Chapter 92: Centre of Attention
"The various brothers and sisters here are overreacting. I did nothing to deserve this," Zhao Yunxiao hurriedly clasped his fists in response.
Zhao Yunxiao had to admit that he quite enjoyed being regarded with importance, just like how most others did.
However, the current treatment was far too much for him to get used to all of a sudden.
Now that all eyes were on him right now, and not only those from the core disciples, he could not help but feel like a fish out of water.
That was especially the case when he knew that Cha was the one that they should be thanking instead, and that he had only been trying to resist all along!
"We understand that it is all part of Elder He's directions, but you are still the one who delivered the message, so we naturally have to thank you properly as well," Chen Pingxi replied with a smile. "Now then, please have a seat."
"Y-Yeah! Let's forget about who owes who, and just enjoy the night!" Hu Nan added to ease over the situation. "Please sit, please sit."
With that, the group took their seats around the table.
While everyone was doing that, Zhao Yunxiao stole a peek towards Qian Luming.
As expected, his gaze was fixated upon Song Xiaoqiao.
At this point, Zhao Yunxiao was completely certain of Qian Luming's feelings towards Song Xiaoqiao.
Of course, this was not something that he would interfere with either. It was not his place to do so, after all.
"Senior Martial Brother Zhao, didn't you say that we should stay low profile?" Yu Hang whispered from beside him.
"Sometimes, it can't be helped if the heavens just don't want things to go according to your plans," Zhao Yunxiao said with a sigh. "Hopefully that is over for now, and we can really sit back and relax."
"Mm, I think I can do that indeed, but I'm not sure about you, Senior Martial Brother Zhao," Yu Hang answered frankly.
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
He hated to admit it, but Yu Hang was probably right.
Even though he was just having a simple conversation with Yu Hang, he could already sense many people sneakily looking in their directions, as though they were trying to observe his every movement and figure out what they were talking about.
It was extremely uncomfortable to say the least, and this was all the fault of the core disciples.
After such a grand gesture of expressing gratitude from them earlier, even those who had no idea who he was would naturally grow curious about him!
"What did you do earlier to make them treat you like this anyway?" Yu Hang asked curiously.
"Don't ask," Zhao Yunxiao rubbed his temple in frustration. "I don't want to relive that memory."
"All right, everyone," Dan Juexing's voice bellowed across the open square. "It is our pleasure today to host Elder He and our other friends from the Black Tortoise Sect. Just like past years, this banquet shall serve to celebrate our everlasting friendship, as well as express our appreciation to Elder He for gracing us with his presence and valuable knowledge. With that, let the banquet begin!"
Taking his words as their cue, numerous disciples started carrying in the dishes for each table, and performers started making their way up the stage.
A sweet aroma assaulted their senses as numerous dishes were set down on their table one after another.
Zhao Yunxiao's eyes lit up in surprise as he saw the generous spread.
He might not be able to identify all of the dishes just by looking at them, but he was at least certain that every single one of them had been prepared with extremely high quality ingredients.
Some of these dishes smelled and looked just as impressive as the dishes that Gu Qiansi had prepared with the Giant Tree Ostrich eggs, if not even more so!
Even during the various festivities back at the Black Tortoise Sect, the dishes served during the celebratory banquets could not compare to the spread in front of him right now.
Of course, it was also because he was just an ordinary outer disciple back at the sect. Unlike him, the inner disciples were likely to be served food of much better quality.
Here, however, he was considered an esteemed guest representing the Black Tortoise Sect, seated with the core disciples.
It was only natural that he got to enjoy the best dishes prepared.
This was yet another perk of going on a work trip like this!
"Watch your etiquette. You are almost drooling right now," Hu Nan reminded from the side.
His words brought Zhao Yunxiao back to his senses. That was when he realised that those words were not just directed towards him, but also to Yu Hang who had shared a similar response as him.
"Haha, it is a relief to see that Brother Zhao likes what you are seeing," Chen Pingxi said with a laugh. "Feel free to eat to your heart's content. If this isn't enough, we can always ask them to serve more."
"Please don't trouble yourself, Sister Chen," Hu Nan replied. "This is already more than enough, isn't that right, Junior Martial Brother Zhao?
"Senior Martial Brother Hu is right, this is already more than enough indeed," Zhao Yunxiao quickly composed himself and answered with a confident smile.
"That's good to hear," Chen Pingxi's eyes turned into pretty little crescent moons as she smiled in response.
Interacting with a beautiful lady like this over great food – it was truly a wonderful feeling.
"Is Brother Zhuo- I mean... Is Brother Zhao a connoisseur of good food as well?" a core disciple suddenly spoke to him. "I-If so, we might be a good match. Perhaps we can have a more in-depth chat about this later. Hahaha..."
Hmm?
Zhao Yunxiao looked at the core disciple in surprise.
He could still remember this young man's name from earlier – Jian Qifa.
Anybody would be able to tell that Jian Qifa was speaking in a rather awkward manner right now.
Not only did he say Zhao Yunxiao's name wrongly, he also stuttered a little, and his laugh at the end sounded rather forced.
Could it be that this Jian Qifa was nervous to speak to him?
It would be rather interesting if that was true, especially considering that as outer disciples of the Black Tortoise Sect, Zhao Yunxiao and Yu Hang had been feeling nervous about having to speak to core disciples like him as well.
Speaking of which, Zhao Yunxiao recalled that the advice Cha had for Jian Qifa was rather different from the others.
After giving him some guidance, the sea serpent actually told Jian Qifa that his ideal route was to abandon his current pursuit since it would likely bring him more harm than good.
That was quite the thing to say to a cultivator who had managed to climb to the position of core disciple!
"Let's not be sneaky here, Junior Martial Brother Jian," Chen Pingxi answered before Zhao Yunxiao could. "If you are intending to ask Brother Zhao something, why don't you include the rest of us as well so we can all learn from the discussion?"
"Haha, Senior Martial Sister Chen is making it sound too serious," Jian Qifa laughed awkwardly. "I'm merely planning to have a simple conversation with Brother Zhao about good food, nothing too serious at all..."
"If it's really nothing serious, perhaps you should not waste Brother Zhao's valuable time," Cui Junhe spoke up this time. "The rest of us have more important things to speak to Brother Zhao about."
Hearing Cui Junhe's words, the rest of the core disciples nodded in agreement.
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
Shouldn't they be asking him for his opinion instead?
Why were they speaking as though he was not there at the table?
"Haha, since my intentions have been seen through, I shall be frank then," Jian Qifa admitted. "Regarding the guidance from Elder He earlier, did he say anything more? Perhaps something along the lines of what are the paths I should consider pursuing if not my current one?"
Zhao Yunxiao could not help but feel surprised.
It was one thing for Cha to suggest that he abandon his current pursuit, but it was another for him to seriously consider doing so just from hearing the suggestion.
From the way he was acting right now, it was likely that Jian Qifa himself had already been aware that there were some issues with his current pursuits, and thus wanted to know more about other possible options.
"Unfortunately, I do not know more either," Zhao Yunxiao shook his head regretfully. "My apologies, but Brother Jian might have to figure out the rest yourself."
"There's no need to apologise, Brother Zhao. You have already helped us enough," Chen Pingxi chimed in. "Junior Martial Brother Jian, the path of cultivation is about self exploration and discovery. Stop being lazy and asking for handouts."
"Haha... Senior Marital Sister Chen is right," Jian Qifa scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "Don't worry about it, Brother Zhao. You have already helped enough indeed. I will try to figure out the rest myself."
Zheng Biru and Yu Hang were completely confused at this moment.
It was strange enough that Jian Qifa was asking Zhao Yunxiao for advice when Hu Nan and Song Xiaoqiao were there, and it was even stranger that everyone else at the table looked extremely calm, as though this was only to be expected.
Just what did they miss earlier?
The graceful melody of a zither drew everyone's attention to the front.
A group of disciples had gathered on the stage, separated into two main groups.
Lined up near the back of the stage were several disciples with instruments in hand. Their hands danced across their instruments with practised proficiency, effortlessly producing tunes that meshed together in an impeccable manner.
As the soothing melody spread across the open square, everyone could not help but feel their moods being lifted along with it.
Music was said to be the common language across all cultures and races, and this was a perfect example of that.
Just listening to the music tunes alone was already superior to hearing a thousand words of comfort.
Sharing the stage with these disciples and their instruments was another group who stood nearer to the front of the stage.
It was a group of beautiful young ladies dressed in graceful long gowns that accentuated their figures, their hair adorned with identical hairpins that looked simple yet elegant at the same time.
As the music began, this group started to move along with the melody, breaking into a graceful dance that was easing on the eyes to say the least.
Great music accompanied by beautiful dance – it was truly a performance that was worth watching!
Zhao Yunxiao rubbed his chin in contemplation as he watched.
In his head, he could not help but be reminded of Lu Zhiying, wondering how she was faring with her dance practice.
None of the dancers on the stage could compare to Lu Zhiying in terms of appearances alone. Now, it was just a matter of how much Lu Zhiying could learn about dance in this short span of time.
If she could do somehow just as well as the dancers currently on stage, then there was no doubt that she would be a sight to behold during the upcoming New Year celebration!
With that thought in mind, Zhao Yunxiao began to watch the dance performance more intently as he tried to identify moves that could be applied to their performance as well.
He did not know how was Lu Zhiying's progress in coming up with a suitable dance routine.
But worse comes to worst, he could just suggest that Lu Zhiying copy some of these dance moves for their performance.
"Brother Zhao seems to be enjoying the performance a lot," Jian Qifa said with a meaningful smile. "I guess we are similar in more than just one aspect."
This time, Chen Pingxi did not speak up to stop him.
Instead, a faint blush appeared on her face, similar to that of the other female core disciples at the table.
Zhao Yunxiao immediately understood the meaning behind Jian Qifa's words.
It would appear that he had been too focused on the dance, and ended up being misunderstood because of that.
"No man will dislike beautiful women," Hu Nan answered in his stead. "What matters is for one to maintain civility despite their desires."
"Haha, that's true! That's exactly what I think as well!" Jian Qifa nodded in agreement. "On that note, if there is anyone from our Origin Lake Sect who has been lucky enough to catch your eye over the past two days, do feel free to let me know. I will do my best to link you up for a simple introduction."
With that, everyone's attention naturally fell upon Zhao Yunxiao, and this included that of the disciples from the surrounding tables as well.
This was no longer the first visit to the Origin Lake Sect for both Hu Nan and Song Xiaoqiao, so if there was someone they were interested in pursuing, they would probably have already done so.
As for Zheng Biru and Yu Hang, they naturally could not compare to Zhao Yunxiao.
To the core disciples, he was someone who He Luoxuan placed great importance on.
And to the other disciples, he was still someone who had been openly thanked by all the core disciples at once.
No matter who it was, every disciple of the Origin Lake Sect currently believed that Zhao Yunxiao was a person of great status.
Because of that, all the female disciples felt a strange feeling of expectation rise in their hearts, even those who originally had no romantic thoughts towards him.
After all, even if it did not lead to anything in the end, it would still be a great feeling to be singled out by him in such a manner, essentially differentiating them from everyone else in the sect!
"The Origin Lake Sect has numerous female disciples, each beautiful and special in their own way. It will be a lie to say that my heart is not moved by anyone," Zhao Yunxiao admitted with a wry smile. "However, as mere disciples, I believe that our current focus and responsibility should still be on cultivation. As for the pursuit of romance, I believe it is secondary. While it is not something to be avoided should an opportunity present itself in an organic manner, there is no need to go to special lengths to pursue it either."
"Very well said, Junior Martial Brother Zhao!" Hu Nan was extremely satisfied with his answer. "As mere disciples, our focus should be on cultivation indeed!"
"What Brother Zhao said is right," Chen Pingxi added with a smile. "Junior Martial Brother Jian, you have a lot more to learn from Brother Zhao in this aspect."
"Hahaha, that's right. Cultivation is definitely the priority," Jian Qifa continued. "But from what Brother Zhao said, it still means that there are indeed one or two among us who have caught your eye. That's encouraging news to my fellow female disciples!"
The female disciples of the Origin Lake Sect had initially given up hope after hearing Zhao Yunxiao's words, but Jian Qifa's words immediately reignited the hope in their hearts.
Jian Qifa was right.
Zhao Yunxiao might have said that his current priority was not romance, but he also mentioned that he was not unmoved, and that he would not avoid it if an opportunity presented itself!
Even if nothing else, if they could catch the eye of an important disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect, their status in the Origin Lake Sect would surely rise in the future!
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