At the entrance of the private villa area at the peak of St. Hall Mountain, two women dressed in very simple long robes arrived!
One, wearing a plain gray Taoist robe, was tall and slender. Her slightly messy, beautiful hair was casually tied into a Taoist bun with a wooden hairpin, revealing a face that wasn't particularly fair, untouched by any makeup, yet possessing smooth and moist skin. A pair of phoenix eyes exuded a pure divine charm, with a hint of dazedness. Her hands held a long object wrapped in coarse cloth, its contents unknown…
Beside her was a petite, youthful, and adorable girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old, clad in a blue Taoist robe. She carried a large backpack and held a bag of plain steamed buns in one hand, while clutching a crumpled piece of paper with an address in the other. She looked up at the grand entrance of the private villa area at the peak of St. Hall Mountain, then turned and said, "Master, this is it."
Kong Yijin, whose Taoist name was Ziqing, glanced at the entrance of the villa area with her naturally dazed phoenix eyes. She softly said, "Let's go in."
"Okay, Master. I'll go talk to the security guards…"
The little girl who jogged ahead was her only disciple, Lan Xin. Ziqing followed behind at a slow, leisurely pace. Lan Xin ran to the entrance gate and the security room, where two young guards were chatting. Seeing Lan Xin in her blue Taoist robe, and her very cute appearance, the two young guards secretly thought: Such a beautiful little beauty, why did she become a Taoist nun?
"Little brothers, can I go in to find someone?"
Lan Xin blinked her lively eyes and said to the two young guards in her clear voice, like that of a yellow oriole.
Although this girl was beautiful and cute, this was their job. The two young guards also glanced at Ziqing who was approaching and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"We're looking for Wan Yunting!"
Lan Xin looked at them with full anticipation and asked, "Can we?"
"Oh, you're looking for Mr. Wan."
The two young guards obviously knew who Wan Yunting was; he was a prominent figure in their private villa area. They asked, "You're looking for Mr. Wan. Does he know?"
Lan Xin shook her head and giggled, "He probably doesn't know. We're from Wudang Mountain and want to visit him. Little brothers, could you do us a favor and let my master and me go in to find him?"
The two young guards exchanged glances, looking at Lan Xin, then at Ziqing behind her, who seemed a bit dazed. They said, "I'll make a phone call to ask. If Mr. Wan agrees, I'll let you in."
"Okay, thank you for asking."
Lan Xin happily thanked them. The young guard entered the security room, picked up the phone, and directly dialed Wan Yunting's home number. Huang Guilan answered. Upon hearing the guard's words, her expression turned stunned. She said, "Taoist nuns from Wudang Mountain want to see Mr. Wan? Alright, I'll go ask Mr. Wan and call you back later…"
Huang Guilan, after hanging up the phone, quickly went to the backyard. Wan Yunting was currently checking Duan Yingying's martial arts, seeing if she had been practicing diligently these past few days…
"Mr. Wan, two Taoist nuns who claim to be from Wudang Mountain have arrived at the gate and want to visit you, but they're being held up by the security guards. Should I let them in?" Huang Guilan called out from the back door towards Wan Yunting.
"Taoist nuns from Wudang Mountain? Who?"
Duan Yingying, who was practicing her sword, turned her head and looked at Wan Yunting with wide, confused eyes. He, at the moment, was also full of surprise and shook his head, saying, "I don't know either. I don't know anyone from Wudang Mountain, why would someone be looking for me? Aunt Lan, did they say what they want to see me for?"
Huang Guilan shook her head and called back, "They just said they want to visit."
"Visit, huh…"
Wan Yunting thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then let the security guards at the gate escort them in. Remember to give the guards two packs of cigarettes."
"Yes, Mr. Wan…"
Huang Guilan turned back and dialed the security room's number. Shortly thereafter, a security vehicle arrived at the villa's main gate. Ziqing and Lan Xin, master and disciple, alighted from the car and took in the sight of Wan Yunting's Chinese-style villa estate. Lan Xin exclaimed, "Wow, this is his home? He's so rich."
Beside her, Ziqing remained in her naturally dazed state, seemingly uninterested in anything around her, looking indifferent. As the villa's main gate opened, Huang Guilan, holding a carton of cigarettes, pointed to Ziqing and Lan Xin. The two young security guards said, "These are the two who want to visit Mr. Wan."
"Alright, thank you."
Huang Guilan handed the cigarettes to the guards. The two politely declined at first, but eventually accepted them and drove away.
"Please, come in with me. Mr. Wan is in the backyard."
Huang Guilan sized up Ziqing and Lan Xin, feeling puzzled but not daring to be negligent, assuming they might be Mr. Wan's friends.
"Why isn't he coming out to greet us?"
Lan Xin raised an eyebrow. She and her master had traveled all the way from Wudang Mountain to find him, and upon arriving at his doorstep, he hadn't even come out to greet them politely.
This made Huang Guilan a little awkward, unsure of how to respond. Fortunately, Ziqing unconcernedly stepped forward, and Lan Xin had no choice but to follow. The master and disciple followed Huang Guilan around the left side of the villa towards the backyard. Lan Xin carefully whispered, "Master, that Wan Yunting is quite rude. You must teach him a good lesson during our sword discussion later."
The naturally dazed Ziqing ignored the girl. Master and disciple followed Huang Guilan to the backyard and immediately saw Duan Yingying on the lawn, holding a Tai Chi sword and practicing the sword techniques of the Wuliang Daoist Temple. Lan Xin recognized it at a glance: "This is the Wuliang Swordplay."
Wan Yunting, who was sitting in a lounge chair watching Duan Yingying practice her sword, his gaze fell upon the unfamiliar faces of Ziqing and Lan Xin as Huang Guilan brought the master and disciple over. He was certain he didn't know these two Taoist nuns from Wudang Mountain.
Duan Yingying also stopped practicing her sword and turned to curiously size up Ziqing and Lan Xin. She didn't recognize them either.
Wan Yunting stood up, greeted them with a smile, and waved Huang Guilan away, telling her to attend to her duties. He then smiled and asked Ziqing and Lan Xin, "Are you two from the Wudang Sect?"
"Yes."
Lan Xin tilted her chin up, glancing at Wan Yunting with a proud air. She pointed to Ziqing beside her: "She is my master, her Taoist name is Ziqing, and she is the seventh direct disciple of our Wudang Sect's Sect Leader."
Hearing her introduction, Wan Yunting's expression changed to surprise. His gaze lingered on Ziqing, as he subtly observed her. He noticed her exquisite features, carved by divine craftsmanship, and her pair of slightly dazed phoenix eyes, which exuded a pure, watery charm. He immediately knew she was no ordinary person. Wan Yunting cupped his hands and said, "My apologies for not greeting you sooner. I hope you can forgive my oversight."
"What do you want with our Temple Master?"
Duan Yingying had indeed never heard of Ziqing. Although she had grown up in a sect, she rarely paid attention to matters of other major sects. Moreover, the Wudang Sect was the head of Taoism, and a second-rate sect like the Wuliang Daoist Temple naturally couldn't compare to them.
"So you are truly the new Temple Master of the Wuliang Daoist Temple."
Lan Xin looked at Wan Yunting with surprise. There had been a series of changes at the Wuliang Daoist Temple, and the selection of a new Temple Master, someone no one had ever heard of, had naturally spread through the circles of major sects. When Ziqing and Lan Xin descended the mountain, they had inquired about Wan Yunting's information, obtained his address, and then came to find him.
"Just a nominal position."
Wan Yunting smiled and waved his hand, then looked at them and asked with confusion, "May I ask what matter Senior Sister Ziqing has with me?"
Wan Yunting was unaware of Ziqing's seniority, so he addressed her as Senior Sister. However, if they were to truly calculate seniority, Wan Yunting should have addressed Ziqing as Junior Aunt. But now that he was also the Temple Master of the Wuliang Daoist Temple, calling her Senior Sister was also appropriate.
Ziqing's naturally dazed phoenix eyes were fixed on Wan Yunting. She said in a soft, calm voice, "Sword discussion!"