Jun Mo Yao awkwardly handed the porcelain bottle to Ming Jia, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum, “You can try this.”
Ming Jia took it and, without hesitation, poured out a perfectly round, flawless Elixir and put it into her mouth.
Instantly, a sweet and sour plum flavor spread in her mouth, stimulating her taste buds while soothing her stomach, which had been protesting earlier.
“Wow! Delicious! You’re really amazing, my good disciple!”
Looking at Ming Jia, who showed no suspicion toward her and was now enjoying the Elixir with a satisfied expression, a corner of Jun Mo Yao’s heart seemed to soften slightly.
Before she could understand what that softening meant, someone stuffed a sweet and sour Elixir into her mouth.
“It really is delicious!”
Under the golden sunset, the face of the woman opposite her seemed coated with a soft glow. Her brows and eyes curved gently, her lips smiling, unconditionally radiating trust and approval.
This grain avoidance pill was so sour, sour enough to make her nose ache… but also so sweet, sweet like a dream she had never dared to have.
Ming Jia felt somewhat puzzled. Since that night when Jun Mo Yao had made plum-flavored grain avoidance pills for her, her good disciple had been acting strangely.
She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Jun Mo Yao was avoiding her. Moreover, when Jun Mo Yao killed fierce beasts, it seemed like she was venting something.
Like now, Jun Mo Yao had just exhausted her strength to kill a fierce beast nearing the late Qi Refining stage, and during rest, she sat facing a large tree.
This meant Ming Jia could only see her back from her position.
Ming Jia had tried to approach Jun Mo Yao, but whenever she stood up, Jun Mo Yao’s back tensed, showing resistance.
This troubled Ming Jia, the new master, as she kept wondering if she had upset Jun Mo Yao somewhere.
Jun Mo Yao was also filled with mixed emotions. Restless, she rested for less than a cup of tea’s time before taking her sword to search for the next fierce beast.
In her peripheral vision, she glimpsed Ming Jia’s slightly furrowed brow, and her grip on the Zhanyuan Sword tightened further.
Fortunately, she soon sensed the presence of a fierce beast.
However—
“Careful!”
A low shout, and Jun Mo Yao felt a cold gleam flash past her ear, followed by a explosive sound.
Jun Mo Yao followed the gaze and her pupils contracted sharply.
On the tree before her, a gray arrowwood snake was deeply pinned through its vital point by a branch. It appeared that the arrowwood snake was at least at the mid foundation establishment level.
If Ming Jia hadn’t killed the arrowwood snake, she might have been bitten to death.
“So close!”
The expected reprimand didn’t come. Ming Jia, who hurried over, only said, “Arrowwood snake gallbladder is good material for alchemy. Quickly collect it.”
“Why are you so kind to me?”
A sudden question entered Ming Jia’s ears.
Ming Jia paused. She couldn’t see Jun Mo Yao’s expression as she faced away, but she thought her disciple must have been frightened by the arrowwood snake.
She softened her tone, trying to be as gentle as possible.
“Because you’re my good disciple.”
Jun Mo Yao’s heart throbbed painfully.
Disciple… she wasn’t. She was just a despicable, ruthless substitute…
Just as Ming Jia wanted to step forward to see what was wrong with Jun Mo Yao, the ground shook violently, and a wave of spiritual energy carrying pressure spread around them.
Then an irresistible force of suction enveloped both of them.
The next moment, the scenery before Ming Jia and her disciple changed.
The ancient hall doors were engraved with intricate totems, and the murals on the walls seemed to depict the life of a great master, but due to the spiritual pressure, they could not be examined directly.
“Ah?! Where is my spiritual power?!”
“Me too! I can’t use my spiritual power either!”
“Why can’t I even open my Storage Pouch?”
“Stop fussing! This is the Inheritance Ground, where spiritual power and Magical Artifacts are useless.”
It turned out that before the hall, it wasn’t just Ming Jia and Jun Mo Yao; many Xiu Shi (Cultivators) stood there.
Some from the same sect or acquaintances quickly gathered together, while others stood alone, cautious and vigilant.
Perhaps coincidentally, the Taishang Sect group was from Wenyao Peak. Yao Wujiu from Wenyao Peak had always had a poor relationship with Ming Jia, so his disciples naturally didn’t come to join them.
After scanning the situation, Ming Jia noticed Jun Mo Yao’s unusual demeanor.
Following Jun Mo Yao’s cold gaze, Ming Jia’s eyes revealed a hint of understanding.
A young girl dressed in luxurious water-pink magical robes leaned against a man similarly dressed in noble attire. Their behavior was intimate, yet their demeanor was equally haughty. Around them, four or five guards of considerable cultivation level protected them flawlessly.
Perhaps because Ming Jia and Jun Mo Yao’s gazes were not concealed at all, the two immediately noticed and looked over.
Upon seeing Jun Mo Yao, the pink-robed girl’s expression turned venomous and disgusted. The man instinctively shielded the girl, his face also filled with arrogance and disdain.
After whispering a few words, they walked straight over.
“Sister, why are you here? Has your spiritual root been cured?” The girl’s malicious expression faded, quickly shifting to a fragile, concerned look. “If you hadn’t hurt Father and Mother so deeply, you wouldn’t…”
“Ming Zhu, why bother telling her this? She won’t appreciate it!” The man openly expressed his disgust. “Since she once harmed you without regard for sibling affection, it proves she’s inherently heartless and ungrateful!”
As they echoed each other, Ming Jia could no restrain herself, her face cold, ready to act.
But Jun Mo Yao stepped in front of her, facing the two directly.
“Jun Mingzhu, Xiao Jian, don’t disgust me here. Get lost!”
Upon hearing this, Jun Mingzhu’s face flashed with malice, but she quickly adopted a tearful expression. “Sister, are you upset about me and Xiao Jian being together? It’s not what you think. Xiao Jian was heartbroken by you, so he ended the engagement. Now we are together willingly.”
“Given your current state, do you still cling to me?” Xiao Jian sneered, his raised head full of arrogance and confidence. “Jun Mo Yao, I could never like a vicious woman with a damaged spiritual root like you! You’re not worthy of me!”
The Jun Family gossip entertained the surrounding people, and their glances toward Jun Mo Yao carried some schadenfreude.
This was precisely Jun Mingzhu’s goal.
She not only wanted to disgust Jun Mo Yao but also to smear her reputation. Only if Jun Mo Yao was the villain, Jun Mingzhu could be the righteous one, acting accordingly.
She understood Jun Mo Yao too well—raised under the Jun Family doctrines, she would only rage impotently, unable to defend herself. Even if her mind was clear, she would remain like a wooden puppet, allowing Jun Mingzhu to bully her.
“If you’re really angry about me being with Brother Xiao, then hit me a couple of times to vent your anger.” Jun Mingzhu put on a pitiful expression. “Just don’t speak harshly to Brother Xiao.”
Let’s see how she makes Jun Mo Yao swallow her bitterness in silence, and how she kicks someone when they’re down.
Slap—