After Lin Rou’s pointed reminder, Yan Qingge brought the “thank-you” gift and made a grand show of blocking the entrance to Lingxiao Peak.
She stirred up such an enormous commotion that within half a day the entire Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect knew about it.
Chu Mo sat inside the main hall of Lingxiao Peak.
Her icy black pupils seemed to look down upon the clamor outside the mountain gates.
Of course she understood exactly who the gift was intended for—especially since, among the dazzling array of lavish presents, the most eye-catching item sat in the most prominent position: a box of mung bean cakes that looked completely out of place.
Heh.
A clown jumping on the stage, and she still refuses to give up.
Chu Mo not only refused to appear, she even ordered the great doors of Lingxiao Peak sealed shut.
No matter how loudly Yan Qingge shouted and caused a scene outside, Chu Mo intended to leave her hanging there and watch this little clown awkwardly wrap up her performance under the eyes of the entire sect.
Yet the faint uproar drifting in from outside only made Chu Mo more irritable.
Ever since she had done that excessive thing to Bai Qingran that day, the relationship between the two of them had plunged to the freezing point.
The current Bai Qingran treated Chu Mo like a bird startled by the twang of a bow.
The timidity and alienation carved into his very bones clearly told her: I’m afraid you’ll turn back into the beast that hurt me.
This shattered, broken appearance made guilt and pain twist together in Chu Mo’s heart like ten thousand insects gnawing at her core—it was unbearable.
A single moment of heated violence had destroyed the relationship that had only just begun to warm.
The more she thought about it, the more regret Chu Mo felt.
Especially after she had crushed Yan Qingge beneath her heel during their confrontation, that overwhelming sense of superiority only made her crave Bai Qingran’s complete and utter submission even more.
I already have his body.
It is only right that I possess every last bit of his love, Chu Mo thought.
Suddenly her thoughts danced backward.
She gently stroked the red string on her wrist, remembering how, before she treated Yan Qingge, Bai Qingran had struggled in such pain and told her he wanted to stand openly by her side.
He did not want to be a substitute, nor did he want to remain a hidden plaything.
Chu Mo slowly tilted her head back and closed her eyes.
What would that kind of “sunlit” love look like?
Would it be the little fox smiling with crescent eyes, holding her hand and strolling through the most bustling parts of the mortal world, feeding her sweet snacks mouth-to-mouth with intimate affection?
Or would it be the two of them resting shoulder to shoulder beneath ten-thousand-year-old ancient trees, letting the gentle breeze playfully tease their hair while they grew old together in eternal quiet?
The corners of Chu Mo’s mouth unconsciously curved upward.
Every scene was a sweet temptation she had never tasted.
But then her black pupils opened again, filled with emotions that could not be named.
Too bad, Bai Qingran. You have already been destroyed by my own hands.
At that moment the long-suppressed guilt surged violently.
The face that was normally cold as frost actually cracked a little.
The corners of Chu Mo’s mouth bent downward of their own accord, then pressed into a tight, stubborn line.
The little fox had said he wanted someone to keep him company.
He had helped her greatly with Yan Qingge’s matter.
Satisfying such a small wish would be fine.
Perhaps it could ease the suffocating tension between them now.
With that thought, Chu Mo took out the roster of Lingxiao Peak disciples and slowly ran her fingertips across the pages.
She truly wanted to compensate Bai Qingran, yet her pathologically possessive nature made her extremely picky about the choice.
The person must not be beautiful.
Her figure must not be graceful.
Her cultivation must be low.
And above all, she must not be someone with a silver tongue who could coax a man into happiness.
Chu Mo flipped through the roster with rustling pages.
Just before the book nearly fell apart, one name caught her eye.
Xiao Tao, a menial disciple on Lingxiao Peak.
Her cultivation was only at the ninth layer of Spirit Movement Stage.
In this female-dominant world where women were generally tall and strong, she stood only about five feet three inches tall, thin and frail like a stunted wild weed in the wilderness.
What pleased Chu Mo most was that Xiao Tao had been born with an eye disease—she could not see.
***
The next day, inside the Lingxiao Peak warehouse.
Xiao Tao was bent at the waist, laboriously carrying goods, when she heard news that left her stunned.
True Disciple Chu wanted to see her.
Because of her physical condition, Xiao Tao had always been the one bullied among the menial disciples.
As soon as the news spread, mocking laughter rose all around.
“Oh my, True Disciple Chu actually wants to see Xiao Tao! Our Xiao Tao is now the ‘big star’ of Lingxiao Peak! Hahahaha!”
“Come on, I bet she broke that Ruyi Jade Vase with her clumsy hands a few days ago. True Disciple Chu is probably calling her in to settle the score.”
“Exactly. Xiao Tao, when you get there you’d better confess honestly. Otherwise, when you come back with that cheap little life of yours… heh heh.”
The small figure shrank in on itself amid the noise. In truth, those chattering disciples were the ones who had secretly broken the jade vase and then forced the blame onto her.
“Enough.” The disciple delivering the order frowned impatiently.
“What are you dawdling for? Do you want True Disciple Chu to wait? Hurry up!”
On the way, Xiao Tao’s ears heard nothing else—only the sound of her own heart pounding like war drums, terrified to the extreme.
“We’re here.”
The heavy wooden door closed slowly behind her. A cold, oppressive aura washed over her face.
Xiao Tao could not see the woman seated above, but she could clearly feel the terrifying presence that held the power of life and death.
Thud.
Xiao Tao dropped to her knees.
Her forehead struck the hard floor tiles with loud thumps.
Without any dignity she took full blame for the jade vase incident.
Then her pleas for mercy echoed through the empty hall, sounding especially desolate.
This frightened-quail appearance made Chu Mo frown in disgust.
But on second thought, her expression smoothed out again.
Precisely because the girl was so weak, timid, and lowly, she was the most suitable person to stay by Bai Qingran’s side.
She would neither dare to covet Bai Qingran nor allow him to develop even the slightest other thought toward her.
“Get up. I didn’t summon you because of the jade vase.”
Chu Mo paused.
Her black pupils pressed down on the huddled figure like a ten-thousand-pound hammer.
“I want you to take care of someone. The spirit stones you receive each month from Lingxiao Peak will be tripled, and you will also be given additional cultivation resources.”
It sounded like a discussion, but it was simply a superior granting alms and issuing an order to an ant in her eyes.
Triple spirit stones just for taking care of someone?
For Xiao Tao, who had always struggled bitterly, this was like a meat pie falling from the sky.
She kowtowed repeatedly and agreed at once.
“But I have three conditions.”
Chu Mo lightly tapped the armrest, staring coldly at the curled-up figure.
Her words were like a devil tempting the world.
“First, you must stay by this person’s side at all times. Every minute, every second, even every breath and every murmured word—he must be reported to me in full detail through a transmission jade slip after nightfall.”
“Second, if he makes any request, you are not allowed to agree on your own. You must tell me first. Only after I nod may you do it.”
“Third…”
For an instant Xiao Tao felt as if she could not breathe.
Chu Mo’s tone was extremely light, yet it carried killing intent that could take a life.
“If anyone else learns about this matter, the demon beasts on the back mountain of Lingxiao Peak are always hungry. Do you understand?”
Xiao Tao felt her whole body turn ice-cold and tremble uncontrollably.
This was no heavenly blessing at all—it was clearly a bottomless abyss where the slightest misstep would shatter her to pieces!
“Do it well and you will be rewarded. Do it poorly and death will be the lightest punishment.”
Gulp.
Xiao Tao swallowed with difficulty.
Her voice shook so badly it was almost unrecognizable.
“Y-yes, True Disciple Chu… this disciple… accepts the order…”