Dual Cultivation (WN)

"I see… Anyway, come inside." Lord Xie opened the door wide and welcomed them inside with a warm smile on his face.

"Thank you, Your Majesty…"

"Please, just call me Senior Xie when you are here. I was the one who invited you here for dinner, after all." Lord Xie said to them.

"..."

Liu Lanzhi and the disciples were speechless, as they would've never imagined that the day would come where they could address the ruler of the Eastern Continent so casually! It was truly a dream-like miracle!

Sometime later, as Lord Xie led them into the building, Xie Xingfang could be seen running towards them from the end of the hall with an excited expression on her face.

"Welcome to our humble home, Su—"

However, the excitement on her face instantly disappeared when she didn't see Su Yang amongst them.

"Where's Su Yang? Did he not come here with you?" she asked them with a slightly dazed face.

"Greetings, Your Highness. Su Yang came here with us, but he had to return to the Profound Blossom Sect to pick up the last member…" Liu Lanzhi bowed to her.

"You can just call me Xing'er like everyone else in this place, Senior Liu."

"I don't dare…" Liu Lanzhi quickly shook her head.

"It's fine, really. In fact, I still haven't expressed my gratitude to you for the hospitality at the Profound Blossom Sect." Xie Xingfang then gracefully bowed towards her and spoke in a clear tone, "Thank you, for letting my grandfather and I stay at the Profound Blossom Sect. It was a lifesaver… literally."

"You are exaggerating…" Liu Lanzhi showed a humble yet stiff smile on her face, as it simply felt very weird for the Xie Family to be treating her as though they were friends when they've barely interacted with each other.

"Father, allow me to show the guests their room." Xie Xingfang said to him.

"Go ahead. I will have the servants prepare some tea for you." He nodded before walking away.

"Come with me," Xie Xingfang said to the three of them afterward.

Sometime later, they entered a luxurious room that was filled with so many shiny decorations that it'd briefly blinded their vision.

"Um… Your Highness, although this is not even close to being enough to fully express my gratitude to the Xie Family for inviting us over, I hope you may find some use for it…" Liu Lanzhi suddenly retrieved a storage pouch from her storage ring and offered it to Xie Xingfang.

However, Xie Xingfang merely stared at the storage pouch with a silent gaze.

A few seconds later, she shook her head and spoke, "I cannot accept that, Senior Liu."

"Eh? Why not?" Liu Lanzhi looked at her with wide eyes. Even if they didn't need it, one would normally accept the gift as a gesture of respect and acceptance.

"Because I also have a small gift for you." Xie Xingfang also retrieved a storage pouch from her robes and showed it to Liu Lanzhi.

"The Xie Family hasn't done anything worthy of your gift. In fact, we have been doing the opposite by causing trouble for the Profound Blossom Sect constantly…" Xie Xingfang suddenly lowered her head and apologized to her, "On behalf of the Xie Family, I am sorry for everything that has happened. If only we were more involved with the outside world, perhaps the Million Snakes Sect would've never bothered you..."

"Please, raise your head, Your Highness!" Liu Lanzhi panicked when Xie Xingfang lowered her head, as her actions were akin to lowering her own status. Luckily for them, they were inside a private room and only two other people saw it. If Xie Xingfang had lowered her head in public, it would've definitely caused a commotion.

"You cannot blame yourself for what happened between the Profound Blossom Sect and the Million Snakes Sect, as they are the ones who are at fault!" Liu Lanzhi then said to her.

"No, it is exactly because my family had nothing to do with the Million Snakes Sect that allowed them to go on a rampage. We should've intervened when we first heard about it, but we did not do anything, giving them the impression that we approve of their actions," said Xie Xingfang.

And she continued, "Although this offering will not bring back the disciples who left the sect or change what had happened and erase the pain you'd felt, I hope that you could accept it, or I will not be able to sleep peacefully again."

"..."

Liu Lanzhi was rendered speechless by Xie Xingfang's genuine sincerity.

A few moments later, Liu Lanzhi eventually nodded her head and accepted Xie Xingfang's storage pouch.

"Thank you very much, Your Highness." Liu Lanzhi bowed to her afterward.

"No, I should be the one thanking you, Senior Liu, so... Thank you." Xie Xingfang responded with her own bow. "And please call me Xing'er."

"..."

Meanwhile, the two disciples in the same room felt extremely out of place, almost like two beggars who'd accidentally walked into a fancy meeting.

"Anyway, you ladies can use this room as you please while we wait for Su Yang to return," Xie Xingfang said to them sometime later. "The tea should also be here soon."

"Thank you, Your… Xing'er…" Liu Lanzhi said in a stiff voice.

"You'll get used to it," Xie Xingfang smiled at her before leaving the room shortly later.

"Haaa… that was nerve-wracking…" Liu Lanzhi sat on the large couch behind her with an exhausted face, completely ignoring the two disciples in the room.

"Are you okay, Sect Master?" Disciple Chen asked her a moment later.

"Yes, it's just that I have never spoken with the Xie Family for so long at once. Hell, this is my first time actually speaking with them so casually! It just feels so weird!" she sighed.

The disciples silently nodded their heads, and they understood her feelings even though they didn't have to speak with the Xie Family.

'Su Yang, please come back soon… I don't think I will be able to handle the Xie Family by myself!' Liu Lanzhi cried inwardly.