The appearance of the Peach Origin Secret Realm sparked a flurry of speculation and awe among the crowd, and Gong Qing was no exception.
However, unlike the others who fixated on guessing the identity of the mysterious VIP, she turned to her sister with a private voice transmission, asking about something that intrigued her more:
“Sister, is your fiancé really named Chu Feng?”
“Mm,” Gong Mingyue replied with a simple hum.
“So… what does he look like? Is his cultivation really that weak? Do you really dislike him that much?” Gong Qing pressed on.
It seemed she’d overheard Gong Mingyue’s earlier exchange with Xu Morong. The name Chu Feng had clicked for her—she suddenly remembered why it felt so familiar.
Her curiosity about this matter was insatiable.
Faced with Gong Qing’s barrage of questions, Gong Mingyue’s expression grew faintly impatient.
“Xiao Qing, why are you asking all this?” Gong Mingyue asked.
“No reason, just curious,” Gong Qing replied.
“For someone like him, you’d better rein in your curiosity,” Gong Mingyue said, her tone turning stern. After all, Chu Feng was the last person she wanted to talk about.
“Oh…” Gong Qing pouted, clearly wronged by her sister’s sharpness.
“Xiao Qing, how’s your Little Thorn doing?” Gong Mingyue spoke again, sensing Gong Qing’s displeasure and trying to lighten the mood.
“Little Thorn’s all better now—some expert saved it,” Gong Qing said, pulling the creature out as she spoke.
Seeing Little Thorn, not just Gong Mingyue but the other Gong Clan members were visibly stunned and delighted.
They’d all seen Little Thorn’s condition before—practically on death’s door. Yet now, it was bouncing around, not a trace of illness in sight. It was clearly fully healed.
“Who was this expert? Did you… meet those great figures?” Gong Mingyue asked, a flicker of anticipation in her eyes.
If Gong Qing had indeed encountered *those* figures, and they’d saved Little Thorn, it’d mean the Gong Clan had a connection to them—a boon in her eyes.
“No,” Gong Qing’s answer dashed her hopes.
“Then who was it?” someone else pressed.
“Oh, we were all fooled! Turns out curing Little Thorn didn’t need a Saint-cloak World Spiritist—just an Immortal-cloak one,” Gong Qing explained.
“That’s impossible.”
“Even Grandfather’s friends couldn’t do it—how could an Immortal-cloak manage?” Gong Mingyue shook her head, her expression grave. Her grandfather had called in Dragon-cloak World Spiritists—far superior to Immortal-cloaks.
In common understanding, if a Dragon-cloak couldn’t succeed, an Immortal-cloak stood no chance.
“It’s true, I’m not lying! I set up the array myself and cured Little Thorn,” Gong Qing insisted.
“You cured it? Didn’t you just say an expert helped you?”
Gong Mingyue’s face grew sterner. Gong Qing’s story was starting to sound incoherent—she suspected her sister was messing with them.
“Sister, I swear I’m not lying! An expert *did* help me…” Gong Qing then recounted the full story.
To prove it, she even demonstrated the array Chu Feng had taught her.
Once the array took shape, its aura was extraordinary. Not only were Gong Mingyue and the others captivated, but even the surrounding crowd was drawn to Gong Qing’s creation.
Many openly praised her array, leaving Gong Mingyue and her clan no choice but to believe her.
Gong Mingyue knew Gong Qing well—her sister hadn’t been capable of such a feat before. If she could now, she must’ve been guided by a master.
“Xiao Qing, who was this expert?” Gong Mingyue asked gravely, switching to a private transmission to keep it discreet.
“Sister, funny thing—he shares the same name as your fiancé. He’s called Chu Feng too,” Gong Qing replied.
“He’s named Chu Feng?” Gong Mingyue was taken aback, though she didn’t dwell on it much—just surprised by the coincidence.
“Sister, do you think… the expert who helped me could be my future brother-in-law?” Gong Qing asked.
“No way. That waste couldn’t possibly be as impressive as you say.”
“Xiao Qing, don’t overthink it. The world’s huge—plenty of people share names. It’s probably just that,” Gong Mingyue said.
“Mm, I hope so,” Gong Qing nodded, secretly pleased by her sister’s words.
Seeing how much Gong Mingyue despised her betrothed, Gong Qing naturally didn’t want her savior to be the same person.
If they were, she’d be caught in an awkward spot. But if they weren’t, she’d have no such worries.
“Damn it, that shameless guy followed us here!”
Suddenly, a Gong Clan member let out a low growl.
His voice might’ve gone unnoticed by outsiders, but the nearby Gong Clan members all heard it.
Following his gaze, every Gong Clan member—including Gong Mingyue and Gong Qing—froze in shock.
Two figures had just entered the peach orchard from its entrance, scanning the scene.
It was Chu Feng and Wuma Shengjie, arriving for the event.
“Young Master, look!”
While the Gong Clan spotted Chu Feng, the Xu Clan did too, immediately alerting Xu Morong.
“Well, well—enemies really do cross paths,” Xu Morong said, a wicked smirk spreading across his face as he saw Chu Feng.
“Brother Xu, who’s that?” His cronies, noting his sinister look, crowded around to ask.
“That’s Gong Mingyue’s fiancé,” Xu Morong replied.
“Gong Mingyue’s fiancé?” The crowd was briefly puzzled, trying to place the name.
But realization hit fast, and their expressions shifted. Almost in unison, they blurted out:
“That’s Chu Xuanyuan’s son, Chu Feng?!”
