“Who is that person?”

“Who is that?”

“I don’t know.”

“He looks quite handsome though, no man can compare to his beauty!”

“I wonder if he’s a peak chief? I mean, take a look at his attire, it looks elegant.”

“No, that title seems fairly small for him. He walks with the elegance and dignity comparable to that of a Patriarch’s.”

Those were most of the words that flew around as Yang Wei walked across the Outer Sect.

It seemed none of them could realize who he was.

In some way, it made Yang Wei wonder if there was any point in having “Fate Defying Elder” embroidered on his properly displayed fan if no one was going to read it.

“Tsk, tsk…”

Yang Wei shook his head with disappointment as he continued to walk like a stranger.

However, the moment he stepped into the Inner Sect, he encountered an elder. The elder, with a bad back, shuffled slowly with the aid of a walking stick, trembling like a worm doused in saltwater.

Yet, when he laid eyes on the white-haired man before him, as beautiful as an immortal lotus, his eyes bulged and his mouth gaped open.

“Yang We──, no! Fate Defying Elder!”

He quickly corrected himself, showing respect to the individual before him.

Yang Wei noticed and decided to play along.

“O-, oh, you recognize me…”

He cleared his throat and then stood with the grace of a heavenly being in the presence of a mortal, nodding proudly.

“It’s good that you did.”

The elder, forgetting about his bad back, collapsed to his knees and bowed his head repeatedly, as if praying in a shrine.

“Fate Defying Elder! Savior of the Azure Tree! Acknowledged by the celestial dragons of our sect! Hoarder of beauties! King of all that is beautiful and strong! The Immeasurable One!…”

He continued with 25 more titles, each sounding more ridiculous or earth-shaking than the last.

The elder’s praises soon caught the attention of everyone in the Inner Sect, and word began to spread like wildfire.

“Did you hear the news?! The Mashyan World’s Number One Expert has returned!”

“I just heard Senior Brother Yang has returned!”

“The Fate Defying Elder? I must see him again!”

“The Heavens have favored me with the grace of seeing the one who defies fate itself!”

The entire sect started buzzing, from Spirit Harmony Peak down to Inkflow Spire, as cultivators rushed out from their courtyards to greet Yang Wei. Many abandoned their seclusion, while others paused their pill refining or martial arts practice──nothing else mattered except seeing him!

Men, women, and children flooded in like a wave, completely engulfing Yang Wei.

Some showered him with hugs, while a few even fainted at the sight of him.

Women planted kisses on his face, neck, and even tugged on his robes to kiss his chest.

“Let me get a look!”

“Is this really the Fate Defying Elder?!”

“I must see the legendary Harmony Elder Yang!”

Everyone was so excited about his return they couldn’t give him a moment to breathe or speak. But Yang Wei didn’t know how to tell them to stop. He didn’t want to dampen their warm welcome, so he simply let them drag him around and shower him with praise.

Suddenly, a stern feminine voice cut through the commotion.

“How dare you welcome such a prestigious elder of the sect in such an unsightly manner!”

The crowd turned to see Mu Lingxi standing there.

She had a stern face and her slender arms were folded.

One person stammered, “W-, we’re sorry, G-, Grandmaster! We were just a little excited to see Harm──”

Not interested in hearing excuses, Mu Lingxi ordered, “All of you, begone.”

The massive crowd wasted no time leaving──some were practically running away before Mu Lingxi even finished her statement.

Once they were gone, Yang Wei smiled at Mu Lingxi, but she remained standing there, stern and silent.

“You said you’d return in a year, yet I had to wait two extra months for you to keep your promise…”

Yang Wei chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head with his folding fan. He didn’t know how to respond, knowing she was mostly right. “I was trying to reach Mid-stage Core Formation before I returned, but that didn’t work out so well…”

Mu Lingxi walked closer, standing in front of him and looking up at him while he looked down at her.

“You have a habit of causing a ruckus and worrying people endlessly. If you promise to return in a year, then do it… I almost wanted to leave the sect to search for your aura!”

She tried to remain calm, but it was clear how much she missed him──the more she complained, the redder her cheeks became.

“I-, If you ever think of going into seclusion for that long again, I might as well come with you, humph!”

She folded her arms and frowned at him, though Yang Wei found her more cute than furious.

“I’m fine with that…” said Yang Wei with a warm smile, “…maybe we could even dual cultivate~”

Mu Lingxi’s head smoked up as the image of a naked Yang Wei popped up in her overactive imagination.

She immediately looked away, embarrassed.

“Sh-, shut up!”

Yang Wei just threw his head back and chuckled at her reaction.

Spending all that time in the Osmanthus World had made him forget how people in the sect reacted to certain things, and Mu Lingxi’s reactions were among the ones he missed the most.

“Hmm…” Mu Lingxi hummed thoughtfully.

Yang Wei glanced back at her, noticing how she was leaning in while looking up at him and stroking her jaw like she was solving an equation.

“Is… something wrong?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mu Lingxi reached into her pouch and pulled out a white handkerchief, dabbing it on Yang Wei’s face a bit.

“You have a lot of lipstick on your face. You know, it’s quite disappointing that you’d let those unsightly women, who don’t even have a decent cultivation base, kiss you like that.”

She wiped off the last traces of lipstick but couldn’t help being thorough──at that point, she was cleaning nothing, just pouting as she spoke.

“I’d be mad at you, but there’s no point since you just returned. I want you to have proper rest first!”

The feel of the handkerchief on Yang Wei’s face was satisfying. It smelled like flowers, and the softness of the fabric felt almost like feathers kissing his face.

Once she finished, Mu Lingxi leaned back and straightened up. “There, now you look presentable.”

She glanced at the handkerchief and then handed it to Yang Wei. “Here… take it.”

Yang Wei tilted his head. “Uh, thanks.”

Mu Lingxi folded her arms proudly and said, “Humph! I only gave it to you because your sweat and those lip marks stained it. I simply didn’t want it anymore!” There was a poshness in her tone.

Taking the handkerchief, Yang Wei kept his smile on. “Thank you, Lingxi.” He stashed the handkerchief in his storage pouch and thought to bring something out for her. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot… I got y──” Before Yang Wei could even finish his sentence, Mu Lingxi rushed in and wrapped her arms around him for a tight hug.

The height difference between them meant Mu Lingxi’s head was resting gently on Yang Wei’s chest.

It was the first time she felt the warmth of his body and even noticed the way his muscular chest felt against her cheek.

One thing she missed about being this close to him was his scent; it always stirred something in her. His sweet scent had grown so strong that Mu Lingxi had to squeeze her thighs together to satisfy her urges and keep her mind clear as she hugged him affectionately.

“Wei… you won’t leave again, will you?” she asked softly.

Yang Wei answered the only way he could.

“I promise, I won’t.”

The wind blew around them, tousling their hair and robes as leaves danced by the two cultivators who couldn’t hide their attraction to each other.

Yang Wei wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and burying his face in her hair. “I… I really missed you,” he confessed, holding her even tighter to feel every inch of her.

“Me too…” Mu Lingxi replied.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep