That one "hmph" from Eldest Senior Sister was genuinely quite something.
A smile broke over Chen Baiqing's face. She walked forward with light steps, her tone soft:
"Eldest Senior Sister — Baiqing is back."
Li Yingling kept her head turned to the side and did not answer that.
Chen Baiqing's gaze swung to Li Xingtian, who wore a perfectly innocent expression:
"Second Senior Brother, did you make Eldest Senior Sister angry?"
Li Xingtian was momentarily at a loss for words. But meeting Chen Baiqing's faintly raised eyebrow, he could only nod in silence.
Oh, well. What was a Second Senior Brother for, if not to carry the occasional blame?
If it could get the two of them on good terms again, he was willing to carry this one.
Chen Baiqing familiarly plopped down into the chair beside Li Yingling:
"Don't be angry anymore, Eldest Senior Sister. Shall Baiqing brew you some tea?"
Li Yingling's eyes drifted sideways onto Chen Baiqing. Faced with that ingratiating look, her heart inevitably went soft — whereupon she felt rather worthless about it, and pressed her lips together before unwillingly muttering:
"I don't want any."
Chen Baiqing gave Li Yingling a little wink, then lowered her voice:
"We have a guest, Eldest Senior Sister. Surely we owe them a cup of tea?"
"Well, you brew it. I still won't drink."
"You're the highest authority here. If you won't drink, how would a guest dare?"
"Hmph. Highest authority, am I? I'm just the one who cleans up trouble."
"Eldest Senior Sister carries the whole world in her heart — the broadest vision of all."
Li Yingling's expression warmed a degree, and her mood visibly turned.
Li Xingtian saw his opening and immediately struck while the iron was hot:
"Don't let the guest have a good laugh at us. Luoyu, show our guest to a seat."
Li Yingling shot Li Xingtian a glare, but said nothing further.
Qian Qing, trailing at Lin Luoyu's side, cupped her hands in a bow, then took a seat on the rather small stone chair.
Plainly enough, the one wearing an angry face was the Eldest Senior Sister Chen Baiqing had wanted to reconcile with, and the other was the sect's Second Senior Brother. Judging purely by what she had watched, though, this Second Senior Brother was perhaps nothing like the fierce sort he appeared to be.
From her spatial ring Chen Baiqing began producing teaware and tea leaves, head bent as she brewed, speaking in gentle tones:
"This is Qian Qing. She knows Yuan Kong, has shared wine with Master — and she has come looking for Yuan Kong."
Now it was Qian Qing's turn to play her part. Draw a clear line between insider and outsider, and Eldest Senior Sister would naturally file her away as one of their own. Once the business was settled, go over and apologize properly, and things would probably patch themselves right up.
The guest took her seat.
As Eldest Senior Sister, Li Yingling was the natural one to speak first. Her glance swept over Qian Qing and saw through her at once — nothing but a pure-blooded mortal martial artist.
"Yuan Kong?" Li Yingling hesitated slightly, then asked with wary suspicion, "Has Yuan Kong stopped being a monk these days?"
She phrased it tactfully enough, but everyone present understood perfectly.
Qian Qing waved her hands in frantic denial: "No, no — he's still a monk. I was raised by Yuan Kong."
With that, Qian Qing hurriedly pointed her gaze down at Chen Baiqing, who was bent over her tea — If your Eldest Senior Sister keeps asking questions like that, nobody could stand it!
Chen Baiqing seemed altogether unable to sense it, and simply went on brewing her tea.
"Not then, good. Good, not then." Li Yingling spoke up hastily, then studied Qian Qing a moment longer before pondering lightly: "My Master is away from Tianyan Sect for the time being, but I can make decisions here. If we look for Yuan Kong, we should be able to find him."
"If you truly want to find him, give me some time. Even if Yuan Kong is unwilling to come, I will bring back a letter in his own handwriting."
At that, Qian Qing fell silent. The obsession she had carried all this way — now a single sentence had answered it.
And yet, right at this moment, she found it hard to speak.
Perhaps because Qian Qing already knew the answer.
Li Yingling waited a moment, then said in gentle tones:
"There's no harm in just thinking it over. You're welcome to stay a few days and think it through properly."
"Take a look at the other side of things before you judge — that's no bad thing either."
Qian Qing asked hesitantly: "Would that not be too much of an imposition?"
Li Yingling laughed softly. "Not at all. We've got a flower spirit here — timid as anything and dying for company. If she went out wandering with a flood dragon, we'd be afraid the flood dragon would sell her for a snack. So instead, you can keep the flower spirit company and show her around Tianyan Sect."
"Then I'll be so bold as to impose." Qian Qing gave a small nod.
Chen Baiqing's tea came out at precisely the right moment, and the very first cup went to Li Yingling.
Li Yingling reached out quite unconsciously and took it, sipping lightly. A fresh, clean taste came in — and only then did she recall that she was supposed to still be angry with Baiqing. She glanced sideways, only to see Chen Baiqing's small face wearing a gentle smile, eyes blinking softly, as much as to ask: Eldest Senior Sister, is it good?
"Since when have you turned into Cui Hao, all you know is making me angry? Whatever is on your mind — why can't you just tell your Eldest Senior Sister straight?" Li Yingling set down her cup, her tone reproachful.
Chen Baiqing nodded along emphatically. Though, come to think of it, back then she had told Eldest Senior Sister straight — hadn't Eldest Senior Sister simply refused, and thrown in several extra layers of precaution on top?
But this, right now, was no moment to get technical about the facts.
"It was Baiqing's fault for not being considerate of Eldest Senior Sister." Chen Baiqing wore a properly cowed look, her voice soft. "Over this past while, Baiqing has been doing some reflecting."
Li Yingling lifted her eyes slightly: "Reflecting on what?"
Chen Baiqing's face was the very picture of earnestness: "Eldest Senior Sister has been the best to Baiqing."
Li Yingling reached for the teacup on the table. She knew perfectly well that in Chen Baiqing's heart, Master was the best — but that hardly stopped it from pleasing her all the same.
"For this trip back, Luoyu and I brought small gifts for everyone." As Chen Baiqing said this, her eyes went to Lin Luoyu beside her.
Hearing the word "everyone," Lin Luoyu knew at once that the one to produce was the big bag.
She undid the bag and looked inside. Even she, seeing what lay within, felt a surge of warmth in her chest.
Inside were figurines, one after another, exquisitely wrought from something half clay, half not — laced through with no small quantity of precious materials. Each gave off a considerable pulse of spiritual energy.
Lin Luoyu took the little figurines out one by one.
They were all people of the sect. Not carved one-to-one from life, not made in any lifelike style either — rather, a wholly different approach: each figure captured its subject's single most distinctive air. Without elaborate carving the faces were somewhat alike, yet the subtle play of expression on each was enough to tell you exactly who was who.
Second Senior Brother in white robes, the ferocity on his face faded fully half.
Eldest Senior Sister, proud and cold, long sword in hand, immortal charm floating off her in ribbons.
And even one of herself — upright of countenance, eyes resolute.
There were Master, Xie Lingyu, Cui Hao, and San Dong in there as well.
Lin Luoyu did not take out every figurine — only those of the people present.
Chen Baiqing had had one carved of herself too. The face wore the gentlest of smiles.
Four figurines sat on the table.
Li Xingtian reached out toward his own.
Li Yingling let her gaze rest on Chen Baiqing's earnest face.
If we're grading anyone at soothing people…
Baiqing, too, had received Master's true transmission.