When Xiang Yuan got angry, Chan'er immediately cowered and obediently explained the whole sequence of events.
More than ten days ago, Chan'er had returned to the Yellow Springs Dao. Pressured by Xiao Lingyue, she had been exceptionally diligent in her cultivation and successfully emerged from seclusion five days later.
She had originally planned to cultivate in seclusion for a month, but midway through it, she started missing her husband.
As it happened, a batch of female outer disciples of the Yellow Springs Dao was sent to the Holy Maiden's Hall at that time, where the best would be selected to fill vacant positions.
Over the years, the true Holy Maiden, Jinse, had left her homeland and lived alone, with no family to worry about. The false Holy Maiden, Chan'er, had also made everywhere her home, burrowing holes wherever she went. With no one overseeing the Holy Maiden's Hall, it was short-handed everywhere, and the Holy Maiden's attendant, Baoqin, had been run ragged.
To keep herself from overworking and becoming a middle-aged beauty while her charm still remained, Baoqin sought Chan'er's approval to select a group of outstanding female outer disciples from the Yellow Springs Dao—first, to fill the vacant posts, and second, to cultivate trusted followers belonging to the Holy Maiden.
Chan'er had little interest in such trivial matters and was too lazy to pay attention. She made only one demand.
No ugly ones, and definitely no pretty ones.
Those who understood, understood.
Following Chan'er's requirements, Baoqin swiftly gathered a group of utterly unremarkable female outer disciples from across the Southern Border.
Among them was Sima Qingyan.
Sima Qingyan's looks could absolutely be called first-rate. She had the striking beauty of an outstanding senior student, and both her figure and temperament were exceptional. Yet for some unknown reason, she wore