In the early morning, on the top of the **Flowing Water Peak** in the north of the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect, light snow was falling, and the melodious and pleasant sound of a zither could be heard, lingering among the peaks.
In a solitary pavilion on a cliff, a golden-haired woman sat in front of an ancient zither, her jade-like fingers either plucking or lightly pressing on the strings.
The woman was wearing a close-fitting gown with gold silk trimming. A feathered shawl on her shoulders fluttered in the wind, giving her an elegant and ethereal aura that accentuated her slim waist and full bosom.
Although this outfit made her appear more mature, if one only looked at her face, one could see traces of gentleness and purity characteristic of a young girl.
This absolutely stunning woman, the most beautiful on earth, was the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect's Eldest Lady, Yun Yiyi.
An exquisite portrait of a young man hung on a pavilion beam, and every time Yun Yiyi played a few notes, she would raise her head and glance at the portrait as if she was playing the zither for him.
After some time, a maid came from the side path.
Glancing at her, Yun Yiyi stopped playing and asked, "Huang Quan, what's the matter?"
"Miss, there are two bad news."
"Speak."
"The heavy snow three days ago crushed our *Alchemy Hall*. The icy cold air invaded the pill furnace, and six black crystal pill furnaces have turned into scrap metal."
"Well, what's the second bad news?"
"Third Young Miss has returned to the sect yesterday, but she also brought along a female cultivator of unknown origin. That person's sword skill is very powerful."
At this, Yun Yiyi frowned slightly and waved her hand to show that she understood.
She looked up at the distant thousand-foot stone sword sculpture standing on the peak of ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect and thought --- in a few months, her father Yun Tianchong would come out of seclusion.
Before her father went into seclusion, he said something to her, Yun Jiujiu, and Yun Xi: "From today onwards, I will entrust **Flowing Water Peak**, **Sword Wine Peak**, and **Night Tide Peak** to you three. When I come out of seclusion, whoever has the most prosperous peak among you will become the sect master. Between the three of you, you may fight, steal, and plot against each other, but you must never endanger your lives."
...
As a result, the elders set up a notice board at the thousand-foot stone sword sculpture in the **Middle Peak** to keep track of the ranking of the respective three peaks.
A year ago, Yun Xi occupied first place on the list before leaving the sect to go to the ***Dragon House***.
If she could successfully bring the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect to cooperate with the ***Dragon House***, then she would have the victory guaranteed. No matter what Yun Yiyi and Yun Jiujiu did, they wouldn't be able to change things.
However, after the incident with the demonic cultivators in the ***Dragon House***, Li Feng fell, and eleven of the sect disciples died under her command. Not only was this a mistake, but she had to return empty-handed.
So, she still had a chance.
And that chance was...
Yun Yiyi looked up at the young man in the painting and bit her lip slightly.
As long as she did not make any major mistakes in these months and succeeded in marrying this Young Master of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect, her **Flowing Water Peak** could surpass Yun Xi's **Night Tide Peak** and occupy first place.
After all, the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect had received a spirit stone vein from the ***Black Star*** Sect some time ago, and its Patriarch only had one son, Ye Anping. So, if that Young Master joined her family, the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect would be like a dowry.
However, the truth was that Yun Yiyi was still a little hesitant.
If she really was to get married, she still wanted to be with someone who was willing to listen to her play the zither for the rest of their lives rather than an unknown young man.
Moreover, she didn't really think that Ye Anping looked exactly like in the portrait in front of her.
The young man in the portrait was very handsome and full of spirit, perfectly matching her taste for a cultivation partner. It was as if the painter drew it based on the image of her dream lover.
He was handsome and gave off a cold and proud feeling. Still, his lively features retained a childish cuteness.
How could there be such a good-looking person in the world?
Yun Yiyi paused, then smiled and asked the maid next to her, "Huang Quan, do you think this portrait is true or false?"
Huang Quan glanced at it and shook her head. "Miss, I think it's fake. I heard an interesting story before. Would you like to hear it, Miss?"
"Tell me."
"It's about a young master in **Hui Long Town** in the **Southern Region** who exchanged letters with a girl thousands of miles away for decades. They sent each other's portraits and finally agreed to meet in **Nanyang City** and make a lifelong commitment."
Yun Yiyi raised her eyebrows and asked curiously, "Well, and then?"
"After arriving at **Nanyang City**, the young master and the young lady waited for each other in the agreed restaurant for half a month. Finally, they unintentionally recognized each other after asking around. After recognizing each other, both were surprised and pointed at each other saying, *'Why do you have so many freckles on your face?'* *'Why do you have such big ears and a bald head?'*"
"Pfft---"
Yun Yiyi covered her mouth, chuckling, then looked at the portrait. "Will I marry the person in the painting or Ye Anping? If I break off the engagement, there will be a lot of pressure from Yun Xi."
"Well..." Huang Quan pondered for a moment before saying, "When the time comes, I can replace you to consummate the marriage. Anyway, on the wedding night, it's too dark to see anyone's face."
Yun Yiyi looked at her and pouted, feeling reluctant. Huang Quan was her personal maid, and she couldn't bear to let her sacrifice in her place.
But then she remembered what her mother taught her when she was a child: *"Yiyi, you must put aside this innocence of yours. There are many dangers on the path of Immortality. If you want to go far, you must treat everyone as a tool.* *Moreover, your father has too many partners and is constantly cultivating without caring about family matters. Your tenth younger brother died on the day he was born not long ago; most likely, it was because your fourth mother gave some drugs to your seventh mother..."*
Thinking of this, Yun Yiyi sighed heavily and looked at Huang Quan, who was filled with righteous indignation and eager to sacrifice herself. She shook her head and said, "Huang Quan, let's talk about this later. The ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect hasn't replied yet... You can help me draw up a jade slip and send it to them. I will give them some extra benefits..."
Just as she said this, another maid came up on the path, stopped outside the pavilion, and bowed.
Yun Yiyi paused. "What's the matter?"
"Miss, Young Master Ye Anping from the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect is requesting an audience."
Yun Yiyi and Huang Quan looked at each other and then, at the same time, looked at the young man in the portrait.
After hesitating, Yun Yiyi asked, "How many people have come?"
"The Young Master of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect seems to have come alone."
"Is that so..." Yun Yiyi pondered for a moment. "Bring a curtain and prepare some tea. Ask him to come up the mountain."
"Yes, Miss."
The maid bowed and went down the mountain to deliver the message.
Several maids brought pink silk curtains and spread them around the pavilion. Yun Yiyi put the portrait in her storage bag and began to play the ancient zither.
The lingering sound was pleasant and melodious.
After a while, the sound of footsteps came from the path. The maid led a young man dressed in brocade to the pavilion and told him, "Young Master Ye, the Eldest Lady is in the pavilion."
Ye Anping nodded but did not salute yet. He waited until Yun Yiyi's music stopped, then took out his identity badge and cupped his hands.
"Sorry for disturbing your busy schedule. I am the Young Master of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect, Ye Anping."
