Under the shadow of the great tree, Tang Zhaoxue leaned against the rough trunk, her mouth slightly open.
A night breeze brushed past her flushed, burning face at just the right time, bringing a hint of coolness.
Tang Zhaoxue closed her eyes, her beautiful eyes narrowed into slits, her long lashes trembling like butterfly wings, completely immersed, a curve involuntarily forming at the corners of her mouth.
“Sister Tang, you are here.”
The sudden voice rang in Tang Zhaoxue’s ear.
Her heart jolted, her calves instantly tensed, and a numb shiver surged up from her tailbone, making her almost unable to stand.
She opened her eyes in a panic and looked toward the source of the voice.
Two figures, one tall and one short, were slowly walking from the corner of the garden path.
Leading them was Zhu Siyao.
She had clearly dressed up very meticulously today, wearing a bright red chest-high ruqun that shimmered with a delicate luster under the moonlight.
Always lively, her face was now adorned with the perfect amount of makeup; her eyebrows were lightly touched, her lips were dotted with red, and a faint blush bloomed on her cheeks, adding a bit more brightness and tenderness to her pretty face.
This outfit made her shed some of her usual childishness, revealing the slender grace of a young woman who had just come of age, making her particularly eye-catching in the night.
Beside her was Su Yingman, who was dressed in casual clothes, without makeup, yet still charming and bright.
She moved with Lotus Steps, a playful smile that was barely there hanging on the corners of her lips.
Her gaze first fell on Tang Zhaoxue’s face, which was obviously flushed with an abnormal red, and then her eyes shifted, seemingly inadvertently scanning her slightly heavy, motionless, magnificent skirt.
“Sister Tang, why is your face so red? Are you unwell?” Siming skipped a few steps forward, tilted her head, and curiously observed Tang Zhaoxue, who was leaning against the great tree with seemingly unstable Qi.
At this moment, Tang Zhaoxue struggled to maintain her standing posture, her back pressed tightly against the rough bark.
The remaining flush on her face had not yet faded, and she could only use the night as cover.
She took two deep breaths, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat and disordered Qi, and understood in an instant.
Why Siming could approach so silently without her noticing at all.
With Su Yingman, a Soul Formation Stage cultivator, helping to hide her Qi, how could she, a Nascent Soul Stage, have noticed in advance?
Thinking of this, Tang Zhaoxue couldn’t help but look up and give Su Yingman a somewhat resentful glance.
You clearly know what I am doing.
Su Yingman returned a knowing smile, her eyes once again meaningfully glancing toward the bottom of Tang Zhaoxue’s skirt.
Her cultivation was profound and her hearing extraordinary; even the rustling of the dress fabric being pulled was clearly audible to her.
But Siming, standing nearby, naturally couldn’t hear these sounds.
“It’s… it’s nothing,” Tang Zhaoxue composed herself and forced a fairly natural smile.
“It’s just that I encountered a bottleneck in my cultivation and felt frustrated, so I came out for a walk to clear my head.” She tried her best to make her voice sound calm and steady.
Hearing this, the simple-minded Siming didn’t think much of it.
She leaned close to Tang Zhaoxue, pouted her small mouth, and began to complain:
“Sister Tang, have you seen Jiang Huai? I heard he returned from Clan Leader White Dew’s place a long time ago.”
“I was just looking for him, but after a whole round, I couldn’t find him anywhere.”
Only then did Tang Zhaoxue realize that the young girl’s unusually meticulous dressing was for that man who was nowhere to be seen.
Without changing her expression, she even replied with a hint of faint doubt:
“I haven’t seen him. Why, are you looking for him for something urgent?”
She turned her head, pretending to listen intently to Siming, but in reality, she was exercising extreme restraint, struggling to maintain her outward composure.
Siming had no idea that the person she was looking for was currently hidden right beside her.
She leaned against the other side of the tree trunk and continued to grumble and complain:
“Yeah, he really is something! Didn’t he think of coming to find me after returning?”
“Could it be that he went back to Clan Leader White Dew’s again? I still wanted to… wanted to ask him to help me improve my innate talent!” She paused, a hint of grievance in her voice:
“He clearly already… has never…”
The girl was too embarrassed to say the rest.
It wasn’t that she was so thirsty for it, but since the two had already expressed their feelings, why hadn’t he made any further moves?
He just came back from White Dew, could he not think of her at all?
Seeing this, the secret sense of superiority and pride in Tang Zhaoxue’s heart grew even stronger.
She chuckled softly, her tone sounding casual and carrying a bit of nonchalant comfort:
“Perhaps he went to Sister Chi Lian’s place to discuss matters?”
“Or maybe he really went back to Clan Leader White Dew’s to see the child; it’s only human nature, after all, they even have a daughter.”
When she looked at Siming, the indescribable meaning in her eyes was almost overflowing.
Facing Siming, whose cultivation and innate talent were inferior to her own, Tang Zhaoxue didn’t have the same attitude as when she faced Qingqiu or Su Yingman. Instead, she showed a nearly arrogant posture belonging to a winner.
The strong should be ruthless…
Siming frowned slightly and puffed out her cheeks, feeling even more depressed:
“What! Did he really go back? I’m not even familiar with Clan Leader White Dew.”
Her gaze shifted and suddenly landed on Tang Zhaoxue’s unusually magnificent and heavy dress. She reached out and curiously tugged at the smooth fabric, saying in surprise:
“Eh? Why is your dress so long? The material is thick, too. This looks like the style worn only for formal ceremonies, doesn’t it?”
What kind of person would come out for a midnight walk wearing such a solemn and cumbersome long dress?
Alarm bells rang in Tang Zhaoxue’s heart. She quietly pulled the skirt back from Siming’s hand and forced herself to stay calm:
“It… it’s newly made.”
“I thought the style was nice, so I wore it out to see if it fits and to get a feel for walking in it.”
She quickly found a more reasonable excuse:
“It just so happens that we might leave this place and return to the Five Provinces soon. When the time comes to meet other Sect Leaders, I’ll need a proper outfit.”
Siming heard this and thought it made sense. She couldn’t help but reach out to stroke the exquisite embroidery, saying with emotion:
“I have to say, it really is beautiful. I’ll have someone make a similar one for me to try later.”
She paused, her tone suddenly a bit discouraged:
“If only I could grow a bit taller and have a better figure.”
This kind of floor-length dress best suited a tall and curvaceous figure to pull off that kind of presence.
With her current petite and delicate figure, she was afraid it would be difficult to manage.
However, her tugging here and touching there made Tang Zhaoxue’s heart leap into her throat. Her face was tense, fearing that this curious girl might accidentally pull the skirt and reveal the scene beneath that must never be seen.
“Alright, Siming,” Su Yingman finally stepped forward and spoke at the right time, her voice gentle.
“Aren’t you in a hurry to find Jiang Huai? Why don’t you go check with Clan Leader White Dew or Miss Chi Lian again.”
“I happen to have some sect affairs to discuss privately with Tang Sect Leader, concerning the itinerary in a few days.”
Hearing this, Siming finally let go of the skirt and gave Su Yingman a bright smile:
“Okay then, thank you Sister Su for helping me dress up tonight.”
“I’ll go check Chi Lian’s side now!”
After saying that, she waved at Tang Zhaoxue again, turned around like a red butterfly, and lightheartedly ran away.
Su Yingman always maintained that gentle smile, watching Siming’s figure completely disappear behind the layers of flowers, trees, and moonlight.
*** As soon as Siming left, silence instantly returned to the small garden.
The night breeze became clear, softly passing through the gaps in the leaves, making a rustling sound like a lover’s whisper.
A bright moon hung high in the middle of the sky, its clear light like white silk spilling onto the smooth stone path.
The smile on Su Yingman’s face did not fade, but its meaning shifted subtly.
She slowly turned around, stepping in her exquisite high heels, step by step, unhurriedly walking toward Tang Zhaoxue, who was still pressed against the great tree.
The click-clack of her heels on the stone slabs sounded particularly clear in the silent night.
“Sister…” Tang Zhaoxue subconsciously shrank her neck, the pride she had shown in front of Siming completely vanished, and her voice became low and soft.
This expression and posture were like a different person compared to before.
Su Yingman nodded slightly as a response.
She stopped in front of Tang Zhaoxue, her gaze lowered.
“How has your cultivation been lately?” she asked softly.
“It’s okay, it’s okay…” Tang Zhaoxue replied in a low voice.
In terms of cultivation, she was clearly not enough in front of someone like Su Yingman.
At this moment, she no longer seemed like the Sect Leader of the Xuanxian Immortal Sect, but merely a disciple being guided.
Su Yingman placed her hand on her shoulder. After sensing her lingli, she frowned slightly and said softly:
“Your cultivation isn’t slow, but it’s not very fast either.”
“You’ve already switched to the Nine Heavens Palace gongfa, yet your cultivation is still like this. Have you been lazy?”
Tang Zhaoxue leaned against the bark, remaining silent, lowering her head to receive the lecture, her slender hands clutching her skirt.
“I had great expectations for you at first, but now you’re making me a little disappointed.”
“Although we are sisters, I am currently managing the Nine Heavens Palace on behalf of the Main Wife.”
“You must cultivate well, do you hear me?” Su Yingman urged.
Tang Zhaoxue nodded quickly: “I know, I will definitely cultivate well.”
Her heart was filled with both trepidation and anticipation, as if she had returned to the time when she was being lectured by her Honored Master.
Su Yingman was very satisfied with the obedient little Sect Leader in front of her, feeling she was particularly easy to control.
She glanced at her long dress and kicked it twice.
Jiang Huai slowly turned his head and looked at the smiling Su Yingman, only able to squeeze out a flattering smirk:
“Ying… Yingman…”
Su Yingman’s smile remained unchanged, her tone gentle:
“Come out, my Husband Lord.” “Hiding in such a place, where is the decorum?”
As she spoke, she leaned over slightly, reached out her other hand, and pulled Jiang Huai out irreproachably, her gaze still gentle.
Su Yingman freed her hand, took out a plain silk handkerchief from her bosom, and gently wiped Jiang Huai’s cheeks and the corners of his mouth. Her voice was soft, like pity mixed with a playful scolding:
“Look at you, what have you turned yourself into?”
“As the Saint Son of my sect and our future hope, how can you deign to hide under a “maidservant’s” skirt to do such things?”
But Jiang Huai frowned slightly, turned his head to avoid her handkerchief, and subconsciously countered:
“She is not a maidservant anymore.”
Qingqiu was no longer by his side, so he had already automatically promoted Tang Zhaoxue to be a ‘Turning Official’.
Leaves fell to the ground, the cool breeze brushed past, and water dripped between stones.
Any tiny sound that could be made caused Tang Zhaoxue’s legs to weaken, and she looked around in fear.
Even though her reason told her that with Su Yingman’s cultivation, if someone could truly break through the barrier to see this scene, it could only be White Dew.
Su Yingman’s attention seemed to have completely returned to Jiang Huai.
She spoke in soft, gentle words, her fingertips light, whispering to Jiang Huai.
They were like a loving couple, as if no one else was there.
She simply ignored Tang Zhaoxue, who was trembling slightly in the night breeze, as if she were just an insignificant ornament.
“Husband Lord…”