At this time, Liu Qiao’e seemed to realize her outburst. Her expression softened slightly, and she changed the subject. “I hear Fragrant Embrace Immortal Shen Chengyin is skilled at the xiao.”
Mu Daoying tensed his back.
Liu Qiao’e whispered lowly, “Your qin skills are renowned in the world. You two harmonizing qin and xiao—how carefree.”
Mu Daoying’s hair stood on end. He turned his face seriously. “Absolutely no such thing.”
“Actually, it’s not that I can’t play at all. But how could my meager skills enter the ears of Daoist Mu, who is accustomed to immortal music?”
Mu Daoying heard the sourness in her voice and could not help but laugh.
He was usually silent and composed, rarely smiling.
Now, with just a slight lift of his lips, this smile was like spring sun over jade palaces, snow clearing across a thousand mountains, peaks pure and flowers bright—indescribably elegant and handsome.
Liu Qiao’e stared blankly for a moment, then felt shy and annoyed upon snapping back.
She was jealous, and he must be delighted, right?
Unwilling to let him have his fun, she leaned close to his ear. “Guess which piece is the only one I can play?”
Mu Daoying said, “Which one?”
Liu Qiao’e touched his inky temple hair, stroking as she softly sang in his ear.
The Jade Clarity Temple disciples paying attention to them suddenly noticed their Senior Brother Mu’s face turn red.
“Reaching out to touch sister’s cheek silk, black clouds fly to the horizon.”
Mu Daoying’s fair skin flushed slightly. He felt awkward and restless, never expecting Liu Qiao’e to recite… such lewd lyrics.
Her small hand reached his thigh, her warm breath brushing his ear. “Reaching out to touch sister’s thigh, like sleeping inside a winter quilt.”
Mu Daoying suddenly felt his mouth dry. The spot she touched burned like fire. He awkwardly picked up his cup and took a sip to cover it.
Liu Qiao’e sang again:
“Reaching out to touch sister’s little feet, little toes dagger onto brother’s shoulder.”
“Pfft—” The next second, he twitched at the corner of his mouth and sprayed out a big mouthful of wine.
“Do you still want to hear it?” She made as if to sing again.
“No…” Mu Daoying struggled.
She touched his flushed ear tip. “You really don’t want to hear it?”
“Old Mother!” When had the Mu Immortal Master, with his dangling fringes and swaying jade pendants, always walking with measured steps, ever heard such lewd lyrics and vulgar tunes? His face finally flushed all the way to the roots of his neck, his clear eyes brimmed with water, and he embarrassedly knocked over the teacup.
“What are you thinking?” Not only did she not hold back, she doubled down, leaning on his shoulder to ask.
Mu Daoying’s face grew even redder. Though he was a pure youth, that did not stop him from loving to read storybooks. He was always rich in imagination. The moment he closed his eyes, his mind filled with that snow-white little foot dangling and swaying on a man’s shoulder…
This thought made it hard for him to rein himself in. His heart swayed, and heat rushed straight to his lower abdomen.
Under everyone’s gaze, Mu Daoying tensed his bones and silently held his forehead, not daring to think any more.
He took a deep breath, his fingertips groped around, grasped her hand, and gently pinched her palm. “Old Mother, spare me.”
The man’s warm and elegant voice softened in plea. Liu Qiao’e had to admit she was still very weak to this.
Afraid she would truly push him to jump the wall in desperation, she finally spared him this once, reluctantly.
The banquet lasted until the moon set in the west, ending only at the fifth crow of the rooster.
When Mu Daoying escorted Liu Qiao’e back to her room, she was already faintly drunk.
The drunkard reeking of alcohol was not obedient and refused to get into bed.
No matter how Mu Daoying earnestly persuaded her with kind words, she still played rogue, muttering things like, “Daoist Mu is human-faced and beast-hearted, luring This Seat to bed—what are your intentions?”
At first, Mu Daoying still patiently coaxed her. “Old Mother, it’s late. Time to rest.”
Later, the more he listened, the worse it sounded. Afraid she would act up again, he swiftly cast a cleaning spell with quick eyes and hands, scooped her up horizontally, and tossed her onto the bed.
His fluid series of actions stunned Liu Qiao’e’s tongue into silence.
She stared at him in shock, unable to imagine he could be so domineering.
From her girlhood days, the fantasy of him scooping her up and tossing her onto the bed had come true. Her heart pounded like drums, and her cheeks suddenly flushed red.
Ah. She revealed an extremely embarrassed, girlish shyness.
Mu Daoying felt a chill down his spine. “…” Why was she blushing?
Liu Qiao’e buried herself even deeper into the quilt in her shyness.
With that posture, Mu Daoying truly feared she would suffocate herself. When he tried to persuade her, she refused to come out.
In the end, he had to dig her out himself.
“Lie down.” Mu Daoying said softly, his pitch-black, clear eyes staring straight at her, like the deep night, giving a great sense of pressure.
She hesitated a moment, then lay down, looking at him expectantly.
Only then did he vaguely realize she seemed to eat the firm but not the soft, liking it when he… forced her?
But sometimes she ate the soft but not the firm…
He could not figure it out. So he put on an act and tentatively threatened in a faint voice, “Don’t move.”
She indeed stopped moving.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, tucked her in, and secured the quilt corners.
Gazing at that pitch-black little head poking out from the bedding, Mu Daoying’s heart softened. He could not help but reach out and touch it.
Night wind scattered into the room from the window. Mu Daoying’s heated cheeks cooled under the breeze. As he gazed at her cute sleeping face, he recalled those lyrics she had sung.
His heart jolted. No more blushing or pounding heart—he only could not help but think,
‘When did she learn these?’
From joining Joyous Union Palace to becoming its Palace Master, she… must have had it very hard.
It was said the previous Old Palace Master appeared elegant on the outside but had a tyrannical temperament.
Recalling those lyrics, he could no longer muster any amorous thoughts.
He only thought that in the past, she might have been forced to sing these lewd and lascivious songs, accompany drinks, and sell smiles. Those lyrics stirred men’s blood and lust, but for her, they were blood-drenched pain.
And that agreement he had with Zhao Yange…
Mu Daoying’s gaze darkened.
If possible, he absolutely did not want to deceive her.
But he had already failed when he directly asked her about the One Line Pull before.
At this thought, his gaze unconsciously fell on the storage pouch at her waist.
He knew the antidote for the One Line Pull was in that storage pouch. He had seen her put it inside. He had even noted the seal attached to its surface—it was not very profound. Perhaps she did not understand formations, or perhaps she was confident no one could approach her body, or perhaps there was nothing too important inside. After pondering for several days, he had found a way to break it.
Her eyes were closed, sleeping very soundly.
Mu Daoying carefully observed her expression and tentatively reached to touch the storage pouch. Who would have thought, before his fingertips even touched it, she suddenly murmured in her sleep and rolled over.
Mu Daoying fell silent for a moment, withdrew his hand, left the inner room, and went to the back courtyard to blow in the night wind.
–
The next day, everyone arrived at the foot of Fogveil Mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, around the mineral vein, there were many large and small villages scattered about. These villagers made their living by mining for the Immortal Alliance.
The small village they arrived at was called Ren Family Village.
Standing at the village entrance to greet them was the mine manager and village head named Zheng Shen.
Both were very enthusiastic and welcomed everyone into the village to rest.
But Liu Qiao’e said bluntly, “No need. Take us to see the mine.”
These Bone Devouring Sect killers’ clothes were stained with spirit shards, which meant they had been to the mineral vein before.
Was there something in the mine? Was that Luo Naji here for this?
Or was someone in the mine secretly colluding with the Demonic Sect?
Zheng Shen was stunned for a moment, not expecting to encounter such a blunt, worldly-inexperienced person.
He did not dare show it on his face and remained respectfully deferential, answering all questions without reservation.
Ren Family Village was located at the core area of the entire Fogveil mineral vein.
“These spirit ores are all deeply buried underground,” Zheng Shen introduced.
He led the people into a mountain belly, through a pitch-black tunnel.
“Careful!” Mu Daoying swiftly blocked a Wandering Sword Pavilion disciple who was lost in thought.
That Wandering Sword Pavilion disciple instinctively stepped back and looked down—his scalp went numb!
Half his foot had been stepping on the edge of a deep pit. Looking down, he could not see the bottom.
Mu Daoying casually picked up a spirit stone from the ground and tossed it in.
No sound came even after a long time. Everyone’s faces changed color.
Such deep pits crisscrossed everywhere, and there were many more along the way.
“Be careful. Below is a ten-thousand-zhang abyss,” Zheng Shen said, holding a lamp as he led everyone to the largest deep pit and activated a switch on the nearby mountain wall.
Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from the bottom of the deep pit, accompanied by the grinding of gears and chains. A wooden lift slowly rose up.
The wood was half-rotted. Liu Qiao’e truly doubted the safety of this thing.
But Zheng Shen said very naturally, “Please board, everyone. This is how we go down every day.”
The lift swayed and creaked with sounds of long disrepair. Liu Qiao’e’s face turned extremely pale, as if afraid of heights.
Mu Daoying saw it. The hand in his sleeve quietly grasped hers without a word.
“You!” Liu Qiao’e seemed startled and abruptly turned her head. Seeing it was him, her expression grew complicated again.
“It’ll be fine soon, Old Mother,” Mu Daoying comforted her in a low voice.
“Does Old Mother fear heights?” He said some words to distract her.
“I don’t,” Liu Qiao’e said stiffly.
It was truly rare for a cultivator to fear heights, after all—they flew on sword light every day and fought in the air. Another layer of faint doubt added to Mu Daoying’s heart.
Liu Qiao’e’s gaze flickered, shallow sweat beading at her temples. Mu Daoying did not force her to speak anymore and only gripped her hand tighter.
With sleeves hanging down, their hands clasped silently in the darkness until sweat seeped from Liu Qiao’e’s palm. Finally, they reached the mine tunnel.
The surrounding mountain walls glowed with a faint, eerie blue light. This was the radiance emitted by the shattered ores on the walls.
Continuing forward, they arrived at a spacious mining hall. The clanging sounds of digging constantly echoed as a dozen hunched, ragged commoners worked here with huge back baskets on their backs.
Due to years without sunlight, their skin was pale, limbs thin and weak. Even eroded by the spirit ores over time, they had gradually developed mutations.
Shen Chengyin’s expression moved slightly. “All pitiable people.”
“This is the place,” Zheng Shen said.
Lai Yong stroked his beard and asked, “Is this the bottom?”
Zheng Shen shook his head. “Not yet. The deepest part requires another lift down a thousand zhang, but that lift broke some days ago—”
Liu Qiao’e interrupted, “Take us to see that lift.”
Zheng Shen glanced at her, somewhat shocked at this Joyous Union Palace Master’s acuity.
Di Chong said, “Hurry up already?”
Mu Daoying could not help but look up at Di Chong.