After Transmigrating as an Immortal Master, I Hold a Group Meeting - Chapter 101

“Sect Master Qi…”

The disciples were stunned. Those who knew about the daily letters Sect Master Qi sent to Ning Mingmei opened their mouths as if to speak and then swallowed their words.

Only Ning Mingmei remained calm and collected.

Sect Master Qi asked, “Did I come at a bad time?”

Ning Mingmei replied evenly, “Not at all, Senior Brother. In fact, your timing is perfect. I have something important that requires your assistance.”

Qi Miancheng’s two disciples: ?

Since when was Peak Lord Ning this warm and enthusiastic?

Sect Master Qi, however, seemed very pleased with this change. Looking at Ning Mingmei with a faint smile, he said, “Please, Junior Brother, speak.”

Ning Mingmei said, “I’m about to take my disciples down the mountain. Senior Brother, you should come along as well.”

…What?

Down the mountain?

With the Debate Conference so close, why would Misty Peak’s people go down the mountain now?

Suspicion tangled in the minds of Qi Miancheng’s two disciples, until…

The entire group arrived together at a tailor’s shop in the immortal town at the base of the Supreme Clarity Sect’s mountain.

Ning Mingmei had the shopkeeper bring out two chairs; one for himself, one for Qi Miancheng. “Senior Brother, please sit.”

“Thank you. But Junior Brother, don’t just insist on me sitting; you must remember to take care of yourself as well.”

Ning Mingmei lifted his robe hem neatly and sat.

Qi Miancheng asked, “So why does Junior Brother bring your disciples to a tailor’s shop today?”

The system watched with narrowed eyes, expecting Ning Mingmei to launch into some elaborate speech about how new robes for the disciples were necessary for the honor of the Supreme Clarity Sect.

However, instead, Ning Mingmei simply said, “This is a long story… but in short, it’s all for you, Senior Brother.” And with that cryptic statement, he stopped talking, fully embodying the spirit of a riddler.

Qi Miancheng’s brow furrowed. Just then, Ning Mingmei gestured to the shopkeeper. “Bring them up, one by one.”

***

“Yes. What I want is a set of peak uniforms, recognizably the Supreme Clarity Sect, yet with a flair distinct to Misty Peak. Start with summer uniforms; we’ll make spring, autumn, winter, and formalwear later. By then, they’ll pay for their own.

“The cut—no, this cut won’t do. Tighter at the waist. The Eighth Disciple’s advantage is his legs, so raise the waistline to lengthen them. Wait, the Seventh Disciple has good collarbones. Change the neckline to show them off. Senior Brother, what do you think?”

“…Mn.”

“Good. Now, side slits on the hem. Each robe should highlight personal features; different accents, unique colors, and constellations to match. Senior Brother, what do you think?”

“…Mn.”

“Twelfth Disciple has a round face, so change his collar to a V-neck. As for Lin Heting, his skin is fair; add two rings of red lining at the neckline to accentuate it. Senior Brother, what do you think?”

“…Mn.”

“Differentiation. Even among overachievers, we need clear personas. Give Fifth Disciple some metal chains, make him Misty Peak’s rap specialist. Senior Brother, what do you think?”

“…Mn.”

One after another, eighteen disciples were herded onto the platform like livestock on a conveyor belt, measured and fitted for their custom robes. To the horror of Qi Miancheng’s two disciples, their gazes were as bewildered and vacant as their own.

“What exactly is Misty Peak doing?” whispered Disciple Number One.

“I can’t make sense of it either,” replied Disciple Number Two.

“Could it be that Peak Lord Ning is being generous, commissioning new robes for all his disciples before the conference?”

“But why is each robe slightly different?”

“And why does he ask the Sect Master for approval after every single detail?”

The two sect disciples looked at their master and Ning Mingmei with wide, guileless eyes. Pure, foolish innocence written all over their faces.

“By consulting Qi Miancheng for his opinion, it plants a subtle suggestion in his mind that he, too, bears responsibility for the final decision. From there, asking him to foot the bill becomes the most natural thing in the world,” Ning Mingmei explained to the system.

Then he turned, all solemn courtesy, “Senior Brother, Misty Peak’s purchase of these robes is for the sake of presenting the Supreme Clarity Sect’s best spirit and bearing at the opening ceremony. It would be only proper to put the cost under your name… what do you think?”

Qi Miancheng: “…Mm.”

Ning Mingmei: “You heard him, record it.”

The system: [Not exactly the smoothest of cons. Look closer, Qi Miancheng’s asleep.]

Indeed, on the chair beside him, Qi Miancheng sat with lips curved in a faint, mysterious smile, eyes shut, head nodding. Every so often, he let out a vague, drowsy “Mm.”

Ning Mingmei adjusted his glasses calmly. “Isn’t that even better? Now he has no way of wriggling out of it.”

Dreaming Qi Miancheng: “Mm.”

The system: …

It’s itchy again. Don’t tell me I’m about to grow another electrode.

***

The cheerful shopping trip concluded under Sect Master Qi’s full cooperation. At checkout, Ning Mingmei swept his sleeve grandly and the bill was written under Qi Miancheng’s name.

The tailor’s proprietor, who knew a touch of cultivation, understood well enough the spending habits of the Supreme Clarity Sect. No matter how little sleep his tailors got, the robes would be finished on time. He pledged that in three days, before the opening ceremony, all eighteen new uniforms would be delivered to Misty Peak.

Ning Mingmei said with rare satisfaction, “Excellent. Another stone lifted from my heart.”

While his disciples were whisked away for final measurements, Qi Miancheng’s two baffled disciples included, Ning Mingmei lowered his head, already pondering strategies for the conference.

It was then that Qi Miancheng finally stirred awake.

Having just charged the man’s account, Ning Mingmei greeted him with the utmost geniality, “Senior Brother, you’re awake.”

Qi Miancheng nodded gravely. “Yes, Junior Brother. I am awake now.”

…Left alone, his words still carried that familiar strange undertone.

To avoid him asking about the receipt, Ning Mingmei seized the initiative. “Senior Brother, you fell asleep while accompanying me down the mountain. You don’t blame me for failing to look after you, do you?”

Qi Miancheng’s voice softened with motion. “Junior Brother, you took pity on my exhaustion and brought me out shopping to relax. Such painstaking care, how could I blame you?”

Ning Mingmei: “If that is how you think, then I am relieved.”

Qi Miancheng sighed. “It is a pity that I have been too burdened with work lately and even in your company, I fell asleep halfway. In fact, it has been days since I had a proper night’s rest. I wrote about this in the letters I’ve been sending you.”

Ning Mingmei: “Yes, Senior Brother. I’ve read them. You send me one every day. If sleeplessness plagues you so, perhaps you should refrain from writing before bed.”

Qi Miancheng shook his head, eyes distant. “On the contrary. I have realized that only when you are by my side can I truly sleep well. Thus, I must continue writing to you whenever I suffer insomnia. Perhaps one day, through the letters, the drowsiness itself will pass along with them. Even if you are not here, by writing to you, I may yet fall asleep.”

Ning Mingmei: …

He pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose.

Qi Miancheng murmured, “Forgive me. Have I once again let you glimpse this weary, sleepless side of me?”

“Senior Brother,” Ning Mingmei cut him off before the disciples returned, steering the topic firmly away, “it is only a debate conference. Why should it trouble your sleep? Could it be that Senior Brother fears the Supreme Clarity Sect will lose because of Misty Peak?”

“Victory and defeat are common matters of the battlefield,” Qi Miancheng said with a faint frown. “That is not what troubles me. Tell me, Junior Brother, have you noticed how many strangers filled the town today?”

The immortal town at the base of the Supreme Clarity Sect’s mountain gate was called Guanqing Town. And indeed, thinking back, Ning Mingmei did recall that there were indeed far more cultivators in the streets than usual.

“The Debate Conference between the Supreme Clarity Sect and the Misty Cloud Tower has drawn the eyes of the world. Other great sects are sending people to witness it as well. By the opening ceremony in three days, they should all have arrived,” said Qi Miancheng. “But aside from them, there are also many smaller sect cultivators and lone wanderers who couldn’t get an invitation, yet still wish to watch the event. Since they cannot pass our mountain gates, most gather in Guanqing Town to watch the broadcast or else linger about, hoping for a stroke of luck.”

Ning Mingmei said calmly, “So that explains why Guanqing Town has grown so crowded of late.”

Qi Miancheng nodded. “Exactly. Which means the area at the foot of our mountain has become a muddle of all sorts these days. With everyone’s eyes fixed on the Supreme Clarity Sect, there will inevitably be those who try to slip inside… and not all of them are human.”

The air chilled at once. Ning Mingmei asked, “If that’s the case, can’t you keep order in Guanqing Town, Senior Brother?”

Qi Miancheng gave a weary smile. “It can’t be kept under control. These past few days, I often worry… Junior Brother, you must take care as well.”

So it couldn’t be kept under control.

Ning Mingmei agreed, “Senior Brother, I will.”

Ning Mingmei said to the system, “If the town is already too chaotic to manage, then selling carbonated drinks inside the sect would be even harder to manage. This news is favorable for Cola stock.”

The system gave only one comment. [Be human, will you.]

When their talk seemed to meet an end and Ning Mingmei rose to leave, Qi Miancheng suddenly spoke,
“Junior Brother, you’ve already chosen clothes for your eighteen disciples. But do you realize that there is one person you’ve forgotten to choose for?”

“Who?”

“Yourself.”

Ning Mingmei turned back. Qi Miancheng still sat in his chair. When Ning Mingmei stood, Qi Miancheng did not rise; he only lowered his gaze to the teacup in his hands. Sunlight fell across his long lashes, leaving shadows on his chiseled face.

It looked like a black crescent moon… or the curl of a sly, hidden smile.

Ning Mingmei remained unmoved, arms folded. “Senior Brother once sent me plenty of clothes, remember? I already have more than enough.”

“That’s different.”

“What’s different?”

“The way I saw you then and the way I see you now is no longer the same.” Qi Miancheng’s voice was quiet.

The dimming light swayed with the curtains in the evening breeze. Ning Mingmei narrowed his eyes. “And what’s different?”

“Before, I regarded you simply as my junior brother. But now I see you as the one who has weathered hardship at my side, who has grown ever closer to me. If once, we were chance companions among the rivers and lakes, now we are bound through life and death.” He paused. “Junior Brother, I’ve been thinking; as brothers-in-arms, we should deepen our understanding of each other.”

“…”

“That is why,” Qi Miancheng continued, “I want to see what kind of clothes you would choose for yourself.”

The sun was sinking. Ning Mingmei stood against the glow, evening light tracing a soft golden rim around him. He looked steadily at Qi Miancheng, and after a long silence, he suddenly smiled. “Senior Brother shouldn’t think only of me. Since you’ve put it that way, I can hardly refuse. Very well, I’ll choose another set of clothes.” Ning Mingmei’s tone was even. “But I don’t intend to choose them for myself.”

Qi Miancheng lifted his eyes. “For whom, then?”

“You,” Ning Mingmei said.

“…Why?”

“Just as Senior Brother said, the way I saw you then and the way I see you now is no longer the same,” Ning Mingmei echoed softly. “I have a line to say to you as well; the way I saw you then and the way I see you now is no longer the same.” He smiled faintly. “So, Senior Brother, why don’t you guess? What color do you think I intend to choose for you?”