Contesting the Dao

Yin Ye watched her back disappear and muttered, "She didn't have a scent at all, but just at the end, there was a faint trace of floral fragrance. They say she's a person who is like a sword, and that she makes friends with swords, but when all is said and done, she's still just a person."

Having no scent meant she possessed neither malice nor goodwill; she had come solely to inquire about the sword, with nothing else on her mind. The presence of the floral fragrance indicated that while she had verbally replied, "This junior is the same," she had actually taken Xue Qingqu's gesture of showing the sword to heart, giving rise to goodwill.

A person is, after all, a person, and will always have the seven emotions and six desires; no matter how one trains, one cannot truly become a sword.

Xue Mu glanced at Yin Ye. This girl trained until she was as clear and pure from the inside out as a child, which allowed her to reflect the hearts of others. But that did not mean her insight was truly that of a child; in reality, she was a twenty-four-year-old Dao Seeker with her own firm path.

The phrase "she's still just a person" carried a very clear implication: that the Sword Inquiry Sect's path was merely a delusion. This was a distinct, irreconcilable difference in their Daos, and hearing it spoken from Yin Ye's childlike appearance felt exceptionally eerie.

Xue Mu couldn't help but ask, "What did she realize from the sword?"

"Nothing more than some kind of sword intent, and whether it suits her is another matter entirely. A divine sword is merely an external object; inquiring about the sword is inferior to inquiring about oneself. What she realized has nothing to do with you or me. I have no interest." Xue Qingqu responded with complete indifference, while Yin Ye nodded her little head beside them like a chick pecking at rice.

Xue Mu sighed. The paths of these hundred schools were truly poles apart. He suddenly felt that even if these people argued for another thousand years, they wouldn't achieve anything of substance...

Why argue at all? Everyone is a cute girl, after all; the most important thing is to be happy...

Just as he was thinking this, Xue Qingqu slanted a glance at him. "What? Do you think she is right?"

Only an idiot would say she was right at a time like this. Xue Mu laughed, "I appreciate her purity, just as you do. But I know one thing the Sword Inquiry Sect is definitely wrong about."

"Oh? Which point is that?"

Xue Mu said leisurely, "A beauty like Mu Jianli should be wearing silky undergarments, adorned with precious jewelry that highlights her beauty, smiling gently upon a bed—that is the true splendor of the world. How can you let those inferior clothes roughen her delicate skin, or let those damn straw sandals grind calluses onto her small feet, all for the sake of that ascetic practice? It's simply a waste of heaven's gifts! This damn Sword Inquiry Sect is the real demonic path, isn't it?"

Xue Qingqu: "..."

Yin Ye: "..."

"Yin Ye." Xue Qingqu stood up, her face expressionless. "Lock this lewd scoundrel in the secret chamber. He is not allowed to eat today."

Yin Ye was still stunned and hadn't moved, but Xue Mu laughed first. "My dear Elder Sister, you seem to have forgotten that we are already very late for dinner with Xiahou Di."

Xue Qingqu shot him a fierce glare. "I have already figured out the business tactics you and Xiahou Di use. Don't think I can't manage without you!"

Xue Mu sighed. "It's not that I'm criticizing you, Sister, but this is a brand-new operation. Even I have to feel my way through it. What can you and Xiahou Di do just by staring at each other?"

"..." Xue Qingqu stared at him expressionlessly for a long time without saying a word. Instead, she turned to Yin Ye and said, "Strengthen the defensive formations around Xue Mu's residence and deploy the highest security level using all available resources. From now on, many people will know of Xue Mu's importance; he must not be lost."

"Oh." Yin Ye replied blankly.

Only then did Xue Qingqu glare at Xue Mu. "Let's go."

From the Bamboo Pavilion to the Hundred Flowers Garden, they were met with a sea of guests. The Hundred Flowers Garden's premises were completely unable to accommodate them, and they were severely short-handed. Zhuo Qingqing and Meng Lan, who usually stayed behind the scenes, were now both drenched in sweat, personally directing the crowd outside.

Xue Mu waved his hand, and Meng Lan hurried over, panting. "Young Master."

"What's with this explosive popularity? This shouldn't be happening."

"It's because the Pleasure-Seeking Pavilion was smashed to pieces by Mu Jianli's Sword Qi, and all the guests have flooded over here."

"This isn't a sustainable way to handle things." Xue Mu grabbed a menu board from the wall, wiped off the dish names, broke it into several pieces, and used a chopstick to carve the numbers "one, two, three" into them before handing them to Meng Lan. "Make a few dozen of these. Have them take a number and wait in line. Give the people waiting some short stories to read so they won't get anxious; this is the perfect opportunity to release our second story."

Meng Lan's eyes lit up. "As expected of the Young Master." She bowed to Xue Qingqu, but having no time for further talk, she hurried off to get to work.

A moment later, the number tags were distributed, and the chaotic scene was quickly brought under control, becoming quiet and orderly. The waiting guests sat in a row in the front hall, each holding a small booklet and nodding along as they read.

Xue Qingqu watched quietly, letting Xue Mu issue orders and make arrangements, only sighing at this moment. "You are truly formidable. In the blink of an eye, you've sorted out the chaos and brought order, and even took the opportunity to promote the second story... In terms of management and strategy, I am indeed no match for you."

How common were scenes of waiting for a turn at a health spa? You all just haven't seen enough. Xue Mu said modestly, "Just a minor trick, nothing compared to your cultivation, Sister."

The two walked out side by side. After a dozen steps, Xue Qingqu said, "Actually, I hadn't agreed to let the second story be released yet."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures; the chaos was not a solution," Xue Mu said. "Besides, in the eyes of ordinary people, that story doesn't hold the deep meaning you and I see, so there's no need to overthink it."

"What deep meaning do you and I see?"

"Uh..." Xue Mu fell silent.

Xue Qingqu suddenly said, "You are a bit different today—slightly dull and serious. If it were any other time, you would have taken this opportunity to tease me. But what you said about Mu Jianli just now was clearly still you; you haven't changed."

Xue Mu still didn't speak.

"Because of Chan'er?"

"Yes." Xue Mu finally answered. "That river flowing endlessly, the lonely figure in the distance, the sound of the flute lingering in my heart—it hasn't faded even now. How heartless would I have to be to tease her master at a time like this?"

"So you admit you've truly taken a liking to Chan'er?"

"To be honest, I don't know." Xue Mu said in a low voice. "Xiao Chan and I were supposed to forget each other. I even felt that I clearly preferred you more... uh..."

"Why cut yourself off? Do you think I don't know what you want to say?" Xue Qingqu wasn't angry; she said calmly, "I'll give you three days to sort it out for yourself."

What... did that mean? Xue Mu turned his head in astonishment to look at her, but Xue Qingqu's expression was as still as an ancient well; he couldn't read her thoughts at all.

"You are at least half an hour late." Xiahou Di's displeased voice came from ahead. Xue Mu stopped and looked up. A solemn building stood before them, with a pair of imposing stone lions guarding the sides. In front of the gate was a very conspicuous bronze cauldron, its surface shimmering with flowing light, mysterious and vast. Above the cauldron, on a black plaque, were large, gilded characters: Six Fan Gates.