All the way up until evening, as he accompanied Xue Qingqiu to meet with Xiahou Di once more, Xue Mu’s mind remained in a complete daze.
Yue Xiaochan’s smiling face kept drifting back and forth across his mind, scrambling his thoughts and making it exceptionally difficult to maintain his usual sharp, calculating composure.
He wasn’t an innocent novice like Yue Xiaochan; on the contrary, his romantic history from his past life was incredibly rich.
He understood his current condition perfectly.
This was a clear warning sign that he might actually be catching genuine feelings—a thoroughly dangerous predicament.
What an absolute sin…
he grumbled internally, pinching his temples in frustration.
Harboring superficial lust for a beautiful face is a completely different concept from actually catching feelings for a person, alright?
How on earth could he have actually lost his heart to a little girl barely half his age?
Putting his original world’s values aside entirely, even in this realm, he had already gathered that women traditionally married at sixteen.
A thirteen-year-old was indisputably a minor.
Thank goodness this was the Demonic Faction, whose core moral framework was already warped; if he were in any conventional, respectable region, he would have likely been stuffed into a pig cage and drowned by now.
The worst part was that he had never once suspected himself of harboring such lolita tendencies.
Back when he browsed the internet in his past life and everyone cracked jokes about how “three years in prison is a net profit, the death penalty is never a loss,” he had merely chimed in to be sociable.
Deep down, he had always looked down on it.
Going strictly by his usual aesthetic preferences, shouldn’t he be completely bewitched by the supreme demonic empress walking right beside him instead?
Beside him, Xue Qingqiu was traveled with her face veiled in light silk, her steps light and measured as they wove through the long streets and narrow alleys.
A few pedestrians seemed to recognize her; their expressions twisted in sheer horror as they scrambled frantically out of her way.
Xue Mu rarely saw Xue Qingqiu actively on the move.
Her physical silhouette still appeared as slender, graceful, and elegant as a young maiden’s, yet her entire form felt like a fleeting mirage.
He could clearly see her walking right beside him, yet he constantly felt as though she were an immense distance away—like a hazy, beautiful figure trapped inside a misty watercolor painting, completely detached from reality.
He highly suspected that if someone were to launch an ambush against her right now, they wouldn’t even be able to pinpoint her actual physical coordinates.
This bizarre, unsettling demonic cultivation of hers wasn’t something she was actively projecting anymore; it was simply naturally present, allowing her form to seamlessly merge with heaven and earth.
It was precisely because of this overwhelming distance that he couldn’t replicate the warmth he had felt while strolling through the bamboo forest with Yue Xiaochan.
Everything around her felt entirely illusory.
Even though the two of them were walking shoulder-to-shoulder, it felt like a solitary journey.
Dammit, why am I thinking about Yue Xiaochan again…
He knew that if he let this continue, he was truly going to turn into a certified deviant.
He had to sever this line of thought immediately.
Forcing a change of topic to redirect his focus, he asked, “What exactly is the core nature of our Star-Moon Sect’s cultivation?” His question was born purely out of curiosity regarding her ghostly, detached movement, but hearing it, Xue Qingqiu assumed he was harboring a desire to practice martial arts.
She shook her head.
“The Star-Moon Sect possesses a vast multitude of cultivation methods, but there isn’t a single one suited for you.
Your primal yang essence was lost long ago, though that is a minor issue.
The critical obstacle is that the toxic substances within your body have already seeped deep into your marrow.
No matter what technique you practice, you will never be able to establish a foundation.
However, I had Qingqing go out this afternoon to track down the Eldest Young Master Zhao.
That man has spent his entire life testing and experimenting with toxins; he should be able to provide some assistance regarding your biological condition.” Xue Mu blinked, feeling a slight pang of disappointment, though he didn’t dwell on it too heavily.
“That wasn’t actually my point.
Xiaochan mentioned earlier that the current martial world features a hundred schools of thought, each contending for dominance.
I merely wanted to know what the Star-Moon Sect actually defines as its ‘Way’—its fundamental philosophy.” Xue Qingqiu was genuinely surprised that he would pose such a profound philosophical question.
Since someone was actively seeking the Way, as the leader of a grand lineage, she naturally took the question seriously.
“Our Star-Moon Sect believes that the human body is identical to the cosmic starry sky—vast, boundless, and profoundly mysterious.
The sea of consciousness represents the night, the dantian mirrors the moon, and the acupoints form the stars.
Our path investigates the cryptic, structural alignment between the human vessel and the universe itself.
The self is a heaven and earth; the cosmos is a heaven and earth.
The character Xu means the void.
Comprehending the universe is what defines the Void-Breaching Realm, and seamlessly merging one’s vessel with the universe is what defines uniting with the Dao.” Xue Mu stood there, completely dumbfounded.
This sounded incredibly profound and highbrow.
No wonder he constantly sensed a fleeting, mystical aura surrounding them—they literally carried the nature of the stars and the moon.
This legitimate definition of the “Void-Breaching” realm possessed a grandeur that outperformed his crude, anatomical double-entendre from earlier by a million miles.
But if their philosophy was this profound, why exactly were they branded as a demon sect?
Xue Qingqiu easily deduced his bewilderment.
She let out a soft laugh.
“There was originally no such label as the ‘Demonic Faction’ in this world.
The concept of ‘demon’ or ‘fiend’ was simply a slur cast upon us by our adversaries.
For instance, The Heartless Way pursues a path of absolute slaughter and emotionless execution to achieve enlightenment, which makes them appear monstrous in the eyes of the masses.
Yet, from their own perspective, they are merely tempering their intent and nourishing their resolve, executing their path with absolute righteousness and a clear conscience.” Xue Mu assumed he finally caught on.
“Ah, so we formally refer to ourselves as the Sacred Faction?” “Where on earth did you hear a ridiculous term like that?
There’s no such thing.” Xue Qingqiu rolled her eyes at him.
“The Star-Moon Sect is the Star-Moon Sect, the Joyous Union Sect is the Joyous Union Sect, and The Heartless Way is The Heartless Way.
We are neither sacred nor demonic.
There is no need to flatter ourselves with golden titles, nor is there any reason to look down on our own heritage.
It is simply because the common populace grew accustomed to calling us that, so we eventually adopted the term ‘Demonic Faction’ purely for the sake of administrative convenience as a collective group.
The so-called Demonic Faction comprises a total of three sects and four ways, and each of our cultivation philosophies differs drastically from the next.
We are far from being parts of the same organization.” “Uh…” Xue Mu grumbled internally.
Son of a bitch, I’ve been thoroughly sabotaged by all those wuxia novelists back home.
This world operated on completely unique rules, and he couldn’t just blindly apply standard tropes to it.
Then again, the dark factions of this world seemed remarkably high-tier.
Their status was primarily driven by the fact that every single sect possessed its own distinct, underlying operational manifesto, which they ruthlessly implemented to the letter.
Their core manifestos might be warped or heavily twisted, but they weren’t branded as a demon sect due to some anti-social, sadistic personality flaw or a simple desire to be evil.
Yet, no matter how he looked at it, the Star-Moon Sect’s magnificent cosmic manifesto sounded entirely righteous.
Could the inhabitants of this world truly not accept a philosophy like that?
“In fact, there are lineages within the righteous factions that share paths similar to ours; the Profound Heaven Sect comes quite close.
As for why we are branded as demons…” Xue Qingqiu’s faint smile returned, carrying a trace of deep irony.
“We believe that since our path investigates the structural mysteries of the physical vessel, our very first step must be to cast aside meaningless concepts of shame and taboo.
For instance, charm arts and dual-cultivation techniques tap into the most primal, foundational mysteries of life itself.
If a cultivator refuses to even investigate the baseline essence of yin and yang convergence, how can they claim to be exploring the mysteries of the human body?” Xue Mu stood there, completely dumbfounded and entirely at a loss for words.
What an absolute plot twist.
How on earth did a grand, highbrow philosophy about the human body and the cosmic starry sky seamlessly morph into this?
Yet, evaluating it carefully, it didn’t actually seem incorrect…
If one were to introduce modern human anatomy and dissection to an ancient society, it would indisputably be branded as the darkest, most heretical demon art imaginable.
It was just that the Star-Moon Sect’s version of health and physiology class sounded a bit more…
scandalous.
Seeing Xue Mu transition from sheer shock to deep reflection, Xue Qingqiu asked indifferently, “Not frightened?” “Not at all,” Xue Mu replied with a chuckle.
“In fact, your logic makes perfect sense.
At the very least, your path is fundamentally distinct from groups like the Joyous Union Sect.” “Precisely.
Their reliance on parasitic dual-cultivation—draining another’s yin or yang essence to fuel their own advancement—is utterly primitive and low-tier in the eyes of our sect,” Xue Qingqiu declared proudly.
“While we study charm arts, we do so strictly to unlock our own inner potential.
When we study dual-cultivation, we do so purely to investigate the underlying secrets of yin and yang balance.
The human vessel is a golden treasury, as vast and boundless as the canopy above.
We haven’t even unlocked a single percent of our own inner potential; why would we ever waste time draining others, only to pollute our own cultivation with external impurities?
Furthermore, their core manifesto revolves around absolute, unbridled indulgence in physical pleasure, which runs completely counter to the true essence of the martial path.
Being lumped together with them under a single label is a massive insult to our heritage.” Listening to her, Xue Mu found the world increasingly fascinating.
This truly was an alternate-universe version of the ancient philosophical debates—a massive clash of intellectual movements.
It was just driven by martial philosophy rather than governance.
Expanded outward, it was essentially a grand philosophical conflict.
“But Sect Master, don’t those orthodox Taoist sects also investigate the union of yin and yang?
How come they aren’t branded as demons?” Xue Qingqiu shot him a thoroughly bizarre look.
“You truly haven’t noticed the difference?” Xue Mu pondered it for a long while before shaking his head.
“I really haven’t.” Xue Qingqiu tilted her head, her gaze growing increasingly peculiar as she studied him.
“The two of us are a lone man and a lone woman, traveling through a deserted alley under the cover of night, casually discussing dual-cultivation and predatory essence-draining.
Do you honestly not feel that there is anything inappropriate about this?” Xue Mu froze.
Put that way, it really was bizarre.
What member of a reputable, righteous sect would ever act like this?
If a guy were to isolate a righteous Taoist nun and try to casually chat about dual-cultivation techniques, he would be chopped to pieces by a flying sword before he could even finish his sentence.
From that perspective, the Star-Moon Sect’s complete lack of boundaries absolutely cemented them as a demon sect, plain and simple…
Yet, to him, this conversation felt entirely normal!
As a modern individual…
they weren’t even discussing anything graphic or explicit; wasn’t shooting the breeze about topics like this just a regular Tuesday?
Some modern women cracked dirty jokes that were far more explicit than anything men could come up with, and the Star-Moon Sect was at least treating this as high-level academic research!
Xue Qingqiu added with absolute casualness, “We believe that the exploration of the human body’s mysteries should be approached with absolute transparency and academic seriousness.
Even if the discussion turns to the literal reproductive anatomy, we believe there is absolutely no need to speak in hushed tones or hide behind veils.
Those so-called righteous hypocrites indulge in the physical acts with absolute delight behind closed doors, yet they treat the mere mention of it out loud as a terrifying, monstrous taboo.
It is pure self-deception—utterly hypocritical and laughable.
Yet, the world labels them as righteous while branding us as demons.” “…” Xue Mu genuinely had no idea how to respond.
Your worldview is far too progressive and modern, alright?
Which one of us is actually the transmigrator here?
Although he didn’t comprehend their highbrow academic cosmic research, his modern internet brain was already wondering if they could sit down and analyze the legendary Eight Divine Anatomies and Three Masterful Techniques, or perhaps conduct a thorough strategic evaluation of classic positions like the ‘Old Man Pushing a Cart’ and the ‘Goddess on a Lotus Throne’ positions.