Central Plains, Ten Thousand Flower Ridge.
By the stone table and chairs beside the deep pool.
Cui Hao's face was brimming with excitement. He looked as though he might leap onto the table at any moment, just like Sandong.
He swept his hand through the air with a grand gesture, his voice dripping with theatrical fervor.
"You have no idea how perilous it was back then. That Watermelon may have only had half a body, but it was still a top-tier cultivator."
"Even its unintentional aura alone was enough to make me feel chilled to the bone."
"Moreover, that Watermelon was incredibly cunning. From the very start, it had been wary of me, its gaze carrying a hint of killing intent. It was dangerous beyond measure."
"And yet, despite such dire circumstances with danger so self-evident, I remained perfectly composed."
"I played both melons right in the palm of my hand."
Sandong's eyes were bright with admiration. Just hearing this much was enough for him to excitedly start clapping, his tone filled with awe.
"As expected of Cui Hao, so impressive!"
Cui Hao's eyes narrowed with a smug flicker. "It's hardly worth mentioning. Let me tell you about a truly perilous experience instead."
"Picture this — a moonless night, heavy rain, and that sinister Winter Melon coming to test me..."
Sandong's expression instantly turned grave upon hearing this. He leaned forward slightly.
Qinghe tilted its head to the side, its expression unchanged.
It wasn't truly foolish. Cui Hao's words could only fool someone like Sandong.
Qinghe sat there purely to listen to Cui Hao spout nonsense. Though it was indeed nonsense, Cui Hao had a gift for telling stories full of dramatic twists and plenty of humor.
Exactly how much he embellished was unclear, but as a story, it was actually rather entertaining.
Lin Luoyu sat off to one side, listening to Cui Hao's largely fabricated tales without calling him out.
After all, regardless of anything else, Cui Hao had genuinely put in a great deal of effort. Besides, Sandong clearly enjoyed listening.
After the so-called celebration banquet in the Eastern Divine Continent had concluded, the members of the sect had all withdrawn.
Xie Lingyu had led the way in bringing Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao back.
Li Xingtian had been called away temporarily by Chu Xingchen, so the second senior brother who had gone out to fight was still not back.
Li Yingling was in charge of the wrap-up, with Chen Baiqing providing support.
Chu Xingchen had gone to Li Yingling's side after the celebration banquet. Presumably, he would return together with her once matters were settled.
Naturally, Daoist Yuyang and Xu Jin had not yet departed. Things were far from a perfect conclusion, and there was still a great deal of meticulous follow-up work to be done.
However, none of the remaining matters had anything to do with Cui Hao or Lin Luoyu.
Xie Lingyu stood by the pool, listening to Cui Hao's storytelling behind her and Sandong's enthusiastic responses.
Suddenly, she turned her gaze toward the main gate.
Li Yingling walked with light but swift steps ahead of her master, while Chen Baiqing followed beside Chu Xingchen.
Zhang Miaoyu wore a curious expression as she looked at the flamboyant Cui Hao.
Cui Hao had seated himself rather cleverly — with his back turned directly toward Li Yingling.
Qinghe and Lin Luoyu caught sight of her as well. Judging by Li Yingling's expression, they could tell that some real drama was about to unfold.
As the sect's eldest senior sister, Li Yingling's playful side mostly showed only in front of their master. Before her junior brothers and sisters, she maintained a commanding presence, enough to silence any dissent.
Lin Luoyu understood the full context of the situation. If the eldest senior sister wanted to teach Cui Hao a lesson, it was arguably well deserved.
So after just one glance at her, Lin Luoyu feigned complete ignorance and continued watching Cui Hao spin his tales.
Qinghe's eyes, however, lit up. Its previously calm expression broke into a smile, and it even began clapping softly.
Whether those claps were for Li Yingling or for Cui Hao, however, was anyone's guess.
Sandong was completely absorbed, his eyes fixed on Cui Hao as he gestured wildly. Sandong was simple-minded and of low cultivation, so he naturally hadn't noticed the eldest senior sister's return.
Cui Hao's expressions were pitch-perfect. He quickened his pace, sounding urgent, and leaned forward as he continued his tale.
"The Winter Melon's probes were all lethal. This time, I was supposed to infiltrate a group of vicious evil cultivators."
"That unruly bunch — the moment any of them opened their mouth, a stench of human blood would waft out."
"I stood extremely far away, but even with the lightest sniff, I knew... those evil cultivators had definitely devoured quite a few people."
"I was only at Foundation Establishment, while that evil cultivator was already at Golden Core."
"To take on a Golden Core cultivator at Foundation Establishment — was that a mission? That Winter Melon was clearly sending me to my death!"
"But if I didn't carry out the mission, I couldn't earn the Winter Melon's trust. The critical task my master had given me would collapse in an instant."
"My master had entrusted this monumental matter to me. No matter how difficult, I couldn't simply give up."
"Furthermore, Fourth Senior Sister couldn't accompany me on this operation. Her righteous aura was simply too overwhelming."
"If those evil cultivators caught sight of her, forget about recruiting them — they'd start killing on the spot."
"So I had to face those man-eating, ferocious evil cultivators entirely on my own."
"It was a nearly impossible task, and an extraordinarily dangerous one at that."
"That I managed to pull it off at all required tremendous effort. I brushed past death multiple times before finally succeeding."
"Looking back on it now, I can still feel as though I were right there. It sends shivers down my spine."
Cui Hao let out a soft sigh, his expression taking on a reminiscent quality. He trailed off, as if lost in memory, without continuing.
Sandong's curiosity had been thoroughly stoked. He eagerly pressed for more.
"Cui Hao, tell me quickly — how did you pull it off?"
Cui Hao gave a light cough, a hint of pride creeping onto his face. He opened his mouth to speak.
But then a familiar voice came from behind him, carrying an unmistakable edge of gritted-teeth interrogation.
"That's right — let me hear how the great Lord Cui Hao managed to pull it off!"
The pride on Cui Hao's face froze. He slowly turned his head around.
When he saw Li Yingling standing with her arms crossed, eyes narrowed, wearing an expression that hovered between a smile and something far less pleasant...
A genuine chill ran through Cui Hao's heart this time.
Sandong heard the voice and turned to look. His own voice immediately brightened with joy.
"You're finally back! Sandong missed you so much!"
Li Yingling gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. Then she fixed her gaze on Cui Hao and spoke.
"Let's all hear how the great Lord Cui Hao managed to complete his mission under such extraordinarily dangerous circumstances. I'd love to learn a thing or two myself."
Sandong quieted down upon hearing this — he genuinely wanted to know what happened next.
Li Yingling gave a subtle upward gesture, signaling Cui Hao to continue.
She had just returned, and before she could even settle the score with him, Cui Hao was already bragging.
How could Cui Hao not know how the whole thing was actually done?
That entire evil cultivator organization was a front! She had been the one to set it up — every last person inside was their own!
All Cui Hao had done was drink two cups of tea and complain about how tiring the trip had been!
"Eldest Senior Sister... how about... I tell you next time?" Cui Hao offered a sheepish grin.
Li Yingling shook her head slowly, her tone firm.
"Junior Brother Fifth is being so magnificent. As your eldest senior sister, I absolutely must hear all about it! Tell me now!"
Seeing no way out, Cui Hao clapped his hands together and immediately began speaking.
"Looking back on this matter, Eldest Senior Sister's contributions far exceeded my own. Rather than saying I was in constant peril, it would be more accurate to say that Eldest Senior Sister's brilliance was like divine calculation itself."
Sandong's small face scrunched in confusion.
Hadn't Cui Hao just said he did it all by himself?
Li Yingling feigned surprise. "Oh, is that so? I don't recall feeling that way."
Cui Hao gave another light cough.
"Listen... listen to me, and you'll understand, Eldest Senior Sister."
"Oh? Is that so?!"
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