Wen Zhongqing looked at his daughter kneeling before him, his expression complicated.
“Have you truly made up your mind?”
Wen Mei nodded slightly, her expression resolute. “Father, my injuries have healed. You need not worry about me. For me, staying within the family offers little progress in cultivation. I do not wish to stop here. Father, Dongling is far too small. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is thin here. Rather than competing with other cultivators for the limited resources in Dongling, it is better to venture outside.”
Wen Zhongqing was stunned, not expecting his daughter to say such a thing.
He carefully looked at his daughter kneeling before him, his gaze sweeping over her peerlessly charming face. In a deep voice, he said, “Mei’er, do you know why, on the path of cultivation, there are always fewer female cultivators than male? Why is it that those who achieve the Great Dao are mostly men?”
Wen Mei hesitated and said, “Because women are inherently weaker than men. Additionally, women have far more concerns and responsibilities to consider. For various reasons, their cultivation is often delayed, unlike men, who are more decisive and free.”
“Precisely.” Wen Zhongqing said cruelly. “Since you understand this, do you know the consequences of a woman’s overly outstanding beauty?”
Wen Mei’s heart trembled slightly, and she looked up at her father.
She opened her mouth, her tone bitter. “If a woman’s beauty is excessive, and she possesses great strength and a strong background, it is natural and no one dares covet her. But if she lacks extraordinary ability and a background sufficient to protect her, such beauty easily invites envy and calamity.”
“Yes, you understand this truth. But do you know that here in Dongling, with the Wen clan’s status, no one would dare harm you? Yet outside Dongling, across the vast Sacred Martial Continent, the Dongling Wen family is nothing. Alone, with your current cultivation and such a face, who could protect you?” Wen Zhongqing asked.
Wen Mei’s hands, hanging at her sides, clenched tightly, veins bulging.
How could Wen Zhongqing not see her unwillingness? He sighed deeply. “You are the most talented child of your generation in the Wen family, and my greatest pride. But you possess a Heaven-grade water-element Yuan Spiritual Root. To male cultivators, that is the best furnace cauldron material. If anyone discovers your Yuan Spiritual Root, I fear it would bring you unspeakable calamity. As your father, I truly cannot bear to see you ruined.”
Wen Mei pressed her lips together in silence.
After a long moment, she looked up, gazing at her father earnestly, and said, “In that case, I will destroy this face.”
“Mei’er!” Wen Zhongqing exclaimed in shock.
Wen Mei couldn’t help but smile. “Father, as you said, since a woman’s beauty invites calamity, then I do not need it. Compared to the additional conditions brought by beauty, I would rather walk a path to the heavens, pursue the endless Dao. What does anything else matter?”
Wen Zhongqing’s heart trembled with fear. He wondered if his daughter had been provoked by Ning Zhezhou.
He said earnestly, “Mei’er, though you and Ning Zhezhou are not fated, you must not lose heart because of it. With your character, appearance, and Heaven-grade Yuan Spiritual Root, do you think you won’t find a suitable dual cultivation partner? Surely there are outstanding men for you to choose from…”
“Why must I find a dual cultivation partner? Can I not cultivate alone?” Wen Mei asked calmly.
Wen Zhongqing was stunned speechless.
His daughter had indeed been provoked beyond measure!
Wen Mei knew her father was fundamentally a traditional man and didn’t want to argue further. Since she had already made her decision, she would not change it.
Half an hour later, Wen Mei left Wen Zhongqing’s study.
On the way, she encountered the younger generation of the Wen family returning from the martial training ground. Wen Xian led them, with other Wen family disciples following closely behind her, treating her as their leader.
Upon seeing Wen Mei, everyone stepped forward to greet her, addressing her respectfully as Fourth Miss.
Wen Mei was the foremost talent of the younger Wen generation. All these young disciples showed her great respect, calling her “Fourth Miss” with reverence.
Wen Xian’s face turned particularly ugly in an instant.
These past days, Wen Mei had been staying in her room, recovering from her injuries, and rarely appearing before others. Without Wen Mei around, Wen Xian became the most outstanding Wen family disciple in the martial training ground, naturally drawing everyone’s attention, with the others following her lead.
However, the moment Wen Mei appeared, the situation changed immediately, and Wen Xian, the so-called Fifth Miss, had no choice but to step back.
Since she was already injured, why didn’t she just stay in recovery a bit longer?
Wen Mei nodded to the group, offered a few words of encouragement, and left gracefully.
Wen Xian called after her, quickly catching up and smiling as she asked, “Ah Mei, how is your recovery? Are you well now?”
“Almost fully healed,” Wen Mei replied simply.
Wen Xian didn’t believe her. She studied Wen Mei’s face—a face that was too pale, unnaturally so, with lips so colorless they were nearly invisible. It reminded her of Wen Qiao, who used to be bedridden all the time.
Thinking of Wen Qiao, Wen Xian felt another pang of regret.
Although Wen Qiao had been a sickly person destined not to live past twenty, at least she had married Ning Yuzhou. With Ning Yuzhou’s esteemed position in Emperor Chenghao’s eyes, as long as they could secure Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou’s support, a few words from Ning Yuzhou to Emperor Chenghao would help their branch of the family tremendously. With the emperor’s favor, wouldn’t their branch of the Wen family gain dominance?
The second branch was useless; how could they compare to the third branch?
Feeling indignant, Wen Xian couldn’t help letting it show on her face. Her tone became sharp and mocking as she sarcastically criticized Wen Mei, saying her reputation was undeserved. Not only did the Lintai Hunting Valley trial fail to bring back resources for the family, but they had also spent considerable spiritual pills on treating her injuries.
Wen Mei paused mid-step and turned to look at her.
“What are you looking at? Am I wrong?” Wen Xian said confidently.
During this year’s Lintai Hunting Valley trial, many people had died tragically due to the involvement of external cultivators. Even the Wen family was no exception—more than half of their participating disciples were killed or injured, resulting in heavy losses. However, Wen Xian had been particularly fortunate. She avoided direct encounters with those external cultivators and even managed to bring back a good amount of resources, earning praise from the elders.
This made Wen Xian quite proud.
As expected, the third branch was the strongest.
Wen Mei sighed and suddenly said, “Fifth Sister, don’t worry. Dongling is too small, and I have no interest in it. In the future, I won’t compete with you for the Wen family. If you can assume the position of clan leader, you’re welcome to it anytime. I won’t fight you for it.”
“What?”
Wen Xian looked at her doubtfully, thinking she must have misheard.
Wen Mei said nothing more. She reached out and patted Wen Xian’s shoulder as if offering encouragement before turning and leaving.
Wen Xian stared at her in bewilderment, unable to understand what Wen Mei meant. She thought Wen Mei was mocking her.
It wasn’t until more than half a month later, when Wen Xian heard that Wen Mei had left—departing Dongling with no one knowing her whereabouts—that she finally understood Wen Mei’s words. Only then did she realize that what Wen Mei had said that day was a farewell, perhaps even a form of mockery—at least, that’s what Wen Xian believed. She didn’t think Wen Mei would be so kind.
But Wen Mei was already gone. Even if Wen Xian wanted to find her, she couldn’t.
—
The final stroke completed, and the talisman paper radiated with dazzling spiritual light—a High-grade Yellow Rank Thunderstorm Talisman was successfully crafted.
Placing the completed talisman aside, Ning Yuzhou rubbed his neck, stiff from long hours of focus, and turned to look for Wen Qiao, only to find she wasn’t in the room.
Releasing his spiritual sense, he heard a muffled sound coming from the next room, like something heavy hitting the wall.
Ning Yuzhou stood up and walked toward the adjacent room.
The room next door was a spacious training hall. When the residence was built, Ning Yuzhou had specifically planned this space for himself. Although he couldn’t cultivate back then, he practiced mortal martial techniques to strengthen his body in preparation for future cultivation.
The door to the training hall was slightly ajar. Ning Yuzhou pushed it open, only to have a face full of leaves.
He was momentarily stunned and brushed aside the obstructing vines at the entrance. Peering inside, he found the situation far worse than he had imagined. Across the room, Wen Qiao was chasing a small rabbit-like creature while dragging a bundle of vines, running around in a whirlwind.
The demon rabbit was simply too fast. Though it had intentionally slowed down for Wen Qiao’s sake, she still couldn’t catch up with her current Yuan Bright Stage cultivation. Even with the Stone Gold Python Vine helping to block the rabbit’s path, the nimble little creature easily escaped. Meanwhile, the vine’s strikes, missing their target, slammed into the walls and floor, leaving behind cracks.
If not for the fact that this training hall had been reinforced with formations during construction, it would have already been torn apart by this chaotic person-and-rabbit chase.
The first to notice Ning Yuzhou was the demon rabbit.
The rabbit immediately recognized Ning Yuzhou as the alchemist who brought it spiritual pills. Kicking off the vines flying toward it, the rabbit leapt toward Ning Yuzhou at lightning speed.
Ning Yuzhou nearly got knocked off his feet and had to step back several paces.
As a cultivator with a brain far sharper than his physical prowess, Ning Yuzhou couldn’t overpower the demon rabbit. He could only rely on spiritual pills as leverage.
“If you do that again, I’ll punish you by withholding spiritual pills for a month.”
The demon rabbit: “…”
Seeing the rabbit collide with Ning Yuzhou, Wen Qiao, knowing how strong this rabbit was, hurried over in concern. “Are you all right? Did you get hurt? Wen Tutu, come here and apologize to your brother.”
The demon rabbit glanced at her, then hopped onto her shoulder. Squatting there, it stared at Ning Yuzhou with its big, watery ruby-red eyes, looking very contrite.
Ning Yuzhou blinked, shifting his gaze from the rabbit to the girl standing before him, cheeks flushed pink.
He hesitated and asked, “Ah Qiao, this ‘Wen Tutu’ and ‘brother’ are…”
Wen Qiao, still holding the Stone Gold Python Vine, stood obediently in front of him. Her sweet voice was soft and gentle. “Wen Tutu is its name. I originally tried giving it a few other names, like Wen Rabbit, Wen Little Rabbit, Wen Big Rabbit… but it didn’t like any of those. Finally, we settled on Wen Tutu. Also, it calls me ‘sister,’ so you’re its ‘brother,’ aren’t you?”
Ning Yuzhou: “…”
For a moment, Ning Yuzhou didn’t know what to say. He realized that without him noticing, something about his little wife had changed—something quite astonishing.
For example, at this moment, the girl was holding that segment of the Stone Gold Python Vine. This demon vine was not only incredibly tough but also as heavy as metal. Yet the girl held it effortlessly, chasing the rabbit around without breaking a sweat. Her cheeks had a rosy glow, and although she still looked delicate and soft, there was now an added hint of lively charm.
Standing there with the demon rabbit perched on her head—one person and one rabbit gazing at him with innocent, endearing eyes—Ning Yuzhou inexplicably found himself forgiving them. It was as if no matter what they did, they could be forgiven.
Even though he wasn’t sure what, exactly, he needed to forgive.
Ning Yuzhou cleared his throat, suppressing the strange emotion in his heart. Smiling, he asked, “What were you two doing just now?”
“Uh… cultivating,” Wen Qiao said softly, her gaze flitting toward the wrecked training hall, clearly embarrassed.
Ning Yuzhou stepped into the room, initially planning to find a place to sit, only to realize there wasn’t a single intact spot left.
Wen Qiao casually tossed the Stone Gold Python Vine over and urged it to grow. The vine’s branches sprouted and quickly formed a seat-like structure. She tugged at Ning Yuzhou’s sleeve, pulling him down to sit beside her as she sheepishly admitted, “I took this Stone Gold Python Vine from your spatial storage. I found it works better as a weapon than a sword.”
Seeing how smoothly and naturally she manipulated the vine, Ning Yuzhou realized Wen Qiao had already found a combat method that suited her best. Abandoning conventional weapons, she used spirit plants as tools of both offense and defense.
At first, Wen Qiao had indeed tried to practice with a sword.
She had called the demon rabbit over to help her practice. However, the demon rabbit’s “sparring” level was far too high, and the disparity between their abilities was immense. The rabbit never held back, and Wen Qiao couldn’t even touch a single strand of its fur. Instead, she was repeatedly tackled to the ground as the rabbit hugged her legs and rubbed against her—just as it used to back in the demon beast’s cave.
To the demon rabbit, Wen Qiao was still the little immobile “seedling” it had once known.
In desperation, Wen Qiao had pulled a segment of the Stone Gold Python Vine from her storage bag. Instinctively, she urged it to grow, causing vines to sprout and quickly wrap around the rabbit rubbing against her legs.
Caught off guard, the rabbit was balled up by the vines and suspended mid-air, struggling hard to escape.
Discovering that this method worked, Wen Qiao abandoned the sword altogether. She began using the Stone Gold Python Vine as a weapon, chasing and blocking the rabbit with it, leading to the current chaotic state of the training hall.
The Stone Gold Python Vine in Ning Yuzhou’s spatial storage had been growing exceptionally well. Thrilled, Wen Qiao had taken a segment, originally intending to forge it into a sword. However, before the sword could be made, she realized the vine itself was perfect as a weapon—especially when she urged it to sprout an array of vines, which were extremely handy for tying up rabbits.
After hearing Wen Qiao’s explanation, Ning Yuzhou chuckled and said, “It seems I’ll have to find you some high-grade spiritual vine seeds in the future.”
Wen Qiao looked at him excitedly. “If you can find any, that would be great!”
Ning Yuzhou then pinched her slender wrist, puzzled that such delicate hands—looking as if they couldn’t bear the slightest strain—could so easily wield the heavy Stone Gold Python Vine.
Wen Qiao rubbed her nose and said, “It’s probably because my strength increased after transforming into my demon form.”
She could feel the changes within her body. Not only had her health improved, but her strength had grown significantly. She was also more sensitive to spirit plants. The Stone Gold Python Vine felt like an extension of her body, and she could control it effortlessly.
Ning Yuzhou checked her condition carefully and performed a few tests, confirming Wen Qiao’s guess.
After fully transitioning into her demon form, her physical capabilities were indeed far superior to those of a human.
Thinking it over, Ning Yuzhou realized that Wen Qiao could easily disguise her abilities as those of a wood-element Yuan Spiritual Root cultivator. With sufficient concealment, her half-yao identity would not be easily exposed.
At that moment, the demon rabbit, seeing the two immersed in their own business and ignoring it, suddenly jumped toward Wen Qiao and landed on her head, curling up there like a ball of snow.
Ning Yuzhou turned and glanced at it, locking eyes with the rabbit’s ruby-red gaze. Without hesitation, he picked it up and tossed it aside.
The demon rabbit persistently hopped back, clinging to Wen Qiao again.
This was its little seedling.
Seeing Ning Yuzhou’s faintly smiling face vanish, Wen Qiao inexplicably felt guilty—though she didn’t know why. Hastily pulling the rabbit down, she sternly scolded, “Wen Tutu, I’m busy right now. You can’t just cling to my legs. It’s inconvenient.”
If it couldn’t cling to her legs, it curled up on her head instead.
“No heads either!”
Then where?
“Nowhere is acceptable.”
“……”
Ning Yuzhou watched the interaction between one person and one rabbit, noticing that their communication flowed without any barriers. He couldn’t help but wonder—had the transformation into a Yao body finally broken the language barrier between plants and animals?