Xue Mu turned to look out the window and only then realized it was already midday—probably past one. They hadn't even offered him a bite for lunch, and now they were talking about rewarding him? What a joke...
A knock sounded at the door, followed by Yue Xiaochan's voice. "Master."
Xue Qingqiu waved a hand, and the door swung open on its own. Yue Xiaochan ran in and glanced curiously at the teacup on the table. With a smile, she said, "You actually served tea to him yourself, Master? Sounds like the conversation went well."
Xue Mu knew Yue Xiaochan had overheard some of their earlier conversation, so he felt a little awkward. But she seemed completely unbothered, wearing the same bright, smiling expression as ever.
Xue Mu couldn't see any change in Yue Xiaochan, but Xue Qingqiu was overcome with joy the moment she saw her. At a glance, she could tell that Yue Xiaochan's soul spirit had reached the Hua Yun Realm. Her cultivation had broken through a major bottleneck! Countless geniuses had been trapped at this hurdle. Even Xue Qingqiu herself had only reached this stage at fifteen, yet Yue Xiaochan had broken through at a mere thirteen. It was an achievement unprecedented in the history of the Star Moon Sect! No, not just the Star Moon Sect—the whole world had never heard of such a feat!
She was destined to go down in history and shine for all ages!
Amid her joy, Xue Qingqiu suddenly remembered something and froze. Yue Xiaochan hadn't shown any signs of a breakthrough. Had she reached this point now because...? Xue Qingqiu pressed her lips together, and a thread of worry dulled her joy. "What are you doing here?"
Yue Xiaochan stuck out her tongue. "Master might not mind going hungry, but I was worried you'd starve Uncle to death, so I came to call you both to dinner."
Xue Qingqiu and Xue Mu blurted out at the same time, "Uncle?"
"Everyone now thinks Xue Mu is Master's brother, including our disciples and people outside the sect. Master hasn't denied it..." Yue Xiaochan smiled faintly. "Since I'm still young... if he shouldn't be Uncle, then what should I call him?"
Looking at her smile, the two Xues stared at each other in dismay, unable to find an answer.
After a long pause, Xue Qingqiu said coolly, "Then Uncle it is... Chan'er, have them bring the food in. We'll have a meal with your uncle."
Xue Mu's mouth twitched. He didn't feel the joy of having landed a powerful backer; instead, he wanted to cry... They'd agreed he could still grow up... If he was Uncle now, what was the point?
Yue Xiaochan bit her fingernail as she sized them up, grinning. "Have Master and Uncle found each other so late in life that you've become inseparable? Should you stay up tonight talking by candlelight? I really think Master ought to consider it..."
Xue Qingqiu raised a hand as if to smack her. "I'll beat that shameless little rascal to death!"
Yue Xiaochan giggled and ran off.
Xue Mu lowered his head and drank his tea.
Xue Qingqiu rose and stood by the window, watching Yue Xiaochan's retreating figure as she ran outside. Then she suddenly asked, "How old are you this year, Mister?"
"Twenty-seven."
"One year younger than me." Xue Qingqiu was silent for a moment, then continued, "I'd considered giving you an official post, but if you don't join our sect, no post would have a proper basis. And the sect hasn't accepted a male disciple in many years. I'm not willing to break that precedent for now. So... you can indeed act under the name of my sworn younger brother."
Xue Mu smiled. "You don't sound very willing, Sect Master."
Xue Qingqiu laughed. "Giving you the name of my brother could have unpredictable consequences for the Star Moon Sect, so naturally I have to be cautious. Did you think I could just claim anyone as family?"
Xue Mu said as if it were no big deal, "Then forget it. If you don't sincerely want to acknowledge me as family, there's no need to force it."
"You don't sound very willing either." Xue Qingqiu looked surprised. "Do you know how many people..."
She broke off halfway through, a strange light flashing in her eyes. She thought she understood what Xue Mu meant.
Was it pride? Or did he have some other idea in mind?
If it was another idea, was he interested in Yue Xiaochan once she grew up? Or was he interested in... Xue Qingqiu herself?
He hadn't said it outright, so she could interpret it however she liked.
She found him quite interesting.
Just then, a servant brought in the meal, with Yue Xiaochan following behind. She smiled and said, "The Imperial Court was in an uproar today."
Xue Qingqiu was still distracted by Xue Mu. She hadn't quite come back to herself, so she asked casually, "How so?"
"We set a fine example. The Joyous Union Sect followed suit and went hunting Righteous Path female disciples to strip them. Even the powerful people in the Capital City who run restaurants and gambling dens got interested. They weren't as brutal as us—they didn't go out and seize people—but they secretly had clothes commissioned." Yue Xiaochan grinned with malicious delight. "The major sects don't have much force stationed in the capital. They suffered a heavy loss when they tried to use force against us, and they don't dare act rashly again. So they went to ask friendly officials for help, and now the Imperial Court is arguing about it."
Xue Mu picked up a bowl of rice and shoveled it into his mouth. "The Imperial Court won't be able to reach a decision. I'd guess they'll summon Xiahou Di, give her a token scolding, and then let the matter drop."
Yue Xiaochan rested her chin in her hands as she watched him wolf down his food. A flicker of some unknowable emotion passed through her eyes, quickly suppressed. Smiling, she said, "Uncle really is amazing. You guessed every last detail."
Xue Mu blurted out, "I'm not your uncle—"
"You are Uncle," Xue Qingqiu interrupted.
"..." Xue Mu looked at Xue Qingqiu, who was leaning casually to one side and sipping tea, and found himself unable to complain.
Damn it, he'd heard of people being forced into marriage, but never of someone being forced into becoming a younger brother. Did she really think this would solve the problem? Too bad they probably didn't know about the even more thrilling field of study called German orthopedics...
Yue Xiaochan's eyes danced as she drawled, "Uncle..."
Xue Mu nearly shuddered. "What?"
"There were no customers this morning, so the girls have been copying your little story. When are you writing the next one?"
The story was a bit of a joke, but it carried a great deal of Xue Mu's ambition. It was a tentative attack on the way this world worked, and he took it seriously. He thought for a while before answering, "Let's see how this one does tonight. I can come up with stories anytime, so there's no rush."
Yue Xiaochan began to wheedle. "Then I want Uncle to tell me a story first."
"...If you can speak properly, I can tell you a story or two..."
"Sure, sure." Yue Xiaochan immediately sat up straight.
She had been deliberately teasing him, driven by complicated and peculiar feelings, but when it came time to hear a story, the little girl's boundless curiosity took over. Xue Qingqiu was also quite curious. Back in the carriage, Xue Mu had casually told a little story that had moved her too, so she was looking forward to hearing another. And she had no idea what Yue Xiaochan meant by the girls copying little stories...
Xue Mu ate at an unhurried pace and began, "Long ago, there was a man named Yu Gong. Two great mountains stood in front of his home, blocking the way and making it difficult to come and go. So he decided to dig them away."
Yue Xiaochan laughed. "The power to shatter mountains? I'm nowhere near that strong. Was he a Void-Piercing Realm expert like Master?"
Shatter mountains, my ass. This world really had people who could break mountains? Xue Mu almost choked on a grain of rice. After coughing for a while, he said, "He was just an ordinary man. He had no strength, just like me."
Xue Qingqiu scoffed. "A mortal trying to move mountains. What an absurd overestimation of his abilities."
Xue Mu nodded. "Another clever man named Zhisou laughed at him too, saying it was impossible. Yu Gong said, 'When I die, I'll have a son. When my son dies, he'll have a grandson. My sons and grandsons will go on forever, so why worry that we won't dig the mountains away?'"
The master and disciple were both visibly moved. They exchanged a glance, then fell silent together.
For a thousand years, their sect had struggled to grow while hiding from the world, yet its lineage had survived through fifty generations. Now the sect was rising again. Xue Qingqiu carried the banner, while Yue Xiaochan kept the flame alive. Wasn't that the very story of Yu Gong brought to life?
Xue Qingqiu sighed softly. "I was shallow-minded. What happened afterward... did Yu Gong succeed?"
Xue Mu improvised on the spot, changing the gods from the original story into Void-Piercing Realm experts. "Later, a few Void-Piercing Realm experts happened to pass by. They were moved by Yu Gong's spirit and lent a hand. Naturally, it all ended happily."
The master and disciple were clearly swept up in the story. Hearing that, they both smiled in relief and said, "That's right. If we'd been there, we would have lent a hand too."
Xue Mu smiled and went back to eating. Of course, he'd chosen a story that would strike the right chord. Inspirational chicken soup could resonate with or move anyone. Even in the age of information overload, wasn't chicken soup still the most popular thing on social media? And this was chicken soup in its most original form. For a master and disciple who constantly bore the weight of their sect, no story could have struck a deeper chord or felt more personal.
Yue Xiaochan thought about it for a while, but a touch of melancholy still crept onto her little face. She muttered, "Yu Gong was lucky to have powerful people pass by and help him. What about us...?"
Xue Mu spoke at just the right moment. "You have me."
The master and disciple tilted their heads to look at him, both wearing the same half-smile. They knew there was more than a little ulterior motive behind his words, but they were still quite pleased to hear them. Xue Qingqiu simply teased him with a smile. "And who's Yu Gong, and who's the Void-Piercing expert?"
Xue Mu muttered, "I know you're Void-Piercing." As he spoke, he gave the words "Void" and "Piercing" an inconspicuous pause and emphasis, and his real meaning was shameless to the extreme.
The master and disciple were used to hearing that realm mentioned, so naturally they didn't take his words the wrong way. Even with their sharp minds, they couldn't hear the lewd meaning behind them. Instead, they smiled and said, "Good. At least you know that."
Xue Mu finished his last mouthful of rice, feeling wonderful.
He'd finally found his footing in this world. Xue Qingqiu seemed like a demonic sect's ruthless queen, but as long as he understood what made her tick and knew where to draw the line, she wasn't difficult to get along with at all. She might even be easier to deal with than those upright sects, with all their rules.
And even if he wanted to woo her, it didn't seem entirely hopeless... After all, she really was Void-Piercing...
Before you continue