Liu Qiao’e ultimately agreed to Mu Daoying’s proposal.
Why not agree?
She felt no sense of belonging or collective honor toward the Joyous Union Palace.
Had she never considered switching sects after wasting so many years here?
Of course she had.
She had simply lacked the connections.
Most importantly, even if Liu Qiao’e was unwilling to admit it, she had to acknowledge that Mu Daoying was a true gentleman.
He had promised that even if the plan failed, he would do his utmost to protect her.
“Even at the cost of your life?”
Mu Daoying replied without hesitation: “Even at the cost of this one’s life.”
What reason was there not to agree?
Liu Qiao’e knew that the path of cultivation was destined to be anything but peaceful. If one sought a smooth and stable life, they should never have chosen to cultivate immortality. Having chosen that path, one needed the courage to stake everything on one throw—danger and opportunity always went hand in hand.
From another angle.
She had always been someone who never let the smallest slight go unavenged. If Mu Daoying failed to know his place in the coming days and provoked her again as he had today, she could simply reveal today’s scheme in full! Or strike back at a critical moment, leaving him unable to rise again.
Mu Daoying lived up to the “true heart” in his moniker Jade Sword True Heart. After Liu Qiao’e agreed, he held nothing back and imparted all the insights and experiences he had accumulated over the years, as an apology for forcing her to treat Bai Mengli.
In all fairness, Liu Qiao’e was not some genius who could grasp things at a glance, but she made up for it with her diligence and willingness to endure hardship. If she failed once, she practiced twice, three times—without rest or sleep until she mastered it.
With Liu Qiao’e’s help, Mu Daoying gained a deeper understanding of the Joyous Union Palace’s personnel structure, guard patrol routes, and shift schedules.
Since Mu Daoying wanted to escape, he had to choose the right timing. No opportunity was more suitable than the Joyous Union Grand Ceremony.
Even an outsider like him could see the disrespect, defiance, and disloyalty in Qi Mei’s heart atop Rosy Cloud Peak back then.
If he were Qi Mei, he would certainly strike during the Joyous Union Grand Ceremony.
To that end, he specifically asked Liu Qiao’e about some recent subtle changes in the Joyous Union Palace.
These subtle shifts were obscure and might escape ordinary notice, but having lived through the upheaval at Jade Clarity Temple and held high positions for years, Mu Daoying’s instincts for intrigue were sharper than most.
When storm clouds gathered, even the slightest breeze could herald a massive tempest. Unfortunately, back then he had been immersed in cultivation, ignoring worldly affairs. By the time he awoke to it, it was too late—his master had already defected from Jade Clarity Temple amid heavy suspicions.
Mu Daoying said, “In your view, Fellow Daoist, when will Vice Sect Master Qi make her move? If I were her, I might choose the Joyous Union Grand Ceremony, when the Old Mother ‘goes into seclusion’ and does not appear. There could be no better timing.”
Mu Daoying spoke decisively, and Liu Qiao’e couldn’t help but furrow her brow in thought upon hearing it: “…Anyone with eyes can see that Vice Sect Master Qi is unconvinced, but if you say she’ll act during the Grand Ceremony—” Wasn’t that too hasty?
“Whether she strikes during the ceremony or not,” Mu Daoying shook his head, “the Joyous Union Grand Ceremony ten days from now is an opportunity for you and me.”
“At that time, everyone will be busy with the sacrificial rites, and few will notice our presence.”
“So that’s why you had me bring you to see the palace gates?” Liu Qiao’e countered.
As they spoke, the two had already reached the main gate. The Joyous Union Palace faced south.
The south main gate was protected by a grand mountain-guarding array, with strict defenses and disciple guards patrolling ceaselessly.
Mu Daoying took one glance and made his choice. “The main gate won’t do. Let’s try the other gates.”
The north rear gate was also heavily guarded.
The two then went to the east and west side gates.
The West Gate sat atop a sheer cliff, surrounded by layered peaks and treacherous terrain, so it had the fewest personnel.
The east side had relatively flat terrain, with more guards than the West Gate but fewer than the main or rear gates.
At this point, how could Liu Qiao’e not see through Mu Daoying’s calculations?
“How about it? Which gate should we use when the time comes?”
Mu Daoying: “The West Gate.”
He decided so quickly? Liu Qiao’e was stunned for a moment and instinctively felt it was too rash.
Mu Daoying saw through her thoughts at a glance. “Does Fellow Daoist think it’s too hasty?”
Liu Qiao’e choked. “That’s how it’s always written in the storybooks…”
Mu Daoying shook his head: “That’s the difference between storybooks and reality. In a storybook, they’d do the opposite to lay a false trail.”
“You read storybooks too?” Liu Qiao’e asked suspiciously, seeing how knowledgeably he spoke of them.
Mu Daoying paused, falling into an odd silence for half a second: “I’ve confiscated some in the past.”
Indeed. Life was not a storybook. All things considered, the West Gate was the most suitable in terms of geography and personnel.
Just as Qi Mei plotting a coup would involve endless schemes upon schemes in a storybook, in reality, the simpler the steps and the fewer people in the know, the better.
The more moves made, the more chances for error and uncertainty—not worth the risk.
Reality was often simpler, more direct, even brutal than storybooks.
A few days later, the Joyous Union Grand Ceremony, held once every sixty years in the Joyous Union Palace, finally arrived.
On this day, following tradition, the Joyous Union Palace threw open its gates for the common people to join in the festivities.
Folks from nearby villages and towns all came to enjoy the spectacle.
With such an unorthodox sect at their doorstep, the local populace had long grown accustomed to the Joyous Union Palace’s licentious style.
Along the way, auspicious vapors surged, petals rained from the sky, green-tiled red-eaved buildings shimmered with interwoven glass-like treasure light.
Delicate pavilions, painted bridges amid willow smoke, phoenixes with verdant feathers, heavenly music from drums and strings.
Amid rippling waves, a flash of beauty reflected—one saw enchanting youths and maidens descending arm-in-arm from distant palace towers and pavilions, their silken robes trailing, laughter bubbling, each radiant as if descended from the heavens.
It left onlookers wide-eyed, unable to look away.
Mu Daoying and Liu Qiao’e, dressed in plain commoner clothes, blended into the crowd of locals.
Only on this day were the palace gates flung wide, with guards at all four gates relaxed. Before setting out, Mu Daoying had cast a minor spell on each of them to obscure their appearances.
The spell’s wonder lay in how, unless closely scrutinized, they appeared as utterly ordinary, unremarkable faces among the passersby.
Mu Daoying had no intention of alerting the West Gate guards; he only sought to slip through steadily among the mortals, without a trace.
The journey had gone smoothly so far, with everyone immersed in the grand festival atmosphere. Keeping their heads down, the two reached the vicinity of the West Gate in short order.
But just as they neared the final stretch, trouble arose.
Both Liu Qiao’e and Mu Daoying had underestimated his own popularity.
Near the West Gate, Mu Daoying was recognized. No one knew who lit up first and shouted, “Daoist Mu!” In the next instant, he was surrounded.
Handsome men and women encircled Mu Daoying, eagerly propositioning him. The scene was so brazenly lascivious that it left Liu Qiao’e dumbfounded.
Their plan had been solid, but the one flaw lay in Mu Daoying’s face and his overwhelming appeal.
Demons craved the immortal lord; the righteous aura of abstinence was fatal to the men and women of the Joyous Union Palace.
Liu Qiao’e fumed, “Why’d you have to be born so damn good-looking?!”
“…” Even Mu Daoying was speechless. He could hardly blame his parents?
It took Liu Qiao’e half a day’s effort to drag him out of the crowd.
Glaring fiercely: “He’s mine! Don’t you know the rules? Scram!”
In the Joyous Union Sect, good news never spread, but bad news traveled far and wide. Her affair with Fan Shuyun had long circulated throughout the palace.
Everyone had been ready to laugh at her misfortune, but seeing Liu Qiao’e arrive arm-in-arm with Mu Daoying created this utterly incongruous scene that dropped jaws.
Liu Qiao’e felt both irritated and smug as she dragged Mu Daoying through the crowd like a butterfly among flowers.
When it rains, it pours. Just then, Li Qingcheng appeared suddenly, Fan Shuyun in tow, along with her pack of lackeys, blocking their path.
“Liu Qiao’e?” Li Qingcheng raised a brow. “Daoist Mu? What are you doing here?”
“Where are you trying to go?”
Mu Daoying was already aware of the grudge between Li Qingcheng and Liu Qiao’e. Seeing her eyes dart about with a mocking smile, he sensed trouble and was about to speak when his arm suddenly grew heavy.
Mu Daoying froze.
Liu Qiao’e had grabbed his arm.
The woman clung to his arm, chin high, sneering at Li Qingcheng. “What business is it of yours? Can’t we stroll around during the Joyous Union Grand Ceremony?”
Li Qingcheng’s face changed abruptly.
Mu Daoying stood silently beside her in his plain hemp daoist robes, which only accentuated his porcelain skin, with his black hair tied high—elegant and handsome, like a man of jade.
Li Qingcheng: “Impossible! How?! He’s your cloud-mountain companion? No way!”
Fan Shuyun also looked shocked and suspicious, eyeing her probingly.
That day, Fan Shuyun had fled in panic to avoid trouble and now felt guilty. Seeing her so intimate with Mu Daoying left him both surprised and puzzled.
Liu Qiao’e was hardly surprised to see Fan Shuyun hanging around with Li Qingcheng.
One had to admit, Fan Shuyun’s face was indeed alluringly handsome—something Li Qingcheng had coveted for ages.
The Joyous Union Palace was a den of debauchery to begin with; partner swaps, threesomes, even groups of four or five were hardly rare.
Liu Qiao’e sneered: “Why not? Can’t we fall in love after spending time together?”
Mu Daoying understood Liu Qiao’e’s intent. Having no experience with such matters, he refrained from speaking and simply cooperated silently.
Mu Daoying was strikingly handsome, his beauty a restrained sort—like a jade vessel with an icy heart, pure white and chill, faintly aloof.
At this moment, his mere silence amounted to indulgence in the eyes of the crowd.
Yet, in summer’s thin garments, the warmth of skin contact seeped through the sleeves, a faint heat.
Mu Daoying felt profoundly uncomfortable, awkward, even offended by Liu Qiao’e’s presumption.
But that subtle unease in his heart went entirely unnoticed by her.
Li Qingcheng eyed them suspiciously and declared confidently: “I don’t buy it!”
“What are you two really up to?”
Liu Qiao’e clung tighter. Being petite, she pressed her soft, bun-like breasts fully against his arm. “Believe it or not!”
Mu Daoying shuddered, his back arching in shock. It took a good while before he convinced himself to relax bit by bit.
Li Qingcheng glanced at Mu Daoying’s icy, snow-embraced demeanor—untouched by worldly desires, faintly cool.
“I’m warning you!” Li Qingcheng furrowed her brows, her words pointed. “Don’t let this person cloud your judgment and trick you into doing something you’ll regret forever!”
Liu Qiao’e’s heart skipped a beat, inwardly cursing Li Qingcheng’s keen nose for trouble. She had planned to brush it off casually, but Li Qingcheng seemed convinced they were trying to slip away.
“The Joyous Union Grand Ceremony is about to begin. Let’s go.”
Liu Qiao’e didn’t budge.
“What?” Li Qingcheng sneered meaningfully. “Don’t want to go to the ceremony grounds? Where else, then?”
As soon as she spoke, her lackeys astutely surrounded Mu Daoying and Liu Qiao’e airtight, like an iron barrel.
At this point, Mu Daoying knew they could not proceed. Yet he breathed a sigh of relief, as if granted amnesty.
—Finally able to put distance between him and Liu Qiao’e.
The youth unobtrusively slipped his arm free from her grasp.
Liu Qiao’e suddenly felt her arms empty. She looked up instinctively, catching only the profile of Mu Daoying’s face.
The youth gazed calmly ahead, showing no panic or regret at being caught by Li Qingcheng.
At this critical moment, he was still fixated on pulling his arm away from her!
Humiliation flushed Liu Qiao’e’s face red.
Mu Daoying gently withdrew his hand. His knuckles brushed hers inadvertently, then he discreetly pulled away without a word.
She had been annoyed at Li Qingcheng’s interruption. Now, seeing his dense, dark lashes—elegant yet distant—a hidden resentment bubbled up in her heart.
The two were essentially escorted to the central plaza at the heart of the Joyous Union Palace.
The plaza was cradled by surrounding peaks, paved in bluestone, flanked by bottomless cliffs with vast seas of clouds below. At its center was carved a yin-yang twin fish pattern, symbolizing the union of yin and yang.
By tradition, at every Joyous Union Grand Ceremony, the officiant ascended the nine-tiered altar at the front to pray to the heavens and declare the rites begun.
There was still some time before the chosen auspicious hour, yet many Joyous Union Sect disciples were already coupling openly, heedless of onlookers.
Thus, what Mu Daoying witnessed was a grand—
orgy.