Gao Jianli had arrived in Jiyang City and even taken up a position as a qin master at the Feixue Pavilion. However, at this point, Xue Nu remained unaware of the man's feelings for her.
But after hearing that Yan Chun Jun was about to return to the country, the Lingbo Feiyan dance had not been performed again. Li Haimo brought Xiao Meng there a few times, and he could discern the affection for Xue Nu in Gao Jianli's qin music. So, presumably, Xue Nu should have known as well. Yet to her, these men were all the same—each one coveting her beauty—so Gao Jianli was no different from the others in her eyes.
"Miss Xue Nu, might you come for a chat?" After Xue Nu left the stage, Li Haimo had Xiao Meng use the Thousand-Li Voice Transmission to invite her. As for why it was Xiao Meng who called: first, if he did it himself, Xue Nu definitely wouldn't come; second, it was embarrassing—Li Haimo's skill had failed yet again. While others had those few days each month, he only had a few days a month when it worked. And the usable time was getting shorter and shorter, making him wonder if he'd cultivated it wrong.
"Daoist Thousand-Li Voice Transmission?" Xue Nu was somewhat stunned. Four years ago, the Daoist sect had sealed its mountain, with all inner disciples and above returning to Taiyi Mountain for cultivation, so no one in the jianghu used this technique anymore. Now it had appeared in Yan. But since it was a woman, Xue Nu relaxed a bit and felt a touch of anticipation.
With Yan Chun Jun returning, her fate was easy to predict. But if she could connect with the Daoist sect, perhaps there'd be a turning point. Moreover, she was weary of this life and yearned for the Daoists' carefree existence, like drifting clouds and wild cranes.
So, she changed into a modest purple skirt and quietly made her way to the private room on the second floor. Upon entering, she saw Li Haimo in azure robes and Xiao Meng with her similarly snow-white hair.
"Xue Nu pays her respects, unaware that two Daoist masters were here." Xue Nu curtsied, her mind churning with shock. Daoist figures, and a white-haired woman skilled in Thousand-Li Voice Transmission—across the entire Daoist sect, only one fit: the Tianzong leader, Master Xiao Meng. And the man by her side, with such intimate demeanor, could only be the Renzong leader, Wuchen Zi.
"I am Xiao Meng of the Daoist Tianzong. This is my husband, Wuchen Zi, leader of the Renzong." Xiao Meng spoke up.
"Greetings to Leader Wuchen Zi and Leader Xiao Meng." Xue Nu positioned herself humbly; after all, she was just a dancer, while the two before her were leaders of one of the Hundred Schools— the status gap was immense.
"No need for formalities. We wander the jianghu without meddling in worldly affairs, so we travel incognito. Miss Xue Nu's dance is unparalleled, rivaling even the court ladies of Zhao." Li Haimo said.
"May I ask why the two seniors have summoned Xue Nu?" Xue Nu inquired.
"You're aware that Yan Chun Jun is returning soon, right?" Li Haimo countered.
"Yes." Xue Nu's eyes dimmed; compared to Yan Chun Jun, her martial skills were far too lacking.
"Have you never thought of leaving Yan?" Li Haimo asked.
Xue Nu's eyes lit up, catching the implication—they were willing to take her away. With these two, no one in the Seven Kingdoms would dare stop her.
"I beg the two leaders to take me in!" Xue Nu knelt directly on the ground.
"Will you take her, or shall I?" Li Haimo asked Xiao Meng, since accepting someone into the fold meant assigning them to either Tianzong or Renzong.
Xiao Meng pondered for a moment before saying, "Tianzong disciples have always required a heart of pure innocence. Miss Xue Nu has lingered in the mortal world too long; I'm afraid that purity is long gone. Tianzong cannot teach you."
Xue Nu's face fell. The Daoist sect's strict standards for disciples were no secret in the Seven Kingdoms, so being rejected by Xiao Meng left only bitterness. From Xiao Meng's tone, her aptitude was sufficient—it was just that her time in the secular world barred her from Tianzong.
"I'm short a sword attendant by my side. Do you know how to wield a sword?" Li Haimo asked.
"Huh?" Xue Nu was stunned, not expecting such a twist. A sword attendant sounded like a servant, but in the Daoist sect, it was different—equivalent to a closed-door disciple, with status above ordinary followers. However, her swordsmanship was mediocre at best; she probably couldn't fill the role.
"I've never learned proper sword techniques; I'm afraid I couldn't serve as Leader Wuchen Zi's sword attendant." Xue Nu said dejectedly.
"I'll teach you those. As long as you can hold a sword, that's fine. I have quite a few swords, so I need someone to help tend to them." Li Haimo explained.
Indeed, he had many swords, all renowned ones. The least impressive was still Jianjia, then there was Lingxu, Chunjun, the divine sword Tianding, and Xueji—five in total. Xiao Meng had Bailu, Qiuli, and Mengdie—three of her own. But for this trip, they'd only brought Jianjia and Lingxu.
Xue Nu was shocked. Just like that, she'd become the sword attendant to the Daoist Renzong leader? If it were anyone else, they might be after her looks, but this was the Renzong leader, and Xiao Meng was present. Still, how should she address Li Haimo? Sword attendants typically called their master "lord," but that didn't fit the Daoist way. "Master" seemed off too, since sword attendants weren't exactly disciples.
"Then how should I address you, senior?" Xue Nu asked, fearing an awkward mistake.
Li Haimo was pondering the same thing. What did Daoist sword attendants call their masters? Attendant boys called theirs "master," but sword attendants were different, and it had been ages since anyone took one—not everyone had as many famed swords as he did.
"Just call him Master," Xiao Meng said, noticing their dilemma.
"Xue Nu pays respects to Master." Xue Nu prostrated herself.
"Rise. No need for such ceremony outside for now. We'll hold your formal entry rite back at Taiyi Mountain." Li Haimo said, feeling it was all a bit sudden. The Mohist commander from Qin Moon, the foremost ice-cold beauty after Xiao Meng, had become his sword attendant—just like that. Gao Jianli was out of luck. Indeed, if her heart has grown weary, take her on a carousel ride. Gao Jianli never grasped that truth.
"As Master decides." Xue Nu stood.
"Actually, besides this, there's one more thing I wanted to ask you." Li Haimo said.
"Please ask, Master." Xue Nu stood respectfully beside him and Xiao Meng.
"Do you know your own origins? In these years, Xiao Meng and I have traveled much of the divine land, and we've only seen you and her with naturally snow-white hair. I found Xiao Meng on Taiyi Mountain, delivered to me by a seven-colored deer, so we have speculations about her background. That's why we're curious about yours too." Li Haimo explained.
Regarding Xiao Meng's origins, the Daoist sect—including Beiming Zi—had speculated, though it sounded far-fetched, the possibility was high: she was the manifestation of Zhuang Zi's Dao fruit. Reasons included: first, in his later years, Zhuang Zi had a seven-colored deer by his side; second, upon entering Tianzong, Xiao Meng cultivated Zhuang Zi's "heart like still water" as if she'd learned it before, merely recalling it, allowing her to surpass the eight Tianzong elders at age eight—in that practice, at least; third, soon after joining, Zhuang Zi's long-lost personal sword Qiuli appeared in Tianzong and recognized her as master, followed by various fateful pulls leading Zhuang Zi's forged Mengdie to her hands.
"I don't know. I was taken in by my teacher at a very young age, found in the snow with this white hair, so she named me Xue Nu." Xue Nu replied.
"Do you have any birthmarks or identifying marks, or perhaps some token of your identity?" Li Haimo pressed.
Xue Nu shook her head. Before her teacher died, she'd told her everything, but Xue Nu had truly come into this world alone before being adopted.
"Then never mind. Once we're back at Taiyi Mountain, I'll find a way to investigate if there's more to your background." Li Haimo said. He didn't believe in such coincidences; natural white hair wasn't like Xue Yihou's, caused by cultivation methods.
"Will you come back with us tonight, or do you need to wrap up affairs at the Feixue Pavilion first? You should know: once you enter the Daoist fold, you sever all ties with your past life. From then on, you serve the Dao, pursuing the great path alone." Li Haimo said, giving her time to handle worldly matters.
"After my teacher passed, I have no family or friends left. But there are indeed some matters I need to settle." Xue Nu said.
"Very well. Once you've resolved everything, come find us outside the city. I'm sure the Feixue Pavilion already knows where we live." Li Haimo nodded.
"Yes, Master." Xue Nu agreed, escorting Li Haimo and Xiao Meng out of the private room.
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