Hidden within a bamboo forest weighed down by thick snow was a small wooden hut with mud walls, terracotta tiles, bamboo railings, and a wooden door that creaked in the howling winter wind.
Compared to the celestial abodes of immortals, this place resembled a rustic farmhouse, lacking mythical beasts like qilin or cranes and the ethereal aura of immortals, but filled with vegetable patches, poultry, and the warmth of mortal life.
The thin door trembled in the fierce wind, as if it were being whipped like a pitiful soul, with no choice but to endure silently for now.
The Cliff of Reflection was a bloodless execution ground, a prison without chains.
In truth, Tao Yao had always harbored a question in her heart: how had the Young Master, who was no different from a mortal, survived in such a perilous place until now?
Even she, a cultivator at the peak of the Qi Refining stage, had teetered on the edge of life and death several times.
Yet the Young Master, blind and with his dantian destroyed, remained unscathed, even saving her from the gates of death three times in a row.
Perhaps this was what they called the Mandate of Heaven.
Since the heavens were unwilling to let the Young Master perish, maybe one day he would soar again, spreading his wings.
Gazing at Gu Shenzhi’s refined and handsome face, as flawless as polished jade, Tao Yao’s heartbeat quickened slightly.
A shy blush spread across her cheeks, blooming like peach blossoms.
Pushing open the weathered wooden door, Tao Yao carefully helped Gu Shenzhi settle onto a small bamboo stool.
She hurriedly secured the drafty door, then rushed to the stove to light a fire for warmth.
There was not a moment’s rest.
Tao Yao softly chanted a fire-starting incantation, and a flickering flame sprang to life, quickly catching the firewood in the stove.
The cold gradually retreated as warmth spread through the room.
“Xiao Yao, read the letter for me. Since it’s an order from the Sect Leader, I must know its contents,” Gu Shenzhi said urgently, clearly attaching great importance to the letter.
Normally, he would have let Tao Yao rest first.
“Alright, alright, I understand. I’ll read it for you now, Young Sect Leader,” Tao Yao said, tearing open the envelope while grumbling, “Young Master, this is the Cliff of Reflection, not the main hall of the Spirit Sword Sect. Who are you being so respectful for? I say that venomous woman Bai Qi definitely has no good intentions.”
Hearing his maid’s rebellious remarks, Gu Shenzhi didn’t argue much.
He sat quietly, thinking that this girl’s habit of speaking recklessly was probably incurable.
Skimming through the letter, Tao Yao’s expression changed drastically.
Her hands trembled, nearly dropping the paper.
She looked at Gu Shenzhi, leaning against the wall, her bright eyes filled with worry and fear.
“Young Master, it’s terrible! They’re sending you to the Moonshadow Sect to marry that Red Lotus Demoness. What are we going to do?!”
The Moonshadow Sect was the leading evil sect in Muyun Province, mortal enemies with the righteous Spirit Sword Sect.
The two had clashed for years, with countless casualties, yet neither had ever gained the upper hand.
The former Sect Leader of the Spirit Sword Sect, Gu Yun, pitied the suffering of the common people and sought to end the conflict, hoping to save countless lives.
He personally visited the Moonshadow Sect to negotiate with their leader, the Black Lotus Demoness, proposing a marriage alliance to resolve the thousand-year feud between the two sects.
Thus, this betrothal was born.
As the Young Sect Leader of the Spirit Sword Sect, Gu Shenzhi was to marry the Moonshadow Sect’s Holy Maiden.
However, for various reasons, the wedding date had never been set, and debates persisted over whether the Holy Maiden would marry into the Spirit Sword Sect or if Gu Shenzhi would go to the Moonshadow Sect.
In recent years, the Spirit Sword Sect’s stance seemed to have subtly shifted, especially under Fairy Bai Qi.
It appeared that everyone viewed Gu Shenzhi as a sacrificial pawn, willing to trade his life for a century of peace in Muyun Province.
Rumors said the demonesses of the Moonshadow Sect were enchanting and seductive, with long legs and slender waists, capable of ensnaring men with a single glance.
Terrifyingly, they harbored deep hatred for male cultivators, wishing to skin them alive and scatter their ashes.
Those who encountered these demonesses often succumbed to lust, only to have their essence drained in bed, dying like fish stranded on shore.
Ordinary cultivators avoided the Moonshadow Sect’s demonesses at all costs, yet marrying one was tantamount to suicide.
One moment, a man might be basking in marital bliss; the next, he’d be drained of life, parted forever by death.
“Not only has the Black Lotus Demoness’s disciple not called off the engagement, but she’s even willing to marry a cripple like me. Isn’t that a good thing?” Gu Shenzhi said after a moment of thought, his tone self-deprecating, as if he hadn’t considered the potential consequences.
“Young Master, I’m practically dying of worry for you! Can you be serious for once? Let’s think of a plan!” Tao Yao pleaded.
“What plan could there be? I’m a mortal, and you’re only at the Qi Refining stage. Together, we couldn’t even defeat a second-tier beast. We’ll deal with it when the time comes,” he replied.
“No! We can’t just sit and wait for death. Tonight, you and I should escape the sect together!”
Tao Yao declared, hands on her hips, brimming with confidence.
Gu Shenzhi sighed inwardly.
Three years had passed, yet Tao Yao remained the same naive girl she was when she arrived.
The only change was her address for him, from “Hey” to “Young Master.”
Otherwise, she hadn’t changed a bit.
Innocent and pure, a girl like Tao Yao would surely be adored by men, but she’d struggle to survive alone in a place as treacherous as the Spirit Sword Sect.
At this thought, a wave of sorrow washed over him.
If he were to perish, so be it, but he couldn’t bear to leave Tao Yao behind.
A girl like her was one in a million.
Silver perch soup and two bowls of Laba porridge were their dinner tonight.
The clear fish soup had a couple of scallion segments floating on top, like bamboo rafts in a river, easily overturned by a single wave.
The porridge was thick, made with rice and mixed grains, but it lacked the Spirit Condensing Fruit.
Perhaps the servant delivering it had stolen it, or maybe it was never included.
Every Laba Festival, all disciples of the Mysterious Sword Sect received a bowl of Laba porridge with spiritual ingredients.
For outer disciples and servants, the spiritual ingredient was the Spirit Condensing Fruit.
This fruit, which grew in damp, shaded areas and bore fruit every three years, absorbed significant amounts of spiritual energy, greatly benefiting Qi Refining cultivators.
With luck, it could even help break through a minor realm.
“Young Master, open your mouth. Your servant will feed you,” Tao Yao said, picking the tenderest fish meat and gently guiding it to Gu Shenzhi’s mouth with chopsticks.
“I can do it myself…”
Before he could finish, Tao Yao stuffed the meat into his mouth, her actions tinged with frustration, as if reminding him she was still upset about his refusal to escape with her.
“Leave the silver perch for you, Xiao Yao. No need to waste it on a nobody like me. Besides, only if your cultivation improves can you better protect me, right?” Gu Shenzhi said.
After fumbling on the table, he drank his Laba porridge in one gulp and retired to his room, as was his habit of sleeping early.
Tao Yao rested her head on the table, alone.
Without the Young Master, she had no appetite.
She idly picked at the fish bones.
Warming the bed and serving intimately were also a maid’s duties, weren’t they?
The senior brothers in the inner sect all seemed eager to pin her beneath them, so why had the Young Master never asked anything of her?
Maybe because he’s blind, she sighed.
Falling for a blind man is such a hassle.
The girl, yearning for love, thought to herself.
Entering his bedroom, Gu Shenzhi slowly untied the silk ribbon covering his eyes and placed it by the bedside.
As his eyes opened, a terrifying pressure erupted, as if heaven and earth froze and time stood still.
Everything his gaze touched seemed to cower in submission.
Those were a pair of dark purple double pupils, symbols of the supreme immortal path.
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