There were a total of fifty dead in the aftermath of the devastating night attack. Eight were from the Heavenly Fragrance Villa while forty-two were from the other celestial clans. A number of cultivators were also critical injured and thirty cultivators had to be sent back to the main waiting camp.
Qian Jingjing was also critically injured but she refused to be sent back to the main camp.
She had said, "What is the point of going back to the main camp? I have no one there to wait for me."
Lu Qingyun had tried to persuade her to recuperate her injuries first but it was in vain.
A few days later, the weary group of cultivators had ventured deep into the Moon Demon Forest without any further major troubles.
There were some minor troubles though and dozens more of the cultivators had crumbled to either heavy injuries or had perished along the way.
What was left of a group of around six hundred cultivators had dwindled down to a group of some four hundred cultivators.
Just as Lu Qingyun was wondering how many more days would they be arriving at the ancient ruin, their group had suddenly encountered dozens of protégés from the Heavenly Fragrance Villa that were waiting for them.
There was a powerful celestial array that was in the area and it was glowing brightly when they had arrived.
"Where are we?"
"We are safe?"
"Why are there so many protégés of the Heavenly Fragrance Villa here?"
"There are so many golden celestials here…"
"It seems that many of the high ranking Heavenly Fragrance Heralds are also here…"
Lu Qingyun had spotted Celestial Tang Xuefeng among half a dozen other golden celestials as she arrived to greet Feng Xiaoxiao and her group.
As he was watching them from afar, he could not hear what they were saying.
Tang Xuefeng had a solemn look when she saw the dejected look of their expedition group. But when she saw that Lu Qingyun was looking in her direction, she smiled as she winked at him.
Lu Qingyun was startled as he thought, "Did she just wink at me or?"
Even Qian Jingjing was frowning with displeasure as she asked him quietly, "Did that beautiful sister over there just wink at you?"
Lu Qingyun stammered, "We are acquaintances."
"Oh? You seem to know quite a number of beautiful sisters from the Heavenly Fragrance Villa." Qian Jingjing probed.
Lu Qingyun explained, "They were staying at my celestial clan. Naturally I know some of them."
Qian Jingjing said, "Is that so?"
Lu Qingyun smiled weakly, "Although I know many of these beautiful sisters but we are just friends."
Qian Jingjing chuckled softly before she mimicked Tang Xuefeng to give him a mocking wink.
Feng Xiaoxiao had turned her head toward the expedition group and her lovely voice began to echo, "We have finally reached our destination so you can setup camp in the northeast of this celestial array. You are safe now and can have a good rest first. Tomorrow, I will give everyone a debriefing."
"You are all dismissed." She added after a short inhale.
When everyone was moving toward the northeast area, Zhao Xingye and Zhao Riyue had suddenly approached Lu Qingyun and Qian Jingjing as they greeted. "Senior, Heavenly Fragrance Herald Xuefeng wants to talk to you."
Qian Jingjing was startled that they were actually calling Lu Qingyun a senior, "Did I hear wrongly?"
Zhao Xingye smiled as she added, "Maiden Qian, please come with us as well."
Lu Qingyun was a little surprised that Tang Xuefeng had wanted to summon him into her audience and had even summoned Qian Jingjing at the same time.
"Please follow us." Zhao Riyue smiled.
Soon they had arrived at the tent of Tang Xuefeng's dwelling. Her tent was in the interior of the Heavenly Fragrance Villa's camp.
When they had arrived in her tent, Tang Xuefeng had not arrived and there were only the four of them.
Zhao Riyue smiled, "Please take a seat while waiting."
Qian Jingjing could not resist asking, "Sisters, why are you calling my Brother Qingyun your senior? Do you know him very well?"
Lu Qingyun nearly flipped when he had heard Qian Jingjing. He had not really expected Qian Jingjing to ask something like this.
Zhao Riyue smiled and was not offended. "His master is an elder of our sect. Therefore we ought to address him as our senior. Am I not right to say so? We have heard that Maiden Qian is really close to Senior Lu."
Qian Jingjing was flushing when she had heard her. She took a quick look at Lu Qingyun before she said shyly, "We are not close at all. We are only friends."
Zhao Riyue smiled and said nothing while Zhao Xingye was smiling secretly behind Zhao Riyue. They knew that Qian Jingjing was lying in front of them.
Lu Qingyun saw that Tang Xuefeng's tent had a nice scent and he liked it.
Therefore he began to walk around the tent as he said curiously, "So this is Heavenly Fragrance Herald Xuefeng's tent." Then he spotted a wooden curtain and walked behind it to take a look.
Zhao Riyue and Zhao Xingye were suddenly shouting to him and they had hot flushes on their countenances, "Senior, don't go there. It is because…"
"Because?…"
Lu Qingyun had suddenly paused in his tracks; it was because he had suddenly spotted rows of Tang Xuefeng's lingerie behind the wooden curtain.
He was suddenly flustered and he tried to pretend that he had not seen anything, "There is…nothing here…"
"What nothing here?" A lovely chuckle could be heard and it was Tang Xuefeng as she entered together with Feng Xiaoxiao, Yin Shisi and Ouyang Xue.
When Lu Qingyun had heard her voice, he was so startled that he began to knock into her hanging lingerie clumsily and even the wooden curtain stand had toppled over, covering himself with her scented lingeries.
This scene was witnessed by everyone who was all gasping with great shock. Even the smiles that were on Tang Xuefeng had vanished and a beautiful flush had appeared on her countenance.
Feng Xiaoxiao was covering her mouth with shock and her eyes were wide-opened; she simply could not believe that Lu Qingyun was actually playing with her protégé sister's lingeries.
Yin Shisi and Ouyang Xue were gasping and they were trembling lightly with shock.
Zhao Riyue and Zhao Xingye had gasped aloud while Qian Jingjing had taken a step back in shock.
Lu Qingyun was so flustered that his face and ears had turned completely red and he was shouting panicky, "This is all a misunderstanding! This isn't what you think it is!"
The ears of Tang Xuefeng was extremely red as she looked confused for the very first time. All her lingeries were all over the place and on Lu Qingyun. She was completely lost and speechless.
It took her a lot of courage to say in front of so many eyes, "Senior, what are you doing?"
Lu Qingyun was also stunned by this question. What was he doing? He was actually taking a look at her tent and this happened. But how was he going to explain it in a casual manner that would not embarrassed himself and could get him out of this fix at the same time?
Finally he was forced to reply quickly because so many shocked eyes were looking at him now for an explanation, "I am a little clumsy and has knocked myself over the wooden curtain…" It was a white lie and not exactly what had happened.
Therefore when he had said that, his nervous eyes were looking at Zhao Riyue, Zhao Xingye and Qian Jingjing and seemed to be saying silently to them. "Please don't tell them what has happened or I'll be screwed…"
Tang Xuefeng blinked her eyes and she said weakly, "Then be more careful next time." Her ears were intense red when she had said that. It was obvious that she had never been so embarrassed in her entire life before.
Feng Xiaoxiao, Yin Shisi, Ouyang Xue, Zhao Riyue and Zhao Xingye were all staring awkwardly at her as though they were all saying, "Isn't this punishment a little too light?"
Tang Xuefeng was a golden celestial and she was aware of their stares without a need to look at their faces. Her sensory perception was actually quite superior to many of the same level golden celestials. But this time her sensory perception had worked against her and it had magnified her awkwardness to a high level.
She tried to force herself to say icily, "There won't be a next time…or I will…or I will…"
"Or what?" The others seemed to be looking at her for an answer.
Even Lu Qingyun was extremely nervous when she had said that.
Tang Xuefeng had wanted to say that she would slice him to pieces but Lu Qingyun was her senior and the direct disciple of their Great Benefactor Fan Yuqing. No matter how awkward she was, she would never be able to mutter that out.
Moreover she knew in her heart that it was an accident. Surely Senior Lu Qingyun would never do such a thing in front of the three maidens that were with him before she had entered the tent.
Although she trusted that it was an accident but she doubted the circumstances that led to this accident. What was he doing before she had entered the tent? Was he looking at her lingerie?
But this was something that she had wanted to sweep under the carpet lest it became overblown and she would have lost all her reputation.
In the end Tang Xuefeng really did not know what to say what the punishment would be. Instead she changed to a new line and said shyly, "Surely you ought to know what to do, am I right?"
She was giving Lu Qingyun an easy exit. As long as Lu Qingyun could quickly apologize to her, she was willing to forgive him and they would have a face-saving exit.
Yin Shisi, Ouyang Xue, Feng Xiaoxiao, Qian Jingjing, Zhao Riyue and Zhao Xingye knew what Tang Xuefeng was thinking. This was the best way out for the two of them.
Lu Qingyun quickly stammered panicky, "I will surely wash them all clean before I return them to you….it is my fault for dirtying them. I will make amends…"
Tang Xuefeng: …
Everyone: …
Tang Xuefeng almost flipped when Lu Qingyun had said that instead of apologizing immediately. She and all the other maidens really had not expected Lu Qingyun to say that.
They had almost forgotten that Lu Qingyun is a man while they are women. Men and women do not always think alike.
In Lu Qingyun's mind, this was the best way to make amends and to make it up for his mistakes. In this way, Tang Xuefeng did not need to wash her lingeries again and he could help her to save plenty of troubles and her hands would be free to focus on her other tasks.
However he did not know that women can sometimes do the most troublesome things like cooking and washing because they like to pay a personal attention to things that affect them personally. To them, this is like a practice that they enjoy doing because practice makes them better and they are always constantly learning from their experienced practices.
That was when both sexes screwed themselves up over an action and this was now the case.
Lu Qingyun was thinking, "Did I say something wrong? Or she is not willing to forgive me?"
Tang Xuefeng was now flushing even redder at the thought that Lu Qingyun would be washing her lingeries for her.
With a flushed look, she began to walk over and bended over to pick her lingeries. She was now so awkward that she did not know what to say anymore. Her only thought now was to pick her lingeries as soon as possible.
As she bended over to pick her lingeries, she muttered. "No thanks. I can wash myself." Her golden eyes were bleary. She had never been so embarrassed before and she wanted to cry but her pride kept her from doing so.
Tang Xuefeng was an astonishing beauty and was a different beauty from the other maidens. She had an intelligent look and was a scholarly beauty. Even her eyes gave others the impression that she was intelligent.
But right now, Lu Qingyun found himself staring at her exposed cleavage and saw that she had a full figure despite her slim figure.
Realizing that his eyes were wandering to where he should not be looking, he quickly said. "Let me help you…" And he was grabbing her panties to hand it over to her.
Tang Xuefeng was so startled by what he had grabbed that she panicky said, "No wait. I can help myself…"
All of a sudden they had banged their heads together in their clumsy attempt to 'help' each other.
"Ouch…" Both said at the same time.
Feng Xiaoxiao could not bear to watch the scene anymore. She weakly said, "At this rate, our meeting can never start…"
Tang Xuefeng and Lu Qingyun were so flustered by now, especially more flustered when they had heard Feng Xiaoxiao.
Tang Xuefeng may be a golden celestial but right now she felt as though she was only a lowly cultivator and she almost burst into tears. "You…Senior, please take a seat first. I will gather my own clothing…"
Lu Qingyun gasped as he clumsily stepped on her lingerie, "Sorry! I have just stepped on your…"
Tang Xuefeng looked at him with bleary eyes, "Just step aside. It is alright. Please say no more…"
Lu Qingyun was startled that he had actually made a proud golden celestial like Tang Xuefeng cry in front of him and so many others.
And Tang Xuefeng had actually burst into sobbing tears now; she had thoroughly embarrassed and shamed herself today.
Feng Xiaoxiao was heartbreak when she saw the scene and she quickly said to the others, "Please do not tell anyone what has happened here. Or I, Feng Xiaoxiao will not spare any one of you!"