"I do not agree."A concise yet resolute answer came from the middle-aged man standing atop the high platform.Xu Songmian's brow was deeply furrowed. Watching Yun Miao, who stood quietly in the center of the grand hall, descend the few jade steps that separated them, he stopped before her and spoke earnestly, "Xiao Miao, you know your master has placed great hopes in you. Matters of the heart are most detrimental to the Great Path. Xiao Miao, you must see through this as soon as possible."Facing Xu Songmian's stern expression and his unwavering gaze, Yun Miao's eyes did not retreat in the slightest."Master, your disciple understands. However…" Yun Miao paused slightly, raising her head. The determination in her eyes as she met Xu Songmian's gaze grew even clearer. "I apologize, but in this matter, your disciple has already made her own decision."Xu Songmian had not expected Yun Miao's attitude to be so resolute. Suddenly choked by a surge of emotion that left him speechless, his chest heaved with visible anger, as if he were deeply upset.He stood still, quietly meeting Yun Miao's gaze, seemingly trying to confirm whether she had truly made up her mind.Unfortunately, the result was disappointing. Seeing the unwavering resolve in Yun Miao's eyes, Xu Songmian pointed at her, stammering "You…" several times, but ultimately said nothing more. With a furious flick of his sleeve, he turned his back, unwilling to look any longer at this disciple who had once brought him the greatest satisfaction.The sound of his sleeve cutting through the air echoed clearly in the ears of the other four people in the hall.Fang Yinnian, who had originally encountered Yun Miao and the other two outside the hall, knew nothing of the situation. He had only heard Pei Qingji tell him, "If Master gets angry with Junior Sister later, make sure to protect her," before he was dragged along into the hall in confusion.He hadn't even had the chance to ask, "Who is this?" about the unfamiliar youth standing beside his junior sister.Now, as the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly tense, Fang Yinnian's curiosity deepened.He was particularly curious about the unfamiliar youth his junior sister had brought back and her sudden, almost bewitched determination to undergo Soul Binding with him.Judging by Pei Qingji's earlier warning, it seemed he knew something about the situation. Taking advantage of his master turning away, Fang Yinnian gently nudged Pei Qingji beside him with his elbow.Feeling the movement, Pei Qingji turned his head.Meeting Pei Qingji's gaze, Fang Yinnian quickly shot him a look, silently asking what exactly was going on.Pei Qingji naturally understood Fang Yinnian's meaning, but this was clearly not the appropriate time to speak.Thus, Pei Qingji merely shook his head slightly at Fang Yinnian before turning his attention back to Yun Miao and Xu Songmian on the other side.Seeing Pei Qingji turn away, Fang Yinnian knew he wouldn't say anything more for now and could only follow his gaze.The two were still locked in a stalemate, neither willing to yield.Meanwhile, the unfamiliar youth was also watching Xu Songmian thoughtfully, lost in his own thoughts.Most likely, he was thinking about the matter of Soul Binding with his junior sister.Xie Jue had been thinking about Soul Binding with Yun Miao when he arrived, but now, his thoughts had turned to another matter entirely.Because he had discovered something quite intriguing—the man Yun Miao called "Master," the sect leader of the Xuantian Sect, actually had the same face as the thief he had seen in the Water-Retention Mirror a century ago, the one who stole the Soul-Binding Lamp from the Demon Realm.If the one who stole the Soul-Binding Lamp was indeed the person before him, then everything seemed to make sense.It explained why he had searched for so long across both the human and demon realms without finding any trace of him, and why he had repeatedly detected traces of the Soul-Binding Lamp near that small town called "Jintian Town," not far from the Xuantian Sect.What he didn’t understand was why this figure, who could be called the leader of the righteous path, would steal the Soul-Binding Lamp—one of the sacred artifacts of the Demon Race, something those who claimed to be righteous always regarded as an evil object.The Soul-Binding Lamp was used to gather the divine souls of humans and demons to resurrect the deceased.And the person before him had gone to such great lengths to steal the Soul-Binding Lamp, likely because there was someone he wanted to revive. That Xu Songmian would resort to methods despised by the righteous path for this person suggested that the individual must be exceptionally important to him.This couldn’t help but pique his curiosity.Fortunately, he had plenty of time to uncover the truth of this matter.And, of course, to retrieve the Soul-Binding Lamp.Even if he no longer had any use for it now, the Soul-Binding Lamp was still an artifact of his Demon Race, and he naturally intended to take it back.Xie Jue quietly observed Xu Songmian, who stood with his back to him, his hands hidden in his sleeves gently rubbing together, as if observing a caged beast.Xu Songmian and Yun Miao seemed to remain locked in a silent standoff. After a while, Yun Miao looked at Xu Songmian’s back and spoke again, her tone even more solemn than before."Master, your disciple’s mind is made up. I hope you will grant me your approval."As she spoke, Yun Miao bowed deeply to Xu Songmian.Hearing her words, Xu Songmian turned around and looked down at Yun Miao, who remained bowed and had not yet straightened up.But before he could voice his opposition again, Yun Miao’s voice rose once more from below.Her posture was humble, but her words were neither submissive nor arrogant."If Master insists on refusing, your disciple is willing… to leave the sect.""You!""Little Junior Sister! Don’t act impulsively—think this through!"As soon as Yun Miao spoke these words, not only did Xu Songmian react strongly, but even Fang Yinnian and Pei Qingji, who had been silently observing the situation from the side, could no longer ignore the tense atmosphere in the hall and hurriedly spoke up.After finishing her words, Yun Miao finally straightened up and faced Xu Songmian, who had just turned around.Unlike the agitation of the other three, Yun Miao’s expression remained calm."Master, I have carefully considered this matter."Xu Songmian had always cherished this disciple, and seeing her so determined, he naturally couldn’t truly let her leave the sect. Though reluctant, he had no choice but to relent.However, he still couldn’t bring himself to approve of the person Yun Miao had brought back. He flicked his sleeve and turned his back once more. "The Soul Binding may proceed, but the ceremony is unnecessary.""This person you’ve brought back is far too casual. I cannot bear the shame."Xu Songmian’s words were truly harsh, and Yun Miao couldn’t help but glance worriedly toward Xie Jue.Xie Jue lowered his eyes, his expression unchanged, as if the person Xu Songmian spoke of was not him at all.Perhaps sensing Yun Miao’s gaze, Xie Jue looked up. Meeting her concerned eyes, he shook his head lightly, even pulling a smile at the corner of his lips to reassure her.Yet seeing Xie Jue like this only made Yun Miao feel worse.She pressed her lips together, wanting to say something more.But Pei Qingji, ever perceptive, quickly grabbed Fang Yinnian with one hand and Yun Miao with the other. With a cheerful “Thank you, Master,” he pulled them along like a family heading out of the hall.Yun Miao took the chance to tug at Xie Jue’s sleeve, leading him out as well.As she walked, she glanced back at Xie Jue and asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Are you alright?”Before Xie Jue could answer, Pei Qingji’s voice reached her ears as soon as he stepped out of the hall.“Little Junior Sister, the master has always been tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Don’t take it to heart.”Then, he glanced at Xie Jue behind Yun Miao, lowered his voice, and said with a smile, “If you really want to go through the formalities with him, Senior Brother and I can arrange it for you. We’ll even invite Senior Brother Shen and Senior Sister Su.”Though Fang Yinnian still didn’t fully understand everything that had happened, he had grasped the gist from the conversation between Yun Miao and the master in the hall.Hearing Pei Qingji’s words, he nodded in agreement.“Yes, Little Junior Sister, we’ll definitely all be there.”Yun Miao was taken aback by Fang Yinnian and Pei Qingji’s responses. Not only was Senior Brother’s earnest reply still tinged with his usual awkwardness, but she also hadn’t expected her usually carefree Second Senior Brother to be so thoughtful, considering things she hadn’t even had time to think about herself. Her eyes grew warm with emotion, and she blinked a few times to steady herself before replying with a smile, “Thank you, Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother.”“Little Junior Sister, no need to be so polite with us,” Pei Qingji said, his face still wearing that playful grin. “Alright, you’ve just returned from Peach Blossom Village. Hurry and take your husband back to rest. We can discuss the rest in a couple of days.”Without waiting for Yun Miao’s reply, Pei Qingji slung an arm over Fang Yinnian’s shoulder. “Senior Brother, let’s not stick around for more of this ‘dog food.’ We two lonely souls should head out.”In the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished from Yun Miao’s sight.But Pei Qingji’s words lingered in Yun Miao’s ears, and she knew Xie Jue must have heard them too.Now alone with Xie Jue, the warmth she had felt moments earlier was quickly replaced by awkwardness.She turned to Xie Jue. “My Second Senior Brother likes to joke around.”“It’s fine. Besides, he wasn’t wrong, was he?”Xie Jue leaned slightly toward Yun Miao. His amber eyes, filled with laughter, were clear and transparent under the sunlight, like the purest of lakes.Right now, they held only Yun Miao.Seeing her reflection in Xie Jue’s eyes, Yun Miao felt as if a dragonfly had skimmed the water, disturbing the image. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she quickly averted her gaze, as if trying to hide her reaction.Suddenly, footsteps echoed from inside the hall, reaching Yun Miao’s ears.Yun Miao knew that her master did not like Xie Jue, and fearing that he might come out and notice something amiss, she almost instinctively took Xie Jue’s hand and led him toward the residence in the backyard.Xie Jue followed behind Yun Miao, allowing her to lead him, yet his gaze could not help but linger on their clasped hands.A smile once again spread across his lips.The summer breeze brushed past, carrying an irritating warmth as it settled on their skin.But to Xie Jue, everything in this moment felt exceptionally perfect.
Chapter 16
Mistakenly Believing I Was Given the Substitute Lover Script