Mo Yu thought he had frightened her, and his heart softened involuntarily.
"I didn't mean to be harsh."
"N-No, it's alright!"
Chu Yuli hurriedly raised her head, her voice tinged with panic, afraid that Mo Yu might misunderstand.
Seeing her upset, her Master had actually taken the initiative to apologize.
He was far better than her previous Master.
The conviction in her heart deepened.
Master must truly be a good person.
After all, a person's character could often be seen through their everyday actions.
Chu Yuli circulated her Spiritual Qi and poured it into the Azure Mist Moonflower Dress in her hands.
The dress seemed to awaken instantly.
Soft streams of cyan light flowed across its surface as it gently unfolded and draped itself over her body.
She lowered her head to examine herself before spinning lightly in place.
The hem of the dress fluttered gracefully, as though a fairy had descended into the mortal world.
"Master, how does it look? Is it pretty?"
Her beautiful eyes sparkled with anticipation and delight.
After all, what young girl didn't love beautiful clothes?
A trace of admiration flashed across Mo Yu's eyes.
"Very pretty."
Before him stood a girl whose skin was fair as snow and whose features were as exquisite as a painting.
Her bright eyes resembled a clear spring hidden deep within the mountains.
The Azure Mist Moonflower Dress draped elegantly around her figure, its flowing skirt adorned with faint starlight that shimmered like a miniature Milky Way.
A pale cyan ribbon encircled her slender waist, accentuating her graceful frame and adding a touch of gentle elegance.
Though her figure had yet to fully mature, the beginnings of delicate curves were already visible, like a flower bud on the verge of blooming.
Her slender waist seemed fragile enough to be encircled with a single hand, lending her an innocent charm that was difficult to ignore.
At this moment, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
She was completely different from the dirty, ragged girl he had first encountered.
Such beauty could probably only be matched by the Senior Sisters on his mountain peak.
Hearing Mo Yu's praise, Chu Yuli felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she lowered her head shyly, her fingers lightly twisting the corner of her skirt.
Although Chu Yuli looked even more captivating now, Mo Yu had little time to admire her.
With a thought, he summoned his Flying Sword.
"Let's go. First, come back to my home with me."
Chu Yuli hesitated slightly. The memory of flying still made her nervous, but she eventually nodded and stepped lightly onto the Flying Sword.
"Master's home? Don't you have a Sect?"
"I'm returning home to take care of a few matters first. After that, we'll head back to the Sect."
Mo Yu replied simply.
He stepped onto the Flying Sword and stood in behind of Chu Yuli as it rose into the sky.
Considering her fear of heights, he deliberately lowered the altitude and slowed the speed, allowing the Flying Sword to glide smoothly through the air.
"Are we going to meet your parents?"
Chu Yuli muttered softly.
"Hm?"
Mo Yu's hearing was exceptionally sharp. Naturally, he heard her whisper.
"I-I was just curious..."
A flustered expression appeared on Chu Yuli's delicate face.
Mo Yu remained silent for a moment before speaking calmly.
"I don't have any parents."
"When I return home, there won't be anyone there."
"Ah?"
Chu Yuli froze.
Surprise flashed across her beautiful eyes, quickly followed by deep sympathy.
Mo Yu offered no further explanation and continued guiding the Flying Sword through the sky.
However, Chu Yuli was intelligent and perceptive.
She had already pieced together part of the story.
Master...
He must have experienced a tragedy similar to hers.
The thought made her heart ache slightly.
Without realizing it, she turned back and gently wrapped her arms around Mo Yu's waist from the front, resting her cheek against his firm chest.
"Master... you have me now."
"I am your family too."
Her voice was soft, yet filled with sincerity.
Mo Yu felt the warmth from her body and couldn't help but feel a trace of warmth rise within his heart.
"Thank you."
His thoughts drifted back to the past.
According to the fragmented memories he possessed, he seemed to have been born into a powerful cultivation family.
However, there was a blank gap in those memories.
That missing period happened to coincide with the loss of his Immortal Bone.
When he was six months old, he suddenly appeared in Mo Village and was taken in by the villagers.
That was also where his true memories began.
At the age of three, evil cultivators slaughtered the entire village.
Mo Yu was the sole survivor.
Under normal circumstances, a three-year-old child would never have survived alone in such a cruel world.
Yet an inexplicable force had protected him, allowing him to survive without food or water.
Only later did he learn that the one who had saved him was Yan Xi.
At the age of four, he was discovered by Ye Ximei, Peak Master of Verdant Mist Peak within the Heavenly Profound Holy Land.
She accepted him as her fifth Personal Disciple and brought him back to the Holy Land.
There, he gained four Senior Sisters and one Junior Sister.
And from that day onward, his journey on the path of cultivation truly began.
Half a day later, the two arrived at Mo Village.
"So... this is Master's hometown?"
Chu Yuli looked around in astonishment, her voice trembling slightly.
Dilapidated houses stood silently beneath the sky like hollow, lifeless eyes, telling stories of endless sorrow and tragedy.
Weeds grew wildly among the broken walls and ruined courtyards, reclaiming every inch of land.
The entire village was desolate and silent.
Not a trace of life remained.
Mo Yu said nothing.
He silently walked toward the weathered old locust tree at the entrance of the village.
Beneath it rested the villagers of Mo Village.
Back then, it was Master Ye Ximei who had personally helped bury them.
Taking several spirit fruits and jars of fine wine from his Storage Ring, Mo Yu placed them respectfully before a relatively intact stone monument.
"Now that I am about to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm, I swear that once I ascend to the peak of cultivation, I will eradicate every evil cultivator in this world."
His voice was low and calm.
Yet every word carried the weight of a mountain.
Chu Yuli quietly gazed at his back.
Her heart trembled slightly.
Master's ambitions were actually so grand.
Immortal Ascension.
Eradicating all evil cultivators.
Could such a thing truly be accomplished?
It definitely could.
Master was the strongest.
Her gaze drifted toward the stone monument, and confusion appeared on her face.
Wasn't Master's name Li Feiyu?
Then why was this place called Mo Village?
"Come with me."
Mo Yu interrupted her thoughts and began walking deeper into the village.
Chu Yuli quickly followed behind him, her footsteps light and obedient, like a little kitten following its owner.
Soon, the two arrived before an ancient building constructed entirely from blue stone.
Four large characters were engraved on the plaque above the entrance.
Mo Family Ancestral Hall.
Mo Yu pushed open the heavy stone doors.
A stale aura, sealed away for countless years, rushed out to greet them.
Inside the ancestral hall stood rows of memorial tablets dedicated to generations of Mo Family ancestors.
The incense altar before them was covered in a thick layer of dust.
Mo Yu stepped forward and reached out to clean it.
The moment his fingers touched the central ancestral tablet, the surrounding space suddenly distorted.
The scenery around them blurred.
A moment later, their surroundings changed completely.
They found themselves standing upon a vast plain.
Birds sang among flowering trees.
The air was rich with Spiritual Qi, so dense that it was almost visible to the naked eye.
The entire place resembled a paradise hidden from the mortal world.
"This is..."
Mo Yu raised an eyebrow.
"A Secret Realm?"
Even he was somewhat surprised.
He had never expected a Secret Realm to be hidden inside the Mo Family Ancestral Hall.
As expected.
Double the Children of Destiny, double the opportunities.
Of course, this opportunity likely had nothing to do with Chu Yuli.
It was probably meant for him.
Chu Yuli instinctively moved closer and hid behind Mo Yu.
"Master... where are we?"
"A Secret Realm."
Mo Yu casually explained.
"A place filled with opportunities."
Then he led her forward.
Chu Yuli remained extremely vigilant, constantly scanning their surroundings.
She was afraid that some hidden danger might suddenly appear.
In contrast, Mo Yu was completely relaxed.
After all, they were both Children of Destiny.
What was there to be afraid of?
As they passed through a dense forest, their view suddenly opened up.
A vast lake appeared before them.
The water was crystal clear, revealing the bottom at a glance.
Gentle ripples shimmered beneath the sunlight like countless pieces of jade.
At the center of the lake stood a small island.
Verdant trees swayed gently in the breeze while countless flowers bloomed across its surface.
And floating above the island...
was a golden sphere of light.
Inside the sphere rested an exquisitely beautiful woman.
She wore a snow-white dress.
Her skin was fairer than jade, her features delicate beyond compare.
Her eyes were closed as though she were sleeping peacefully.
The sight was so beautiful that it seemed unreal.
"This..."
Chu Yuli stared blankly.
Her mind went completely empty.
She had never seen such a beautiful woman before.
No words she knew could adequately describe her.
It was as though she had transcended the mortal world itself.
Like a celestial fairy descending from the Nine Heavens.
Merely looking at her made one unwilling to harbor even the slightest impure thought.
"An immortal Fairy."
Mo Yu suddenly spoke.
"Master, is she really an Immortal Fairy?"
Chu Yuli asked curiously.
"Who knows."
Mo Yu rubbed his chin.
"When one discovers a beautiful maiden sleeping in an ancient ancestral land, I generally refer them as Immortal Fairy.'"
Chu Yuli blinked several times.
Then she tilted her head.
Her large eyes were filled with innocent confusion.
"Master..."
"Hm?"
"Do you often encounter beautiful maidens in ancestral lands?"
Mo Yu: "..."
For a moment, he found himself completely speechless.