At noon, Zi Menghan was home alone.
On the dining table, four or five dishes were laid out, colorful and fragrant.
Yet the girl sat alone at the table, feeling a bit lonely and desolate.
‘Young Master He… so he’s not coming back for lunch after all…’
She tugged at the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile, trying not to let her inner disappointment show on her face.
This table full of delicacies had been carefully prepared by Zi Menghan that morning.
Seeing how much He Qiu had enjoyed the steamed buns and rice porridge she made, her mood had lifted and her confidence soared.
She planned to make a grand feast for lunch, hoping He Qiu would continue to praise her.
But now, it seemed Zi Menghan had been reading too much into it.
He Qiu simply wasn’t coming home for lunch…
This inexplicable feeling of desolation was like a newlywed wife who prepares lunch at home, only to learn her husband has to work overtime and can’t come back to eat.
Disappointment, loneliness, isolation, pain.
Zi Menghan puffed out her cheeks, feeling deeply aggrieved.
‘Hmph, come home or not! I’ll just eat by myself!’
She picked up her chopsticks in defiance, taking on all five dishes by herself, polishing off three big bowls of rice.
She wasn’t really his maidservant.
She was the princess of the Demon Sect.
There was no way she would feel失落 because of some minor Orthodox Path cultivator.
With He Qiu not at home, Zi Menghan actually felt more at ease.
She didn’t have to put on any ladylike airs.
She would drop her disguise, shed her girlish burden, and eat until she was stuffed, fully satisfied!
…
While Zi Menghan was sulking and eating at home, He Qiu had already finished lunch.
He was leaning against the wall, clutching his stomach, with a look of utter despair on his face.
He repeatedly bid farewell to Senior Sister and Yun Qing, looking as if he had been drained dry.
No, not drained—stuffed full by “Little Divine Chef” Yun Qing, unable to hold another drop.
To be honest, this free meal at the Origin Sacred Land had left him a bit scared.
Although he had gained poison resistance and taste resistance for free, the food was still genuinely terrible.
If he kept eating like this for a few more meals, not only would An Daosheng’s vegetable patch be stripped bare—the old man might cry to death—but He Qiu himself might actually lose his sense of taste!
‘When I get back tonight, I’ll ask Miss Meng’er to prepare a bento for me in the morning…’
Walking along the main path of the Longyin Sect, the white-clad youth murmured to himself.
Today, although he had already completed his training session with Senior Sister, He Qiu didn’t plan to go home. He had one more place to visit.
“The All-Books Pavilion.”
Before he knew it, He Qiu had arrived at the wooden building.
Pushing open the heavy door, He Qiu was immediately greeted by a strong scent of books and a dazzling array of texts and techniques.
To be honest, he loved this quiet, literary library—not just for the peace of mind, but also for the instinctive yearning of his body.
Actually, He Qiu had a somewhat unrealistic dream.
In this life, he loved reading.
So he often fantasized about one day reading all the great works under heaven and becoming an all-knowing sage and scholar.
Of course, there were countless wondrous books in the world.
Even if he read for several hundred years, he probably wouldn’t finish them all.
So He Qiu just daydreamed idly; he didn’t actually plan to put it into practice.
He would read as many books as he could…
“You’re here, He Qiu.”
Just as he was lost in thought, a distant female voice came from inside the pavilion.
He Qiu turned his head and saw a beauty in a long dress stepping out from behind the bookshelf, holding an ancient book in her hand.
The dress had a high slit on one side of the thigh, revealing a few inches of tantalizing white leg skin.
Coupled with the woman’s mature, intellectual, gentle charm, it was quite intoxicating to He Qiu, giving her the elegant, literary aura of a noble teacher from his previous life.
Every time he saw Nangong Qiongxiao, He Qiu would be dazed for a moment before snapping back to reality.
To be honest, her impact on him was too strong.
Perhaps this was what they called being into older women…?
“Disciple greets Fairy Nan.”
“You’re too polite.”
Fairy Nan smiled lightly, closed the ancient book she had been reading, and walked over in her heels.
As she passed He Qiu, she gestured with her eyes toward the seat by the window—the same place she had talked with He Qiu yesterday.
He Qiu caught the hint and followed, sitting down across from Fairy Nan.
“Today, according to our agreement yesterday, you’ve come to study with me?”
Crossing her legs under the table, Nangong Qiongxiao propped her cheek on her hand and casually introduced the topic in a relaxed tone.
He Qiu nodded, not being overly deferential.
“Yes, I am looking forward to your guidance, Fairy Nan.”
If he had to say it, besides cultivation, He Qiu’s greatest interest was reading.
And yesterday, Nangong Qiongxiao had told him that if he came to the All-Books Pavilion to read and study with her, it would help him advance on other cultivation paths.
For He Qiu, this was naturally the best thing possible—it was practically gospel for a book lover.
Reading leads to becoming stronger.
Why wouldn’t he be willing?
So he came today, at the same time as yesterday, very punctually.
Seeing the youth so proactive, Nangong Qiongxiao was more than pleased.
She liked self-disciplined, punctual, and motivated students the most.
“Good. From now on, I am willing to teach you cultivation. It wouldn’t be too much for you to call me Master, would it?”
“But, Disciple has already been accepted into the Xueyin Lineage…”
“Don’t worry. I have already spoken with Elder An. He agreed that you can study with me on a daily basis. On the surface, you are still his personal disciple, that’s all.”
The graceful fairy’s smile was gentle and mysterious, giving off a strangely relaxing psychological effect.
This wasn’t a Spirit Art to confuse people or a disguise.
It was purely a new temperament Nangong Qiongxiao had cultivated over the years.
When dealing with matters of state, she could be as domineering and aloof as an Empress, brooking no disobedience.
But here in the Longyin Sect, as Fairy Nan and an Elder, when faced with a disciple she admired, she could be gentle, beautiful, elegant, and maximally approachable.
So her words were very persuasive to He Qiu.
In reality, however, she hadn’t spoken with An Daosheng at all.
How could she openly discuss poaching someone else’s disciple?
Nangong Qiongxiao simply thought He Qiu’s talent was extraordinary.
Such a good seedling being monopolized by Saintess An Lingran alone was a waste of talent.
The resources of her and the All-Books Pavilion could clearly provide He Qiu with more cultivation help and aid his growth.
She was helping him.
It was for his own good.
Of course, poaching was still Nangong Qiongxiao’s main goal.
If she could make a promising seedling like He Qiu willingly submit to her, Nangong, and serve her as Empress, that would be incredibly satisfying.
See?
It benefits He Qiu, it benefits Nangong Qiongxiao—a win-win…
In this way, only the Xueyin Lineage gets stabbed in the back, creating a beautiful world.
Perfect.
But as the saying goes, earning someone’s trust requires a long period of emotional cultivation…
Therefore, Nangong Qiongxiao wasn’t in a hurry.
For now, she controlled the All-Books Pavilion within the Longyin Sect.
As long as He Qiu still loved studying techniques, he would absolutely need to interact with her, Fairy Nan.
Opportunities to build trust came every day.
For example, right now—
“In that case, I’ll trouble Master Nangong from now on.”
He Qiu didn’t think much about it and changed his address on the spot.
Taking a master wasn’t a shameful thing.
Since the Master said she didn’t mind, why should he worry unnecessarily?
“Mm, good resolve.”
Nangong Qiongxiao felt another wave of satisfaction.
The first step of her poaching plan was complete.
The next step was to see how she could cultivate him into a talent, dyeing this blank sheet of paper He Qiu with a deep color belonging to her, Nangong Qiongxiao.
Not only that, but she wanted the color of her influence on him to cover the vast majority—to be deeper and more vivid than An Lingran’s color.
Nangong Qiongxiao wanted He Qiu to trust her, Fairy Nan, more than he trusted the Xueyin Lineage.
“I pondered all night last night and have already tailored a study plan for you for the coming week.”
As she spoke, the graceful beauty snapped her fingers with a pop.
Immediately, a spiritual wind blew in from outside, lifting countless books from the shelves behind and piling them all onto the table in front of He Qiu.
Looking at the mountain of technique manuals, the youth was stunned for a moment.
“These are all scriptures related to Spirit Cultivation, from first-rank introductory to fifth-rank Nascent Soul transformation, a complete set… He Qiu, your homework for these three days is to skim and memorize all these Spirit Cultivation manuals. Not difficult, right?”
At the end, Nangong Qiongxiao half-squinted her beautiful eyes, observing He Qiu’s reaction.
In truth, even for herself, it would take three days just to barely finish reading that many books.
This first day was really just a test of the youth’s patience, resolve, and willpower.
She didn’t actually expect him to read and comprehend all these manuals—that would be forcing someone to do the impossible.
Moreover, He Qiu was originally a Sword Cultivator.
Spirit Cultivation was an entirely new system for him.
Whether he could even understand the content of the books was questionable, let alone comprehend it.
This was also a test of He Qiu’s talent direction.
Although he was a genius in sword cultivation, it didn’t necessarily mean he was gifted in other paths.
Nangong Qiongxiao needed to spend some time thoroughly figuring out He Qiu’s specific talent orientation.
That way, she could teach him according to his aptitude and devise a plan suited to He Qiu’s situation, nurturing him better.
These two points were the purpose of Nangong Qiongxiao’s conversation today.
Looking at the boy’s thoughtful expression, Nangong Qiongxiao grew more expectant.
She was curious how this once-in-a-millennium genius would react to such a daunting, almost deliberately difficult task.
Would he endure the humiliation and grit his teeth to accept the task…
Or would he slam the table, thinking Nangong Qiongxiao was making things hard for him, forcing a Sword Cultivator to study such a massive amount of Spirit Cultivation manuals…
Or perhaps?
“Not difficult.”
He Qiu casually picked up a book and flipped through it, speaking calmly.
After a moment, before Nangong Qiongxiao could react, he closed the book and thoughtfully added:
“I don’t need three days. One day is enough for me to memorize them all.”