“Master, I have no objections to you taking in disciples, but at the very least, could you give me a heads-up so I can mentally prepare myself?”
After Lin Yuhe and Tang Yueyao returned to their respective peak residences, Shen Mu helplessly complained to Luo Qingling.
Luo Qingling’s expression remained calm as she unhurriedly asked, “You seemed awfully wary of that Lin Yuhe today. Tell me, have you two had some kind of prior encounter?”
“Not really…”
Though they both hailed from the same planet and nation, this was only their second meeting so far.
“Then why are you so afraid of her? Even if she’s the young miss of the Lin Clan, do you think she could eat you alive here in the Wind Spirit Immortal Sect?”
“Or… is there some unspeakable secret between the two of you?”
Luo Qingling wasn’t foolish. Since there was no prior acquaintance or enmity, the only explanation was that there was some hidden connection between them that she didn’t know about.
Otherwise, why would he be so wary of her despite it being their first meeting?
“No way…” Seeing Luo Qingling getting closer to the truth, Shen Mu quickly came up with an excuse.
“Actually… when I was young, I met a wandering immortal who told me that I was destined to encounter a calamity star who would bring me to a deadly crisis.”
“This person’s surname is Lin, born into a prominent cultivation clan, a once-in-a-millennium prodigy blessed with the Mandate of the True Phoenix.”
“If I encounter her in the future, I should avoid her at all costs, and at a critical moment, it might spare me from death.”
After spinning this excuse, Shen Mu closely observed Luo Qingling’s expression.
To his relief, her eyes showed no trace of skepticism—only deep contemplation, as if she found his explanation convincing.
“…”
“Did that immortal not mention any other ways to avert this calamity?”
After a moment of thought, Luo Qingling asked with a serious expression, a stark contrast to her usual carefree demeanor.
Seeing this, Shen Mu continued his fabrication: “There is a way, but it requires a heaven-defying opportunity to change my fate.”
“And as you know, Master, such opportunities are incredibly rare and almost impossible to come by. Even if I did encounter one, with my level of strength and luck, I’d have no chance of competing with those highly talented geniuses…”
As he spoke, Shen Mu’s tone grew increasingly dejected, sounding like a disheartened, hopeless soul.
Seeing her disciple in such a state, Luo Qingling didn’t press further.
“If you want to go into seclusion, go ahead. But when I call for you, you must come to me immediately.”
“Your disciple will strictly obey Master’s command.”
With that, Luo Qingling flew off.
“…”
Why do I feel… Master’s acting a bit strange too?
In the past, she never showed this much concern for me.
***
The night was cool, with the moon’s reflection shimmering in the pool.
Jiang Ning’er shed her white robes, unwrapping the bindings around her chest, revealing the well-developed figure of a young woman.
Her waist-length, silky black hair flowed naturally as her delicate, jade-like toes lightly touched the misty surface of the spiritual pool…
The youthful yet fair body of the girl slowly submerged into the pool…
“Phew…”
As her smooth shoulders aligned with the water’s surface, she let out a long breath, her face displaying an unprecedented sense of relaxation.
Her eyes, gazing up at the bright moon in the night sky, held a faint trace of joy.
“Brother Shen Mu…”
At this moment, she softly murmured, her voice no longer that of a boy but that of a gentle, tender maiden in the bloom of youth.
“It’s been two years…”
“You’re still… just as you were when we first met…”
Recalling the ethereal, snow-like figure etched deeply in her memory, her lips curved into a slight smile, a faint blush spreading across her face.
“It’s just a pity… I can’t meet you as my true self right now…”
“Otherwise…”
“I really want to see what kind of expression you’d have seeing how much I’ve grown.”
The girl always cherished the brief time she had spent with him.
Though it was less than a month, it had opened a new chapter in her life, leading her to a vast, new world.
And from then on…
It gave her hope for the rest of her life.
***
The next day.
Shen Mu arrived early at the Heavenly Task Pavilion to take on sect missions, intending to pick up a relatively unique yet simple task to obtain a special, incomplete divine artifact while avoiding the protagonist group’s spotlight.
This incomplete divine artifact was a hidden item in the game, never appearing in the main storyline, with only fragmented records and legends about it—deeply concealed.
If he hadn’t been making a speedrun guide video aiming for full completion and collection, even he might not have known of its existence after finishing the main storyline.
As for why he wanted to obtain it now…
Naturally, it was because of the auxiliary effects it provided, making the early stages of cultivation much smoother and less stressful.
To change his current precarious situation, he had to seize the timing of this task’s refresh and claim it.
Otherwise, missing it would make defying his fate incredibly difficult.
After all…
Three years from now was his fated death.
Fortunately, since the task was inconspicuous with mediocre rewards, few people were interested in taking it.
Even the NPCs of this world looked down on it.
Only someone like him, an outsider with deep knowledge of the task’s details, would bother to claim it.
“Are you sure you want to take this commission?”
The pavilion elder who had just hung the task jade plaque on the commission board looked at the first sect disciple to claim a task today with a skeptical expression.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Shen Mu looked at the task jade plaque engraved with the words “Lingjue,” a slight smile tugging at his lips as he stored it in his storage ring.
However, the heavens are unpredictable.
“Senior Brother, you’re here to take a commission so early?”
A playful, lively female voice sounded behind Shen Mu. He knew it was that “calamity star” again.
“What I do has nothing to do with you, does it?” Shen Mu replied coldly, his words dripping with resistance.
“Coincidentally, I also wanted to take a commission to fill my pockets.”
Lin Yuhe didn’t seem to mind Shen Mu’s cold attitude. She stepped lightly to the commission board, carefully scanning each task jade plaque.
Strange, why isn’t the Lingjue Village task here? This should be the perfect time for it.
Could it be…
Noticing the absence of the task she wanted, she slowly turned her gaze to Shen Mu, her fellow Earthling.
“Senior Brother, what task did you just take?” Her eyes narrowed with a sweet, friendly smile as she asked softly.
“I said, my business has nothing to do with you.”
Realizing she was likely after the Lingjue Village task as well, Shen Mu replied coldly and quickly walked away without another word.
But as he stepped out of the pavilion, Lin Yuhe lunged forward with incredible speed, tackling him from behind in the blink of an eye!
Her legs instantly locked around his waist, one arm tightly wrapping around his neck in a seven-day unbreakable hold.
“Senior Brother~ Just tell me~”
“Tell your grandpa!” Shen Mu had no time to appreciate the warm, soft curves pressed against him, immediately unleashing a national curse with zero-frame startup.
“Get off me! Don’t you have any sense of boundaries between men and women?!”