Venomous, narrowed glances pierced Ji Wuye like needles from all corners of the lower level ground of Kunlun Sect.

He sat awkwardly at his table, two forkfuls of steaming food hovering uncertainly before his mouth as the weight of those hostile glares bore down on him. A twitch tickling the corner of his mouth as he forced an uncomfortable smile.

"This is too much, Big Sister, Senior Sister," Ji Wuye said in a strained voice, squinting his eyes as he raised his hands in a polite gesture of refusal. The fragrant aroma of the dishes wafted enticingly, but his appetite was stifled by the tension hanging thick in the air.

The situation felt utterly bizarre. Aside from Song Jia, seated to his left, gobbling her food with unbridled gusto, the rest of the table's occupants seemed jarringly out of place. And they were currently engaged in a silent, charged contest of wills.

"No, you should eat, Brother Ji. After all, Senior Sister Lian worked hard to prepare this for you," purred one of the female disciples in a soft, almost taunting tone. She was clad in a crisp white martial robe with dark blue stripes marking her status as an Official Disciple.

Indeed, everyone at the table besides Song Jia and Ji Wuye himself were Official Disciples, who should have been dining in the Central Courtyard rather than mingling in this Outer Disciples area.

On the other hand, the one encouraging Ji Wuye not to refuse, offering a second steaming fork after the first, was an especially tall young woman towering over 6 chi.

Her long, raven tresses were sleek and lustrous, partially tied back in a deceptively simple yet undeniably elegant updo, with the rest cascading like spilled ink over her shoulders. A delicate blue floral ornament was pinned amid her hair, subtle but eye-catching.

Her striking features were arranged in a subtly smug, almost predatory expression as her heavy-lidded gaze locked teasingly onto Ji Wuye's face.

Her full lips curled into a razor-edged smirk, yet she broke eye contact briefly to shoot a quick, meaningful glance at the disciple seated beside Ji Wuye, who had also been sneaking furtive looks at his visage.

She was none other than Qiu Xia. As Ji Wuye gazed at her unsettling, provocative stare, he couldn't help but find her bold, uninvited behavior utterly mystifying as always.

Meanwhile, Qiu Xia had been exchanging meaningful looks with was seated on Ji Wuye's right— Lian Rougang, who had just set down her fork with a soft clink against her plate.

She had been the first to offer Ji Wuye food, but after a boldly teasing remark from somone, Lian Rougang seemed to shrink back, her earlier warmth evaporating.

"Let's eat normally, shall we? You're an Official Disciple now, and we should act moderately, especially in front of these...guests," Lian Rougang suggested, her tone surprisingly austere—not the usual gentle kindness she showed others, nor the solemn authority she commanded as a Senior Official Disciple.

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Instead, her melodious voice carried an unmistakable undercurrent of hostility, an icy coldness and even a subtle tremor of repressed anger.

Her eyes shifted challengingly between Qiu Xia's slender hands, still proffering the fork piled high with morsels, and Qiu Xia's sultry, half-lidded gaze that remained fixed tauntingly upon her own face.

It should be normal; after all, she was the woman she was familiar with. But for some reason, seeing this shameless display made Lian Rougang's stomach knot with discomfort and an uncharacteristic flare of anger at Qiu Xia's brazen boldness.

Meanwhile, she herself had backed down meekly, and a surprising thought flitted unbidden across her mind: 'I...I don't like this!'

The realization stunned her. Normally, seeing other women openly pursuing Ji Wuye was nothing out of the ordinary.

After all, he was undeniably a strikingly handsome young man, and she was merely his Senior Sister. She had no grounds to stop anyone from approaching him romantically.

Her role was solely to ensure his safety and guide his martial patth—nothing more, nothing possessive or...special.

And yet...

'W-what's happening to me?!' Lian Rougang panicked, her heart hammering wildly as an unfamiliar feeling gripped her. She found herself unable to meet Qiu Xia's challenging gaze, lowering her head instinctively to hide the telltale redness blooming across her fair cheeks.

…

While Lian Rougang grappled with this bewildering inner turmoil, there were two more figures seated at this long wooden table. One was a delicately pretty young woman—the newly promoted Official Disciple Shen Bi, another of Ji Wuye's Senior Sisters.

The other was an unfamiliar face, at least to Ji Wuye.

These three - Qiu Xia, Shen Bi, and the tall, striking stranger - took their seats together on the long wooden bench directly facing Ji Wuye, Lian Rougang, and Song Jia.

"Oh? Why are you backing off now, Gang'er?" the unfamiliar woman teased, a spark of amusement dancing in her eyes as she was the first to remark upon Lian Rougang's uncharacteristic hesitation.

She was also the one who suggested Lian Rougang should just marry Ji Wuye herself.

Her dark brown hair fell in thick, glossy waves past her broad shoulders, and her full lips were curved into an insufferably smug smile as she rested her chin lazily on her upturned palms. Her piercing black eyes watched the awkward scene before her with undisguised relish.

This was Ding Xiuying - Lian Rougang's best friend.

In stark contrast to the heavenly, ethereal beauties like Lian Rougang, Song Jia or Mu Lan Rou, Ding Xiuying's appearance was more akin to Qiu Xia's - earthy and striking, with long black tresses and a distinctive mole at the corner of one eye that lent her an air of roguish charm.

However, instead of rising to her friend's goading remarks, Lian Rougang remained uncharacteristically silent, her head bowed as if deep in troubled thought.

This unnatural reticence immediately caught Ding Xiuying's attention, and as she glanced curiously to the side, she noticed Qiu Xia observing her with a faint, inscrutable smile playing about her full lips.

"Then shall we eat normally, as Senior Sister Lian suggested?" Qiu Xia purred, withdrawing the fork laden with delicacies that she had been offering to the Ji Wuye. With a teasing spark in her eyes, she brought the morsels to her own mouth instead, all while holding Ding Xiuying's gaze in a subtle challenge that made the other woman frown.

…

While the women were busy fighting among themselves, the feast began as the tension at the table mounted. Yet as they ate, Ji Wuye's keen crimson eyes couldn't help but notice something distinctly strange about the crowd milling about in this lower-level dining area.

'Wel...let's see how they would deal with these,' Ji Wuye mused to himself, his piercing gaze sweeping over the horde of 'fake' Outer Disciples gathered around, noisily eating and drinking while keeping their shifty eyes fixed hungrily on the ascending stairs leading up to the Central Courtyard.

In addition, Ji Wuye's perceptive crimson eyes also took note of something peculiar about the wider crowd.

Many Official Disciples were scattered across the various tables, with at least one Official Disciple mingling inconspicuously among the Outer Disciples at every spot.

It was clear they were already aware of the presence of the suspicious 'fake' Outer Disciples.

Yet for some inexplicable reason, there had been no sign of response or action from the Elders.

...

As the raucous feast gradually wound down, the disciples began rising from their benches to take their leave, seemingly unaware of the simmering tensions. But Ji Wuye's sharp gaze caught an unusual shift in the atmosphere.

The Official Disciples suddenly began engaging in conversations with those very Outer Disciples they had been monitoring throughout the meal.

'It's starting,' Ji Wuye thought, taking a contemplative sip from his ceramic cup as his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

At that very moment, a cadre of Inner Disciples - along with a group Official Disciples - began appearing from Central Courtyard, fanning out to slowly but surely surround the entire lower level area.

"Attention to all Outer Disciples and guests..."