My mother is the white moonlight of the cultivation world.

Awen ran as fast as she could.

Her small chest heaved with heavy breathing, her lungs burning with pain. But she dared not stop; only one thought occupied her mind—to go to the city and find the immortal master!

The fairy master was captured while trying to save her.

Aside from the old lady who adopted him, the fairy sister was the first person to show him genuine kindness. She would buy him steamed buns, worry about whether he was cold, and push him to safety when he was in danger.

Such a good person cannot die!

Linshan City wasn't far, and he knew every alleyway where he could take a shortcut. Finally, as he stumbled and crawled through the city gate, he immediately spotted several young cultivators dressed in sect robes.

The leaders had outstanding bearing and were clearly not ordinary disciples.

He recognized the cloud patterns on the robes; it belonged to the Wuji Sect! One of the top sects in the cultivation world!

Saved!

"Immortal Master! Please... save Immortal Master Sister!" Ah Wen rushed to them, breathless, and almost collapsed to the ground.

The leader, a deacon at the Golden Core stage, immediately helped Awen up upon seeing this and asked in a deep voice, "Don't rush, tell me slowly, what happened?"

Ah Wen recounted the events of the Demon Cave in fits and starts, focusing on the terrifying nature of the two Shadow Demons.

Upon hearing this, the steward's expression turned extremely grave. Judging from the description, they were most likely two Shadow Demons at the Nascent Soul level. This was beyond the capabilities of their training team. He immediately decided to take out a communication stone to request assistance from the sect.

"etc."

A soft female voice stopped him.

Ye Xinrou slowly stepped forward, squatted down, and carefully examined Awen with a gentle and harmless smile. "Little brother, don't be afraid. What kind of attire does that fairy master sister you mentioned have?"

"Her...her clothes have green bamboo patterns on them..." Awen tried hard to recall. He didn't understand what Peak-style clothing was, so he could only describe it in the most intuitive way. He suddenly saw a somewhat arrogant-looking young man next to him pointing to the patterns on his sleeve, "It's similar to that immortal master's!"

Xuan Tianyu was taken aback upon hearing this.

Ye Xinrou's smile deepened, and a barely perceptible glint flashed in her clear eyes.

The disciple's robes of Qinglin Peak... and she's still a young girl...

Isn't that Hua Yue?

This is really...unfortunate.

She stood up, feigning concern, and sighed softly to the crowd, "Judging from what he said, it seems Junior Sister Hua really is in danger. What should we do?"

Her tone was full of anxiety, but her actions showed no urgency whatsoever.

"How about we use Master's jade talisman?" Gu Ye suddenly spoke up. The long sword at his waist hummed slightly, clearly indicating that he also felt the situation was urgent. These direct disciples of the peak masters were all equipped with tokens that could summon their masters in times of crisis.

"But..." Ye Xinrou immediately frowned, a troubled look on her face. "Master is currently cultivating diligently in seclusion. If we disturb him and it affects his path to enlightenment... I... I can't bear the responsibility."

"Then use mine! Ask my master!" Xuan Tianyu immediately suggested. After the minor competition, he became friends with Ye Xinrou, Gu Ye and their group, and now they were going down the mountain together for training.

"Even Immortal Yue can't do it." Ye Xinrou's brows furrowed even more, appearing to be always thinking of others. "I've heard that Immortal Yue has been tirelessly studying alchemy day and night to save Senior Brother Xie Changli, to the point of exhaustion. If we rashly disturb her and something goes wrong, then Senior Brother Xie's injuries..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was already quite clear.

"Is human life more important than cultivation? Is human life more important than the path of cultivation?!" Hearing their excuses, Ah Wen was so anxious he almost cried. He didn't understand anything about the path of cultivation or seclusion; he only knew that his immortal sister was about to die! "What you're doing... what's the difference between you and those cannibalistic demonic cultivators?!"

This cry was like a slap in the face, striking Xuan Tianyu hard across the cheek.

He suddenly remembered the first words Yue Qingxue said to him when he joined Qinglin Peak.

"No matter how high your cultivation level or how sharp your sword, you must always maintain a gentle compassion for life."

Xuan Tianyu took a deep breath and stepped forward: "She is, after all, my fellow disciple. I should save her out of both compassion and reason."

"But what if this isn't Junior Sister Hua, but a trap set by the demons?" Ye Xinrou was still making a final stalling attempt. "Besides, Junior Sister Hua is Senior Mo Ze's disciple. Shouldn't it be Senior Mo Ze who should be the one to save her?"

"Uncle Mo Ze's whereabouts are uncertain, who can contact him now?" Xuan Tianyu retorted, no longer wanting to hear these excuses.

While they were arguing, no one noticed that Gu Ye's knuckles, gripping the sword hilt, had turned slightly white from the force.

……

the other side.

The city walls of Linshan can be seen in the distance.

Hua Yue felt uncomfortable as Jun Yuan held her horizontally in his arms like a child. The wind whistled past her ears, and she could smell a cold scent emanating from him, mixed with a faint scent of blood and pine.

She hadn't been hugged like this in a long time, and a flush rose to her face.

"Um... senior, I can walk by myself," she protested softly.

Jun Yuan ignored him and continued walking, as if he were only holding a light, fluffy ball of cotton.

A silence fell between them.

Just when Hua Yue thought he would remain silent forever, Jun Yuan suddenly spoke, his voice low and flat.

"Whom do you now study under?"

"Dream Cloud Peak, Immortal Venerable Mo Ze," Hua Yue answered honestly.

"He's not right for you." Jun Yuan's answer was simple and direct. He seemed to feel that this was a bit harsh, so after thinking for a moment, he added, "His illusionary arts require an extremely special bloodline to inherit."

"Yes, I know that," Hua Yue explained. "I'm actually at Qinglin Peak right now, studying under Immortal Venerable Yue Qingxue."

Jun Yuan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"He's not suitable either."

"Huh?" Hua Yue was genuinely curious now. Back on the mountain, when Yue Qingxue saved her, she clearly used extremely skillful swordsmanship.

Seemingly sensing her confusion, Jun Yuan surprisingly offered a few more explanations.

"Yue Qingxue majored in music. His eldest disciple was determined to become a swordsman, and he only learned swordsmanship to teach his disciple."

Jun Yuan's tone carried a sense of incomprehension and regret, a sentiment shared by fellow seekers of the Dao.

"Now, in order to save that disciple, he's gone to learn alchemy. He's not proficient in anything."

To Jun Yuan, who had dedicated his entire life to the ultimate pursuit of swordsmanship, Yue Qingxue's actions were undoubtedly a waste of his talent and a departure from his true path. He could have achieved great things in the path of sound cultivation, but for the sake of others, he trapped himself in the same place.

"But... Immortal Yue is very gentle." Hua Yue wanted to defend Yue Qingxue, but didn't know where to begin.

She suddenly understood why Yue Qingxue had poured so much effort into her eldest disciple, Xie Changli. Perhaps, his first disciple truly held extraordinary significance for him.

Thinking about this, she felt a sudden sense of loss for no reason.

If Xie Changli had been the one framed in the Hall of Law Enforcement, would Yue Qingxue have chosen to stand firmly on his side without reservation?

Hua Yue shook her head, banishing the thought from her mind.

I shouldn't feel sorry about it.

Because her master, Mo Ze, also firmly chose to believe in her.

She was also Master Mo Ze's first disciple, which must have been of great significance.

"Senior said they are not suitable. So, in your opinion, who is suitable for me?" Hua Yue raised her head and asked, half curious and half joking.

Jun Yuan stopped in his tracks.

They were standing at the entrance of a secluded alley. He gently set Hua Yue down, then his blood-red eyes gazed intently at her.

The shadow of the alleyway fell on half of his face, making his features appear even more defined.

He spoke slowly and deliberately, his words concise and to the point.

"I."

Hua Yue was stunned.

Jun Yuan seemed oblivious to her astonishment and continued speaking in his usual straightforward tone.

"I'm the most suitable, Hua Yue."

"what?"

Hua Yue was completely stunned, her eyes wide open.

She didn't know whether to be shocked that a sword master who could instantly kill a Nascent Soul stage demon actually wanted to take her as his disciple.

Or should we be shocked by...

How did he know my name?