When Golden Finger Meets Salted Fish

When Xuanqing Sect was established, it occupied an entire mountain range, and had done so for thousands of years. The original name of the mountain range had long been forgotten. Now, people only knew this place as Xuanqing Sect, and so the mountain range was renamed Xuanqing Mountain.

Xuanqing Mountain covered a vast area, originally chosen by the sect’s founder as a place for quiet cultivation. But after thousands of years, what was once an isolated mountain range had become a hub of human activity. Not all disciples of Xuanqing Sect had renounced emotions and love; they married, took on disciples, had descendants, and maintained ties with their mortal relatives. Those who could cultivate remained in Xuanqing Sect, while those without aptitude left the sect for the foot of the mountain.

Gradually, the once desolate area at the foot of Xuanqing Mountain became inhabited. As people gathered and settled, villages grew into towns, and towns into cities. Today, the prosperity of Xuanqing City rivaled any other place in the world.

Yun Qingyu wasn’t one for ostentation, so she carried the little white tiger on her flying sword to the outskirts of the city before descending.

The city guards weren’t surprised by this sight. They merely bowed to Yun Qingyu as she entered the city, without saying a word. The little white tiger in Yun Qingyu’s arms, seeing such an ancient-style city for the first time, was quite intrigued. She stood up in Yun Qingyu’s arms, her front paws on her shoulders, looking around curiously.

Many people saw the little white tiger, but ordinary mortals unaware of the white tiger’s identity paid no attention. Even cultivators who knew white tigers were precious didn’t expect to encounter one so casually. Even those with keen eyes who recognized her, upon sensing how weak this little white tiger was, would think they had made a mistake.

Thus, Yun Qingyu entered the city openly carrying the little white tiger.

After satisfying her curiosity by looking around at the bustling scenes, the little white tiger lowered her head and “awoo-ed” twice, her small paws tapping on Yun Qingyu’s shoulder. She asked, “Senior Sister, Senior Sister, where are we going now?”

Yun Qingyu seemed to have a spiritual connection with her and said, “We’ll go to the Welcoming Immortals Tower first. The disciples from Tiandao Sect and Buddhist Sect won’t arrive for another day or two. I’ve arranged to meet Senior Brother Su Hao from Tianyang Peak and Senior Brother Bei Luo from Luoxing Peak at the Welcoming Immortals Tower. After meeting with them and discussing the reception arrangements, I’ll take you around the city.”

The little white tiger was delighted to hear this. Her current level was too low to communicate with others, and besides Divine Lord Zhiming, no one else could understand her words. But Yun Qingyu was particularly attentive; even though she couldn’t understand the tiger’s speech, she was always thoughtful and considerate.

Even the system was curious, asking from the side, “Oh? Can Senior Sister understand what the host is saying?”

Unfortunately, she couldn’t. Yun Qingyu’s response was just a coincidence. Her offer to take the little white tiger around the city was simply because she had noticed the tiger’s curiosity when they entered the city, looking around at everything with great interest.

However, sightseeing would have to wait until after official business was concluded. For now, Yun Qingyu didn’t dawdle, continuing towards the Welcoming Immortals Tower with the little white tiger in her arms. Along the way, they attracted many glances, some admiring the beauty, others looking at the white tiger. Fortunately, this was Xuanqing City, right next to Xuanqing Sect, and no one was bold enough to cause trouble here.

The Welcoming Immortals Tower wasn’t far and was easy to spot – a four-story high building with upturned eaves, visible from a distance as it stood tall in the city center.

As soon as Yun Qingyu appeared in front of the tower with the little white tiger, a voice called from above, “Junior Sister Yun, you’re here. Come up quickly, Senior Brother Su and I have been waiting for you for a while.”

The little white tiger looked up and saw a young man leaning over the railing on the second floor, waving down at them. Cultivators, in the process of drawing qi into their bodies, expel impurities, and coupled with the aura bestowed by their cultivation techniques, there seemed to be no truly ugly person in the entire cultivation world. This man was no exception; not only was he handsome, but he also had a unique, unrestrained air about him.

Who was this? Was it Su Hao from Tianyang Peak? Or Bei Luo from Luoxing Peak?

The little white tiger’s curiosity didn’t last long. Yun Qingyu quickly carried her up to the second floor and greeted the two men in the private room: “Senior Brother Su Hao, Senior Brother Bei Luo, thank you for waiting.”

That man was Bei Luo. Su Hao, on the other hand, had a gentle and refined demeanor, closest to the image of a traditional cultivator. He smiled and shook his head, “No need for such formalities, Junior Sister Yun. Junior Brother Bei Luo was just joking with you. We haven’t been here long either.”

As they spoke, the two men in the room also noticed the little white tiger in Yun Qingyu’s arms. Because the little white tiger’s aura wasn’t strong, they initially thought the usually cold Junior Sister Yun had changed her ways and suddenly started raising a spirit pet. Upon closer inspection, they realized this little spirit pet looked remarkably like a white tiger. But could there be such a weak white tiger? Even a newborn tiger cub shouldn’t be this frail, right?

Although the two men were highly cultivated, unlike Senior Brother Qu from the Spirit Beast Garden who dealt with spirit beasts daily and immediately recognized Jianbing’s identity, they couldn’t be certain. They could only look at the human and tiger pair with questioning gazes.

Seeing their doubt, Yun Qingyu decided to be straightforward: “This is Jianbing. The Sect Leader and Divine Lord Zhiming have instructed me to care for her temporarily.”

Su Hao and Bei Luo exchanged glances, no longer underestimating the currently weak tiger cub. Instead, they both stood up and bowed to the little white tiger: “Disciples pay respects to Jianbing.” Their manner was more solemn than any Xuanqing Sect disciple they had encountered before.

Jiang Mo was startled by this sudden formality and instinctively looked towards Yun Qingyu, only to see her expression remain calm and unsurprised. In fact, Su Hao and Bei Luo’s reaction was quite normal, as they were the senior disciples of their respective lineages, with a broader perspective than ordinary disciples. While ordinary disciples might only see the little white tiger’s current weakness, they could understand the significance of this divine beast for the sect.

Divine Lord Zhiming was already eight thousand years old. Though outsiders didn’t know the exact extent of his cultivation, his bloodline was pure, and he was likely not far from ascension. His profound cultivation was a good thing, but once this divine beast was no longer present to guard the sect, the impact on Xuanqing Sect would be significant.

Although the white tiger before them was small, her presence represented hope and foundation. Naturally, Xuanqing Sect would cherish her.

Jiang Mo didn’t know all this, but seeing Yun Qingyu’s expression, she understood there was no need for surprise, and so her mindset stabilized. She jumped out of Yun Qingyu’s arms onto the table, raising her head proudly and lifting a paw towards the two bowing men, indicating they need not be so formal.

A white tiger was supposed to be a war god, a majestic existence, but the one before them was obviously too small.

Su Hao was fine with this, being naturally dignified and showing great respect to the future Jianbing. But Bei Luo was different. His nature was carefree and unrestrained. Seeing the little white tiger puff up her chest and try to appear dignified, he found it somewhat amusing. So he deliberately picked up a plate of dried meat from the table to tease her: “Has Jianbing grown tired from the journey? Are you hungry? Would you like some dried meat to chew on?”

Jiang Mo wasn’t really a cub and could easily see through Bei Luo’s teasing. Even though he was also good-looking, with Yun Qingyu as the standard, she wasn’t interested in paying him any attention. So she raised her paw and solemnly pushed away the plate of dried meat.

Seeing this, Bei Luo sighed in disappointment and tossed a piece of dried meat into his own mouth to chew.

Jiang Mo had refused Bei Luo’s offer, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want the dried meat. In fact, after tasting the braised goose, her appetite had been thoroughly awakened. The bland milk could no longer satisfy her, she was tired of peaches, and pills certainly couldn’t be eaten as meals… The dried meat before her was undoubtedly tempting, but the person offering it was wrong.

Glancing at the dried meat, Jiang Mo was too embarrassed to immediately go back on her word, so she instinctively looked towards Yun Qingyu again.

Yun Qingyu keenly noticed her gaze and, inwardly amused, stepped forward to sit at the table. Then, under the expectant gaze of the little milk tiger, she picked up a piece of dried meat and held it to her mouth.

This time, Jiang Mo didn’t hesitate. With an “awoo,” she ate the dried meat in one bite, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction.

Bei Luo, who had failed in his attempt to feed her, paused at this sight. Then, shaking his head, he said half-jokingly, half-ruefully, “She won’t eat when I offer, but eats when Junior Sister Yun gives it to her. Jianbing’s favoritism is truly heartbreaking…”

Though he spoke of heartbreak, his eyes were bright with laughter, and no one took him seriously. Yun Qingyu knew his nature and didn’t bother to respond. As for Jiang Mo, she was too busy savoring the dried meat to even spare him a glance, truly demonstrating her favoritism to the fullest. In the end, it was Su Hao who, seeing the topic had strayed, stepped in to smooth things over and brought the conversation back to the upcoming three-sect martial arts competition.

The three-sect competition was held once every sixty years, not a day off schedule. In fact, there was still half a month until the actual competition. The reason the disciples from Tiandao Sect and Buddhist Sect were arriving so early was to observe Xuanqing Sect’s grand competition.

This grand competition was to select disciples to participate in the three-sect competition. Unlike Xuanqing Sect, the disciples from Tiandao Sect and Buddhist Sect had already held their competitions before coming, and those arriving were the victors. However, as Xuanqing Sect was hosting this time, they had postponed their grand competition, waiting for the disciples from the other two sects to arrive before beginning the selection trials. This served two purposes: first, to build anticipation for the upcoming competition, and second, to showcase their strength.

This was all customary. Even if disciples revealed their trump cards during the grand competition, there was nothing to be done about it. In the past, when it was Tiandao Sect’s or Buddhist Sect’s turn to host, they had done the same. Thus, no one could claim unfair advantage.

The three present were all senior disciples of their respective peaks and naturally had a good grasp of the upcoming grand competition. They didn’t place too much emphasis on the sect trials. Bei Luo suddenly became serious, asking, “Do Senior Brother Su and Junior Sister Yun have any information about who’s coming from Tiandao Sect and Buddhist Sect this time?”

Yun Qingyu, being of a cold and aloof nature with few social connections, typically didn’t inquire about such matters: “No, I haven’t asked around. But people will arrive in the next day or two. We’ll see then what they’re like.”

Su Hao, with his gentle nature and social skills, had more information than the other two. But after Yun Qingyu’s statement, he wasn’t sure if he should speak up. After a moment, he smiled and said, “Junior Sister Yun is right, but knowing one’s opponents is always beneficial. I’ve heard that among those coming from Tiandao Sect is Jiang Shen. It’s said he has a thunder-attribute spiritual root, cultivates extremely fast, and practices a domineering technique. As for the Buddhist Sect, they seem to have produced a Buddha’s Child in recent years. However, the Buddhist Sect’s people are always low-key, so the specifics are unknown. In any case, we shouldn’t underestimate them.”

Yun Qingyu and Bei Luo nodded in agreement, and the three soon moved on to other topics.

The little white tiger listened with half an ear, as if hearing a story that didn’t concern her. However, when the others weren’t paying attention, she extended her paw and pulled the plate of dried meat closer, secretly finishing the entire plate.