San Chiniang's words convinced Cui Qingluo, and he no longer pressed. He finally said, "Have this book copied as soon as possible, and also, give me a definite time."
San Chiniang smiled and replied, "Young Master, the first batch of books will be ready in three days."
Cui Qingluo nodded and stopped bothering her. If the book hadn't truly appealed to him, why would he have personally visited such a bookshop?
...
After leaving Qinglian Bookshop, Nian Jiaojiao headed towards the Gongyuan.
She wondered if she had forgotten to check the almanac before leaving home today. As soon as she reached the entrance of the Gongyuan, she was accosted by someone overly familiar.
"Jiaojiao student!"
This was the first time Nian Jiaojiao had been called that. She looked helplessly at Qin Binbin, who was disguised as a woman, and said, "What is it?"
Qin Binbin paid no mind to the other person's attitude. He walked a few steps closer and said, "Jiaojiao student, I don't mean anything else, I just want to be friends with you. Oh, by the way, I heard that you easily eliminated the Face-Stealing Demon on your recent demon-slaying mission."
As he spoke, curiosity and admiration flickered in his eyes.
In just one day, Nian Jiaojiao had become famous throughout the Gongyuan. Everyone now knew that a new student had arrived in the miscellaneous studies faction of the Gongyuan, who had reached the Qi Refining realm at such a young age. What was even more astonishing was that the team that encountered the Face-Stealing Demon in Shizhou City had been annihilated, yet Nian Jiaojiao, who led the team out, only had one person injured.
In response to Qin Binbin's question, Nian Jiaojiao replied perfunctorily, "It wasn't very easy."
Qin Binbin seemed not to detect the other person's lack of desire to chat. He suddenly said, "Oh, speaking of demon-slaying, I have a twin brother. He loves demon-slaying heroes the most. Could Jiaojiao student do me the honor today? I've prepared some humble wine at a restaurant, and I'd like my brother to meet our demon-slaying hero."
Nian Jiaojiao looked him up and down. "Your brother?"
Qin Binbin nodded. "Yes, but my brother's name is a bit like mine. He's called Qin Binbin, the 'bin' from 'polite and courteous'."
Nian Jiaojiao turned and walked away. Sorry, I'm disturbing you! Farewell!
Qin Binbin immediately demanded an explanation. "What are you doing? You're being so ungracious. I told you it's my twin brother, and he's only slightly less good-looking than me, not bad at all!" Qin Binbin said, tilting his head up. Nian Jiaojiao's eyes widened as she got a clear look.
Nian Jiaojiao, unable to bear it any longer, pushed Qin Binbin away and said, "Hmph, men only affect my drawing speed!" With that, she walked into the courtyard with a resolute stride, leaving Qin Binbin alone in the wind.
...
Black Lotus Cult.
The Black Lotus Cult's location was unique, situated at the junction of Shazhou and Sanzhou. Therefore, it was at the southernmost point of Shazhou and the northernmost point of Sanzhou. As for why the Black Lotus Cult chose to conceal itself here, besides the terrain, it was also due to the special local customs.
The area still bore a desert landscape, but unlike other deserts in Shazhou, the desert here had a higher elevation. Thus, the people of the Black Lotus Cult built an underground city beneath it. Furthermore, the family forces in Sanzhou were weak, and the people were simple and honest. In other words, the heavens were high and the empress was far away, and no one interfered.
"Young Master, this is a letter from Bai Qingqing from the royal city."
Jun Ye took the letter from his subordinate and sneered, "These women, they don't take us men seriously. However, Bai Qingqing is also quite capable. In less than a few months after entering the royal mansion, she made the Third Prince elevate her to be his seventeenth consort."
After speaking, Jun Ye looked up at the person beside him and said, "Uncle Xu, this person is better than you."
Uncle Xu nodded slightly. "The student surpasses the teacher, and this is a good thing for our cult."
Jun Ye laughed arrogantly, "Hahaha, well said! Now that Da Yue is in a passive state due to the demons from beyond the heavens, this is precisely the time for our Black Lotus Cult to rise!"
Uncle Xu said with a poker face, "The Black Lotus Sacred Cult, equals the heavens, the Black Lotus Sacred Cult, destined by heaven."
After Uncle Xu finished speaking, the cult members around Jun Ye all knelt on one knee and shouted slogans. After all the formalities, Jun Ye suddenly became impatient. "Alright, you can all leave. Uncle Xu, stay."
After the disciples retreated, only Jun Ye and Uncle Xu remained in the grand hall. The interior of the hall was formed from compacted sand, exuding a primitive aura. On the walls of the hall, several black lotus flowers, each about ten meters wide, were carved. Along the walls, a torch was lit every two meters. When this underground palace was constructed, the craftsmen had ingeniously provided ample ventilation for the hall, while the surface remained completely unremarkable.
Jun Ye sat in the hall and said, "The Cult Master has been in seclusion for a long time, and I have been presiding over the affairs of the cult. In the past two years, due to the busy affairs of the cult, I have been handling matters within the organization."
Uncle Xu immediately said, "Holy Son has worked tirelessly and made great contributions. Holy Son, you..."
Before he could finish, Jun Ye made a "hush" gesture. "Alright, after being in the Black Lotus Cult for so long, my cultivation hasn't improved, and I've only learned from those old geezers in the cult. Don't do this with me anymore."
After speaking, Jun Ye glanced downwards and continued, "Now that the cult's affairs are stable, it's time for me to go out and see things."
Uncle Xu was about to speak, but Jun Ye cut him off. "I plan to go to the royal city. I heard your son is also in the royal city..."
Seeing that Uncle Xu did not object, Jun Ye nodded with satisfaction. "We don't need to inform the people in the cult about these matters. We'll go together. Of course, we are mainly going to do important business. Bai Qingqing was so unwilling to marry the prince back then, and our Black Lotus Cult used some means on him. To confirm that he hasn't developed any ulterior motives, this trip is necessary."
Uncle Xu immediately nodded and replied, "Yes." However, the moment he lowered his head, a gleam flashed rapidly in his eyes.