Shen Qing was surprised and only then suddenly realized that the names Lian Shan and Lian Qiao were somewhat similar.
"Why is this? Could it be that Elder Lian Qiao dislikes Elder Lian Shan, so she's also dissatisfied with me because I'm acquainted with Elder Lian Shan?"
Li Xian nodded and told Shen Qing the story she'd heard from Yu Xuzi.
Elder Lian Shan and Elder Lian Qiao were originally siblings. They grew up in a small mountain village. Later, they were attacked by demons. Disciples from the Azure Wood Sect went to rescue them and saved the two of them.
The disciples of the Azure Wood Sect discovered that these two little kids had the potential to heal the sick and save the injured, so they took them back to the Azure Wood Sect.
When asked about their names, the siblings both said they wanted to cut off their past and embrace new blessings. So the elders of the Azure Wood Sect named them Lian Qiao and Lian Shan.
But as time passed, the relationship between the two siblings gradually turned sour. Their relationship changed from being close at first to cold and then to hostile.
Now, the fact that they regarded each other as mortal enemies surprised many, for few knew they were actually siblings.
This was probably why Elder Lian Qiao looked down on Shen Qing.
Shen Qing nodded after hearing this and had a guess in mind.
"By the way, there's something else you may not know. Qing Qing was originally Elder Lian Qiao's disciple. It was only after he was chosen as the young sect master that he was registered under the current sect master."
"Think about it. You're acquainted with Elder Lian Shan and have become friends with her disciple. It's normal for Elder Lian Qiao to think you have ulterior motives."
Li Xian added this, resolving all of Shen Qing's doubts.
Shen Qing sighed and lamented, "It's an innocent disaster..."
The Azure Wood Sect wasn't far from the Beast Taming Sect. After traveling on the flying boat for three days and two nights, they arrived.
Similar to the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, the Azure Wood Sect was also located in a dense forest.
However, different from the forest outside the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, the forest outside the Azure Wood Sect was filled with many rare herbs. There weren't as many towering trees that blocked out the sky, but there were many vines and lush grass.
When the warm wind blew, Shen Qing could smell the unique fragrance of the herbs.
The buildings of the Azure Wood Sect were mostly built on the spiritual trees in the forest, so the whole sect exuded a pleasant wooden scent.
"After getting used to the rough decoration style of the Beast Taming Sect, coming to the Azure Wood Sect now makes me feel like I've arrived in a paradise," Shen Qing sighed as she looked around.
The colors of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect were mostly blue and white. Since there were mostly sword cultivators, the decoration style of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect was rather simple.
The Beast Taming Sect was famous for taming beasts, so there were many patterns of spiritual beasts in its decoration, and the colors were much richer.
The Azure Wood Sect was mainly made of vines and wood. From afar, it looked like a fairyland hidden deep in the forest.
Following closely behind Elder Lian Qiao, Shen Qing smoothly passed through the mountain-protecting formation.
After they got off the flying boat, Elder Lian Qiao said a few words to the disciples guarding the mountain gate, and the guarding disciples let Shen Qing and Li Xian in.
Jiang Zhiyun came to greet Elder Lian Qiao and her group. When Shen Qing saw her and was about to step forward to ask, she noticed that Jiang Zhiyun looked solemn with dark circles under her eyes.
Shen Qing suppressed her anxiety. While Jiang Zhiyun was explaining the situation to Elder Lian Qiao and the others, she listened as well.
After listening for a while, Shen Qing learned that Qing Qing had fallen into a coma due to the onset of poison.
The Purple Ginseng she had given to Elder Lian Shan before had been used on Qing Qing. At that time, Qing Qing had been poisoned and fainted for a long time while testing the medicine.
Thanks to Shen Qing's Purple Ginseng, Qing Qing had regained consciousness. However, the residual poison in his body hadn't been completely cleared. Coupled with his extreme emotional fluctuations, the poison had recurred, causing him to faint again.
The millennium Purple Ginseng was rare. Shen Qing didn't have a second one to save Qing Qing, so she couldn't help but feel anxious.
Jiang Zhiyun led them quickly towards Qing Qing's courtyard. But halfway there, Shen Qing saw Elder Lian Shan striding over with an angry face and scolding Lian Qiao.
"You heartless old woman! You've forced Qing Qing into this state. Are you satisfied now?!"
Elder Lian Qiao wasn't willing to be outdone and immediately retorted, "What business is it of yours? Qing Qing was originally my disciple and is now the sect master's disciple. Even if something happens, it's not up to you, a junior uncle, to discipline him!"
Elder Lian Shan was so angry that his beard stood on end. He pointed at Lian Qiao with a trembling hand and said, "Qing Qing is the young sect master of the Azure Wood Sect. His life is crucial to the future of the sect. How is it none of my business?!"
"As for you, you clearly knew that Qing Qing's body... is special, yet you still pressured him every day. If I had known this, I wouldn't have let Qing Qing become your disciple when he chose a master back then!"
Lian Qiao let out a cold laugh. "Let him become my disciple? That's really a joke. Back then, it was obvious that my medical skills were more advanced than yours, so Qing Qing chose to become my disciple. You really know how to glorify yourself!"
"You shameless old man!"
Shen Qing was a bit confused, but the people around seemed to be used to this kind of scene and showed no surprise.
While Elder Lian Shan and Elder Lian Qiao were scolding each other vigorously, Jiang Zhiyun quietly moved to Shen Qing's side.
She whispered in Shen Qing's ear, "Why are you here too?"
Shen Qing sighed and replied, "I heard that Qing Qing was in trouble at the Beast Taming Sect, so I came to see what was going on."
"By the way, I was very busy at the Beast Taming Sect and didn't have time to talk to you. How have you been since then?"
At this, Jiang Zhiyun's face fell. "In the end, it's all my fault that Qing Qing fainted this time. If I hadn't ignored him at the Beast Taming Sect, he wouldn't have suffered a relapse of the poison due to excessive sadness."
"Actually, I've always known that Qing Qing is a very sensitive person. He cares too much about the feelings of the people around him. Once someone's attitude towards him is a bit strange, he'll fall into a self-consuming cycle."
"I... I really don't deserve... to like him..."
Jiang Zhiyun's voice choked. She covered her face to hide the regret in her eyes.
Shen Qing patted Jiang Zhiyun's shoulder and comforted her in a low voice.
"You can't take all the blame. Now the most important thing is to find a way to get Qing Qing back to health."
Jiang Zhiyun shook her head. After calming down, she said, "It's too late. The sect master has already decided to remove Qing Qing from his position as the young sect master. Once Qing Qing wakes up, he'll have to make the Ten Thousand Beasts Revive recognize a new master."
Shen Qing and Li Xian looked at each other and saw the solemnity in each other's eyes.
"What's going on?"
Jiang Zhiyun gritted her teeth and said angrily, "It's all that disgusting white lotus Ban Fenghe. After Qing Qing was poisoned, she took the opportunity to take off his clothes and expose his male identity. Now there are a lot of rumors in the sect, all demanding that the sect master depose Qing Qing from his position as the young sect master."
Ban Fenghe?
Who was this?
Just as they were talking, a woman in white slowly walked over from a distance. After seeing this woman, four words immediately popped into Shen Qing's mind.
Frail as a willow in the wind...