Ling Luo eventually went to the banquet after all.

She arrived just in time, finding everyone rising to leave when she got there.

When Chu Yi and others looked over at her, Ling Luo feigned surprise and said: “Why are you all leaving just as I arrive?”

Chu Yi sneered: “If you’d come any later, it would be daybreak.”

Ling Luo lied with an unchanged expression: “The Moon Palace is too large, and this is my first visit. I couldn’t find the location and got lost.”

Chu Yi raised his eyes to look at Yue Liangze beside her: “What a coincidence, you both got lost together?”

Bai Cang came over with a small wine jar, put his arm around Yue Liangze’s shoulders, and looked back at Chu Yi with smiling eyes: “What are you saying, Brother Chu? Our Liangze has first-class navigation skills and never gets lost.”

Ling Luo said: “Wasn’t it fortunate to meet Danshui True Lord who helped me find my way here?”

Chu Yi coldly smiled as he watched the two of them act.

Ling Luo disregarded the contemptuous look from her senior brother, urging him to go back to rest and not wander around the Moon Palace. Hearing this, Chu Yi’s temple twitched violently: “Who’s the one who shouldn’t be wandering around?”

“You,” Ling Luo pulled him toward the exit, only to run into Feng Tianyao and his group coming from the other direction. Chu Yi pulled her back just in time to avoid the collision.

Feng Tianyao was also pulled back by Yu Cang. Already irritated, he instinctively lost his temper: “Don’t you have eyes when walking? Why are you bumping into people!”

After speaking, he looked up and met Ling Luo’s gaze as she peered out from behind Chu Yi.

Feng Tianyao: “……”

Ling Luo said with a cold smile: “We didn’t even bump into you, why are you yelling?”

It was a minor matter, yet both their attitudes were confrontational.

Chu Yi glanced at Ling Luo. Normally, his junior sister wouldn’t be so petty and aggressive, but now she seemed infected by Feng Tianyao’s young master’s temperament.

When Feng Tianyao realized it was Ling Luo, his expression became somewhat unnatural. Feeling awkward, he was thinking of what to say to salvage the situation when he heard Ling Luo’s words. Immediately, he felt a surge of anger trapped in his chest—his decade-long young master’s temperament took over, and he angrily retorted: “Who’s yelling?! Weren’t you the one who bumped into me first?!”

Ling Luo’s expression turned arrogant: “Did you leave your eyes at home? Did I bump into you?”

The observing senior brothers: “……”

Zi Xiu came forward with a laugh to mediate, while Chu Yi, embarrassed by the scene, dragged Ling Luo away. Yu Cang also pulled Feng Tianyao back, trying to persuade him.

Feng Tianyao: “Let go! Release me! She just insulted me for not having eyes!”

Yu Cang said: “Let it go, young master, please let it go. After all, you were the first to say she had no eyes.”

Being pulled away by Chu Yi, Ling Luo turned her head back: “Are you still cursing?”

Chu Yi was caught between laughter and tears: “Alright, let’s hurry back while the Master is detained by the Moon Palace elders and hall masters.”

Only then did Ling Luo give a cold snort. She noticed Yue Liangze still standing on the steps watching her and waved at him before turning to leave with Chu Yi.

Bai Cang led Yue Liangze down the steps to return. After distancing themselves from others, he lowered his voice and said: “Every major immortal sect has its dirt, whether you count upward or downward. There are always a few sewer rats doing filthy things that disgust people. I don’t object to you going after Qishan—what Cui Shou did indeed deserves death—but there are only so many ways to avoid San Jian. Whichever method you use, exercise restraint.”

Yue Liangze listened with lowered eyes.

With his third senior brother’s astute mind and understanding of his junior brother, these words weren’t meant for him but for him to relay to his “accomplice.”

“There’s the reason why certain techniques are called forbidden arts, it’s just a matter of how significant the reason is. Things like Shared Spirits are beings that the three realms would seek to exterminate,” Bai Cang narrowed his eyes, lazily chatting with his junior brother. “Because demons, monsters, and humans all fear this technique. Although this technique is powerful, no matter how powerful a technique or ritual incantation is, going against everyone never ends well.”

“If you’ve learned it, quickly go back and have Senior Brother cleanse your marrow to remove it, lest Master discovers it and beats you so severely you can’t leave the sect for over a decade.” Bai Cang sighed, “How else will you steal Heaven’s Edge’s cabbage?”

Yue Liangze: “……”

He said: “Wouldn’t going to Senior Brother be worse than being discovered by Master?”

Bai Cang: “You learned it?”

Yue Liangze: “No.”

Bai Cang patted his head.

The two returned to the courtyard. Bai Cang surveyed the nearby traces of ritual and sword battles, clicking his tongue in admiration. Just as they entered the door, Yue Liangze asked: “Senior Brother, do you know about the Moon Palace family matters?”

“Hmm?” Bai Cang turned back, “I know some, why?”

Yue Liangze looked toward the highest place, the Moon Tower, facing the grand moonlight, and asked: “I just feel that something very bad is going to happen.”

Bai Cang twisted his wine jar and smiled: “The Moon Palace family is much gentler than the other two major immortal sects. They don’t involve others and have always kept to themselves for thousands of years.”

“Several hundred years ago, the Sacred Sword Sect wanted to involve themselves but was sternly rejected by the Jiang family’s leader at that time. Afterward, the Sacred Sword Sect completely ignored them.”

“Don’t worry, junior brother.” Bai Cang pulled him inside, “The affairs of the Moon Palace are governed by their karma and causality. Everyone must pay the price for their choices.”

The night had deepened, and the Moon Tower, which overlooked the entire Moon Palace, still had its lights on.

The Moon Tower was the residence of the Moon Palace’s master. On the platform at the top of the tower, there was a huge circular star dial, and a golden silk wooden bed hung with curtains. The carpet was spacious, covering almost the entire platform. Jiang Miao, wearing only a single garment, walked barefoot on the carpet.

She glanced at the star dial, then walked to the table by the bed and knelt.

From the entrance of the stairs came the announcement of a maid: “Palace Master, the person has arrived.”

Jiang Miao remained facing away, pouring tea without answering.

After a while, the maid withdrew, and another tall figure emerged from the shadows at the entrance.

He still had a sword with pendants hanging at his waist.

Jiang Miao smelled the scent of alcohol in the air. Raising the teacup to her lips, she took a light sip, using the tea fragrance to suppress that smell.

She turned slightly to look at the person behind her, saying with a flat expression: “So it’s you who came this time.”

Wu Xu stood at the edge of the carpet with a gloomy expression.

“Why are you dressed like this?” Wu Xu looked at her with disgust, using his sword to pick up a coat from the nearby clothes rack and throw it over to cover her.

Jiang Miao removed the coat that had covered her head and said, still calmly: “I don’t want to play any games today.”

Wu Xu, as if insulted, angrily said: “I would never touch you, even if it killed me.”

Jiang Miao put on the outer garment methodically: “Then try dying.”

Wu Xu’s temple twitched violently. He took a deep breath, and turned his head away, no longer looking at her: “This is too disgusting. I don’t care about others, but I could never bring myself to do it.”

Jiang Miao lowered her gaze to look at the empty teacup.

Disgusting?

Jiang Miao: “One of your outer hall cousins once said the same thing.”

Wu Xu’s expression turned indifferent.

Jiang Miao poured herself more tea: “He said he would never touch me even if it killed him. I believed him then, but later, on a certain day, Mu Jingyi sent him again.”

“Then he said, it was for power, for the Mu family, for many things—suddenly he wasn’t disgusted anymore.”

Wu Xu’s face darkened as he listened, and he turned to leave.

He couldn’t stand to stay even a moment longer.

Jiang Miao raised an eyebrow slightly at his departure but didn’t seem to mind much.

It was good that he left, as she was also somewhat tired today.

Jiang Miao took off her clothes and noticed a flickering blue light behind the bed curtains. She walked over and extended her hand, and a blue, small, and exquisite spirit bird with a long trailing tail feather landed on the back of her hand.

The spirit bird seemed to be coquettish with her.

Jiang Miao’s eyes rarely showed such happiness.

She didn’t know who had given her this spirit bird. It not only recorded many ritual incantations but also avoided many people’s gaze, seemingly visible only to her.

Such a ritual spirit bird was truly rare.

Jiang Miao sat on the edge of the bed and earnestly reported to the spirit bird which ritual incantations she had remembered today.

On the other side of the spirit bird, Ling Luo fell asleep while listening.

Before sleeping, she only thought that this Jiang Miao was too conscientious, memorizing four or five different incantations even for a mere small fire technique, completely different from the lazy Mu Xujing.

In the middle of the night, after realizing that Wu Xu truly wouldn’t return, Jiang Miao changed her clothes and left the Moon Tower, bringing medicine to Mu Xujing’s courtyard.

Jiang Miao raised her hand to knock on the courtyard door, intending to wake him, but then hesitated and finally left the medicine at the entrance.

She turned to leave but ran into Yue Liangze, who had also come to deliver medicine.

After an awkward silence, Yue Liangze slightly lowered his head to greet her.

Jiang Miao said thank you.

The two had little interaction. Yue Liangze also didn’t wake Mu Xujing, likewise placing the medicine at the door before leaving.

The moon sank, and the sun rose high.

When Mu Xujing woke up and went out, he unexpectedly saw the medicine bottles neatly arranged at his door.

He looked at them silently for a long time, finally crouching down and carefully taking them into his arms.

News about Qishan quickly spread throughout the cultivation world, from the major immortal sects to scattered cultivators, everyone knew.

Now people’s focus was on the filthy deeds done by Qishan’s master Cui Shou, already forgetting the previous turmoil of the white bone demon.

This morning, an elder of the Jiang family died, but no one knew. The Moon Palace people, under the master’s orders, were cooperating with Nanshan Snow River to investigate the moon curse incident in Shunyi Town.

Most of the guests staying at the Moon Palace went to North Court City for entertainment.

The first to go were Zi Xiu and Bai Cang, who seemed intent on exploring every corner of North Court City.

For such a good opportunity, Zi Xiu naturally didn’t forget one of his best drinking companions, Chu Yi.

Chu Yi originally didn’t want to go and planned to tell Zi Xiu about the rumors of his connection with the Sacred Sword Sect. Unexpectedly, his junior sister was even more enthusiastic than him, readily agreeing to go play.

If Ling Luo went, surely Yue Liangze would go too.

In the end, Chu Yi had no choice but to agree to go together. Letting these two play with the Sacred Sword Sect without keeping an eye on them would be too late if something happened.

Just as the group was leaving through the main gate of the Moon Palace, they encountered Mu Xujing returning from outside.

Mu Xujing politely greeted them, and was pulled along by Zi Xiu: “Perfect timing! We were just in need of a North Court City guide.”

Mu Xujing: “……”

Ling Luo asked with a gloomy expression: “Are you sure you want him as a guide?”

Zi Xiu didn’t see any problem: “Having the Moon Palace’s young master as a guide is prestigious enough, isn’t it?”

Ling Luo slightly raised an eyebrow and asked Mu Xujing: “Do you know which restaurant in North Court City serves the best wine?”

Mu Xujing: “……”

Daily self-withdrawal caused by Ling Luo’s questions.

How could he possibly know what good food and drink North Court City had when he’d been in North Court for less than three years and mostly stayed in the Moon Palace?

Seeing his silence, Ling Luo pointed at him and righteously said: “See, he doesn’t know!”

“Why drink in broad daylight?” Chu Yi told her to back off and not embarrass this poor soul.

Zi Xiu also agreed: “Right, right, no drinking, no drinking. It’s also no fun drinking with Ling Luo around.”

Hearing this, Ling Luo raised a fine eyebrow and was about to speak when Yue Liangze pulled her back.

Ling Luo rolled her eyes and said: “You can drink all you want, I don’t mind.”

Yue Liangze said: “There are too many men in taverns. Drinking isn’t the problem; it’s that those men will always be looking at you.”

In the past, some bold men had tried to flirt with Ling Luo across the table, only to be pushed away by her senior brothers, along with their wine.

Mu Xujing was dragged by Zi Xiu to North Court City, which was bustling with activity, surpassing West Sea City in every way.

The jade, silk, and jewelry here were most famous. Zi Xiu asked him which clothing tower was the best.

Mu Xujing remained silent, struggling to answer: “I’ll ask around.”

Zi Xiu: “……”

Asking was fine, but unfortunately, this young master had no friends in the Moon Palace. The cultivators in his jade communicator were either Mu family members or Jiang Miao.

Ask Jiang Miao.

Impossible.

After fumbling for quite some time, Mu Xujing finally surrendered and sent a message to Yue Liangze, asking where the largest clothing tower in North Court City was.

Yue Liangze, walking behind and receiving the message: “……”

That’s a good question.

He then went to ask his “adopted son” Song Yuanyuan.

Song Yuanyuan: “I know! I’m here right now buying clothes for my master! Little Godfather, quickly bring Ling Luo over, we’re spending Chang Fei’s money!”

Ling Luo watched expressionlessly as Yue Liangze sent the address to Mu Xujing.

She said: “Mu Xujing is your son, right?”

Yue Liangze frowned: “No.”

Then he added: “He’s half a disciple.”

He looked at Ling Luo and said: “Half yours, half mine—he’s our disciple.”

Ling Luo beckoned to him, and Yue Liangze bent down to listen.

In the bustling street with people coming and going, the senior brothers were all ahead, watching the direction Mu Xujing was pointing. Meanwhile, Ling Luo stood on her tiptoes and kissed Yue Liangze on the lips as he bent down.