Chapter 13

Ming Yan didn’t even notice Chu Xuanqing at all.  

Her mind was entirely focused on becoming Fu Shui Daojun’s disciple, so naturally, her eyes were fixed solely on him.  

The moment Fu Shui Daojun’s signature little mustache came into view, she eagerly skipped over, affectionately looping her arm through the elder’s and launching into her self-promotion: “Master, master, look at me—don’t I look just like your personal disciple?”  

Fu Shui: “…No.”  

He would’ve liked to say yes, but his junior brother’s dagger-like glare was practically stabbing him to death.  

Ming Yan pressed on: “What’s not alike, Master? Tell me, I can change!”  

Fu Shui: “Nothing’s alike.”  

He just wanted to survive.  

“Master…” Ming Yan pouted pitifully, her fluffy pink rabbit ears drooping lifelessly, looking utterly heart-wrenching.  

Fu Shui began to stammer: “W-well… this venerable one will consider it.”  

Ming Yan brightened instantly: “Thank you, Master!”  

A displeased snort came from behind: “Hmph—”  

Fu Shui’s scalp prickled. Forcing his already dizzy mind to focus, he straightened his sleeves and turned with a solemn expression. “Junior sister-in-law, you are my junior brother’s Dao Companion. If you were to become my disciple, wouldn’t that disrupt the seniority order?”  

Ming Yan countered: “Seniority is just formalities. Surely, Master, you wouldn’t let mere formalities make you miss out on such a devoted disciple like me, would you?”  

She gazed at Fu Shui Daojun with hopeful, pleading eyes.  

This was too unfair, Fu Shui thought.  

He had zero resistance to fluffy things—Open Yang Peak’s back mountain was filled with little spirit beasts he’d rescued from the roadside. Unfortunately, despite being a fur enthusiast, the cultivation method he practiced made him inherently disliked by all things fluffy.  

No matter how well he fed and cared for them, the moment they saw him, they’d tremble and hide in their burrows.  

It had been so, so long since Fu Shui had experienced the joy of being close to something soft and furry.  

Ming Yan was the first in centuries.  

So even with his junior brother glaring daggers at his back, Fu Shui couldn’t help but lose his head, already envisioning the scenario of taking Ming Yan as his disciple: “This venerable one does indeed have an opening for a personal disciple. If junior sister-in-law truly wishes…”  

“No, she doesn’t.” Chu Xuanqing ruthlessly cut him off.  

The air froze.  

A faint, unmistakable scent of jealousy began to permeate the surroundings.  

The Peak Lords, who had been watching the spectacle from the start, exchanged glances and silently agreed:  

Fu Shui, the Sect Leader—was in danger!  

But on one side was Fu Shui Daojun, the leader of the Profound Sky Sect and the foremost figure of the righteous path; on the other was his own junior brother, Chu Xuanqing, the undisputed strongest cultivator in the sect. Neither was someone to provoke lightly.  

Those who had risen to the position of Peak Lord were no fools—if not in cultivation, then at least in social tact.  

Recognizing the brewing disaster, the Peak Lords swiftly made their exits:  

“Sect Leader, I just remembered—my eldest disciple’s 250th birthday is today. I must take my leave.”  

“Sect Leader, same here—my second disciple is turning 380. I must celebrate with him.”  

“What a fortunate coincidence, two Peak Lords’ disciples sharing a birthday! Why not let this humble one host a gathering at Heavenly Authority Peak for some festivities?”  

“An excellent suggestion! We’ll gladly impose.”

No sooner had the words been spoken than five golden lights simultaneously illuminated the main hall of Open Yang Peak, as the five Peak Lords simultaneously activated the Instantaneous Movement Spell.  

In an instant, the grand hall became eerily quiet, leaving only Chu Xuanqing, his senior brother and sect leader Fu Shui Daojun, and Ming Yan.  

Ming Yan blinked. “Seems like today really is a good day.”  

Who would’ve thought someone would actually celebrate a birthday like that?  

Chu Xuanqing walked over to her, subtly pulling her into his personal space while pressing down the restless rabbit ears atop her head.  

Once the rabbit ears disappeared, Fu Shui’s gaze instantly cleared.  

Ming Yan fumed. “If you’re coming over, why mess with my ears?”  

Didn’t he know this was her foolproof method to win over Fu Shui Daojun?  

Chu Xuanqing’s expression remained unchanged, but his fingers brushed past her neck, lightly pinching her delicate earlobe. “Your real ears are prettier.”  

The spot where his fingers touched turned slightly red and warm.  

Ming Yan gritted her teeth. “That’s why I say your taste is terrible.”  

She tried channeling spiritual energy to summon the ears back through her dress, but Chu Xuanqing must have placed some kind of restriction on it—with her current cultivation, she couldn’t break it.  

Her expression darkened.  

Damn dog of a man!  

Not only did he refuse to kill her, but now he was sabotaging her carefully planned strategy to secure a master.  

She refused to accept this.  

After going through the trouble of wearing this rare Spirit Rabbit Gazing at the Moon outfit, if she couldn’t beat Mu Qingqing to becoming Fu Shui’s disciple today, wouldn’t all her efforts be wasted?  

Ming Yan hated pointless endeavors.  

She pushed Chu Xuanqing aside and stepped forward, giving Fu Shui Daojun a meaningful look. “Master, as the elder here, you should be the judge—isn’t this Spirit Rabbit Gazing at the Moon dress absolutely stunning?”  

Fu Shui thought to himself, *It is, truly.*  

But out of consideration for his junior brother’s pride, he could only lie. “Sister-in-law’s attire is naturally beautiful. However, with the recent demonic disturbances in the cultivation world and your attack just yesterday, it’s best to avoid such eye-catching garments in the future.”  

Ming Yan: “…”  

This was textbook betrayal.  

When she still had rabbit ears, he couldn’t take his eyes off them—now that they were gone, he pretended they never existed.  

No matter. She had a backup plan.  

Ming Yan sighed dramatically. “Ah, if Master insists, then I suppose I’ll have to throw away the rest of my collection—Spirit Meow, Spirit Fox, Spirit Rat, the whole series.”  

Fu Shui: “Sister-in-law, rest assured. No demon in Profound Sky Sect would dare cross you—I, Fu Shui, will personally ensure it.”  

*Meow meow, little fox—he could handle that!*  

Ming Yan secretly rejoiced.  

Just as she was about to reel Fu Shui Daojun in further, Chu Xuanqing cut in. “If you truly wish to take a master, you might as well take me.”  

Ming Yan froze. “But my lord, don’t you refuse to take personal disciples?”  

The records clearly stated that Chu Xuanqing, proud by nature, believed no one could comprehend his swordplay and sword intent.  

Thus, he never accepted personal disciples.  

Chu Xuanqing said, “Others are others. You are you.”  

Ming Yan’s heart skipped a beat.  

*This damn man was useless at everything except sweet talk.*  

But who did he think she was—the little fairy of Profound Sky Sect?  

Did he really think a few honeyed words could shake her Dao heart so easily?

Ming Yan replied, “My husband is my Dao Companion. Even if I don’t formally become his disciple, he will still teach me. But it’s different with you, Senior Brother Sect Leader. Without the master-disciple relationship, it would be improper and awkward for you to instruct me. Don’t you agree, Senior Brother Sect Leader?”

Fu Shui’s expression shifted slightly, his eyes revealing a hint of approval.  

Clearly, he found Ming Yan’s reasoning quite sound—and it certainly wasn’t just because he wanted to see the Spirit Meow!  

Fu Shui gathered his thoughts and said, “Junior Brother…”  

“Unfortunately, you’re a step too late,” Chu Xuanqing replied calmly, his tone indifferent. “This year’s quota for direct disciples under Senior Brother is already full. If you wish to formally become his disciple, you’ll have to wait twenty years.”  

Fu Shui: “…”  

“Senior Brother, have you forgotten? That child from the Gong family—you just praised his talent, saying he has great potential.”  

Chu Xuanqing glanced at Fu Shui Daojun.  

Fu Shui Daojun’s lips trembled slightly, as if recalling something. After a long pause, he finally murmured, “Indeed, that is true.”  

Ming Yan was taken aback. “But just now… No, no.”  

She reacted swiftly, her eyes darting around.  

The Profound Sky Sect had strict rules regarding discipleship, especially for a position as significant as a direct disciple under the Sect Leader. There were countless formalities to observe.  

For instance, to ensure each direct disciple received proper guidance, the Sect Leader could only accept a new disciple once every twenty years.  

Of course, to give the female lead, Mu Qingqing, her golden opportunity, Fu Shui Daojun’s last disciple, Jiang Sinian, had “coincidentally” been accepted exactly twenty years ago.  

Ming Yan knew full well that there was currently an opening for a direct disciple under Fu Shui.  

Gong Chang was a notable figure in the novel, the eldest son of the Sword Concealment Clan, one of the four great families on par with Mu Qingqing’s demon-hunting family. Unfortunately, despite his prestigious background and exceptional talent, he couldn’t overcome the protagonist’s halo and lost to Mu Qingqing at the Spirit Sword Assembly. In the end, he settled for becoming the direct disciple of the Tianquan Peak Lord.  

Who would have thought that, due to a twist of fate and the butterfly effect in this lifetime, Gong Chang would benefit instead?  

But Ming Yan didn’t mind.  

Her desire to become a disciple wasn’t truly about learning under Fu Shui Daojun—  

Why waste effort on hard work when dying would be quicker and easier?  

As long as the Sect Leader’s disciple wasn’t Mu Qingqing, it didn’t matter who it was.  

Having realized this, Ming Yan maintained a facade of disappointment on her face while inwardly rejoicing.  

She shifted her tone, her cat-like eyes brimming with tears. “What a pity, Senior Brother Sect Leader. I truly wanted to become your disciple and strive for improvement. But since you’ve already chosen your beloved disciple, I won’t impose.”  

Fu Shui sighed in regret. “What a shame, what a shame.”  

A shame for his fluffy companion.  

Ming Yan feigned another sigh and handed the basket of fruit she was carrying to Fu Shui Daojun. “Senior Brother Sect Leader, please give this basket to your disciple for me. Tell him he’s taking my place under your guidance, so he mustn’t waste this rare opportunity.”  

“Very well, I’ll be sure to tell him,” Fu Shui said, accepting the basket with a nod.  

Ming Yan couldn’t help but smile, her eyes curving with delight.  

As the Sect Leader, Fu Shui Daojun’s word was law.  

By accepting her gift, he had effectively confirmed Gong Chang as his disciple.

According to the Profound Sky Sect’s rules, Chu Xuanqing couldn’t accept another disciple for at least twenty years—including Mu Qingqing.

Yet Fu Shui Daojun still couldn’t forget her Spirit Rabbit Gazing at the Moon technique.

With a jealous and temperamental junior brother around, taking on new disciples was definitely out of the question.

But he thought he could at least occasionally feast his eyes. After a brief pause, he said, “Sister-in-law, your rare enthusiasm for cultivation is commendable. As sect leader, though I cannot formally take you as my disciple, you may come to Open Yang Peak anytime to seek my guidance regarding cultivation.”

“Coincidentally, my junior brother will be leaving the sect for a while. Why not stay at Open Yang Peak during his absence? It would also prevent a repeat of last night’s incident.” Fu Shui Daojun’s eyes shone with eagerness.

But Ming Yan focused on something else entirely: “My husband is leaving the sect? Why?”

She turned to look at Chu Xuanqing.

Chu Xuanqing responded indifferently, “Senior brother has asked me to invite the leaders of the Three Sects and Nine Schools to attend the Spirit Sword Assembly.”

Since the great cultivators joined forces to seal away the demon and monster races, the cultivation world had enjoyed nearly a thousand years of peace.

During this millennium, the righteous sects—fully embracing the reclusive nature of cultivators—had largely withdrawn from interaction. The Penglai and Kunlun sects had even activated their mountain-protecting arrays, concealing their entire sects within spatial rifts.

But now that the seals were weakening and demons roamed the land again, the Profound Sky Sect, as leader of the righteous path, naturally bore the responsibility of uniting their forces.

As the sect’s most powerful cultivator, Chu Xuanqing’s personal invitation would ensure attendance from even the most reluctant sects. The novel hadn’t detailed this, merely stating that representatives from all major sects attended, making the assembly proceed smoothly.

Ming Yan thought: This won’t do!

A proper villainess should act like one.

Having infiltrated enemy ranks, she ought to make some disruptive contributions.

Her eyes sparkled mischievously: “Husband, must you really go?”

Chu Xuanqing remained silent, but his expression clearly stated: As the pride of Profound Sky Sect, I have no choice.

The villainess Ming Yan became energized.

“But I don’t want you to go!”

“I’m still shaken from last night—I need you here with me.”

“Besides, you’re at a critical juncture in your Tribulation Transcending closed-door cultivation. Who knows what dangers you might encounter outside?”

“Husband, please don’t go, alright?”

Ming Yan clung to Chu Xuanqing’s arm, wheedling with saccharine sweetness.

Fu Shui Daojun had never witnessed such a scene—his jaw practically dropped:

“Si-sister-in-law…” Is this really appropriate?

“Please, husband?” Ming Yan paid no heed. She was determined to court disaster—the bigger the better. Ideally, Chu Xuanqing would find his Dao Companion so unreasonable that he’d resort to Wife-slaying Dao Attainment.

Unexpectedly, Chu Xuanqing showed no irritation.

He suggested, “I could take you with me.”

Ming Yan immediately refused: “No.”

Fu Shui Daojun finally interjected: “Why not? With junior brother’s profound cultivation, the journey would be completely safe.”

“Because, because…”

Ming Yan hesitated, then suddenly brightened with inspiration—

“Because I’m preparing for pregnancy!”