziyun smiled warmly, "Master always wanted one and we finally found the right design to make it happen. Too bad he's not here, I'm sure he would have loved to see the three of us like this."

"That…" Wu Qianyu found herself tongue-tied.

"Hehehe, Sister Qianyu, you know how master is. He can be a little perverted at times." Lin Qingcheng chimed in.

Wu Qianyu blushed red and tried to avoid looking at the two of them. She loved Chen Wentian but she had never even thought about loving him together with another woman. She had overheard plenty of stories from the ice sisters and from Lin Qingcheng and Zhou Ziyun. But she was naturally a very shy person in intimate moments so she had never thought to try.

"Sis, master told me to look after you." Lin Qingcheng said confidently, "Whatever is bothering you, I can take care of it! As the first disciple, it is my responsibility."

Wu Qianyu couldn't help but snort with laughter. She found it very amusing that the helpless and clueless young woman she had met years ago had somehow turned into a confident leader.

"I'm serious! If Jasmine wants to bully us with her newfound strength… well, there are three of us and only one of her! There's no need to be nervous!"

"That's right," Zhou Ziyun chimed in, "Jasmine may be strong but she's just a fox. All she does is eat and sleep. Chengcheng is the first disciple and I control all of the sect's finances. She won't dare be too tyrannical or else, I'll just cut off her food budget!"

Wu Qianyu smiled and felt warm inside. She really appreciated what they were doing. They were trying their best to cheer her up and it was working. And as a result, she felt closer to them than ever before.

Since the tragic fall of her Green Leaf Sect and losing so many family members and friends, she had never let anyone in except for Chen Wentian. She always pushed others away when they tried to get to know her. It had been lonely existence but she told herself that she was fine that way.

But now, sitting in the hot water with her two senior sisters, she felt a sense of friendship start to blossom. Her pained heart which had been closed off for so long was finally opening up. And all it took was a bathhouse.

---

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