"Do you still remember that cultivator from the Heavenly Sword Sect, Cao Chenfeng?" Mo Yi asked carefully.
"Of course I do. He's someone I admired a lot. Did he come to the succession ceremony?" Jian Dan asked happily.
"He arrived the other day with the Heavenly Sword Sect's flying boat."
"Really? Perfect! Dong Yi!" She called out directly to her attendant.
"I'm here."
"Take my invitation to the Heavenly Sword Sect. Tell them an old friend invites Cao Chenfeng to meet." Jian Dan gave her order without hesitation.
Mo Yi and Mo Qi exchanged glances, signaling to each other. Finally, Mo Qi stepped in to stop her. "Senior Sister Mo Yue, wait a moment. There's no rush to invite him. I have something I need to tell you first."
"It's fine, it won't delay anything. I'm not seeing him today anyway, set it for tomorrow." Jian Dan kept smiling, watching the two throw looks at each other. She secretly found it amusing.
"Mo Yue, to tell you the truth, Jian Feng already has someone he cares for."
Mo Yi finally spoke bluntly.
"Oh?"
She raised a brow at him, clearly puzzled.
"Jian Feng is Cao Chenfeng. He's at the mid Divine Soul stage now."
"His progress isn't bad. So, which female cultivator has caught his eye? How does she compare to me?"
"Well…"
Both hesitated, struggling to say it.
"It's me."
Mo Su's deep voice cut through the air.
In truth, Jian Dan had already noticed him heading for her cave and had timed her question perfectly.
Putting on a mildly surprised expression, she asked, "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Mo Yue Zūnshàng, I first met Chenfeng because of you. After you fell into that spatial rift, none of us saw him again. Later, when I was chasing down a blood sac, I ran into him underground in the Chonglin Mountains. Both our groups were carrying out missions, and at the same time we discovered a supreme-grade spirit vein running between the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Heavenly Demon Palace."
Mo Su's deep voice recounted their past. Jian Dan gently fanned herself, listening intently, face calm though she was eating melon in her heart.
Mo Qi and Mo Yi stole glances at her expression, nervous, since Cao Chenfeng was supposed to be her favorite.
When Mo Su finished, he looked straight at Jian Dan and said sincerely, "Chenfeng and I are inseparable now. If Mo Yue Zūnshàng wants to hold anyone accountable, I'll take all the blame." He clasped his hands solemnly. He'd thought it over all night and decided honesty was safer with someone like her.
"Why are you all staring at me? At most, I played matchmaker from afar. Just remember to prepare a thank-you gift." Her words shattered the tension in an instant.
"I knew Mo Yue wouldn't fuss over something like this." Mo Qi immediately stepped in to smooth things over.
"Matters like this come down to choice. Why would I force it? Better to let love take its course. And at least you two remember my part in it." Jian Dan spread her hands as she spoke.
"Thank you, Zūnshàng, for your blessing." Mo Su exhaled in relief and poured her a cup of wine himself.
"Alright, if there's anything else, just say it all now."
"That's it. Mo Su's been worried about this for ages. None of us would dare hide anything else."
Mo Yi chuckled, then teased, "Honestly, I thought you'd try to snatch Jian Feng back."
"You just love chaos. Why would I ruin our sect's harmony for an outsider?" Jian Dan scolded lightly, then glanced at Mo Su. "You owe me one now. I'll be collecting on it."
"Yes, I'll remember that."
The matter ended there. Gaining a favor from the future palace master was more than worth it.
"These last couple of days, guests for the ceremony should've already arrived. Why are you three so relaxed?"
She asked casually.
"Don't worry, our people aren't slacking. Everything that needs doing is handled."
Just then, Gong Yi returned. He saw the four chatting happily under the peach trees, saluted, then handed Jian Dan her identity jade token along with the message from the middle-aged cultivator.
"I understand. I'll find time to visit. You can go."
She hung the jade token back at her waist. The storage bracelet that came with it was set with a red spatial stone. It happened to match her ruby earrings and hairpin, so she slipped it onto her wrist.
"Tsk tsk, even the Core Disciple Hall knows how to flatter. That storage bracelet's a fine defensive treasure." Mo Yi immediately saw its value.
"It barely matches Mo Yue Zūnshàng's identity." Mo Qi, coming from a big clan, naturally knew its worth too.
"It was Master's order." Mo Su stated plainly.
"Mo Lie sent Mo Ying to visit just now, now he's sending gifts. He's laying the groundwork for you." Mo Yi hit the point directly.
"I'll rest for two days. Before your succession, I'll meet him and give him peace of mind." Jian Dan said, already planning ahead. She trusted the Zhēnzūn would have made their arrangements by then.
Elsewhere, Meng Congjian had also received her transmission. He wasn't in a rush and chose to rest first. His task wasn't just to meet the Beast Taming Sect, but also the Pill, Artifact, Talisman, and Formation Sects, to order supplies for their sect's stockpile.
The Beast Taming Sect had sent Shou Feng Zūnzhě. He'd been anxious at first, but seeing that the Heavenly Sword Sect had a Void Refinement Zūnzhǔ receive him, he realized they valued him more than he thought, so he settled down to talk.
"Meng Zūnzhǔ, our Beast Taming Sect came with full sincerity."
"I know. Before I left, the Zhēnzūn gave instructions. I'll handle this properly."
"Then, what does your sect need most?"
"Talking only about spirit stones would be crude and harm the bond between our sects. What you really need are blood insects, to study reliable countermeasures. Am I right?" Meng Congjian smiled warmly as he spoke.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Shou Feng agreed quickly, since Meng had already said everything.
"I'm not exaggerating when I say the array plate binding this blood insect was personally refined by Heavenly Sword Sect's Jian Lu Zūnshàng. She even infused merit light into it, because ordinary binding arrays can't contain this kind of blood insect."
"This…"
Shou Feng hadn't expected the talk to shift from the insect to the array itself.
Meng Congjian pulled a simpler array plate from his storage ring and handed it over. Letting the other side see its worth would only raise his bargaining chips. He always stuck to fair trade.
At first, Shou Feng thought he was angling for more benefits, but after activating the array, he realized it was extraordinary. The negotiations grew friendlier.
Meanwhile, Yue Liang was traveling aboard the beast clan's flying boat. In another day, she'd reach the Heavenly Demon Palace.
This time, the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord had the Raccoon Beast Clan send two envoys, making a public appearance before the great sects of Lingyun Continent as representatives of the beast race.
Traveling with them were Cang Yu of the Eagle Clan and a spider woman from the Jade-Faced Spider Clan. Together with eight others, they formed a group of ten, all headed to the grand ceremony.
Yue Liang accompanied them along the way, escorting them safely. Once she handed them over to Bai Jue, her task would be complete. With Bai Jue guarding them, they'd return without worry. Everything had been arranged properly.
Only, along the way, a small mishap occurred.