The Ascetic Beauty

"Are you alright?"

Sword Thirteen left, and Mo Shang flew up to the city wall, pressing Gu Qingzhou down.

"That Old Deng really packs a punch..." Gu Qingzhou rubbed his backside, grimacing in pain.

"Who told you to run your mouth." Mo Shang shrugged in response.

Why ask anything at all, let alone whether his eyes were dry? That was practically asking for trouble. That kick wasn't undeserved...

Seeing that the other party was fine, he paid it no further mind and started strolling down the street.

"It's really strange, why did I get beaten up just for asking that..." Gu Qingzhou muttered under his breath as he trailed behind the group.

The four walked along the street.

Perhaps because of Liu Ruyan and Jiang Shuyu's looks, many people cast glances their way the whole way down.

Of course, there were women among them too, but they weren't looking at Liu Ruyan or Jiang Shuyu—their gazes all landed on Gu Qingzhou...

"Look, that guy's so handsome."

"Really, I wonder if he has a dao partner..."

"Go ask?"

"Wait, aren't you a guy???"

"Ah, sometimes being too handsome is a kind of trouble..." Facing the crowd's stares, Gu Qingzhou wore an expression of pure enjoyment.

Perhaps because of his awakened constitution, Gu Qingzhou's looks had been enhanced, and his aura had shifted noticeably, making him quite eye-catching.

However, compared to Gu Qingzhou, Mo Shang was the polar opposite. Under the boost of the Mediocre trait, even when standing with the group, people would subconsciously overlook his existence...

But Mo Shang didn't mind much. At the moment, he was frowning slightly, muttering something under his breath: "Something's off, very, very off..."

"What's off?" Hearing this, Gu Qingzhou asked curiously.

"Too peaceful, that's not normal..." Mo Shang spoke again.

They had two children of fortune here. According to the laws of plot development, someone should be coveting their beauty and picking a fight by now...

"Too peaceful? What's wrong with that?" Gu Qingzhou scratched his head, utterly confused.

Yet, just as they were talking, from the street corner ahead, a group of richly dressed cultivators approached. Their uniforms were uniform, their bearing noble—clearly disciples of some major sect.

At the lead was a woman, tall and slender, exuding a coquettish aura. Every slight frown or smile carried an indescribable allure.

As the group advanced, they soon reached Mo Shang and the others.

"Wow, a beauty." Seeing the woman, Gu Qingzhou's eyes lit up.

"What, smitten?" Mo Shang glanced at him.

"Heh, a little..."

The woman's gaze swept over the group and suddenly landed on Gu Qingzhou, her eyes sparkling.

She stopped, a gentle smile curving at the corners of her mouth, and then a voice rang out: "Young master, you're so handsome. Can we be friends?"

But contrary to the soft, airy tone one might expect, the woman's voice was deep and rough, nothing like a woman's—more like a weathered middle-aged man's.

As the voice sounded, the bustling street fell silent. Passersby all widened their eyes in disbelief.

"Who said that?" Gu Qingzhou froze for a moment, looking around.

"Handsome young man, I'm right in front of you. Where are you looking?"

The woman spoke again, her low, husky voice breaking Gu Qingzhou's last shred of illusion, leaving him rooted to the spot.

"What's wrong, young master?" Seeing this, the woman moved closer to Gu Qingzhou.

"Don't come near me! Are you a man or a woman?"

Gu Qingzhou stumbled back a few steps, staring at the woman whose figure and face were both exquisite, but whose voice was utterly jarring. He even began to wonder if his ears were malfunctioning.

"Oh my, young master, you're so funny. Sister is so pretty, of course I'm a girl. And I don't have a dao partner yet..." The woman spoke again, even throwing a flirtatious wink at Gu Qingzhou.

At that moment, Gu Qingzhou turned to stone on the spot, closing his eyes in agony. He didn't dare open them, hoping it was all an illusion...

"Ah, sometimes being too handsome is a kind of trouble—those words are true. Even walking down the street, beauties take a liking to you." Mo Shang patted Gu Qingzhou on the shoulder, grinning.

To be fair, her looks and figure were perfect. Aside from the voice being a bit of a mood killer, there was nothing wrong...

"Young master, why aren't you talking? Are you shy?" Seeing Gu Qingzhou silent, the woman spoke again.

"I want to be alone..." Gu Qingzhou said, utterly defeated.

"Ah, how did you know my name is Jingjing? We just met and you're already thinking of me? Did you fall for me at first sight?" Hearing this, the woman's pretty cheeks flushed with a hint of red.

Gu Qingzhou: ???

Mo Shang: ???

At this point, everyone present wore confused expressions.

"May I ask the lady's name?" Mo Shang, unable to contain his curiosity, asked.

"This Humble One is Guo Jingjing, Saintess of the Ten Thousand Flowers Sect. Greetings to all fellow cultivators." As she spoke, the woman gave a slight bow to the group and introduced herself.

"This Humble One is Mo Shang, from the Falling Cloud Sect..." Mo Shang returned the greeting with a slight clasp of his fists.

"Liu Ruyan."

"Jiang Shuyu."

Liu Ruyan and the other woman also returned Guo Jingjing's greeting.

"So you're fellow cultivators from the Falling Cloud Sect. A pleasure. And what about this handsome young man here? Can you tell big sister your name?" Guo Jingjing smiled and nodded, then fixed her gaze on Gu Qingzhou.

"I refuse to answer that question." Gu Qingzhou shook his head wildly, rejecting her inquiry.

"Why? Do you have no feelings for me at all?"

"None, not a single bit!"

"I don't believe it..."

"Your Ten Thousand Flowers Sect's Saintess must be quite popular, right?"

Off to the side, Mo Shang pulled out a handful of melon seeds, split half with a nearby Ten Thousand Flowers Sect disciple, and issued an invitation to join in on the gossip.

"No, because her voice sounds like a man's. As soon as the Saintess opens her mouth, everyone keeps their distance. Your reaction here is actually pretty good..."

The disciple took the seeds, cracking them open as he spoke, opening the floodgates.

"Heh, you don't know this, but once a guy tried to hit on our Saintess. The moment she spoke, he fainted from shock..."

"This is the first time I've seen the Saintess be so forward..."

"Is that so? Is your Saintess's voice natural?" Mo Shang asked again.

"That I'm not too sure about. The first time I met the Saintess, her voice was already like this..."

"What a pity. Is there no way to cure it?"

"No idea. There probably is..."