Sang Dai woke up to find that it was already past noon.
Although she didn’t need much rest, ever since arriving in the Beast Realm, Su Xuan’s rigid schedule—eating and sleeping on the dot—had unwittingly influenced her, making her daily routine much more structured.
The grand main hall was now empty, leaving her alone. Su Xuan had likely gone off to handle his own matters, as he seemed to be quite busy every day.
Sang Dai gazed at the spacious main hall, feeling a bit dazed. Since her arrival, she had been sleeping here, but she had no idea where Su Xuan usually slept.
Rubbing her temples, she thought that when Su Xuan returned, she must discuss with him about moving to another place. After all, this was his main hall.
Sang Dai got up, and Cui Shao had already prepared new clothes for her, which were placed by her pillow.
She picked up the clothes to look at them—it was blue, as expected.
Azure blue, cloud-water blue, autumn-wave blue, cerulean, sky blue, navy blue—Su Xuan seemed to have made all her clothes in these shades. The styles varied, but the color was always consistent. He clearly knew that Sang Dai liked blue.
This man was rather consistent in his preferences. For instance, Su Xuan only wore black robes, all embroidered with gold patterns. The understated colors were crafted into an ostentatious design, reflecting his unrestrained nature.
Sang Dai sighed softly and put on the clothes.
When she had first arrived in the Beast Realm, the clothes she wore had a loose fit around the waist. But now, the clothes seemed to have been tailored to her measurements, fitting her perfectly—evidently, Su Xuan had given special instructions.
As Sang Dai stepped out, Cui Shao happened to be walking in with a box in her arms.
Seeing the sword cultivator awake, Cui Shao quickly placed the box on the stone table in the courtyard and walked over to Sang Dai. “Madam, would you like something to eat?”
Sang Dai: “…I’m really not a madam.”
Cui Shao looked surprised. “But the Lord has already given you the Nine-Ring Hairpin. Now, the entire Beast Realm knows you are the Lady of the Beast Realm. Many people saw you last night as well.”
Sang Dai: “…”
Awkwardly, she smiled. Cui Shao pressed her shoulders, making her sit on the stone chair.
“Madam, it’s just as well you’re up. Let’s try the new hairpins the Lord sent over. Allow this servant to style your hair while you enjoy some tea.”
Sang Dai: “Ah? No need, no need.”
Ignoring her protest, Cui Shao efficiently handed her a cup of tea and opened the wooden box on the table. Sang Dai was immediately dazzled by the glimmering brilliance.
Her gaze fell on the exquisite array of hair accessories neatly arranged in the box. Seeing the expensive and intricately crafted pieces, Sang Dai fell silent.
Cui Shao seemed genuinely delighted, and she began undoing Sang Dai’s casually tied bun to restyle her hair.
“Madam, the side hall next to the main hall is something you might not have visited before. It’s where all the clothes and jewelry the Lord has collected over the years are kept, meticulously maintained every day.”
Even though Su Xuan hadn’t given them to anyone before, he still enjoyed buying them, hoping that one day a sword cultivator would come to live in the Beast Palace. He never expected that day to truly arrive, and now these things could finally be put to use.
Sang Dai pursed her lips, her eyes falling on the box nearby.
The items inside were neatly organized and exquisitely crafted. Sang Dai, as the eldest daughter of the Sword Sect, had seen plenty of fine things and knew just how valuable these items were.
The clothes she was wearing… were they specially made by Su Xuan?
Over a hundred years ago, when she had taken Su Xuan and fled, he had promised her many times that he would repay her with new dresses. Thus, when he became the Beast King and came to find her, the first thing he gave her was an exquisitely crafted dress.
It was a truly beautiful outfit, but back then, Sang Dai had lost all her memories and didn’t recognize Su Xuan. A stranger suddenly gifting her celestial attire meant for marriage proposals, especially when this stranger was the new Lord of the Beast Realm, made Sang Dai think Su Xuan was deliberately insulting her.
She had slashed that dress with her sword. To this day, she still remembered Su Xuan’s expression.
He had been at a loss, not understanding what he had done wrong. Instinctively, he apologized and asked if she disliked that style.
Sang Dai found it strange and replied coldly, “Within the borders of Tianque Mountain, demons and fiends are forbidden.”
She had actually referred to Su Xuan as a demon or fiend.
The hand resting on her knee slightly curled, and her expression became dazed, until the voice behind her called her back to her senses.
“What’s wrong? Don’t like it?”
The clear, low voice carried no discernible emotion, yet somehow seemed tinged with another feeling. In any case, Sang Dai could hear an unmistakable gentleness in it.
Just as she was about to turn her head to look, a warm hand cupped her cheek, stopping her movement.
“Don’t move. I’m styling your hair.”
The slight rise in his tone at the end inexplicably carried a hint of reprimand.
Sang Dai thought to herself that this particular fox seemed to enjoy acting spoiled, especially in his heart’s voice.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly, and she silently smiled.
Slender, well-defined fingers wove through her jet-black hair, skillfully gathering the strands into a complicated and elegant bun. Sang Dai felt it was a bit unusual.
“Su Xuan, why do you know how to style a woman’s hair?”
The fox behind her replied coldly, “Don’t you just need hands for that?”
Sang Dai: “I…”
She was left speechless.
Fine, she was apparently the only one who couldn’t do it.
Back when Ying Heng was around, he would style her hair into beautiful buns. But after Ying Heng left and Sang Dai joined the disciples’ hall, she never learned such skills herself. For convenience, she often tied her hair into a neat ponytail, with her only accessory being a simple wooden hairpin.
Sang Dai usually neglected to adorn herself, focusing all her attention on her sword. Any spirit stones she had were spent on nourishing Zhiyu.
“Which hairpin should I use?”
Su Xuan suddenly asked.
“Huh?” Sang Dai snapped back to reality and glanced at the box nearby. Staring at the box brimming with accessories, she felt a bit overwhelmed, so she randomly pointed at one. “That one, I guess.”
Su Xuan pinned it into her hair but found it too plain, so he picked a few others on his own accord.
Sang Dai’s hair was styled into a refined bun, adorned with the hairpins that the particular fox had meticulously prepared. The tassels and bejeweled ornaments complemented each other, making her already beautiful face even more radiant and striking.
Su Xuan turned her around, growing more satisfied the longer he looked. He pinched her cheek.
“So beautiful.”
The words slipped out unconsciously.
In the distance, Cui Shao stifled a laugh. Sang Dai’s ears turned red as her gaze darted away. Only then did Su Xuan realize what he had just said.
His expression froze as he nonchalantly withdrew his hand. Even though the redness had spread from his ears to his neck, he clumsily tried to cover it up. “I wasn’t talking about you—just the hairpins.”
“Pfft.” Cui Shao couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Su Xuan shot her a cold glare, and she immediately suppressed her laughter.
“Apologies, Lord, this servant’s nose itched, and I sneezed,” Cui Shao said quickly.
Su Xuan withdrew his gaze and returned to admiring his beautifully dressed sword cultivator.
[So beautiful, my Dai Dai is the most gorgeous female cultivator in all four realms.]
[The jeweled hairpins are lovely, and the floral ornaments are lovely too. My taste is impeccable. I’ll have Liu Lixue order another box from the Overflowing Fragrance Pavilion and pin them all on my Dai Dai.]
[Dai Dai Dai Dai Dai… kiss her!]
Sang Dai sighed but, worried that Su Xuan might spend too much money, couldn’t help but speak up, “Su Xuan, I don’t need so many hair accessories. Don’t waste your money.”
The fox scoffed. “Who said they’re for you? I just like them, that’s all.”
Sang Dai looked at the box full of women’s jewelry in silence.
She earnestly asked, “Then should I pin them on you?”
“Pfft,” Cui Shao couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Su Xuan: “…”
He shot Cui Shao a cold glance. “If you’ve caught a cold and can’t stop sneezing, go find Liu Lixue to take a look. He’s right here in the Beast Palace.”
Cui Shao suppressed her laughter and bowed. “Yes, Lord. This servant will take her leave.”
She was perceptive enough to know when to leave!
With the obstacle gone, only the fox and his little sword cultivator were left in the room.
Su Xuan sat down leisurely, closed the box, and picked up the tea, drinking it all in one go. He then casually asked the sword cultivator, “Just woke up? Did you sleep well?”
Sang Dai’s gaze grew complicated as she stared at Su Xuan’s hand.
Su Xuan: “…What are you looking at?”
He glanced down at the teacup in his hand, as if understanding something, and let out a cold chuckle. “Can’t pour yourself tea?”
Although he said that, his hands moved deftly. Picking up the tea, he poured a cup for Sang Dai and set it on the table in front of her.
“Drink it. It’s still warm,” Su Xuan said.
It seemed Cui Shao had indeed taken good care of his sword cultivator. Su Xuan nodded in satisfaction, deciding to reward her through Liu Lixue later.
Sang Dai, however, hesitated, her lips parting as if she’d made up her mind. Pointing at the teacup in Su Xuan’s hand, she said, “Su Xuan, you’re holding my cup.”
Su Xuan: “…What?”
“The cup in your hand. It’s mine,” Sang Dai said softly. “I drank half of it just now.”
Su Xuan: “…”
He calmly set the cup down. “Oh, it’s yours? I used it. So what? Are you that stingy?”
He spoke with a serious tone, as though it was just an ordinary cup.
After saying this, he poured himself another cup, drank it all in front of Sang Dai, and glanced at her as if to say: I used it. What of it?
Sang Dai felt that the Beast King could be truly childish sometimes.
He wasn’t bothered, so she had nothing more to say.
Sang Dai nodded and gestured with her hand. “Drink as much as you like. Go ahead.”
With that, she picked up the tea Su Xuan had poured and sipped it lightly, her face still feeling a bit warm.
Su Xuan’s heart softened as he watched her. It felt as though every part of her had taken root in his heart—she was unbearably beautiful.
Sang Dai casually lifted her gaze, only to meet his eyes directly.
[What did she grow up eating? How is her skin so fair?]
Sang Dai: “…”
[Her hair is so black and shiny, smooth like silk, and it smells so nice. What does Dai Dai use to wash it? I need to make sure to stock up on it for her.]
Sang Dai: “……”
[Her eyes are big, her eyelashes are long and curled, her nose is small and straight, and her lips are so red. How does her face still look as perfect as it did when she was little? Absolutely flawless. Dai Dai, Dai Dai, kiss her!]
Sang Dai: “………………”
She gripped her teacup tightly and interrupted, “Su Xuan, have you finished handling the affairs of the Beast Palace?”
Su Xuan froze, and the chaotic thoughts in his mind were abruptly cut off. Finally, the noise around Sang Dai’s ears quieted.
He sat up straight, took a sip of tea, and responded with a light “Mm.”
Sang Dai: “Then you came to see me?”
Su Xuan: “…I was just passing by.”
[Of course, I came to see you. I just happen to have something to tell you as well. I wonder how Dai Dai will react when she hears it.]
Sang Dai raised an eyebrow. Judging by his inner thoughts, it seemed he was about to bring up something important—and it probably had something to do with her.
Sure enough, the next moment Su Xuan spoke, “I have something to tell you.”
Sang Dai nodded. “Go ahead.”
Su Xuan gazed at her deeply, setting down his tea. His demeanor became noticeably serious.
Seeing his expression, Sang Dai’s previously lighthearted mood also grew heavier. Both of them became solemn.
“The second segment of the spiritual root has been found.”
Sang Dai felt a buzzing in her ears, as though something had struck her. For a moment, she couldn’t quite process what she had just heard.
Su Xuan repeated, “The second segment of the spiritual root. The people I sent out have received news that its trace was seen at Chunqiu Tower two months ago. It seems that after obtaining your master’s spiritual root, that person shattered it into three parts and scattered them across different places, all with the aim of luring you out. Even if you didn’t die at Bairen Alley, there would be other traps waiting for you.”
Sang Dai: “…Is the information reliable?”
“Mm, it seems credible.”
Su Xuan observed her every move. Sang Dai didn’t show much emotion. At least on the surface, she remained calm, though there was a hint of astonishment.
Su Xuan said, “Sang Dai, he has been staying in the shadows, controlling everything behind the scenes. But if we want to uncover the truth about what happened back then, even knowing it’s his trap, we still have to step into it. You need to awaken the Zhiyu Sword as soon as possible.”
Sang Dai looked bewildered. “If he wanted to kill me, why wouldn’t he just do it directly? Why guide me from place to place? Does he want to kill me, or is there another purpose?”
The situation was contradictory and bizarre.
The Immortal Alliance’s kill order must have been based on solid evidence. Someone capable of deceiving the Immortal Alliance and making deals with figures like Fu You and Ji Cang couldn’t be an ordinary person. If he truly wanted her dead, he could have done so directly.
If he feared Su Xuan and the Beast Realm, there were times during the Blade Abyss when Sang Dai had been alone, and he could have acted then.
Now that she had reached the Grand Ascension stage and was one of the most powerful beings of her time, even with her natal sword shattered, she could still defend herself with the Qingwu Sword. Unless that person was at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, he wouldn’t be able to kill her. Why, then, had he waited so long?
Su Xuan suddenly spoke, “Also, why did he place the spiritual root near Chunqiu Tower? That area is nothing but barren desert for a thousand miles.”
Sang Dai couldn’t figure it out either.
Su Xuan continued, “Take some time to prepare. We’ll set out for Chunqiu Tower tomorrow. Its master just emerged from seclusion a few days ago, having reached the Nascent Soul stage. He’s hosting a banquet to celebrate the occasion. He has quite a few connections, so it’s likely many people will attend.”
At the mention of the Pavilion Master of Chunqiu Tower, something suddenly came to Sang Dai’s mind.
“Su Xuan…”
“Mm.”
“Uh, didn’t the master of the Chunqiu Tower say that his pavilion only allows couples to enter?”
“Yes, he did.”
“They must be Dao companions.”
“I know.”
“Then we…”