Chapter 452: Peanut Gallery

What was more terrifying was the way Abbess Jiunan looked at Ye Tian, which carried a trace of affection. It reminded Ye Wenxin of that story. She had massacred the entire Ye Clan Village, yet why was her adopted brother standing right there?

Ye Wenxin felt somewhat anxious, as if she had overlooked something important. However, aside from Ye Tian or Abbess Jiunan, no one present could answer this question. She couldn’t reveal her true identity either. She could only take an indirect approach, and figure out how to uncover the story unbeknownst to her.

Ye Tian withdrew his gaze from Ye Wenxin and greeted Abbess Jiunan. “It’s really been a long time, Abbess Jiunan.” Compared to his previous wooden demeanor, Ye Tian now appeared much more mature.

There was a barely concealed smile in Abbess Jiunan’s eyes, though she only smiled faintly. She wanted to avoid dishonoring her monastic’s robes, or her identity as a person who had taken religious vows.

“Yes, it’s been a long time.” Abbess Jiunan smiled while stroking her own hair. The two seemed to be in their own little world; no third party could come between them. Yet, when Ye Wenxin focused, she could still see the peach blossom corruption on Abbess Jiunan’s otherwise blank parchment aura, revealing that Ye Wenxin had long since left her mark on the abbess.

Well, as long as the peach blossom chains didn’t sound an alert, Ye Wenxin wouldn’t care too much about it. She tactfully stepped aside and continued helping to bandage the wounded.

“Thank you so much, Junior Sister Wenxin.” The female cultivators were filled with admiration for Ye Wenxin, and she lost count of how many times they had harassed her while she was bandaging them. When she approached the male cultivators, they often treated her indifferently. If they weren’t looking at Gu Xiangsi, they were staring at Jin Xiaoqin, and some even seemed not to spare Abbess Jiunan.

No matter the situation, Ye Wenxin was clearly more popular among the women than the men. She had grown numb to it by now. After another round, she finally finished tending to the injured. By then, dawn had arrived, and the camp’s morale was low after having faced two attacks from the demon sects the night before.

Thinking of this, a few of the senior members who had been dispatched began to discuss among themselves, and eventually decided to relax tonight. They wanted to celebrate their narrow escape from death, and foster closer relations between the Ten Great Immortal Sects. The most important reason, however, was that everyone from the immortal sects had grown tired of eating meager meals, and wanted to indulge in some meat.

Nirvana Pavilion had brought chefs and a variety of ingredients. It was enough for everyone to have a feast. Of course, since the demon sects might come to cause more trouble, they still needed some people to stand guard, and no alcohol was allowed. This diminished the merriment somewhat, but it also helped to gradually lift the gloom in everyone’s hearts.

Jin Xiaoqin had noticed the increasing amount of admiration Ye Wenxin was garnering, and didn’t want her to get too close to the crowd. Thus, Ye Wenxin was among those assigned to stand guard. This put her at ease, and she willingly took up post on a high platform.

The winter’s chill had yet to fade. Ye Wenxin looked around from her post while Sword Ghost patrolled the area for her. Actually, Ye Wenxin’s mind had completely wandered, filled with thoughts of the messy things she had to deal with recently.

Yet, she couldn’t make sense of any of it.

“Here, have a chicken leg.” A sudden voice interrupted Ye Wenxin’s thoughts. She instinctively turned her head and saw Ye Tian standing behind her. He was smiling and holding a plate of several chicken legs.

Ye Wenxin hesitated for a moment. Out of habit, she checked whether something strange had been added to the chicken leg, but found no trace of such substances. On the contrary, the chicken legs were brimming with spiritual energy, indicating that this was no ordinary breed of chicken.

“Thank you.” After this discovery, Ye Wenxin stood up and took a chicken leg from the plate. Ye Tian seemed to think she was holding back too much, and handed her the entire plate.

Ye Wenxin no longer restrained herself, hugging the plate as she ate. The chicken leg was fresh, tender, and flavorful, melting in her mouth—truly top-notch. Ye Wenxin had never had the chance to taste Nirvana Pavilion’s dishes before, but she hadn’t expected them to be this delicious. Now, she felt a bit conflicted to see the Pavilion Master personally bring her the food.

“Is it tasty?” Ye Tian asked, his smile reaching his eyes.

Ye Wenxin finished eating the chicken leg before nodding. “It is. I’m not your sister, though, Pavilion Master Ye. You being so attentive for no reason is very suspicious.”

Ye Tian laughed awkwardly. “Well, you look so much like my sister. This is the first time I’ve met someone who not only looks like her, but even has the same name.”

Ye Wenxin felt like Ye Tian was blatantly lying. Her face had long shed any resemblance to the Demon Lord, with only a slight trace of similarity remaining. However, she had to admit that her facial features hadn’t fully developed when she was younger, and in order to appear like a 14-year-old, her current appearance was still somewhat childish.

Regardless, she couldn’t see any flaw in her current appearance. Ye Wenxin felt apprehensive, but seeing Ye Tian being so cordial, she simply said, “Since we’re so fated, why don’t you just take me as your little sister then?”

Ye Tian was overjoyed upon hearing this. “Sure.”

His quick response only made Ye Wenxin more unsure of Ye Tian’s intentions. However, if she had the Pavilion Master of Nirvana Pavilion as her patron, her dealings in the Martial World would certainly become more convenient.

But his overly eager agreement left Ye Wenxin struggling to understand what Ye Tian meant.

Although she was genuinely puzzled, facing a familiar face from her past, she still patiently asked, “Aren’t you agreeing too quickly, Pavilion Master Ye? You don’t even know what kind of person I am, yet you’ve already made up your mind?”

Ye Tian smiled sheepishly and continued, “Ah… no, the abbess had sent me a message by carrier pigeon, telling me about this interesting matter. Since I’ve had some free time lately, I came to see for myself…”

Ye Tian’s voice was filled with emotion, completely unaware that Ye Wenxin was the true culprit behind the Ye Clan Village massacre.

“The abbess said you are fated with Buddhism. How could you possibly be a bad person?”

He smiled brightly, absolutely certain about what Abbess Jiunan had told him.

Ye Wenxin got the picture. Ye Tian had agreed so readily because of Abbess Jiunan. And, Abbess Jiunan had gotten close to her because of the umbrella sword. In essence, she had once again become a pawn in a network of relationships. It was likely that Ye Tian hoped to use this connection to subtly request the umbrella sword.

Ye Wenxin kept her composure and casually asked, “Pavilion Master Ye, what exactly is your relationship with Abbess Jiunan?”