Chapter 199

Chapter 199: The Purple Mist Grand Ceremony

“Miss Yue.”

Upon seeing the woman before him, Ming stood up and bowed respectfully.

The woman before him was named Yue Lou, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Heavenly Profound Gate, and also the one who had come to his rescue at the time.

The Heavenly Profound Gate had many Inner Sect Disciples and even direct lineage disciples taking shifts in Xuan Yue City, both to maintain order there and as a form of training.

“How is Master Xu feeling?” Yue Lou returned the bow.

Ming replied, “Thanks to Miss Yue’s blessings, I’m quite fine. The doctor just advised me to rest well.”

Yue Lou shook her head slightly embarrassed, “I didn’t do much. I merely found you; nothing else.”

“Miss Yue, the favor of leading someone out of the city to help me, I deeply appreciate.” Ming smiled gently.

Though Ming was indeed grateful for her assistance,

he secretly thought it might have been better if they hadn’t left the city.

If they hadn’t, perhaps Mo Zhu’er wouldn’t have made that mistake, and neither would he and Mo Zhu’er have ended up like… well, that.

Now, whenever Ming thought about Mo Zhu’er, he felt uncertain about what to do.

Even though that enchantress didn’t demand responsibility from him, nor would she ever,

it still weighed on his mind considering it was their first time in this life together.

But Ming didn’t blame Yue Lou; she came with good intentions, and there was no fault in that. It was just bad timing.

“Actually, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you, Master Xu.”

Yue Lou looked at Ming and spoke slowly.

“Please go ahead.”

As Ming observed the female cultivator’s expression, he sensed it might not be good news.

“It goes like this,” Yue Lou hesitated, “Before Master Xu arrived at Xuan Yue City, Uncle Qin mentioned you to me. He said that since you two were childhood sweethearts, once you arrived here, we could directly take you to the Heavenly Profound Gate. However, now, there seems to be some issue.”

Ming nodded calmly, “What issue might that be?”

“Ordinarily, entering the Heavenly Profound Gate is very straightforward. Outsiders only need to state their purpose without needing to reveal their identity to visit.

But these days, the Purple Mist Grand Ceremony is approaching.

Master Xu may not know,

this ceremony is our sect’s grand opening ritual. When our sect’s founding ancestor attained enlightenment through the purple mist, the Heavenly Profound Gate was established. Since then, the celebration has been called the Purple Mist Grand Ceremony, held every five hundred years.

During this month, guests from all over will arrive.

Such an important ceremony cannot afford any mistakes, so management is very strict.

Normally, I’d fetch Uncle Qin, and with his word, you could enter the Heavenly Profound Gate.

However, Uncle Qin is preparing for the ceremony and appears to be in seclusion.

When I approached the disciple in charge of administration and mentioned your identity, initially, the disciple was cooperative and was about to give me a pass.

But another official took back the pass, claiming they couldn’t verify your identity and insisted on waiting until Uncle Qin emerged from seclusion to ensure the ceremony proceeds without issues.

They also said I’m just an Inner Sect Disciple and don’t have the authority to bring anyone into the sect during the ceremony. They even suggested that among the tens of thousands of disciples in the Heavenly Profound Gate, how can we be sure there aren’t traitors bringing ill-intentioned people into the sect?”

The more Yue Lou spoke, the angrier she became. Ming could even hear her teeth grinding.

Yue Lou slammed the stone table with her fist, “I’ve never seen such absurdity! I’ve been in the Heavenly Profound Gate for ten years! How could I be a traitor? And what nonsense are these new rules? There isn’t even any official documentation!”

Ming chuckled lightly, “If there wasn’t such a rule before, maybe it exists now. After all, rules are made by people. And it’s probably not the rules themselves but rather certain disciples of the Heavenly Profound Gate who might have grievances against me.”

Yue Lou looked up, recalling some rumors, “Could it be Xia Brother?”

“Is the Xia Brother you mentioned Xia Donghua, the son of the Heavenly Profound Gate Leader?” Ming asked.

Yue Lou nodded, “Yes.”

Ming didn’t seem too concerned, “Miss Yue, could you tell me what my current image is within the Heavenly Profound Gate? What do most of the sect’s disciples say about me?”

“This…” Yue Lou’s expression turned somewhat awkward.

Ming reassured her, “Please speak freely. Your words will help me understand how to act when I eventually enter the Heavenly Profound Gate.”

Yue Lou organized her thoughts, trying not to hurt Ming, “In the Heavenly Profound Gate, it’s rumored that Master Xu demonstrated great wisdom and adaptability during the White洼Secret Realm trial. Everyone leaving the Secret Realm owed it to Master Xu’s cleverness.”

Ming laughed and sipped his tea, “Perhaps the rumor in the Heavenly Profound Gate is that I, Xu Ming, am a cunning villain who stole others’ opportunities halfway, deliberately opened the gateway to the outside world to let everyone face death, and likely colluded with the Black God Sect.”

Yue Lou remained silent.

Her silence confirmed the truth.

Yue Lou, looking embarrassed, said, “I know Master Xu is not like that. Uncle Qin told me everything. At the time, no one dared to attempt the trial, fearing for their lives, but Master Xu alone ascended the Heavenly Ladder, risking near-certain death, and ultimately found a way out for everyone.

Without Master Xu, none of us would have escaped.

As for conspiring with the Black God Sect, that’s completely baseless. Didn’t Master Xu fight fiercely with their branch leader?

And these rumors probably didn’t originate from Xia Brother but from outsiders, which the Heavenly Profound Gate disciples simply heard.”

Ming chuckled again, saying nothing more.

Perhaps the rumors the Heavenly Profound Gate disciples heard about him were spread by jealous outsiders.

But whether Xia Donghua subtly fanned the flames or not remains unclear.

Even if Xia Donghua did, he wouldn’t want others to know, as it would tarnish his reputation.

“Miss Yue, please don’t worry too much. Actually, I don’t care much about my image,” Ming comforted her, noticing her unease, “You mentioned wanting to discuss something with me. Is it about delaying my entry into the Heavenly Profound Gate?”

“Not at all.”

Yue Lou shook her head earnestly, looking straight at Ming.

“On the contrary, what I wish to discuss with Master Xu is, if you’re willing, I’ll take you to the Heavenly Profound Gate tomorrow!”