Chapter 264: A Broken Conscience
Qiao Wan's outfit shocked the night patrol shadow disciples.
They all closed their eyes and said, "This can't be real... this can't be real..."
After Qiao Wan calmly walked by, the stunned shadow disciples stood still for a moment, then shouted, "Oh no!" and jumped up all at once.
"Seriously, guys, do I still have a chance to pursue Qiao Wan?"
"Beauty can lead someone astray, into the depths of evil."
"That's enough from you."
Inside the grand hall of Shangqing Peak, the dimly lit room was filled with cheers and laughter.
Fang Lingqing couldn't help but turn to Qi Feidao sitting beside him and asked, "Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere around them suddenly became stagnant for no apparent reason.
Fang Lingqing was startled and looked up. He saw a delicate and beautiful young girl walking in from outside the palace gate. Her hair was partially tied up, her face calm, and her dress flowing like clouds and moonlight. Stepping through the shadows of the lanterns, she walked gracefully, as if treading on clouds and reaching the realm of immortals. This could only be described as extraordinary.
"Who... who is this?!" Fang Lingqing exclaimed.
At the moment the girl stepped into the main hall, everyone who knew Qiao Wan, including Meng Canglang, stood frozen in place. It was as if they were witnessing the most impossible and terrifying sight.
"Why does she look so much like Qiao Wan?!" Meng Canglang's hand trembled, almost spilling the drink he was holding.
It wasn't that Meng Canglang lacked composure as a gentleman with a sword, but rather that the woman in front of him was truly a rare and stunning beauty whom he couldn't associate with Lu Cixian.
Meng Canglang, Xie Xingzhi, and Pei Chunzheng were all left in a daze.
Only Bai Shanhu seemed relatively calm, but there was a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Yu Xingzhi and Wang Ruyi both looked confused.
"Is this... Is this really Brother Cixian?" Wang Ruyi asked shakily.
Yu Xingzhi : "...Maybe?"
"This... This is Qiao Wan?" Fang Lingqing exclaimed, his face turning red as he ignored the curious gazes of the others and leapt up from his seat!
"This is a trick!"
What happened to that Lu Cixian?!
The excited young man couldn't contain himself and shouted, his face red: "Is this really Lu Cixian? Lu Cixian should be much taller!"
In that moment, the atmosphere at the banquet became eerie and silent.
In this strange silence, Qiao Wan paused for half a second. The girl with a complexion as fair as snow and eyes as cold as a moon became expressionless. With lightning speed, she swiftly moved towards Fang Lingqing and forcefully pressed both of his shoulders onto the table.
With a loud crash, the world fell silent. The entire banquet suddenly became harmonious again.
This time, those who were stunned, twitching at the corner of their eyes, instantly turned into respectable elders like Ma Huaizhen, Miaofa, and Gongsun Bingzi.
And there was Demon Emperor Jia Yin, who had been invited to the party but had remained silent.
Meng Canglang quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it was still the familiar Taoist Friend Lu that they knew.
In the world of cultivation, there were beautiful women shining like stars. There were those like Mu Xiaoxiao who were delicate and charming, others like Fairy Xixia and Gao Lanzhi who were gentle and graceful, and those like Bai Shanhu who had a cold demeanor, as well as Chu Tongzheng who exuded stunning beauty. Their awe-inspiring reactions were mainly because nobody expected Qiao Wan to be so beautiful.
Qiao Wan's beauty carried a hint of youthful grace and radiance, with a touch of innocence and sincerity, as well as a touch of aloofness and sharpness.
Being forcefully pressed into the plate by the young girl, Fang Lingqing's face turned red as he struggled desperately, saying, "Lu... Qiao Wan! Let... let me go..."
Under the gaze of everyone, Qiao Wan released her hand with an expressionless face.
Almost suffocating in the vegetable leaves, Fang Lingqing looked up and when his gaze fell on Qiao Wan's face, he couldn't help but remember the comment about his "buttocks." His face turned red and he fell backwards with a loud crash, ending up in an awkward position.
Faced with such a beautiful young girl in front of him, Qi Feidao felt a bit overwhelmed. Thinking about his previous discussion with this girl about the science of men's lives, he felt even more embarrassed. Trying to maintain his composure and not act as foolishly as Meng, Qi Feidao cleared his throat and pulled Fang Lingqing back up.
"Lu... Taoist Friend Lu," Qi Feidao's face turned slightly red, "Please... Please don't mind."
The usually carefree Elder Martial Brother from the Mathematics Department silently gazed at the sky.
Damn it, he couldn't quite place this well-dressed Qiao Wan. They weren't familiar at all.
Although it was embarrassing, Fang Lingqing couldn't help but sell Qi Feidao out, saying, "This time, Taoist Friend Lu 'buttocked' you..."
"Nonsense!" Fang Lingqing blushed and angrily shouted, stuttering, "Lu Cixian wants to betray me, I...I absolutely won't surrender, even if it means giving up my life!"
But Qiao Wan...she wants to betray him.
In Qiao Wan's bewildered gaze, the young boy abandoned all shame and integrity, nervously glanced at Qiao Wan's beautiful composed face with a glimpse of fear in his heart, and quickly looked away. He silently thought to himself, "I...I guess I wouldn't mind accepting it either."
Unable to bear seeing her junior brother act so shamelessly, Bai Shanhu, as his elder martial sister and cousin, calmly pushed Fang Lingqing's head back down and turned to Qiao Wan, her face slightly reddened. She nodded slightly and said, "Miss Qiao, I apologize for Little Fang's rude behavior."
As everyone silently observed where Qiao Wan would choose to sit, the young girl obediently took a seat between Chongde Ancient Garden and Chaotian Mountain.
Coincidentally, she ended up sitting right next to Xie Xingzhi.
There was nothing she could do. Everyone's reactions were too intense. Qiao Wan blushed and looked up at the sky, feeling very embarrassed. She had no choice but to sit quietly in Chongde Ancient Garden, a place she was familiar with.
However, she had to keep a calm demeanor, even though her face was red.
When Xie Xingzhi noticed that Qiao Wan had sat down next to him, he involuntarily stiffened.
Pei Chunzheng, sitting across from Kunshan, lowered his eyes and gripped his wine glass tightly.
From behind them, the younger martial sisters at Kunshan couldn't help but ask curiously, "When did Martial Sister Qiao Wan become so close to Meng Canglang, Xie Xingzhi, and Bai Shanhu?"
Those were Meng Canglang, Xie Xingzhi, and Bai Shanhu after all.
The disciples of Kunshan couldn't help but show envy on their faces, and some even couldn't help but glance at Lu Pihan, who was sitting in the front row.
Wrapped in a fox fur coat and with a frail body, Lu Pihan calmly chatted with everyone.
Having a senior martial brother like Lu Pihan, and friends like Lone Sword, Noble Sword, and Shining Sea, could this still be the same Qiao Wan?
And not only that, Qiao Wan was unexpectedly, unbelievably beautiful!
The message on the jade tablet under the table had been sent out.
"Oh no! Whoever said Qiao Wan is not as good as Mu Xiaoxiao, come forward!"
The girl who used to be expressionless and dull has now become as beautiful as a blooming winter plum under the moonlight.
After everyone had taken their seats, the banquet officially began. Each family sent their young disciples forward to showcase their talents.
Whether these young disciples liked it or not was not a concern for the elders of each family.
Surprisingly, most of the performers this time were energetic young men.
These young men had been instructed by the elders of the sect to get closer to Qiao Wan. Initially, these talented young men were a bit unhappy when they heard the elders' urging.
Although it's rumored that Qiao Wan is as stunning as Mu Xiaoxiao, and that's why she was accepted as a disciple by Yuqing Spiritual Master Zhou Yan, nobody really knows whether Qiao Wan has a round or flat face. Plus, she also practices martial arts, a female cultivator who trains her body!
If this face belongs to Mu Xiaoxiao and this body belongs to Hall Master Ma, then this must be a very terrifying thing!
Finally, we can see the true appearance of Qiao Wan .
It is completely different from what I imagined!
Who could have thought that Qiao Wan would be so beautiful!
So, everyone put in their best effort to show off during the evening banquet.
All the young men were full of excitement, looking at Qiao Wan with sparkling eyes, full of anticipation, as if they were saying, "Choose me, choose me, choose me!"
Being suddenly so popular was undoubtedly a new and strange experience for Qiao Wan . Overwhelmed, she turned her head and happened to catch a glimpse of Venerable One Miaofa.
Even at the banquet, the Venerable One still wore a blue robe, with blue hair flowing down their cold yet enchanting face. They slightly furrowed their brows while talking to Select Leader Gongsun beside them, not paying much attention in her direction. Their half-closed eyelashes concealed the icy and indifferent glimmer in their eyes.
Qiao Wan was surprised.
Xie Xingzhi seemed to notice her confusion. Rarely hesitating for half a second, he asked in a deep voice, "Not used to it?"
Xie Xingzhi took the initiative to start a conversation, which surprised Qiao Wan a bit. She shook her head and straightened her back slightly. "Thank you, Taoist Friend Xie, for your concern."
Noticing Qiao Wan's discomfort, Xie Xingzhi fell silent for a moment. He also felt a bit uneasy and a hint of blush appeared on his stern face, which startled the disciples from Chaotian Mountain who were standing behind him.
"Brother Xie, snap out of it!! Your face is not suitable for blushing at all!"
Xie Xingzhi was mainly...embarrassed. He felt ashamed for mistaking Qiao Wan's intentions towards Chu Tongzheng.
The thought of it made Xie Xingzhi even more restless.
Unfortunately, at that moment, disciples from various sects approached Qiao Wan and presented her with gifts.
On the surface, they were expressing gratitude for her contribution at the cultivation gathering, but in reality, they were also trying to win her favor.
No one knew what Qiao Wan liked, so each sect came up with unique and extravagant gifts.
The more common gifts included spiritual artifacts and pills, while others presented jewelry.
Qiao Wan was quick-witted and polite when answering, she had a sincere smile. However, the elders of the sect exchanged a glance, clearly meaning that Qiao Wan was not the easy-to-fool junior they had imagined.
Seeing these magical gifts, Xiao Boyang couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye. He sarcastically thought to himself, "If you give her a box of bows, she'll immediately run away with you, right?!"
The most magical one was a disciple from the Meizong sect. The head of Meizong, Hu Li, raised her eyelashes and smiled. "Taoist Friend Qiao, the gift I am giving you is different from what those people are giving."
The woman raised her hand, her large sleeves slid down, revealing a slender wrist. Head Mistress Hu lightly clapped her hands and smiled.
Clap, clap - with these two claps, ten sedan chairs unexpectedly appeared from the side door of the grand hall.
These ten sedan chairs entered in single file and finally stopped in front of Qiao Wan.
Head Mistress Hu smiled enchantingly, she opened one of the sedan curtains, and immediately everyone's gaze fell on the "thing" inside the sedan.
The young man sitting in the sedan chair was exceptionally beautiful.
In that moment, Fang Lingqing was stunned, and Ma Huaizhen burst out laughing.
Qiao Wan was also left speechless.
The Buddha finally turned his head slightly and looked at the ten sedan chairs in front of Qiao Wan.
Where is your integrity?! What happened to your sect's integrity?!
