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An hour after Duàn Yì had gone up the mountain, before the Golden Cauldron Sect came calling, three more people arrived at its gates: the pretty little girl Yuè'er whom Duàn Yì had met yesterday, along with the two elderly women who had accompanied her.

Whether it was Wáng Jīn Guì or the other gatekeeping disciple, compared with how they had made things difficult for Duàn Yì just now, they had now transformed into utter bootlickers. They respectfully saluted the two elders, then grinned as they greeted Yuè'er, their fawning intent plain to see.

Helan Yue'er, the biological niece of Qū Dōng Liú, the Golden Cauldron Sect's leader, was the treasured jewel of the Helan Family of Mengzhou, Hebei Province. In terms of status and standing, she was far beyond what a mere Golden Cauldron Sect disciple could afford to slight.

Yet Helan Yue'er seemed somewhat absentminded. There were faint dark circles beneath her eyes, and her complexion lacked color.

For the most part, it was because she had tossed and turned all night, her mind filled with every little moment of her brief time with Duàn Yì. She regretted that they might never meet again. The remaining reason was the exhaustion from climbing the mountain path.

After dismissing Wáng Jīn Guì and the other mountain-guarding disciple, the two elders led Helan Yue'er straight up the mountain.

"Granny, why is Uncle's marriage so rushed this time, and why does he mean to conceal it? Given his identity and status, if he sent invitations far and wide, I'm afraid half the martial world of Hebei Province would be stirred. Isn't this far too shabby instead?"

Temporarily suppressing her thoughts of Duàn Yì, Helan Yue'er turned to Granny An at her side and asked.

Helan Yue'er rather liked this uncle of hers. When she had been young, she had even spent some time on Shalu Mountain and learned a few Golden Cauldron Sect martial arts techniques. Still, she could not understand her uncle's low-key manner.

In the little girl's mind, marriage was such a sacred, solemn, pure event in one's life. How could it be handled so carelessly? Wasn't that terribly unfair to her aunt?

If she ever married in the future, she would certainly make it grand and glorious, so that everyone in the world knew she was the bride, the happiest person of all.

"Hmph, of course Qū Dōng Liú has to conceal it. He has done something shameful. If he still sent invitations everywhere, then when friends, relatives, and martial arts peers gathered together, what if someone exposed his disgrace to his face? Where would he put his face then?

"The Golden Cauldron Sect might even lose all face and suffer a great decline in prestige."

Granny An struck her snake-headed staff against the ground, producing a crisp smack that whipped up a gust of wind. Cold light flashed from her bean-sized eyes. Clearly, she had a great deal of resentment toward Qū Dōng Liú, but she could not show too much of it before Little Yue'er, so she did not continue.

Though the Moon Worship Palace was an all-female sect and had always kept a low profile, it possessed formidable strength and had once enjoyed considerable renown in the Hebei Province martial world.

Yuè Bì Nǔ's collusion with Qū Dōng Liú to rebel against her superiors and betray the kindness of her benefactor and master had been carried out discreetly, but walls had ears. The news had now spread, long since provoking the dissatisfaction of many righteous people.

However, owing to the strength of the two factions and Yán Susu's past reputation for being cold and unfeeling, no outsiders had interfered or asked questions.

If those two held a lavish ceremony now, they would be trampling the rules of the martial world and the righteous path beneath their feet. Did they truly think no one would seize the chance to make trouble?

Seeing Granny An suddenly grow angry and speak so critically of her uncle, Helan Yue'er felt stifled. Her lips protruded so far they could have hung an oil bottle from them as she trudged silently up the mountain.

In the past, she had also heard Granny An speak of her new aunt's origins and identity. Though she felt the woman's methods had been somewhat too cruel, there was reason behind them.

What sort of sect forbade its members from speaking of marriage or pursuing love? It was so cold and devoid of human feeling that it would be better off not existing at all.

If it had been her, perhaps she could not have betrayed her sect, but she would certainly have gone to the ends of the earth with the one she loved and remained together with him for life.

As she thought, Duàn Yì's smiling yet not-smiling face appeared before Helan Yue'er's eyes, sending ripples through her heart.

If it were us, would you be willing to be with me regardless of everything?

Duàn Yì knew nothing of Helan Yue'er's ascent up the mountain or the thoughts in her heart. Right now, he was tidying his room, his future long-term residence.

He had just taken a turn around the area and gained a general understanding of its location and the surrounding environment.

This was halfway up the central main peak of Shalu Mountain. Only one residence stood here, his current place of shelter. The Golden Cauldron Sect had specially built it according to Bái Xī Wén's tastes, preferences, and requirements. Someone delivered meals on time every day, which was quite convenient.

There were quite a few similar buildings on this main peak, all exclusive privileges for figures at the elder level and above. After all, there had to be some sign that they were different from the rest.

Duàn Yì also found this place quite satisfactory. The environment was quiet and secluded, with few disturbances, reducing the risk of contact with others and thus exposing his identity. Moreover, the abundance of grass and trees, with few stones and all kinds of animals dwelling among them, gave the place much more life.

"Phew, it's finally cleaned up. At last, it looks a little like a home."

Duàn Yì looked around the entire room. It was roughly thirty square meters in size. Against the north wall stood a raised bed, while beside the window was a desk. There were also cabinets, a round wooden table, tall stools, and other furnishings. The conditions were by no means shabby.

He walked to the round table in the middle of the room and sat down, poured himself a cup of water, and sank into thought.

"I've passed the first hurdle. Being able to stay is already excellent news.

"I just don't know when Bái Xī Wén will accept me as a disciple and teach me martial arts. That cannot be rushed. I must be patient."

From their brief contact during the day, Duàn Yì had roughly discerned some of Bái Xī Wén's character traits.

Ordinarily, he should have been an unkempt, unpretentious man, relatively easy to get along with. But whenever two matters were involved, he would become sensitive, suspicious, even cold and unfeeling.

The first was the Golden Cauldron Sect. The second was Yuè Jiāo Nú. One could even say they were his fatal weaknesses.

Bái Xī Wén should have cherished both greatly, but judging by their relative weight, the Golden Cauldron Sect likely mattered three parts more to him than Yuè Jiāo Nú.

In other words, he loved Yuè Jiāo Nú, liked Yuè Jiāo Nú, and was willing to do many things for her, but he alone would never harm the interests of the Golden Cauldron Sect. He was not someone who would cast everything aside for love.

That was also why, when Qū Dōng Liú of the Golden Cauldron Sect had interfered in the affairs of the Moon Worship Palace, he had not stopped him and had only secretly preserved Yuè Jiāo Nú's life.

Yuè Jiāo Nú must have seen this as well. That was why she had placed all her hopes for revenge on Yán Fāngfēi—Duàn Yì's mother—and only then did the later events unfold.

If Duàn Yì were to tell him the truth now and lay bare his real identity, he would most likely be driven out of this place. That would already be Bái Xī Wén yielding for Yuè Jiāo Nú's sake.

There was also a small chance that Bái Xī Wén would simply beat him to death. A man filled with hatred for the Golden Cauldron Sect's leader who had boldly come up the mountain to seek apprenticeship—someone loyal to the sect naturally would not raise a tiger only to invite calamity.

Never overestimate how kind or righteous a martial artist might be. Perhaps there truly were those who did not slaughter the innocent indiscriminately, but Duàn Yì's ties to the Golden Cauldron Sect ran too deep. How could he be considered innocent?

Identity determined one's stance. That was all.

Fortunately, when Duàn Yì had discussed matters with Yuè Jiāo Nú earlier, they had already taken this into account. Thus, they had fabricated an identity that was imperfect and could not withstand close scrutiny, but one that Bái Xī Wén, out of consideration for Yuè Jiāo Nú, would absolutely not dig into root and question bottom.

This was using one weakness to overcome another.

Of course, another important reason he had passed was that Duàn Yì had truly come alone to learn martial arts, without much pretense involved.

Otherwise, if he had been burdened by bitter hatred and overflowing Killing Intent, he could never have concealed it from someone like Bái Xī Wén. The outcome would naturally have been worrying.

Taking a deep breath, Duàn Yì walked out of his room and into the silent courtyard. He let out a long breath and practiced a set of Minor Capturing Hand techniques by himself. Though he had no Internal Energy, motion and stillness blended together, and he had already grasped much of its inner essence.

After finishing the set and withdrawing his stance, Duàn Yì lifted his head to the sky. The stars filled the heavens, appearing and vanishing faintly, like pieces scattered across a chessboard. As they gleamed, they seemed especially clear and beautiful.

His right hand touched the Longevity Lock around his neck, and Duàn Yì's heart settled into calm. With it, he had the foundation on which to stand. He only hoped Bái Xī Wén would not disappoint him.