Chapter 3860 — A Friendly Reminder

This was precisely why Wei Zhao had seen the problem coming from the very start and had deliberately kept his distance from Murong Zhen; he had no wish to be dragged into the feuds of such great personages.

The others, however, did not think that way. Murong Zhen was, after all, a beauty to gladden the eye and delight the heart. Even with all manner of suspicions stirring in their minds, everyone present could not help being drawn to her, their hearts swaying, unable to control themselves.

Even if it was someone in the upper echelons whom Murong Zhen had offended, that someone must surely belong to the Heaven-Rushing Pavilion. They themselves were headed for the Azure Cloud Pavilion, so it hardly mattered! And who was to say it was not simply some elder of hers deliberately subjecting her to a trial?

Reading the expressions on every face, Meng Jueming sighed and said, "Speaking purely for myself, I too feel this is somewhat unfair. But this is, after all, an order from the higher-ups, and no one can change it. Fortunately, Miss Murong is already a peak expert of the early Foundation Establishment stage, and her future is bound to be limitless. I daresay the newcomer assessment and the cave dwellings will not trouble her overmuch. For the time being, I fear we must ask you to bear with it."

Though there was a measure of pretense in this sigh of Meng Jueming's, half of it was sincere enough. A hero, after all, can never pass the gate of beauty. However deep his scheming and calculation, Meng Jueming was still a red-blooded man, and the allure of a ravishing beauty like Murong Zhen was considerable indeed.

In full view of everyone, hearing these words of Meng Jueming, Murong Zhen found that two clear tear tracks had somehow appeared on her face. Yet she still forced herself to look resolute. "Senior Brother Meng, from today onward I am no Miss Murong, only a perfectly ordinary newcomer of the Azure Cloud Pavilion. Please, do call me junior sister. As for the newcomer assessment and the cave dwellings, your junior sister has no problem with any of it. Please, no one worry about me."

Two simple sentences—and nearly every man present, Meng Jueming included, was taken captive by this woman!

Compared with the sort who coquettishly plays cute and feigns charm, a woman like her—plainly fragile, yet forcing herself to be strong—stirred a man's protective instincts all the more, making one long to cherish and console her!

This woman truly knows how to put on a show! Wei Zhao curled his lip in silence. As for this Murong Zhen who had appeared out of nowhere, though they were complete strangers and bore each other no grudge, his intuition told him that she was nothing like the delicate, harmless creature she made herself out to be.

Back in the mortal realm, having come into contact with all sorts of women—and being a healer himself besides—Wei Zhao had developed a method all his own for reading people.

This Murong Zhen before him had brows set far apart; she was long past maidenhood. Whether in the space between her brows or in her gait and carriage, there was a certain wanton, seductive air. If his judgment did not fail him, this woman's nights were frequent and disorderly.

Cloud Terrace Island was not nearly so open as the mortal realm; it still preserved many ancient customs, and the barriers between men and women were strictly observed. Against such a backdrop, a woman like Murong Zhen could hardly be called decent company.

Wei Zhao was wholeheartedly set on cultivating in peace, raising his grade, and then making his way to the Middle Island to find Zhang Liju as soon as possible. He had no time to spare for the antics of such a woman.

What Wei Zhao did not know was that, to certain narrow-minded women, even this keeping of his distance was quite enough to earn a lasting grudge!

"Very well, then, if no one has urgent business, let us all summon a man's gallantry and help our junior sister Murong put up her hut!" Meng Jueming called out to the crowd.

"Right!" A thunderous chorus of assent went up at once. Eager to make a good impression on the lovely Murong, the Azure Cloud Pavilion newcomers vied with one another, rushing to be first and do their share, terrified of being left behind.

Xiao Ran, Qiao Hongcai, and the others, however, did not immediately follow after the rest; they stayed behind to await Wei Zhao's instructions.

"Let us go too," Wei Zhao said with a faint smile. "Since we are all Azure Cloud Pavilion newcomers, we may as well lend a hand."

Much as he wished to have little to do with this Murong Zhen, they were all newcomers of the Azure Cloud Pavilion together. If only for the sake of appearances, this was a favor he could not refuse to do.

Of course, with so many already scrambling ahead, even if Wei Zhao and his companions went over, they would at most be going through the motions. Building a wooden hut was nothing but a trifle to cultivators like them.

In a mere half hour, thanks to the diligent efforts of the Azure Cloud Pavilion newcomers, a wooden hut had already risen on the open ground before the cave dwellings at the foot of the mountain. Crude as it was, and uncomfortable as it would surely be to live in, cultivators had few demands of their external surroundings beyond spiritual qi, so this was enough to get by on for the time being.

As for spiritual qi, given Murong Zhen's strength at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, to say nothing of a little wooden hut, even the finest of the mountain-foot cave dwellings—Cave Dwelling Number One—was nowhere near sufficient for her cultivation needs. So in theory, for Murong Zhen, these cave dwellings and the wooden hut came to much the same thing: all of them nearly worthless.

Of course, the little wooden hut was only temporary for her. If she meant to take part in the challenge tournament to come, then when the time came, it was anyone's guess which unlucky soul would end up living in it.

On this point, the Azure Cloud Pavilion newcomers, utterly besotted with Murong Zhen, seemed not yet to have caught on. Their minds were wholly set on winning the favor of the lovely Murong.

So long as one could win Murong Zhen's favor, one would not merely gain the regard of a beauty but also acquire an extra patron. Why not do it?

Setting aside the profound background rumored to lie behind Murong Zhen, she was, in and of herself, a genuine peak expert of the early Foundation Establishment stage. With such strength, she could crush every last newcomer of the Welcome Pavilion on the spot—Wei Zhao included!

Even at the risk of looking like one who lives off a woman, if one could manage to latch onto such a sturdy leg, the prospect alone was enough to make one dizzy with delight!

After the wooden hut was finished for Murong Zhen, the Azure Cloud Pavilion newcomers—save for a handful with ulterior motives who wished to curry favor with her—quickly dispersed to their own affairs.

They still had to prepare for the next round of the challenge tournament; they still had to spend true qi nurturing the seeds of spirit herbs. There were any number of things demanding their attention, and not much time to waste.

As for this beauty who had dropped from the heavens, to most of them she was at best a feast for the eyes. Given their strength and circumstances, carrying off such a prize was wholly unrealistic. However inflamed their lust, they still possessed that much self-awareness.

As for Wei Zhao and his companions, before they went their separate ways, Wei Zhao took particular care to warn them: "This woman is no simple matter. If there is no need, everyone would do well to keep a little distance from her." RS

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