The Legend of the Princess' Counterattack

Chapter 327: The Eve of Celebration

At dawn, soft rays of light penetrated through the thin clouds and fell on every inch of Lingxiao Sect, covering this ancient and solemn sect with a layer of dreamy gauze. As the mainstay of the cultivation world, Lingxiao Sect holds a grand celebration every hundred years to celebrate the inheritance and prosperity of the sect, and it is also an opportunity to show its strong strength to the entire cultivation world.

This celebration has been prepared for a long time, and the sect is immersed in busyness and anticipation. From the towering main peak to the scattered courtyards, from the quiet and elegant training ground to the dining hall filled with fireworks, disciples in uniform can be seen everywhere. They are either holding various decorative items, carefully decorating every corner; or concentrating on rehearsing the program for the celebration, striving for perfection in every move, every frown and every smile; or under the command of the elders, they are moving tables and chairs in an orderly manner and placing delicacies. The air is filled with a tense and warm atmosphere.

The courtyard where Yun Yao lived was also swept by this busy wave. She was wearing a plain white training robe, her long hair was simply tied behind her head, her face was a little haggard, but it was still difficult to hide the firm light in her smart eyes. Since the misunderstanding between her and Chu Mochen, she tried her best to restrain her emotions and put all her thoughts into training, but every time when it was late at night, the faint bitterness in her heart would always quietly come, like a shadow following her.

At this moment, she was sitting at the stone table in front of the window, holding tightly in her hands an ancient secret book, which was gleaming with a faint spiritual light, and was obviously an extraordinary thing. However, Yun Yao's eyes were not completely focused on the secret book, and her thoughts drifted out of the window from time to time, looking at those busy disciples, and a ripple appeared in her heart.

"Senior Sister Yun, you are here!" A crisp shout broke Yun Yao's meditation. She looked up and saw a pretty female disciple with lively eyes skipping in, holding a pile of colorful silk in her hands.

"Ling'er, what is this?" Yun Yao frowned slightly and asked in confusion.

"Senior Sister, these are the costumes specially selected by the elders and prepared for us to wear during the performance at the celebration! Look, the colors are so bright and the embroidery is so exquisite. They will definitely look great when worn." Ling'er placed the silk on the stone table with excitement, her eyes full of anticipation.

Yun Yao gently stroked the silk, which was soft to the touch and of excellent quality. The exquisite patterns embroidered on it were lifelike and emitted a faint spiritual fluctuation, which was obviously blessed with a defensive or enhancement spell. She nodded slightly, with a faint smile on her lips: "It is indeed very beautiful. Thank you for your hard work, Ling'er."

"It's not hard, it's not hard! I'm so happy to be able to contribute to the celebration!" Ling'er waved her hands with a smile, and then as if she remembered something, she moved closer to Yun Yao and said in a low voice: "Senior Sister, do you know? It is said that not only will our Lingxiao Sect's disciples show their skills at this celebration, but other sects will also send representatives to watch the ceremony! By then, it will definitely be very lively."

Yun Yao's heart moved, and she subconsciously asked, "Other sects? What are they?"

Ling Er counted on her fingers and said, "I heard that Qingfeng Pavilion, Xuanshuang Sect, and Luori Sect will all have people coming. Moreover, some of the young talents in their sects are well-known figures! This time, maybe they want to take advantage of the celebration to learn from our Lingxiao Sect disciples and exchange cultivation experiences with each other."

Yun Yao nodded slightly, thinking to herself. These sects are all quite prestigious in the world of cultivation, and they either have friendships or competitions with the Lingxiao Sect. They gathered together this time, ostensibly to celebrate the grand ceremony, but in reality, undercurrents were surging, and all the forces were probably holding their own thoughts. As a disciple of the Lingxiao Sect who had recently emerged, she could not slack off in such an occasion. She had to show the style of the sect, and at the same time, she had to beware of possible undercurrents and conspiracies.

"Senior sister, you have to prepare well! This celebration is a great opportunity for you to shine!" Ling'er's words brought Yun Yao back to reality again. She looked at Ling'er's expectant eyes and smiled gently: "Don't worry, Ling'er, I will do my best."

After Ling'er left, Yun Yao took a deep breath, temporarily put aside all distracting thoughts, opened the secret book again, and studied it carefully. She accidentally found this secret book in the sect's library a few days ago. The cultivation method recorded in it is quite exquisite, which complements her own spiritual power attributes. If she can thoroughly understand the key points before the celebration, her strength will be able to reach a higher level, and she will have more confidence to face many challenges at that time.

Time passed quietly as Yun Yao practiced attentively, and before she knew it, it was already noon. The sun was getting hotter and hotter, and the flowers and plants in the courtyard were slightly drooping their heads under the scorching sun, as if they were also accumulating strength, waiting for the cool time of the evening to revive.

Suddenly, a slight knock on the door broke the tranquility of the courtyard. Yun Yao slowly opened her eyes, a hint of doubt flashed across her eyes, she put away the secret book, stood up and walked to the door, and gently opened it.

What came into view was Chu Mochen's tall and familiar figure. He was wearing a dark robe, his sleeves fluttering gently in the wind, and there was a trace of fatigue between his sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, but it was difficult to hide his innate cold temperament. Since Yun Yao began to deliberately avoid him, the two had not been so close to each other for many days. For a moment, the air seemed to solidify, and the atmosphere was slightly awkward.

"Yun Yao..." Chu Mochen took the lead in breaking the deadlock. His voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of subtle tension and concern. "I know you have been avoiding me, but there are some things I must make clear to you today."

Yun Yao lowered her eyes slightly, avoiding his burning gaze, with mixed feelings in her heart. In the past, she longed to be close to him and share each other's joys and sorrows, but now, the haze of misunderstanding shrouded the two of them, making her subconsciously want to escape.

“Brother Chu, if you have anything to say, let’s wait until after the celebration. Everyone is busy preparing for the celebration right now, and I don’t want to be distracted.” Yun Yao tried her best to make her voice sound calm and indifferent, but her slightly trembling fingertips still revealed the turmoil in her heart.

Chu Mochen frowned slightly, with a flash of pain and helplessness in his eyes. He took a step forward, wanting to get closer to Yun Yao, but stopped abruptly, as if he was afraid that his actions would cause her disgust again.

"Yun Yao, you misunderstood me. What happened to Liu Yan'er that day was not what you saw. I just helped her subconsciously. There has never been any inappropriate behavior between her and me." Chu Mochen spoke a little fast, and there was a hint of urgency in his words. He tried to resolve the knot in Yun Yao's heart during this brief time together.

Yun Yao bit her lower lip, and the grievance and bitterness in her heart instantly surged into her heart. She didn't want to believe him, but that scene was deeply imprinted in her mind. Whenever she thought of it, her heart felt like a needle piercing her.

"Senior Brother Chu, I don't want to talk about this now. If you have nothing to do, please go back." Yun Yao held back her tears, stepped aside to make way, and motioned for him to leave.

Chu Mochen stared at her, his eyes full of reluctance and worry. After a long while, he sighed softly, turned around slowly, and left a sentence before leaving: "Yun Yao, don't worry, I will definitely make you believe me."

Watching his back gradually going away, Yun Yao's tears finally burst out. She leaned against the door frame, her body trembling slightly, and the pain in her heart flooded like a surging tide. The once beautiful relationship has now become so fragile and fragile, making her feel confused and helpless.

Just as Yun Yao was immersed in sorrow, there was a completely different scene in Liu Yan'er's courtyard.

Liu Yan'er was wearing a gorgeous pink dress with delicate gold patterns embroidered on the hem, which sparkled with dazzling light as she walked. She had a smug and sinister smile on her face, and her eyes were full of calculation and greed. At this moment, she was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, with several disciples with different expressions standing in front of her. These disciples were all recruited by her by means of coercion and inducement, just to help her at the critical moment.

"Hmph, Yun Yao, this celebration will be the day of your death!" Liu Yan'er slammed the stone table so hard that the teacups on the table trembled slightly. She said through gritted teeth.

"Senior Sister Liu, what should we do next? Just give us the order!" A burly, rough-faced male disciple looked at Liu Yan'er flatteringly, with a fierce look in his eyes.

Liu Yan'er narrowed her eyes slightly, with a cold light flashing in them: "Yun Yao will definitely participate in the performance at the celebration. When the time comes, you will act according to the plan and make her look bad in front of everyone. It would be best if she were disgraced and expelled from Lingxiao Sect!"

“But, Senior Sister Liu, Yun Yao’s strength has been improving rapidly recently. If she notices something and resists, we may not be her match.” A thin female disciple with flickering eyes said in a low voice with a worried look on her face.

"Hmph, what are you afraid of!" Liu Yan'er snorted coldly and glanced at her with disdain. "No matter how powerful she is, she can't beat four hands with two fists. What's more, we still have this..." As she spoke, she took out a small black brocade bag from her arms. The bag was embroidered with strange runes and exuded a faint evil aura.

"This is..." Everyone looked puzzled and looked at the brocade bag.

"This is a magic weapon I got by chance, called 'Soul-Bewitching Miasma'. As long as it is opened at the critical moment and the miasma inside is released, it can make people lose their minds instantly and their spiritual power become disordered. By then, even if Yun Yao has extraordinary abilities, she will be at our mercy!" Liu Yan'er smiled proudly, her eyes full of madness and confidence.

When everyone heard this, they all showed joy on their faces, as if they had already seen Yun Yao making a fool of herself at the celebration.

"Senior Sister Liu is so smart! With this magic weapon, Yun Yao will have no chance of escaping this time!"

"That's right. Seeing how arrogant she is on weekdays, I'm going to make her fall flat on her face this time!"

Everyone was talking at once, flattering Liu Yan'er, and the courtyard was suddenly filled with sinister and complacent laughter.

On the other hand, Yun Yao calmed down and cheered up again. She knew that now was not the time to indulge in love. The celebration was approaching, and the honor of the sect and her own safety were all on her. She had to be fully alert and deal with all possible crises.

Yun Yao came to the training ground, ready for the final sprint training. In the training ground, the disciples were still busy rehearsing, with swords flashing and spiritual power running wild, it was so lively. Yun Yao found a quiet corner, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes and concentrated, and began to guide the spiritual power in his body to operate according to the method in the secret book.

As the spiritual power slowly flowed, Yun Yao gradually entered a state of emptiness. She forgot about the disturbances in the outside world, the troubles in her heart, and immersed herself in the world of cultivation. The spiritual power in her body was like a surging river, constantly impacting the barriers of the meridians. Every impact was accompanied by a slight stinging pain, but Yun Yao gritted her teeth, endured the pain, and continued to persevere.

After an unknown amount of time, Yun Yao felt that her spiritual energy was filled to the extreme, as if it could break through the bottleneck at any time. At this moment, she suddenly felt a familiar yet unfamiliar breath approaching slowly. This breath was powerful and restrained, revealing an unfathomable charm, which made her alert instantly.

Yun Yao slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to look. She saw a white-haired old man with a kind face but a bit of majesty standing not far away, looking at her quietly. The old man was wearing a white robe embroidered with golden runes, emitting a faint light. In his hand, he held an ancient cane with a huge blue gem inlaid on the top. The spiritual power in the gem was flowing. It was obviously a rare magic weapon.

"Greetings, Master!" Yun Yao saw this and quickly stood up and bowed respectfully. She secretly guessed that the Master must have something important to discuss when he came here at this time.

The head of the sect nodded slightly, with a pleased smile on his face: "Yun Yao, please stand up. No need to be polite." As he spoke, he slowly approached Yun Yao and looked her over with admiration in his eyes: "I have seen your performance in recent days. Your hard work and talent are a blessing to Lingxiao Sect."

Yun Yao bowed his head slightly and said modestly, "Master, you are too kind. I am just doing my duty."

The head of the sect waved his hand gently, his expression becoming serious: "Yun Yao, this celebration may seem like a grand celebration, but it actually hides a mystery. According to the information I have received, a mysterious force has been secretly spying on our Lingxiao Sect, attempting to sabotage the celebration and stir up disputes between sects."

Yun Yao's heart trembled. She subconsciously thought of Liu Yan'er and the possible forces hidden behind her. Is there any connection between the two?

“Master, I will be on high alert and will never let that mysterious force succeed.” Yun Yao clenched his fists and said with a firm look in his eyes.

The head of the sect nodded slightly, took out a crystal clear jade pendant from his bosom, and handed it to Yun Yao: "This jade pendant is called 'Lingxi Jade Pendant', and it is one of the treasures of my Lingxiao Sect. It contains powerful spiritual power and can help you at a critical moment. You should keep it well and never lose it."

Yun Yao took the jade pendant with both hands, and felt a warm spiritual power flowing into her body along her fingertips, making her feel warm all over. She looked at the jade pendant carefully, and saw a lifelike Qilin engraved on it, with a lively light flashing in the Qilin's eyes, as if it were a living thing.

"Thank you for your trust, Master. I will live up to your expectations!" Yun Yao put away the jade pendant and bowed again. He secretly swore in his heart that he must protect the sect and crush the conspiracy of the mysterious force.

After the headmaster gave a few more instructions, he turned and left. Yun Yao looked at the headmaster's back, feeling a lot of emotions in her heart. She knew very well that this celebration was not only her personal stage, but also a test that would determine the rise and fall of the Lingxiao Sect. At this critical moment, she must not retreat, but must move forward courageously.

After returning to the courtyard, Yun Yao took a short rest and began to make final preparations for the performance at the celebration. She took out the costume specially made for the celebration, a light blue silk skirt with delicate silver cloud patterns embroidered on the hem, which shimmered with the changing light, like a dreamy galaxy. A white ribbon was tied around her waist, and a crystal pendant hung at the end of the ribbon, which jingled as she walked, crisp and pleasant.

Yun Yao put on her skirt and fixed her makeup in front of the bronze mirror. In the bronze mirror, her slightly pale but still beautiful face came into view, and her eyes were firm and resolute, as if at this moment, she was ready to face all challenges.

As night fell, the entire Lingxiao Sect was brightly lit, as if it were daytime. Huge lanterns hung on the branches, emitting colorful lights, decorating the entire sect like a fairyland. The disciples shuttled among them, laughing and talking continuously, and the scene was very lively.

Yun Yao walked slowly towards the main venue with mixed feelings. Along the way, she saw many familiar faces, and the disciples looked at her with admiration or friendliness, which made her feel a little warm. However, when her eyes fell on the fellow disciples who had had conflicts with her not far away, her heart couldn't help but tighten.

Those people were gathered together, whispering about something, and occasionally glanced at her, their eyes revealing jealousy and disdain that were difficult to conceal. Yun Yao took a deep breath, trying to calm her inner waves, telling herself not to care about these people's opinions, but her pace unconsciously quickened a bit.

Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the main venue, where they saw two rows of disciples in uniform standing neatly, welcoming guests from all sides. They were all energetic and imposing, which was a pleasant sight. Yun Yao walked through them, hearing whispers in her ears.

"Look, that's Senior Sister Yunyao!"

"I heard that she has made great progress in her cultivation recently!"

"It's amazing..."

Hearing these words, Yun Yao's face flushed slightly. She lowered her head and quickly walked into the main venue. What came into her eyes was a lively scene. The huge square was crowded with people, and people gathered in groups of three or five to talk, with laughter and joy. The huge stage in the center of the square attracted everyone's attention. The exquisite decorations and the dazzling spiritual light on it complemented each other, making it magnificent.