Night fell, the bright moon hung high, and a gentle breeze brushed across the clear lake surface, slipping through the half-open window into the small blue-tiled building. The faint candlelight flickered in response.
A breathtakingly beautiful girl curled up beneath a brocade quilt, sleeping soundly. Her delicate face tilted slightly, resembling a blossoming peach or plum, while her silvery-white hair spilled over the pillow like fresh winter snow.
The Spirit Boat could travel a thousand miles in a day. Although the Mo Residence and the Moonshadow Sect were far apart, it took just over an hour to travel between them.
After returning to the sect, Mo Xiaonian felt somewhat weary and left without even a greeting. Ever since her deep conversation with Mo Xulin, her heart had been restless.
Gu Shenzhi naturally noticed something amiss, but since his wife was leaning on his shoulder, he paid it no mind.
All along, the Scarlet Lotus Saintess rested her head on his lap. She had been asleep for two and a half hours, yet surprisingly had not sobered up.
Suddenly, a hand gently nudged the Scarlet Lotus Saintess, still immersed in dreams.
Su Linghuang let out a soft, contented hum, turned her delicate body, her cherry lips parting as she mumbled half-awake, “Husband~ Huang’er still wants to sleep a little longer.”
Hearing this, the woman in black sitting on the edge of the bed did not immediately respond but furrowed her brow. “Is this how you usually play with my beloved disciple?”
“The Scarlet Lotus Saintess is drunk. Normally, she would never behave like this.” Gu Shenzhi cupped his hands respectfully and bowed as he answered.
A familiar voice entered her ears. Su Linghuang, facing the wall, immediately opened her eyes wide, her pupils dilating. She propped herself up quickly and said respectfully, “I didn’t expect Master to grace us with your presence today. Your disciple Linghuang failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me.”
She then glanced at Gu Shenzhi with a look full of grievance, as if blaming him for not warning her of her master’s arrival.
Mu Zhonghua, the Sect Leader of the Moonshadow Sect, lounged sideways on a soft mat, dressed simply in a black bamboo Daoist robe. His figure was tall and graceful, and he smiled as he reached out to poke his disciple’s forehead.
“I do not blame Linghuang. I merely came to see if someone had been bullying you these days.”
After speaking, Mu Zhonghua’s expression shifted, his eyes cold as they swept toward the black-robed youth.
With a delicate hand, he brushed his duster, the strands of it carrying a faint yet unmistakable killing intent.
“Your talent is exceptional, Scarlet Lotus Saintess, your genius world-shaking. Born with the Divine Wind bloodline, how could someone like me dare bully you?”
Gu Shenzhi replied with a hint of guilt, cold sweat already soaking his back. Reflecting on his actions, he considered himself lucky not to have been skinned alive or left a corpse tonight.
“Gu Gongzi is a rare genius in swordsmanship, cultivating at an astonishing speed. Blessed with immortal destiny, among the young generation of Muyun Continent, you are likely the only one capable of bullying Linghuang.” Mu Zhonghua chuckled lightly, a dangerously sharp curve playing on his cherry lips.
The atmosphere gradually grew awkward. Even someone thick-skinned like Gu Shenzhi found it embarrassing to deny having bullied the Scarlet Lotus Saintess. In truth, he not only bullied her but often enjoyed it, feeling no remorse.
Seeing the black-robed youth like this, Mu Zhonghua could roughly guess the truth. Raising his slender hand with the duster, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew open the small window behind Gu Shenzhi.
“Gu Gongzi has never bullied my disciple. Linghuang begs Master… spare him.”
The Scarlet Lotus Saintess stepped in front of Gu Shenzhi, pleading on his behalf.
“Earlier, didn’t you call him husband? Why now is it Gu Gongzi?” Mu Zhonghua’s face grew stern, displeased.
“My disciple was drunk just now. Words said in drunkenness don’t count,” Su Linghuang muttered softly. “Gu Gongzi has never bullied Linghuang. Any slightly improper actions were always discussed with me first.”
The girl’s cheeks were stained with a tempting flush, uncertain if it was from bashfulness, guilt over deceiving her master, or a mixture of both.
Though she felt a slight grievance toward Gu Shenzhi, she wanted to settle this grudge her own way, not by relying on her master’s power.
Right, she wasn’t protecting that scoundrel out of favoritism!
Su Linghuang thought silently, desperately searching for an excuse to justify her protective behavior and preserve her meager pride.
Hearing his disciple speak to him like this, Mu Zhonghua sighed softly and remarked, “Once you have a husband, you don’t need your master anymore.”
“Not at all. You have always been the best master under heaven in my heart. Even if you wanted to drive me away, Linghuang would never leave.” The Scarlet Lotus Saintess spoke sincerely.
“Eh, did you hear everything I just said?”
“Reporting to Sect Leader Mu, I heard it all clearly. I will never disappoint Lady Su from now on.”
Though Gu Shenzhi was fickle and fond of novelty, he never abandoned those he truly cared for and always took responsibility.
“How much do you believe your own words, Gu Gongzi?”
Mu Zhonghua then held his duster and slowly stood, walking toward the black-robed youth. With each step, his imposing aura intensified.
“Seventy percent,” Gu Shenzhi answered decisively, without hesitation.
“And the remaining thirty?”
Mu Zhonghua arched a slender brow, a hint of doubt in his voice.
“The rest depends on whether I continue forward, on whether I can surpass a certain woman.”
“Are you afraid I will take your life?”
Gu Shenzhi chuckled lightly and replied, “It would not be difficult for Sect Leader Mu to kill me. But if you truly wanted to, how would I still be alive now? So tonight, you won’t kill me, just give me a warning.”
“I remember telling you before: to be clever means not to be too clever.” Mu Zhonghua said coldly. “Since you are sure I won’t kill you, who is this woman you want to surpass?”
“Fairy Bai Qi.”
Mu Zhonghua did not rush to mock his arrogance but instead questioned the black-robed youth.
“Fairy Bai Qi is the Sect Leader of the Spirit Sword Sect, in the late Return Void stage of cultivation. Wielding the Heavenly Rank Spirit Sword ‘Ao Shuang,’ even I can hardly rival her. What qualification do you have to surpass her?”
“Because of my top-tier spirit roots, the immortal sword techniques passed down from Sword Immortal Yi, and my double pupils!” Gu Shenzhi removed his silk scarf, revealing dark purple eyes as deep as the sea, radiating an even more mysterious aura.
“Lastly… because I am her only direct disciple.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Zhonghua turned to look at Su Linghuang. Seeing that his disciple’s expression remained calm, he judged that Gu Shenzhi must have already told her about the secret of the ‘Double Sleep Eyes.’
Though he had not expected Su Linghuang to fall so deeply in love, at least Gu Shenzhi’s step of falling for her had not been wrong.
“Why do you hate her so much? Having such an elegant, peerless, and stunningly beautiful master—wouldn’t that be a blessing for ordinary people?” Mu Zhonghua asked after a moment of thought.
“Just because the world is like this, does that mean I have to be as well?!” Gu Shenzhi retorted. He did not want too many people to know about that rainy night three years ago. This was his own grievance with his master.
The feud began with him and should be ended by him.