Chapter 203: Hundred Flowers Festival
"What's this?"
Chu Feifei took the jade bottle Gu Mo handed her. She had seen many such jade bottles before—they were specifically used to store pills. However, she didn't really lack pills.
Or rather, any pill she wanted, the sect would spare no effort to provide.
"A Solar yang pill."
Gu Mo explained. After giving it some thought, this was the only thing he had that was worth offering. Ordinary treasures were clearly of no value to someone like Chu Feifei, and the items that involved his own secrets weren't appropriate to give away either. The Solar yang pill was barely suitable.
So far, the Solar yang pill was exclusive to Gu Mo. No one else had managed to produce such a pill. With the great war between righteous and demonic sects looming, this type of pill—which could dispel demonic energy—was bound to become one of the most coveted items.
"A Tier 4 one!"
Chu Feifei opened the jade bottle, and a dazzling ray of sunlight immediately spilled out from within. Even though she wasn't an alchemist, she could tell at a glance that this Solar yang pill was a Tier 4 pill.
Based on what she had read in the sect's ancient records, Solar yang pills were only known to reach Tier 3 at most, because their core ingredient—the Sunlight Glazed Flower—was only a Tier 3 spiritual herb.
"Just keep that to yourself. Don't spread it around," Gu Mo instructed seriously.
"Got it!"
Chu Feifei nodded solemnly. She wasn't foolish—right now, with the war between righteous and demonic sects drawing near, the existence of a Tier 4 Solar yang pill, if leaked, could drive the demonic sects to madness. They might stop at nothing to hunt down the person producing it.
That much was already clear from the heavy price the demonic sect had paid just to sabotage the Hundred Blossom Sect's Concentration Grass. And all that grass did was stabilize the soul and help resist demonic soul arts; once afflicted, it could only suppress the effects, not cure them.
But the Solar yang pill could directly expel demonic energy. Any technique rooted in demonic energy would be neutralized by it.
---
Hundred Blossom Sect, Main Peak
"My disciple, you seem rather cheerful these days. Has your cultivation made another breakthrough?" Mei Qiuyuan glanced at her disciple, whose face had been carrying a faint smile these past few days. That expression—she had only seen it a handful of times, typically after Chu Feifei advanced in cultivation.
"I met a good friend I hadn't seen in a long time," Chu Feifei replied with a smile.
"Oh? Did your Senior Sister Xiaorou return?"
Upon hearing this, Mei Qiuyuan was struck by a thought. Right now, it was the time of the Hundred Flowers Festival—an event hosted by the Hundred Blossom Sect. During this festival, many disciples who had married outside the sect would return for a visit.
The Xiaorou Mei Qiuyuan mentioned was also her disciple. When Chu Feifei had first joined Hundred Blossom Sect, she had been closest to Xiaorou. A few years ago, Xiaorou had met someone she fancied during the Hundred Flowers Festival and left the sect to be with them.
The festival wasn't just a reunion for returning disciples—it was also a massive matchmaking event. During this time, male cultivators from outside the sect were permitted to enter.
However, they had to pass a series of trials to gain entry. These trials were watched by the sect's female disciples, who could then choose partners based on the participants' performance.
Of course, those with well-known reputations or powerful backgrounds didn't need to participate in the trials. They were granted direct access with an invitation from the sect—and such cultivators were the most sought-after in Hundred Blossom Sect.
"She really came back?"
Excited, Chu Feifei's eyes lit up. The pink rabbit at her side turned into a puff of fragrant mist and whisked her away from the main hall.
"Huh?"
Mei Qiuyuan was briefly stunned by her disciple's reaction, but seeing her fly off in such a rush, it was too late to ask more.
---
"Hundred Flowers Festival?"
Gu Mo looked at the invitation in his hand. It had been sent by Fairy Mei. Clearly, Mei Qiuyuan wasn't giving up on winning over this prodigy from Shennong Valley.
Especially after hearing that Gu Mo hadn't left the sect after completing the Concentration Grass task, she became even more certain that he was staying for the upcoming festival.
So, she sent him an invitation.
Given the talent Gu Mo had already displayed, he obviously didn't need to go through any trials. He could just attend directly with the invitation.
"Might as well go take a look."
Gu Mo wasn't particularly interested in matchmaking events like the Hundred Flowers Festival, but he still needed Chu Feifei's unique ability to help him enter a state of clarity. Unfortunately, her mastery of that ability was still imperfect and required intervals between uses.
With nothing else to do during the downtime, he figured he might as well explore the festival. After all, it was a well-known event.
With that, Gu Mo transformed into a streak of light and headed to the festival grounds.
The festival was held on one of the outermost peaks of Hundred Blossom Sect. However, the sect had carefully cultivated and developed it—facilities such as spiritual caverns, sparring arenas, and specialty shops selling Hundred Blossom Sect goods were already fully established.
The liveliest area, naturally, was the sparring arena. All the external male cultivators hoping to join the sect would showcase their strength here to attract the attention of Hundred Blossom Sect's female disciples.
Anyone who could achieve ten consecutive wins was almost guaranteed to catch a disciple's eye. The more wins, the more attention they'd receive—and they could then choose an outstanding Hundred Blossoms Sect disciple as a cultivation partner.
Gu Mo's destination was also the sparring arena—though he had no intention of participating. He was simply there to observe the strength of other sects' disciples.
But on his way there, he spotted Chu Feifei. She was cloaked in a fine mist that obscured her appearance and presence. The effect was just as good as Gu Mo's fully mastered breath-concealing technique.
This mist didn't come from any technique Chu Feifei cultivated, but from the small incense burner hanging on her person—clearly, not an ordinary magical artifact.
Next to her stood a mature woman with soft features. Judging by their body language, the two were very close friends.
"Gu Mo!"
At the same moment Gu Mo saw Chu Feifei, she saw him. "I'm just here accompanying Senior Sister Xiaorou," she said, blurting out an explanation without thinking. Her face flushed red, though thankfully the mist hid it from view.
"Senior Sister Xiaorou, this is my friend Gu Mo, a disciple of Shennong Valley," Chu Feifei quickly introduced him, hoping to defuse the awkwardness and her senior sister's odd expression.
But after that introduction, Rou Shuiyao's expression grew even more complicated. She knew this junior sister well—ever since being brought back by their master, Chu Feifei had devoted herself solely to cultivation.
During past Hundred Flowers Festivals, Chu Feifei had never shown any interest—Rou Shuiyao had to drag her out to explore just once.
Who would've thought, after being away for a few years, this junior sister had clearly "opened up."
"Gu Mo, this is Senior Sister Rou Shuiyao, my best friend in Hundred Blossom Sect," Chu Feifei added quickly, sensing her senior's strange gaze.
"Greetings, Senior Sister Rou," Gu Mo said with a slight bow.
"Junior Brother Gu, I've heard much about you." Rou Shuiyao looked him over, her gaze tinged with curiosity. She wasn't just being polite.
Successfully cultivating Sunlight Glazed Flowers, and the Fire Torch Stump that had revolutionized both pill and artifact refinement—those two achievements had already made Gu Mo's name known in professional circles.
"Xiaorou, we need to go pay our respects to the Sect Master."
As they exchanged pleasantries, a young man approached. The moment Gu Mo's eyes landed on him, he sensed an overwhelming presence—peak Golden Core stage.
Someone that young reaching peak Golden Core was no less impressive than Ding Shiyan of Shennong Valley.
Considering Rou Shuiyao was a direct disciple of Fairy Mei, it made sense that someone who caught her interest wouldn't be ordinary.
"Feifei, I'll come find you later after paying respects to the Sect Master," Rou Shuiyao said naturally as she linked arms with the young man.
Some elite returning disciples were given the opportunity to meet the Hundred Blossom Sect Master.
"Okay."
Chu Feifei nodded, though she secretly wished her senior would leave quickly—that weird gaze from her earlier had made her feel extremely awkward.
---
"Gu Mo, found any female cultivator you like yet?" Chu Feifei asked once Rou Shuiyao was gone, hoping to drag Gu Mo into the awkwardness with her.
"That Senior Sister Xiaorou of yours..." Gu Mo frowned slightly as he looked in the direction Rou Shuiyao had left.
"Gu Mo, she already has a cultivation partner. Don't even think about it," Chu Feifei shot him a glare.
"There's something wrong."
Gu Mo said the words slowly, then turned to see Chu Feifei's stunned expression. Clearly, she had misunderstood.
But Chu Feifei quickly came back to her senses. "What do you mean something's wrong with my Senior Sister?"
"I'm not sure."
Gu Mo had sensed something strange about Rou Shuiyao—something subtle and difficult to detect. But because his incarnation at the Grand Yan Sword Sect had studied demonic techniques in depth while hunting for infiltrators, and because he had recently dispelled many such techniques with the Solar yang pill, he had grown highly sensitive to such anomalies.
Still, it was only a suspicion. Without proof, he couldn't be certain. If demonic techniques were so easy to spot, the righteous sects wouldn't have such a hard time with them.
There was a way to verify it, though—feed her a Solar yang pill. If she was compromised, the pill would forcefully purge the demonic energy and render all concealment useless. And even if she wasn't, it would still boost her cultivation.
"Forget it."
Seeing the worry in Chu Feifei's eyes, Gu Mo sighed and handed her a top-grade Tier 3 Solar yang pill. It was clear that Rou Shuiyao was very close to her.
Rather than waiting until Chu Feifei came begging for help, Gu Mo figured he might as well cut the problem off early.
"Thank you, Gu Mo!"
Chu Feifei took the pill, now feeling deeply uneasy herself. Without hesitation, she rushed toward the main peak.
---
Elsewhere, Gu Mo's thoughts grew grim.
"Is it that Rou Shuiyao's cultivation partner?"
The Hundred Blossom Sect rarely had contact with outsiders outside the festival. If someone had laid a demonic curse on Rou Shuiyao, it most likely happened through that man.
Yet that man's cultivation didn't bear any demonic signs—meaning he was likely a demonic sect infiltrator. The demonic sect had really invested heavily this time, sending such a talented young cultivator to act as a spy.
"Let's hope it's just my imagination."
Gu Mo sighed and turned back toward his cottage in the flower fields, no longer interested in exploring the festival.
---
Meanwhile, Chu Feifei arrived in a rush at the main peak, only to find that Rou Shuiyao was gone. After meeting with the Sect Master, she had abruptly left.
Her sudden departure made Chu Feifei feel even more uneasy.
After all, her senior sister had clearly said she'd come back to find her after visiting the Sect Master—yet now she had left without a word. Something was definitely wrong.
Without delay, Chu Feifei made her way to the main hall to request an audience with the Sect Master.
Ordinary disciples rarely got to see the Sect Master—but not Chu Feifei. She was the heir apparent to lead Hundred Blossom Sect.
---
"Feifei, what brings you here?"
Before long, Chu Feifei stood before a petite young girl—only chest-high to her. This was Fei Lianlian, the Sect Master of Hundred Blossom Sect and a Nascent Soul true cultivator.
Her current appearance was due to a mishap in cultivation. She had forced herself to practice the Sect Founder's inheritance without possessing the required Hundred Blossoms Sect Sacred Physique, and the backlash had left her body stunted.
Even so, the strength of that legacy was undeniable—Fei Lianlian remained the strongest person in Hundred Blossom Sect.
The dense mist enveloping the great hall was a smoke beast refined by Fei Lianlian herself. Compared to Chu Feifei's pink bunny, hers was large enough to cover the entire hall.
It was Fei Lianlian who had guided Chu Feifei in cultivating that ancestral technique—her master Mei hadn't trained in it herself. In that sense, Fei Lianlian was also a master to Chu Feifei.
That was why she referred to herself as "your teacher."
---
"Master, was Senior Sister Xiaorou here just now?" Chu Feifei asked urgently.
"She was. That girl had some heart. She even brought a bottle of Hundred Flower Fragrance. You can have it—should help with your cultivation," Fei Lianlian said, pointing to a table in the hall.
There sat a jade bottle, presumably containing the Hundred Flower Fragrance—a perfume-like essence that assisted Hundred Blossom Sect disciples in their training.
Except now, the bottle was empty.
"Hm?"
Fei Lianlian's powerful divine sense swept over it, and her eyes narrowed. With her strength as a Nascent Soul true cultivator, she knew the bottle wasn't empty when Rou Shuiyao handed it to her.
And yet, in just a short time, the fragrance had vanished. Something was definitely wrong.
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