Upon hearing the sudden outburst, not only was Meng Shuying taken aback, but even Su Luowei froze for a moment.
After all, Meng Shuying was now the Peak Lord of Qionghua Peak in Qingxu Sect, one of the highest-ranking figures in the sect, second only to Sect Master Zhan Xuehan and Bai Zhan Peak Lord Nie Wentian.
Who would dare speak to her so bluntly within Qingxu Sect?
The voice was loud and assertive, indicating a strong personality.
The tone was firm and unyielding, showing no fear of Meng Shuying's reputation.
And the person had walked straight into the house without hesitation, meaning the protective formations outside had not hindered them at all.
There was only one person in the entire Qingxu Sect who could meet all three criteria.
Su Luowei's close friend, Xie Hanzhu.
Xie Hanzhu's presence was felt before she even appeared.
"Well, well, Meng Shuying! I was wondering why the door was shut in broad daylight. Turns out you're hiding someone here!"
"You pretend to be deeply in love, but how long has it really been since Senior Sister left? And you can't even wait to fill the void!"
"If you wanted to find someone, I wouldn't have blamed you, but how dare you bring them here?"
"This is infuriating! Get back to Qionghua Peak where you belong!"
Xie Hanzhu didn't just stop at words; she gathered spiritual energy into her palm and struck with the intent to punish the "immoral couple" on the spot.
Without turning around, Su Luowei caught the attack with a swift, effortless motion, neutralizing Xie Hanzhu's aggressive energy.
Xie Hanzhu stumbled back a step, about to shout, "You—"
But as soon as she saw the person in front of her, she fell silent, frozen in place, with the spiritual energy in her hand dissipating instantly.
Her eyes widened, and her mouth formed a perfect "O."
Su Luowei smiled at her, her eyes and lips curving with warmth. "Hanzhu, you're still as spirited as ever."
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Xie Hanzhu suddenly spun around and dashed back out, grabbing someone who was slowly approaching. In disbelief, she stammered, "Wen Miaomiao, come quick! I think I just saw Senior Sister!"
"If you saw her, then you saw her. What do you mean, 'think'?" Wen Miaomiao replied with a hint of amusement.
"I'm afraid I'm seeing things, or maybe I'm dreaming. Wen Miaomiao, pinch me to see if it hurts." Xie Hanzhu clung to Wen Miaomiao's arm as if she could draw strength from it.
Wen Miaomiao pulled her along back into the house, her eyes briefly scanning Su Luowei's face without a trace of surprise. In fact, she even had the presence of mind to tease Xie Hanzhu, "She looks a bit like her and a bit different."
Meng Shuying finished cooking the porridge and carefully poured it into a pot, carrying it out with some side dishes.
Su Luowei followed her closely, passing by Xie Hanzhu, who still stood there, dazed and unresponsive.
After they had walked a few steps, Su Luowei turned back to call out to Xie Hanzhu, "What are you standing there for? Come on, let's eat. Ah Ying made your favorite, smoked lingxi meat."
Xie Hanzhu jolted as if shocked, then rushed forward and threw her arms around Su Luowei, enveloping her in a tight hug.
"Senior Sister! Is it really you?"
The impact made Su Luowei stagger, but Meng Shuying was there to catch her, preventing a fall.
Initially convinced that Meng Shuying had found a new lover, Xie Hanzhu now faced the reality of her Senior Sister's miraculous return. The emotional rollercoaster made her burst out laughing before urgently confirming, "I'm not dreaming, am I?"
Su Luowei smiled gently. "No, you're not."
Xie Hanzhu hugged her again, but this time, after releasing her, tears welled up and spilled over.
She wiped her tears on Su Luowei's clothes, sobbing, "Senior Sister… You've finally come back. We've waited so long for you."
Xie Hanzhu cried for a while, only stopping when she saw Meng Shuying digging out two jars of peach blossom wine from under the peach trees.
The four of them sat down at the table—each at one side. Xie Hanzhu and Meng Shuying flanked Su Luowei, with Wen Miaomiao directly across from her, a perfect arrangement.
They ate while chatting about various topics.
During Su Luowei's absence, many things had happened in Qingxu Sect and the cultivation world. Although Meng Shuying hadn't had time to explain everything in detail before, now that Xie Hanzhu was here, it was the perfect opportunity.
Biting her chopsticks thoughtfully, Xie Hanzhu decided to start from the day Su Luowei's Golden Core shattered.
On that day, after Su Luowei collapsed into Meng Shuying's arms, Min Lanmeng escaped in the chaos, and a few days later, Jiang Ye, who had been imprisoned at the back of the Discipline Hall, was secretly released. Xie Hanzhu suspected it was Yu Qing who freed Jiang Ye, but lacking evidence, she confronted Yu Qing at Qionghua Peak, only to be caught by the Sect Master and confined for three months.
Qionghua Peak couldn't go without a leader, and after Min Lanmeng fled in guilt, Meng Shuying was the highest-ranking cultivator on the peak. Zhan Xuehan intended for her to take over as Peak Lord.
But Meng Shuying refused, saying she needed time to find a way to resurrect her Senior Sister and couldn't be burdened with mundane matters. Seeing her determination, Zhan Xuehan didn't force the issue, and they compromised—Meng Shuying would hold the title of Peak Lord in name, while Yu Qing handled the day-to-day affairs.
Over the years, not only did Meng Shuying travel far and wide, but Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao also tirelessly searched for a way to bring Su Luowei back.
At this point, Xie Hanzhu began tearing up again. "The days without hope were the hardest. I almost wanted to give up, but it was their persistence that kept me going."
"And, Senior Sister, you don't know—what made it most difficult wasn't the endless searching, but Meng Shuying—"
Su Luowei expected her to speak in Meng Shuying's favor, and a smile was already forming on her lips when Xie Hanzhu huffed, "It was having to face that deadpan expression of hers every day! It was unbearable. Even the new disciples secretly asked me if Peak Lord Meng of Qionghua Peak had a terrible temper."
Su Luowei could only shake her head in helpless amusement.
Despite her teasing and scolding, Xie Hanzhu remained as lively and outspoken as ever, making Su Luowei feel as if the years that had separated them had been erased.
Luckily, she had returned before it was too late.
Talking about the past brought a rare look of emotion to Meng Shuying's face. However, she was never one for flowery words, let alone expressing gratitude.
Throughout the years, she had never verbally thanked them, only occasionally sending some elixirs as a subtle gesture of appreciation.
Now that Su Luowei had been resurrected, the weight on Meng Shuying's heart had been lifted, and she felt much lighter.
Not to mention, she was in particularly high spirits.
She thought for a moment before breaking the seal on the wine jars, pouring the peach blossom wine into four crystal glasses. The wine sparkled as it swirled in the glasses, and she raised her own, addressing Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao, "Thank you for everything, all these years."
Wen Miaomiao smiled as she lifted her glass. "Between us, there's no need for thanks. Besides, Senior Sister Su wasn't just your Senior Sister; she was ours too."
She downed the wine in one gulp, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "And congratulations to Meng Shimei for finally fulfilling her wish."
Meng Shuying and Wen Miaomiao exchanged a glance, instantly understanding the underlying meaning, and she smiled, raising her glass to drink.
Xie Hanzhu followed suit. "Indeed! Since Senior Sister is finally back, we should drink and celebrate for three days and nights!"
She then turned to Su Luowei. "But Senior Sister, surely you're not going to stick to just three cups today?"
Su Luowei nodded lightly, but her gaze flicked briefly to Meng Shuying, like a dragonfly skimming the water. "Just three cups—I must exercise restraint."
Meng Shuying shot her a quick glance before looking away, suppressing a smile. So, Senior Sister was blaming her for not being restrained.
The undercurrents between them went unnoticed by Xie Hanzhu, who was busy running through a mental list of people Su Luowei would know who were still around, preparing to share the most important updates with her.
After talking about the Qingxu Sect, Xie Hanzhu shifted to the current state of the cultivation world.
Thanks to Zhan Xuehan's influence, the Eastern Extremity Sect and Qingxu Sect remained close allies. However, Penglai and Danyang Alliance had fallen out and were now aligning with Kunlun.
Compared to one hundred and eighty years ago, the biggest change was that Danyang Alliance had been gradually declining, likely to be removed from the ranks of the Five Great Sects soon.
And the one responsible for all of this was calmly placing a piece of lingxi meat into Su Luowei's bowl at that very moment.
Perhaps it was her imagination, but Xie Hanzhu thought there was something strange between those two.
She quietly moved her chair closer to Wen Miaomiao, continuing, "…But in recent years, the Danyang Alliance has been making little moves, like a pest burrowing underground—hard to kill and extremely annoying. The reason we came today was to discuss this."
Originally, Xie Hanzhu had planned to talk about this after dinner, but since they were already on the topic, she decided to bring it up now.
"Three months ago, there were frequent demonic energy fluctuations in the south. Since that area is under the Danyang Alliance's control, we couldn't investigate openly, so the Sect Master sent several teams to discreetly look into the demonic energy."
At this point, a rare look of seriousness crossed Xie Hanzhu's face. "But we didn't expect that all the disciples we sent would disappear without a trace. Their soul lamps are still lit, but there's no sign of them."
Demonic energy was a grave matter, and those sent to investigate were not the top cultivators, but they were certainly the core members of Qingxu Sect, several of whom were Nascent Soul disciples.
Zhan Xuehan was too occupied to leave, and Nie Wentian was in seclusion. After discussing it with Wen Miaomiao, they volunteered to investigate the matter.
One hundred and eighty years had passed, and Wen Miaomiao was now at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, just a step away from breaking through to the Minor Ascension. Even Xie Hanzhu had recently condensed her own Nascent Soul.
Zhan Xuehan agreed to let them go but was uneasy about them going alone, so she suggested they ask Meng Shuying if she would accompany them.
As she finished, Xie Hanzhu couldn't help but wonder aloud, "It's strange, isn't it? Isn't the Demon Seal supposed to be here with us? How could there be demonic energy near the Danyang Alliance?"
"Because there's also a Demon Seal buried beneath Danyang Mountain," Wen Miaomiao suddenly interjected. "Most people only know about the one at Qingxu Peak, but they don't realize that each of the Five Great Sects' strongholds has a Demon Seal. Years ago, the Demon Tribe somehow created a passageway between the human and demon realms, secretly sending many demons through."
"A passageway?" Xie Hanzhu was shocked. "Why haven't I heard about this? And I've never heard of demons causing trouble anywhere!"
"That's because the demons that came through had only one mission—to break the Demon Seals. The passageway wasn't stable, so the demons sent were weak and were quickly discovered by the cultivators of the Five Sects."
But before the cultivators discovered the passageway, it had existed for some time, meaning no one knew how many demons had already crossed over. Some might have even integrated into human society.
Xie Hanzhu, having only recently reached the Nascent Soul stage, was unaware of these high-level matters.
Meng Shuying, having been preoccupied with other concerns in the past, was also hearing this for the first time.
"Do you remember Tian Fuling?" Wen Miaomiao asked. "She came through that passageway."