The next day, just past the hour of Si (9-11 AM).
Mo Zhu finished his morning sword practice and began descending the mountain path.
As he approached the courtyard of his residence, he noticed a figure standing outside the gate.
The man was tall and upright, his jet-black hair meticulously tied with a jade crown. His aura was solemn and dignified, every movement exuding the noble restraint of someone in high authority.
Mo Zhu clasped his hands in salute. "Greetings, Sect Leader."
Yan Shanqing turned his gaze toward him, his expression softening upon recognizing Mo Zhu. He stepped forward, lifting Mo Zhu's hand slightly, and studied his face.
"Your complexion seems fine... I heard you fainted yesterday. What happened?"
A shadow flickered briefly in Mo Zhu's eyes, but his emotions shifted swiftly, and in an instant, he was once again the disciplined and respectful disciple of the Yingshan Sect.
"It was nothing. I appreciate your concern, Sect Leader. I was merely exhausted from exorcising evil spirits. Master has already treated my injuries."
Yan Shanqing scrutinized him carefully, detecting traces of the Rejuvenation Elixir—a top-tier healing pill. Only those of high status in the Central Continent could afford such a treasure, and Yu Zhiling happened to be one of them.
She must have given him a Rejuvenation Elixir.
Yan Shanqing sighed. "Since your master has recalled you and allowed you to return to Listening Spring Cliff, it means she acknowledges her past mistakes. What happened before was her fault. If you need anything for your cultivation in the future, don’t hesitate to ask."
Mo Zhu bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Sect Leader."
The entire Yingshan Sect knew only that Mo Zhu was disliked by Immortal Lord Zhuoyu, but none were aware of what she had done to him in his youth. Ignorant people urged him to forgive Yu Zhiling, but in the end, wasn’t Yan Shanqing’s kindness merely because he was her disciple?
Everyone knew that Immortal Lord Zhuoyu had been raised by her four senior siblings, much younger than them. Yan Shanqing and the others had always treated her as a treasure, doting on her since childhood.
They were all hypocrites.
Mo Zhu averted his gaze.
Yan Shanqing glanced at the tightly shut courtyard gate, his dark brows furrowing slightly in disapproval. "It’s already the hour of Si, and she still hasn’t woken? The Immortal Alliance is here to summon her."
The unrest in the Four Slaughter Realm was urgent—every moment delayed risked countless demons escaping.
Mo Zhu remained silent. This was not a matter he could interfere in, but Yan Shanqing looked at him expectantly.
"Go inside and call her. Tell her I’m waiting outside and that she should hurry."
Mo Zhu instinctively frowned. "That wouldn’t be appropriate. Master is a woman."
Yan Shanqing raised an eyebrow. "Just knock on the door from outside. She’s never allowed me into this courtyard, and I won’t impose. Stand in the yard and call her—no need to enter her chambers."
Mo Zhu didn’t respond immediately. To Yan Shanqing, it seemed he was hesitating out of propriety, but in truth, he simply didn’t want to go.
Inside was Yu Zhiling’s space, her dwelling, the place where her presence was strongest. He wanted nothing to do with her.
And yet...
He recalled the glimpse of ink-blue he had caught the night before.
Yan Shanqing was about to relent, unwilling to force Mo Zhu, when the latter suddenly replied, "Sect Leader, I’ll go."
Yan Shanqing was taken aback. "You—"
Before he could finish, Mo Zhu had already pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped inside.
After passing through a long corridor, he arrived at Yu Zhiling’s door. The courtyard was eerily quiet. He knocked lightly. "Master."
No response.
Mo Zhu waited patiently and called again. "Master."
Still no answer.
Without changing his expression, he took a step back and moved left toward the latticed window—closest to the sleeping quarters.
Yu Zhiling hadn’t closed the window the night before. It was already May, and Listening Spring Cliff wasn’t high enough to escape the warmth. She hadn’t even drawn the bed curtains.
The woman on the bed was sprawled haphazardly, her dark green inner robe askew, the embroidered quilt barely covering her waist. One pale foot peeked out from beneath the tangled hem of her skirt.
Mo Zhu averted his gaze immediately. He hadn’t expected her to leave the window open.
After a moment of silence, he tapped on the window frame. "Master."
Yu Zhiling wanted nothing more than to sleep the entire day away. In her dream, she had just left the hospital and was sitting in a hotpot restaurant, about to devour a mushroom broth feast, when an incessant voice echoed around her.
"Master, Master..."
"Master..."
Master what! Enough already!
She rolled over, yanking the quilt over her ears, and hugged it tightly, determined to ignore the disturbance.
From the corner of his eye, Mo Zhu saw her stir and assumed she had woken—only to watch her...
...fall back asleep.
Mo Zhu: "..."
He couldn’t comprehend how a cultivator at the Great Ascension Realm could be so utterly lacking in vigilance. He had been standing there for some time, calling repeatedly, yet she remained dead asleep.
Had he not confirmed her cultivation level—firmly at the peak of Great Ascension, unharmed—he might have suspected her realm had dropped due to a failed seclusion.
When his patience finally wore thin, he raised his voice slightly. "Master, the Sect Leader is here on urgent business."
The figure on the bed didn’t move.
Just as he was about to call again, a rustling sound came from inside.
Yu Zhiling abruptly sat up. "Eldest Senior Brother is here?"
Mo Zhu turned his back to her, his tone indifferent. "Yes."
Yu Zhiling remained seated on the bed, rubbing her face. She had spent the previous night drafting her "redemption plan" for an hour before frustration drove her to practice sword forms until exhaustion.
Still half-asleep, she mumbled, "What time is it?"
Mo Zhu frowned outside.
"What time is it"?
Did she mean the current hour?
He replied, "A quarter past Si."
9:15 AM. She flopped back down, groaning into the quilt.
Do people in the cultivation world always wake up this early?!
For someone who had stayed up until 3 or 4 AM, noon was the only reasonable waking hour!
When Mo Zhu received no further response, he added, "The Sect Leader is waiting, Master."
"I know, I’ll be there soon."
Yu Zhiling reluctantly bid farewell to her dreamland hotpot, silently praying to the heavens that tonight’s dreams would grant her a peaceful meal—without interruptions from this little brat.
Her eyes fell on the notebook at the foot of the bed, and she gritted her teeth, tossing a cloth over her failed masterpiece.
Mo Zhu kept his back turned, listening to the faint rustling behind him—likely Yu Zhiling getting out of bed.
His frown deepened, his suspicions growing stronger.
Yu Zhiling seemed... different from the person he had seen three years ago. Her words, her actions—everything felt strange.
No killing intent, no cold demeanor, no wariness.
His thoughts were a tangled mess until, finally, the door creaked open.
Mo Zhu turned to see Yu Zhiling, her face still damp from washing.
Today, she wore a bright yellow-green robe, her hair hastily pinned up with a jade hairpin—no ornaments, no embellishments, strikingly plain.
Her face was free of makeup, her delicate features even more translucent.
Yu Zhiling glanced at him. "Mo Zhu, how long have you been here?"
"Since the start of Si."
So he had been waiting for a while, probably trying to wake her the entire time. Yu Zhiling had always been a heavy sleeper—carefree since childhood, she could sleep through anything. Sometimes, it took multiple alarms to rouse her.
She gave an awkward laugh. "Ah, well... Master was a bit tired last night and slept in a little this morning."
Yu Zhiling carefully observed the male lead's expression but found no trace of emotion—he was as calm as if he practiced the Path of Emotionless Asceticism, utterly unreadable.
She sighed inwardly in relief, guessing that the move she had pulled yesterday had temporarily dispelled Mo Zhu's suspicions. Without absolute certainty, he probably wouldn’t strike her down.
Right now, Yu Zhiling couldn’t even guess what level of cultivation Mo Zhu had reached. The technique he used yesterday didn’t seem like something a Golden Core cultivator could execute.
"Master, the sect leader is outside," Mo Zhu reminded her again.
"Ah? Oh, right, I understand."
Snapping back to reality, Yu Zhiling realized Yan Shanqing must have sent Mo Zhu to fetch her. She nodded absently, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear before turning to leave.
Mo Zhu followed behind her. The daylight was much brighter now compared to last night, revealing details she hadn’t been able to see clearly before.
The snake bracelet coiled around her wrist—it was a Tengshe serpent bracelet.
The creature entwined around it was unmistakably a Tengshe.
Mo Zhu concealed the shadow in his eyes as he accompanied Yu Zhiling out of the courtyard.
Yan Shanqing had been waiting for some time. When Yu Zhiling finally appeared, he smirked mockingly. "Immortal Lord Zhuoyu, such a busy person—it took your disciple a full quarter-hour to rouse you."
Yu Zhiling naturally caught the sarcasm. She narrowed her eyes and smiled. "I stayed up late last night. It won’t happen again. Sorry to keep you waiting, Senior Brother."
For some reason, she felt an inexplicable closeness to Yan Shanqing, as if she instinctively knew he cared for her. Unconsciously, her tone carried a hint of coquetry, almost like she was teasing him.
Yan Shanqing stiffened slightly, his fingers curling behind his back. His voice softened involuntarily. "Now that you’re awake, you should know why I’m here."
Yu Zhiling nodded. "The Four Slaughter Realm incident?"
"Mn. Immortal Lord Lingxiao is suppressing the evil spirits, and Immortal Lord Shuohan has already rushed over. He can’t handle it alone—you should head there as soon as possible."
Yu Zhiling understood the urgency. The Four Slaughter Realm’s barrier was unstable, and demons could easily break free.
"Alright, I’ll go now."
She turned to leave immediately. After practicing her spiritual energy all night, she had adapted quickly to her abilities.
"Wait."
Yan Shanqing stopped her.
"Senior Brother, is there something else?"
"Take Mo Zhu with you." Yan Shanqing pulled the silent Mo Zhu forward. "He’s your disciple. The other two Immortal Lords’ disciples have all been to the Four Slaughter Realm to prepare for the future competition among the Central Continent’s noble clans for the Immortal Alliance positions. Only you haven’t taken Mo Zhu."
Yu Zhiling understood now. The three Immortal Lords’ positions in the Immortal Alliance rotated every three hundred years, with candidates selected from the noble clans of the Central Continent. The final test seemed to involve the Four Slaughter Realm.
Ordinary disciples rarely had the chance to enter the Four Slaughter Realm, but the disciples of the three Immortal Lords could accompany their masters to learn how to suppress it—an advantage of proximity.
Mo Zhu’s talent was among the best in the Central Continent’s noble clans, making him a prime candidate to succeed one of the three Immortal Lords. Yet, Zhuoyu had never taught him cultivation or taken him to the Four Slaughter Realm.
"Uh… Senior Brother…" Yu Zhiling hesitated.
Mo Zhu, however, showed no reaction.
Yan Shanqing grew impatient at her wavering. "What now? You’re Mo Zhu’s master. This child has exceptional talent. Even if he’s of demonic origin, no one in the Yingshan Sect holds prejudice against him—except you, his own master! Yu Xiao Wu, if you’re unwilling to fulfill your duty as his master, hand him over to another elder. Within a century, he’ll reach the Great Ascension stage."
It wasn’t that Yu Zhiling didn’t want to teach him—she was just afraid of the male lead. Being alone with him made her feel like she might slip up at any moment.
Before she could explain, the familiar mechanical voice echoed in her mind.
[Ding. Main quest triggered: Take Mo Zhu to the Four Slaughter Realm and teach him the technique to suppress it, preparing him for the next Immortal Alliance selection. Reward upon completion: 100 merit points.]
Yu Zhiling froze for a second before realizing what the system meant.
A hundred merit points might not sound like much, but converted—it was a hundred years of lifespan!
Suppressing the Four Slaughter Realm once, with main and side quests combined, totaled a hundred and thirty merit points!
Mo Zhu’s gaze flickered slightly as he watched Yu Zhiling’s lips twitch, as if she was fighting back a smile. He couldn’t understand why she seemed so conflicted.
"Yu Zhiling, are you taking him or—"
"I am! I am!"
Yu Zhiling grabbed Mo Zhu’s wrist and yanked him forward. "Senior Brother, don’t worry! I’ll teach Mo Zhu how to suppress the Four Slaughter Realm properly. He’ll definitely join the Immortal Alliance in the future!"
Yan Shanqing pressed his lips together, glancing at Mo Zhu standing beside Yu Zhiling. For the first time, he saw something resembling surprise on the young man’s face.
Even if the emotion was faint, at least he no longer looked like a lifeless puppet.
"Fine. Be careful, and return before nightfall. Don’t stay in the Four Slaughter Realm overnight."
After a few more warnings, Yan Shanqing left.
Now, only master and disciple remained.
Mo Zhu lowered his head, staring at Yu Zhiling’s hand still gripping his wrist. Her fingertips bore the calluses of a sword practitioner, her palm warm against his skin.
It felt like his wrist had been scalded.
With a sharp tug, he freed himself from her grasp.
Snapped out of her task-planning daze, Yu Zhiling blinked and noticed Mo Zhu stepping back, putting distance between them.
Ah…
The male lead probably wanted to scrub his skin raw with a steel brush by now.
Yu Zhiling laughed awkwardly. "Sorry… Let’s just head to the Four Slaughter Realm and get this over with."
Mo Zhu suppressed the dark energy swirling in his chest. "As you command, Master."
Yu Zhiling walked ahead, Mo Zhu trailing behind her. The wind carried her scent—a fragrance he couldn’t place, different from before.
In the past, Yu Zhiling had favored the scent of hibiscus flowers, but since their meeting yesterday, that aroma had vanished.
Mo Zhu watched her closely. She had changed in so many ways.
What could make a person alter not just their habits, but their tone, their aura—everything?
Yan Shanqing had prepared a Mustard Seed Boat in advance. Yu Zhiling boarded it and began examining everything with childlike curiosity, touching this and that.
Mo Zhu followed, arms crossed over his sword. When the boat suddenly lifted into the air, Yu Zhiling stumbled, unsteady on her feet.
The young man’s frown deepened, but instead of learning caution, his master—renowned as the Central Continent’s top cultivator—climbed excitedly to the highest point of the boat, leaning over the railing to stretch her hand into the thick clouds.
"Mo Zhu, Mo Zhu! There’s water in the clouds!"
She turned back, showing him her palm, damp as if she’d dipped it through a curtain of rain.
Mo Zhu gazed into her eyes. She was strikingly beautiful—when she smiled, it was like a spring breeze melting winter snow, softening her otherwise cool features with warmth.
He couldn’t understand why she was so delighted. It was just a ride on a mustard seed boat—was it really that exciting?
But Yu Zhiling was thrilled, completely forgetting she was supposed to maintain some semblance of composure in front of this young protagonist.
In her past life, she had suffered from a weak heart. Throughout her twenty-some years, she couldn’t stay up late, couldn’t eat anything too stimulating, couldn’t ride roller coasters, couldn’t laugh too hard or run—so many things were off-limits. She hadn’t even been able to attend school for more than a few years.
Most of her time had been spent in hospitals. Only when her condition stabilized would she strap on her medical bracelet and return to her small apartment for a while. The hospital was suffocating; the smell of disinfectant made her sick.
But even at home, she had no friends—only an online companion named Gui to keep her company.
Now, she leaned against the railing as the mustard seed boat sped through the misty clouds, the wind whipping past her cheeks. A thin layer of condensation clung to her skin. Though the air was bitingly cold, the sense of freedom was something she had never experienced before.
Yu Zhiling closed her eyes, letting the rushing wind scrape against her face.
Mo Zhu stood not far behind her.
Yu Zhiling was completely unguarded. If Mo Zhu wanted to strike her down with his sword right now, the chances of success were overwhelmingly high.
The young man’s throat bobbed slightly as he tightened his grip on his sword.
He watched her for a long time, only snapping out of his thoughts when Yu Zhiling suddenly turned her head. He averted his gaze, pretending to look into the distance.
Yu Zhiling leaned back against the railing, arms crossed as she grinned at him. “Did you bring the sword manual? One manual a day—remember our agreement?”
Mo Zhu inwardly scoffed. What agreement? She had unilaterally imposed that rule on him.
But when he turned to meet her eyes, the retort died in his throat. Whether it was an act or coercion, right now, he still had to play the role of her obedient disciple.
Mo Zhu nodded. “Yes, I brought it.”
Yu Zhiling’s eyes curved into crescents. “Any parts you don’t understand?”
Come on, young man, speak your mind! Ask her anything!
After last night, she felt invincible—omniscient, omnipotent! She could teach Mo Zhu cultivation, spar with him, slay demons and vanquish evil—nothing was beyond her!
Mo Zhu’s gaze lingered on her, unusually silent.
Was she really going to teach him cultivation?
The number one figure in the Central Continent… teaching a demon like him?
Yu Zhiling took a step forward, cheerfully pulling out a scroll from her qiankun pouch. “Then let’s start with this one. The ‘Green Lotus Heart Sutra’ is practiced by Golden Core cultivators during breakthroughs. It’ll be a great help for your Returning Origin Dao.”
Mo Zhu’s eyes dropped to the scroll in her hand.
It really was the “Green Lotus Heart Sutra.” He had never studied this manual—it wasn’t in the sect’s library. The technique had been taken away by Immortal Lord Zhuoyu many years ago.
Yu Zhiling plopped down cross-legged on the deck, flipping open the scroll and muttering to herself. “To cultivate the sword, first cultivate the heart. I skimmed through this last night—it’s not bad. Seven levels in total. At your Golden Core stage, you’ll probably only grasp up to the fourth… but that’s fine. Everything takes time. Step by step.”
She sat there without a care for decorum, the wind howling around them as the mustard seed boat raced through the sky.
Mo Zhu couldn’t help but speak up. “Why not go back inside?”
“Huh?” Yu Zhiling blinked up at him, confused. “You mean the cabin? It’s too cramped in there. Don’t you think the air out here is fresher? Feels good to have the wind in your face.”
She started laughing again—who knew what was so amusing? But her laughter carried no trace of falseness, as if she genuinely found joy in everything.
Mo Zhu sheathed his sword and sat down on the deck. Yu Zhiling perked up, ready to play the wise master and explain the heart sutra to him. After all, Immortal Lord Zhuoyu seemed to know everything—Yu Zhiling had understood the technique at a glance.
But before she could begin, the young man took the scroll from her hands, his expression solemn as he turned to the first page.
He read at an astonishing speed, his eyes scanning line after line. Before Yu Zhiling could even react, Mo Zhu had already finished.
Yu Zhiling blinked, waiting expectantly for him to voice his confusion so she could show off her expertise.
Instead, she watched as the young man closed his eyes, a faint golden light shimmering around him. He had already entered a meditative state.
Yu Zhiling: “……”
Huh?
He understood it just like that?
Seriously? Do all geniuses learn on the spot like this? What’s the point of having a master then?!
She had spent an entire hour last night preparing for today’s lesson—and he wasn’t even going to give her a chance to shine?!
But fifteen minutes later, a system notification chimed in her mind.
[Ding. The male protagonist has mastered the first level of the ‘Green Lotus Heart Sutra.’ Host’s virtue points +10. Current virtue points: 30.]
Thirty minutes later.
[Ding. The male protagonist has mastered the second level of the ‘Green Lotus Heart Sutra.’ Host’s virtue points +10. Current virtue points: 40.]
Yu Zhiling: “……………”
Yu Zhiling flopped onto her back on the deck, staring blankly at the sky.
She had an epiphany.
A truly outstanding disciple was one who worked hard to earn virtue points for their master’s survival.
And Yu Zhiling—
Was now the happiest person in the world!
