From the first glance Mu Daoying cast upon her, she was already smitten.
Just like all the foolish and shallow women in this world who lusted after a man’s good looks.
When Liu Qiao’e saw Mu Daoying for the first time, she couldn’t help but fall.
The young man before her was like a mountain moon, mountain mist, mountain breeze, mountain and water.
His first impression on her was one of purity.
The second was elegance.
He was a rare clean and fragrant soul in the Joyous Union Palace.
Generally speaking, cultivators like Mu Daoying—heaven’s proud sons, pillars of the righteous path—were not approachable.
But the young man before her was different. His coldness was mild, a serene peace free of desires.
Like a graceful moon over the riverbank, its light gently shining on nearby homes.
Liu Qiao’e felt her cheeks heating up again.
She hastily lowered her head, revealing a rare girlish demeanor. At that moment, Fan Shuyun had been cast ten thousand miles away in her mind. Compared to the man before her, Fan Shuyun wasn’t even fit to carry his shoes!
She was precisely the sort who was fickle in love, as changeable as river weeds.
But after that brief shy flutter, she suddenly felt a baseless irritability and anger.
Her heart twitched sharply, and amid the pounding, a sharp pain surged.
He was a man so handsome he tied one’s heartstrings in knots, only to shatter them moments later, leaving unbearable heartache.
Perhaps because any woman who saw him at first glance couldn’t help but be moved. But after the flutter, clarity swiftly returned, and she realized such a man was far beyond her league.
She knew she could never have such a man.
Only someone as beautiful as Bai Mengli stood a chance to vie for him.
She didn’t match him from head to toe. Someone like her wasn’t worthy of speaking of love; even her fluttering heart would only be seen as a freakish joke.
A strong sense of unwillingness and venomous resentment welled up in her heart, even spilling over into anger at Mu Daoying himself.
This was utterly unreasonable. After all, Mu Daoying had never wronged her and bore no responsibility for her one-sided infatuation.
And now, Mu Daoying had to choose between her and Bai Mengli—
More precisely, between wealth and glory, or ugliness and suffering.
Liu Qiao’e was already convinced that Mu Daoying was as vulgar and shallow as all the men in the world, only entangling with the most beautiful and noble women. Someone like her couldn’t even dream of entanglement, let alone touch the hem of his robe.
After her heart fluttered, shattered, and ached, it swiftly turned into one-sided hatred and disgust toward him.
As Mu Daoying’s gaze swept evenly over her, Bai Mengli, and the others, she would rather it held outright dislike than this calm, serene look.
That gaze treated her no differently from an ordinary passerby or roadside grass and trees.
She had grown accustomed to her ugliness being a spectacle worth viewing.
Yet Mu Daoying’s impartial gaze made her feel condescendingly tolerated, humiliated.
Even though she had demeaned herself to the dust and lowered her expectations to the minimum, when Mu Daoying made his choice, she still couldn’t help a bit of shy panic, her evasive eyes hiding a faint trace of hope.
Chen Yuro said, “No matter what choice the Daoist priest makes, any of these five female disciples can be taken back by the Daoist priest to serve him.”
Mu Daoying slightly closed his eyes. He did not approve of the Joyous Union Palace treating female disciples like objects for a guest to pick.
After a pause, Mu Daoying opened his eyes and finally spoke: “Apologies, but I must decline your sect’s conditions.”
“As for these fellow Daoists.”
“I am accustomed to living alone and require no one to attend to me. Kill or flog as you see fit, Manager Chen.”
Liu Qiao’e was stunned, her expression changing.
Chen Yuro’s face showed no change: “Oh?”
“From this humble one’s view, does Immortal Mu mean to choose this whip?”
Mu Daoying: “If Fellow Daoist insists on interpreting it that way, then so be it.”
Chen Yuro chuckled lightly and praised, “The Daoist priest truly is genuine inside and out, a man of iron will unlike those cowardly, falsely renowned righteous cultivators. Today, this Yuro has finally met a true gentleman.”
“Since the Daoist priest is a gentleman, though our paths differ and we cannot walk together, I must respect this windbone of yours.”
“I, Chen Yuro, never go back on my word.” Chen Yuro looked at Liu Qiao’e. “The Daoist priest should still pick one of these female disciples to take along. You’re new to the Joyous Union Palace and unfamiliar with the place; you’ll need someone to guide you.”
“As for the punishment—” Chen Yuro thought for a moment, then smiled with the gentlest tone to say the most chilling words. “We’ll forgo it for today. You’re a tough one; ordinary punishments might not faze you. I need to think carefully about how to carry it out.”
Mu Daoying knew that at this point, he could no longer refuse.
He hesitated briefly, glanced at Liu Qiao’e. The woman looked shocked; he nodded lightly, his voice very gentle: “Fellow Daoist, please instruct.”
He chose her? Liu Qiao’e’s eyes flickered with shock. He actually chose her? Was he blind?!
The other female disciples beside her were also greatly surprised, some showing indignant unfairness.
Chen Yuro instructed Liu Qiao’e: “For now, settle the Immortal priest temporarily in Watercloud Ravine.”
Once the crowd dispersed and she watched Liu Qiao’e’s departing figure, Chen Yuro sighed softly.
The person involved was blind, but the bystander saw clearly. Liu Qiao’e’s obsession with Mu Daoying ran too deep.
Ice three feet thick doesn’t form overnight; their fateful entanglement was predestined. She wondered if arranging them together today was right or wrong.
Liu Qiao’e walked ahead, leading Mu Daoying toward Watercloud Ravine.
That Mu Daoying had chosen her left Liu Qiao’e shocked, delighted, and utterly baffled.
Did he know what choosing her as a female servant meant in the Joyous Union Sect?
To be in contact with an exiled immortal like him was certainly joyous.
But after the joy, her fevered mind rapidly cooled. His choice even sparked a strange sense of pride and aloofness in her.
Her body tensed; she didn’t know how to interact with Mu Daoying and thus said nothing, walking silently ahead.
In Mu Daoying’s eyes, she walked ahead without looking back, small in stature and frail in build, her thin shoulders bony, yet her back held straight with a fragile stubbornness.
He took it in and broke the silence first: “I have yet to ask Fellow Daoist’s name.”
Liu Qiao’e came back to herself: “Liu. My surname is Liu, Liu Qiao’e.”
Mu Daoying said: “This one is Mu Daoying, the Ying of jade light, simplicity of the Great Dao.”
He truly felt some sympathy and pity for the woman before him.
Clearly, due to her ugly appearance and low cultivation, she suffered bullying in the Joyous Union Palace. Such bullying bred resentment. For the newly arrived Mu Daoying, she was actually a good entry point.
He tried to chat with Liu Qiao’e, but her attitude was cold. For once, he felt at a loss, unsure how to proceed.
In the past, everyone always took the initiative to befriend him. This was the first time he hit a wall with this peculiar woman.
Though his nature was aloof, he was not ignorant of worldly affairs. He knew this girl had endured long-term bullying and oppression, likely making her withdrawn with tight defenses. He couldn’t rush it.
As they walked and talked, they soon arrived at the base of a steep cliff wall.
A clear stream babbled, winding around the cliff base. In the distance, water and sky merged, the flowing water cascading gracefully with tinkling sounds. This was Watercloud Ravine.
A three-sided courtyard stood by the stream, built over the water—Mu Daoying’s temporary lodging from now on.
Liu Qiao’e led him inside and briefly explained the precautions for living there.
Liu Qiao’e said in a businesslike manner: “I’ll need to report back to the manager shortly. Fellow Daoist, take a look first. If anything’s lacking, mention it now so I can arrange it for you.”
Mu Daoying looked around; table, chairs, stools—all complete. Though called a guest, he was effectively imprisoned, so he had no objections. Besides, with his simple desires, a bed for meditation sufficed.
“The scenery here is serene; nothing is lacking. Thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist.”
Liu Qiao’e’s voice was flat, her tone icy: “Since Fellow Daoist has no objections, this humble one will return to report first.”
After Liu Qiao’e left, Mu Daoying did not rush to rest.
His injuries were not healed, and after the long journey, he hadn’t caught his breath. By rights, he should conserve energy and prepare for future crises.
But his mind was on Shizun Ling Yuan’s whereabouts and the overall situation; his Dao heart was unsettled.
Stray thoughts arose, thoughts wandering wildly; even meditation yielded little.
Mu Daoying stopped forcing it, went outside instead, and observed the surroundings.
The terrain behind Watercloud Ravine was steep with rugged mountain walls, twisted pines clustering in lush greenery—thus named Pinewind Cliff.
From the heights, he could survey the surrounding scenery and nearby movements. Especially to the west, he could faintly see guards patrolling the Joyous Union Palace’s west gate.
Mu Daoying memorized the location, pondering future plans. Unknowingly, dusk approached.
A faint sound came on the wind. With a cultivator’s sharp senses, he identified it as movement inside the house.
Likely Liu Qiao’e returning.
He descended the slope and indeed saw the house lit up.
He deliberately slowed his steps to make them audible, and when near the door, he didn’t enter immediately but knocked: “Liu Fellow Daoist?”
After a long pause, Liu Qiao’e’s voice came from inside: “Come in.”
Her voice was as flat and hard as ever, but trembling, as if extremely nervous and uneasy.
With no dangers in Watercloud Ravine, Mu Daoying assumed she’d encountered trouble. After a brief hesitation, he pushed the door open urgently.
The light was dim and hazy, ambiguously intimate. On the bed crouched a vague figure.
Liu Qiao’e’s face was flushed, lips bitten, clothes stripped bare as she lay sideways on his bed.
The bedding half-covered, half-revealed, unable to conceal swathes of naked spring scenery!
No danger anywhere—only a woman with her jade body sprawled out.
Mu Daoying barely reacted before this alluring sight crashed into his eyes.
His heart jolted sharply!
Without time to think, he hastily shut his eyes and retreated half a step: “Liu Fellow Daoist?!”