A Chance Encounter Leads to a Path to Immortality
The Qingyun Sect sits atop a vast sea of clouds, with a thousand peaks vying for prominence and magnificent palaces hidden among them. Spiritual cranes cry out, carrying rosy clouds as they fly. The rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth is almost tangible; a single breath brings a sense of refreshment and unblocks all meridians.
This place is a blessed land of immortals that countless mortals and cultivators dream of.
However, for Xie Yunzhi, who had finally reached the mountain gate after climbing the thousand-step "Azure Cloud Ladder," all the magnificent scenery around him seemed to be veiled by an invisible gauze. In his heart, there was an indescribable sense of loss, an emptiness, as if he had left something more important than life in the depths of the clouds while embarking on this immortal path.
Leading him was a slender young woman dressed in the robes of a direct disciple. Her name was Su Qingqing. She was not only the sect leader's beloved daughter, but also the recognized pride of the Qingyun Sect, possessing outstanding spiritual roots and an unparalleled beauty.
“Junior Brother Xie, look, that’s the main hall, ‘Lingxiao Hall.’ We’ll mostly be listening to Master’s lectures here in the future.” Su Qingqing’s voice was gentle and melodious, like a nightingale singing in a valley. She turned slightly to point the way for Xie Yunzhi, her posture elegant and proper, neither overly enthusiastic nor lacking in concern.
"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Sister Su." Xie Yunzhi returned the greeting with a cupped hand, his tone calm, yet carrying a hint of barely perceptible aloofness. His gaze swept over the magnificent hall without lingering, but instead he subconsciously turned back to look at the stone steps that had been shrouded in mist and whose path was now invisible. The sense of emptiness in his heart became even clearer.
Su Qingqing took in his subtle movements, a hint of inquiry flashing in her eyes, before she smiled gently: "Junior brother is new here and must not be familiar with many affairs of the sect yet. Don't worry, I have already given orders to arrange a quiet cave for you, full of spiritual energy, which is most suitable for meditation. If you need anything, just come to 'Qingyin Pavilion' to find me."
This special treatment drew the attention of the disciples who occasionally passed by, their eyes filled with envy and curiosity.
In a corner of the crowd, a thin disciple dressed in coarse cloth servant's clothes was silently wiping the white jade railing at the edge of the square. Her movements were slow, as if she had exhausted all her strength to restrain herself from looking at the two people who were attracting attention.
It's a small cuttlefish.
The disguise skillfully concealed her original beautiful face, leaving only an ordinary, even somewhat dull, countenance. Only her eyes, beneath her lowered eyelashes, stared intently at the gleaming jade floor, reflecting the perfect image of the two figures.
A dull ache spread through her chest, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand. She thought she was prepared, but when she witnessed him standing side by side with another woman so outstanding, the vine of "inferiority complex" still grew wildly, entwining her and almost suffocating her.
"Is that the new Senior Brother Xie? He certainly has an extraordinary presence."
"I heard that Senior Sister Su favors him greatly and personally went to the mountain gate to welcome him!"
"Tsk tsk, what good fortune..."
Faint whispers drifted into her ears, and Mo Xiaoyu abruptly closed her eyes, forcibly suppressing the tears that were about to spill over. Mo Xiaoyu, remember your identity, remember why you're here. You're not here to burden him, you're here to protect him. As long as he's alright, everything is alright. She repeatedly told herself this in her heart.
Just then, a gust of wind swept by, swirling up a fallen leaf that flew straight toward Su Qingqing's face.
Almost simultaneously—
"Watch out!" a slightly hurried whisper from a servant disciple rang out.
Xie Yunzhi, almost instinctively and swiftly, stepped to the side, his sleeve flicking lightly, and a gentle burst of energy scattered the fallen leaf.
His movements were fluid and graceful, demonstrating his exceptional reflexes and control.
Su Qingqing was slightly taken aback, then smiled at Xie Yunzhi: "Thank you, Junior Brother." Her gaze then turned to the handyman disciple who had spoken up to remind her earlier, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, her eyes carrying a hint of displeasure at being disturbed and a scrutinizing look.
Mo Xiaoyu's heart tightened, and she hurriedly lowered her head, inwardly cursing herself for being so impatient. With Xie Yunzhi's skills, how could he be stumped by a single falling leaf? Her voice was not only superfluous, but it might also attract unnecessary attention.
Xie Yunzhi's gaze fell on the thin, small handyman disciple because of this abrupt reminder. Just now, when that panicked "Be careful" reached his ears, his heart skipped a beat without warning. A very familiar, worried emotion flashed across his empty heart like a shooting star, leaving a fleeting ripple.
It's strange... the servant's voice...
He subconsciously took a step closer to Mo Xiaoyu, trying to see her lowered face clearly. "You..." He opened his mouth, a vague name almost slipping out, but it got stuck in his throat, unable to form a specific syllable. It felt like desperately trying to remember something in a dream, only to wake up and find only a hazy shadow remaining.
Mo Xiaoyu felt his approach, and her blood seemed to freeze instantly. Would he recognize her? In front of everyone, if he recognized her…
However, Xie Yunzhi's steps faltered for only a moment. He looked at her shoulders trembling slightly with nervousness, at her ordinary profile, and the inexplicable sense of familiarity he had felt moments before seemed utterly absurd in the face of reality. How could a menial servant of the Qingyun Sect be related to the vague sense of melancholy in his heart?
It must be a misperception caused by the restlessness of someone just entering the immortal path.
The fleeting confusion and inquiry in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by his previous cool demeanor. In the end, he simply said, "The reaction was acceptable." It was unclear whether this was an assessment of her earlier reminder or a cover-up for his momentary lapse in composure.
After saying that, he left without lingering and departed with Su Qingqing.
Mo Xiaoyu stood frozen in place until the figure completely disappeared before she dared to slowly raise her head. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but no tears came. She simply bit her lower lip tightly, tasting a faint metallic flavor of blood.
His momentary pause, his hesitation as if he were about to call her name, was like a red-hot, dull knife, cutting back and forth in her heart. It gave her a faint, pathetic glimmer of hope, only to extinguish it with his own hands.
The way he looked at her was ultimately different from how he looked at every blade of grass and tree in the Qingyun Sect, wasn't it? But that difference was so subtle that even he himself couldn't confirm it.
At this moment, a disciple in charge walked over with a gloomy face. He had clearly seen Su Qingqing's displeased glance earlier.
"You lowly servant, you disturbed Senior Sister Su and Senior Brother Xie just now, do you know your crime?" The disciple in charge said sternly, "You're exempt from dinner tonight, and go to the cold pool behind the mountain to clean all that moss that has accumulated over the years! If you do anything clumsy again, you'll be kicked out of the Qingyun Sect!"
The cold pool behind the mountain is devoid of spiritual energy, and the chill seeps into the body, making it the most unpleasant place for menial disciples to go.
Mo Xiaoyu trembled, lowered her head, and whispered, "...Yes."
She offered no defense, nor could she. Faced with absolute power and status, her very existence was a sin.
She carried the heavy wooden basin, walking step by step towards the back of the mountain. The icy mountain wind blew against her thin clothes, chilling her to the bone. But colder than her body was her heart.
She gazed into the depths of the clouds, in the direction of the core disciples' cave dwellings. He was probably meditating and cultivating in that spiritually rich cave, chatting and laughing with Senior Sister Su, his future bright and promising.
However, because of his unintentional comment that "the reaction was acceptable" and the "attention" he brought her, she suffered unwarranted punishment and hard labor.
The destiny of immortality is sealed; the path to heaven is open.
Little did he know that the "old friend" who had once depended on him for survival and shared hardships was now being punished because of him, silently repaying this seemingly insurmountable debt of love with his body covered in grime and his heart full of sorrow by the icy pool.
The path of strangers had already begun unnoticed. And the thread called "fate" had quietly taut during this brief, almost instinctive intersection.
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