As Qiyue watched the ground grow closer and closer, believing she was dead for sure, her heart filled with despair and terror. She tightly closed her eyes, waiting for death to arrive, preparing herself for the agonizing impact.
However, when her body actually made contact with the ground, she felt none of the intense pain she had anticipated. Instead, she only felt the ground cushion her with a warm and springy embrace.
Qiyue sat up abruptly, opened her eyes cautiously, and looked around in astonishment to find herself on a patch of soft grass, surrounded by fresh air and a faint floral fragrance. She looked around blankly, trying to make sense of everything happening before her.
"Huh? I'm actually fine?" Qiyue blinked her large eyes and muttered to herself in puzzlement.
"Well, you're fine, but I'm in trouble."
A deep voice reached Qiyue's ears.
"Ah! Who are you? Where are you? Did you save me?"
Qiyue immediately grew nervous, looking around inquisitively in an attempt to find the source of the voice. Judging by the sound, it was right nearby, yet she couldn't see anyone at all.
"I—I'm right underneath you!" That voice sounded again.
"What?"
Qiyue simply couldn't believe her ears. She hesitatingly reached down to clutch her pleated dress, then looked down cautiously.
"Ah—!"
A scream pierced the skies. Frightened out of her wits, Qiyue sprang up like a coiled spring, her face as pale as paper, her wide eyes filled with terror and shock.
To her astonishment, hiding beneath her dress was a tall, sturdy youth with dark skin.
The dark-skinned, sturdy youth slowly stood up, rubbing the waist that Qiyue had knocked sore as he chuckled and said, "Little Junior Sister, don't be scared. We saved you. We've been waiting for you for a long time—you're finally back."
Hearing this, Qiyue's heart leaped straight up into her throat, and she was almost on the verge of tears. "Who... who are you people?"
"Third Junior Brother, don't frighten our Little Junior Sister."
Just as Qiyue was panic-stricken, she heard another voice coming from behind her. Turning her head, she saw two youths walking toward them.
One was a young man holding a paper fan, his robes fluttering, full of poise and grace, exuding an air of refinement with every gesture; the other was somewhat slender in build, with a long bamboo flute strapped across his back, fair-skinned and calm, giving off a steady and reliable impression.
While Qiyue was looking at them with curiosity, Daoist Yunhe and Song Yifan also slowly descended from the air on their flying swords.
Before his sword had even come to a complete stop, Song Yifan leaped down impatiently and hurried to Qiyue's side.
"Little Junior Sister, are you alright?" he asked with a concerned expression.
"Fifth Senior Brother, I'm fine!" Qiyue replied with a smile.
"Master!"
At that moment, three voices rang out simultaneously as the three men walked forward quickly to pay their respects to Daoist Yunhe.
Meanwhile, Song Yifan pulled Qiyue forward to stand before the group.
"Fifth Junior Brother, is this young girl the new Little Junior Sister that Master recently took in, the one you told us about through sound transmission earlier?" the young man with the folding fan asked with a smile.
"That's right. This is Master's newly accepted disciple, Qiyue."
"Hello, Senior Brothers!" Qiyue greeted them somewhat shyly.
Only then did Qiyue suddenly understand that these three men with completely different temperaments were all disciples of Daoist Yunhe, which made them her senior brothers.
"Little Junior Sister, this handsome young man holding the folding fan and exuding such grace is our Second Senior Brother, Mu Yufeng." Song Yifan pointed at the fan-wielding youth and introduced him with a smile.
"Hello, Second Senior Brother!" the young girl said softly, bowing slightly.
"Haha, our Little Junior Sister is truly well-behaved and adorable!" Mu Yufeng gently shook his folding fan and replied with a smile, "Since you're new here, Little Junior Sister, if you need help with anything in your daily life—like food, clothing, housing, or travel—feel free to come find me anytime. I will definitely do my best to help."
"Thank you for looking out for me, Second Senior Brother!" The young girl nodded gratefully to show she understood.
At that moment, the tall, dark-skinned, sturdy youth walked over.
Before Song Yifan could introduce him, he impatiently introduced himself. "Hehe, Little Junior Sister, I am your Third Senior Brother, Lei Yu! If anyone dares to bully you, don't stand on ceremony—just tell me, and watch how I deal with them!"
As he spoke, he waved his thick arms, looking quite formidable.
Infected by his warmth and bold manner, the young girl couldn't help breaking into a smile and softly said, "Thank you, Third Senior Brother!"
"Third Senior Brother, if you always go around talking about fighting and killing like that, you'll scare other people's little girls. Little Junior Sister, I'm your Fourth Senior Brother, Tang Yanchen. When it comes to other skills, I might not be particularly strong, but if it involves musical pitches or books, just come find me."
"Thank you, Third Senior Brother, and thank you, Fourth Senior Brother!"
"That's right! Little Junior Sister, your Fourth Senior Brother was born timid and has never liked things like fighting and killing. However, he is an absolute bookworm. If there's anything you don't understand, just go ask him—he's read far more books than the rest of us combined."
"Y-You're the timid one!"
Even though she knew Third Senior Brother was speaking the complete truth, in order to salvage a shred of dignity, she couldn't help arguing back a little.
Watching the two of them bickering was truly entertaining, and instantly filled Qiyue with a great sense of closeness toward them.
What kind of personalities did the other three senior brothers have, she wondered? If they could all be as amiable and easygoing as the two in front of her, she probably wouldn't have anything left to worry or fret about.
"What about those two? How come they haven't come over?"
"Reporting to Master, when we saw your flying sword from below, we all came out to welcome you. Those two are probably off studying ore in some cave again, so we didn't see them."
"Alright, let's head back first then!"
"Yes, Master!"
Daoist Yunhe quickly spoke up to put a stop to it, as he had no desire to watch his disciples continue to bicker and argue here; otherwise, they might still be at it by nightfall.
Hearing their conversation, Qiyue understood in her heart that there were still two senior brothers who hadn't arrived.
She followed quietly behind the group, though a trace of doubt lingered in her mind.
Along the way, as she flew through the air with Master and her senior brothers, she had seen many people bustling back and forth across every peak, making for a very lively scene.
Yet upon arriving at Ziyu Peak, the situation was completely different.
Not only was it not as towering and piercing into the clouds as Fifth Senior Brother had described, but it also gave an impression of utter emptiness.
After walking for so long, she hadn't even caught a glimpse of a single person. Aside from the six of them, there was not a trace of anyone else to be seen.