The Mountain Lord's Daughter

"Next time you want to say something against your conscience, don't make such a difficult expression."

Zhan Yunwei knew that most spiritual cultivators cared about face. If her matter with the young attendant spread, Yue Zhiheng would undoubtedly become a laughingstock in the imperial court of the dynasty.

However, Master Yue was so powerful. As long as this matter remained unnoticed, it wouldn't affect anything.

Unless, of course, Yue Zhiheng himself was one of those "straightforward cultivators" of the dynasty who believed that spiritual masters should maintain their chastity and looked down upon such "libertine behavior."

Zhan Yunwei couldn't pry away from Yue Zhiheng's grip, so she simply looked straight into his eyes. "Master Yue, you neither let me leave nor approve of my method. Then, do tell, do you have any other ideas?"

She took a breath. "Could it be that Master Yue is willing to offer yourself up?"

The words had slipped out in a fit of frustration, and she inadvertently addressed him as "Master Yue" once again. The hand before her tightened slightly.

Her long lashes fluttered as she met his cold, emotionless eyes. Yue Zhiheng's pupils were like faint ink, unreadable, and he didn't immediately answer her.

For some reason, she felt a sudden sense of nervousness.

"Miss Zhan," Yue Zhiheng said, "You have already taken on the title of my partner. I will say this only once—I do not have a habit of wearing a green hat. If you can escape in these next few days, I won't interfere, but if you're still in my hands, I won't help you find someone else. You can give up on that idea."

"And you…?"

Yue Zhiheng glanced at her and then released his grip. "We'll talk about this in a few days."

Zhan Yunwei understood what he meant, feeling somewhat incredulous. It was probably just like last night, where Yue Zhiheng always made decisions that surprised her.

She responded softly, the cool breeze brushing against her face, yet for some reason, her ears felt a little warm.

She vaguely regretted saying that last sentence. She didn't understand how things had turned into this situation, nor could she imagine what it would be like if it came to that day.

Zhan Yunwei collected her thoughts, trying not to overthink.

As Yue Zhiheng said, there were still a few days, and no one could predict the course of things. If it really came to a point where she had no choice, she would just have to give up and resign herself to fate.

After all, this was Yue Zhiheng's decision.

The ghost crane flew lower and lower, heading toward Yongning County.

"Master Yue, do you know where Yue Wujue is?"

"I don't know," Yue Zhiheng replied. "His location seems like a palace tomb, and there's only one person in Yongning County wealthy enough to build something like that."

Zhan Yunwei thought for a moment. "You mean the Lord of Yongning City, Wen Xiuqi?"

Although she was from the immortal sect, she was still quite knowledgeable about the dynasty's important officials, as understanding both oneself and the enemy was essential.

Moreover, Wen Xiuqi was quite famous in the cultivation world. He was the only cultivator who, as a child, had a six-fold spiritual pulse, but in his middle age, he awakened a nine-fold spiritual pulse. Such a legendary story was the envy of everyone in the spiritual realms.

Seeing that Yue Zhiheng didn't refute her, she knew her guess was correct.

Before they arrived at Yongning County, Yue Zhiheng took out two "Facial Transformation Pills" and signaled Zhan Yunwei to take them.

The effect of the Facial Transformation Pills lasted only three days. Zhan Yunwei was no stranger to them, having used them when she had to flee the dynasty's pursuit in her previous life.

She closed her eyes and crafted an ordinary, fresh-looking face in her sea of consciousness.

When she looked up, she found that Yue Zhiheng had also changed his appearance.

His face no longer resembled his previous one. Combined with the shabby clothes he had specifically chosen for the trip, he now looked like a poor, useless scion of a noble family—someone who only followed rules and clung to outdated decorum.

Upon arriving in Yongning County, however, Yue Zhiheng didn't head to the City Lord's residence. Instead, he went to the largest auction house in Yongning County, the Golden Cicada Pavilion.

At this time, the Golden Cicada Pavilion was still closed. When the steward saw his shabby attire, he impatiently shooed him away. "Go away! This place is not for the likes of you!"

Yue Zhiheng took out the purple-rimmed lotus lamp. Upon seeing it, the steward's expression immediately changed, and he smiled. "My apologies for not recognizing you earlier, sir. Where did you come by this treasure?"

Yue Zhiheng replied, "After falling on hard times, all I have left is this family heirloom. I should have kept it to preserve my ancestors' legacy, but now…"

He hesitated. "My wife is with child, and her health is fragile. She must have spiritual treasures to nurture her and a safe place to carry the child. I have no choice but to sell this lotus lamp."

Zhan Yunwei listened to him lie so calmly while also involving her in his story.

Since they were strangers, the steward gave them a suspicious look. Zhan Yunwei lowered her gaze, looking guilty as if she had caused trouble for her partner.

Although she had changed her appearance, the aura of a spiritual master was still noticeable. The steward saw that she was indeed a delicate spiritual master, and knowing how precious a pregnant spiritual master was, he finally relaxed. He turned to Yue Zhiheng and said, "If you want to auction the lotus lamp here, that's no problem. But I must make it clear—the pavilion keeps 70% of the auctioned spirit stones and only gives you 30%."

Zhan Yunwei couldn't believe how greedy they were to cheat Yue Zhiheng out of his money. She couldn't help but glance at him. If they knew who he really was, they would probably want to send him off as quickly as possible.

Yue Zhiheng's eyes were cold, and he sneered inwardly. He pretended to haggle with the steward for a while before agreeing to their terms.

"I must meet the person who buys the lotus lamp and remind them to cherish it."

The steward hesitated, but seeing Yue Zhiheng's "stubbornness" and knowing he might really leave with the lotus lamp, he reluctantly agreed and set up a contract with him.

The two were invited to rest in the Golden Cicada Pavilion.

It was the first time Zhan Yunwei saw Yue Zhiheng act so indirectly. She had thought, given his usual arrogant style, that he would never tolerate such things and would at least have a confrontation with Lord Wen of the city.

Yue Zhiheng sipped his tea, glanced at her, and spoke in a soft voice: "I don't want to fight. What, Miss Zhan, are you hoping for me to get hurt so you can take the chance to leave?"

To be honest, Zhan Yunwei had thought of this exact scenario. She estimated that Zhan Shujing had probably healed by now, and given her brother's nature, he would surely come back to rescue her. Zhan Shujing, with his seven-fold spiritual pulse, could never defeat Yue Zhiheng. She didn't want her brother to die under the dynasty's control.

So, before coming here, she had thought that if Yue Zhiheng was injured, at least her brother and others would not be in immediate danger and would still have a fighting chance.

However, since Yue Zhiheng had seen through her thoughts, she couldn't admit it. She straightened up and said, "How could that be? I'm not so wicked. I was just curious—since we both have nine-fold spiritual pulses, could you defeat Lord Wen?"

Yue Zhiheng answered, "I've never fought him, so I don't know."

But in his heart, he already knew the answer. It wasn't that he couldn't defeat Wen Xiuqi.

Although Wen Xiuqi also had a nine-fold spiritual pulse, there was still a significant difference between different nine-fold cultivators. Moreover, Yue Zhiheng had the compassion lotus mark, which allowed him to kill enemies across realms.

However, opening a lotus mark for Wen Xiuqi was not worth it. If he were from the Wen family, he wouldn't hide someone in the City Lord's residence. If there was any risk of exposure, he would immediately relocate or eliminate everyone in the palace tomb.

But he didn't need to share these dark thoughts with Miss Zhan, who was clearly not genuinely concerned about him.

Soon, Zhan Yunwei realized why Yue Zhiheng had come to the Golden Cicada Pavilion. In the evening, Wen Xiuqi's son, Wen Ju, arrived.

She watched the auction scene from the magic tools on the second floor and was very surprised when she saw a somewhat familiar face downstairs.

Wen Ju, Wen Xun—did his name "Xun" signify strict adherence to rules?

Sure enough, Yue Zhiheng said, "Wen Xun was the eldest son of the Wen family."

But that was thirty years ago. Few people nowadays had heard of "Wen Xun."

Those who knew of him only believed that Wen Xun had been devoured by an evil spirit and died in the city of Du'e. Later, the Wen family prospered, with the family patriarch becoming the City Lord and even forming ties with the Crown Prince, enjoying great glory.

However, in recent years, the Wen family had refused to move to the royal capital, instead preferring to remain in the remote Yongning County.

Yue Zhiheng could guess some of the secrets behind the Wen family, but like them, he wasn't a good person either. If it weren't for the Wen family's actions against him—capturing Yue Wujue—Yue Zhiheng wouldn't have taken action against them.

Compared to the City Lord Wen's talent, Wen Ju clearly didn't measure up.

But his pockets were full.

People in the spiritual realm, with their long lives, often developed certain quirks, just like how Yue Wujue liked famous swords, Yue Hailuo loved fine robes, and Wen Ju had a peculiar passion for collecting magical tools.

When Wen Ju stepped inside, the steward greeted him with a beaming smile, and other nobles and aristocrats rushed to greet him.

Even the music maidens who played instruments to liven up the auction showed signs of affection for him.

Zhan Yunwei observed them closely, and they seemed sincere. She was curious—if it was only because of the Wen family's power or Wen Xun's decent looks, the music maidens, who came from common backgrounds, wouldn't act this way.

What was so special about this second son of the Wen family?

Yue Zhiheng saw the confusion in her eyes and calmly explained, "The Wen family has a very good reputation in Yongning County. Lord Wen is known to be a great philanthropist. It is said that Wen Ju has been deeply loyal, his partner passed away twenty years ago, and he has never remarried. He doesn't frequent the brothels or the entertainment quarters, instead focusing solely on collecting magical tools, and is very generous with his spending."

Now it made sense—who wouldn't like a deeply affectionate and good-hearted partner?

No wonder Wen Ju was so popular.

But perhaps because she had once encountered Wen Xun and seen his pure life sword, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease when looking at Wen Ju, who now seemed to enjoy such status.

Yue Zhiheng noticed her expression. "What, you don't believe it?"

Was she doubting the Wen family's goodness or Wen Ju's affection for his late wife?

Zhan Yunwei propped her chin up with one hand. "I don't believe either. How many truly loyal and unwavering people are there in this world? Besides, if the Wen family were truly good people, Yongning County wouldn't be so impoverished. We've seen far more ragged people here than in Fenhe County. The dynasty's dogs are hardly virtuous."

When she finished speaking, she realized that she had met Yue Zhiheng's gaze. She suddenly realized that he was, after all, one of the dynasty's villains.

She quickly added, "I'm not talking about you."

She remembered that Yue Zhiheng had said he didn't like being insulted to his face. The last person who had a knife pressed to their tongue was his second uncle. When she was in a weaker position, Zhan Yunwei knew how to behave properly. Even if she had complaints, she only voiced them in her heart.

Yue Zhiheng was still thinking about her previous statement but didn't understand why, if she admired Pei Yujing so much, she didn't believe in deep affection. When he heard her follow-up remark, he raised his gaze and said, "Miss Zhan, next time you want to say something against your conscience, don't make such a difficult expression."

"…"

As they were speaking, the auction downstairs had already come to a close. The most outstanding item of the night was undoubtedly Yue Zhiheng's lotus lamp.

When the lotus lamp appeared, Wen Ju's eyes lit up.

As expected, he purchased the lotus lamp at a high price.

The steward whispered something to him according to their agreement. Wen Ju furrowed his brow, concealing the expression in his eyes, and after a moment, he finally nodded.

Seeing that they were about to come up, Yue Zhiheng said, "Miss Zhan, don't forget what we discussed earlier."

Zhan Yunwei nodded.

At a time like this, she wouldn't intentionally make things difficult for Yue Zhiheng by pretending to be his pregnant wife. She would do her best not to reveal any flaws.