Chapter 282: Meeting with the Master of the Hele Orchid Sect

Everyone was astonished. They gathered around to examine it, marveling at the sight.

Even Elder Ling was moved. He examined it closely and said, "This must be the talon of a flying beast. And its body length must have been at least twenty zhang. For it to reach such a size, it must have been at least at the Core Formation stage."

At this point, he looked at Jiang Fan with some surprise and asked, "Where did you get this talon?"

Yi Lianxing glanced at Sun Chaozong, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Where else could it be from? Of course, it was cut from the Silverwing Thunder Roc that attacked Sun Chaozong! Unlike Sun Chaozong, we weren't scared out of our wits and didn't lose two teammates! Nor did we boast about surviving after such a shameful escape!"

The pent-up frustration she had been feeling was instantly released. Qin Caihe and Chu Xingmeng also felt vindicated. That fellow had been mocking them from the start; now, he was finally put in his place, wasn't he?

"Nonsense! You have no idea how powerful the bird that attacked me was!" Sun Chaozong retorted with an angry laugh, utterly disbelieving. "How could you possibly have cut off its talon? And survived?"

Qin Caihe scoffed, "If the bird you're talking about could emit lightning from its body, then it was the Silverwing Thunder Roc we encountered—a giant bird at the fifth level of the Core Formation stage! Its talon was cut off by Junior Brother Jiang, and he even wounded it!"

Yu Zijin listened, her face full of shock. A Silverwing Thunder Roc at the fifth level of the Core Formation stage? Wounded by Jiang Fan, and its talon cut off? Not to mention Sun Chaozong, even she, as an ally, couldn't believe it. A beast king at the fifth level of the Core Formation stage, and a flying beast at that, would be difficult even for the elders of the Joyous Union Sect to handle.

However, when she looked at the broken end of the talon, her pupils constricted. "This talon... it was indeed severed by a sharp blade."

Everyone shifted their gaze and gasped in unison. The cut surface was incredibly smooth, without the slightest crack. It was clear it had been cleanly severed.

Just as everyone was filled with doubt, Chu Xingmeng pulled out a large bag of materials from a Red-Scaled Fierce Flood Dragon. "This is also a beast king killed by Senior Brother Jiang; it was incredibly fierce."

Elder Ling looked over, her expression changing again. "Another beast king! An aquatic flood dragon type ferocious beast!" She gasped, looking at Jiang Fan with disbelief. "Just how many dangers did you encounter on your journey? And you all managed to arrive safely, even keeping the Thousand-Mile Vultures unharmed!"

Qin Caihe said, "To be honest, these Thousand-Mile Vultures were frightened into this state by the Silverwing Thunder Roc."

Everyone was utterly shocked. They had originally thought Sun Chaozong's experience was impressive enough. Only now did they realize that Jiang Fan's journey was truly an extraordinary feat! Crossing a river, they encountered an aquatic beast king and slew it. Encountering a ferocious aerial beast, they battled it. They had cut through all obstacles with unstoppable momentum and successfully arrived at the Joyous Union Sect! Even the chief disciples of the Nine Sects wouldn't dare to guarantee they could accomplish such a feat.

Jiang Fan cupped his hands and said, "There was some luck involved; just listen to it as a story."

Luck? Who would believe that? Did the Red-Scaled Fierce Flood Dragon just bash its head in? Did the Core Formation fifth-level Silverwing Thunder Roc break its own talon by stumbling? Without absolute strength, such achievements would be impossible.

Elder Ling's eyes were full of admiration. Although the Sect Master had a bit of a girlish temperament, as the Great Elder, she was absolutely convinced by her sharp judgment.

"Young Master Jiang, are you planning to keep this talon for yourself or sell it? If you wish to sell it, our Joyous Union Sect can purchase it." This item was undoubtedly a top-grade material for forging divine weapons.

Just as Jiang Fan was about to speak, Yu Zijin subtly gave him a warning glance. Jiang Fan understood and replied, "I'm not selling it for now."

Elder Ling showed a hint of disappointment and said, "Alright, in that case, let's go meet our Sect Master first."

Jiang Fan nodded and followed Elder Ling towards the Joyous Union Sect.

Yu Zijin followed, and when Elder Ling wasn't paying attention, she quietly whispered into his ear: "Don't sell it to our Joyous Union Sect. Tonight there's an exchange gathering where elite disciples from various sects will gather to trade their spoils. You should go there first to see if you can exchange it for something you want, then decide whether to sell it."

Jiang Fan's eyes lit up. Disciples from various sects would have gathered some gains on their journey, and it was not impossible that some had even encountered fortuitous opportunities and acquired rare treasures. Rather than selling the talon, it would be better to exchange it for desirable items. He gave her a grateful look, then followed Elder Ling into the mist-shrouded Joyous Union Sect.

Yu Zijin, meanwhile, returned to the sect's entrance. She watched Yi Lianxing's back as she tidied the carriage. She pouted, then marched up angrily and pinched Yi Lianxing's arm hard.

"Ouch! Are you crazy?" Yi Lianxing cried out in pain, caught off guard.

Yu Zijin said with a resentful look, "I never thought you, who usually acts so proud and avoids men, would be even better at finding a man than I am! You truly are something, Yi Lianxing!"

Yi Lianxing was both annoyed and amused. "Are you out of your mind? How could I possibly be worthy of Junior Brother Jiang? Just look for yourself, is there any shortage of women around him?"

Yu Zijin glanced at Qin Caihe and Chu Xingmeng; one was classically beautiful, the other pure and charming. Neither was in any way inferior to Yi Lianxing. "True, how could such an outstanding man lack women around him?" Then, her eyes twinkled. "On the other hand, what's one more woman around him? Help me set something up, will you?"

Yi Lianxing spread her hands, helpless. "You don't stand a chance. You have no idea about his popularity with women! He can go down a cliff and come back with a beautiful girl who's almost too good to be true. I'm completely amazed!" Thinking of this, she just wanted to complain.

Yu Zijin rolled her eyes. "Are you trying to fool me with a storyteller's tale?"

Yi Lianxing chuckled. "I wish it were just a story. But it's true. Oh, and that girl is also a disciple of your Joyous Union Sect."

Yu Zijin looked astonished. "A disciple of our sect? What's her name? I don't believe such a strange thing could happen."

Yi Lianxing said, "Her name is Yue Mingzhu."

As soon as Yu Zijin heard it, she declared, "She's not a disciple of our sect. I know every female disciple in our Joyous Union Sect, and there's definitely no one named Yue Mingzhu."

Uh— Yi Lianxing froze. Qin Caihe and Chu Xingmeng also came closer, both looking surprised.

Qin Caihe said, "But her name really is Yue Mingzhu. Your chief disciple Xie Liushu and a group of other disciples were all there."

Chu Xingmeng nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, she's a very beautiful girl, and her name sounds lovely. Senior Brother Xie, Senior Sister Ji, and many other Joyous Union Sect disciples all know her."

Uh— Yu Zijin was dumbfounded. She even started to doubt herself. "Our Joyous Union Sect has a female disciple everyone knows, but I don't?"

After a moment of thought, she muttered, "Yue Mingzhu... Yue Mingzhu... isn't that from a poem?"

Chu Xingmeng nodded in response, "The bright moon over the vast sea, tearful pearls; the warm sun over Lantian, jade producing smoke." Then she added, "That's why I said her name sounds lovely."

But upon hearing the second line of the poem, Yu Zijin trembled violently. Because the Joyous Union Sect Master's true name was taken from the second line of that very poem. She instantly understood something and couldn't help but feel a cold sweat break out for Jiang Fan, nervously asking: "Then... you didn't do anything to her, did you? Like disrespect her or anything?"

Yi Lianxing retorted unhappily, "Respect her? Why should we? Junior Brother Jiang saved her, and she didn't seem very grateful. Junior Brother Jiang even lectured her."

Qin Caihe also scoffed dismissively, "If you ask me, we should have just thrown her back to the bottom of the cliff and made her climb up herself. Poking her forehead and telling her off a bit was actually letting her off easy."

Chu Xingmeng nodded her fair chin. "Senior Brother Jiang is indeed too kind-hearted."

After hearing this, Yu Zijin felt the world spin, and her vision went black. Poking the Sect Master's forehead and lecturing her?

It's over! Jiang Fan's meeting with the Sect Master was completely doomed!