Chapter 175: Trash in retreat

Besides Downfall Peak, the back side of Fluorescent Wind Sect's main peak had the richest divine energy. Thus it was occupied by the sect's hall masters and their few elite disciples.

Zhu Yao had arrived early in the morning, but instead of the sect master's abode at the top of the peak, she headed to another abode at the middle. The place was covered by lush plants, vibrant reds and greens, arranged with a particular elegance. Its divine energy wasn't far from Downfall Peak either. Zhu Yao absorbed in the scenery as she walked, until she stopped in front of a pair of jade gates. She could see a seal placed on it.

"Yin Xin asks to see the senior martial brother," she called once.

A few moments later, the gate opened. Before she had a chance to enter, an azure-clothed youth came up to her with a joyful demeanor, looking very surprised by her visit.

"Junior martial sister Yin?"

Yin smiled. "I haven't visited senior martial brother's abode yet, so I came to see while it was convenient. I haven't disturbed senior martial brother?"

"Naturally not," Xu Nuoyan smiled gently, and slowly said, "junior martial sister's coming here is something I could only wish for. Despite being in isolation, I must see junior martial sister."

Indeed, he knew his way around words, revealing that he gave up his isolation to see her. Too bad she was not stirred in the least!

"Junior martial sister please," Xu Nuoyan led her to the drawing room and made her tea himself, "how did junior martial sister think to visit this senior martial brother?"

Zhu Yao put down the tea in her hand. "My mother told me senior martial brother was my father's personal succeeding disciple. He is always easy going and has the best heavenly form in the sect, so I should learn from him."

"Martial mother praised me too much." Xu Nuoyan spoke with humility, but his eyes, which were looking at Zhu Yao, began to drift, revealing an amorous aura. "As long as junior martial sister Yin understands me, this senior martial brother is satisfied."

"Before, Yin Xin had many misunderstandings of senior martial brother," Zhu Yao continued his line of thought, "it's because I had just woken up, everyone was a stranger to me, include senior martial brother. That's why mother listened to me and canceled the practitioner-pair ceremony."

Xu Nuoyan's eyes sank. "I understand, junior martial sister I..."

"Besides," Zhu Yao interrupted him, "Miss Mo's chiseled words that day, saying senior martial brother was her husband, that she's your first wife. Though Yin Xin's cultivation was nothing to speak of, I'm still my mother's daughter. No matter what, it's not my place to marry an already married man."

"junior martial sister, this is a misunderstanding! I have never..." Xu Nuoyan hurriedly explained.

"Oh, that's right!" Zhu Yao interrupted him again, "she even brought out a token of your love as proof." Zhu Yao took out a hair pin. "I was curious and picked it up. There's even a Xian carved on it? Mother said it looked a lot like your hand writing."

Xu Nuoyan blanched. He suddenly stood up and angrily said, "that devious Mo woman, she even used this method to undermine me! No wonder you held such deep mistrust of me. junior martial sister, I never gave anyone any hair pin, don't listen to that evil woman."

"You really don't recognize this?"

"I, Xu Nuoyan, swear in the heaven's name!" he said earnestly.

"Ok." Zhu Yao put the hair pin back and covertly pressed down at her waist where a piece of jade was quietly shaking. "Let's just say I was oversensitive."

Finally, Xu Nuoyan's agitated mood calmed and he sat down. Soon he was back to looking at her with that soft expression that could drown someone. "Junior martial sister, because you had just awakened and don't understand this senior martial brother, your unwillingness... I understand. Senior Martial Brother will always wait for you."

The corner of Zhu Yao's mouth twitched. She felt allergic to his sweet talk. "Hoho~ actually there's one thing I don't understand. The number of times senior martial brother and I met could be counted on one hand. How did you..." Falling in love just like that? She'd rather die than to believe it.

Xu Nuoyan's expression sank. It carried a subtle and vague frustration. "Though it was only a few meetings for you, for this senior martial brother, it was a wait of a thousand years."

What?

Xu Nuoyan sighed. His intense gaze was disconcerting. "Junior martial sister might not know. A thousand years ago, on the first day that I joined this sect, master brought me to Downfall Peak to see junior martial sister. That was my first time seeing you. You might laugh at me... Ever since that day, my heart had a place for you."

"A thousand years ago?" Zhu Yao's mouth twitched again.

"Yes!" Xu Nuoyan still held an earnest expression. "At the time I had just ascended."

Zhu Yao was spechless. She was drawn to the piece of jade tied to her waist, but forced herself not to look. Borrowing the motion of drinking tea, she pressed down on the jade that was about to jump out. Just ascended, that means it was not long after he left Mo Xianxian.

"That's why, junior martial sister, you can doubt me..." Xu Nuoyan continued his heartfelt confession, "but please do not doubt my feelings for you. If it wasn't because of that, I wouldn't have begged martial mother to marry you while you were still in your slumber."

"It was you who wanted to marry me?" Zhu Yao caught the key point.

"Yes!" Xu Nuoyan nodded fervently, a face full of conviction. "Though junior martial sister was unconscious, even if you never woke up, I wouldn't have minded. So long as I could be with you, junior martial sister..."

The more he talked the more excited he became. His claws were on the verge of reaching for her.

Zhu Yao only felt her stomach turn. She suddenly jumped up, "I forgot to turn off the gas! I'm heading back first."

People with no shame are truly terrifying.

"Junior martial sister..." Xu Nuoyan was stunned. They were chatting along nicely, now she's suddenly leaving. And what's "gas"?

Holding the piece of jade next to her waist, she hurriedly walked out. But then she stopped at the door. "Ah, right. Forgot to ask. Why did my mother suddenly force you into isolation?"

Xu Nuoyan paled. He spoke up after a moment, "it was my fault. I couldn't let that Mo woman go after she framed me, and caused junior martial sister's misunderstandings. In a moment of passion, I sent people against her. It was that act that had angered martial mother."

He sent people to kill his wife, and laid the responsibility of it on her? It's really too much.

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Zhu Yao did not linger and flew straight back to Downfall Peak on her sword.  She took out the piece of jade. In a white flash of light, a woman dressed in black appeared in front of her.

"Did you hear him?" Zhu Yao gave her a look, "still think I caused everything?"

Mo Xianxian did not reply. Her delicate face no longer held yesterday's violent atmosphere, but rather a trance-like reverie. "Why? Why does he treat me like this? He swore he'd never hurt me..."

She seemed unable to withstand this assult. Her legs lost their strength and she crouched down, crying. "I trusted his so so much, no matter how harsh the divine realm was, I've always believed in him." She hugged her legs tightly, forming a ball, her tears flowing freely. "He sent me letters saying he was in a bind and couldn't recognize me. I believed... When I heard he was sent into isolation, I even rushed back. But... But... Why?"

Zhu Yao sighed and knelt beside her. This girl was so dumb she wanted to yell at her until she died. "After the practitioner-pair ceremony, did he send you letters?"

Mo Xianxian swallowed and nodded.

No wonder. She had clearly given up hope back then, but then suddenly came back to kill her. Xu Nuoyan's scheme was indeed brilliant, on one hand, staying at Fluorescent Wind Sect to court her, and on the other hand secretly holding onto Mo Xianxian.

"You trusted whatever he said. You deserved it."

Mo Xianxian went quiet, and spoke only after several minutes. "He... He's my husband." How could she not trust him?

"How long did you know him?"

"...More than ten thousand years."

"Ten thousand years and you still didn't see through him?" Zhu Yao gave her a look. "Are you an idiot?"

Mo Xianxian cried even harder.

"Stop crying!" Zhu Yao felt annoyed. Comforting people wasn't her strong point. "Isn't it just a failed relationship? Realizing it now, you still have time. How many men are there in this world, waiting to court you?"

"..." Mo Xianxian didn't respond. Tightly hugging her knees, crying and lightly trembling, she gloomily lamented her forlorn love.

Zhu Yao couldn't say anything else. By now her words probably couldn't reach her anymore, so she sat next to her, accompanying her. Who knew her crying, like the flooding Yellow River, once released, could not be held back. Zhu Yao sat until she was sore, but her crying still did not let up.

Out of options, Zhu Yao returned to her hut, pulled out Goudan and tossed him over. Don't say boss didn't help you. Now she'd just lost her love, hurry up and take advantage of it.

"Little sis Xianxian, what happened? Don't cry." Goudan indeed understood right away, and hurriedly spun around Mo Xianxian.

"I can tell by just looking. Got tossed aside by that man?" Tao Manfeng hmph'd. She'd followed them out without anyone's notice. "I told you that man can't be trusted. Only you believed his deception. What 'had no choice'? All lies. And you, stop trying to help her. She deserved it."

Eh, her ridicule was on full force. Why did it feel a bit sour? Zhu Yao turned and looked at Tao Manfeng. It felt as thought something was wrong with her.

Tao Manfeng wilted under her stare. She hmph'd and stopped talking.

"Now that things have been cleared up, you should hurry up and leave Fluorescent Wind Sect," Zhu Yao unceremoniously kicked them out. "In the future, don't come and try to kill me for no reason."

As the words fell, the three of them felt a flash of shame.

"Here, catch!" Zhu Yao threw the piece of jade at Mo Xianxian.

"This..." Mo Xianxian was stunned. She couldn't believe she'd return the dimensional jade to her.

"It's nothing to me." Master said the dimension was half ruined already, it was nothing like before, and its divine energy had fallen to the level of the Lightning Divine Hall. Besides, it's just a vessel to her. To put it more crassly, it's her corpse. She didn't want to carry that around all the time. "Use your brain more and quit being an idiot."

Mo Xianxian held the jade in her hand for a moment and said, "thank you!"

Zhu Yao waved at them with an air of annoyance and chased them away. If she kept crying like that they'd all drown. She hoped that girl would climb out of her pit and stop getting pulled around and round in circles by that liar.