Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 197 - 196: Peeping

"Who is that woman?"

'Master is... no, impossible. I must be having a nightmare or caught in some kind of Illusion Technique!'

'Hee hee, this has to be fake!'

As Yu Xiaoyan watched the scene in the snow, her mind buzzed as if a hundred thousand Thunder Shocking Pearls had exploded in her Sea of Consciousness.

She felt an absurd sensation, as if her soul was detaching from her body, about to float away.

Pei Yuhang, the Cold Sun Sword Immortal, whose name was renowned throughout the Dao Sect for his pure love.

She had personally witnessed how fervently her master had protected her mistress after she was injured.

Yet today, that history of pure love, that unwavering devotion, all seemed to have become a joke.

'How could this be—'

Yu Xiaoyan lay in the snowy bushes, silently staring at the white landscape ahead, not even noticing the two streams of tears running down her own face.

"Yu Gu Nan, am I having a nightmare? Or am I under an Illusion Technique?"

'I'm sorry, Xiaoxiao. I've already confirmed it. This is the cruel reality...'

From within her Heart Lake, Yu Gu Nan watched the woman ahead, her eyes narrowing.

She recognized that face.

After all, news that Saintess Shang Miaoyan would be visiting the Xuanyuan Dao Sect had been stirred into a frenzy over the past two days, and portraits of the peerless beauty had circulated throughout the entire Dao Sect.

Now, seeing her in person, Shang Miaoyan was even more beautiful than in the portraits, a perfect embodiment of what it meant to be "feminine."

Her soul-stirring figure made even Yu Gu Nan feel inadequate.

She had never believed in true love to begin with, so she wasn't too surprised that Pei Yuhang would get involved with such a beauty.

In the presence of a woman like that, sometimes you couldn't blame a man for his lack of restraint; you could only blame the beauty for being too wanton.

Her only curiosity now was whether the woman who had given their master a million Spirit Stones during the Sect competition—and had included the "easter egg" of risqué underwear in the Jiezhi Storage Ring—was Shang Miaoyan.

If so... it seemed their master had been with Shang Miaoyan behind his wife's back for a very long time.

Yu Gu Nan sighed with mixed emotions. She looked at the heartbroken Yu Xiaoyan, whose pure image of love had been shattered, and asked:

'Xiaoxiao, do you want to stop them? If you just use a Transmission Token and make up an excuse to see him, Master will most likely be able to get away.'

"I... I don't know..."

Huddled in the snowy bushes, Yu Xiaoyan continued her pathetic peeping, knowing full well there was no point in watching. She was just rubbing salt in her own wounds.

But—

Like a magnet, the scene unfolding in the snow held Yu Xiaoyan's eyes captive, making it impossible for her to look away.

Her eyes widened as she stared at her master's expression.

It was as if she wanted to sear this moment into her mind forever.

At this moment, as Yu Xiaoyan gazed at her beloved master, she felt not only extreme sorrow but also a strange sliver of pleasure.

This cold, hidden voyeurism, this twisted perspective of witnessing the usually pure and noble Sword Immortal revealed as someone long since decadent and fallen... it gave Yu Xiaoyan an unprecedented thrill.

At this time, Yu Gu Nan didn't notice that her sister seemed to be awakening a rather unfortunate fetish.

She just thought that after Yu Xiaoyan's belief in pure love had crumbled, she was now completely lost. To help Yu Xiaoyan pull herself together, she offered some words of comfort:

'Xiaoxiao, you might think everything is over, that Master's grand and noble image is gone forever, but on the contrary, this is a good thing...

Our master isn't a true gentleman, which means this could be your chance. Think about it, if Master truly only had eyes for his wife, then you would never have a day to rise up.

But now, not only do you have a chance, you have a great one...'

'Xiaoxiao, do you get it?'

"Mm."

Yu Xiaoyan grunted in response, but in reality... she hadn't heard a single word.

Her entire attention was completely captivated by the scene below. How could she have any energy to spare for Yu Gu Nan's pep talk?

Yu Xiaoyan's throat bobbed. Her mouth was dry, so she popped the Ice Crystal Fruit she had just gathered between her lips. While quenching her thirst, she continued to spy on her master's shameful side...

She suddenly felt that her master, no longer a high and mighty Flower on the Cliff, had fallen into the Mortal World. He was no longer someone to be admired from afar, but someone she could actually... play with up close.

...

...

The Demon-Planting Mark on Pei Yuhang's brow dimmed. Expressionless, he pushed Shang Miaoyan aside and began to clean the area with snow.

Shang Miaoyan had completely calmed down by now. Recalling her madness in forcing herself on Xiaohan again, she hugged her arms. She didn't need to guess to know that Pei Yuhang certainly detested her even more now.

But on second thought, Xiaohan's affection for her was already in the negatives, so dropping a few dozen more points didn't seem like a big deal.

After reaching this shameless conclusion, Shang Miaoyan felt as if the world had suddenly opened up.

But no matter how thick-skinned Shang Miaoyan was, she knew she had to offer Xiaohan some compensation.

While getting dressed, she took a small, cyan jar from her Jiezhi Storage Ring and held it out to Pei Yuhang.

Pei Yuhang glanced at it and sneered, "What's this? Are you buying me?"

"No, Xiaohan, there's no need to use such words to degrade our relationship...

This is a meeting gift for your Dao Companion. It contains Celestial Spirit Liquid, which can cleanse the marrow and refine the bones. For a Cultivator below the Golden Core Stage, it's the perfect spiritual liquid to improve one's physical aptitude.

Your Dao Companion is starting her cultivation over. After her severe injuries, her aptitude is surely worse than before. This Celestial Spirit Liquid is perfect for her."

"Of course, if you think this thing is tainted, you can just smash it. In any case, I've given it to you. Whether you give it to Ye Liyuan is your own choice.

But if you do smash it, then you'll really have let me sleep with you for free, you know~"

Shang Miaoyan smiled and winked at Pei Yuhang, but he turned his head away, refusing to meet her gaze.

Seeing that Pei Yuhang was ignoring her, the Business Saintess pouted and prepared to leave.

"I won't be heading back to eat with you all. Remember to say goodbye to Sister Liyuan for me~ I was—very satisfied—with the Cold Palace Sword Mansion's hospitality today~!"

As Shang Miaoyan's voice faded into the distance, Pei Yuhang looked back at the small, cyan jar lying in the snow. His hand hesitated, reaching for the jar only to pause in mid-air, but in the end, he picked it up.

'That damned vixen, she really knows how to manipulate me! You already said it would be a great help to Liyuan's cultivation, so how could I possibly bear to smash it!'

Pei Yuhang cursed inwardly, then stood up, preparing to return to his Dao Companion.