"A meeting?"

Wei Wuxian lifted his head from polishing his flute. He sent a discernible glance to Shen Qingqiu, who fanned himself with his fan. "Yes," Shen Qingqiu hid behind his fan, "There's a meeting hosted by the Sect Master of Cang Qiong Mountain; Yue Qingyuan. He decided to invite HanGuang-Jun, Xie-xiong, Hua Chengzhu, and you as guests."

Setting aside his flute back in his waistband, Wei Wuxian asked, "How come we're invited?"

Shen Qingqiu scratched his cheek with a finger lightly. "Sect Master wanted to know your backgrounds. He was also interested in exchanging pointers."

"Pointers about what?" Wei Wuxian questioned.

"Cultivation." Shen Qingqiu answered.

Wei Wuxian revealed a sneaky smile. "Dual cultivation?"

Alarmed, Shen Qingqiu had almost dropped his fan. "No! Sword cultivation and martial arts." He quickly regained his composure and sighed. "Wei-xiong, I really worry for you. What if you make Yue Qingyuan mad with that shameless attitude of yours..."

"Then there's only me to blame." Wei Wuxian blatantly spoke.

Shen Qingqiu stiffened, "Then I'll rely on you to tell everyone else about the meeting. The meeting is hosted in Qiong Ding Peak. Ask around if you get lost."

Wei Wuxian laughed relaxedly. "No problem."

"Are we lost?" Surrounded by a forest of trees and outstanding greenery, Xie Lian couldn't help but feel dizzy at the amount of insight he had to take in. By his side, Hua Cheng gently held him to help him stand. A worried look was revealed on his face.

"Of course not!" Wei Wuxian laughed. However, his incomprehensible expression was more than enough to speak for the situation.

Lan Zhan wore a stern expression as he pursed his lips. He didn't say a thing.

"But..." Wei Wuxian calculated, "Shen-xiong told me that it's just around this corner." They crossed a pathway, and ran into another dead end. "But seriously," The Yiling Patriarch was about to lose his mind, "Why would they build a place in such an obstructive area! How in the world do they keep in mind of the directions!?!"

Xie Lian patted his shoulder, while sighing. "Luo-xiong and Shen-xiong probably have already arrived. And yet, we're late. I'm afraid that we'll be singled out."

Listening to him, Wei Wuxian sighed as well.

They turned another corner, then stood still. The wind blew, tousling the leaves back and forth. Silence perturbed in the area, allowing the two couples to have a better feel of the setting. Abruptly, their footsteps came to a stop.

The two couples shared a look. They were able to sense something was wrong.

Wei Wuxian mouthed a few words with his lips. It worded out "five".

Immediately, the cultivators found themselves paying attention to their surroundings. Even though there was wind, the bamboo shots didn't waver at all. It only made the place seem remarkably strange. The cultivators thinned their eyes, and found time slowing down.

Then, the wind brushed upon their heads.

Without saying another word, the cultivators split up. Surprise rose in the air as a sword cut through the bamboo shots, and planted itself within the dirt. If Shen Qingqiu was there, he would've recognized that sword as the Cheng Luan sword. Its blade was known for cutting apart thousands of enemies, and had a glimmer on its handle.

Wei Wuxian let out a "tch". He came for a meeting, only to get attacked instead!

The bamboo shots parted from one another, making a path. On that path was a cultivator. He was tall and wore a stern face, with a short ponytail swinging by his back. He wore blue robes, and a pair of black boots. Extending out a muscular arm, he controlled his sword qi, and his sword flung back into his hands.

"Who are you and what do you want from us?" Wei Wuxian lazily asked. One of his hands touched the bamboo flute resting among his waistband.

The cultivator blatantly spoke, "The name is Liu Qingge. What I want is simple." He pointed his sword at the rest of them. "I want you to die by my blade."

Without saying further ado, they attacked one another.

Sparks flew around as Liu Qingge's sword clanked against Wei Wuxian's bamboo flute. The two cultivators stared each other down. A smirk played across Liu Qingge's lips, "I didn't expect your weapon to be able to withstand my impact."

Wei Wuxian smiled in response. "Likewise."

In the back, Lan Zhan stepped forwards. He wanted to help, but then was held back by Hua Cheng. The latter shook his head, mouthing the words, "There's more."

As soon as he said that, another rush of the wind blew across their faces.

Ribbons of violet robes brushed in the air, and landed lightly on the ground. The woman cultivator had an air of haughtiness around her, and raised her chin high and proudly. She was Qi Qingqi. Her skin was smooth and fair, and her hair flew wildly in the air. Swinging her sword, she mercilessly attacked whoever was nearest to her; Lan Zhan.

Of course, Lan Zhan couldn't go down without a fight. He took out his sword, Bichen, and slashed against Qi Qingqi's sword. They continued exchanging impacts, with wind flying wildly.

As the enemies revealed themselves, another pair came out from the shadows.

Yue Qingyuan and Shang Qinghua stood side to side. Each carried their own swords, and then came out to attack the leftovers.

Yue Qingyuan handled Hua Cheng, who was too lazy to even take out his weapon. Just by merely dodging, Hua Cheng managed to evade all of Yue Qingyuan's attacks. On the other hand, Shang Qinghua bit down on his bottom lip. He wished he could hide away. He was just an innocent passerby! He couldn't believe he had to get himself stuck in such a blasphemy!

Naturally, Xie Lian didn't have a sword on himself. He did the same as Hua Cheng, dodging all attacks with an unfazed expression.

As the fight was more riled up, the innocent cultivators could gradually feel something was wrong.

Wei Wuxian gritted his teeth, "Shouldn't there be... one left of the five?"

Just as those words left his mouth, a distraught stir corrupted the air. Shang Qinghua, who was confident in his own loss had suddenly felt the beginning of his victory. His eyes widened and he yelled mischievously, "My King!"

Abruptly, a pale figure darted out from the forest of bamboo shoots. That figure had such pale skin that the veins underneath pulsed with the colour blue. A mark similar to Luo Binghe's was etched on that figure's forehead, except it contained the colour of an icy blue. Their dark and black nails stretched out to an extreme, so that it'd be visibly sharp.

The young man wore a black robe, with a furry hood hooked onto his shoulders. It was if he was afraid of the cold. However, his movements were unpredictable and fast. Mobei-Jun didn't stop for even a second. He repelled himself off of the bamboo shoots, and then darted at Shang Qinghua!

At first sight, it seemed like he was going to attack his own comrades. However, on a closer inspection, Mobei-Jun abruptly changed his trajectory!

He moved at an imperceptible speed that a naked eye couldn't follow. Mobei-Jun moved his claws at Xie Lian!

Even though he was just an ordinary 'scrap collector', Xie Lian's eyes thinned immediately.

Mobei-Jun couldn't help but falter for a bit. He didn't believe a person could keep up with his speed! However, it was too late. A white bandage shot out from underneath Xie Lian's sleeves, and Ruoye flew towards Mobei-Jun. In the end, Mobei-Jun was tied up and fell onto the floor with a harsh impact.

With wide eyes, Wei Wuxian blurted, "What is this? Bondage!"

His opponent, Liu Qingge couldn't help but blush at that statement. He hurriedly backed off, sheathing his sword with a flustered expression. Seeing his reaction, Qi Qingqi and Yue Qingyuan also retreated.

Hua Cheng's eyes thinned with coldness. They glowed in crimson red. He appeared especially threatening. At that moment, he suddenly unleashed a flurry of oppressive aura! His mouth opened, "Where do you think you're going?" Instantly, the retreating figures were instantly slammed onto the ground! Their knees shook and buckled. They landed headfirst against the ground, and almost blacked out from the force!

"Handsome!" Wei Wuxian cheered in the background. He wanted to yell some more, but thankfully, Lan Zhan managed to shut his mouth before anymore words leaked out.

Liu Qingge gritted his teeth, trying to endure from the pain of face-planting into the ground.

However, Hua Cheng didn't stop there. He moved towards the pale demon, Mobei-Jun. The demon was trying to resist Ruoye, who had only tied him up even tighter. Hua Cheng stopped once he arrived in front of Mobei-Jun, then raised a leg.

He stomped lightly down onto the demon. His expression was ugly, and although he didn't even use 10% of his force, Mobei-Jun had already suffered a backlash. The demon spat out a puddle of pungent blood.

"My King!" Shang Qinghua was alarmed at the results.

His heart pained from looking at his king being stomped on.

Hua Cheng had no reluctance. He pulled his feet off of Mobei-Jun's back, then prepared to stomp again. Abruptly, before he could do so, a cry rang out in the forest, "Wait! Stop!"

Hua Cheng stopped. He looked around, only to find a familiar companion.

Shen Qingqiu raced out from the bamboo shoots, with Luo Binghe trailing behind him. The two cultivators had a look of dismay across their faces. Shen Qingqiu spoke up, "Don't hurt them. They're fellow disciples and cultivators of Cang Qiong Mountain. They thought it'd be a good idea to test your cultivation, so they grouped up to attack. They don't mean any harm!"

Wei Wuxian was confused. He let out a muffled "what" from beneath Lan Zhan's palm.

Luo Binghe sneered, "Don't mind them. They just wanted to see if you're capable of guarding against them. What just happened obviously already proved that you're capable."

Xie Lian blankly nodded.

"So..." Shen Qingqiu hastily blurted, "Let them go?"

Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan, Xie Lian, and Hua Cheng agreed without a second to spare. Ruoye returned back to Xie Lian's wrist, and hid away in his white sleeves.

Afterwards, Shen Qingqiu introduced the cultivators to one another.

On the floor, Liu Qingge coughed blood. "You're too hardcore."

Worried, Shen Qingqiu hurriedly crouched to the floor and helped Liu Qingge up. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped away the blood. "Are you alright?"

Liu Qingge coughed, "Fine."

He was still weak, so he leaned against Shen Qingqiu's shoulder. Liu Qingge still remembered how scary the entire atmosphere was when Hua Cheng turned mad. He shuddered.

However, Shen Qingqiu merely thought of him as sick, so he quickly waved, "I'll go back and make sure Liu Qingge gets some rest."

Yue Qingyuan nodded and dismissed him.

In the corner, Shang Qinghua helped heal Mobei-Jun's wounds. "My King," Shang Qinghua sighed. "I apologize for pulling you into this mess."

Mobei-Jun shook his head. "No apologies."

In the background, the Yiling Patriarch, HanGuang-Jun, the scrap-collector, and Ghost King watched the entire scene with an awkward expression.

Shen Qingqiu gently pushed Liu Qingge down on the bed, with the latter's back shown to the former.

Liu Qingge's back was covered with wounds. Shen Qingqiu sighed, "It seems like Wei-xiong's swordsmanship is quite good. To even manage to injure you..."

Liu Qingge glared at him. "Don't mention it."

Hearing that, Shen Qingqiu immediately shut up and took out a medicine recommended by Mu Qingfang. The medicine was placed in a jasmine green container, so Shen Qingqiu gently screwed it open. He dipped a slender finger in, then shot Liu Qingge a look. "Hurry, take your clothes off."

Alerted, Liu Qingge was astonished. His face was flustered as he gasped, "W-What are you talking about?"

Shen Qingqiu frowned, "If you don't take off your clothes, how will I apply the medicine?"

That sentence managed to soothe Liu Qingge. However, he was still wary as he took his top shirt off, revealing his back covered in wounds.

Shen Qingqiu's frowned deeper. He didn't like looking at blood.

He sighed, then gently applied the medicine.

Liu Qingge felt a cold touch melt against his back. Immediately, his eyebrows scrunched up with discomfort. However, he didn't entirely hate it.

He wanted to say something, but was interrupted.

The door kicked open, and Luo Binghe stood there with an ugly expression. "Shizun!" He blurted. "What are you doing with this man-"

"Oh!" Shen Qingqiu's eyes brightened. "Binghe, come over and help me apply medicine on Liu-."

師弟

Suddenly, Luo Binghe came to a realization.

His heated eyes gradually dimmed as he trudged closer. Taking out a handkerchief, Luo Binghe harshly wiped Shen Qingqiu's finger that roamed around Liu Qingge's back. "Leave Liu- to me, Shizun. You go back and rest."

師叔

Shen Qingqiu let out a satisfied smile. "Then, I'll take my leave."

After his figure disappeared from their view, Luo Binghe immediately smothered the entire medicine over Liu Qingge's back. The latter didn't even have a chance to react as Luo Binghe gnashed with petty, "Don't even think about seducing Shizun. I'll be one step ahead of you all the time."

Xie Lian binds Mobei-Jun with Ruoye...

Wei Wuxian: What is this? Bondage!

Luo Binghe: Bondage... I must ask Xie-xiong if I could borrow Ruoye for tonight...