The Jade Mirror Temple's camp stood out compared to the others.

Their arrangement was immaculate, their tents a pristine white with soft silver embroidery glimmering faintly when the sunlight shifted. The atmosphere was serene, as if one had stepped into a sacred courtyard rather than a temporary camp.

Even the wooden palisade around their section looked polished and refined, lacking the rugged edges of hastily assembled defenses seen elsewhere.

But as soon as Han Yu entered, the difference from the Crimson Cloud Sect was clear. Where the Crimson Cloud disciples had practically embraced him as a brother with laughs and open hands, the Jade Mirror Temple disciples received him with cool glances and polite distance.

Two female disciples closest to the entryway looked him over, their expressions calm yet unwelcoming, as though silently questioning why an outsider had wandered into their sanctum. Others, sitting in groups further inside the camp, continued their quiet conversations and cultivation, hardly sparing him a second glance.

Han Yu's grin stiffened slightly.

His enthusiasm was met with silence, and silence was far harder to crack than hostility. Hostility could be diffused with humor or deflected with charm. But silence, distance, and aloofness required patience and persistence.

He forced himself to relax, adjusting his posture to one of casual courtesy. His eyes swept across the disciples until, suddenly, they landed on a familiar figure.

His heart leapt in surprise.

"Senior Sister Xuan Qing?" Han Yu muttered, his voice slipping out before he could restrain it.

Indeed, it was her.

Dressed in flowing pale blue robes embroidered with faint floral patterns, she stood near the center of the camp. Her beauty was even more striking now than it had been months ago when they had met after years.

Their first fateful encounter came back to Han Yu vividly—the day she had all but kidnapped him under the pretext of "recruitment" for the Twin Leaf Peak Sect. He remembered the helplessness, the irritation, and the grudging admiration he had felt at her domineering yet graceful demeanor.

It seemed fate had once again brought them together.

Xuan Qing had not noticed him yet. She was speaking with another Jade Mirror Temple disciple, her posture as graceful as a willow swaying in the wind. Han Yu could not resist straightening his back and striding forward.

"Senior Sister Xuan Qing," he called out with his signature bright smile, bowing slightly in greeting.

This time she turned, her clear eyes locking onto him. A flicker of recognition appeared in her gaze, followed by a soft curve of her lips.

"Well, well. If it isn't Han Yu," she said, her tone lightly amused. "I did not expect to see you wandering into this camp so boldly."

Han Yu laughed, scratching his cheek in mock embarrassment. "How could I not pay a visit to the sect that left such a… lasting impression on me? Besides, we are allies on this expedition. Plus, I heard you were here, so I came to meet. I reckoned would be rude not to greet my senior sister, would it not?" he smoothly added an excuse at the end.

A few of the surrounding Jade Mirror disciples finally gave him a glance, curiosity flickering in their eyes. Han Yu felt the shift, subtle though it was. He knew this was his chance.

Reaching into his pouch, he produced the bottles and pills he had prepared. With a charming grin, he extended them toward Xuan Qing. "I also brought a few small things I refined myself. Hardly anything precious, but I thought you and the ladies of the Jade Mirror Temple might appreciate them. Consider it a token of goodwill."

At once, a ripple passed through the nearby disciples. Though they maintained their reserved bearing, their eyes could not help but linger on the items. Even aloof cultivators were still women at heart, and these were items that catered to them directly.

Xuan Qing raised an eyebrow, then let out a light laugh. "You certainly have not changed. Always so glib with your tongue. Still, I will accept them, since it would be rude to reject the kindness."

She took the items with elegant grace, her fingers brushing the bottles with a delicate motion. For a moment, Han Yu thought he saw a faint shimmer of amusement in her eyes.

'She's certainly recovered fully from her last visit to the marshes.' Han Yu reckoned.

The other disciples' attitudes subtly softened.

What Han Yu didn't know was the fact that Xuan Qing, while a disciple of the Twin Leaf Peak Sect, was not only acquainted but friends with a lot of disciples from the Jade Mirror Temple due to many missions and sect gatherings in the past.

Seeing her giving her approval of Han Yu, made them accept him faster.

Where there had been polite distance, now there was faint warmth. Some of them gave him nods of acknowledgment, while others simply allowed their expressions to ease. Han Yu, ever perceptive, immediately seized the moment.

With just a few jokes, some light flattery, and tales of his alchemical exploits, he began to weave himself into their circle. Even if they were not as warm as the Crimson Cloud Sect, the frost had cracked. Joyful wisps of Yellow Eight Emotions Energy drifted toward him, invisible to all but his senses.

Han Yu's heart swelled with satisfaction. Not only had he managed to approach the famed Jade Mirror Temple disciples, but he had also stumbled into a reunion with Xuan Qing. Fate, it seemed, was on his side.

And yet, in the depths of his mind, he could not help but wonder: why was Senior Sister Xuan Qing here of all places?

A few minutes later, the Jade Mirror Temple Disciples parted, eager to go and try out their new gifts. This gave Han Yu the chance to talk with Xuan Qing.

"How are you here Senior Sister? You seem quite friendly with the disciples here." Han Yu asked.

"I just came over to meet some friends before we head for the exploration of the tomb the day after tomorrow. They told me that an Elder from the Jade Mirror Temple apparently spotted a special plant in the tomb's outer complexes." Xuan Qing answered.