Luo Luo was certain that Li Zhaoye harbored "those kinds of feelings" for her.
"It’s romantic love between Li Zhaoye and me, not some familial bond," she told Gu Meng. "But the reason I asked him to stay away from you isn’t because of that—it’s because he’s dangerous."
The medicine had been swapped by Li Zhaoye, but since Gu Meng refused to believe it, Luo Luo could do nothing more.
Gu Meng bit her lip, humiliation coloring her voice. "I’ve said it before—I would never disturb you and Brother Li. I only like him secretly in my heart. Is even that not allowed? Immortal Luo, you’re being too domineering!"
Secretly liking someone?
Luo Luo had liked Li Zhaoye for years, and not a single person in the sect had noticed.
To others, she was just a sword-obsessed madwoman, a tough brawler, a "warrior."
The affection she hid in her palm was hers alone to know.
She always pretended not to care, but the moment she heard his name, her heart would tremble.
If not for that one time when he lay sunbathing on a pear blossom branch—when she thought he was asleep and couldn’t resist stealing a few extra glances, only to be caught red-handed—her little secret might have remained buried forever.
Luo Luo spoke bluntly: "Miss Gu, what you’re doing isn’t called ‘secretly liking’ someone."
Since when did "secretly liking" someone involve mentioning them in every other sentence?
Gu Meng fumed. "I may be a mere mortal, and my status is indeed worlds beneath yours, Immortal Luo. But you have no right to belittle my feelings!"
Luo Luo: "..."
This was like talking to a brick wall.
Luo Luo couldn’t help but reflect. Her social circle was far too narrow—aside from her master and Li Zhaoye, she rarely interacted with others.
So if communication was failing, it must be her fault.
She tried her best to explain clearly: "Miss Gu, outer sect disciples are still members of the Tai Xuan Sect. Status means nothing here—no one is above or below anyone. Since you’ve joined the outer sect, I’ll do everything I can to support your cultivation. And since Master was the one who brought you in, he’ll see this through to the end."
Gu Meng bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. "I don’t need it. Don’t bring it up again!"
Luo Luo: "...Fine."
Her master was right—people had their own paths. Not everyone yearned for immortality.
It might be for the best if Miss Gu returned to the mortal world. That way, no matter what schemes Li Zhaoye had brewing, it would be harder for her to get dragged into them.
Luo Luo brightened. "Then after you return to the mortal world, I’ll visit you often!"
After meeting Luo Luo, Gu Meng’s face drained of color, her body swaying unsteadily.
When others asked what happened, she only shook her head miserably, lips bitten tight in silence.
Back in the medicine hut, she began packing her belongings.
Silent tears fell, each drop striking the hearts of those around her.
The disciples couldn’t help but feel guilty—they’d eaten Miss Gu’s date cakes, yet when their junior sister took her away, not one of them had spoken up.
Seeing her in such a state, who knew what kind of injustice she’d suffered?
"Miss Gu, Miss Gu," the chubbiest disciple—the one who ate the most—hurried over, forcing an awkward smile. "Why are you packing?"
Gu Meng’s shoulders trembled as she whispered, "I’m leaving."
The group exchanged quick glances.
"Don’t go!" The plump disciple blocked her path. "Master told us to make sure you rest and recover first."
Gu Meng kept her head lowered, tears soaking into the bundle in her hands, blooming dark stains like flowers.
"What exactly happened?"
"Miss Gu, just tell us! With so many of us here, we can surely stand up for you. Speak up!"
"If you don’t say anything, how can we judge fairly?"
She only shook her head, leaving the disciples even more agitated.
"Junior Sister wouldn’t have… hit you, right?" the chubby disciple mused aloud.
Gu Meng trembled and quickly turned around, "No, no, how could that be! Immortal Master, please don’t misunderstand Fairy Luo Luo."
Tears streaked her face as she forced a fragile smile.
The plump junior brother seized the moment to press further, "Then explain what happened! Why did you suddenly decide to leave? If you don’t want us to misunderstand our junior sister, then speak up!"
Gu Meng was torn.
After a long pause, she spoke with difficulty, "Fairy Luo Luo didn’t scold me, let alone hit me. It’s just… if I wanted to stay, I couldn’t secretly harbor feelings for Brother Li in my heart."
She swallowed her humiliation and smiled bitterly. "She told me to stay away from Brother Li, or my life would be in danger. She demanded I return to the mortal world immediately."
"This…" Some found it hard to believe. "How could our junior sister be so unreasonable?"
"Besides, even if Miss Gu secretly admires Senior Brother Li, how is that any of junior sister’s concern?"
"I can swear on it!" Gu Meng grew frantic, suddenly raising her palm. "I’ll take a deadly oath! If even a single word I’ve said is false, may lightning strike me dead, may I perish miserably!"
The plump junior brother hissed, "Ah, ah, Miss Gu, there’s no need for this…"
Gu Meng let out a sob, collapsing onto her bundle of belongings, weeping as if her heart had shattered.
"I never wanted to say any of this, but you all misunderstood Fairy Luo Luo as having harmed me. I had no choice but to clear her name… If you don’t believe me, just go ask her! Go ask!"
Luo Luo had threatened her exactly like this, and Gu Meng wasn’t afraid to confront her anywhere.
Luo Luo didn’t particularly care whether Gu Meng understood or not.
All she needed was to keep a close eye on Li Zhaoye.
If one beating didn’t solve the problem, then two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten would.
She walked along the mountain path, sword in hand, lips pressed together, her gaze flickering slowly.
Earlier, when Li Zhaoye instinctively counterattacked, every move he made was a technique from the Tai Xuan Sect—so ingrained in his bones that no demon or monster could possibly mimic it.
Luo Luo shook her head.
She was truly exhausted, to have entertained such an absurd thought.
What demon could perfectly imitate a human and still evade the discerning eyes of the sect’s seasoned veterans?
Returning to the Hall of Heart’s Inquiry, she found neither Li Zhaoye nor Qing Xu.
"Huh?"
Upon asking the steward, she learned that Master Qingxu was currently chasing Li Zhaoye down, but then someone from "That Year’s Peach Blossoms" had arrived and taken Li Zhaoye away.
The other stewards knew nothing more.
"That Year’s Peach Blossoms" was the secluded sanctuary of Daoist Xuan Yi—one of the Tai Xuan Sect’s foundational pillars, one of the last three and a half Great Dao-Unification cultivators in the world, the pinnacle of mortal cultivation, a figure whose power could overturn heaven and earth.
It was said that when Daoist Xuan Yi first stepped into Dao-Unification, the thirteen peaks of the Tai Xuan Sect and the surrounding thousand-mile region were bathed in radiant clouds, filled with intoxicating spiritual fragrance, and countless trees burst into bloom, creating a scene straight out of immortal legends.
The Daoist cast a glance at the mortal world and sighed softly with a smile.
"Still, it is not like that year’s peach blossoms."
With a sweep of his sleeve, he carved out a pocket dimension, stepping into the boundary between reality and illusion in pursuit of the elusive zenith of the Great Dao.
From then on, that land was designated as the Tai Xuan Sect’s forbidden ground.
The Daoist never named his new abode, and no one knew who first referred to it as "That Year’s Peach Blossoms," but gradually, the entire sect came to accept the name.
Luo Luo was astonished—Li Zhaoye’s narrow escape had even drawn the attention of such a figure.
A Dao-Unification Daoist!
Since ancient times, cultivators first drew qi into their bodies and opened the extraordinary meridians—this was the Foundation Establishment stage.
After Foundation Establishment, they devoted themselves to refining their cultivation, gathering a sea of qi, and forming a golden core—this was the Golden Core stage.
After forming the Golden Core, one then condenses their spiritual consciousness into the core, nurturing within it a spiritual entity that shares their energy channels and mirrors their form and spirit—a body within the body. This is the Nascent Soul. The Nascent Soul represents the true self, hence those who attain it are called "True Persons."
Beyond the Nascent Soul lies the absorption of vast spiritual energy, transforming the Nascent Soul into a Divine Soul, no longer confined to the dantian's energy sea. When body and soul unite, the flesh becomes sacred—this is the realm of a Divine Transformation True Lord.
Typically, even for prodigious cultivators bolstered by the resources of a major sect, reaching the Nascent Soul stage is the limit.
Divine Transformation demands profound enlightenment and rare fortune, beyond the reach of ordinary people.
As for the Harmony Dao, it is so ethereal that its practitioners might as well be demigods, capable of annihilating heaven and earth with a mere flick of their hand.
Yet, at such heights of cultivation, one's temperament naturally transcends worldly concerns. The Harmony Dao Lords of the three great sects remain in seclusion for years, detached from worldly affairs.
Rumors say that even if a sect faced annihilation, it might not rouse a single Dao Lord from their meditation—yet Li Zhaoye succeeded.
Luo Luo left the Hall of Heart Inquiry and climbed to the peak of the mountain, gazing toward the direction of that year's peach blossoms.
Pretending not to worry would be a lie.
Daoist Xuan Yi’s cultivation was unfathomable; a single glance from him could strike Li Zhaoye dead.
"Master, Master, you must keep a close eye on your disciple! You only have these two sprouts—lose one, and the other will struggle alone. In your old age, you’ll have meals with no guarantee of a next one. How pitiful that would be!"
Beyond that year’s peach blossoms, Master Qingxu sneezed violently.
Li Zhaoye did not return all night.
Luo Luo sat atop the peak, staring toward the direction of that year’s peach blossoms, blinking occasionally.
The entire night passed, and she didn’t even notice the onset of her toxic affliction.
As the eastern sky paled to the color of duck eggshells, Luo Luo silently rose and shook off the dew.
The moment she took a step, her heart suddenly convulsed violently, and the Autumn Water Sword hanging at her side trembled with a resonant hum.
A terrifying sword intent pinned her in place.
In the next instant, across the thirteen peaks of the Tai Xuan Sect, ten thousand swords sang in unison!
A colossal sword aura erupted from the earth, piercing straight into the heavens.
"Zheng—"
Where the sword aura passed, the air tore apart. Golden light and sonic booms rippled outward in waves, scattering the clouds and dimming the morning sun.
"The Taiyi Divine Sword!" someone recognized the radiance of this peerless blade.
Luo Luo’s eyes widened.
Taiyi—the sword technique practiced by the disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect was none other than the Nine Forms of Taiyi.
Ten thousand years ago, the sect’s founding patriarch passed into seclusion, leaving behind the unclaimed divine sword, Taiyi. It remained within the mountain, untouched by anyone for millennia.
Today, the sword had awakened—and it had chosen a new master.
Luo Luo’s heart pounded fiercely, an indescribable surge of emotion churning in her chest.
As a sword cultivator, who hadn’t secretly dreamed that the world’s foremost unclaimed divine sword might, out of countless souls, single them out as the chosen one?
The sword aura receded—
And descended toward that year’s peach blossoms.
An unbelievable thought flashed through Luo Luo’s mind.
Could it be…?
Soon, the sect erupted like boiling water. News spread like bursting bubbles, reaching every corner in an instant.
"The Taiyi Divine Sword has acknowledged the Eldest Senior Brother as its master!"
"Daoist Xuan Yi personally intervened to rebuild the Eldest Senior Brother’s sword mansion!"
"The Eldest Senior Brother is the true Chosen One of Heaven!"
"Dao Sect of Heaven’s Path, Starfall Sect—you’re all doomed now! Hahahaha!"
Luo Luo left Mirror Twin Peak, merging into the crowd surging forward along the mountain path.
A sea of disciples gathered at the main peak, jostling and craning their necks to peer toward the direction of that year’s peach blossoms in the back mountains.
Though they could see nothing, they buzzed with excitement, whispering fervently.
"Luo Luo! Luo Luo!"
Master Qingxu called out to Luo Luo from the edge of the crowd. It took several shouts before she snapped out of her daze. "Master? You're here too?"
"Why are you spacing out? Come, I’ll take you to see Li Zhaoye!"
Master Qingxu grabbed the cloth on Luo Luo’s shoulder and whisked her out of the crowd, barging through the barrier set by Master Lingxue with a shoulder shove, storming straight into the main peak’s restricted area.
Luo Luo felt a pang of guilt—her master truly treated her like family.
Then, she saw Li Zhaoye.
He sat cross-legged on a cold jade bed, eyes closed, hands forming a meditative seal. Beside him stood two Nascent Soul cultivators, Master Lingxue and Master Yuan, guarding him as he fused with his lifebound sword.
The radiant glow of the Taiyi Sword hadn’t yet faded, casting his face in a divine light, as if he were a golden immortal.
Master Qingxu grumbled unhappily, "Daoist Xuan Yi said I’ve been slacking too long, that my skills are rusty, so he had these two guard him instead of me! Hmph, does this mean they’ll be considered half-masters to Li Zhaoye now? What a steal! After all, I was the one who fished that brat out of the Divine Water River, raised him with my own hands using wooden puppets..."
Master Lingxue couldn’t take it anymore. A sharp sword intent shot from his brow straight at Qingxu. "Get lost!"
Qingxu roared back, "This is my disciple! If anyone’s leaving, it’s you!"
Luo Luo clung to Qingxu’s arm like a stubborn weight, dragging the furious old man out of the restricted area.
Dazed, she murmured, "Master, this feels like a dream."
Qingxu immediately shielded his arm, preventing her from pinching him.
He chuckled smugly. "Overjoyed, aren’t you?"
"Happy," Luo Luo nodded earnestly. "Of course I’m happy."
But what about Changtian?
It lay dormant in her sword mansion, desperately repairing itself, unaware that its master now possessed the finest sword in the world.
Luo Luo didn’t follow her master to the Heart-Questioning Hall, nor did she return to her own Radiant Pavilion.
Instead, she took another mountain path, heading toward the opposite peak of Twin Peaks—Li Zhaoye’s residence, the Nightlight Pavilion, which faced her own dwelling from afar.
When Master Qingxu first found Li Zhaoye, he was just a nameless infant.
So he gave him the most common surname, naming him after the pavilion itself.
He’d originally planned to pick up another disciple and name them "Radiant," but then he met Luo Luo. Otherwise, following Master Qingxu’s naming style, his second disciple might’ve ended up as Wang Radiant or Yang Radiant… as long as it wasn’t Qian Radiant.
Lost in thought, Luo Luo glanced up at the three large characters inscribed above the Nightlight Pavilion before climbing the wooden steps and entering.
Li Zhaoye’s home was naturally open to her.
Just as hers was to him.
He often barged into her place, sparring in the open space outside her pavilion, and sometimes stayed over, sleeping on her windowsill.
Luo Luo, however, rarely visited the Nightlight Pavilion.
Li Zhaoye was… too careless. His personal belongings—especially undergarments—were always strewn about haphazardly. Stepping into his pavilion often meant stumbling upon something embarrassing, leaving her flushed.
This time, she came to return Changtian to its rightful place.
The interior was surprisingly tidy—normally, the wooden puppets couldn’t keep up with his mess, but after his long absence, the place finally looked habitable.
Pursing her lips, Luo Luo kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, striding past two folding screens until she reached his usual sword storage.
The sword case was empty. A tattered notebook dangled crookedly from the wooden shelf above.
It was his sword-training journal.
A man like Li Zhaoye would never bother with meticulous daily records.
Luo Luo retrieved Changtian from her sword mansion and carefully placed it inside the case.
The cracks on the blade had already mended. The countless nicks and scars from his reckless slashes—left untreated due to his neglect—had also been smoothed over by her hand.
"Clink." The cold sword let out a faint hum.
Luo Luo sighed, took off her own Qiu Shui blade, and placed it beside Chang Tian.
After a moment of hesitation, she reached for the sword practice log and flipped through it casually.
Just as she expected, that scoundrel Li Zhaoye had never bothered to properly record his insights. Page after page was filled with nothing but his messy, self-invented scribbles.
Her fingers occasionally brushed over his careless handwriting, and her heart still curled slightly at the touch.
She absentmindedly turned the pages until she suddenly stopped at one particular date.
"Strike when least expected, attack when unprepared—successfully bound in matrimony!"
"She's my wife now!"
The handwriting was bold and unrestrained, as flamboyantly handsome as the man himself.
Luo Luo froze.
She knew Li Zhaoye too well. Reading those words was like lightning illuminating the night sky.
So this guy…
He had no idea she’d been secretly in love with him.
He had simply decided to make his move that day—suddenly leaping down from the pear blossom tree and shamelessly accusing her first—"Hey hey hey, you’ve got a crush on me, don’t you?"
While she was still dazed, he seized the moment—"What a coincidence, I’ve got a crush on you too!"
Then he pulled her along, swift and decisive, binding them together with a heart-bonding vow in one smooth motion.
Luo Luo turned the page again.
"Got a wife." "Got a wife." "Got a wife got a wife got a wife got a wife…"
