Fairy, please have some self-respect. I am not the reincarnation of your deceased husband.

"Aren't you on duty at the Outer Sect's Miscellaneous Affairs Hall?"

Mu Qianxue looked at her junior brother in front of her, her voice filled with confusion.

At this moment, the other party was still in the position of being harassed and pestered by Xueyan, with his clothes slightly disheveled and a few snow-white downy hairs even stuck to the side of his face, making him look particularly comical.

Even someone as aloof as her couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

"Senior Sister Mu?"

Chen Lianshu composed herself, then tidied her disheveled appearance and replied:

"I have been ordered by the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to deliver a scroll of array diagrams to Peak Master Pei at Jade Spirit Peak."

"Master?"

Upon hearing the words "Peak Master Pei," alarm bells rang in Mu Qianxue's heart, and an ominous premonition arose.

"you…"

She paused, then said with concern:

"Have you...met her?"

"without."

Chen Lianshu said helplessly:

"I circled the peak, but I couldn't find Peak Master Pei."

"I was going to check the main hall, and if I still couldn't find anyone, I would go back."

"But we encountered this little guy halfway there."

His gaze fell on Xueyan, who was writhing and struggling in Mu Qianxue's hands, and he began to complain:

"I saw that it was a spirit pet raised by Peak Master Pei, and assumed it was there to guide the way, so I followed it here."

"But Peak Master Pei is not in the bedchamber either."

"But it insisted that I go inside..."

"I refused, and this is how it turned out."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Xueyan meowed and nimbly broke free from Mu Qianxue's grasp, jumping back into Chen Lianshu's arms.

She nuzzled his chin affectionately, looking at Mu Qianxue warily, as if to say, "You can forget about taking me away again" and "I'm just going to stay here."

"I see--"

Upon hearing that her husband had not yet met his master, Mu Qianxue secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's alright if we haven't met before, as there's still room for maneuver.

Her icy blue eyes lingered briefly between Xiao Xueyan and Chen Lianshu.

This little fellow is a spirit pet that Master has raised since childhood.

Although he was a bit lively, he was usually quite arrogant and never got close to anyone.

Even though she was his master's disciple, he couldn't be bothered to give her a second glance.

But right now...

Why is this little thing so affectionate towards her husband?

"..."

Mu Qianxue pursed her lips slightly, lost in thought.

She naturally didn't believe that Xueyan would also have memories.

After all, if we go by memory—

Once she got close to her husband, Xueyan should have already shown his power by breathing on her.

Especially in matters of the heart, this little thing has caused her no shortage of troubles, thanks to its status as a spirit pet.

It is obvious that she saw her master thinking about her husband's portrait day and night.

The other party saw this and wanted to bring him before his master to relieve his worries.

Having figured everything out, Mu Qianxue felt only relief.

It would have been terrible if we had been even a step later.

If it were to bring her husband the portrait her master had recently drawn, then he would truly have succeeded.

"Since Master is not here, please hand over this array diagram to me."

"it is good."

Since it was Mu Qianxue, Chen Lianshu naturally trusted her and handed over the storage bag given to him by the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

Seeing that the other person seemed to have just returned from outside, he couldn't help but ask another question:

"Senior sister, did you just come back from outside?"

"Um."

Mu Qianxue responded calmly:

"My master asked me to go to Peak Master Zhao to retrieve a sword manual and then complete the corresponding damaged sword manual in the scripture pavilion."

"I came here to report to my master, but she wasn't here. Instead, I ran into my junior brother."

She didn't think that her master was intentionally sending her away; on the contrary, she was secretly relieved.

Fortunately, their master had to leave temporarily, otherwise the two of them would probably have met today.

At that time, she would no longer be able to hide her husband.

It can only be said that everything is too coincidental; the fate between Master and her husband... has not yet arrived.

Mu Qianxue chuckled inwardly and began to change the subject:

"Now that you've arrived at Jade Spirit Peak, would you please have a seat for a moment?"

"No."

Chen Lianshu politely declined:

"Junior brother still needs to return to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to report."

"Furthermore, outer disciples cannot remain in the inner sect for long."

"Even with a pass, there are still many restrictions."

"…Um."

Upon hearing this, Mu Qianxue was slightly disappointed, but she didn't show it and settled for second best:

"In that case, why don't I see my junior brother off?"

"Alright, then I'll trouble you, Senior Sister Mu."

Chen Lianshu did not refuse again.

But when he heard that he was leaving, Xueyan in his arms started to make a fuss.

It started tugging at his clothes again, clearly not giving up.

"Um."

However, neither of them paid any attention to the little guy.

Mu Qianxue responded softly, turned around and led the way, unhurriedly.

The two of them walked slowly down the bluestone steps of Jade Spirit Peak, one after the other.

"..."

They walked in silence until they reached the halfway point up the mountain, when Mu Qianxue suddenly spoke softly:

"Junior brother, what do you think of the scenery at Jade Spirit Peak?"

"Very beautiful."

Chen Lianshu praised sincerely.

"If you like it, that's good..."

She glanced back at her junior brother, who was admiring the beautiful scenery behind her.

"…That…"

Mu Qianxue suddenly stopped, turned her back to him, her voice slightly tense, still unwilling to give up.

"How about... coming to my room for a while?"

Her ears quickly flushed a light red, and her voice gradually faded.

"The scenery over there is even better."

"Don't worry, I'll explain things to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall myself. I won't make things difficult for you..."

In the end, Mu Qianxue's words came to an abrupt halt, and she closed her eyes in despair.

I feel helpless about my awkwardness.

What kind of reason is that?

That's incredibly stupid...

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Sister, but the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall has strict rules, and I dare not leave without permission."

As expected, Chen Lianshu politely declined.

"…good."

Perhaps she had expected it, because although she was disappointed, she was not too upset.

"I will definitely visit you another day, Junior Brother."

"Okay, then it's settled."

Mu Qianxue knew it was just polite talk and didn't take it to heart.

After all, there are many restrictions on outer disciples entering the inner sect.

Even if Chen Lianshu were to visit her in the future, she would not agree.

The reason for this invitation is that Master happened to be away.

If he were to happen to encounter his master during his visit, it would truly be a case of losing more than he gains.

Upon reaching the mountain gate, Mu Qianxue stopped.

"Let's leave it here."

Her voice remained cool and clear, and her gaze lingered for a moment, revealing a hint of reluctance.

Then he quickly moved away to look at the little spirit beast in his junior brother's arms:

"You should return Xueyan to me."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xueyan immediately buried her head in Chen Lianshu's arms, gripping his sleeve tightly with her claws, displaying a "I will never submit" attitude.

He then put on a pitiful expression to prevent Chen Lianshu from handing it over to Mu Qianxue.

It was as if the other party was some kind of demon that specifically devoured spirit beasts.

"..."

Upon seeing this, Mu Qianxue's lips twitched slightly.

This little thing is really in the way.

However, she ignored Xueyan's struggles and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, pulling it back into her arms.

"Thank you for seeing me off, senior sister."

Chen Lianshu bowed and said goodbye.

"…Um."

Mu Qianxue looked at him, paused, and finally added:

Be careful on the road.

"Yes."

Chen Lianshu turned around, mounted his sword, and rose into the distance, his figure gradually disappearing into the distance.

"..."

She only slowly came to her senses after the figure had completely disappeared from sight.

Before she could even rub the little one in her arms, Xiao Xueyan broke free from her embrace, leaped to the ground, proudly raised its head, and darted into the bamboo thicket without looking back.

She was completely unrecognizable from her previous weak and pitiful appearance.

However, her cute and charming appearance makes it really hard to get angry at her.

Mu Qianxue shook her head helplessly, turned around and went up the mountain.

……

And outside the west gate, in Chen Lianshu's small courtyard.

Pei Wanyun sat quietly at the table in the room, holding the jade identity token in her hand.

Her fingertips traced the three characters "Chen Lianshu" repeatedly, as if afraid that these three characters would become another name and belong to someone else.

She had been waiting here for nearly two hours.

Suddenly, a very light footstep sound came from outside the courtyard.

"?"

Her gaze sharpened, her heartstrings tightened.

Could it be him?

Under Pei Wanyun's gaze, Chen Lianshu pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped into the house.

"?"

As soon as he entered the room, he met a pair of reddened, gentle and beautiful eyes.

The emotions in his eyes were complex, a mixture of relief at having found what he had lost, a deep longing for what he had lost, and a hint of worry that he might disappear again.

【Pei Wanyun】

[Affection Level: MAX (Shared Destiny)]

A special favorability indicator hangs above its head.

It was a red heart surrounded by lotus leaf and petal patterns, shimmering with a soft light and exuding a gentle warmth.

The instant their eyes met—

Deep within his consciousness, the system voice promptly sounded:

[Ding! Host detected encountering a predestined tribulation...]

[Master-Disciple Route (Unlocked)]

[Ding! The tribulation is being repaired...]

[Master-Apprentice Ratio: 12%]