Post-Event Celebratory Parties

"You what?!" Zhao Yunxiao widened his eyes in surprise, almost spitting out the food in his mouth.

"I killed a monster at the Advanced Essence Physique realm, so they are asking me to go in for a chat tomorrow," Nie Hanchang shrugged.

"Why are you acting so nonchalant about it? This is huge!" Zhao Yunxiao exclaimed, almost standing up in excitement. "If you play this correctly, it could potentially become a way to enter the inner sect!"

After a long day at the Alchemy Chamber, Zhao Yunxiao went to meet up with the group back at the Lightwind Pavilion.

That was when he finally heard the news about Nie Hanchang, directly from the person in question.

Now that the news had spread, a sect protector from the Wei Faction actually sent Nie Hanchang an invitation to have a chat.

The other party had framed it as a casual chat, but the true aim was pretty obvious.

More than likely, this was a way to assess his suitability in joining the inner sect under the Wei Faction!

For almost every outer disciple, this would be a life-changing opportunity to promote themselves and increase their chances of joining the inner sect, so Zhao Yunxiao simply could not understand Nie Hanchang's indifference.

"Yeah, I know," Nie Hanchang answered in a disinterested manner. "I sure hope it goes well."

Zhao Yunxiao: "..."

Can you act a little more in line with the words you speak?

The way I see it, you definitely do not seem like you care about this opportunity whatsoever!

"What's wrong, Senior Martial Brother Nie?" Gu Qiansi asked. "Is something bothering you?"

"Nothing important," Nie Hanchang shook his head. "It's just that it will probably be the same thing again."

Ah...

Zhao Yunxiao finally understood.

Ever since he was young, plenty of people had tried to persuade Nie Hanchang to trade up the path of bow and arrow for something easier and more suitable.

That had probably caused Nie Hanchang to become sick and tired of having such discussions.

"So, what will everyone be doing over the next few days? Going to any parties?" Zhao Yunxiao tried to change the topic.

"Are you joking? Why would any of us be invited?" Gu Qiansi rolled her eyes in response.

After the opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm, there would usually be a day of rest before things started happening again.

And the first things of note would usually be the private parties organised by various disciples, meant to celebrate everyone's hard work and successes within the mystic realm.

These parties were mainly for inner disciples to network among themselves. As for the stars of the parties, they would usually be those who had done well in the Four Symbols Mystic Realm, or at least those who were well connected to them.

Understanding the importance of networking and forging relations, most people would be on the lookout as to which parties would be held and who would be invited.

Some party organisers had already begun to send out invitations, but it was impossible for ordinary outer disciples like them to receive any!

"I have been invited," Nie Hanchang answered absent-mindedly.

"...I see," Gu Qiansi felt the corner of her lips twitch.

Okay, maybe it was not impossible after all.

"Oh? Which party is it?" Zhao Yunxiao lit up in surprise.

He had brought the matter up purely as a joke, and truly did not expect to hear about such a thing from Nie Hanchang.

It seemed like Nie Hanchang was really starting to gain momentum in his rise through the ranks!

"The same protector from the Wei Faction invited me," Nie Hanchang let out a deep sigh.

"Hah, is that so...?" Zhao Yunxiao was speechless.

He was definitely excited about the progress that Nie Hanchang was making. But at the same time, he could not help but wish that Nie Hanchang would be at least half as excited about the matter as he was!

"What about you? What's the deal between you and the Tidal Fairy?" Gu Qiansi diverted the attention onto Zhao Yunxiao.

It was clear that the news of Chen Pingxi greeting Zhao Yunxiao had found its way to Gu Qiansi as well.

"It's really nothing. We just had some contact back at the Origin Lake Sect, so she is merely greeting me out of courtesy," Zhao Yunxiao let out a wry smile. "This piece of news will probably die off extremely soon."

"I see, that makes sense," Gu Qiansi nodded.

"All of that is not important," Lu Zhiying interjected impatiently. "It's time for you to fill us in on everything that happened during the opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm, Senior Martial Brother Zhao!"

"Haha, all right, sure," Zhao Yunxiao laughed. "I still don't know much about the other aspects, but I can at least tell you about what I know!"

***

The next day was an information-gathering day for Zhao Yunxiao.

Having been hard at work for the whole of yesterday, he definitely had to catch up on all the news that he had missed. And if there was still some time left, he wanted to research a little more about the opening of the Mind Gate.

Regarding the latter, he believed that he should already have all the basic information down, but it never hurt to be sure!

Unfortunately, he did not even get the chance to begin carrying out his plan.

The moment he stepped out of his residence in the morning, Zhao Yunxiao saw two familiar figures standing there waiting for him.

"Sister Chen? Brother Zhou?" Zhao Yunxiao exclaimed in surprise.

"Greetings, Brother Zhao."

The two unexpected guests from the Origin Lake Sect clasped their fists towards him.

"Have you been waiting for me? Is there anything wrong?" Zhao Yunxiao asked in concern.

"Don't worry, there's nothing wrong," Chen Pingxi shook her head with a smile. "Junior Martial Brother Zhou and I would just like to get your advice on something. That said, I tried to look for you yesterday as well but didn't manage to find you. You must have been really busy!"

"I'm definitely nowhere near as busy as you two. Let's take our current situations for example – you must be flooded with party invitations, isn't that right?" Zhao Yunxiao laughed.

"I'm sure Brother Zhao has received plenty as well," Chen Pingxi replied.

"Don't joke with me, Sister Chen. I am just an outer disciple, so how could I be invited to any of those parties?" Zhao Yunxiao shrugged.

"Heh, all right. If you say so," Chen Pingxi snickered. "But I have to admit that Brother Zhao saw through us immediately. As you have guessed, this is precisely the reason why we are seeking your advice. We would like to hear your thoughts on which party we should attend."

"You want to hear my advice?" Zhao Yunxiao tilted his head in confusion. "But shouldn't you already have plenty of experience with this?"

"Changes always accompany the flow of time. Unless one could escape the ever-flowing river of time, no individual or faction would be an exception to this rule," Chen Pingxi answered. "Rather than making a decision based on what I know as an outsider, I figured that it would be wiser to consult someone from the inside."

It was indeed as Zhao Yunxiao had said.

This was definitely not the first time that subordinate sects had been invited to participate in the opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm.

Year after year, these parties had been an integral part of the post-event celebrations, and could already be considered part of the tradition by now.

As the prime disciple of the Origin Lake Sect, Chen Pingxi had naturally been through this cycle of activities many times in the past.

Purely in terms of experience, she definitely had plenty.

If it were in the past, Chen Pingxi would certainly have made a decision on her own instead of bothering to ask anyone for advice.

However, things were slightly different this year.

During the New Year, Elder Ming Leishang had specifically cautioned her about undercurrents brewing in the Black Tortoise Sect. Because of that, she wanted to be extra cautious in every action that she took.

In addition, this was also a good opportunity to both strengthen the connection with Zhao Yunxiao, as well as learn more about the sect from the perspective of a disciple valued by Elder He Luoxuan.

"I see. Well, I'm not sure if an outer disciple like me counts as someone from the inside, but I can share what I know," Zhao Yunxiao rubbed his chin in contemplation. "That said, is there something specific that you wish to hear?"

"Just your thoughts in general," Chen Pingxi answered with a smile.

"All right, so there are many parties going on at the same time, and each has their pros and cons. I'm not sure which invitations you have received thus far; but if you ask me, there are two main parties that you should definitely attend," Zhao Yunxiao made a 'two' sign with his fingers. "They are the main party organised by the He Faction, and the party organised by Senior Martial Brother Duan."

"Senior Martial Brother Duan?" Chen Pingxi frowned. "Do you mean Corrupt Judge Duan Lei?"

"That's right," Zhao Yunxiao nodded. "As one of the most high-profile core disciples of the sect, I have heard that his party would always be graced by the most influential disciples. Even the other core disciples would try to drop by for a while. If you are able to join that party, you would stand a chance to forge closer relations with them. In fact, I have never heard of anyone declining an invitation to that party."

"That does sound good," Chen Pingxi nodded. "What about the one by the He Faction?"

"That one is rather specific to you," Zhao Yunxiao explained. "No matter what, Elder He is still the elder in charge of diplomacy, and would thus have a larger influence over the Origin Lake Sect's relations with the Black Tortoise Sect. By attending the party organised by his faction, you can gain access to those directly under him, who might be in a position to influence his thoughts to a certain extent. I'm sure you don't need me to elaborate further on what benefits that could bring."

Chen Pingxi's smile grew wider.

If that's the case, shouldn't we be hanging out more with you instead?

Of course, she was not nearly tactless enough to say something as straightforward as that.

"Brother Zhao is wise," Chen Pingxi said. "In that case, would you like to attend the He Faction's party as well? Even if you don't currently have an invitation, I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you entered with us."

"Thank you for the invitation, Sister Chen, but I'm afraid that I'd have to refuse," Zhao Yunxiao shook his head. "I don't mean to treat you as an outsider. But as a disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect, it might be a little inappropriate for me to attend the party by receiving an invitation from your side. I hope for your understanding in this regard."

Honestly, Zhao Yunxiao would love to attend any of these parties to gain direct access to the events that transpired there.

However, to accept an invitation to a Black Tortoise Sect party from someone outside of the sect... that would not reflect too well on the sect, and might even end up drawing unwanted attention to himself.

The gains simply did not outweigh the costs here.

"This..." Chen Pingxi was stumped for a moment.

She had wanted to create an excuse for Zhao Yunxiao to attend the party that he would most likely be extremely welcomed at, but even that did not seem to work.

Whatever the reason was for Zhao Yunxiao to keep staying under the radar, he was definitely taking it extremely seriously!

Faced with Zhao Yunxiao's nonchalant rejection, as well as everything that she had seen and heard about him thus far, Chen Pingxi decided right then and there to take a gamble.

"Since that is the case, I won't be attending any of those parties as well," Chen Pingxi said.

"What?" Zhao Yunxiao widened his eyes in shock. "Why all of a sudden?"

Not just him, but Zhou Qin was startled as well.

They were sent here not just to experience the Four Symbols Mystic Realm, but also to network with the disciples of the Black Tortoise Sect.

And without a doubt, these post-event celebratory parties were a huge part of the latter aspect.

To abandon the idea of attending these parties altogether, that could almost be seen as a dereliction of duty!

"Well, I have never enjoyed these parties in the first place, so Junior Martial Brother Zhou can attend them in my stead."

"Am I going alone?" Zhou Qin felt the corner of his lips twitch.

"Yes," Chen Pingxi answered curtly before turning back to Zhao Yunxiao. "And since I now have some time on my hands, would Brother Zhao be willing to spend these two days showing me around instead?"

"This... are you serious about this?" Zhao Yunxiao hesitated for a moment.

Just like Zhou Qin, he was clear of the potential implications for Chen Pingxi.

"I'm definitely serious," Chen Pingxi assured with a smile. "After all, I've been taking good care of Junior Martial Sister Xia for your Senior Martial Brother Jun. Even if it is in exchange for that, this request of mine probably isn't considered going overboard, is it?"

Zhao Yunxiao looked at Chen Pingxi's playful gaze before letting out a helpless sigh.

What she said was right. As compared to taking care of Xia Wei, simply showing Chen Pingxi around the sect for two days truly seemed like an insignificant matter.

Not just that, but being able to connect with the core disciple of the Origin Lake Sect would also have its benefits in the future.

Even if he disregarded all that, to decline the request of a guest of her level could be considered an obvious act of inhospitality. If someone were to bring this matter up to the sect administrators, he could actually be punished for tarnishing the sect's reputation for his own selfishness!

"All right," Zhao Yunxiao said after a brief pause. "If you are certain about this, then I guess there's nothing difficult about showing you around these two days."

As for the potential consequences for Chen Pingxi, there was no way that she was unaware of them.

In that case, was there a deeper rationale behind all of this? Something that he was oblivious to at the moment?

That sounded like newsworthy information indeed.

Zhao Yunxiao might not understand the rationale behind her decision. But if she truly wanted to do this regardless of the consequences, then there was no reason for him to refuse!