Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 238 - 236: The "Old Seniors" Are Very "Fond of" Yueqiu

"Well, if it isn't Sister Yueqiu. It's been so long, I almost didn't recognize you," Shang Miaoyan said, chuckling softly behind her hand.

"You must be joking, Elder Shang. This is the first time I've ever met you."

Qing Yueqiu didn't know about Shang Miaoyan's alternate identity, "Shui'Er." For her, this was the first time she had formally met Shang Miaoyan.

Shang Miaoyan had almost forgotten about that. She quickly changed the subject with a beaming smile.

"Sister Yueqiu, you really must stop calling me 'Elder.' Miaoyan is good friends with your Master and Mistress. Calling me 'Elder' sounds so distant.

Just call me Sister Miaoyan~"

But Lu Ruoxi, standing nearby, had no intention of letting Shang Miaoyan, that old fox spirit, get away with the slip-up she'd just made.

She looked at Shang Miaoyan and asked in a puzzled tone, "Isn't this your first time visiting the Xuanyuan Dao Sect, Holy Daughter? But from the way you speak, it sounds as if you've known my Junior Brother Pei and Little Yueqiu for a long time."

"Don't tell me you and Junior Brother Pei knew each other from long ago?"

Hearing Lu Ruoxi's sudden question, which hit on such a critical point, Pei Yuhang felt a chill run down his spine.

'Senior Sister Lu must never find out about my past with Shang Miaoyan!'

And so, under Shang Miaoyan's smiling gaze, Pei Yuhang quickly explained,

"I once explored a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land left behind by an Ancient Cultivator, and it was there that I happened to meet the Holy Daughter."

"Oh, I see. So the Holy Daughter and Junior Brother Pei really are old acquaintances. No wonder you specifically requested for Junior Brother Pei to greet you after arriving at the Dao Sect."

"..."

Pei Yuhang couldn't shake the feeling that Senior Sister Lu's words were a veiled criticism of him. He felt even more guilty, and his initial desire to ask how she'd been cooled.

'Her words... She's definitely blaming me, isn't she?'

'It seems that after what happened that day, Senior Sister really does hate me after all.'

'After all, it was her chastity I ruined. How could she truly be as unbothered as she seems on the surface?'

Pei Yuhang's guilt toward his Senior Sister deepened.

"..."

Qing Yueqiu's gaze shifted back and forth between Pei Yuhang, Shang Miaoyan, and Lu Ruoxi. Then, her crimson eyes narrowed.

'Anyone who wasn't a fool could see there was some history between this man and these two women.'

'Master... So it's true. It wasn't just Ji Xichan and Junior Sister Ye he's been intimate with!'

'Especially this One Sect Saintess, who I suspect used her power and wealth to summon Master in the middle of the night to... *serve* her...'

'The... techniques of the Yin Yang Sacred Land's female cultivators are world-renowned. If the ordinary disciples are already that wild, one can only imagine what their Saintess is like.'

'I can't imagine it... My master, as handsome as a banished immortal, being... explored by this bewitching woman, subjected to who knows how many perverse techniques...'

As one terrible image after another flashed through her mind, the Killing Momentum within Qing Yueqiu began to surge uncontrollably.

But thankfully, she hadn't lost her reason. She knew she lacked the strength to confront Shang Miaoyan head-on right now. In both Cultivation and status, she was completely outmatched. If she offended her, she might even force her master to go and plead for mercy in the woman's bed...

That kind of humiliating, frustrating outcome, one that would strip her of all dignity as a woman, was something Qing Yueqiu could never accept.

But the young woman wasn't about to show weakness and hand her master over just because of Shang Miaoyan's power and influence.

The young woman was well-versed in the art of war. She understood that in a situation where the enemy was strong and she was weak, she had to unite all possible allies to achieve a strategic balance.

And so, she turned to Lu Ruoxi at her side and said respectfully,

"Lu Fairy, it has been a long time. I am very grateful for the Magical Treasure you gave me at the Dan Yun Pavilion last time. It was a great help during the Sect competition."

"Think nothing of it. You're Junior Brother Pei's disciple. With my relationship with him, I naturally see you as my own personal disciple as well. Gifting you a few Magical Treasures is no big deal."

Lu Ruoxi was delighted to see Qing Yueqiu showing signs of "allying" with her. Although this little girl had just subtly mocked her cultivation age, her current submissiveness gave Lu Ruoxi a greater sense of accomplishment in "winning over" this rival.

She generously took out several more Magical Treasures with extraordinary auras and gifted them to Qing Yueqiu.

"Yueqiu, the Kunlun Mountain Range Secret Realm you're about to explore has an extraordinary origin. This is actually the Dao Sect's second time exploring it.

The last expedition was a hundred years ago. The Sect sent twenty Nascent Soul disciples. While their strength might not compare to your group's, they were still prodigies of the Sect. In the end, only three of them returned. You must be extremely careful."

Shang Miaoyan hadn't expected Qing Yueqiu to ally herself with Lu Ruoxi so quickly, in what seemed like a clear attempt to "isolate" her.

Unwilling to be outdone, when it came to "showing off wealth," as the Saintess of a great Sacred Land, there were few in the entire world who could surpass her!

"Sister Yueqiu, that Kunlun Mountain Range Secret Realm is so dangerous. How could a few Magical Treasures possibly be enough?"

As Shang Miaoyan spoke, she took out stack after stack of Divine Talismans. They covered every conceivable purpose—escape techniques, lethal attacks, defense, array formations—causing the other Nascent Soul disciples watching from afar to stare wide-eyed.

'This... Is this the power of connections and wealth?'

'Damn it! Why don't we have an Elder or a Saintess as our backer?!'

Qing Yueqiu never imagined she could gain so many treasures with just a few words. It seemed her master's influence over these women was even greater than she had thought.

But the more they acted like this, the more Qing Yueqiu felt that these Magical Treasures and Divine Talismans were tainted. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were bought with her master's body...

Just then, Qing Yueqiu felt a warmth cover her shoulder.

"Yueqiu, just accept them."

"I want you to come back safely."

"...Yes, I'll listen to you, Master."

WHOOOOOOM—

The giant Spirit Ship let out a long blast of its horn, signaling its imminent departure. Qing Yueqiu knew that no matter how reluctant she was, it was time to go.

She put away the Magical Treasures and Divine Talismans, and then, right in front of Shang Miaoyan and Lu Ruoxi, she hugged her master tightly, as if trying to merge her very being into his.

"Master, wait for me to return... When I do, I hope you'll be able to accept me."

"..."

The young woman's warm, fragrant breath tickled his ear. By the time Pei Yuhang came to his senses, Qing Yueqiu had already taken a step and flown onto the Spirit Ship.

"Junior Brother Pei, your relationship with your disciple is a little too close, don't you think? Won't Junior Sister Ye get jealous when she finds out?"

"Pei Sword Immortal, your disciple seems to like you a little too much~ So master-disciple relationships at the Dao Sect are even more... open than at our Yin Yang Sacred Land, hmm?"

The teasing yet questioning voices of Lu Ruoxi and Shang Miaoyan rang out, snapping Pei Yuhang out of his melancholy and worry over the departure.

In that moment, he finally understood why the corners of that girl's lips had curled up as she left.

'She dug a pit for me even as she was leaving. When did my sweet Little Yueqiu become so thorny!!'