"Junior Brother Yu is indeed here, along with all of you, my Senior Brothers and fellow disciples."

The small boat came to a halt before the sword light controlled by Taoist Li. Meng Wei, in her Taoist garb, held a dust whisk in her hand. Her skin was as pale as snow, and she exuded a simple yet charming aura. However, as she bowed slightly in the most respectful manner to greet everyone, no one's thoughts wandered elsewhere. Each of them hurriedly returned her greeting, each more formal than the last, including Zhan Chuanyi, who was some distance away.

Yu Ci knew that Meng Wei had come specifically to fetch him. His feelings were as warm and comfortable as they had been towards Li You previously. After returning her greeting, he grinned and said, "Sister Meng, it's been a while."

Meng Wei's clear gaze rested on his face for a moment before she smiled and said, "I'm glad that you have come to the Sect's Mountain Gate for cultivation, Junior Brother. Considering that you are not yet able to fly with a tool, I brought this Floating Cloud Boat to pick you up. However, I didn't expect Brother Li and the others to beat me to it."

"Indeed, they beat me to it."

Taoist Li was quite the chatterbox. Even now, he was able to laugh and joke, saying, "Making friends and helping others is what we should do. How could I possibly lag behind Sister Meng? But since Sister Meng is here, let's go together."

With that, he called out loudly, "Hey, old Zhan, why are you standing so far away? Let's go!"

Zhan Chuanyi, silent as always, obediently flew back. He seemed somewhat wary of Meng Wei, and his face showed a hint of embarrassment. This caused a slightly awkward atmosphere among Yu Ci and the others, but Taoist Li nonchalantly said, "Let's go, let's go. If we're any later, the Misty Flowing Beast in the Heavenly Passage River might cause a disaster!"

Meng Wei smiled and turned to Yu Ci, asking softly, "Junior Brother, do you still want to ride on Brother Li's Yanzhe Sword?"

Yu Ci hesitated for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the female cultivator's face before shaking his head, "Brother Li has been carrying me for a while now, he must be tired. Sister Meng, do you have to control this Floating Cloud Boat yourself?"

"It's just a clever mechanism, it doesn't require much effort."

"Then let's take the boat."

No one objected to this choice, and even if they did, they wouldn't voice it out loud. Thus, Yu Ci thanked Taoist Li for his "enthusiasm" before moving onto the Floating Cloud Boat.

Just as Meng Wei had sung in her song, the vessel they were riding across the sea of clouds was indeed a flat boat. It was slender and just the right size for two people. The boat was powered by a Rune Array and floated above the clouds. With a single paddle stroke, it could glide through the air like an arrow. Rather than sailing, it was more like flying.

At the moment, with the Floating Cloud Boat as the epicenter, this group of people converged in one place, then continued to trace their path upstream.

With the increase in numbers, small groups naturally formed. In the beginning, with Taoist Li, a master of controlling the atmosphere, present, most discussions involved everyone and the divisions weren't obvious. However, people can only have so many common topics to discuss, and gradually, they started to find their own groups, with two to three people each. Of course, the majority of the time was still spent on the journey.

Yu Ci and Meng Wei were both on the Floating Cloud Boat, so they never lacked interesting topics to discuss. Most of the time, it was Meng Wei who spoke and Yu Ci who listened. Meng Wei mainly introduced Yu Ci to the things he needed to be aware of within the Sect's Mountain Gate, which was far more organized than the random anecdotes Taoist Li had shared.

Especially when she introduced the interpersonal relationships within the Sect, particularly within the Empirical Department, Yu Ci understood that Meng Wei's decision to sail to him was not a spur-of-the-moment idea. It was similar to Li You's plan, only more discreet.

At this moment, Meng Wei was quietly explaining her reasons for pretending not to notice the behavior of Zhan Chuanyi and others, "What Senior Brother Zhan and the others did was a bit excessive, but you've just entered the Sect's Mountain Gate. It's a time for you to focus and train diligently. It's best not to exacerbate conflicts with this faction, lest it makes it difficult for you to get along... As for Senior Brother Zhan, Tu Brothers, and even Senior Brother Zhou Yu, who is the first among the fourth-generation disciples of the Empirical Department and highly respected, he is very dissatisfied with what you did at the sheer cliff city. For the next three years, you will be living in the Countless Method Sanctuary, so you should be prepared and maintain harmony with your fellow disciples."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

The Countless Method Sanctuary is indeed the stronghold of the Empirical Department. Since Yu Ci was evaluated and recommended by He Qing, who belongs to the Empirical Department, he will inevitably also live there. Meng Wei's concerns are not without reason, and her words and actions today, which are quite different from her usual serious demeanor when discussing matters, are also intended to alleviate conflicts.

Yu Ci, naturally understanding her intentions, responded solemnly, only to hear Meng Wei say, "In fact, even I do not fully approve of your actions in the city of Sheer Cliff. And as for Uncle Master He..."

At this point, she shook her head, not continuing, but it was clear she was referring to the disastrous event during the battle with Blood Monk Tu Ling that resulted in over a hundred thousand casualties. It seemed that the Mountain Gate of the Lichen Sect also had disputes over this matter. Yu Ci remained silent. After a while, Meng Wei softly said:

"I am well aware that the situation on and off the mountain is different, and your position is far more perilous than ours. However, all things are different, but the Dao is the same. Although matters are complex, the law is one. What distinguishes them is only the degree of difficulty. I hope you have the courage to face adversity. Destroying families and sects for momentary satisfaction will only attract the Heart Demon."

Regardless of whether Meng Wei's words were in line with Yu Ci's thoughts, she meant well for him. Yu Ci nodded in agreement, "Yes, thank you for your guidance, senior sister."

Although he had thanked her, Yu Ci didn't want to dwell on the topic. So after expressing his gratitude, he proactively changed the subject, "Sister Meng, have your injuries healed?"

In fact, even before he asked the question, Yu Ci already had an answer in mind. Since their meeting, Meng Wei had been composed, but her cheeks were pale, and her aura was not as smooth and unobstructed as Taoist Li's or Li You's. It was certain that her injuries had not yet healed.

As expected, Meng Wei shook her head, "I still need to recuperate."

The damage caused by the God Slaying Sting was indeed not easy to eliminate. Yu Ci was well aware of Meng Wei's condition, and on this return to the Sect's Mountain Gate, he had something related to this.

He glanced around, there were more people nearby, but there was no need to hide this matter. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Sister Meng, I have a gift for you from my journey down the mountain. I don't know if you'll like it."

As soon as he spoke, everyone within a radius of half a mile, including Li You, turned their heads in surprise. They watched as Yu Ci took something out of his Storage Ring. At that moment, Yu Ci suddenly felt as if he was on fire, not knowing whose gaze was so piercing.

Meng Wei on the other side was also surprised. Without looking at what Yu Ci took out, she smiled and said, "We are from the same sect, why bother with these worldly courtesies?"

"I didn't prepare it specifically, but I thought this item would be particularly suitable for you, Sister Meng, so I brought it."

As Yu Ci spoke, he gently shook the object in his hand, and it seemed to transform into a cloud of red smoke, spreading out.

At this moment, the gazes on his back were even more piercing, and he even heard Taoist Li say to Li You, "Has this Junior Brother Yu always been this bold?"

Regardless of these absurdly amusing words, Yu Ci unfolded the light veil in his hands, awaiting Meng Wei's response. Meng Wei gave him a deep look. Under the watchful eyes of the surrounding cultivators, she reached out to accept it. At that moment, Yu Ci distinctly heard someone take a deep breath.

"What is this?"

At present, perhaps only the two people on the small boat could treat this matter with a calm heart. Meng Wei's thoughts had always been very clear, especially after holding the veil in her hands, she discovered the peculiarity of this red veil.

The red veil was about five feet long and three feet wide. No one knew what kind of silk it was woven from, but it was as light as air, reflecting the sky's light, and produced a dazzling red glow. Meng Wei could tell at a glance that this red veil had been refined by the method of Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha into about six layers, making it a magical instrument.

Also, this light veil looked somewhat familiar.

"I obtained this item from an evil person. It was originally refined by him into an evil artifact. Later, Master Gan of the Four Clarity Sect returned it to its original state, revealing its true face. After I refined it a few more layers, it suddenly revealed a peculiar feature," Yu Ci explained confidently, pointing at the misty light on the red veil, "Sister Meng, look at these patterns..."

Under his guidance, Meng Wei quickly discovered the distribution pattern of the veil's reflected designs. After a few more looks, her heart trembled, "Junior Brother Yu..."

Yu Ci smiled and saluted, "Please accept it, Sister Meng."

Meng Wei's clear eyes lingered on his face for a moment, then she shook her head. Yu Ci was taken aback, and then heard her say:

"I will borrow it for a few days. After I copy it, I will definitely return it."

After saying this, she straightened her posture and solemnly saluted Yu Ci. The surrounding people like Taoist Li were naturally astounded.

"Brother, what's going on?" Tu Rifei asked in a whisper, but his twin brother had no words to explain. The two brothers simultaneously had a thought, "It's good that we didn't offend him to death just now, otherwise how would we face Sister Meng in the future?"

The two brothers glanced to the side, only to see Zhan Chuanyi, who had been gritting his teeth all along, was also somewhat dazed:

What is the relationship between this man and Meng Wei?

Just as everyone was puzzled, the great river took another turn. A bright light filled their eyes, and they finally arrived at the Mountain Gate of the Lichen Sect.

...