The only daughter of Lady Yunhe, a great power in the Deity Transformation realm, was named Chu Yi.
Children usually take the mother’s surname to inherit bloodline and glory, but she had taken her father’s surname.
Back then, Yun He personally killed her Dao companion, causing a complete rift between mother and daughter.
Chu Yi left for a distant land and rarely set foot in the territory of the Yun Yin Sect, becoming a stranger to Yun He.
But blood ties are hard to sever. Yun He always felt guilty toward this daughter, who resembled her in temperament yet hated her because of her father’s death.
Shen Mo’s heart shook violently when he heard this news.
‘Isn’t the East Continent too small? I run into acquaintances everywhere I go?’
Pei Yu didn’t notice the strange expressions of others. She sighed to herself, “This little ancestor is pitiful too—having such a mother who personally killed her father… tsk tsk, anyone would go crazy. But Archon Yun He truly treats her well. Feeling guilty, whatever heavenly treasures or exotic toys this little ancestor asks for, she can always get them. This Purifying Soul Dragon Spine Liquid, though precious, is probably just a trivial item in the treasury to her.”
Mother and daughter had ended up like that—one desperately compensating, the other never giving a good face.
This Purifying Soul Dragon Spine Liquid being offered as a prize was probably not for the Flower Queen Competition at all, but simply because this little ancestor was bored, or she had thought up another way to annoy her mother…
Shen Mo’s heart was in turmoil.
Pei Yu made a decision after hearing this.
On one side was a best friend with a powerful background; on the other was the familiar Master of Myriad Flowers Pavilion.
Harmony among friends was precious. Since she had been mistreated here, as a friend, she should go in and comfort her.
She said to Manager Liu, “Alright, don’t stand here worrying. I’ve met her a few times, so we can barely talk. I’ll go in and see what this little ancestor wants to do. As for whether it’ll work… I can’t guarantee it.”
Manager Liu, upon hearing this, felt as if she heard celestial music and bowed repeatedly: “Ah! Thank you so much, Immortal Maiden Pei! You are truly my savior! Please, please come in!”
Pei Yu said no more. She straightened her collar, the cynical smile on her face fading slightly as she took on a more serious expression.
She stepped toward the lacquered door. Shen Mo followed half a step behind her.
She did not refuse him but only instructed, “Remember, when we go in, observe more, speak less, and don’t touch anything. The atmosphere inside is not good, and she especially dislikes strangers speaking.”
……
Completely different from the noisy and flashy outside, the interior was elegantly arranged.
There were not many decorations, only a few antique jade artifacts and incense burners.
On the walls hung several light-inked landscape paintings, completely out of place with the rouge and powder of Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion.
The lighting was deliberately dimmed, with only a few uniquely shaped glazed lamps emitting a soft, hazy glow.
On the main seat in the pavilion, a figure reclined sideways.
It was a woman appearing to be around twenty years old, wearing a flowing cloud-patterned brocade dress with soft colors.
The material was not ordinary silk; spiritual light faintly circulated through it.
She wore no makeup, yet her skin was like the finest mutton-fat jade, radiating a moist luster under the dim light.
Her black hair was loosely tied up with a simple white jade hairpin, the remaining locks cascading like a waterfall, making her face appear even more delicate and exquisite.
Her features were not of the striking, gaudy type, but rather of pure and otherworldly beauty, like distant mountains in the clouds—a breathtaking, untainted purity.
However, the most unsettling thing was her eyes.
This was the characteristic of the Yun He Body.
Lady Yunhe’s special constitution had been inherited by her daughter.
This constitution allowed her to naturally see the essence of all things and break through all illusions and deception.
Chu Yi was now lazily leaning on a large, snow-white animal-hide covered cushion.
Hearing footsteps, she didn’t even lift her eyelids and only said coldly, “Manager Liu, if it’s more of those vulgar, pretentious wretches, there’s no need to bring them in to dirty my eyes.”
Manager Liu trembled with fear and hurriedly bowed: “Miss Chu Yi, please calm down. This time, it’s Daoist Friend Pei Yu who has come to visit.”
Chu Yi’s expression shifted slightly. She finally looked up, the irritation in her eyes fading a bit, her tone softening.
“It’s you? Why do you have time to come to this seedy place?”
Pei Yu sat down cross-legged on the opposite cushion, looking at ease.
“Sister Chu is joking. I heard you were here, so I came specially to see you. What? The talented people Manager Liu sent are not to your liking?”
Chu Yi snorted coldly. “Talented people? They’re all a bunch of filthy things with beautiful outer shells but either empty inside or full of schemes. That so-called Jade Bamboo Lord has three parts pride in his heart, but his eyes are murky, his aura is impure, and every move is deliberate and artificial. It makes me want to vomit.”
She paused, then glanced at Shen Mo, who was standing behind Pei Yu with his head lowered and a solemn posture. “And who is this?”
Pei Yu introduced, “A little sister I picked up on the road, named Shen Yuebai. She’s timid, so I brought her to see the world. Yuebai, why don’t you greet Immortal Maiden Chu?”
Shen Mo stepped forward half a step and performed the female etiquette. “Greetings, Immortal Maiden Chu.”
Her glass-like eyes suddenly lit up.
The male idols who had entered earlier were lumps of rotting flesh exuding stinking desire.
Under the cosmetics, their skin festered with pus, and their souls were filthy.
That so-called “previous Flower Queen” had a good outer shell, but her heart was a mass of black ink.
Even Pei Yu, though a good friend, was no more than a grand knife in her eyes—nothing interesting.
Until she saw Shen Mo.
Under the layers of feminine clothing and dark cosmetics, Chu Yi saw a clump of light, a pure, gentle, jade-like spirit aura, as clean as a newborn baby, or like a spiritual stone on a mountaintop untouched by wind and snow.
It was a stark contrast to the filthy things she had seen earlier—like suddenly spotting a translucent crystal orchid, resilient with morning dew, stubbornly growing in a muddy swamp.
Then her expression changed. She let out a very soft, almost inaudible “Eh?”
She sat up straight and gently placed the white jade cup on the small table beside her.
Her gaze swept over his face and body, carefully, back and forth several times, as if confirming something.
This body frame… the lines of the neck and the subtle rise of the Adam’s apple… and under the moon-white dress, though deliberately concealed and adjusted, the waist-to-hip ratio still differed from a true woman’s, along with a slightly unnatural gait in walking… She saw the handsome masculine lines beneath the softening.
The straight nose, the slightly thin but gracefully curved jaw, the slightly pursed lips that were light in color but beautiful in shape—all formed a face that, even by the strictest, gender-transcending aesthetic standards, was unparalleled in handsomeness.
Flaws everywhere.
But Chu Yi did not expose him.
She looked at him for a long time, so long that even Pei Yu became a little uneasy and coughed lightly.
Chu Yi withdrew her gaze, picked up the cup on the table, and took a sip.
The wine glowed amber under the light, reflecting on her face as it flickered.
She spoke, her voice light, “Pei Yu, this friend of yours is quite interesting.”
Pei Yu raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Chu Yi did not answer. She just looked at Shen Mo, at his red, wet eyes, as if he had been caught in the rain.
Those eyes held fear, panic, and something she couldn’t understand—something that seemed to be begging but afraid to ask.
But underneath, there was something she hadn’t seen in a long time—sincerity.
Chu Yi set down the cup and leaned back on the soft couch, her gaze still on him. Suddenly, she grew curious.
Why did he dress as a woman to come to Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion?
“You’re called Shen Yuebai?” she asked.
Shen Mo nodded. “Yes.”
“Where are you from?”
“The Northern Lands.”
“Why are you here?”
“I came to find relatives but didn’t meet them.”
Chu Yi was silent for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject. “You carry a slightly unpleasant mark on you. Have you come into contact with anything dirty recently, or… anyone?”
Shen Mo’s head shot up. Pei Yu also frowned slightly, her gaze toward Shen Mo growing more probing.
“You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.” The corner of Chu Yi’s mouth lifted, breaking the tense atmosphere. “It’s just… do you know that you look very good in women’s clothing?”
Shen Mo couldn’t grasp the logic of her words. Liu Yin, these words made Chu Yi’s heart rise in interest.
Pei Yu was known in this circle for being picky and flirtatious, yet she had brought this one in.
Her words shouldn’t be like this.
It seemed that either Pei Yu hadn’t seen through his male disguise, or she had seen through it but was still attracted by some quality, even enjoying it.
“Pei Yu, your taste these days is becoming… rather unique.”
Pei Yu was taken aback. “Oh? Does Chu Yi also think Miss Shen is special? Then my eyesight must be pretty good. At least she’s a lot better than those outside covered in powder, right?”
Chu Yi did not deny it. She picked up the ice jade wine cup, brought it to her lips, and took a small sip.
She looked at Shen Mo and said in a tone that was matter-of-fact, with a childish, willful demand, “This person, leave him to accompany me.”
It was not a question, not a negotiation—it was a statement, a decision. The implication was clear: she wanted to take him.
Pei Yu’s smile froze. She almost wondered if she had drunk too much and heard wrong!
This Chu Yi, who usually looked down on everyone, dismissed men with disdain, and ignored even her mother Lady Yunhe’s advice, actually said “leave him to accompany me”?
She felt a surge of absurdity and an inexplicable warning to herself.
Now even Chu Yi, who had never failed in maneuvering among women and had a sharp eye for people, was interested.
She was certain that Shen Mo had that rejection of men, that cool, fragile but strong aura—definitely a like-minded person!
But Qin Shuying and Chu Yi… this woman with a reputation, who had never been rumored to have special preferences, suddenly acted like a different person?
She jerked her head around and stared at Shen Mo, who was still looking down, her gaze like a searchlight. Was it because of this face? This temperament?
But no matter how beautiful or unique, it shouldn’t be enough to affect both Qin Shuying and Chu Yi… Unless… an extremely absurd thought, yet one that seemed to explain these consecutive anomalies, crept into Pei Yu’s mind.