After Being Certified by the Immortal Lord on the Path of Ruthlessness - Chapter 13

Jiang Mianhao let out a soft sound of acknowledgment and froze on the bed.

She stared at the ethereally beautiful figure under the lamplight, whose silver hair was tinged a warm gold by the candlelight.

The sight was like the spring sun, bright but not glaring.

The words Ye Qingge spoke sounded almost unreal to Jiang Mianhao, who asked in a daze, “Lujiu, do you know what you’re saying?”

In the hazy glow of the candles, Ye Qingge’s white robes were dyed golden.

“I know,” Ye Qingge replied calmly. “In truth, my descent to the mortal realm this time was for you.”

Jiang Mianhao was momentarily stunned, trying to make sense of her words. “What do you mean, ‘for me’? Is that also why you’ve been so kind to me?”

This question had weighed on Jiang Mianhao’s mind for a long time.

Ling Lan treated her well because they had grown up together, as close as sisters.

Rong Qi treated her well because she had picked her up and raised her, like a mother.

But the kindness this celestial being before her showed was beyond ordinary reasoning.

They hadn’t grown up together, nor was there any bond of upbringing.

Was it merely out of guilt for having injured her? But even that shouldn’t warrant such treatment.

Jiang Mianhao looked at Ye Qingge, awaiting her answer.

Facing Jiang Mianhao’s inquiry, Ye Qingge spoke softly, “Because you are my Dao companion.”

“D-Dao companion?” Jiang Mianhao blinked, disbelieving. “Do you mean the kind of Dao companion I think it is?”

Ye Qingge gave a faint hum of affirmation, offering no further explanation.

Jiang Mianhao’s mind exploded like fireworks, bang—completely overwhelmed.

“Dao companion” was the third type of relationship Jiang Mianhao had learned about from Rong Qi, aside from friends and motherly figures.

When Jiang Mianhao was just five hundred years old, Rong Qi had been struck by the Red Thread of Fate and brought home a tulip.

At first, Jiang Mianhao thought the new tulip would be raised in the flowerbed like her and Ling Lan a new companion.

But Rong Qi had taken the tulip straight into her own room to nurture.

Rong Qi and that tulip ate together, lived together, and moved as one, inseparable in their closeness.

When Jiang Mianhao asked about it, Rong Qi only said she was too young to understand.

That period had been Rong Qi’s happiest time. On the full moon night when the tulip turned a thousand years old and took human form, it awakened immortal bones and ascended as a celestial being.

After that, Rong Qi fell into a long depression. So long that Jiang Mianhao feared she might wither away.

It wasn’t until a century later, when Rong Qi got drunk one night, that she rambled on in her intoxication.

That was how Jiang Mianhao learned of the third type of relationship beyond friendship and kinship, Dao companions.

But she was still young, and much of what Rong Qi said in her drunken state went over her head. All she remembered was Rong Qi drinking heavily and shedding many tears.

So when Ye Qingge uttered the words “Dao companion” so matter-of-factly, her first thought was.

Had Lujiu lost her memory?

Yet the person before her wore a serious expression, her gaze fixed intently on Jiang Mianhao.

“Lujiu…” Jiang Mianhao’s voice trailed off, her heart churning with confusion.

Ye Qingge, however, was the first to apologize. “Did I frighten you?”

Her expression was calm as she suppressed her emotions, feigning remorse.

Jiang Mianhao immediately waved her hands. “No, no, it’s not that. I was just wondering could you have mistaken me for someone else? I’m just a little grass spirit who’s cultivated for a thousand years.”

But Ye Qingge shook her head gently and whispered, “My descent to the mortal realm was solely for you.”

“But I won’t force you,” Ye Qingge said softly. “I’ll give you enough time, and we’ll take it slow.”

These words flowed through Jiang Mianhao’s heart like a warm current.

She nodded gently and replied, “Alright, we’ll take it slow.”

……

……

The long night finally faded away.

The thick clouds gradually dispersed, and golden sunlight bathed the earth.

By the time Jiang Mianhao slowly woke up, the room was already empty.

After freshening up and stepping outside, she had just opened the banyan tree hollow when she spotted Lily pacing anxiously at the entrance, supported by Mi Xiu.

“Lanlan?” Sensing something amiss, Jiang Mianhao hurried over. “What’s wrong with you?”

She had been unconscious when the events of the previous night unfolded, so she knew nothing about them.

After a night of recuperation, Lily was now able to move freely.

Recalling the events of the previous night, Lily also felt a bit guilty.

She coughed lightly and turned her gaze to Jiang Mianhao, concern in her voice. “I’m fine. But what about you? How are you?”

Jiang Mianhao looked at Lily’s pale lips and didn’t believe her claim of being fine. With a flick of her fingers, she sent out a sphere of spiritual energy.

This was something Lujiu had given her before bed the previous night, saying it was for self-defense.

Jiang Mianhao hadn’t understood why she would need protection on Taibai Mountain.

But now, seeing Lily, she realized where this spiritual energy truly belonged.

The abundant, continuous flow of spiritual energy was unmistakably from a high-ranking immortal.

Just like her first encounter with Ye Qingge. She had injured Lily and then provided healing.

This unspoken connection eased the tension between them.

By the time Jiang Mianhao had transferred most of the spiritual energy, she let out a sigh, and the door swung open.

Ye Qingge stood at the entrance, fully dressed and composed.

“Lujiu!” Jiang Mianhao waved at her. “You’re awake?”

Ye Qingge gave a slight nod and beckoned.

The young girl before her transformed back into a small blade of grass and floated steadily into Ye Qingge’s palm.

Jiang Mianhao was puzzled. “What’s this?”

“Your foundation is still unstable. You need as much sunlight as possible,” Ye Qingge said calmly, already stepping outside.

Jiang Mianhao thanked her repeatedly, even forgetting to bid farewell to those behind her.

Ye Qingge, in turn, completely ignored Lily and Mi Xiu. No greeting, not even a glance.

Lily, still struggling to move, watched their retreating figures with a darkening expression.

……

……

The two were gone for several hours.

Lily grew increasingly impatient, pacing restlessly around the courtyard while Mi Xiu leaned against the doorframe, watching her.

“Slow down,” Mi Xiu said, glancing between the entrance and Lily’s hurried steps. “Food is eaten bite by bite, and roads are walked step by step. You’ve just recovered. Don’t push yourself and risk getting hurt again.”

Lily ignored her advice, continuing to walk with her head down.

All she wanted now was to regain her spiritual energy quickly so she could spend more time with Jiang Mianhao. For some reason, the immortal lord gave Lily an overwhelming sense of unease.

The thought made her quicken her pace even more.

Mi Xiu, sharing similar thoughts, kept her eyes fixed on the entrance, but no sound came from beyond it.

If it was said that Ye Qingge’s attentiveness in taking Jiang Mianhao out for care was understandable due to her having injured him earlier,

now that he had successfully transformed, any further concern took on a different tone.

Then, the sound of extremely light and delicate footsteps came from the doorway.

Miyou withdrew her gaze and leisurely remarked, “Tell me, with that immortal being so kind to Mian Mian, does that mean he won’t even need to cultivate down the mountain to become an immortal?”

With just one sentence, Ling Lan’s temper was easily provoked.

“Absolutely not!” Ling Lan snapped. “Mian Mian and I already made a promise.”

Miyou chuckled softly. “Oh? But now there’s a new variable, isn’t there?”

Variable. Ling Lan gritted her teeth, thinking of the unexpected presence of Ye Qingge, and her expression darkened instantly.

“I’ll be heading down the mountain in three days,” Miyou said with a light laugh. “Care to join me?”

Before Ling Lan could answer, a voice came from the doorway.

“What’s this about joining?” Jiang Mianhao quickened his pace and trotted in, holding a handful of fruits in his hands. “Lanlan, Xiu Xiu, look what I picked!”

At the sound of his voice, the two in the courtyard looked up.

A figure clad in green dashed in.

The lively young man held a palmful of fruits, his slightly loosened bun letting a few stray strands of hair fall, fluttering in the wind as he ran, looking spirited and adorable.

Behind the green-clad youth walked a figure in white, unhurried and composed.

Jiang Mianhao, now standing before the two, raised his palm to show the pile of thumb-sized, translucent red fruits, still glistening with droplets of water.

Miyou looked at the fruits and smiled faintly. “Oh, forget-me-not fruits. Mian Mian, can you read minds?”

Her gaze lingered on the fruits before shifting to the sulking Ling Lan.

“Among us, who needs them the most?” Miyou lightly pinched a crystal-clear fruit and brought it to Ling Lan’s lips. “Is it you, little Ling Lan?”

The droplet on the fruit brushed against Ling Lan’s lips, but she frowned and turned her head away.

Rebuffed, Miyou shrugged helplessly. “Don’t need it?”

Seeing Ling Lan’s sullen face, Jiang Mianhao held out the fruits and said, “Lanlan, try one. I picked them for so long.”

His emerald-green eyes blinked expectantly at Ling Lan.

Ling Lan, who had been putting on airs, let out a soft hum and unconsciously softened.

Miyou reached over and took the fruits from Jiang Mianhao’s palm, pursing her lips. “Lanlan hasn’t washed her hands. Probably shouldn’t hold them.”

Understanding the hint, Jiang Mianhao immediately picked one up and offered it. “Have one, Lanlan.”

Faced with the fruit at her lips, Ling Lan could no longer maintain her cold demeanor and opened her mouth to accept it.

Seeing her eat it, Jiang Mianhao asked eagerly, “How is it? Is it good?”

Ling Lan hummed. “Delicious, of course it’s delicious.”

Though her words were directed at Jiang Mianhao, her gaze was provocatively fixed on the person at the door.

Ye Qingge, who had walked back, stood at the entrance, having clearly witnessed Jiang Mianhao feeding Ling Lan.

Miyou, sensing the tension between the two, lightly curled her lips and ate the fruit in her hand.

“Hmm?” Miyou feigned confusion. “Why do I find it not tasty at all?”

Ling Lan smirked challengingly at Ye Qingge and answered, “Because the one I ate was fed to me by Mianhao himself.”

Jiang Mianhao, realizing her provocative tone, paused with the fruit in his hand.

He turned his head away.

There stood Ye Qingge at the entrance.

The usually expressionless immortal lord now had her eyes slightly lowered, her golden pupils veiled by long lashes, making her emotions unreadable.

For some inexplicable reason, Jiang Mianhao felt a sudden pang of guilt.

After their long conversation under the lamplight that night, Lujiu had treated her just as before, even more attentive and considerate than usual.

So now, being caught red-handed, Jiang Mianhao felt an indescribable sense of guilt.

“Lujiu,” Jiang Mianhao called out, holding a fruit as she walked to Ye Qingge’s side.

Behind her, Lily gritted her teeth in frustration but could only seethe silently.

Ye Qingge responded with a faint “Hmm,” her expression tinged with melancholy.

“Don’t be unhappy, Lujiu,” Jiang Mianhao said, picking up a fruit and offering it. “This is a Forget-Sorrow Fruit. Would you like to try it?”

Ye Qingge looked at the outstretched hand and instinctively frowned, taking a slight step back.

Watching this evasive gesture, Jiang Mianhao was momentarily stunned.

Was Lujiu angry? Or… did she dislike her?

Jiang Mianhao’s spirits dampened, but before she could feel too disheartened, the person before her spoke.

“Use the other hand,” Ye Qingge said, suppressing her discomfort and finding an excuse. “Not this one.”

Jiang Mianhao glanced down at her clean fingertips, puzzled. “Huh?”

But Lujiu was adamant. With no other choice, Jiang Mianhao shifted the fruits in her arms to free her other hand.

Using the newly freed hand, she picked up a fruit and offered it again.

Ye Qingge closed her eyes briefly, pushing down her unease, then parted her lips to gently bite into the Forget-Sorrow Fruit.

The small, pale pink fruit was no larger than a fingertip.

As she did so, Ye Qingge’s lips inevitably brushed against Jiang Mianhao’s fingers.

Feeling the soft touch against her skin, Jiang Mianhao blushed shyly.

Watching the interaction between the two, Lily felt an inexplicable surge of irritation, her eyes fixed intently on Ye Qingge.

Seeing Jiang Mianhao’s ears gradually redden, Lily’s heart churned with mixed emotions.

Meanwhile, standing behind them, Mi Xiu observed the entire exchange between the two.

The immortal lord didn’t seem like the type to indulge in such mundane fruits. More notably, the reason she had asked Jiang Mianhao to switch hands was because the other hand had fed Lily earlier.

Mi Xiu silently analyzed the interaction, keeping her thoughts to herself.

The four of them stood inside the banyan cave, each lost in their own thoughts.

The earlier discussion about descending the mountain was, by unspoken agreement, left unmentioned.