Chapter 62: Lan Xueruo
The New Moon Mystic Palace occupied a vast area, with a central hall of imposing grandeur and countless buildings of various styles extending as far as the eye could see. Yun Che followed Xia Yuanba toward the lodging arranged for him by Sikong Han. They encountered many disciples of the New Moon Mystic Palace, all under twenty years old, with occasional fifteen- or sixteen-year-olds. Those in this age group were mostly at the Initial Xuan Realm. Along the way, quite a few people greeted Xia Yuanba—after all, with his age and size, it was hard not to stand out.
"How many disciples does the New Moon Mystic Palace have now?" Yun Che asked.
"From what I remember, over three thousand," Xia Yuanba replied after thinking for a moment. "The age limit for recruiting disciples is fifteen to eighteen. Most leave by the time they're twenty. A large portion of them eventually join the Cang Feng official forces."
"But, brother-in-law, are you really going to that banquet tonight?" Xia Yuanba asked with some concern.
"It's actually a perfect chance to get a glimpse of almost every major power in New Moon City at once," Yun Che said calmly. He himself had joined the New Moon Mystic Palace for certain reasons, merely to seek opportunities; he had never thought of serving the imperial clan one day. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Which forces in New Moon City are stronger than the New Moon Mystic Palace?"
"Hmm, let me think..." Xia Yuanba pondered seriously for a while, then spoke slowly, "Seven in total: the Xuanxin Sect, the Yunyang Sect, the Iron Spear Sect, the Seven Kills Sword Pavilion, and the Wind Cloud Mystic Palace." He paused, his voice turning more cautious. "These five sects all have histories of over five hundred or even a thousand years. Their influence in New Moon City is deeply rooted, and their overall strength surpasses that of the New Moon Mystic Palace. If not for the fact that the New Moon Mystic Palace was established by the imperial clan, they might have been suppressed and squeezed out long ago. Besides these five, there are two behemoths that even the imperial clan absolutely dares not provoke—the branch sects of the Xiao Sect and the Fen Tian Gate in New Moon City! Though they are just branch sects, with the backing of the Xiao Sect and Fen Tian Gate, they are two unshakable tyrants of New Moon City."
"Branch sects of the Xiao Sect and Fen Tian Gate?" Yun Che tapped his chin. He understood perfectly well that in name they were branch sects, but in reality, they were merely "outer sects" for those whose talent was too low to stay in the main sect. Still, they were formal outer sects, unlike the Xiao Sect, which was completely abandoned.
"However, our New Moon Mystic Palace isn't that easy to bully either." Xia Yuanba puffed out his chest, a look of unwillingness on his face. "Though the banquet five years ago made the New Moon Mystic Palace lose all dignity, that was five years ago! Now our New Moon Mystic Palace also has many geniuses, definitely not inferior to those sects... Ah, brother-in-law, look, that senior brother over there is Li Weihao. He's seventeen this year and already at the third level of the Xuan Entry Realm. I heard he inherited his family's mystic art, very powerful."
"That one in white clothes over there is even more formidable. I think his name is Xu Aoran. He's only eighteen and already at the fifth level of the Xuan Entry Realm! They are both in our class. But the most powerful ones in our New Moon Mystic Palace are not them—they are Senior Brother Murong and Senior Sister Lan Xueruo, the two acknowledged geniuses of the New Moon Mystic Palace. At tonight's banquet, the elders will definitely bring them along. With them there, it won't be like five years ago..."
As he spoke, Xia Yuanba's voice abruptly stopped. Ahead of them, a young man in a white robe and a girl in snow-white garments were walking side by side toward them. The man appeared to be eighteen or nineteen, tall and straight, with a handsome face and elegant demeanor—a true beauty who could make any love-struck girl swoon.
But the girl beside him was even more breathtaking. She also looked about eighteen or nineteen, with beautiful, sparkling eyes, cherry-like lips, and crescent-shaped brows. Most moving was the faint smile at the corner of her mouth, which warmed the heart like a fragrant breeze.
The two looked like a golden boy and jade girl stepping out of a painting, stealing all the world's brilliance the moment they appeared. The young man kept speaking beside the girl, constantly glancing at her reaction, while the girl maintained a warm smile and said nothing. Though she merely walked forward lightly, it was as if one saw a white-clad fairy drifting gracefully, especially her long, fair neck, which gave her a noble and elegant, dreamlike quality, as if one were looking at a princess from the imperial palace.
"What a beautiful girl," Yun Che marveled inwardly. Though her features could not compare to Xia Qingyue's, she was definitely one in ten thousand, a beauty to topple kingdoms. And the subtle, ethereal nobility about her was something Xia Qingyue could not match. What amazed Yun Che most was the peace in her eyes and expression. Generally, girls as beautiful as this carried a certain air of pride—his wife Xia Qingyue was a prime example. But this girl had a gentle temperament, soft as water, with not a trace of arrogance between her brows. The natural smile at the corner of her mouth could melt one's heart at a single glance.
"Senior Brother Murong! Senior Sister Lan!"
When Yun Che was silently admiring the girl, Xia Yuanba grabbed him and took the initiative to greet them.
Murong? Lan? Hmm, could these be the two Yuanba mentioned earlier? Yun Che thought to himself.
"Junior Brother Xia, are you heading back to your lodging to rest?" Seeing Xia Yuanba, the girl smiled and greeted him. When her voice sounded, Yun Che felt a warm current flowing slowly from his ears into his heart, because the voice was so gentle, so melodious. Just listening to it was an indescribable pleasure. Close up, her gaze seemed even softer and more intoxicating.
At that moment, the girl's eyes turned to Yun Che, and she asked curiously, "And this is..."
"Hehe, he's my brother-in-law," Xia Yuanba said cheerfully. "He just joined our Mystic Palace today, and he's in the same class as us! Brother-in-law, these are the Senior Brother Murong Ye and Senior Sister Lan Xueruo I just mentioned. They are the most remarkable senior siblings of our generation at the New Moon Mystic Palace."
Yun Che stepped forward, a polite smile on his face. "Greetings, Senior Brother Murong, Senior Sister Lan. I am Yun Che, a new disciple. I hope to receive your guidance in the future."
Murong Ye gave a slight nod as an acknowledgment. His eyes lingered on Yun Che for a moment before moving away, his brows carrying a deep pride and a hint of displeasure—clearly annoyed that they had interrupted his "private time" with Lan Xueruo.
"Oh? You're also in our class?" Lan Xueruo looked Yun Che over carefully and laughed merrily. "You look so young, yet you're already at the first level of the Xuan Entry Realm. No wonder Elder Sikong snatched you into our class. The little beauties in our class will be thrilled to know a handsome junior brother has arrived. You'd better watch out, little junior brother! Eh? Wait, Junior Brother Xia just called you 'brother-in-law'... Don't tell me you're already married?"
Before Yun Che could answer, Xia Yuanba cut in, "That's right! Although my brother-in-law is only sixteen this year, he married my sister half a year ago."
"Oh~~~ So Junior Brother Yun is only sixteen. Getting married so early—it seems the bride must be very beautiful," Lan Xueruo said with a bright smile.
"Ahaha... Anyway, I hope both of you will take care of me in the future." Yun Che chuckled awkwardly, then shifted his gaze to Lan Xueruo with a smile. "I'm guessing Senior Sister Lan is not from New Moon City, am I right?"
"Oh? How do you know?" Lan Xueruo blinked her pretty eyes.
"Because I feel that New Moon City's earthy energy is restless and its spiritual energy a bit murky. It probably couldn't have nurtured such a graceful and beautiful woman as Senior Sister Lan."
Lan Xueruo was stunned for a moment, then her lips curved gently and her brows lifted. "Junior Brother Yun is not only good-looking and talented, but also sweet-tongued. It's a pity you're already married. Otherwise, your senior sister might... hehe."
Lan Xueruo's words were clearly a playful joke, but the Murong Ye beside her furrowed his brows sharply and glared fiercely at Yun Che.
Yun Che, however, acted as if he hadn't noticed, smiling at Lan Xueruo and saying, "No problem. My wife promised me she wouldn't mind if I find other wives."