Consequently, Mo Tiange realized that after she made that complaint to Lord Daoist Jinghe—she had no idea what that distinguished master of hers did—not only did that Junior Martial Brother Bai not stop, but his pursuit of her became even more intense.

　　When she cultivated every day, she always received a Summoning Talisman. The content, more or less, was “Senior Martial Sister, today’s weather is terrific, so let’s come out and meet” etc. etc. etc. Every time she went out, that Junior Martial Brother Bai would immediately show up in front of her. In the end, even Ye Zhenji was also affected. He said that Martial Uncle Bai always tried to curry favor with him, scaring him to the point that he always fled every time he saw Martial Uncle Bai.

　　Mo Tiange, who was completely enraged, dashed into Lord Daoist Jinghe’s main hall, shouting loudly, “Master!”

　　The shock from her sudden appearance jolted Lord Daoist Jinghe to the point where he threw away the two grapes in his hand. Once he recovered from the shock, he glared angrily at her. “What!? You’re shouting and making a fuss with no attention to propriety!”

　　Mo Tiange had long known what her master was truly like, so she wasn’t scared of him. Not only did she not heed his anger, but she also complained, “How did you handle the matter? Right now, that Junior Martial Brother Bai is wrapping himself around me even tighter—he really annoys me to death!”

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe was flabbergasted. “What did he do?”

　　“He sends me a Summoning Talisman every day. He even runs to Zhenji and flatters him; he scares the hell out of Zhenji!”

　　“Oh…” Lord Daoist Jinghe swallowed the grape he’d been munching in his mouth then nodded thoughtfully. “That brat can be considered rather smart. He actually understands that he better curry favor with the people around you.”

　　“Master!” Upon seeing his response, Mo Tiange felt even more annoyed. “Whose side are you on?”

　　Lord Daoist Jinghe promptly corrected himself: “I mean, he’s too stupid! He’s actually disturbing the people around you! Yes, he made you angry this time; is there anything else?”

　　“That isn’t the point, okay!?” Mo Tiange massaged her forehead. Who was the master and who was the disciple here? Why did the nonsense this master spouted always infuriate her half to death?

　　“Then what is the point?” Lord Daoist Jinghe asked in complete bewilderment.

　　“The point is—how did you handle the matter last time?”

　　Since they were talking about this, Lord Daoist Jinghe finally said: “I say… This girl! Master had a fight with that old man Zhenyang for you, but not only are you not touched in the slightest, but you’re even talking to me like this?”

　　“Have a fight?” Mo Tiange was baffled. “Master, why did you fight Martial Uncle Zhenyang?”

　　“Because that old man looked down on you!” Lord Daoist Jinghe self-righteously said, “You’re my disciple, so looking down on you is the same as looking down on me. If I didn’t fight him, who should I have fought?”

　　“…” Mo Tiange felt there was nothing else to say. She should’ve known that problems given to this master of hers would definitely turn into a fight in the end! So they already fought and had a falling out—it was no wonder the other party didn’t listen to what he said!

　　“Why are you looking at me like that?” Lord Daoist Jinghe, who just became the target of Mo Tiange’s murderous stare, felt unhappy. “This child! How can you not understand that masters must be respected by their disciples?”

　　Mo Tiange ignored his remark. She just stroked her chest, forcing herself to suppress her anger. Soon afterward, she said calmly, “Alright, Master, please continue eating your grapes, continue being ostentatious. I… am going to settle this myself!”

　　She then turned around and walked out of the main hall with Lord Daoist Jinghe’s loud shouts chasing after her: “This child! How can you talk to your master like that!? What do you mean by being ostentatious!? Don’t go—”

　　As Mo Tiange left Shangqing Palace, she sent out a Summoning Talisman.

　　The reason why she hadn’t wanted to settle the matter herself so far was because she wanted to be low-key and didn’t want to stir up trouble. But now, she apparently couldn’t count on other people, so she better take the matter into her own hands. Besides, so what if she offended that Junior Martial Brother Bai? At most, the consequences would be offending Martial Uncle Zhenyang, but her master already had a falling out with him anyway.

　　After waiting outside Shangqing Palace for a short while, she finally heard a joyful voice: “Senior Martial Sister Mo!”

　　Once she saw him, the only thing that crossed Mo Tiange’s mind was how quickly this Junior Martial Brother Bai came.

　　“Junior Martial Brother Bai.” She squeezed out a smile with much effort.

　　Bai Yanfei had a broad smile and a bright gaze on his face. Ever since he decided to pursue this Senior Martial Sister Mo, he asked several senior martial brothers and sisters who practiced Dual Cultivation for advice. However, each of them had their own opinion and there were no commonalities. In the end, there was only one thing everyone agreed on—a woman of virtue would be defeated by a persistent pursuer. If it were any other method, Bai Yanfei wasn’t sure he could do it. This method, however, was simple. He just needed to wrap himself around her.

　　For that reason, he sent a Summoning Talisman to her every day and secretly inquired about her whereabouts. Eventually, someone suggested he should work on Senior Martial Sister Mo’s little nephew. He thought that since Senior Martial Sister Mo only had him as her kin, she would certainly regard him highly—currying favor with him definitely wouldn’t go wrong. Sure enough, Senior Martial Sister Mo finally returned his Summoning Talisman; she was willing to meet him!

　　“Senior Martial Sister Mo,” Bai Yanfei said with a face beaming with joy, “I’ve been waiting for a long time; you finally have some free time now.”

　　Mo Tiange maintained her normal expression and looked around. “Junior Martial Brother Bai, I have some things I want to say to you. Come with me first.”

　　Bai Yanfei nodded hurriedly. There were many people around; it would be very bad if people overheard what they talked about!

　　It would indeed be bad if people overheard them. Although Mo Tiange was already mentally prepared to offend him, she had no intention of shaming him. If she did, she would only create an enemy for herself for no reason.

　　After roaming around the sky for a while, they finally found a completely deserted mountaintop. Mo Tiange took the lead and began to descend.

　　“Senior Martial Sister Mo, this…”

　　Bai Yanfei originally thought they were going find a place with beautiful scenery where they could have a proper chat; unexpectedly, however, the place she chose was actually a mere barren mountaintop that didn’t even have a spot they could sit on. Nevertheless, his eyes suddenly shifted around.  There isn’t anyone here; does she perhaps want to…

　　Before the thought in his mind could be completed, he heard Mo Tiange’s voice: “Junior Martial Brother Bai, there are some things I have to make clear to you.”

　　Being drawn back from his daydream, Bai Yanfei stroked his nose and answered in a well-behaved manner, “Senior Martial Sister, please speak.”

　　Mo Tiange cast him a glance then gazed at the horizon and said indifferently, “My heart clearly understands the deep affection Junior Martial Brother has for me. However, since I’ve entered the path towards immortality, I want to focus wholeheartedly on Dao and have no plans to engage in matters related to love. Therefore, I can only let you down… With Junior Martial Brother’s talents, I believe your future will be bright. Once you achieve the Great Dao, you’ll certainly have beauties accompanying you; why should you force yourself to accept a mediocre woman like me? I hope Junior Martial Brother will stop disturbing me in the future. I’m not like Junior Martial Brother who possesses outstanding talents; if my Dao Heart isn’t stable, I’m afraid what awaits me is total failure.”

　　When she finished speaking, Mo Tiange cast another glance at Bai Yanfei. Seeing that he looked completely at a loss, she couldn’t help but furrow her brows. “Junior Martial Brother Bai?”

　　“Huh?” Bai Yanfei was startled and regained his train of thought.

　　“Did Junior Martial brother hear what I just said?”

　　Bai Yanfei held his head with both hands; he seemed to have not really figured out the meaning behind her words.

　　“I said what I wanted to say, so I’ll take my leave first.”

　　Just after she turned around and was about to slip away, Bai Yanfei suddenly called out loudly behind her, “Senior Martial Sister Mo!”

　　With no other choice, Mo Tiange could only stop and turn around again. “Does Junior Martial Brother Bai have anything else to say?”

　　After being dazed for a moment, he said, “Senior Martial Sister, are you rejecting me?”

　　Mo Tiange naturally wouldn’t say that bluntly, so she just smiled and said, “I’m not worthy of Junior Martial Brother Bai.”

　　“But I don’t mind!” Bai Yanfei shouted, “I know Senior Martial Sister Mo isn’t a peerless beauty and has an average aptitude, but I think you’re quite suitable, so I never cared about those.”

　　“…”  Don’t tell me he really doesn’t understand that I was just being polite?

　　“But I do mind.” Rejecting someone she didn’t like, only to have that person rudely and generously say “I don’t mind that you’re not worthy of me,” naturally angered her. With a colder tone, she said, “I really mind!”

　　Bai Yanfei had an innocent expression on his face—he was still completely clueless as to why she was angry. “I don’t dislike you, so what do you mind?”

　　“I…” Mo Tiange tried hard to restrain herself, but in the end, she still failed. “Junior Martial Brother Bai, even if your cultivation level was the highest in this world; even if you looked incomparably handsome, there will still definitely be some people who don’t like you.”

　　“But I never expected everyone to like me…”

　　“So I’m one of those people who doesn’t like you,” Mo Tiange cut him off and said bluntly. Some people couldn’t figure things out when said politely, so this time, she spoke bluntly.

　　“Huh?” Now that she said it so directly, Bai Yanfei was finally silent.

　　Upon seeing how Bai Yanfei’s face alternated from sickly green to pale white, Mo Tiange thought for a moment then softened her tone as she didn’t want to have a total falling out with him. “Junior Martial Brother Bai, I’m focusing wholeheartedly on Dao, so I really don’t want to have anything to do with romance. You’re very good; you have all the characteristics girls like in men, but I don’t have any intentions of getting involved with this kind of matter. Therefore… I hope this matter can end here.”

　　Right after she turned around to leave, a call came through from behind. “Senior Martial Sister Mo!”

　　Mo Tiange was helpless. “Is there anything else, Junior Martial Brother Bai?”

　　Bai Yanfei opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything. After a while, he finally said, “Is it because of Qin Shoujing? You’re rejecting me because of Qin Shoujing, aren’t you?”

　　Mo Tiange said expressionlessly, “Who said so?”

　　“Martial Uncle Jinghe said Qin Shoujing brought you back because he wanted to use you for himself!”

　　Mo Tiange didn’t say anything, but her expression revealed her feelings. After a while, she said, “You must’ve misunderstood, right?”

　　“I didn’t misunderstand anything; that’s what Martial Uncle Jinghe said,” Bai Yanfei sneered, “What’s so amazing about Qin Shoujing? How am I worse than him? Whether it’s aptitude or status, which of his is better than mine? He was just born a hundred years earlier than me—give me a hundred years, and I’ll definitely trample him under my feet!”

　　Mo Tiange sneered back, “Junior Martial Brother Bai, do you not know what kind of place you’re standing on now? I don’t care how you behave in Morning Sun Peak, but this is Clear Spring Peak; it isn’t a place where you can display your rich young master’s temper!”

　　Upon hearing such a blunt rebuke, Bai Yanfei was quite startled. “Sen-senior Martial Sister Mo…”

　　Mo Tiange continued to sneer, “To insult my senior martial brother in front of me in Clear Spring Peak… Junior Martial Brother Bai, did Martial Uncle Zhenyang not teach you any manners?”

　　Bai Yanfei’s face turned green.

　　She then took a step forwards. “I tried talking politely, but you don’t understand, so I can only say things as they are. Junior Martial Brother Bai, what do you think is so amazing about yourself? Without Martial Uncle Zhenyang, what are you? Single spiritual root? True, your aptitude is very good. However, if everything is based only on aptitude, what are we still cultivating for? We should be directly classified based on aptitude! Correct, Senior Martial Brother Shoujing is more than a hundred years older than you. But even if you’re given a hundred years, are you sure you can achieve the same things he has? I’m going to say this bluntly; after a hundred years, are you sure you’ll be able to form your Gold Core?”

　　“Of course I can!” Bai Yanfei’s face turned a deep red; it was uncertain whether it was out of anger or shame. “I have a single spiritual root. Even without my master, I can definitely do it! You’re actually comparing me to that Qin Shoujing—”

　　“It’s you who asked to be compared to Senior Martial Brother Shoujing.” Mo Tiange stared at him and smirked. “It’s okay if you don’t want to be compared to him. In that case, how about we make a comparison between us? I might not be a ‘genius with single spiritual root,’ but I’m already in the middle stage of the Foundation Building realm despite being only twenty-nine years old. How about you? Talented Junior Martial Brother Bai, you’re only a few years younger than me; why was it only recently that you succeeded in building your foundation?”

　　“That’s because you obtained fated chances!” Bai Yanfei shouted, trembling with anger. “Do you think I don’t know? You came across fated chances right after you built your foundation, so you directly advanced into the middle stage of the Foundation Building realm!”

　　“True, but fated chances are also part of one’s strength.” Mo Tiange’s smile didn’t falter. “Even if we compared our progress from the Aura Refining realm to the Foundation Building realm, would it make much difference? Junior Martial Brother Bai, you built your foundation at twenty-two years old, but Senior Martial Brother Shoujing built his when he was twenty years old. Senior Martial Brother Lingxi of Sweet Dew Peak even did it when he was just seventeen years old. See, you still don’t beat them! Let’s talk about me. I built my foundation when I was twenty-three years old. At that time, I was still a wretch with five spiritual roots, but I was only one year slower than you. Are you sure you can surpass all of us?”

　　Bai Yanfei couldn’t say anything. He noticed that Mo Tiange was staring at him like he was an ignorant child as she spoke: “You should cultivate properly. If you exert all your energy on matters like Dual Cultivation, you definitely won’t live up to this ‘genius with a single spiritual root’ title in a hundred years.”

　　“Senior Martial Sister Mo!” Bai Yanfei once again chased after her; it was unclear whether it was because he felt unsettled or angry.

　　Nevertheless, Mo Tiange didn’t stop this time. She just flung back her sleeve, creating a surge of spiritual aura that blocked his way. Consequently, Bai Yanfei could only watch on helplessly as she stepped onto her White Silk Handkerchief and flew off.

　　He stood still, feeling both resentful and embarrassed. He really never thought that this Senior Martial Sister Mo would actually look down on him. However, the way Senior Martial Sister Mo easily blocked him with a very simple movement a moment ago made him realize… that he really wasn’t as good as she was.

　　No, of course it isn’t like this!  In his annoyance, he waved and launched a spell, blowing up the ground below him into a huge crater.  I’m a genius with a single spiritual root! I’m the last disciple of Lord Daoist Zhenyang! There’s no way I’m worse than others! They’re just lucky, that’s all!

　　All of a sudden, the barren precipice slid open, jolting Bai Yanfei awake from his thoughts.

　　Once he turned around, he saw a man standing on the doorstep of the opened stone door, staring coldly at him. “Junior Martial Brother Bai, you came to our Clear Spring Peak as a guest, so why did you have to break and create a hole on my Immortal’s Cave?”

　　Bai Yanfei stared blankly at that person for a moment but soon regained his composure. By the time he finally got a clear look at who that man was, his anger flourished once more. “Qin Shoujing! It’s all because of you! I’ll fight you!!!”

　　Bai Yanfei irrationally took out the magic weapon his master bestowed upon him and rushed forward in a rage. He didn’t consider that he certainly wouldn’t be able to defeat his opponent based on his cultivation level.

　　Qin Xi simply raised his hand, releasing his spiritual aura pressure which immediately fell down on Bai Yanfei.

　　Bai Yanfei’s spiritual aura movements became sluggish, and it became extremely difficult for him to move. He wasn’t satisfied, so he tried to mobilize his spiritual aura with all his might in an attempt to fight back. However, this spiritual aura pressure was too strong. “Pu—” Bai Yanfei vomited blood and fell to the ground.

　　Qin Xi withdrew his spiritual aura and said indifferently, “Junior Martial Brother Bai, since you have no respect towards your senior, don’t blame me for giving you a lesson on Martial Uncle Zhenyang’s behalf!”

　　“Y-you…” Bai Yanfei lay on the ground, unable to say anything. He didn’t know whether it was because he was beaten or because he was angry, but as he thought about what he just went through, sadness suddenly overwhelmed him, causing him to directly burst into tears. Why was his life so bitter? He just got rejected by someone, and now his love rival was giving him a lesson. Furthermore, he ended up in this kind of position—really humiliating!

　　The moment he burst into tears, Qin Xi was actually stunned. Even though he never showed his feelings on his face, he still couldn’t help but feel torn between laughter and tears. He saw this Junior Martial Brother Bai several years ago. He’d grown up now, but his temperament was indeed still that of a child.

　　After crying for a while, Bai Yanfei finally wiped his face and crawled up from the ground while sobbing. His face was covered with tears and snot. Coupled with the blood he vomited smeared all over his face, he suddenly lost the appearance of an elegant young master and turned into a messy, rainbow cat.

　　He wanted to straighten his back so he could pat away the dust on his robes and tidy up his hair then return home in a neat condition. However, right after he stood upright, he once again saw Qin Xi and consequently became angry again. “Why are you still here?!”

　　Qin Xi expressionlessly said, “This is my Immortal’s Cave; of course I’m here.”

　　“You…” Recalling that he just made a spectacle of himself in front of Qin Xi for some time, Bai Yanfei suddenly felt so ashamed that he wanted to die. He glared fiercely at Qin Xi, but Qin Xi turned a blind eye to his glare and simply said in the same calm and indifferent tone as before, “Junior Martial Brother Bai, if there isn’t anything else, you should quickly go back to Morning Sun Peak. I won’t keep you any longer.”

　　“I…”  Who’s going to stay!

　　Qin Xi didn’t wait for him to finish his sentence. He turned around and entered the cave. The stone door was once again closed, and the Illusory Formation was activated, transforming the scenery back into that of a very ordinary mountaintop.

　　Bai Yanfei, who was left all alone, stood in a daze. The wind blew his messy, rainbow-cat-like face. All in all, he was an exceptionally sad sight to be seen.

　　—

　　When Mo Tiange opened the restriction on Mingxin Residence in a fury, the scene that greeted her was Ye Zhenji and his young friend, Hualing, teasing and playing with Xiaohuo the Inferno Beast in the courtyard. Upon seeing her walking inside with a cold expression, the two guys immediately stood up.

　　“Auntie!”

　　“Martial Uncle!”

　　Noticing how scared they looked, Mo Tiange promptly squeezed out a slight smile. “Oh, it’s Hualing. What are you two playing?”

　　“No, no,” Ye Zhenji immediately said, “We’re not playing Xiaohuo; we’re playing with Xiaohuo!”

　　This time, his answer made a genuine smile appear on Mo Tiange’s face. Xiaohuo was now a spiritual beast equivalent to an early stage Foundation Building cultivator. With its docile nature, it became a playing target of these two boys. They always asked Xiaohuo to help them do this and that. They thought she didn’t know about it, but how could she not know? It was just that they understood their limit and never went overboard, so she let them do as they wished. Besides, with Xiaohuo accompanying them, she didn’t need to fear they would get into an accident.

　　“Alright, you two can keep playing,” she said while stroking Ye Zhenji’s head. After letting the two boys play by themselves, she proceeded towards the cultivating room.

　　Inside the Virtual Sky World, everything was still the same as before—the cool breeze was still blowing gently, the sky was still bright, and the water was still clear.

　　Mo Tiange sat inside the small hut. She wanted to calm her chaotic mood, so she picked up a roll of documents. However, after staring blankly at them for a while, she suddenly threw out all the books and letters inside the hut.

　　Those books and letters made of various materials fell one after another on the bamboo planks outside and made clattering noises.

　　She panted heavily. Soon afterward, she sat down and buried her face inside the crooks of her arms, feeling extremely dejected.

　　Martial Uncle Jinghe said Qin Shoujing brought you back because he wanted to use you for himself!

　　Martial Uncle Jinghe said Qin Shoujing brought you back because he wanted to use you for himself!

　　Her mind kept replaying what Bai Yanfei said and refused to stop.

　　Even though she downplayed that remark and maintained a positive outlook about it at the time, she still couldn’t hold back the anger inside her heart.

　　In fact, she knew Lord Daoist Jinghe said it. No matter how outrageous Bai Yanfei was, he wouldn’t recklessly fabricate that kind of remark. Nevertheless, she had no idea how the original remark was said, so she didn’t know the real meaning behind it either. She couldn’t help but start guessing.  Do they really have such a plan?

　　With her Virtual Sky World, she wasn’t afraid even if others had ill intentions towards her. It was just that… she felt unwilling if that person really harbored evil intentions towards her.