Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 53: Shang Miaoyan Confides in Sister Ye About a Heartless Man

Qing Yueqiu, who was at their side, had just finished brewing two cups of tea. She brought them over and placed them before Ye Liyuan and Shang Miaoyan.

When she heard her Mistress point out with a single glance that Senior Shui'Er's path wasn't the Yin Yang Dao, her heart filled with admiration.

'The first time I met Senior Shui'Er, I couldn't tell at all. Even though I sensed she was different from other Yin Yang Dao Female Cultivators, I didn't dare trust that counterintuitive feeling and confirm it.'

'Perhaps this is the gap between me and my Mistress... I'm really not good enough yet.'

After serving the tea, Qing Yueqiu took her leave from her Mistress and excused herself from the room.

'I have to cultivate even harder now.'

After Qing Yueqiu left, Shang Miaoyan nodded and said, "Fairy Ye is as perceptive as they say. I am indeed not a practitioner of the Yin Yang Dao. I cultivate the Jade Maiden Dao."

With that, Shang Miaoyan opened her palm. Spiritual Qi wove itself into a snow-white lotus that spun above her hand. In an instant, a refreshing, elegant fragrance filled the room.

For the first time, a look of stunned silence appeared on Ye Liyuan's face.

'A disciple of the Yin Yang Dao Sect is cultivating the celibate and ascetic Jade Maiden Dao... This is certainly unexpected.'

'What is this? "To emerge from mud, yet remain unstained; to be cleansed by ripples, yet not be wanton"?'

'Wait a minute...'

Ye Liyuan's eyes widened as she suddenly seemed to understand Shang Miaoyan's true goal.

'She's using the Yin Yang Sacred Land—a den of iniquity where desires run rampant—to temper her Pure Lotus Dao Heart!'

'If she truly succeeds, the moment she achieves Enlightenment Dao, another Great Power in the world of cultivation will emerge!'

Ye Liyuan had always admired Cultivators with powerful Dao Hearts, seeing them as the most respectable experts on the path of the Dao.

Shang Miaoyan had now earned her respect, filling Ye Liyuan with a sense of solemn admiration.

Shang Miaoyan chuckled softly and took a sip of tea. She knew Ye Liyuan had misunderstood, but this particular misunderstanding might not be a bad thing.

'Everyone knows that practitioners of the Jade Maiden Dao are celibate,' she thought. 'Because of this, Ye Liyuan might let her guard down around me in the future. I can wear this disguise and play some... interesting games with Xiaohan, right in front of Ye Liyuan's face.'

'To have your man stolen right under your nose by the person you'd least suspect... Heh, that would be a unique kind of thrill, wouldn't it~!'

Shang Miaoyan's gaze grew feverish. For some reason, she wished Pei Yuhang were here too.

Little did Ye Liyuan know that the woman for whom she now felt such respect was brazenly scheming against her beloved Dao Companion. If she knew, perhaps she would find the green of Shang Miaoyan's attire to be particularly garish.

"Fellow Daoist Shui'Er," Ye Liyuan began, "I am a bit curious about something, though I hope it's not too forward of me to ask..."

"Please, Fairy Ye, ask away."

Shang Miaoyan sneered inwardly. 'We're already "sharing a husband," what's the point of pretending to be polite?'

"Fellow Daoist Shui'Er, what was it that led you to walk the path of the Jade Maiden Dao?"

Hearing the question, Shang Miaoyan gave a faint smile. "Oh, so that's what you're curious about?"

"Fairy Ye, I was unfortunate in love. I became like this because I met a heartless man."

"A man?"

Ye Liyuan smelled gossip in the air. She brought over some fruit and vegetable snacks, placed them on the table, and prepared to listen with rapt attention.

After all, having been cooped up in this room for nearly a year, she was positively dying of boredom.

How could she not be excited at the chance to hear another Fairy's story?

Noticing the curiosity in Ye Liyuan's eyes, Shang Miaoyan's lips curled into a smirk.

"That's right~ Back then, I was still cultivating the Yin Yang Dao. He was my very first dual cultivation partner."

"And then... I developed feelings for him."

"Looking back, it seems so ridiculous now. In the eyes of a Yin Yang Dao Female Cultivator, men are supposed to be nothing more than kindling for our cultivation. But I actually fell for a piece of kindling."

"Unfortunately, while I had already given him my heart, I was never in his eyes. He was only ever using me.

"Whenever he wanted me, he'd send a message with his Transmission Token, summoning me to his chambers.

"Whenever he wanted to cultivate, I was the first person he called to assist him with dual cultivation."

"I gave him my all, just for the title of 'Dao Companion.' I would often ask him things like, 'My love, are we Dao Companions now?' 'My love, do you love me?' 'My love, I want to bear your child and continue your family line...'"

"But unfortunately, that man only ever thought of himself. He was always so dismissive of me, he couldn't even be bothered to whisper a few sweet lies.

"He would always brush me off with lines like, 'Shui'Er, aren't we happy right now? Why bother with such complicated things?' or 'It feels good when you're with me, doesn't it, Shui'Er? Don't overthink it.' Then he'd just roll over and go to sleep, completely ignoring how weak and pitiful I was after he had drained my essence~"

As Shang Miaoyan spoke, she raised a finger to wipe away a tear from the corner of her eye. Her resentful, grief-stricken expression was truly a pitiable sight to behold.

Ye Liyuan was moved as she listened. She couldn't understand it. Faced with such an utterly selfish man, why didn't Fellow Daoist Shui'Er just leave him?

At this, an infatuated smile spread across Shang Miaoyan's face. "Because Myao... I mean, because I, Shui'Er, couldn't leave him anymore—not in body, not in soul. Even though I knew that man was just using me for his cultivation or to satisfy his needs, I still found joy in the bitterness."

"Every time he showed his cold, indifferent side, I would feel disgusted and swear to myself that I would never go looking for him again.

"But I was just too weak-willed. At night, lying alone in my cold bed, I'd feel so lonely, a chill running through me. I'd crave a warm, strong embrace, and the mere thought of his silhouette would make my very bones tingle..."

"So in the end, it was always me who shamelessly went to him."

Ye Liyuan's cherry-red lips formed a perfect "O." She couldn't comprehend such a dysfunctional attachment, but she was utterly stunned.

Shang Miaoyan paid no mind to Ye Liyuan's surprise and silence. She took a sip of tea and continued, "Later, thanks to my diligent nurturing, that man's cultivation and aptitude saw a major breakthrough.

"One day, while I was away, he secretly left the Yin Yang Sacred Land and hid somewhere I couldn't find him. He didn't even leave me a single letter when he departed.

"I was so heartbroken by his departure that I developed a condition where I could no longer face men. That's when I changed my path and began cultivating the Jade Maiden Dao..."

"I only found out later that he had made his way into one of the Renowned and Righteous Sects. Relying on the aptitude, Dao Foundation, and cultivation level I had nurtured in him, he was thriving. He even became Dao Companions with some Righteous Fairy.

"I went looking for him once, but his reaction was utterly disappointing. Not only did he pretend not to know me, but he also used my identity as a disciple of the Yin Yang Sacred Land to humiliate me in every way possible. He even... he even wanted to draw his sword and kill me!

"And to think, I had remained chaste ever since he left, just waiting for the day we would meet again..."

As she reached the end of her tale, Shang Miaoyan could no longer contain her grief and indignation. She covered her face and broke down in tears.

Seeing Fellow Daoist Shui'Er so utterly heartbroken, Ye Liyuan let out a sigh. She picked up a handkerchief and offered it to her, "Here, dry your tears."

At the same time, she felt a surge of gratitude in her heart. 'Thank goodness my Dao Companion, Pei Yuhang, is a true and courteous gentleman. We know and love each other, and we would never betray one another.'

'I'm so incredibly lucky.'

"Fellow Daoist Shui'Er, may I ask... which Sect is that man who deceived you with now?"

Hearing this, Shang Miaoyan's lips curved into a mocking smile beneath the handkerchief.

"The Xuanyuan Dao Sect."