Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 363 350: Lin Qianyan Becomes Suspicious of Pei Yuhang's Senior Martial Sister

By the Lotus Pond, a gentle breeze rustled, sending ripples across the turquoise water as a few pink and white petals twirled down onto its surface.

Lin Qianyan, dressed in a robe whiter than snow, sat silently upon a verdant stone in the center of the pond. Her eyes were gently closed, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows in the sunlight. She looked like a Fairy from a classic ink wash painting—cool, aloof, and utterly transcendent.

Pei Xiaohan approached along the mossy path by the pond, a gilt-edged invitation in hand. Seeing that her master was still in meditation, she lightened her steps.

Lin Qianyan did not open her eyes. Her rosy lips parted slightly. "Xiaopei, what is it?"

"Master, it's an invitation from Fairy Ye of the Cold Palace Sword Mansion. She's hosting a banquet to celebrate successfully overcoming her Thunder Tribulation and has invited us to attend."

'So Ye Liyuan has finally overcome her Heart Demon… In that case, this should be a weight off Brother Pei's mind.'

Lin Qianyan slowly opened her eyes. She took the invitation, her fingertips gently caressing the gilt patterns. Suddenly, her gentle tone became laced with an icy chill.

"Is Shang Miaoyan going?"

"…"

Pei Xiaohan clicked her tongue. 'As expected,' she thought. 'Now, whenever the Cold Palace Sword Mansion is mentioned, Master immediately has to ask about that Saintess from the Yin Yang Sacred Land?'

'Sigh, I have no idea what Shang Miaoyan did to earn Master's ire. For her to make my usually detached Master harbor such a deep-seated grudge is truly something else.'

"In reply to Master, the Business Saintess is still in seclusion, with no signs of emerging… However, Fairy Ye did invite Lu Ruoxi, an Elder from the Dan Yun Pavilion and the senior sister of both her and Elder Pei."

"Lu Ruoxi… Is that the senior sister who often has Junior Brother Pei go over to her home to help?"

Lin Qianyan's red lips parted as she slowly enunciated the name, a glint of coldness flashing in the depths of her eyes.

"Since she's going, we'll go too."

The pond water suddenly stirred without a breeze, sending out subtle ripples. A few floating water lilies were pushed aside by an invisible force, seemingly cowed by the Suppression she had inadvertently released.

Watching her master's aura turn somewhat terrifying again, Pei Xiaohan's heart ached.

'Master wasn't so quick to anger in the past. She was such a gentle, magnanimous Fairy… It's all Elder Pei's fault!'

'Ever since she returned from the Northern Desert, Master has become paranoid and suspicious of every woman around Elder Pei!'

Looking at Lin Qianyan, who was consumed with jealousy over a married man, Pei Xiaohan's resolve to separate her from Pei Yuhang hardened.

…

…

Inside the Dan Yun Pavilion, candlelight flickered, bathing the entire room in a brilliant glow.

Lu Ruoxi stood before her wardrobe, meticulously selecting an outfit.

Her slender fingers brushed across rows of silks and satins, pausing on a moon-white Immortal Skirt before lightly skimming past a crabapple-red, cross-collared robe.

'What style should I go for? Something more seductive, more cool and aloof, or something more innocent and girlish?'

'Junior Brother Pei would probably prefer the girlish look, but that style doesn't really show off my best assets…'

'It's all Junior Brother Pei's fault. He didn't even bother to let me, his senior sister, know he was safely back at the Dao Sect. And now he suddenly invites me to the Cold Palace Sword Mansion, leaving me to prepare on such short notice!'

At the thought of Pei Yuhang waiting for her at the mansion, Lu Ruoxi touched a slender, pale finger to her shimmering pink lips, a restless glimmer dancing in her beautiful eyes.

But for the chance to see her beloved Junior Brother Pei at the Cold Palace Sword Mansion… and to congratulate Junior Sister Ye, of course.

She had no choice but to suppress her eagerness to see him and focus on getting herself ready.

As the saying goes, lovers reunited after a long separation are like dry kindling and a raging fire.

'If I dress up nicely and manage to stun Junior Brother Pei, then tonight, after I get Liyuan drunk, couldn't we…'

Lu Ruoxi's breathing quickened. As she fantasized about the wonderful night she would spend with Junior Brother Pei after getting Liyuan drunk, she selected a seafoam-green Smoke Gauze Skirt.

The skirt's color, like a clear sky after a rain, made her skin seem fairer than snow and added to her refined, ethereal beauty. It possessed both the vibrant youth of a young maiden and the poised elegance of a mature woman.

When tied with its silk sash, it accentuated her slender waist—one that could be spanned by a single hand. The bodice above was full and ample, perfectly shaped without looking bulky in the slightest.

For her legs, Lu Ruoxi chose a pair of Silk Stockings, white with just a hint of pink.

The stockings were as thin as mist, faintly revealing the supple complexion of her skin. They were like freshly bloomed peach petals wrapped in morning frost—a delicate, fleshy pink seen through a layer of white.

They were undeniably alluring.

Beneath this demure exterior, Lu Ruoxi wore a pair of incredibly bold and seductive red "Victory Underpants."

Once Liyuan was passed out drunk tonight, she would reveal this bold, passionate side of herself to Junior Brother Pei!

'If I go see Junior Brother Pei looking like this… he'll definitely feel something!'

Lu Ruoxi gave her dark hair one last look in the mirror. After confirming that everything was perfect, she pushed open the door, ready to head for the Cold Palace Sword Mansion.

"Xiaoxuan."

Lu Ruoxi summoned her Pill Boy and said, "I'm going out for a while and might not be back until tomorrow morning. If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I'm in seclusion focusing on Alchemy and turn them away."

Chen Sixuan gave a small nod, but looking at the dazzlingly dressed Lu Fairy, she hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to ask, "Master, are you going to the Cold Palace Sword Mansion to see Junior Martial Uncle Pei?"

"Mm."

Lu Ruoxi hummed softly in reply.

"Master, I don't know who's stirring up trouble, but lately, rumors about you and Junior Martial Uncle Pei have been spreading throughout the Dan Yun Pavilion… If you go looking for him now, with all this gossip, won't you just be giving them more to talk about?"

Chen Sixuan said with concern.

Faced with her disciple's worried words, Lu Ruoxi's expression remained serene.

'If even Chen Sixuan and the lowest-ranking apprentices knew about the gossip, how could she, an Elder of the Dan Yun Pavilion, possibly be unaware of it?'

But Lu Ruoxi subscribed to the principle of not making a move until it could be a decisive one. She wouldn't act rashly until she had completely rooted out the person behind the rumors.

So she immediately reassured the anxious Chen Sixuan, telling her not to worry.

"Ahem, I'm just going to visit my fellow disciple. My conduct is proper and I have nothing to hide, so what's there to be afraid of? You can rest assured."

"As for the person slandering my reputation and Junior Brother Pei's behind our backs, I'll find her sooner or later!"

A vicious glint flashed in Lu Ruoxi's beautiful eyes. Without another word to Chen Sixuan, she summoned an Immortal Crane and rode it toward the Cold Palace Sword Mansion.

As she neared the Cold Palace Sword Mansion, Lu Ruoxi was surprised to spot an exquisite Spiritual Ship in the distance, also seemingly headed in the same direction.

Lu Ruoxi's eyes narrowed, her mind racing.

'Judging by its design, that Spiritual Ship must belong to a Female Cultivator.'

'Besides me, another Female Cultivator is on her way to the Cold Palace Sword Mansion to congratulate Master Ye on her breakthrough…?'

'That can't be right. The only two people Junior Sister Ye is close to in the Dao Sect are myself and that shameless woman, Shang Miaoyan.'

'Shang Miaoyan is currently in seclusion.'

'So who could this woman be?'

An inexplicable sense of foreboding washed over Lu Ruoxi.

'I have a feeling my plan to get Liyuan drunk and enjoy a wonderful night with Junior Brother Pei is about to hit a snag…'