Chapter 46 – Invitation to a Party

  The peach trees in Jun De’s courtyard had begun to blossom, with pink petals drifting lazily through the air like the snow had done only a few short months before. The warm sunlight of spring filtered through the tree branches, providing shade for the stone table where two cups of tea steamed quietly.

  Jun De sat across from Lin Yue, the two of them sitting comfortably in companionship. She was reclining on a chair opposite; one hand curled around her teacup while her eyes scanned the courtyard, taking in the trees, the pond at the center and the Warflag of Dominion that Jun De had replaced on his return from the Tower.

  “I can see why you love it here, Senior Brother Jun. It suits you.” Lin Yue said. Jun De smiled as he took a sip of his tea.

  “It’s quiet and peaceful. But it's nicer with company.” Jun De replied.

  Lin Yue blushed slightly at the statement and tried to hide it by sipping her tea as well.

  This was the third time Lin Yue had come to visit. He hadn’t thought to invite anyone to his home before, not until Mei Lian surprised him that snowy day a few months before. It had made him realize how strange it was to have this new chance at life surrounded by people and still cut himself off from them.

  So, he had made efforts to change that.

  Lin Yue was the only person aside from Ren Qiu that he was friends with in the Sect now that Mei Lian had left. He enjoyed spending time with her; she always had new insights into pill refining and herbs that she was more than happy to share with him.

  But, more than that, Lin Yue enjoyed sharing Sect gossip with him.

  Jun De didn’t know many people in the Sect and didn’t have many opportunities to interact with other Disciples, but he was really interested in the things that were happening around them.

  “I heard there was an incident at the Alchemy Hall yesterday involving one of the Disciples.” Lin Yue said as she tapped her finger against her cup.

  “What kind of incident?” Jun De asked with curiosity, leaning forward slightly. Lin Yue smiled as she saw his response.

  It always amused her how much Senior Brother Jun wanted to hear about what was happening in the Sect, despite his preference for secluded cultivation and how he rarely interacted with others.

  “One of them apparently tried to impress one of the Elders by concocting a homemade pill to speed up his cultivation. He was convinced that his new recipe would work.” Lin Yue explained.

  Jun De winced and shook his head. From everything that Lin Yue had told him regarding pill refining, making a new recipe for a pill was incredibly difficult and risky.

  “It exploded in his face. He’s lost his eyebrows, and they say he flew three meters backward and destroyed a valuable furnace.”

  Jun De smiled widely and began to chuckle, and Lin Yue’s blush deepened as she was slightly stunned by how attractive he was when he smiled.

  “There is also something else, more like a rumour.” Lin Yue said cautiously, and this caught Jun De’s attention.

  “I’m listening.”

  “Yun Huan and Wei Min, you won’t have heard of them, but they are both in the 3rd Level of Qi Condensation. They’ve been seen sneaking out of the Sect together after evening curfew, and someone said they were seen holding hands in the northern herb gardens.”

  Jun De blinked and tilted his head.

  “I’m not sure that is worth repeating.” Jun De said, dismissing the gossip. This world was more conservative than Earth had been, but relationships between Disciples weren’t unheard of or discouraged.

  “Wei Min is engaged. To someone else outside the Sect!” Lin Yue added in a whisper as if she were afraid that someone would overhear and scold her for gossiping.

  Jun De laughed loudly.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “That is scandalous!”

  While Jun De laughed, a sound that was light and genuine, Lin Yue’s thoughts drifted. She was smiling too, at first, just enjoying his presence. But sometime between his chuckling and the playful shake of his head, her mind began to wander.

  She started to daydream about her and Jun De walking through the Sect’s herb gardens, side by side, their fingers intertwined.

  ‘Or maybe they would sneak out of the Sect after curfew.’ She thought suddenly, and her cheeks warmed as the mental picture became more vivid.

  It began to progress to a new thought, where they were huddled beneath Jun De’s robes in a secluded spot, shielded by trees while the moonlight shone down on them. He would kiss her and then…

  Lin Yue had to turn away from Jun De and stare at her teacup in order to try to cool her rapidly heating face. She fumbled for composure, but her thoughts refused to quiet.

  It had truly started after she had spoken with Mei Lian before she had left the Sect. They had shared a quiet, heartfelt conversation where Mei Lian admitted her feelings for Jun De.

  ‘She had even kissed him!’ Lin Yue thought.

  Lin Yue’s stomach twisted at the thought. It wasn’t anger, and not entirely sadness, but something far more complicated. She had spent days thinking about it, running the memory of that conversation through her mind over and over again.

  She was jealous, and there was a fair share of envy as well. But there was also something else. There was a challenge, a sense of competition that she didn’t expect to feel.

  Lin Yue liked Jun De, and she wanted him to like her as well.

  As the sun began to dip behind the mountains, Lin Yue glanced up at the sky in regret. Standing up, she smoothed her robes.

  “I should go.” She said softly.

  Jun De stood up as well, smiling lightly.

  “Thank you for coming. I enjoy our time together, especially when you tell me the news.” He added with a hint of teasing.

  Lin Yue smiled back, and her eyes lingered on him for a heartbeat too long as she tried to gather her courage.

  Just as she turned to leave, she reached out and gently touched Jun De’s arm.

  “I’m glad we’ve been spending more time together.” Lin Yue said, her voice nearly a whisper. She wished she was more courageous, that she could be bold enough to just say and do what she wanted.

  But Lin Yue wasn’t like Mei Lian, and she couldn’t do it.

  Jun De’s expression softened as he nodded.

  “So am I.”

  Lin Yue nodded, her cheeks tinged with pink, and quickly left before she collapsed in embarrassment.

  ‘I can’t believe I did that!’ Lin Yue screamed in her mind. It took her the rest of the day to calm down.

  The next day, Jun De was just settling into his chair when there was a knock at the outer gate. Opening it, he found Ren Qiu waiting for him outside. His friend was smiling widely and strode into the courtyard as if he owned it.

  He was dressed in the blue robes of an outer Sect Disciple but had put on his red clan robes over his shoulders. Ren Qiu was wearing more jewelry than normal, and his long hair had been pinned up with crown-like gold accessory.

  “Ren Qiu, what brings you here so early?” Jun De asked, closing the gate and joining him as Ren Qiu sat on the chair opposite of him.

  “It’s a special occasion. I came to invite you to my grandfather’s 100th birthday celebration.”

  Jun De raised an eyebrow at the statement.

  “The Patriarch’s birthday celebration?” Jun De replied, his tone slightly unwilling. It seemed like a formal affair, and he wasn’t interested in participating.

  “Ren Tianyou, the Patriarch of the Ren Clan, is a late-stage Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. It is an opportunity to see him, my friend. Grandfather has little to do with the management of the clan now and instead focuses on his cultivation.” Ren Qiu said, puffing out his chest slightly in pride.

  “Is it appropriate for me to attend? I would assume it would be restricted to close family members.” Jun De stated, hoping he could have an excuse to decline.

  Instead, Ren Qiu grinned.

  “You have attracted a lot of attention in the past few months, and my father explicitly told me to invite you. There will be other clans in attendance and other prominent individuals in Tranquil City. You’d be a guest of honour.”

  Ren Qiu could see that Jun De was hesitating to accept, so he pushed a bit harder.

  “It will be at my family’s main estate, with the finest wine and food in the city. I’m sure there will be entertainment, and we can explore the city afterwards.”

  Jun De studied him for a moment, then sighed. He could see how much it would mean for Ren Qiu to have him come.

  “I accept.”

  A day later found Jun De and Ren Qiu arriving at the Ren Clan’s estate in the center of Tranquil City. Ren Qiu was in high spirits, discussing how impressive his grandfather’s collection of spiritual artifacts were, how the wine would be incredible, and how the most beautiful women would be in attendance.

  Jun De nodded along, and, truth be told, he was becoming excited about the celebration as well.

  It had been months since he had left the Sect, and while he had said he didn’t want to leave for anything, a trip to Ren Qiu’s estate sounded like just enough of an adventure to interest him while also keeping him perfectly safe.

  The Ren Clan’s estate was impossible to miss. It was tucked into the heart of the city, occupying an entire district by itself. It was a sprawling compound of red-tiled roofs and high stone walls. Ornamental trees dotted the road leading to it, and the entire place radiated a sense of wealth and power.

  When the pair approached the gates leading into the estate, a couple of guards stepped forward to greet them. Wearing red robes of the Ren Clan, they bowed when they saw Ren Qiu.

  “Greetings, Young Master Qiu and Honoured Guest. Please, come through!”

  The gates swung open to reveal a wide courtyard bustling with attendants. Guests were already arriving from nearby clans and minor Sects while music drifted in the air.

  Jun De took a final glance at the city beyond the gates as they swung shut before they trapped him inside.