Chapter 18: Will the Eldest Disciple Who Snuck Off Be Arrested by the Chilly First Seat?

“You clearly knew transmitting the technique would take this long, why didn’t you tell me in advance?!”

In Lu Ke’s mind flashed Ning Qingzhu’s ice-cold, knife-like gaze, and her heart instantly grew terrified.

“It’s all your fault!”

She softly grumbled at Bai Xiaoyu, stomped her foot in anger, and ran off pouting.

“…”

Unexpectedly, Bai Xiaoyu crossed her arms over her chest, remaining silent without giving chase.

She was watching, and she was waiting.

Waiting for a little fool to walk right into a trap.

Sure enough, after a short while, Lu Ke came running back crying, “Xiaoyu, it’s so dark and big here, I can’t find my way back! Waaaah~”

“Fool.”

Bai Xiaoyu was both amused and exasperated.

She jumped up to tap Lu Ke’s head gently, then took her hand to lead her on the way home.

As they walked, she did not forget to instruct her: “This is a secret location within the sect protected by a grand array, making it almost impossible for outsiders to find.

Without my company, don’t enter here alone.

Otherwise, if you get lost, watch out or the Granny Bear will catch you and eat you up!~”

“Oh, I won’t dare anymore…”

Lu Ke replied timidly in a small voice, looking just like a little girl frightened by a ghost story made up by her mother.

…

Shoo—

A shooting star cut across the sky, piercing the quiet night.

Bai Xiaoyu was extremely fast.

Combined with the howling wind in her ears, it made Lu Ke suspect whether she was riding on a jet fighter.

Before long, Qingzhu Peak appeared right before their eyes.

Mid-air, Bai Xiaoyu paused her figure in unspoken understanding, pulling Lu Ke beside her and whispering with concern near her ear: “Little Ke, do you want me to accompany you inside?”

“Better not…”

Lu Ke shook her head firmly, clenching her small hands into fists, her gaze resolute.

“I have to face it eventually; there’s no escaping it.”

“Alright, but your body…”

Bai Xiaoyu respected her choice, yet worry remained in her heart as she tightly held her palm.

“I’m fine.”

Lu Ke gently let go of her hand, spinning around on the spot to trace a beautiful arc.

“Right now, I am completely healed!”

Her words were not wrong.

After receiving the technique transmission, her qi ocean had been completely repaired, and her dantian was filled once more with a shallow layer of spiritual energy.

Like a shallow stream, it guarded and nourished her three-inch spiritual platform.

Although her current cultivation still remained at the early Foundation Establishment stage, her Dao path was now reconnected.

With her past experience and knowledge, she believed she would soon recover to her peak with no future troubles!

“Mm, that’s good then…”

Seeing this, Bai Xiaoyu nodded with relief, though she still could not hide the worry in her eyes.

“Then I’ll… go back first?”

She pointed at the pitch-black night sky, then at herself, her conflicted appearance making it unclear whether she wanted to leave or stay.

However, Lu Ke did not want her to witness the miserable side she might display next.

She merely pushed her body with a smile, teasingly bantering: “What, still reluctant to part?”

“Go on, go on.

When I have time later, I’ll take the initiative to look for you.

You have to wait obediently for me at home~”

“Then… alright.”

Hearing this, Bai Xiaoyu ultimately did not insist further, nodding gently.

Afterward, she bade farewell while looking back almost every three steps, “Goodbye Little Ke.

You have to be good, take care of your body, and don’t act recklessly again.

I will always be waiting for you at home…”

“Got it, got it.

Why are you like a naggy old mother~”

Lu Ke waved her hand with a smile, “Goodbye Xiaoyu.”

“Goodbye.”

As her voice fell, a flickering light flashed and vanished, and the loli immortal disappeared without a trace with a shoo.

“Alright, so now…”

Bidding farewell to Bai Xiaoyu, Lu Ke turned to face the familiar Qingzhu Peak, secretly hyping herself up: “What ought to come will always come… charge!”

In the next second, she also transformed into a stream of light, charging straight toward the Qingzhu Courtyard.

…

The night was entirely quiet.

On Qingzhu Peak, the twilight was deep, with only a few buildings staying awake day and night, shedding a faint light.

At this moment, a figure was sneaking around on tiptoe, practically oozing a guilty conscience.

Her footsteps crossed the dim courtyard gate, cautiously stepping into the courtyard.

Inside the spacious courtyard, it was silent and pitch black.

In the distance, the array of the seclusion room operated silently as ever, its embedded spirit stones dim, emitting a faint light.

Beside the seclusion room was her own small thatched cottage, hidden in the shadows, quiet and completely dark.

“Awesome, it seems Qingzhu is still immersed in her cultivation!”

Seeing this, Lu Ke’s heart swelled with joy.

Sneaking out of the house would inevitably lead to a reckoning from her sooner or later, but as the saying goes, better a late death than an early one.

Stalling for every second counted; the later it was discovered, the better she could at least sleep tonight.

Moreover, what if—and she was just saying what if—there was such a possibility that Ning Qingzhu was already immersed in the world of cultivation, unaware of time and space, and hadn’t even noticed her departure?

“In that case, it would be simply perfect, great for all three of us!”

Lu Ke thought with wishful thinking, creeping forward on tiptoe with light, silent steps, heading toward her small thatched cottage step by step.

Next was to return to her small room, lie on her familiar small bed, pull up her blanket, and sleep until the sky turned upside down!

Even if she had to face a raging flood upon waking up tomorrow, she wouldn’t care!

At least for tonight, please grant her a baby-like sleep~

Truth be told, though she didn’t know what was actually done, receiving the technique transmission was truly exhausting.

Lu Ke yawned softly, her footsteps becoming even slower and lighter.

Closer, even closer.

The slightly ajar door was right before her eyes, and behind it was her gentle, cozy nest that could shield her from the wind and rain.

As long as… as long as she could reach that place…

Lu Ke grit her teeth, controlling every inch of muscle in her body so she made almost no sound at all.

Tap.

Half a foot stepped into the doorway.

She made it, she was almost there!

Lu Ke summoned her energy to pull her back heel inside…

“Lu Ke.”

An ice-cold voice sounded behind her without warning, instantly frightening her so much her entire body shuddered, nearly scattering her soul!

“Ah!”

Like a startled rabbit, Lu Ke whipped around, meeting that ice-cold, knife-like gaze head-on.

In the darkness, a slender and graceful beautiful silhouette slowly revealed herself, her indifferent face even colder than ice.

She wasn’t cultivating??

Damn it, a miscalculation!

In despair, Lu Ke’s small mind spun rapidly like lightning strikes, instantly sparking a bright idea.

Twisting her body, she pointed her toes toward the kitchen and put on a face full of smiles:

“Qingzhu, not asleep yet?”

“You must have woken up in the middle of the night starving, right?

Just in time, I’ll cook noodles for you to eat~”

She put on a simple and ignorant front, gathering her courage to walk forward.

Unexpectedly, Ning Qingzhu did not stop her.

She merely nodded noncommittally, letting her leave.

“Awesome, I guessed right!

She really didn’t notice!”

With her back turned to that cold gaze, Lu Ke’s pressure instantly vanished, and she couldn’t help but praise her own resourcefulness!

“Good thing I didn’t confess on my own, otherwise, it would have been huge trouble~”

Just as Lu Ke swung her small hands gently, almost unable to resist humming a tune,

An ice-cold voice came once again, instantly making her feel as if she had fallen into a cave of ice:

“Lu Ke, are you feeling very proud of yourself?”