Chapter 3
Zixiao Immortal Venerable had cultivated for countless years and seen far too much of the world. Though he had once considered taking a Daoist partner, circumstances repeatedly interfered, and in time, the thought faded entirely.
If not for the Tang family patriarch bringing forth the favor he owed—and having the entire clan kneel before him—he would never have agreed to such a marriage.
There was also another reason.
Among the many ties he had severed over the years, the Tang family was one of the few that remained. As his cultivation deepened, familiar faces and past connections gradually disappeared, leaving behind an unspoken loneliness. He had wanted to preserve something from those earlier days.
But what could not be held onto... would never remain.
The Tang family now was no longer the Tang family that had once shown him kindness.
Tang Xueyao noticed the subtle shift in his expression. It was as if something within him had quietly loosened its grip. A chill ran through her chest as realization dawned—he would no longer protect the Tang family.
Panic surged.
"You can't do this! The Tang family has been kind to you!"
Zixiao Immortal Venerable did not argue. He simply flicked his sleeve.
Space distorted.
In the next instant, Tang Xueyao was forcefully expelled beyond the Wendao Sect's protective array. The action was clean, decisive—leaving no room for negotiation.
To him, that was answer enough.
He was not as furious as others might have imagined. After all, he and Tang Xueyao had never been a true Daoist couple. There had been no affection between them—only obligation. Everything he had done was to repay a debt.
But for her to use his name as a Daoist partner and entangle herself with his future disciple...
That was repulsive.
If she had wished to part ways, she could have spoken plainly. Instead, she chose deception—trying to benefit from both sides without consequence.
[Good. You can't give people like that a chance to explain. Give them an inch and they'll cling forever.]
[Though... why did the gossip change? This version is way more exciting. I'm full.]
Lou Yuqing rubbed her stomach, thoroughly satisfied. Perhaps the future wasn't fixed after all—perhaps it could shift under the influence of outside forces.
Qingxuzi stood nearby, silent for a moment.
...I'm full too.
Seizing the opportunity, Zeng Xuangan stepped forward. "Uncle-Master, I will take Zeng Changfeng away."
Zixiao Immortal Venerable waved his hand in approval.
Relief flooded Zeng Xuangan. Without delay, he grabbed the pale-faced Zeng Changfeng, and with a flash of light, the two vanished from the hall.
Outside the mountain-protecting array, thick fog rolled like a living barrier. Tang Xueyao rushed toward it, but the moment she tried to enter, she was stopped.
Her token had expired.
The formation stirred, sensing an intruder. Startled, she retreated just in time, her heart pounding.
"I... can't get in..." she murmured, her expression turning bitter. Soon after, resentment surged up uncontrollably.
Zixiao, you're too heartless.
"Xueyao."
A voice sounded behind her—familiar, yet distant.
She turned, only to see Zeng Changfeng standing there. His expression was complicated, his gaze carrying a trace of pity—but deeper still, an unmistakable sense of satisfaction.
He had been rejected.
And now, so had she.
Strangely, that brought him a twisted sense of comfort.
"What kind of look is that?" Tang Xueyao snapped sharply. "Don't think you can judge me just because you know me. Who do you think you are? You're nothing!"
Zeng Changfeng frowned, disbelief flickering across his face. "Xueyao... how did you become like this?"
He had once resented her—for abandoning him and returning to her family—but a lingering affection had always remained. Seeing her now, so cold and biting, felt unreal.
Tang Xueyao let out a mocking laugh. "What I become has nothing to do with you! Back then, when the Tang family came for me and forced me to marry, I asked you to elope. And what did you do?"
Her gaze sharpened.
"You ran."
She paused, then added with biting sarcasm, "Oh, I remember something else. There was someone kneeling in the hall just now, head nearly touching the ground. That was you, wasn't it? After all these years, you haven't changed at all. Should I praise you for your consistency?"
Zeng Changfeng's face darkened. "It was the Tang family that forced me away! If I had eloped with you and we were caught, you might have lived—but I would have died! How can you be so selfish? Why can't you understand my situation?"
"Understand you?" Tang Xueyao's voice trembled with anger. "Then who understands me? My life is already ruined!"
Spiritual energy surged into her palm as she struck without warning.
Caught off guard, Zeng Changfeng took the blow head-on, blood spilling from his mouth. A cold light flashed in his eyes.
"You're not the Xueyao I knew," he said hoarsely. "She would never hit me."
Thunder roared.
Lightning crackled across his body, weaving into a dense net of energy. He thrust his arm forward, and arcs of lightning shot out with terrifying speed.
Tang Xueyao had no time to dodge. The attack struck her directly, her body convulsing as electricity coursed through her.
Once, they had been like dry tinder—ready to ignite at the slightest spark.
Now, they were enemies.
They tore at each other without restraint, exposing wounds and striking without mercy.
Zeng Changfeng's foundation was solid, his techniques precise. Tang Xueyao, though less diligent, had forced her cultivation upward with pills, granting her a higher realm.
Their clash was evenly matched.
High above, Zeng Xuangan watched with interest. "Not bad. Let them fight a bit longer. I'll intervene once they've had enough."
At the mountain gate, disciples began to gather, drawn by the commotion. Confusion quickly turned to shock when they recognized Tang Xueyao.
Then Zeng Xuangan's voice echoed in their minds:
"From this moment onward, Tang Xueyao is no longer my Uncle-Master's Daoist partner, nor a member of the Wendao Sect."
The atmosphere exploded.
Word spread rapidly, and soon a crowd had gathered.
Complaints surfaced one after another—spirit stones deducted, arrogance endured, grievances long suppressed.
Speculation followed.
About her.
About Zeng Changfeng.
About what had truly happened.
Their whispers wove fragments of truth together.
Suddenly, a powerful force swept through the battlefield. Zeng Xuangan appeared, separating the two with a flick of his sleeve.
"Enough! Do not act recklessly before the Wendao Sect!"
Tang Xueyao struggled to her feet, intending to speak—but when she saw the crowd, heard the whispers, and felt the weight of their stares—
Her vision blurred.
They all knew.
The realization crushed her.
Her body swayed, then collapsed.
Burn marks marred her skin, leaving her disheveled and pitiful.
Zeng Changfeng stepped forward weakly. "Ancestor, I—"
"I cannot bear that title from you."
Zeng Xuangan's voice was cold and final.
"Your name will be removed from the family genealogy. If you ever use the Zeng name again, you will be hunted down."
Zeng Changfeng's strength left him entirely. He collapsed to the ground.
It was over.
Back on Xuantian Peak, Lou Yuqing continued scrolling through the system.
[Oh? There's more.]
Her eyes lit up.
[I was wondering why the Tang family chose Tang Xueyao. Turns out... they're even more shameless than I thought.]
[One reason—she has decent aptitude. The other—she's young.]
[If she and Zixiao Immortal Venerable had consummated their relationship, she might even bear a child... completely binding him to the Tang family.]
Qingxuzi's face flushed red, unable to bear such blunt phrasing.
Zixiao Immortal Venerable coughed lightly, feeling a rare trace of embarrassment.
"I did not come today solely because of Zeng Changfeng's Thunder Spirit Root," he said, smoothly changing the topic. "Daoist Tianji once told me I would receive a satisfactory disciple today."
Lou Yuqing's attention was immediately drawn.
"No," he added calmly when Qingxuzi questioned it. Then he looked at her with a faint smile. "Would you like to become my disciple?"
"...Me?"
Qingxuzi suddenly understood. "Uncle-Master, her spiritual roots haven't been tested yet—"
"It doesn't matter. I accept disciples based on fate. As long as she has spiritual roots, I will take her in."
Moments later, Lou Yuqing stood before the Spirit Testing Mirror.
Light descended, enveloping her.
Soon, purple lightning flickered across her body.
"Excellent," Qingxuzi exclaimed—only to pause when Zixiao Immortal Venerable spoke again.
"Continue. This is a hidden lightning spiritual root."
The light intensified, piercing deeper. Lou Yuqing's body grew transparent until only a golden skeletal form remained.
"The Immaculate Body..."
Zixiao Immortal Venerable's gaze brightened with rare excitement.
He had found the disciple Tianji spoke of.
When Lou Yuqing opened her eyes, she found him looking at her with unmistakable satisfaction. A chill ran down her spine.
"Senior, you—"
"Call me Master."
Without hesitation, she knelt. "Disciple Lou Yuqing greets Master."
Three respectful bows.
"Rise," he said gently. "You are my final disciple."
A powerful backer secured.
A smooth, carefree life seemed to stretch out before her.
A bright smile appeared on her face.
"...Master isn't just saying that, right?" she muttered quietly. "I was planning to live lazily."
Zixiao Immortal Venerable paused.
Only now did he begin to realize—his genius disciple... might be a little too unmotivated.