Chapter 67: “Will Master Marry Me?” p1
The young girl’s gaze was fixed on her, a calculating glint in her bright eyes.
Under this scrutiny, Li Yu’s mind felt foggy, her senses focused solely on the warm, soft touch of Mu Tao’s lips.
As Mu Tao released her hand, a slight chill replaced the lingering warmth.
Li Yu snapped back to reality, her cheeks burning as she quickly pulled her hand back, hiding it in her sleeve.
She now understood the reason for that strange dream.
With Mu Tao acting like this every day, it was a miracle she didn’t have nightmares every night.
She was trapped here, like a dessert laid out on a table, to be sampled at Mu Tao’s whim.
As Li Yu thought this, Mu Tao spoke again.
Mu Tao: “I’ve made Master’s hands dirty, let me wash them for you.”
Li Yu instinctively shook her head and was about to get up and wash them herself, but Mu Tao picked up a wet cloth from the basin with a flick of her wrist.
“I’ll do it,” Mu Tao said, walking over to Li Yu.
She smiled, crouched down, took Li Yu’s hand again, and carefully wiped her fingers, her expression earnest.
Although Li Yu’s hands were clean, Mu Tao showed no intention of letting go.
Li Yu coughed lightly.
Mu Tao put down the cloth and looked up, smiling. “Master’s hands are so beautiful.”
She reluctantly released Li Yu’s hands and stood up, picking up the bowl of porridge.
Mu Tao: “It’s still hot, Master. I’ll cool it down for you.”
Li Yu: “I can do it myself…”
A flicker of disappointment, a subtle hint of displeasure, appeared on Mu Tao’s face.
She wasn’t asking; she was saying—If Master refuses, I will be unhappy.
Just a day after their reunion, and Mu Tao was completely different from what Li Yu remembered.
She felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
Neither the sweet, clingy disciple from before, nor the cold, ruthless killer from the latter half of the novel, resembled the Mu Tao before her.
Li Yu had expected to encounter the cold and distant Mu Tao from the original story.
But she was met with a Mu Tao she had never imagined.
This Mu Tao was a bundle of contradictions.
She seemed to dislike her former self, yet she believed her master only liked that version of her.
So she tried to suppress something, to act like her past self.
But it was just an act.
Beneath the seemingly innocent facade, there were flashes of unrestrained desire and a deep-seated hurt, perhaps resentment, perhaps grievance, perhaps just…sadness.
Sometimes, Li Yu couldn’t tell whether Mu Tao’s smiles were genuine.
But she knew that beneath these contradictions lay an impenetrable wall.
Compared to the cold, ruthless killer, this confusing, contradictory Mu Tao was even more difficult to approach.
Li Yu ultimately relented.
If she had a choice, she wouldn’t want Mu Tao to be unhappy because of her.
Seeing her agree, Mu Tao happily sat beside her, carefully cooling each spoonful of porridge before feeding her.
Throughout breakfast, Li Yu barely lifted a finger.
This reminded her of when she was recuperating in Songxiang Town, her body weak, yet her mind at ease.
Perhaps that was when she first realized that this world wasn’t so bad, that there were things worth cherishing.
And she had been able to realize this because her once precarious character compatibility had finally stabilized after the City of the Undying incident.
Only when one felt safe could they truly appreciate the good things in life.
As Li Yu was lost in thought, Mu Tao also seemed to be reminiscing about that time.
Mu Tao: “Master, do you remember, when you were injured in the City of the Undying, this disciple cared for you like this.”
“How could I forget?” Li Yu smiled faintly. “When I woke up, you were sleeping by my bedside, just like yesterday… It was just dawn, and the candle had almost burned down.”
“Master has such a good memory.”
“Actually, my memory is quite bad.” Li Yu thought, her memory was indeed terrible; she often forgot things immediately after seeing or hearing them. “But some things…I remember more clearly.”
And things related to Mu Tao, she always remembered clearly.
She hadn’t understood why before, but now she did.
Mu Tao was no longer just a character from a novel, a world-destroying demon who needed to be saved.
She had arrived empty-handed, with little to offer.
And Mu Tao, also possessing nothing then, had repaid her meager companionship with unwavering devotion.
Even simple things like two meals a day, daily greetings, and those sweet calls of “Master,” had brought her comfort and reassurance during those early days when she constantly worried about her character compatibility.
It wasn’t just Mu Tao relying on her; they had depended on each other.
During those six months apart, her heart felt empty, a void she couldn’t fill.
She had been so oblivious during those years together; how could she not have realized that her feelings for Mu Tao were…different?
As Li Yu thought this, Mu Tao spoke.
“Some things Master remembers clearly, are those things…related to me?” The girl asked, her light brown eyes fixed on Li Yu.
“Yes,” Li Yu replied without hesitation. “Sometimes I feel that those days when we traveled the human realm together were…the best.”
“They were good…” Mu Tao said softly, her gaze distant, as if lost in memories.
“No one in the human realm looked down on me. When I asked for help, they called me Young Immortal or little girl.” Mu Tao said. “And after returning to Mount Chao Yao, Master forbade anyone from bullying me. I could go anywhere without fear of being stopped or ridiculed…”
“Everything was good then. Master was kind to me, Qin Yuan was kind to me, and so was Senior Brother.” Her voice was calm, filled with a simple contentment. “I could visit Qin Yuan at Qianlizhu anytime, and also visit the little black bird and the others at Qingke Hua—things I wouldn’t have dared to do before.”
“I, who had nothing, suddenly had so much, so I thought…life could always be like that.” She lowered her gaze and chuckled softly. “If it weren’t…for the Demon Bone…”
Li Yu wanted to offer comfort, but the words felt hollow.
“But now that I think about it, it’s not so bad now either. Everything is impermanent; I’ve never truly expected anything to last.” Mu Tao’s voice was low. “As long as Master is still by my side, that’s all that matters.”
She clenched the spoon tightly in her hand, as if trying to hold onto something.
Li Yu thought for a moment, then said softly, “I’ll always be with you, but…you can have other people in your life too.”
After a brief silence, Mu Tao put down the spoon and looked out the window.
Her eyes held an unspoken stubbornness.
Li Yu: “Do you remember? I told you that once you could control your power, we could return to the human realm, secretly, without anyone knowing…”
Mu Tao interrupted, “No.”
Li Yu was taken aback. “Why? You liked it there…”
Mu Tao: “I don’t like it anymore.”
Li Yu: “But…”
“Why secretly?” Mu Tao asked, as if suddenly agitated. “That place doesn’t welcome me, just like Mount Chao Yao. Once exposed, I’ll never have peace.”
Li Yu didn’t dare speak.
“When the Demon Bone was sealed, my meridians were blocked, I was powerless, weak, bullied by everyone, only able to cultivate slowly with the manual Master gave me.” Mu Tao’s voice was low. “And when the seal was broken, when I finally had power, before I even used it, everyone wanted me dead…and I had to obey Master, I couldn’t fight back!”
She lowered her gaze, a black flame flickering in her palm. “I watched as Master was injured protecting me, watched as you exhausted your spiritual energy, and I wasn’t even allowed to use my power to protect you!”
“The Demon Realm is good,” Mu Tao said. “At least here, no one wants to kill me because of the Demon Bone.”
“Everyone who wants to kill me has a simple motive.” She chuckled humorlessly. “Either they’re hungry and see me as an easy meal, or they want the Demon Bone, or they’re seeking revenge for someone I killed…”
“They don’t care about the ‘greater good’; they just want to test their strength against mine, a fight to the death—I have no qualms about fighting them, and I don’t have to worry about Master being unhappy.”
A hint of resentment appeared in Mu Tao’s eyes.
“Initially, I also disliked this place. It’s dark, cold, barren, a world where the strong prey on the weak, with no rules, no reason.” Her gaze was distant. “But then I realized…this is the place for me.”
“Because…better places won’t tolerate someone like me. Only in a place where everyone is…tainted…can I avoid being seen as a monster that needs to be eliminated.”
She said that the Demon Realm, a cold, lightless place, was difficult for those accustomed to the human realm to adapt to.
But she was different.
After overcoming her initial fear, she quickly adapted.
She liked the cold, the darkness, the quiet solitude, the feeling of a clean, untainted world.
The only thing missing…was the moon.
The moon, besides her master, was the purest thing in the Three Realms.
She had thought that if the Demon Realm also had a moon, perhaps, on some nights, she could gaze at it with her master.
Wouldn’t that be like a brief reunion?
Mu Tao fell silent, lost in thought.
Her mind seemed to drift far away, chasing an obsession, to a place no one could reach.
Li Yu looked at Mu Tao, her gaze lowered, the dim room silent, illuminated only by the flickering spiritual fire.
Suddenly, Mu Tao looked up at Li Yu and spoke.
“The human realm is good, but it doesn’t welcome me. If I want to return, I’ll have to bring bloodshed and chaos, only then can I truly be safe…” Her voice was low, a faint flicker of hope in her eyes. “Master…will you…try to…like the Demon Realm for me?”
Mu Tao’s voice was soft, as if she had lowered her defenses, revealing a vulnerable heart, seeking an answer she only dared to dream of.
Li Yu didn’t hesitate. “I will!”
Her voice was also soft, as if afraid of shattering Mu Tao’s fragile hope.
Hearing this, a complex mix of emotions appeared in Mu Tao’s eyes.
Li Yu stared at her, trying to decipher those emotions.
Confusion, joy, astonishment, and a hint of…uncertainty.
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