While Qiu Ling went back to gathering the ingredients, the two people in the Hei Dian Sect couldn’t help but leap onto the roof to see if they could still find the person they had just noticed. Unfortunately, even after searching for a long time, nothing could be seen.

The woman furrowed her brows and shook her head. "How come that person seems to have vanished into thin air?"

The man pulled her into his arms with a sigh and rubbed her back. "Don’t think too much. We don’t know who that man was or what his intention in coming here was."

"Still. I’m sure he called out 'Hong Bao' when he saw me. He must have seen her!"

The man nodded and looked back at the direction in which Qiu Ling had vanished. "Yes, that is likely. Well, it has only been a millennium since she went to the Nine Heavens. He could be somebody who knew her before."

The woman shook her head. "That’s unlikely. My sister never left the village. And even if she did, she would have told me if she knew a cultivator. Especially one that is strong enough to get this close with either of us noticing." She gave a short laugh and once again shook her head. "If she had known somebody like that back then, then our mother and the other villagers wouldn’t have died a death like that. I wouldn’t have needed to leave the Tian Yu Sect."

"Then you also wouldn’t have met me." The man leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I believe you, Ai Hua, but it won’t help if we panic. If he doesn’t know her from back then, then he has to have met her after she went there. So either he has been in the Nine Heavens himself and descended to our mortal world again or your sister has somehow returned here. Whatever it is, it shouldn’t be too hard to find out. A deity descending from the Heavens isn’t something that happens every day and they’re much stronger than any cultivator or practitioners. I’ll have our people look into it and sooner or later, we’ll find out what the matter with this is."

Ai Hua gave a deep sigh. "You’re right. I overreacted just now."

"It’s understandable. She’s your little sister, after all. You want to protect her."

Ai Hua nodded and motioned back inside. "Let’s go. I really don’t feel like training anymore."

The man nodded and the two of them left the courtyard. As for the person they had been talking about …

"Senior martial brother Liu!" Hong Bao happily skipped over to Liu Cheng and smiled brightly.

Liu Cheng put down the Blood Gem he had been expecting and turned to her, reciprocating her smile. "Junior martial sister Hong, how are you? Did something happen?"

Hong Bao smiled even more brightly. Ah, senior martial brother Liu was so nice! Whenever she went to see him, he would always take the time to talk to her even if he was busy and he would listen to her intently, not missing a single word. He was really the best man in the world!

She grabbed his sleeve and swung it from side to side. "Senior martial brother, I practiced that sword style you taught me the other day and I think I’ve somewhat understood it. After you’ve finished here, can you come and take a look? I need you to advise me if I’m supposed to make any more progress than this." She pursed her lips, making Liu Cheng’s gaze soften.

"Mn, sure. If you want to, we can already go right now."

Hong Bao shook her head and pointed at the Blood Gems on the table. "No, don’t you have to take care of these things? The book Master gave me said that they’re super important."

Liu Cheng nodded. "They are but they’re not running away. I’d like to see how much progress you’ve already made."

Instead of answering, Hong Bao jumped at him, hugging him tightly. "Senior martial brother Liu, you’re the best!"

Liu Cheng froze, his hands awkwardly raised in the air. Everything about Hong Bao was great, except for this small thing. She had put in a lot of effort after becoming a disciple of the Chun Feng Sect and even though she still had a lot to learn, she could be called a decent demon hunter already. Especially if he considered that she seemed to have been about fifteen years of age when he met her in that forest and brought her here. That was way past the normal age their disciples started to train so her progress was even more astounding and could only be explained through natural talent and even more dedication.

At the same time, she never forgot about her martial brothers and sisters. She would always listen if somebody had a problem and even though her advice wasn’t that good, she at least tried to help out. She also offered her help with any task that was coming up be it eradicating demons or going to inquire for information, even sorting the storage room wouldn’t be beneath her.

Unfortunately, she could be a little … over-enthusiastic. She would jump at him every now and then just like this and hug him, making him self-conscious in a way he had never known before.

The worst thing was, that he really didn’t know how to tell her. Hong Bao could be a little emotional so he always feared he might hurt her feelings if he spoke up. Then again, he really didn’t know if he could take this any longer. Ah, maybe he should consult their Master about this. Getting a second opinion should be helpful in this situation. Mn, he’d do that. Right after getting out of Hong Bao’s hug, helping her with that sword style and appraising these Blood Gems. Right afterward … Otherwise, he might really lose his mind.