Jiang Moqing’s favorability toward Lin Que suddenly shot up to sixty before stopping.
That already counted as a “friendly” level.
They had only just met….how could it rise that fast? What on earth was going on?
Qin Wanyuan was full of question marks, but even stranger things were yet to come.
Right after the favorability hit sixty, it suddenly began to drop again, eventually falling to thirty. It was a value that was just barely within the normal range.
????
Did the Heartless Valley cultivation method kick in or something?
Qin Wanyuan couldn’t help but start regretting choosing Jiang Moqing as her target for the love quest. Her emotional state was just too unstable.
If, just when she was about to complete the conquest, Jiang Moqing’s favorability suddenly plummeted back to zero, wouldn’t all her effort be wasted?
If only she’d picked her gentle and understanding master instead, maybe things would’ve been easier…
No no no! What am I even thinking?!
Qin Wanyuan snapped herself out of it by pinching the outside of her thigh, then exited the system interface and refocused her attention on Jiang Moqing.
“Senior Sister, may we come in and speak in detail? I have some questions I’d like to ask you,” she said politely, then took out a bottle of pills from her storage ring. “As a small token from a new arrival, I’ve prepared a humble gift for you. I hope you’ll accept it.”
“…..”
Jiang Moqing glanced faintly at the pills in Qin Wanyuan’s hand, showing no intention of accepting them. She simply turned and walked back inside. “We’re fellow disciples….no need for such formalities. Come in.”
Seeing that Jiang Moqing didn’t accept the gift, Qin Wanyuan didn’t insist. Instead, she tugged lightly at Lin Que’s sleeve and led him inside after Jiang Moqing.
Crossing the threshold and stepping into the courtyard, Qin Wanyuan paused for a moment in surprise at the scene before her.
In the middle of the courtyard stood a meticulously arranged rock garden, with a waterfall cascading down layers of stone into a pond below. A few koi fish swam leisurely through the shimmering water, with lotus leaves scattered across the surface, adding vibrant splashes of color.
The three of them walked along a stone path, flanked by willow trees and flowerbeds. At the end of the path stood a pavilion, perfectly placed to overlook the entire courtyard. It was surrounded by water and backed by rock. The whole layout was elegantly designed.
Qin Wanyuan was genuinely surprised.
She had assumed that someone like Jiang Moqing who was cold and aloof and who had trained in Heartless Valley would live in a place that was minimalist and sword-focused. She hadn’t expected her residence to be so warm and homey.
What’s more, it felt oddly familiar.
Even though this was her first time visiting Jiang Moqing’s cave dwelling.
Jiang Moqing walked into the pavilion first. Unlike An Xiaoyao, she didn’t serve tea or offer any formal hospitality. Instead, she quietly sat in a corner of the pavilion, took some fish food from her sleeve, and casually scattered it into the pond, watching the koi gather and compete for it with a rare look of interest.
“Such refined taste, Senior Sister,” Qin Wanyuan complimented. “The courtyard is beautifully arranged. It must’ve taken a lot of effort.”
“Someone helped me with it in the past,” Jiang Moqing said calmly without turning around, “So, what did you come here for?”
“Since I’ve just arrived, I wanted to ask if there are any specific rules I should be aware of within the sect,” Qin Wanyuan said after a moment of thought. “Also, does Master have any particular preferences? I’d like to prepare a gift for her.”
She decided to start with basic questions, since she still had to stall for half an hour.
“There are no special rules on Drunken Jade Peak. Just focus on your cultivation,” Jiang Moqing replied coldly, her tone laced with thorns. “Our master dislikes arrogant flatterers.”
Then came the biting remark: “I truly don’t understand why she chose you.”
At first glance, it seemed like Jiang Moqing was questioning why An Xiaoyao would accept Qin Wanyuan as a personal disciple….but there was clearly a deeper implication behind her words.
Lin Que furrowed his brows slightly. He reached over and held Qin Wanyuan’s hand, silently asking with his eyes if she wanted to leave.
Qin Wanyuan gave him a bitter smile. It was obvious to anyone that Jiang Moqing didn’t like her, but more important was Lin Que’s reaction.
The moment Jiang Moqing spoke those cutting words, Lin Que’s favorability toward her dropped to just four points.
Right after that, the system explained: the lower Lin Que’s favorability toward someone, the harder it would be to trigger any intimacy-related events.
In other words, with their current favorability level, even something as simple as Lin Que brushing against Jiang Moqing’s hand would make him recoil in disgust.
Qin Wanyuan was starting to get a headache. She knew she couldn’t let things keep going like this, but she had no idea how to turn the situation around.
She had only just stepped foot into Jiang Moqing’s residence, and they were already on the brink of open hostility. But Jiang Moqing’s terse, no-nonsense personality and dislike of pleasantries made it incredibly hard to buy time.
Half an hour…
How was she supposed to last that long?
Wait a minute…
The system only said we need to stay in her cave residence for half an hour. It didn’t specify what we had to do while there.
And as for “clashing swords”…
Qin Wanyuan blinked. An idea suddenly sparked in her mind.
“Senior Sister, as someone still new to the sect, there are many things I don’t yet understand about swordsmanship. I’d be honored if I could trouble you to give me a few pointers.”
The moment the words left her lips, Jiang Moqing’s hand which was still scattering fish food paused. For the first time, she turned around to face Qin Wanyuan directly.
“No problem.”
Without another word, Jiang Moqing drew her sword.
The cold gleam of the blade flashed, and its tip pointed straight at the center of Qin Wanyuan’s forehead. Her stance didn’t look like she was offering guidance. It looked like she was ready to kill.
“Wanyuan, let it go,” Lin Que said, gently tightening his grip on her hand. “If there’s anything you don’t understand about swordsmanship, I can teach you later.”
He knew Jiang Moqing all too well. When it came to the sword, she didn’t hold back.
“It’s fine, Lin Lang,” Qin Wanyuan said with a calm smile, patting the back of his hand. “It’s just a friendly spar between fellow disciples.”
Watching the two exchange quiet words and tender gestures, Jiang Moqing’s brows furrowed.
The tip of her previously steady sword began to tremble ever so slightly.
“I’ll suppress my cultivation to match your level.”
In other words—
Aside from that, don’t expect any mercy.
Qin Wanyuan, detecting the coldness in Jiang Moqing’s voice, showed no trace of fear in her eyes. Instead, she calmly drew her sword, meeting Jiang Moqing head-on.
“Please give me your guidance.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the two figures vanished from the pavilion. A moment later, the sharp clash of metal rang out high in the sky.
Lin Que rushed out of the pavilion, just in time to see Qin Wanyuan and Jiang Moqing’s figures weaving rapidly through the sky. Clouds along their path were sliced into countless pieces, only to explode moments later under the force of their blows.
In just a few short breaths, the two had already exchanged dozens of moves.
After another sharp clash, they briefly separated to catch their breath.
A cut had opened along Qin Wanyuan’s side, and several shallow wounds marked her body.
Though none were deep and the bleeding had quickly stopped, her torn robes exposed patches of pale skin, making her look a little disheveled.
Fortunately, there were only four people on Drunken Jade Peak, and the only man present was her cultivation partner. Qin Wanyuan had no intention of hiding and instead focused her attention on Jiang Moqing across from her.
Jiang Moqing stood with her sword in hand. Her plain white robes had been slashed in several places, and even her cheek bore a faint sword mark.
Her pupils narrowed. Not because her face had been wounded, but because of Qin Wanyuan’s strength.
Even with her cultivation suppressed, Jiang Moqing’s swordsmanship remained at its peak. Yet Qin Wanyuan had still managed to hold her own through dozens of exchanges, matching her nearly four to six.
Even if it was just a probing exchange at the start, it was still a rare feat.
What stood out even more was that, despite the gentle and graceful appearance of the woman before her, the sword techniques she wielded carried a decisiveness and killing intent unbecoming of a sect disciple.
It was as if, just like herself, this woman had clawed her way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
At that moment, Jiang Moqing’s view of her junior sister who had only been a disciple of their master for three months began to change.
“Your strength is impressive.”
Jiang Moqing didn’t hold back her praise.
“Thank you for the compliment, Senior Sister,” Qin Wanyuan replied with a smile.
After all, those years of hardship before regressing hadn’t been lived in vain.
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