“Achoo!”
On Heaven Mist Peak, within a secluded chamber, Jiang Wan’er, who was immersed in silent cultivation, suddenly couldn’t hold back a sneeze.
Why do I feel like someone’s talking about me?
She raised her head in confusion, frowning slightly, her spiritual sense faintly alert.
For a cultivator of her realm, it made no sense to suddenly sneeze without reason.
Someone must be muttering about me!
But who could it be?
She pinched her slender fingers and calculated for a while, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t divine any clue.
Ever since the Heavenly Laws fell into chaos and the Heavenly Dao was veiled, no one could calculate a clear result anymore.
Ah, how vexing.
The young girl rested her fragrant cheek on her hand, irritation overflowing in her eyes.
It’s nothing for some petty person to grumble about me behind my back.
But before, I could always clearly divine what that dumb Master was up to, and now I can’t see a thing.
Now that’s a big problem~
She pouted unhappily.
Now even Master won’t allow me to descend the mountain, let alone sneak off to see that dumb Master.
Just a few days ago, I finally managed to prepare some Immortal Path Supplies, and took advantage of a dark, windy night to secretly deliver them to that dumb Master.
Who would’ve thought he wouldn’t be there? That Wooden Hut was thick with dust, obviously abandoned for some time.
Thinking about how she’d braved the risk of being scolded by Master, and even had to pester that Third Senior Sister—who was the very epitome of a busybody—for ages, just to get a chance to go down the mountain.
But in the end, she didn’t get to see that dumb Master.
At that time, Jiang Wan’er had almost burst into tears on the spot.
Lying on her wooden bed, she reminisced about the past, when suddenly a thought floated up in her heart.
Why not… why not tidy up this place?
That’s right, in those storybooks, aren’t the wives who wait at home for their husbands supposed to watch over the house?
Just thinking of wife and home and such made Jiang Waner’s pretty face flush completely red.
No, no, no! That dumb Master would get the wrong idea!
I’m the sect’s Saintess, what if he tries to take advantage of that—what if he really asks me to be…
Ah!
She buried her head in the pillow, pounding it with her fists in shame and frustration, as if taking the pillow for a certain someone. As she hit it, she muttered, “Don’t you dare take advantage of me, dumb Master, I—I won’t agree, ever.”
A long time passed before she finally lifted her head, her cheeks still rosy.
I—I’m not his wife, but I am his junior sister, aren’t I.
It’s only natural for a junior sister to help tidy up the house, right?
Consoling herself thus, she started casting the Cleansing Spell, cleaning the Wooden Hut.
After a while, she seemed to feel that using spells lacked sincerity, so she simply picked up a broom and a rag, like a mortal girl, diligently cleaning every corner. From time to time she would murmur:
“A mirror would be best right here, so I can fix my hair…”
“This wardrobe’s way too small, it can’t hold my clothes.” “The bed’s so narrow, what if one day…”
Ah, Jiang Wan’er, what nonsense are you thinking!
She hurriedly stopped herself from entertaining such thoughts that absolutely must not be heard by anyone else.
After all her hard work, a spotless new Wooden Hut stood before her eyes.
Hmph, see how clever and skillful I am.
Jiang Wan’er stood in the middle of the room, looking around in satisfaction.
If you marry me in the future, you’ll really live a life of luxury.
Ah, why am I thinking this again—Jiang Wan’er, have you gone mad!
She spat at herself, but suddenly thought—if Master comes back, how would he know it was me who cleaned up?
No, no! I can’t let anyone else claim the credit!
So she quickly took out a slip of paper, pondering for a moment, and prepared to write: “Dumb Master, look at your room, a mere common cultivator really is disgusting! Considering your decent performance that day on Heaven Mist Peak, I’ll reluctantly help you clean up a bit!”
But just as her brush touched the paper, the mark on her lower abdomen flared with heat.
Her crooked handwriting, against her will, turned into: Dumb Master, I miss you so much. Left by Jiang Wan’er.
Ah!
Startled and mortified, she hurriedly erased the words.
Damn Luozhilan, damn this mark.
Can’t I even write properly anymore?
Holding the slip in her hand, she brooded for a long while, finally having no choice but to crush it to powder with her spiritual power, stuffing it all into her Storage Bag.
Sitting on the wooden bed, Jiang Wan’er’s eyes were tinged with a hard-to-describe sadness.
So from now on, I’ll only be able to say those mortifying words to that dumb Master?
But—but that dumb Master once said he liked it when I scolded him…
The young girl curled up on her wooden bed, her thoughts drifting back to her past.
Back then, she’d just been chosen as the sect’s Saintess, newly appointed.
Joy, confusion, unease.
At first, she’d behaved as willfully as at home.
But all she received were disappointed looks and earnest teachings:
“As the Saintess, you must always be perfect.
Cultivation, character, appearance, even every word and action.”
She was forced to change her old bad temper. No matter how impatient, no matter how angry, she had to pretend to be understanding and kind.
Sure enough, that time, she won everyone’s approval.
So Jiang Wan’er laid a veil over her true self, burying it deep inside.
Only occasionally, when she was truly at her wits’ end, would she secretly go to Spirit Beast Peak and, facing the Beast Pen full of fat, stupid pigs, imagine them as all those annoying faces and scold them soundly, venting the pressure pent up inside.
Sometimes the target was Master, but more often it was her Senior Sisters.
Then that day, after being reprimanded by Elder Sister for slacking off in cultivation, made to memorize spell manuals by Second Elder Sister, and worst of all Third Senior Sister, who broke up with her Dao Companion every month and came crying to her, only to get back together and show off two days later.
So annoying!
That night she’d gone to Spirit Beast Peak and let loose a tirade at the three dumb pigs in the Beast Pen.
Once she was done venting and about to leave—
Crack! The sound of a snapping branch caught her attention.
Someone’s spying!
Panic seized her—if anyone saw her acting so un-Saintess-like, her reputation would be ruined!
She mobilized her spiritual power, grabbing the would-be escapee in a flash.
She saw it was a young man she’d caught—tall, handsome, with straight brows and star-bright eyes, righteous and dashing, just like a hero from a storybook.
But—he was just an Outer Sect Disciple?
Staring at his outer sect robe, Jiang Wan’er wondered how he’d snuck into the Spirit Beast Peak’s Inner Mountain Forbidden Area.
After all, not everyone had the unrestricted access she did.
Still, since he was just an Outer Sect Disciple…
If he disappeared quietly, probably no one would notice, right?
Jiang Wan’er’s gaze grew dark.
Of course, she wasn’t so cruel as to kill at the slightest offense.
But destroying his soul so he’d never speak again—Jiang Wan’er did consider that.
To trespass in such a forbidden place, let the Saintess be the one to punish him!
What a shame—a face like that, doomed to a life of silence!
Just as she was about to act, the Outer Sect Disciple stood up, as if mustering all his courage, and said, “Fairy, you’re so cute!”
Huh?
Jiang Wan’er thought she’d misheard, so she asked, “What did you say?”
“I said, Fairy, you’re so cute!” The Outer Sect Disciple’s expression was earnest and sincere. “Fairy, when you’re scolding people, you’re absolutely adorable.”
No, no, that’s not right!
“Don’t you know who I am?” I’m the sect’s Saintess!
But the disciple before her seemed utterly unfazed by her status, simply focusing on her as he said, “What does it matter who you are? I just think you’re really cute, that’s all.”
“Nonsense!” Such embarrassing words made Jiang Wan’er’s face flush bright red.
But after years of dealing with unruly Outer Sect Disciples, she never failed to suspect their worst motives: “You just saw me scolding those pigs and now you’re saying this because you’re afraid I’ll punish you, aren’t you?”
Yes, that must be it—another smooth-talking liar!
Jiang Wan’er made up her mind about this disciple, and any hesitation in her heart vanished:
“Fine, fine! Now your crimes include being a silver-tongued liar!”
Yet the Outer Sect Disciple showed no fear at her threat. Instead, he shook his head and said earnestly,
“I mean every word, it’s the truth—how could I lie about this?”
The disciple grew more and more passionate as he spoke, going on at length. Jiang Wan’er stood there, dumbfounded, unable to help nodding along.
How—how does he understand me so well?
For the first time, Jiang Wan’er felt truly understood.
The Outer Sect Disciple became more and more animated, as if swearing an oath, as if discussing the Dao, but even more, as if making a confession!
Jiang Wan’er’s heart, too, began to stir with excitement.
She sized him up, a new light sparkling in her beautiful eyes.
“What’s your name?” Her tightly clenched hands relaxed, and she asked softly.
“Li—Limuqun.”
Limuqun.
Jiang Wan’er engraved this name deep in her heart.
“Remember what you said today—for your entire life.”
Moonlight slanted across Jiang Wan’er, who looked up, her gaze drifting into the distance.
Dumb Master, Wan’er will remember for a lifetime, too.
At the same time, deep in Luozhilan’s sea of consciousness on Congealed Fat Peak—
In the midst of a musical ensemble, Limuqun suddenly shivered, nearly collapsing as his knees went weak.
“Hey, hey, hey! What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
Zuo Qiuli’s voice of reproach rang out. As the organizer, she had only just joined the ensemble, and before she could even hit a decent high note, the lead male singer had lost his voice.
She was quite displeased.
“N-nothing.” Limuqun did his best to stand straight. “It just felt like someone was muttering about me.”
“You’re overthinking things. Hurry up and keep playing.”
The organizer reached out and forcefully pulled him back into the ensemble.