The next day.
Li Shuang had been ordered to pick up Lu Ming from the Thunderfire Hall. As she stepped into the Thunderfire Dojo, the thick, pungent smell of sweat that wafted over made her knit her willow-leaf brows slightly. She had already sent someone to inform Lu Ming, so all she could do now was stand there and wait.
Unsurprisingly, this drew many stealthy glances from those around her.
Clad in a white dress, Li Shuang possessed a slender, graceful figure. Her lovely face radiated a frosty temperament, making her quite an easy-to-look-at beauty.
Not long after Li Shuang arrived, however, another beautiful figure in emerald green entered the Divine Ability Dojo. Spotting Li Shuang, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, “Li Shuang?”
Li Shuang turned around and looked at Zhou Fuling as she approached. She was also somewhat surprised and asked, “Fuling? What are you doing here?”
Zhou Fuling let out a soft laugh and replied, “I'm here to pick up Lu Ming. Isn't he also participating in the Spiritual Fish Feast?”
Li Shuang froze. Zhou Fuling was here to pick up Lu Ming? Judging by how familiar they sounded, when had they gotten so close? Besides, given Zhou Fuling's status, why would she deign to come to the Thunderfire Hall just to wait for Lu Ming?
Clearly, Li Shuang had no idea that Lu Ming had been studying the Dao of Alchemy under Zhou Xuan recently.
“I was ordered by my aunt to pick up Lu Ming. She managed to secure a spot for him at this Spiritual Fish Feast,” Li Shuang explained, her beautiful eyes flickering.
Zhou Fuling naturally knew this. She just hadn't expected the head of the Li family to care so much about Lu Ming. Not only did she send someone to pick him up, but she didn't send a common maid—she sent Li Shuang, a direct descendant of the family.
Was it because of that girl named Jing Yi whom Li Shuang had mentioned before?
While Zhou Fuling's mind was racing, Lu Ming's figure came hurrying over. He was also a little surprised to see both girls here, but he stepped forward and greeted them, “Senior Sister, Lady Li.”
“Senior Sister?” Li Shuang's red lips parted slightly as she stared at Lu Ming and Zhou Fuling in bewilderment.
“Lu Ming has been studying the Dao of Alchemy under my Fourth Uncle recently, which is why he calls me Senior Sister,” Zhou Fuling explained simply without hiding too much. However, she didn't reveal a single detail about Lu Ming's genius in the Dao of Alchemy.
What a joke. Lu Ming hadn't even shown anything yet, and Li Yan was already treating him this well. If they found out he was also an alchemy genius, wouldn't they be even more eager to win him over?
“Lu Ming is studying the Dao of Alchemy under the Ward Master?!” Li Shuang was shocked. Her beautiful eyes couldn't help but size Lu Ming up. In just over a month, had this kid really become this sought-after? Even the Ward Master was personally teaching him the Dao of Alchemy? Could he even learn it?
“Let's go together,” Zhou Fuling said to Lu Ming with a sweet smile.
Lu Ming naturally nodded and followed her out.
Seeing the pretty smile Zhou Fuling gave Lu Ming, a sense of crisis suddenly rose in Li Shuang's heart. Of course, this wasn't for herself, but for her good sister, Jing Yi.
“Should I tell Jing Yi about Zhou Fuling?”
“Better not. How would I even dare to send a letter about this? If her father's clan intercepts it, my aunt will probably give me a harsh scolding.”
“But maybe it's a good thing. Jing Yi's father's clan already wants her to cut ties with him. If I tell her this, her disappointment might lead her to ignore Lu Ming entirely.”
“But she would probably be very sad, wouldn't she? She was always thinking about this kid in the past.”
“What is with this Zhou Fuling? She's the niece of the Ward Master and has an extraordinary background herself, yet she's acting like she's trying to steal someone else's man.”
...
Li Shuang's mind was in a complete mess, unsure of what to do. Her footsteps grew a bit disorganized, and she bumped headfirst into Lu Ming's back.
Lu Ming turned around in confusion.
A flush crept onto Li Shuang's frosty cheeks. She offered a clumsy excuse, “I stood for too long. My legs went numb.”
Lu Ming chuckled, and then the three of them left together.
Back in the Divine Ability Dojo, the numerous hot-blooded young male disciples watched this scene. Endless admiration rose in their eyes, which soon turned into sighs of worship.
Flanked by beauties on both sides—a man should live like this.
“The Little Hall Master is truly a role model for us all!”
...
The Spirit Fish Pool was located in the western suburbs of the city, where a majestic mountain towered. The scenery here was exquisite, and the primordial energy of heaven and earth was exceptionally rich. However, it had long since been partitioned and claimed by the various Divine Ability Clans of Qingyuan Ward, earning the mountain the nickname “Clan Mountain.”
Along the outer perimeter of the mountain path, checkpoints had been set up to prevent ordinary passersby from entering.
Lu Ming followed Zhou Fuling and Li Shuang, passing through without any obstacles. However, as they made their way up the mountain path, a joyful laugh echoed from a stone pavilion on the side.
“Lady Fuling, it has been a long time.”
Zhou Fuling raised her beautiful eyes and saw a dozen figures filing out of the stone pavilion. The leader was a tall, handsome young man dressed in black.
It was Yan Qing, a direct descendant of the Yan family.
Behind him followed the gorgeous Yan Zhizhi, along with several direct descendants of smaller clans in Qingyuan Ward.
Among them, Yan Qing was undoubtedly the center of attention.
At this moment, Yan Qing walked straight toward Zhou Fuling, saying with a warm smile, “What a coincidence.”
Beside him, Yan Zhizhi giggled and teased, “Fuling, my big brother knew you were attending the Spiritual Fish Feast today, so he's been waiting here for half an hour. Isn't that quite a 'coincidence'?”
Having his intentions exposed by Yan Zhizhi, Yan Qing seemed slightly embarrassed.
Zhou Fuling gave a polite smile but didn't address the teasing. She simply said, “Then let's head up the mountain together.”
Yan Qing smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to step closer, he noticed a youth standing to Zhou Fuling's left. His brow furrowed slightly as he sized him up, recognizing him. “Lu Ming?”
Yan Zhizhi was also somewhat surprised and asked, “Lu Ming, what are you doing here? This is an opportunity meant for the Divine Ability Clans. What does it have to do with you people from the Divine Ability Halls?”
Li Shuang said indifferently, “Our Li family gave Lu Ming a spot, so he will also be participating in the Spiritual Fish Feast.”
Zhou Fuling also smiled and added, “My Fourth Uncle originally intended to secure a spot for him as well, but Patriarch Li Yan beat him to it.”
Yan Qing, Yan Zhizhi, and the other direct descendants of the Divine Ability Clans were all stunned. It wasn't too hard to understand why Li Yan would give Lu Ming a spot, since most people knew about her relationship with the Thunderfire Hall.
But what did Zhou Fuling mean?
Why would the Ward Master himself try to secure a spot for Lu Ming?
“I heard that Lu Ming is studying the Dao of Alchemy under the Ward Master,” Li Shuang said.
“What?!”
As expected, this statement elicited a wave of shocked expressions. A barely perceptible smile flickered at the corner of Li Shuang's lips before she quickly suppressed it.
“Fuling, is what she said true?” Yan Zhizhi couldn't help but ask Zhou Fuling for confirmation.
Zhou Fuling nodded her fair, delicate chin slightly.
Everyone was speechless once more, finding it utterly unbelievable. With the Ward Master's lofty status, why would he personally teach the Dao of Alchemy to a mere disciple of a Divine Ability Hall? Even a High-grade Divine Ability Bone shouldn't warrant such high regard.
Although Yan Qing's handsome face still maintained a smile, it had clearly grown stiff. His gaze swept over Lu Ming, and a trace of irritation flickered in the depths of his eyes.
Damn it, what makes this bumpkin so special? Even if he has a High-grade Divine Ability Bone, who doesn't? Why is it that Zhou Xuan not only ignored me, but didn't even know my name?
Yan Qing's gaze suddenly swept over Zhou Fuling, and a thought flashed through his mind: Could Zhou Fuling have taken a liking to Lu Ming, which is why Zhou Xuan thinks so highly of him?
At this thought, the emotions he had been forcing down suddenly threatened to explode.
Intense jealousy and anger piled up in Yan Qing's heart.
How dare a bumpkin from a Divine Ability Hall try to touch a noble lady like Zhou Fuling?
Seeing Yan Qing's face suddenly turn dark, Yan Zhizhi quickly and discreetly tugged at his sleeve. Showing such emotions now would only make Zhou Fuling look down on him.
Yan Qing snapped back to his senses, and the smile on his face immediately returned to normal. “Let's go, Lady Fuling. I'll lead the way for you. The mountain is covered by a Divine Ability Restriction. If we take a wrong turn, it will trigger an attack.”
“Thank you,” Zhou Fuling nodded. She then instructed Lu Ming beside her, “Did you hear that? Don't wander off. Just stay close to me.”
“Understood, Senior Sister,” Lu Ming nodded.
Smiling, Yan Qing turned around. But the moment his back was turned, his handsome face became exceptionally dark, his eyes filled with jealousy and hatred. He cursed viciously in his heart, A bumpkin actually wants to leech off the Spiritual Fish Feast? If you manage to take even a single spirit fish today, I'll take your last name!
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