9 – Chapter
Senior Sister, you’re so beautiful.
“Should I choose this purple fairy dress, or this apricot-colored moonlit dress?”
In the attic, Mu Lingyan held her lotus-like face, torn as she looked at the two dresses hanging on the rack.
With her indecisiveness, she truly didn’t know which one to choose.
Last night while regulating her breath, Mu Lingyan felt her junior sister was right.
Today, she would dress beautifully—it would surely annoy those two a bit.
Otherwise, being the one who got her engagement broken off would seem too humiliating.
Moreover, in the book, Mu Lingyan did indeed admire Shen Qingyu.
If the plot hadn’t been written into a mess, urgently needing a character to turn dark, she wouldn’t have arranged for “Mu Lingyan” to inexplicably fall in love with He Xuan.
Today’s actions could be considered venting some anger on Lingyan’s behalf.
“Little Weakling, which one do you think I should choose?”
The System thought for a moment: “Host, purple complements your stunning beauty even more.”
Flattered by her System’s praise, Mu Lingyan slapped her thigh: “Alright! I trust your taste! Purple it is!”
After Mu Lingyan finished dressing, voices of Third Junior Brother and Junior Sister sounded outside the room.
“Senior Sister! It’s almost time. Master asked us to check if you’re ready…”
“Creak—”
The attic door was pushed open.
Mu Lingyan took graceful steps and walked out of the attic.
“Thud—”
The pastries in Ruan Jiujiu and Ye Wanxing’s hands fell to the ground.
Their mouths agape, eyes wide, a flash of awe crossed their gazes.
Ye Wanxing stared blankly at Mu Lingyan’s figure.
Their usually stern and rigid senior sister was wearing a light purple floor-length dress, a cloud-like sash cinching her slender waist. Her hair was simply tied with a hairpin, accentuating her breathtakingly beautiful face.
A pair of phoenix eyes brimmed with charm.
Enough to make one’s bones go weak.
“Junior Sister? Junior Brother?”
“What are you standing there for? Why aren’t we leaving yet?” Seeing Ye Wanxing and Ruan Jiujiu remain silent for so long, Mu Lingyan couldn’t help but remind them.
The two snapped out of it. Ye Wanxing’s gaze lingered on Mu Lingyan a moment longer.
“Se… Senior Sister, let’s go to the peak first to pick up Master.” A blush spread across Ye Wanxing’s handsome face. He stole a glance at Mu Lingyan before quickly looking away.
“Alright!” Mu Lingyan replied with a smile curling at her lips.
From last night until now, her mind had been preoccupied with how to quickly level up and gain experience points, constantly thinking about ways to make He Xuan praise her.
When the three reached the peak, He Xuan was already waiting for them in front of the palace.
Today, He Xuan’s attire was unusually less plain. His dark hair was tied with a jade crown.
Though he still wore a white robe, the collar was embroidered with elegant bamboo leaf patterns, adding a touch of warmth and refinement to his cold, aloof appearance.
Under the apricot tree, He Xuan’s gaze immediately fell upon Mu Lingyan, his dark eyes lingering for a moment on the lotus-patterned bodice of her dress.
His expression grew inscrutable.
“Disciples, you’ve arrived. Let’s depart.”
Mu Lingyan’s voice was soft and charming: “As you command, Master.”
Four ordinary words, yet she managed to imbue them with a lingering, affectionate tone.
Ye Wanxing looked mesmerized, while Ruan Jiujiu chattered away.
He Xuan remained unmoved, boarding the Flying Ship first.
Once all four stood on the Flying Ship, Ruan Jiujiu pouted and asked He Xuan: “Master, Second Senior Brother has been away for over a month. Why hasn’t he returned yet? Has he sent any messages to you?”
He Xuan’s robes fluttered in the wind.
He shook his head briefly: “No…”
Ye Wanxing crossed his arms, smiling with an air of pride. “I heard that in a town not far from Kun Mountain, evil cultivators and demon creatures are wreaking havoc, and they’re quite rampant. I reckon Second Senior Brother will be busy outside for quite a while!”
At the mention of demon creatures, Mu Lingyan broke into a cold sweat.
At that moment, He Xuan turned his head slightly, lowering his gaze to glance at Mu Lingyan beside him.
“Disciple, what are your thoughts on demon creatures bringing calamity to the world?”
Mu Lingyan was still lost in thought when she heard the calm question from above. She replied with righteous determination, “We should naturally eradicate all evil and bring blessings to the people.”
“Wow! As expected of Senior Sister! This is the demeanor a cultivator should have. Demon cultivators should all be wiped out!”
Ruan Jiujiu was once again exaggerating with flattery and boasting.
“Hmm, that might not necessarily be the case. If a demon cultivator does good deeds, perhaps there’s no need to…”
“Exterminate them all, right?” Mu Lingyan said, lacking confidence.
Ye Wanxing swung his longsword, his eyes resolute. “What demon creature could possibly be good? If they were truly virtuous, how could they have fallen into demonhood?”
Mu Lingyan silently turned her face away.
Her head ached terribly.
If one day her identity could no longer be concealed…
Would they kill her too if they found out she was the Demon Venerable of the Demon Realm?
He Xuan appeared to be looking straight ahead, but in reality, he was carefully observing Mu Lingyan’s every move out of the corner of his eye.
The corners of his lips curled up, revealing a faint, ambiguous smile.
No one noticed the teasing glint in his eyes.
If Mu Lingyan saw that villainous smile on his face, she would surely exclaim that her upright and righteous male lead had gone astray.
…
Before long, the flying ship arrived in front of the Four Directions Hall.
Mu Lingyan gathered her spiritual energy and carefully floated down from the flying ship.
After Ruan Jiujiu was the last to descend, she waved her hand gracefully, forming a spell incantation to retract the flying ship into her storage ring.
He Xuan walked at the forefront. The Kun Mountain disciples standing on either side of the Four Directions Hall all obediently bowed their heads, not daring to look directly at this peak master, whose appearance was peerless and whose swordsmanship had reached the pinnacle.
“Disciples pay respects to True Venerable He Xuan.”
He Xuan nodded slightly in acknowledgment, his robes fluttering, his back resembling that of an immortal.
Mu Lingyan followed her master, slowly entering the hall.
Upon entering the Four Directions Hall, she saw more than ten people already seated inside.
At the head sat an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face, whose immense pressure made Mu Lingyan feel breathless.
This was the sect leader of the Kunshan Sword Sect, known as True Venerable Taihe.
On the left side, seated upright on a carved wooden chair, Shen Qingyu wore a faint smile, but his eyes were restless, exchanging flirtatious glances with a woman across from him.
Following Shen Qingyu’s gaze, Mu Lingyan caught sight of a petite beauty.
The beauty wore an apricot-colored ruqun, her beautiful eyes curved in a rather adorable manner.
This was likely Su Yue, the daughter of the Cangwu Sect’s sect leader.
Beside her sat a man in black robes, his expression sharp and stern.
If she wasn’t mistaken, this should be Yan Qing, the senior brother of the Cangwu Sect.
At the late Golden Core Realm, just one step away from the Nascent Soul Realm.
“Junior Brother, you’ve arrived. Please take a seat.” True Venerable Taihe smiled amiably, retracting his pressure like a kind elder.
He Xuan nodded slightly without a word, walking directly to the first seat on the left side.
Mu Lingyan and the others obediently followed their master, sitting in the chairs behind him.
True Venerable Taihe’s instruction drew everyone’s attention to He Xuan. Even Su Yue couldn’t help but lose focus every time she saw He Xuan.
It wasn’t that she admired him, but rather because He Xuan’s appearance was simply too dazzling.
It made one unable to resist stealing a few glances.
While everyone was captivated by He Xuan, Shen Qingyu’s gaze subtly fell upon Mu Lingyan.
Across the way, Yan Qing’s expression was cold and stern, his eyes icy, yet he too was looking at Mu Lingyan.
Su Yue withdrew her gaze and noticed both Shen Qingyu and her own senior brother were watching Mu Lingyan.
A sense of displeasure stirred within her…
Though she still wore a smiling face, her small hand clutching the handkerchief was clenched tightly.
Unable to bear the attention of the men in the hall being drawn to Mu Lingyan, she spoke with an air of innocence.
“Senior Sister Mu, it’s been a long time. How have you been lately?”