Zheng Muyao was a bit baffled.

One Su Yi was a crippled live-in son-in-law.

The other was someone even her father respected beyond compare, a transcendent existence.

Who could possibly believe that they were the same person?

And yet, both Su Yi’s were connected to Wen Lingzhao. It was hard not to suspect that they were the same person….

It was only after she led Su Yi over the chain-link bridge connecting two peaks that Zheng Muyao reacted. “Uncle Su, that’s Divine Firmament Peak, where the inner sect disciples cultivate. Wen Lingzhao is cultivating at the very top, in Birdsong Pavilion.”

Su Yi glanced over and saw a sea of whirling clouds. The opposite peak had numerous lofts and pavilions scattered around its surface.

Once they crossed the chain bridge and arrived on Divine Firmament Peak, Su Yi sensed ambient spiritual energy dispersed throughout the air.

“What is Wen Lingzhao’s current cultivation?” asked Su Yi.

“Late-stage Qi Accumulation.” Zheng Muyao couldn’t help but sigh. “I’ve never seen anyone as hard-working as her. She’s too hard on herself; except for cultivating, all she does is sit in the scripture repository and read through tomes relating to cultivation.

“Add that to her already exceptional talent, and her cultivation is growing at breakneck speeds. The sect higher-ups are constantly singing her praises. They think she’ll break into the Grandmaster Realm by next year at the latest. If so, she’ll be the first disciple of Heaven’s Origin Academy to reach the Grandmaster Realm before turning eighteen in a hundred years.” 

Su Yi laughed. He was well aware of why Wen Lingzhao cultivated so assiduously: she simply wanted to void her marriage contact as soon as possible. 

That part, at least, Su Yi actually rather approved of.

Zheng Muyao pointed somewhere not far away. “Uncle Master Su, if we proceed ahead, then climb the mountain path, we’ll reach Birdsong Pavilion.”

Su Yi glanced upward. Further up the path, roughly three hundred feet above their current location, there was a plateau with an old-fashioned, two-story pavilion built on one side.

It was then that a group of men and women walked over from afar. Their leader was a young man in silver robes, with bright eyes and sharp eyebrows. He looked valiant and dignified, and the other youths clustered around him like stars gathering around the moon, further offsetting his extraordinariness. 

When he saw Zheng Muyao, the silver-robed youth couldn’t help but ask, “Junior Apprentice Sister Zheng, what are you doing here?”

When she faced him, Zheng Muyao restrained much of her prideful air. “We’re just out for a casual walk.”

The silver-robed youth glanced thoughtfully at Su Yi, then smiled. “Alright. I won’t disturb you any longer.”

With that, he led his group away.

“Uncle Su, that guy is called Xiang Ming. He’s Provincial Governor Xiang Tianqiu’s son, and he’s ranked fifth amongst Heaven’s Origin Academy inner sect disciples; he’s a highly prominent figure. His master is Vice Palace Master Wang Jianchong.” Zheng Muyao whispered at top speeds, “They say he’s infatuated with Wen Lingzhao, and he goes to the Birdsong Pavilion every day just to say hello. Everyone in Heaven’s Origin Academy knows about that. Like those guys beating on Wei Zhengyang earlier; they were doing so at Xiang Ming’s orders.

She paused, then continued, “Who knows how many men are interested in Wen Lingzhao? Nonetheless, with a ‘tiger’ like Xiang Ming blocking their path, they have no choice but to step aside.”

“Oh,” said Su Yi, his expression calm. “Has Wen Lingzhao accepted this Xiang Ming’s feelings?”

Zheng Muyao giggled. “Actually, no. I heard that not long ago, Xiang Ming requested that his father intervene and annul her marriage, only for her to refuse his help.”

“He knows full well that she’s already married, but he’s still pursuing her?” asked Su Yi. “Isn’t he afraid of damaging his own reputation?”

Zheng Muyao couldn’t help but glance imperceptibly at Su Yi. “Uncle Su, you don’t know this, but Xiang Ming has repeatedly proclaimed that Wen Lingzhao was forced into her marriage and that she and her husband are partners in name only. He’s painted her as a victim, and everyone has been sympathetic. Many of our sectmates have voiced support for Xiang Ming; they see him as saving Wen Lingzhao from fire and flood…”

Su Yi was briefly stunned, but then, he couldn’t help but laugh. “So, that’s the method he’s chosen to openly pursue a married woman. He’s actually quite crafty.”

Zheng Muyao seized the opportunity to ask, “Uncle Su, why are you looking for Wen Lingzhao? Don’t tell me there’s some kind of connection between you?”

“We had a connection, but we won’t have one going forward,” said Su Yi calmly.

But this only made Zheng Muyao even more confused. What’s that supposed to mean?

As they spoke, there was a commotion off in the distance. Xiang Ming and the others ceased their conversation, and all of them looked towards the Birdsong Pavilion another three hundred feet further up the mountain path.

A young woman in clothes as white as snow emerged from the old-fashioned, charming pavilion. She was swathed in mists, like an illusion, ethereal and transcendent, like an immortal beauty descending upon the mortal frame.

Several of the men looked dazed, while many of the women wore complex expressions and felt sourness in their hearts.

Wen Lingzhao.

She was currently the most famous disciple of Heaven’s Origin Academy, lofty and cold as snow, pure and aloof as ice, with stunning beauty that stood out from any crowd!

“Agh, if I were a man, I’d surely admire a beauty like her too.” Zheng Muyao pursed her lips and sighed.

“She’s still got that same cold, aloof air about her….” Su Yi’s gaze was a bit strange. 

Wen Lingzhao was, of course, stunningly beautiful, like she’d walked out of a painting. She was indeed transcendent and distinct from the masses.

But by comparison, Su Yi admired Wen Lingxue more. She had a lively, youthful vitality and pure charm. She was what a young woman ought to be. 

Wen Lingzhao’s temperament was too cold, and although she restrained it, she was proud to the extreme.

But of course, this wasn’t a flaw.

Su Yi’s pride ran deep too, so he could tell that Wen Lingzhao’s pride was a reflection of her inner strength.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have chosen to leave the very night she was forced into marriage, nor could she have worked so hard at her cultivation. Everything was for the sake of escaping the confines of her marriage contract and reclaiming control over her own destiny.

She was his wife only in name. Su Yi couldn’t say he hated her, nor was he particularly averse to her.

However, he didn’t want to carry the unpleasant title of “live-in son-in-law” any longer. More importantly, he couldn’t tolerate the risk of a woman supposedly married to him making a cuckold out of him.

Now that he thought of it, he and Wen Lingzhao had something in common after all; both of them felt an urgent need to undo their marriage contract.

“Junior Apprentice Sister Lingzhao, are you going to the scripture repository to peruse ancient texts again today?” Xiang Ming smiled and stepped forward, dashingly at ease, modest and friendly.

Wen Lingzhao nodded but said nothing.

Xiang Ming didn’t take offense. He smiled faintly, then slipped a book from his sleeves. “Junior Apprentice Sister Lingzhao, this was written by the ‘Featherflow King’, Senior Yue Shichan, upon becoming a Grandmaster. It’s a collection of her experiences as she broke through, which she wrote and selected personally. It’s called the ‘Featherflow Essays.’ That year, my father obtained it from an expert of the Jade Capital.”

The Featherflow King, Yue Shichan.

Everyone gasped.

Of the Great Zhou’s nine non-Zhou kings, the Featherflow King was undoubtedly number one!

More than that, she was the youngest of the nine!

She proved her Dao and became a Grandmaster at just fifteen, then stepped into the ranks of Xiantian Martial Acenstors at seventeen. At nineteen, the emperor summoned her for a personal audience and bequeathed her the title of “king”. Throughout the Great Zhou, she was lauded as the type of genius that only appeared once in a thousand years!

Less than ten years had passed since then!

She’d once ventured into the Great Wei, alone save for her sword, defeating nine of their Xiantian Martial Ancestors in succession. Her name shook both empires and spread throughout the lands.

She’d once braved the most perilous danger zone of the Great Zhou, “Mount Heavenfault”, slaying twelve yao kings, unstoppable and nigh invincible.

There were countless stories about her. Everyone in the Great Zhou knew of her; it was no exaggeration to call her a “living legend.”

Yet now, Xiang Ming had just whipped out a book she’d once written herself, a collection of notes regarding her cultivation? Who wouldn’t have been surprised?

Wen Lingzhao had already started walking away, only to stop in her tracks, a bit surprised.

“Junior Apprentice Sister, if you’re interested, you’re welcome to take it with you and flip through it.” When Xiang Ming saw this, he smiled.

He’d heard others say that Wen Lingzhao admired the Featherflow King more than anyone, so he went to great lengths to borrow “the Featherflow Essays” from his father.

“This….” Wen Lingzhao hesitated.

“Don’t be polite, Junior Apprentice Sister. Whenever you’re done reading it, you can just return it to me.” Xiang Ming suddenly laughed at himself. “It’s not that I’m stingy; it’s just too precious. It wasn’t easy to convince my father to let me borrow it, so I’m afraid I cannot simply give it to you.”

The group listening nearby couldn’t help but reveal jealous expressions. He’s using the Featherflow King’s notes just to woo a woman! I’m afraid only someone like Xiang Ming, the son of a provincial governor, could accomplish such a feat!

“Tch tch, this guy’s sure spared no expense,” exclaimed Zheng Muyao. She felt as if her horizons had expanded.

Su Yi took this in calmly. He just watched from a distance without the slightest ripple of emotion.

Then, beneath the crowd’s flabbergasted gazes, Wen Lingzhao shook her head. “I’d better not. It’s too precious; you should take it back.”

As she spoke, she’d already started walking away. Her white clothes swayed with each step, transcendent and aloof.

Everyone was dumbstruck; they dared not believe that Wen Lingzhao had actually refused temptation on this level! Didn’t she know that this tome would be inestimably beneficial as she attempted to break into the Grandmaster Realm?

Xiang Ming was stunned too, and he didn’t quite know what to do.

He’d been completely confident that, with this tome in hand, Wen Lingzhao wouldn’t be able to refuse his good intentions. So long as she accepted it, he’d naturally have further opportunities to get closer to her.

This would effectively create an opening and give him chances to get closer to her.

Who would have thought that Wen Lingzhao would refuse?

Zheng Muyao was stunned too, but then, she couldn’t help but sigh. “Wen Lingzhao really is Wen Lingzhao. She’s not like other people, and you can’t compare her to them.”

Xiang Ming then got his emotions under control and addressed the crowd. “Did you see that? This is Junior Apprentice Sister Lingzhao, the woman I, Xiang Ming, admire most!”

He looked gratified, and his face shone with fondness, straight from the heart.

The harder something was to obtain, the more appealing it was. That’s roughly how he felt right now.

Suddenly, Xiang Ming keenly picked up on a sudden pause in Wen Lingzhao’s steps. She was staring into the distance, at a lush, ancient pine.

Xiang Ming followed her gaze and saw the charming Little Witch, Zheng Muyao, in her black dress, as well as the blue-robed youth beside her.

Zheng Muyao was stunned too. She sensed Wen Lingzhao’s clear, icy gaze staring right at her. No, she wasn’t looking at her, but rather, at Su Yi.

Time seemed to stand still.

Chinese uses fewer pronouns than English, and the first paragraph introducing Yue Shichan had zero indication of her gender. Also, “he” and “she” are only differentiated in writing, and I’ve been reading ahead by listening to the audiobooks, so I must have missed that detail? Once I caught it, I had to go back and edit it back in. I think I fixed it, but I apologize for any pronoun confusion. She’s definitely female. 

The Featherflow King’s Chinese title is 羽流王. 羽流 is literally “feather/wing”+”flow”, but I’ve seen it translated as “plume”, and I see some Chinese references to it as a title for Daoists. I picked the translation I did simply to match the other nobles’ titles, which combine two words in a similar faction. It’s a bit arbitary, frankly. There might be names where my usual approach doesn’t work, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

王, or “king” is typically gonna be read as male, as it is in English. There are a few different words for “queen” depending on whether she’s ruling the kingdom or married to the guy ruling the kingdom. None are in use here, though. Here, it’s definitely just “king”. Gender doesn’t play into the title here. I know I’ve made swaps like changing “martial uncle” to “martial aunt” even though “martial uncle” is gender neutral, but I think this time I’m just going to leave it.