After rebirth, the eldest sister voluntarily abdicated and gave way to the wise.

Chapter 546 Friends Who Have Heared the Way

Her eyes widened slightly, and she turned around in surprise, only to see the girl with gold patterns on her sleeves and jade rings around her waist, leading the boy behind her quickly toward them.

“Li… Fellow Daoist Jiang…” Fang Wan Ning murmured, momentarily unsure whether she should bring up their friendship.

Li Chuanlu, unlike her, did not hesitate and stepped forward to greet his two friends whom he had not seen for many years.

In the cultivation world, a period of seclusion can last for ten, eight, or even a hundred years. Being able to see old friends again is a very joyful thing.

"Wan Ning, are you ignoring us because you're upset that we didn't tell you the truth back then?" Jiang Liqian walked up to Fang Wan Ning and asked with a guilty look on her face.

Fang Wanning never intended to do that. She was only afraid that being a disciple of a small sect would tarnish her reputation, so she hesitated to greet him or her.

She thought their interactions would be awkward, but her tone and demeanor were just like back in Chang Le City, which made her realize that she had really been overthinking things. She finally relaxed and smiled.

"No, I understand that there are many inconveniences when you are away on training. I was just worrying about some meaningless things."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Jiang Liqian and Xu Youan's faces, and asked in confusion, "Is it just the two of you? Where's Lian'er, Qin Beiyao? And Shi Tou and Su Yanqing? Why aren't they here? Are they staying in their sects instead of participating in this sect competition?"

Li Chuanlu also wondered about this.

Jiang Liqian's expression changed rapidly, her blood almost freezing in an instant. Her icy fingertips curled up at her sleeve, barely feeling any warmth.

Fang Wanning and Li Chuanlu immediately noticed that something was wrong with her expression, and their hearts skipped a beat.

"Senior Sister!" Xu Youan quickly stepped forward and lightly shook her hand.

He learned about Shui Lian'er and Qin Beiyao's affair as soon as he returned to the sect, and he was deeply saddened.

He knew what the two of them meant to his senior sister. He couldn't say anything to comfort her, but he wanted her to know that no matter what the future held, he would always be there for her. Whenever she was tired or weary, she could rest by his side without worrying about the storms outside.

He will give her the best future.

"Li Qian..."

"They... were ambushed by the demons and perished." Jiang Li closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing.

She kept telling herself that the worst was over, and she couldn't dwell on the past pain forever. She had to break free and move on.

If Sister Lianlian were still by her side, she would definitely want her to feel the same way.

"What?!" Li Chuanlu and Fang Wanning were both shocked. They looked at each other and thought of the most important purpose of their sect sending them to participate in the sect competition—to contribute to the possible operation to wipe out the demon race, even to the point of death.

Rumors about the demon race are rampant outside. Although there isn't much information circulating yet, panic is clearly starting to spread.

Although the war between humans and demons five hundred years ago is a distant memory, the scars left by that war have not been completely erased by the passage of time. The brutality of that time is still terrifying and hard to look at now.

What should have been a joyful reunion with old friends was suddenly overshadowed by a somber gloom. The group fell into an abrupt silence, standing out starkly in the otherwise bustling square, quickly drawing the attention of others.

Especially those who know Jiang Liqian.

The first to look over were Kongjue from Jinshan Temple and Chunxiao from the Hehuan Sect, with whom he had been fighting. The two had parted ways with Jiang Liqian and the others in Ye City and had hoped to see them again here, but due to the crowd, they hadn't found them immediately. Now that they had seen them, the two moved extremely fast, competing to see who was the fastest, and in a flash, they were in front of Jiang Liqian.

This time, Chunxiao took the initiative. Taking advantage of her status as a young lady, she grabbed Jiang Liqian's hand and, with her delicate and soft body, sweetly called out to Jiang Liqian, "Sister Liqian, we meet again! I've missed you so much all these years!"

Kongjue suddenly felt goosebumps all over the floor.

He immediately grabbed Chunxiao's arm, his cheeks flushed: "Witch, get off Fellow Daoist Jiang! This is such an unfair victory, hmph!"

"You're the one who won unfairly! What, are you jealous? You're jealous that only I can be close to my sister, and you can't?"

Kongjue blushed and immediately retorted loudly, "Who would be jealous of you? Fellow Daoist Jiang and I have a friendship of the highest order, a friendship based on spiritual understanding, don't you understand? Who is as superficial as you, always wearing makeup and dressing up so beautifully? I've dealt with so many bandits who wanted to take advantage of you, and you didn't even say thank you! You're such a vixen, you have no conscience at all!"

"What, you want me to put some rouge and powder on you too? You should have said so earlier. I wouldn't be stingy with such a little bit, after all, you're my 'protector'!"

"You're lying! I didn't!"

"You have it, you have it, you have it!"

"Spring, dawn—!"

"Oh no! The compassionate monk is going to hit me! Sister, save me!"

The heavy atmosphere between Jiang Liqian and Fang Wanning was disrupted by these two, and they couldn't stay serious anymore. They all stared at the two of them, wondering what kind of trouble they were going to cause.

Xu Youan pouted, unwilling and resentful, glaring at Chunxiao's hand that was holding his senior sister's hand, wishing he could glare a hole through it.

What "sticking"? It's not like he's ever really "sticked" with his senior sister!

Before the commotion had even subsided, more people squeezed through the crowd, smiling and greeting Jiang Liqian. Jiang Liqian looked in the direction of the voices and saw Zhao Guiqing from the Xuan Gang Sect, whom she had met once in Ye City, and the lost little girl, Mo'er.

Six or seven years have passed, and the little girl has now grown into a graceful young woman, having shed her childish cuteness and become even more elegant and refined.

The moment Mo'er saw Jiang Liqian, she lifted her skirt and threw herself into Jiang Liqian's arms, wrapping her arms around her waist and rubbing her head against her excitedly: "Beautiful and kind sister, Mo'er missed you so much! I dream of seeing you again! I haven't said 'thank you' to you yet. If you hadn't taken me home that day, I might have been kidnapped by bad guys!"

Jiang Liqian's heart softened, her gaze softened, and she raised her hand to stroke the girl's head in her arms: "Thank you for your concern, I'm very happy."

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly felt a familiar presence approaching. She looked up and saw Qing Mu carrying a large sword on her back. She stood not too far away, her figure unassuming, her long hair tied up high, as aloof and taciturn as ever.

As the daughter of the powerful owner of Shengxiaolou, it was indeed impossible for her to be absent from the sect competition.