“Enough with the suspense, Senior Martial Brother Zhao!” Lu Zhiying complained. “Tell us what it is already!”

“That’s right. What is so important that you have to interrupt our precious picnic?” Gu Qiansi questioned.

“Precious picnic? You will understand how meaningless that picnic of yours really is once you see what I am about to show you!” Zhao Yunxiao replied in a confident manner.

Zhao Yunxiao had brought them to a quiet pavilion nearby, only choosing to enter after making sure that there was nobody else around.

“So what is it?” Gu Qiansi was starting to lose her patience.

At the same time, her curiosity began to grow as well.

She knew Zhao Yunxiao well enough.

For him to be this secretive, what he was about to show them must be something good indeed!

Otherwise, this scrooge would not be so worried about others finding out about it.

“Don’t blink!” Zhao Yunxiao opened up his bamboo backpack and pulled out an egg that was just slightly bigger than his hand.

“This is... an egg?” Lu Zhiying furrowed her brows with disappointment written all over her face.

“What about the egg?” Gu Qiansi raised an eyebrow as well.

“Let’s cook up an egg dish with it!” Zhao Yunxiao said with an excited grin. “Or rather, cook up an egg dish with it, Gu Qiansi!”

“And why should I?” Gu Qiansi crossed her arms in irritation. “If you want to have it for dinner, go to the canteen and ask them to cook it for you.”

“This is why it’s hard when talking to uneducated people,” Zhao Yunxiao looked appalled at her response. “Do you know how precious this egg is? How can I just pass it to others for free?”

“Stop acting mysterious and say it already. What kind of egg is this?” Gu Qiansi asked.

“Giant tree ostrich. A monster at the peak of the Essence Physique realm!” Zhao Yunxiao announced with pride.

“Essence Physique?” Gu Qiansi widened her eyes in surprise. “How did you manage to get this?”

“I managed to get it while hunting in the wilds just now,” Zhao Yunxiao brushed his nose with his thumb. “Aren’t I impressive?”

“Is it rare?” Lu Zhiying turned her attention back to the egg after noticing the duo’s responses, but she still could not see anything special about it.

“The egg of an Essence Physique realm monster is quite valuable indeed, especially one at the peak of that level,” Gu Qiansi commented while picking up the egg to observe it carefully. “Are you sure this is real though?”

“Of course, I personally retrieved it from the nest. There’s no doubt about it,” Zhao Yunxiao shrugged. “How is it? Interested now?”

“I guess I can make an exception this time...” Gu Qiansi said reluctantly.

“Heh, I knew you will be interested,” Zhao Yunxiao grinned. “There’s no rush though. It’s not like the eggs are going to run away.”

“Wait... eggs?” Gu Qiansi looked at Zhao Yunxiao. “You have more than one?”

“Ten,” Zhao Yunxiao answered frankly. “So don’t worry and go ham on the recipe.”

“Got it!” Gu Qiansi let out an excited grin as well. “I will make the most delicious egg dish you have ever tasted in your life!”

“I want in on it too! Please, Senior Martial Sister Gu, Senior Martial Brother Zhao!” Lu Zhiying raised her hand.

“Of course we won’t leave you out of this,” Gu Qiansi smiled while patting her lightly on the head.

“Like I said, there’s no rush. So take your time coming up with the best recipe possible. The last thing we want is for this precious ingredient to go to waste!” Zhao Yunxiao said. “In the meantime, I will be bringing you to see someone who might be able to teach you in the art of dance, Junior Martial Sister Lu. Or do you want to come along as well?”

“That depends on who you are going to see,” Gu Qiansi said.

“Senior Martial Sister Leng Huiqi,” Zhao Yunxiao answered. “No matter how I think about it, she seems to be the most suitable person.”

“Leng Huiqi...?” Gu Qiansi felt the corner of her lips twitch as she turned to look at Lu Zhiying.

They had just been badmouthing Leng Huiqi during the picnic earlier, and now Zhao Yunxiao was going to bring Lu Zhiying to learn from her?

What bad timing!

“What’s wrong?” Zhao Yunxiao asked after seeing the look on her face.

“Are you all right with this?” Gu Qiansi directed the question to Lu Zhiying instead.

“Why will I not be?” Lu Zhiying tilted her head in confusion.

“That’s... good to hear,” Gu Qiansi forced a smile.

She did not know if Lu Zhiying cared not about rumours, or if she had simply not paid attention to the conversation earlier.

Either way, it was good that Lu Zhiying was not against this arrangement.

“So are you coming along?” Zhao Yunxiao asked again.

“I think I will give it a pass,” Gu Qiansi shook her head. “Instead, I will go read up on giant tree ostriches to find out how best to prepare their eggs. Hopefully I will have the recipe decided by the time you return!”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Sounds good,” Zhao Yunxiao nodded in approval.

“Why go through all that trouble though?” Lu Zhiying asked. “Can’t we just ask the canteen chefs to cook the eggs for us? That way, Senior Martial Gu can come along with us too.”

“What a silly question. Precious ingredients have to be kept among ourselves, of course!” Zhao Yunxiao answered matter-of-factly. “In addition, it is definitely better to have Gu Qiansi cook for us instead. There might not be much that’s good about her, but I have to admit that her culinary skills are definitely more than decent, much better than those chefs at the canteen!”

“Really?” Lu Zhiying turned towards Gu Qiansi in surprise. “I will be looking forward to it then, Senior Martial Sister Gu!”

“Don’t get your hopes up. You can judge for yourself later,” Gu Qiansi said in response, though one could see that the corner of her lips was slowly curling up in pride.

“That’s decided then,” Zhao Yunxiao clapped his hands together in conclusion. “Let’s get going!”

With that, the group split up and left in two different directions – Gu Qiansi headed to the Sect Library to look up on giant tree ostriches while Zhao Yunxiao and Lu Zhiying went to look for Leng Huiqi.

As for where to find Leng Huiqi, Zhao Yunxiao had a fairly good idea.

Before long, the duo found themselves standing before a huge door.

“Repeat what I said earlier,” Zhao Yunxiao instructed.

“Again?!” Lu Zhiying whined in exasperation. “This is already the eleventh time that you are making me do that, Senior Martial Brother Zhao!”

“One last time,” Zhao Yunxiao promised.

“All right...” Lu Zhiying had no choice but to acede to his request. “Senior Martial Sister Leng is someone who loves to feel important, so remember to be very respectful to her at all times. I got it already!”

“That’s right. Make sure you remember that,” Zhao Yunxiao nodded.

But at the same time, he could not help but feel slightly worried about this junior martial sister of his.

She was very intelligent, but she could also act rather recklessly at times.

Still, for the sake of the upcoming performance, this was probably the best option!

Zhao Yunxiao stepped forward and knocked lightly on the door.

After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a young lady who looked to be about the same age as Lu Zhiying.

“Greetings, my name is Zhao Yunxiao and this is Junior Martial Sister Lu Zhiying. We are looking for the Frost Lotus Dance Troupe. May I know if we are at the right place?” Zhao Yunxiao clasped his fists towards the young lady.

“Su Ruining,” the young lady returned the greeting. “I am from the Frost Lotus Dance Troupe. May I know what the reason for your visit is?”

“This is about Junior Martial Sister Lu,” Zhao Yunxiao explained. “She is trying to learn the basics of dance. After hearing that the Frost Lotus Dance Troupe is founded and instructed by the famed Senior Martial Sister Leng, she has been asking me to bring her here. Would it be possible for her to learn the basics from the troupe?”

“She wants to join us?” Su Ruining turned her attention towards Lu Zhiying.

“That’s not it,” Zhao Yunxiao corrected. “What Junior Martial Sister Lu wants is to learn from the troupe.”

Su Ruining: “...”

She had encountered many who wanted to join Frost Lotus in the past, but this was actually the first time someone asked to learn from them without actually joining!

Did they think they were some charity school or something?

“What’s the matter? Why are you taking so long?” another young lady appeared behind Su Ruining at this point.

This time, it was someone Zhao Yunxiao recognised.

After all, she was the main reason why they had come.

“It’s you, Junior Martial Brother Zhao?” Leng Huiqi revealed a look of surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“What a coincidence, Senior Martial Sister Leng! I didn’t think you would be here as well!” Zhao Yunxiao widened his eyes in astonishment as well.

“Is it someone you know, Senior Martial Sister Leng?” Su Ruining asked.

“Yes, we are acquainted,” Leng Huiqi nodded. “I’ll take it from here. Go back to your practice.”

“Understood, Senior Martial Sister Leng,” Su Ruining did as she was told, obediently heading back into the house.

Leng Huiqi narrowed her eyes at him. “Be truthful here, Junior Martial Brother Zhao. Is this really a coincidence?”

“Haha, Senior Martial Sister Leng is as sharp as always. Nothing can escape your eyes,” Zhao Yunxiao scratched his cheek with an awkward smile. “I’m here to look for you indeed, Senior Martial Sister Leng.”

“Looking for me?” Leng Huiqi asked again. “Why? And how did you know that I am here?”

“Senior Martial Sister Leng is simply too eye-catching. Wherever you go, people are bound to notice,” Zhao Yunxiao said helplessly. “I heard others saying that Senior Martial Sister Leng visits the Frost Lotus Dance Troupe on this day every week, so I took the liberty to come look for you here. I hope it isn’t too presumptuous of me.”

The Frost Lotus Dance Troupe was a performance group founded and led by Leng Huiqi.

When compared to the Flying Shell Performance Group, its scale was on a whole nother level.

Unlike the Flying Shell Performance which only had five members, there were dozens of members in the Frost Lotus Dance Troupe, comprising both outer and inner disciples.

They had even received permission to construct their own courtyard within the Outer Grounds, making it much easier for them to conduct meetings and practices in private.

But while the troupe was founded by Leng Huiqi, she had since delegated most of the administrative work to her loyal followers, including organising and facilitating practice on a regular basis.

As for Leng Huiqi herself, she did not always show up at these practice sessions, usually only appearing when there were important performances coming up.

Now that the New Year celebration was coming up, Leng Huiqi had been showing up on a weekly basis to monitor their progress.

After all, the Frost Lotus Dance Troupe had been a constant among the performance items in the recent years, and she was not intending to have them tarnish her reputation with a poor performance!

Zhao Yunxiao naturally heard of this as well, and that was how he got the idea of approaching Leng Huiqi.

Otherwise, it would be extremely difficult to even try looking for Leng Huiqi since she would usually be in the inner grounds – a place that outer disciples were not allowed into without a valid reason.

“So you have been wasting your time listening to all sorts of gossips instead of properly cultivating. This is why your cultivation isn’t improving fast enough!” Leng Huiqi chided.

“How can you say that, Senior Martial Sister Leng?!” Zhao Yunxiao exclaimed in shock. “It’s not just me who’s like that. Everyone wants to know about the most popular disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect!”

“Enough with your nonsense,” Leng Huiqi rolled her eyes while hiding a smile. “So speak up. What is this about?”

“Esteemed Senior Martial Sister Leng, this junior here is called Lu Zhiying,” Lu Zhiying who had been observing all along chose to interject at this point. “I have long heard of your name, and am here for no other reason but to seek your guidance in the art of dance.”

As she said that, Lu Zhiying suddenly knelt down and took a deep bow, folding her hands in front of her in the ultimate form of respect.

“Please allow me to learn from you!” Lu Zhiying pleaded with her back bent and her face almost touching the ground.

Leng Huiqi’s eyes immediately widened in shock.

She might be worshipped by her many suitors and followers, but this was still the first time that someone had ever knelt down to her in such a manner.

If someone were to see this, they might even mistake them as master and slave!

At the same time, Zhao Yunxiao forced himself to take a deep breath.

I might have kept reminding you to be respectful earlier, but this is definitely not what I meant by that!