"So that's how it is..."
Tang Tianjie even sighed with relief after hearing from Huang Zihan, who was at the scene, and the truth from Bai Fanxian's own mouth. He could finally calm down.
"So all those rumors about Grandmaster Xie were false?" Tang Tianjie turned to ask Xie Suyao, who was happily competing with the children for the seat beside Bai Fanxian.
Though they just met, they seemed to get along remarkably quickly.
And Xie Suyao appeared quite fond of both young girls. Since she'd been separated from touching others for so long, having two little ones right in front of her made her unhesitatingly pull them into a hug and refuse to let go.
"Not entirely false..." Xie Suyao revealed a smile that made Tang Tianjie's hair stand on end slightly. To outsiders, she was still the fearsome Red Widow Queen. Only before Bai Fanxian would she show her other side.
Tang Tianjie secretly glanced at the scene before him and turned to his trusted butler for his opinion. Huang Zihan nodded in agreement.
Could Grandmaster Xie like Grandmaster Bai?
The old man had been through much in his years. Naturally, he could tell at a single glance. And Xie Suyao was displaying it so clearly too.
But Grandmaster Bai showed no reaction at all?
She even treated Xie Suyao the same as her two little girls.
This was... one-sided affection, wasn't it?
And the other side didn't seem interested in the slightest!
Tang Tianjie sighed softly. In this era, there was no longer any rejection of others' sexual orientation.
Who loved whom was their own business. But for a being like Bai Fanxian, he thought it was a bit too sublime!
In his mind, Bai Fanxian was like an empress sitting on a throne with sublime and powerful bearing, surrounded by her people front and back. Both her appearance and power made it unsurprising that many would fall in love. But there wasn't a single person in this world he thought would be suitable for her!
He couldn't picture sublime Grandmaster Bai in such a situation at all!
The luxurious dinner passed simply without ceremony. That evening, Xie Suyao insisted adamantly that she wanted to sleep in the same room as Bai Fanxian. In the end, that bedroom concluded with all four sleeping together.
The new morning arrived with rather cold weather. Since this valley was located in the upper region of the country, combined with being a village in the middle of mountains, the air from nighttime through morning became especially cool.
Xie Suyao woke up when a small body squirmed against her. She opened her eyes to find two little ones sleeping curled together from the cold beside her.
The young woman's face showed a faint smile. Yesterday's feelings were like she'd been dreaming. In just one day, so many things happened—things that completely changed her fate in life.
She arranged the blanket that had been kicked to the children's feet back into place. Upon feeling the warmth, those small faces showed happy smiles.
Xie Suyao turned sharply toward Bai Fanxian, hoping to see the sleeping face of that sublime and beautiful Elder Sister. But she was disappointed—the bed prepared for Bai Fanxian showed no sign of her lying there.
Of course, Bai Fanxian didn't need that much sleep. Sometimes lying down was purely from mental exhaustion. Normally at home, Bai Fanxian would often find things to do continuously or train quietly through the night.
Xie Suyao found Bai Fanxian at the hotel lobby. It was still early morning, so there weren't many guests leaving their rooms yet. The image of one beautiful young woman sipping hot tea while appreciating the morning atmosphere outside the hotel became like a work of art.
"Elder Sister, good morning!"
Xie Suyao hurried over to greet her cheerfully. The hotel staff startled at the sudden appearance of that fearsome "Red Widow Queen."
And looking over, sitting there was "Goddess's Smile," the Grandmaster who just recently became famous as "Bai Fanxian."
Didn't they just fight yesterday until the village nearly broke?
Why did they look so close?
The male employee shook his head to chase away foolish thoughts. For a small cultivator working at this hotel, the best choice was to shut up and continue working quietly.
"Mm..."
Bai Fanxian turned to nod at Xie Suyao. And when the young woman sat down beside her, Uncle Huang—who appeared from who knows where—came to serve the same hot tea to the surprised-looking Xie Suyao.
"Thank you, Butler."
"My pleasure, Grandmaster Xie." Huang Zihan smiled and withdrew to stand nearby.
Before they could converse much further, the elderly figure of Tang Tianjie in formal robes appeared walking out from the corridor.
He was slightly surprised to see both Grandmasters sitting and sipping tea together so early, but he still went to greet them happily.
"Grandmaster Bai, the Alchemists' Association seminar begins today as the first day. Are you interested in going together?"
Naturally, this question could certainly capture Bai Fanxian's interest.
"What about news of the Divine Doctor?"
Though interested, Bai Fanxian hadn't forgotten the important purpose that brought her here in the first place.
"Don't worry about that. Whenever he emerges, I'll notify you as quickly as possible." It was Huang Zihan who answered. He'd already sent some of his people to wait and gather intelligence about this. It seemed that for some reason, the schedule for the Divine Doctor's emergence from training had become uncertain.
And that made people turn their attention to the Alchemists' Association's grand seminar instead.
Today, those involved all left their accommodations early morning to climb the mountain to the Alchemists' Association standing prominently on the other side of the mountain range.
"Go... let's wake those two children as well..."
"Yes, Grandmaster Bai." Huang Zihan smiled and bowed before walking off to carry out his assignment as quickly as possible.
The Alchemists' Association meeting and seminar was like a small festival. Beyond the heart of the event—the alchemy seminar held in the grand hall—the surrounding areas also allowed alchemists to use space to display their work or research.
From the entrance all the way to the back of the palace where there weren't many people, it was still filled with many booths and shops arranged orderly along the way.
The event area didn't allow vehicles inside, so all cars had to park at the entrance gate. And that area naturally became the point of most interest, since famous people also had to appear at this spot.
It was like modern red carpet events—just celebrities or influential people arriving was enough to excite the crowd.
"That's Master Exploding Pot! He came too?"
"The famous Tier 3 alchemist known for intense heat when refining, right?"
"Yes! I'm his fan!"
"Oh! You guys look there—Master Sun Mingchuan has arrived!"
The clamoring voices stopped to wait for the next car's arrival.
Getting out was one old man and one young man as assistant. Master Sun Mingchuan was in an excellent mood today because it was the day he'd lecture at the seminar. Plus, these past two days, that "Alchemy Empress" who came to create troublesome headaches for him in the discussion board hadn't appeared at all!
He showed a relieved smile while walking through the gate. Admiring and envious gazes at his success appeared sporadically from the audience around him. He puffed his chest while both ears secretly listened for praise from the crowd.
"That's Master Sun who got demolished by Alchemy Empress, right?"
"Yeah... got criticized until he couldn't argue back a single sentence!"
"Really pitiful. But at least he still had the strength to attend today..."
Each sentence Sun Mingchuan heard nearly made him trip over his own feet. The old man gritted his teeth while hurrying into the event in a fluster with his embarrassed-looking assistant rushing after him.
"Do you guys think Alchemy Empress will actually show up?"
"She typed herself that she'd come here, right?"
"She might have already come but we don't know?"
Light debate arose among the crowd, especially those who were fans of "Alchemy Empress" to the point of waking early to wait at the entrance like this. Some couldn't help checking the thread where she answered to see if there were any situation updates.
While they were bustling about, one black car stopped at the front gate. An elderly man in elegant butler attire stepped down first. Before he opened the door on the other side, an elderly figure full of energy walked out. He was in formal clothing that looked neat and extremely dignified.
Followed by two small children holding hands and jumping down from the car, with the old man helping hold the other hand with a warm smile.
"Who's that person?"
"Are you crazy? Don't you know Master Tang Tianjie? He's the one who uncovered the secret of the currently famous Vitality Elixir."
"Oh! I heard he could find even unrecorded side effects, right?"
"That's right. Today he was also honored to speak on the main stage."
"Then who's that woman?"
Those who were surprised noticed that after both children got down, the slender figure of a young woman in characteristic flame-red clothing stepped down after them.
The Red Widow Queen—Grandmaster Xie Suyao!
Why was she here!
The alchemists and ordinary cultivators all got goosebumps seeing her. Each of her rumors was shocking and fearsome.
Like "She'll poison anyone who looks at her face for more than 5 seconds"—things like that.
Moreover, she didn't seem very compatible with the Alchemists' Association. Since the seminars began, she'd never once set foot here.
Her sudden arrival made them all think dizzily about what the reason could be.
Moreover, she came with the Tang Clan!
Since when were the northern Xie Clan close with the eastern Tang Clan?
But after they thought it was over, Xie Suyao stood waiting beside the door, even extending her hand out to receive like acting familiar. Soon after, the figure of one young woman appeared, holding Xie Suyao's hand and walking out from the car.
Her black hair was long and flowing, waving in the wind. A body more perfect than a model combined with uniquely sublime bearing. A beautiful face many had only seen in photos until given the title "Goddess's Smile."
Grandmaster Bai Fanxian!
Her reputation was extremely renowned, especially yesterday when she made herself known. The cultivators just seeing her in person for the first time stared with mouths agape.
"She's even more beautiful than in photos!"
"Grandmaster Bai's beauty truly exceeds the rumors!"
"This year's Goddess Rankings first place must definitely go to her!"
Those cheering voices were louder than when Master Sun Mingchuan came earlier, causing the old man who just walked halfway to have to turn and look.
"So rowdy..."
He sighed and shook his head before walking out again.
Though Bai Fanxian was the center of attention, no one dared approach to obstruct or introduce themselves because beside her was the terrifying being known as the Red Widow Queen constantly releasing strange pressure.
This allowed her group to walk into the event smoothly. Bai Fanxian looked at the festival atmosphere with interest. Hui'er and Tang Yeye were dragged by Tang Tianjie to buy snacks and strange things indulgently. The old man smiled broadly while having Huang Zihan photograph him with both little ones wearing the cute bright white wool hats he just bought for them.
Bai Fanxian looked along the way. Beyond food stalls, there were shops selling strange materials, most of which were medicinal ingredients. There were also many booths and research displays arranged everywhere.
Bai Fanxian naturally was interested in strange knowledge of this era. She walked around looking at this and that without stopping, with Xie Suyao guarding against people who would bother her Elder Sister nearby.
The beautiful young woman swept her gaze to read displayed research quickly. But after reading, she frowned and said nothing, immediately leading Xie Suyao to view the next research.
Xie Suyao noticed her Elder Sister's expression seemed to be frowning more deeply while reading that research, until she couldn't help asking:
"...Are you unwell, Elder Sister?"
But her question made Uncle Huang not far away quickly turn to look. When he noticed Bai Fanxian's face, he felt goosebumps for unknown reasons.
He'd seen this face before!
This was the same displeased expression from the day she asked him to help register the "Alchemy Empress" account, wasn't it!?