Hong Lian stepped forward with a radiant smile, her resplendent crimson brocade immortal robe exuding an indescribable aura of solemn beauty.
Seeing Hong Lian, Jue Ying hurried forward with a delighted grin. “Sister, please don’t say things like that. He’s my newly adopted younger brother from the Ninth Heaven. His name is Jue Qing, a blacksmith born into hardship but who worked extremely hard. I brought him here to take an examination. Sister, please help me take care of him while I rush back to the Ninth Heaven to handle some urgent matters.”
“So urgent?”
Hong Lian’s expression shifted slightly, her smile fading as she asked softly, “Sister, you’re going to the Ninth Heaven yourself. What important matter has happened there?”
“Well, something did happen…” Jue Ying glanced around cautiously before lowering her voice even further. “Sister, please help keep this a secret. Junior apprentice Hua Yuting went to the Ninth Heaven to receive punishment, but someone killed him so thoroughly that even his last life talisman shattered. Master asked me to personally investigate what’s happening there. Guess what? Not long after I arrived, I met this younger brother Jue Qing. He’s an extremely rare talent, and he’s even been personally guided by Master Luo before.”
“Really?”
Hong Lian’s gaze toward Shui Miao suddenly changed.
“It’s absolutely true. I personally witnessed him awakening a supreme-grade immortal artifact. Sister, I have urgent matters to attend to, so I’m leaving this younger brother in your hands.” Jue Ying bowed respectfully.
Hong Lian quickly returned the bow. “Don’t worry, sister. Go ahead.”
“Brother, work hard!”
Jue Ying nodded at Hong Lian, then patted Shui Miao’s shoulder before vanishing into the sky.
A sudden warmth stirred in Shui Miao’s heart. It seemed like Jue Ying genuinely cared for him. She really did treat him like a younger brother.
He lowered his head, his thoughts churning with a tinge of hesitation.
At that moment, Hong Lian approached him with a gentle smile. “Brother, since you’re Jue Ying’s brother, you’re my brother too. Come with me. Let’s go to the back hall first, have some tea, chat a bit, and later we’ll hold an examination. Dozens of blacksmiths will participate, and I’ll give you a chance to join them.”
“Thank you, Sister Hong Lian. Sister Hong Lian, you look exactly like a friend I used to know!” Shui Miao felt that there couldn’t possibly be two people so alike, so he began to suspect whether Qing’er might be a projection or spiritual fragment of Hong Lian.
Hong Lian paused slightly. “Is that so? Your friend really looks that much like me?”
“Yes!”
Shui Miao focused his willpower and, right in front of Hong Lian, conjured an image of Qing’er.
“Hmm?”
Seeing the apparition, Hong Lian’s brows furrowed.
Shui Miao quickly said, “Sister Hong Lian, I wasn’t wrong, was I? She really looks like you, right?”
“Haha…”
Hong Lian suddenly smiled mysteriously, then her expression turned serious again. She fixed her gaze on Shui Miao and asked sternly, “Whether she looks like me or not isn’t important. What matters is that your cultivation energy contains Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, Purple Fortune Qi, and Destruction Qi—nine types of spiritual energy in total. Who exactly are you?”
“Uh…”
At these words, Shui Miao was instantly taken aback.
He suddenly became alert. This was the Sixth Heaven, not the Ninth. This place was filled with powerful experts. How could he have been so careless? Hong Lian was no ordinary person. She had seen through his energy structure at a glance. Her cultivation level was unfathomable, and she was definitely not someone to be underestimated.
“You’re speechless because I hit the mark, aren’t you?” Hong Lian said coolly. “I advise you to be honest. What are you hiding? Are you that Shui Miao from the Ninth Heaven, the one who can forge the Time-Protecting Soul Bead!?”
“Brilliant!”
Shui Miao quickly calculated his next move. He decided to take another gamble.
He sensed that Hong Lian was an intelligent person. Even if she knew everything, she wouldn’t betray him.
This feeling was partly because Hong Lian reminded him of Qing’er.
In desperation, he no longer hesitated.
Instantly, he reverted to his original appearance and bowed deeply to Hong Lian. “Sister Hong Lian, your insight is truly extraordinary. The reason I disguised myself was out of necessity—it all has to do with my father’s revenge…”
“It really is you!” Hong Lian suddenly became excited. She had merely suspected Shui Miao and was bluffing earlier, but she hadn’t expected to actually be right. She grabbed his hand eagerly, her voice turning soft and conspiratorial. “Come on, this isn’t a place to talk. Let’s go somewhere else.”
“…”
Shui Miao’s heart pounded nervously, unsure of Hong Lian’s intentions, but instinctively sensing she bore him no ill will.
They arrived at the rear hall of the mansion.
Hong Lian personally served tea and fruit to Shui Miao like an honored guest.
Shui Miao, however, felt uneasy and confused by the sudden hospitality…
After sitting down, Hong Lian spoke to Shui Miao with great excitement. “Brother, do you know that you’ve become a huge sensation in the Immortal Realm now? A merchant auctioned off one of your Time-Protecting Soul Beads, and its ability to enhance movement speed shocked the entire Immortal Realm. Now, all the powerful experts in the Immortal Realm are searching for you. I never expected you’d end up here. Don’t worry, I won’t reveal your secret to anyone. Hurry up and change back to your previous appearance.”
“Alright…”
Shui Miao suddenly felt as if his value had skyrocketed—he had become a celebrity.
He transformed back into Jue Qing’s appearance.
Hong Lian’s brows twitched slightly as she whispered, “I believe you have your reasons. Here with me, whatever you’ve done or whoever you’ve offended in the past doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is what you’ll do in the future and what you want to achieve. Of course, you can tell me all about your father’s revenge too. Sister will do her best to help you.”
Hong Lian was trying to extract secrets from Shui Miao in order to control him later.
Upon hearing this, Shui Miao shrugged lightly and sighed softly. “Sister Hong Lian, the one who wronged my father has already received his due punishment. As long as they don’t come after me again, I won’t hold any grudges. As for the future, I just want to work hard to improve my skills in forging artifacts, learn more about formations, make a living here in the Immortal Realm, make more righteous friends, and forge a divine weapon for Sister Jue Ying. That’s about all I have in mind.”
Shui Miao spoke casually, deliberately making everything sound simple and unimportant, so that Hong Lian couldn’t find any leverage against him.
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