Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 70: A Timeline Where Master Has No Dao Companion

Qing Yueqiu opened her eyes and saw that her hands had shrunk to a fraction of their size. The Golden Core in her body, which held a vast reserve of Spiritual Qi, was completely gone—she couldn't sense it at all.

"I... I think I've turned into a child..."

A flash of subconscious panic crossed Qing Yueqiu's eyes, but the cold, hard sword at her waist gave her a sliver of confidence.

Her master had said that no matter what happened, as long as she had a sword in hand, she was never in a truly hopeless situation.

Qing Yueqiu calmed down and began to carefully observe the room she was in.

From the placement of the ornaments to the style of the decor... there was no doubt. This was her room at the Cold Palace Sword Mansion.

"Is this an Illusion Realm the Divine Sword Pavilion set up for me?"

Being in her familiar room, Qing Yueqiu's tense nerves relaxed. She began to consider the Divine Sword Pavilion's purpose in throwing her into such an Illusion Realm.

'At the Divine Sword Pavilion, it is not just the sword that chooses the person, but the person who chooses the sword.'

Qing Yueqiu recalled Elder Liu's words. 'Could it be that the trial has already begun? Will every action I take in this Illusion Realm determine what kind of sword I ultimately obtain?'

CREAK—

The door was pushed open.

A figure dressed in white appeared before Qing Yueqiu. Sunlight streamed in from behind him, draping him in a hazy veil of light.

"Yueqiu, why are you up so late today? Come on, it's time for sword practice."

"..."

The voice and tone were familiar.

Looking at her master, Qing Yueqiu silently reminded herself, 'This is all fake.'

'My real master is waiting for me outside the Divine Sword Pavilion.'

'I have to get back to him. Quickly.'

「...」

"Xiaohan, now that you've had Miaoyan's wine, you should relax. Come, sit down. It will be a long time before your beloved disciple returns~"

Seeing Pei Yuhang finally listen to her and sit down, the smile playing on Shang Miaoyan's red lips widened, revealing her pearly teeth.

Then, like a maid or a songstress waiting on him, she bent her supple, snake-like waist—so slender it could be encircled by a single arm—and picked up the wine pot to pour for Pei Yuhang.

If Pei Yuhang had so much as wrapped an arm around Shang Miaoyan's waist at that moment, the peerlessly beautiful Saintess would have likely gone soft and melted right into his embrace, ready to lift the cup and feed him the wine herself.

Unfortunately, Pei Yuhang was in no mood for such dalliances.

"Business Saintess, you still haven't told me how Elder Liu came to be taking your orders."

The White-clothed Sword Immortal beside the beautiful woman was like a cold, hard stone, his attitude unswayed by her warmth and softness.

Shang Miaoyan let out a faint sigh. She sat directly on the table in front of Pei Yuhang, idly kicking her small feet, which were clad in white silk socks, as she spoke:

"Elder Liu takes his orders from your Sect Leader. Miaoyan has no power to command an Elder of your Dao Sect."

"Then why would the Sect Leader help you?"

Hearing this, Shang Miaoyan looked down at Pei Yuhang from her perch on the table, her eyes crinkling into a smile.

"Xiaohan, a Great Power of that caliber can detect when their name is spoken with their Divine Sense."

"Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"...I don't know what you've done or what you're plotting, but I hope you aren't harboring any improper designs."

"Don't worry, Xiaohan~ Miaoyan only has improper designs on you. I'm not interested in anything else."

"..."

Pei Yuhang couldn't be bothered to respond to the woman's brazen teasing.

But his silence wouldn't make Shang Miaoyan let him off the hook.

The Saintess's foxy eyes narrowed, glinting with a dangerous light. She pressed the sole of her foot against Pei Yuhang's thigh, caressing it with a serpentine motion.

"Xiaohan, now it's my turn to call you to account."

"You promised me you'd give Miaoyan a goodnight kiss every night. So why haven't I seen a trace of you these past few days? I even tried to contact you with the Transmission Token last night, and you just... hung up on me?!"

"That was an 'agreement' you decided on all by yourself. I never agreed to anything."

"If you wish to use the Demon-Planting Mark to realize the filthy desires of your twisted heart, know that I, Pei Yuhang, will not fear you."

Pei Yuhang slapped her foot away. He had no attachment to the simmering, amorous atmosphere and was quick to douse it with cold water.

'I am Pei Yuhang! Even if this Witch humiliates me, I will stand tall and never surrender!'

Shang Miaoyan looked at her delicate calf, which was now red from his slap. Even through her sock, the red palm print was visible beneath the translucent white silk. It was clear Pei Yuhang hadn't held back in the slightest.

She gave a cold smirk and licked her slightly dry lips.

"Xiaohan, once I start enjoying myself, I hope you can remain this tough~!

"It's been a hundred years. I hope your 'sword' hasn't grown dull."

As he watched Shang Miaoyan hop off the table, Pei Yuhang silently closed his eyes and began to continuously chant the Meditation Clear Heart sutras in his mind.

He had been studying the Zen Mind of the Buddhist Dao intently for the past few days. Although his understanding was still amateurish, he believed that with his firm willpower and the Meditation Cold Jade his master had given him to suppress his Evil Yang Fire Qi, this bewitching Witch could never shake his Dao Heart or stir his passions.

Shang Miaoyan found this highly amusing.

She knelt, pressing her lips so close to Pei Yuhang's ear that he could feel her teeth, and exhaled a hot, moist, seductive whisper.

"Daoist Pei, let's make a little wager."

"Let's bet on whether or not this little lady has what it takes to make you break your vows."

"..."

Pei Yuhang remained still, his hands forming the Lotus Seal, his eyes closed in meditation. He did not reply to Shang Miaoyan.

Shang Miaoyan wasn't annoyed by his silence. She simply found being with Xiaohan to be as amusing as it was challenging.

'Sorry, Sister Ye. Let Little Sister Shui'Er take the place of an invalid like you and perform the duties of a Dao Companion for him~'

With that, she leaned down...

「...」

Qing Yueqiu now had a general understanding of her situation. It was as if she had returned to the time when she had just been taken in by her master.

And there was one crucial difference between this Illusion Realm and reality.

Her master had no junior martial sister named Ye Liyuan.

In other words, the woman who was her master's wife in the real world simply did not exist in this Illusion Realm.

For some reason, Qing Yueqiu felt a small, inexplicable pang of relief.

Afterward, she tried various methods to escape the Illusion Realm, but all failed. It was as if this was another timeline—one where Ye Liyuan had never existed.

Time flowed by like a river. In the blink of an eye, she had cultivated in this Illusion Realm for decades. Benefiting from the experience of starting over, by the time her cultivation returned to the Golden Core Peak, she had advanced even further and more perfectly upon the path of the Sword Dao than before.

She became the undisputed master of the Sword Dao among the younger generation of the Dao Sect.

Without the calamity of Ye Liyuan failing her Divinity Transformation Tribulation, the Cold Palace Sword Mansion's foundations were not depleted. In fact, it grew even more prosperous.

Pei Yuhang successfully advanced beyond the Divinity Transformation realm, becoming a Great Cultivator at the Void Refining Realm. The Sect Leader granted him the title of 'Xuanyuan Saint Son'.

Compared to the decline of the Cold Palace Sword Mansion and her master's weariness in reality, everything in this world seemed to be improving.

Most importantly...

Her master remained single, with no Dao Companion.