Three days later, Lu Yanping and the others were informed: those disciples originally above the Foundation Establishment stage would be selected by the various peaks of Shangxuan Sect and could directly become inner sect disciples. Those below Foundation Establishment would need to start as outer sect disciples and be assessed for promotion based on the situation. If they were unwilling to stay, they could also decide for themselves to either join another sect or become rogue cultivators.

Lu Yanping had already mentally prepared for this and wasn't too upset by the outcome. However, some were happy while others worried. Although Huang Wenjun and the others could leap to become Shangxuan Sect disciples, they didn't know which peak they would be assigned to. Feeling their future was uncertain, they were anxious and uneasy for the time being.

A few more days passed. Lu Yanping bid farewell to Qinghe Zhenren and took his group back first. Accompanying them were also Yu Zhou and a few others from Shangxuan Sect, both to help reorganize the internal affairs of Mirror Sea Sect and to prepare for its annexation by Shangxuan Sect.

Lu Yanping originally thought Elder Chen and Elder Wu would stir up trouble while he was away, but it was surprisingly peaceful. The disciples left behind said those two had stayed in their cave abodes in the rear mountain the whole time without coming out.

The disciples who stayed behind all came out to greet the Sect Leader upon hearing of his return. Liu Xiaowan was as gentle and agreeable as always, just glancing at Zhou Yin from time to time as if wanting to say something.

"I request Sect Leader Lu to separately organize the medicinal pills, spirit stones and such. I will set up a teleportation formation later to first send these things to Shangxuan Sect, saving the trouble of going back and forth," Yu Zhou said, now with a bit more familiarity and a bit less of his previous aloofness.

Lu Yanping nodded. "I'm no longer the Sect Leader of Mirror Sea Sword Sect. Brother Yu doesn't need to address me as such."

Yu Zhou smiled. "You're absolutely right. From now on we'll be fellow disciples. As for taking stock of your sect's disciples, I imagine Sect Brother Lu is familiar with that. I won't interfere. When the time comes, we welcome those willing to follow you to Shangxuan Sect. For those unwilling to stay, Shangxuan Sect won't force them either."

Taking advantage of everyone being occupied with discussion, Liu Xiaowan found an opportunity to call Zhou Yin outside. Stammering, she said: "Ah Yin, that Kite you asked me to take care of has gone missing."

Zhou Yin looked at her without responding, waiting for her to continue.

After hesitating for a while, Liu Xiaowan told the truth.

It all started a few days ago.

Originally everything was fine. Although demon beasts were something the Mirror Sea Sword Sect, having suffered deeply at their hands, avoided like the plague, especially in Liu Xiaowan's eyes after personally witnessing them, Kite was just a low-level demon beast. Plus, Zhou Chen's appearance was very deceptive, making it hard for people to feel terror towards it.

In Liu Xiaowan's view, she treated Zhou Chen quite well, at least bringing it something to eat every day. But she was good-looking, so fellow male disciples would come to woo her daily. Sometimes they would accompany her to the market at the foot of the mountain to buy things, other times they would go to the rear mountain for trysts.

As time went on, Zhou Chen's meal times inevitably became less punctual. The gluttonous furball, full one meal and hungry the next with no one managing it, got temperamental.

Not having tasty food was one thing, not having Zhou Yin around to act spoiled and wilful with was another. But what it found most unbearable was day after day of waiting, still not seeing the figure it most hoped for.

Zhou Yin had been gone for so long that the furball felt it had been deceived and abandoned.

Then it became resentful and exploded with rage.

No more pretending to be obedient!

So one day, when Liu Xiaowan pushed open the door to her room, she instantly felt the world spinning.

Her carefully collected, cherished dressing case had been knocked over, the jade hairpins, dangling ornaments and earrings scattered messily on the dressing table.

The rouge and powder that fellow disciples secretly fond of her would occasionally gift her were all strewn on the floor. White, yellow, red, all jumbled together, filling the room with a dizzying fragrance that made her cough incessantly.

Thieves?

That was Liu Xiaowan's first thought.

Or was it the doing of that Junior Sister Liu who was jealous of her, sneaking in?

She turned her head in a daze, casting her gaze to the bed.

The originally neatly folded, soft bedding was in disarray with quite a bit of scented powder sprinkled on it.

A furball with its entire head and face covered in cosmetic powder sprawled on her bedding, snoring in deep slumber, lost in sweet dreams.

Liu Xiaowan's world completely collapsed.

Zhou Chen was sleeping soundly when it seemed to vaguely hear a scream.

Groggily opening its little eyes, it saw Liu Xiaowan charging over with a distorted expression.

It was immediately startled awake.

"Eek?! Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp!"

In this moment of crisis, its potential burst forth. The furball leaped up three feet high, dodging Liu Xiaowan's hands trying to grab it. Then seizing an opening, it made a mad dash for the open door and fled, never looking back.

Liu Xiaowan was both anxious and furious. Out of consideration for Zhou Yin, she couldn't use spiritual power to deal with the furball. Plus, it still carried the talisman Zhou Yin left on it before departing, rendering ordinary immobilizing or remote manipulation magic ineffective.

But if she didn't teach it a lesson, just imagining the state of her room after its rampage made her want to spit blood and catch that furball to make soup.

Her jewelry, cosmetics, and clothes collected over many years...

Liu Xiaowan's heart was silently bleeding.

Thus, all the disciples left behind at Mirror Sea Sect witnessed this scene:

A fat, round chicken running with speed unusual for an ordinary chicken in front, and a beautiful maiden like a flower brandishing a sword chasing behind.

One human, one chicken, utter chaos, utter hilarity.

After chasing for a while, she inevitably got tired.

Just as Liu Xiaowan wanted to stop and catch her breath before continuing the chase, she discovered the gray chicken had long since vanished without a trace.

Looking all around, there was only grass, trees and rocks. Where was Zhou Chen's shadow?

After her anger dissipated and she calmed down to think, she couldn't help feeling a bit guilty.

After Zhou Yin heard the whole story, he asked: "Why didn't you send me a message then?"

Liu Xiaowan hemmed and hawed. "I was afraid you were in the middle of spiritual combat and it would affect important matters."

Zhou Yin gave an "en" and turned to head out.

Liu Xiaowan asked uneasily: "Where are you going?"

Without looking back, Zhou Yin said: "To find the chicken."

At this time, Mirror Sea Sect was in a state of unease.

The inner and outer peaks combined, even for a third-rate sect, had one to two hundred people. The outer sect disciples, even if they heard rumors, wouldn't know the details. Now with Lu Yanping's return, the news was officially confirmed.

Forced to suddenly accept going from being Mirror Sea Sect disciples to Shangxuan Sect disciples, they also had to worry if their cultivation was too low and they would be ostracized after the move.

In this situation, naturally no one was in the mood to cultivate. They ran about everywhere gathering information, as if the more they knew, the more security they'd have.

Amidst such chaos, only Zhou Yin deliberately walked towards the less crowded places.

His own room, not there.

The rooms of Huang Wenjun and others around, not there either.

The kitchen, which should have been Zhou Chen's favorite place, was also empty.

Within half a day, the inner peak had basically been searched through by Zhou Yin.

Either it was discovered by someone and hidden away, or it ran off to the outer peak or even the back mountains on its own.

The former possibility was unlikely. Although Zhou Chen was dull and foolish due to his undeveloped intelligence, he wasn't hopelessly stupid. As long as it could use the invisibility technique he taught, and hadn't exposed the fact that it could speak human language, generally no one would pay attention to it.

But the latter...

The back mountains stretched out into the Mirror Sea mountain range where they had once encountered the Nüyue.

Author's note:

With a loud bang in the sky, the furball makes a shining entrance!