Chapter 18

It was no use. Once that thought crossed her mind, the black text seemed to grow increasingly yellow the more she looked at it.

But the fact that this book was in the library meant it must be a normal book, right? It must be that she was overthinking it.

Zhu Mingyu covered her face and looked away, thinking to herself that it was a good thing Yu Tao didn’t know what she was thinking.

Zhu Mingyu remembered that day in the Void Realm when they had casually chatted about a wild cat and asked, “So, do you want to take that wild cat as a spirit pet?”

Yu Tao nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! I think it’s so cute!”

Who would adopt a spirit pet just because it was cute? Most people did it to enhance their strength.

Zhu Mingyu couldn’t help but laugh. Only Yu Tao would adopt a wild cat just because it was cute, even within the entire Wuchang Sect, let alone the cultivation world.

Lu Qingyu looked puzzled. “A wild cat?”

Yu Tao then explained the story of the wild cat with spiritual intelligence that she had encountered while cultivating on Yunjing Peak.

Lu Qingyu pondered thoughtfully. Yunjing Peak was where Yu Li lived, wasn’t it?

That man was as cold as ice, always distant and indifferent, and his residence was sealed with a prohibition to prevent others from entering. But now he has allowed Yu Tao to stay there?

Seeing her deep in thought, Yu Tao asked, “Senior Sister Lu, have you seen that cat?”

Lu Qingyu waved her hand. “No, just a wild cat. There are plenty of them on the mountain.”

“It’s not just the wild cats. There are many birds and beasts with spiritual intelligence on the various peaks of Wuchang Sect. The sect has an edict forbidding disciples from hunting or killing these creatures. Now, they coexist harmoniously with us. They have their own spiritual awareness, and they won’t actively approach or provoke the sect’s disciples.”

Yu Tao agreed. “Yes, I think that cat is very smart.”

Hmph, it even mocked me—how could it not be smart?

Lu Qingyu smiled. “If you like it, then go ahead and adopt it as a spirit pet.”

Yu Tao pinched the corner of her book, feeling a little troubled. “But that cat is so aloof. It’s completely indifferent to people and doesn’t let anyone touch it. The last time I tried to hug it, it scratched me several times.”

“I’m not sure if it would want to come home with me, so that’s why I’m looking through this book to find a solution. But most of this book is in Beast Language, and I can’t understand it at all.”

Lu Qingyu comforted her. “Don’t worry. When you first adopt a spirit pet, it’s always like this. Just take your time and build a bond with it. As for this book…”

Lu Qingyu smiled. “The library allows you to take one copy of a book, so I’ll help you apply for a copy from Shishu Qiu Chao. You can take the book home and ask Shishu Lin Lin for advice.”

Zhu Mingyu glanced over at her. Since when did the library have such a rule? How come she didn’t know about it?

Most of the books in the Wuchang Sect’s library were rare editions, with each one containing unique spiritual energy and Daoist teachings. Reading them allowed the reader to naturally immerse themselves in the book’s world. These books were incredibly precious, and they could only be read in the library, not checked out.

The rubbing of the book would deplete its original spiritual power, which is why copies were never allowed.

Yu Tao blinked in surprise. “Ah, thank you, Senior Sister Lu.”

“No need to thank me. I’ll be back shortly,” Lu Qingyu said, then floated away. Zhu Mingyu picked up a book to read as well, and the two of them didn’t speak. From time to time, Zhu Mingyu would glance up at Yu Tao, who was reading with her head lowered.

Now that things had quieted down, she suddenly noticed something different about Yu Tao today.

Normally, Yu Tao would casually tie her hair up halfway into a small round bun and secure it with a black hairpin, something simple and convenient.

Today, however, she had braided a few strands of hair at the back of her head and styled it into a small butterfly-shaped bun, secured with a white wooden hairpin, giving her a lively and cute appearance.

Had she done this specifically for today’s meeting?

Zhu Mingyu felt a soft warmth in her heart, and she smiled lightly, not sparing any praise. “Your hairstyle looks really nice today. Are you good at doing your hair?”

Yu Tao touched the hairpin, her eyes curving into a smile. “It wasn’t me. I only know how to do simple styles, just like usual. This one was done by someone else for me.”

Someone else?

Zhu Mingyu thought for a moment. Yu Tao didn’t know many people, so the act of doing her hair in such an intimate manner must have come from someone close to her.

Moreover, after leaving Huayue Peak yesterday, she should have returned to her own Yunjing Peak.

…Yunjing Peak, Yu Li.

Zhu Mingyu pursed her lips tightly. “Was it Senior Brother Yu Li?”

Yu Tao was a bit taken aback. “Huh? How did you guess that?”

Zhu Mingyu awkwardly tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Well… Senior Brother Hua Lian mentioned it. He said you and Senior Brother Yu Li stayed together in the Void Realm for two days, so you must have come back together.”

Yu Tao nodded. “Oh, That’s it.”

Last night, after Yu Li accidentally broke her hairpin, he used a gold-threaded white wood pin that he carved himself to replace it for her. He promised to get her a new one in a few days.

She had waved it off, saying there was no need, as the pin was made from scrap material from her Shishu’s weapon-making workshop and wasn’t valuable. Her Master Shishu had already told her that if it broke, she could just ask for a new one.

But as Yu Li was helping her with her hair, he had softly asked, “No matter the value, when you break something that belongs to someone else, you should compensate them. Do you think I’m the kind of person who takes advantage of others?”

His words were a bit serious, so Yu Tao naturally didn’t dare refuse and agreed to let him replace it.

She hadn’t told Zhu Mingyu about the broken hairpin, only explaining, “It was because I didn’t have spiritual power to dry my hair last night. Senior Brother said that if your hair is still wet when you sleep, you might get sick, so Little Senior Brother Yu Li helped me. After drying it, he casually tied it up for me.”

She had been so worried about messing up the hairstyle that she hardly dared turn over while sleeping.

Zhu Mingyu’s face darkened in an instant.

‘Casually?’ Zhu Mingyu thought, her eyes narrowing. ‘Look at the meticulous way he braided her hair—what a load of nonsense.’

It was clear that he had no good intentions.

It seemed like Yu Li had already started treating her as a stand-in. Zhu Mingyu narrowed her eyes, the hairstyle she had just found cute now looked more and more irritating the longer she stared at it.

—

After leaving the seventh floor of “White Night,” Lu Qingyu encountered many disciples walking around with furrowed brows, some of them struggling to memorize scriptures. These were mostly the disciples who had come just to join the excitement, and now they all seemed utterly disillusioned.

It didn’t take much to guess that this was the work of Qiu Chao.

Lu Qingyu let out a soft laugh and made her way up the Cloud Ladder to the eleventh floor, “Mingxin.”

Qiu Chao was always unpredictable—her work hours were irregular. On good days, she’d sit by the door and enjoy some tea, on bad days, she could vanish completely.

This was why it was often Lin Lin, her senior Shishu, who would stand guard at the entrance of the library after morning classes, while Qiu Chao spent her time in “Mingxin” drinking tea and reading books.

At this moment, Qiu Chao was leisurely reading a scroll, sipping tea slowly, and looked to be in a good mood.

Lu Qingyu sat down opposite her. “Senior Shishu Qiu Chao, you seem to be in a good mood today.”

The cold beauty glanced up at her. “Junior Disciple Lu, what brings you here?”

Lu Qingyu smiled. “I actually need a favor. I was hoping you could help me make a copy of a book to take with me.”

Qiu Chao raised an eyebrow. “Junior, you’ve been here so many times. You should know the rules of the library by now, right?”

“Of course, I know them,” Lu Qingyu said leisurely. As Qiu Chao lazily lowered her gaze back to the book, Lu Qingyu continued, “But Senior Shishu Qiu Chao must also be aware of the rules on the sect’s forum, right?”

Qiu Chao’s hand froze for a moment as she flipped through the pages.

Lu Qingyu pretended to be confused. “In the past, whenever there were posts spreading false information, they were all removed and banned within a minute of the notice being issued, right, Senior Shishu Qiu?”

“…”

Qiu Chao stared at her for a while, then put the book down.

“Which floor?”

“Third floor.”

Lu Qingyu smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, Senior Shishu, it’s just a book about training spirit pets.”

With the impression that she had successfully gotten her hands on the copy of Yu Yu’s jade copy, Lu Qingyu felt quite pleased. She twirled it in her hand before putting it into her storage bag.

Since everyone else was reading, she didn’t want to seem out of place, so Lu Qingyu thought for a moment and decided to head to the library section before going back to the seventh floor of “White Night.”

Lu Qingyu was picking out a few books of interest when, just as she was about to head back, she suddenly overheard a conversation from the next shelf.

“Senior brothers, I’ve said it multiple times, Yu Tao isn’t here to duel with Zhu Mingyu. They just agreed to meet and read together.”

A weary male voice replied helplessly.

“Are you sure that’s what Yu Tao said?”

“Yes, I asked her, and that’s exactly what she said. I even showed her the post, and she said you guys misunderstood.”

“She just wanted to invite Zhu Mingyu to the library. Maybe she was a bit nervous and didn’t know how to explain, which led to the misunderstanding.”

“Uh…”

“Then why has the post been up for so long? Why didn’t she explain anything?”

“I asked her about that too. She said she’s been too busy lately and hasn’t seen it.”

“That excuse is too flimsy!”

“Who’s going to believe that? You can see the post by just flipping through it. How could she not have seen it?”

The young man sighed wearily. “Anyway, whether you believe it or not, that’s how it is. They’re just here to study and read books today.”

After a pause, he continued, “You guys should stop bothering them. It’s not right.”

“I’ve staked everything on this, waiting for their duel! They said they’d fight, now suddenly it’s a misunderstanding? What’s going on?!”

“Otherwise, why would anyone waste fifty points just to come into this library to watch a fight?!”

“No way, you can’t just make things up like that! I’m going to go have a word with them…”

A group of disciples in green robes, fired up and ready for action, were heading toward the seventh floor of the reading area. As they walked out from behind the bookshelf, they suddenly collided with a young girl in black, all of them taken aback.

One of them, recognizing her, called out, “Senior Sister Lu… Lu!”

Lu Qingyu’s gaze was cold as she looked at them. “Who are you looking for?”

The group hesitated for a moment, then one of them spoke up, “Of course, we’re looking for Yu Tao. She promised a life-and-death duel, and now she’s saying it was all a misunderstanding. What does that mean?”

“I think maybe she’s just scared and doesn’t want to fight anymore, finding excuses!”

Lu Qingyu let out a soft laugh, her eyes icy. Her tone was light but firm: “As far as I know, the Wuchang Sect has a strict ban on disciples participating in gambling or setting up gambling rings within the sect. Anyone caught violating this rule will be punished according to the severity of the situation—three years of confinement at the minimum, and expulsion from the sect at the maximum.”

She lifted her eyelids and said, “Hmm, let me think. Considering your situation, the charges should be updated to include ‘causing a disturbance in the library without reason’ and ‘oppressing fellow disciples.'”

“As for the punishment… I’m also curious. Who among you wants to be the first to try it?”

The group of disciples froze in place, their faces changing dramatically.

“No, no, Senior Sister Lu! How could we possibly go to a gambling hall? We are all students who love learning!”

“And as for the other two charges, that’s even more impossible! We were… we were just rehearsing!”

“Yes, yes, exactly! Senior Sister Lu, you have to believe us! How could we ever do something that would harm the sect’s reputation!”

Lu Qingyu’s voice was calm: “If that’s the case, then I trust you all understand what’s at stake. But If I find out one day…”

“Don’t worry, Senior Sister Lu! It will never happen!”

“Mm-hmm, absolutely!”

Lu Qingyu scanned the group and pointed at a young man who was shrinking at the back. “You, come with me.”

The young man was a new disciple, Xu Jing, who followed the black-clad girl timidly to a quieter corner, nervous as could be.

Lu Qingyu’s reputation in the Wuchang Sect was well known. She was famous for being decisive and cold-faced, and since she was from the Lu family, no one dared to provoke her.

“Senior Sister Lu, what is it you need from me…?” Xu Jing asked, his voice shaky.

Lu Qingyu pressed her lips together. “You showed Yu Tao the posts. How many of them did she see?”

Xu Jing paused for a moment, slightly taken aback. “Just the most popular ones. She scrolled through them for quite a while, so she probably saw most of them.”

So, she had seen all the foul language and insults.

Lu Qingyu furrowed her brows. But when she was with them, she had been smiling the whole time…

Xu Jing hesitated. “Actually, I don’t think Yu Tao is like they say she is.”

Lu Qingyu raised her eyes. “What did you say to her?”

Xu Jing recalled the scene.

The air had been quiet. The girl had lowered her eyes as she read through the posts that maliciously judged her, then closed the Liuli mirror and handed it back to him.

Yu Tao raised her eyes and patiently explained the misunderstanding to him.

Xu Jing hesitated for a long time before finally asking, unable to hold back, “Aren’t you… angry or upset? Your master only took you in because you resemble his late disciple.”

Or is it just as the malicious speculations in the posts suggest, that she is a very utilitarian person, only caring about benefits?

Yu Tao paused slightly, blinking her eyes. “Ah, should I be angry or upset…?”

“Sorry, I don’t really understand these things.” She scratched her head, feeling a little embarrassed.

The dusk of White Night and the dawn merged together, and the moonlight on the river’s surface was disturbed by the wind, scattering into countless shimmering spots, falling into the darkness.

She gazed at the moon from afar, her voice blending into the wind. “I was just thinking, if I could see my long-departed relatives again, even if it was just someone who resembled them… I think… I would be very happy?”

She smiled gently, her eyes softening. “And if I can help others, I feel happy too.”

—

Word Count: 2,727