Chapter 10: The Other Side of the Moon

As he opened the door, despite having mentally prepared himself, Lin An couldn’t help but feel his heart tremble when he actually saw Lu Mingyue.

She stood under the eaves, rainwater cascading down the tiles into a curtain, yet it automatically veered away as it approached her body.

No fluctuation of spiritual power, no scattered air currents—such a natural scene made Lin An realize once again just how terrifying this woman’s cultivation was.

“Pavilion Master Lu, please come in.”

Lin An stepped aside.

Since she was already here, saying anything else was pointless.

“Alright.”

Lu Mingyue parted her vermilion lips.

A single word, like pearls dropping onto a jade plate, rang out especially clear in the rainy night.

As she passed by Lin An, a fragrance of orchids from a deep valley after rain followed.

‘Huh? She even put on powder?’

Lin An closed the door and instantly felt as if the inside and outside had become two separate worlds.

The pattering rain outside calmed his mood, but the deep silence inside made him uneasy.

He still couldn’t get used to this woman’s rhythm.

“Pavilion Master Lu, would you like some tea? I managed to get some nice spirit tea a few days ago. It should suit your taste.”

The tea leaves were discovered in the Storage Token Gu Yingge had given him—probably something she didn’t want.

Lu Mingyue sat down on a chair, tilting her head.

Seeing Lin An’s somewhat flustered demeanor, she smiled faintly.

“Sure.”

Whew…

Lin An breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

‘Yeah, foreplay is necessary. Jumping straight into the main topic—I really can’t handle that.’

He took out the tea leaves from the cabinet, placed them on the table, set the kettle on the stove, and then… stopped.

‘As expected, this is still so awkward.’

Just then, Lu Mingyue stood up and gracefully walked over to Lin An.

Her jade-like hand lifted gently, her dress swaying softly.

“Young master, what do you think of my outfit today?”

‘A-again?’

He felt Lu Mingyue wasn’t the type to care about appearance, so why was she always concerned about her clothes?

Still, Lin An noticed that the woman before him today did seem somewhat different.

First of all, her clothes were different—they looked expensive at a glance.

A deep purple wide-sleeved long dress accentuated a charm entirely different from the blue skirt he had seen before.

The color was like the last afterglow at dusk, when someone cut off a corner, soaked it in morning dew, and dyed it with moonlight.

A silver silk sash wrapped around her waist, outlining her supple and slender figure.

Her face still wore that familiar faint smile—skin like congealed fat, brows like distant mountains, lips slightly curved with shallow dimples.

She was both dignified and alluring, retaining a touch of coolness while appearing gentle and warm.

When he looked into her eyes, Lin An realized what was different about her today.

There was none of that eerie, puppet-like lifelessness.

Instead, there was an indescribable ripple, like autumn waters veiled in mist, like a cold pool reflecting the moon.

Standing there, she was as graceful as a startled swan skimming the water, as serene as a swimming coiling around a deep abyss.

Only three steps away, yet it felt like a layer of light clouds obscuring the moon—hazy, unable to see clearly, yet unable to look away.

“Staring so intently—it seems you like it, young master. That’s good.”

Her direct remark hit the mark, and Lin An felt his face heat up.

He quickly cupped his hands.

“Cough, cough… it’s okay, it’s okay.”

‘What’s different? She hasn’t changed at all!’

Lu Mingyue went back to her seat, raised her hand to tug at her sleeve, and began speaking about the dress’s origins as if to herself.

“This Purple Cloud Smoke Luo Skirt is a premium piece from the Xiayi Workshop in the Capital City. There’s only one like it. Qinghan bought it when she passed through the Capital and gave it to me.”

Lin An raised an eyebrow.

“Qinghan? Chief Mu?”

“Indeed. That child has always had good taste. The last dress was also from her.”

“Hmm… true.”

Lin An nodded sincerely.

To avoid arousing Gu Yingge’s suspicion, he had been very restrained during their conversation.

Now that Lu Mingyue had brought this up on her own, he might as well take the chance to inquire.

“By the way, Chief Mu is your senior disciple, Pavilion Master Lu, right? When did she join the sect?”

Lu Mingyue rubbed her fingers together, a flash of contemplation in her eyes.

“About twenty years ago? Maybe thirty. I can’t recall exactly. I only remember that the first time I met that child, she insisted on becoming my disciple no matter what. I set up a trial, but she actually passed it. It could be considered fate.”

Her fingertips tapped lightly on the table, and a hint of nostalgia emerged in Lu Mingyue’s smile.

An answer he had never imagined—Lin An was momentarily at a loss for words.

Twenty years?

Thirty?

That long?

Three years, then another three—that was conservative.

This was a straight thirty years.

A “gurgling” sound came as the water boiled.

Lin An put the tea leaves in, waited a moment, then poured two cups.

The two sat on opposite sides of the table, sipping tea slowly.

The atmosphere was harmonious, yet silent.

The conversation was interrupted, and Lin An couldn’t continue asking about Qu Hongling.

In that case, he might as well ask about his own body.

“Pavilion Master Lu…”

But just as he started, Lu Mingyue spoke first.

“Young master, it’s getting late.”

Lin An: ‘…How urgent are you?!’

His internal reluctance couldn’t stop Lu Mingyue’s actions in the slightest.

“Hey? Pavilion Master Lu, your dress?”

“I won’t take it off. Since you like it, I’ll wear it.”

“Huh? Then it’ll get dirty…”

‘Well, that’s a bit insincere.’

“It doesn’t matter…”

Under the lamplight, Lu Mingyue, dressed in a purple long dress, sat cross-legged on the cushion, her skirt spread out.

Lin An lay on the bed, his face covered by a layer of purple gauze.

He originally wanted to “watch the balls” like last time, but now he couldn’t see anything.

Tsk…

‘I was leaning toward Qu Hongling as the Hidden Agent, but now… Mu Qinghan, you ruin everything!’

“By the way, young master, what did you want to ask earlier?”

The rustling sound of the dress rising and falling with the surging spiritual power made Lin An overlook the slight strangeness in her tone.

Last time, Lu Mingyue hadn’t said a word.

Lin An thought he’d have to wait until next time.

But unexpectedly, she brought it up herself.

So he might as well ask.

“Oh, earlier I wanted to ask about my body. Also, how did you know about my physique?”

After a moment’s pause, Lu Mingyue slowly spoke:

“Twenty years ago, I sought a divination from Ling Cang, the Chief of the Yuming Sect. She told me that this era’s Transparent Sword Body would appear two years later, and at that time, it would appear in the Heaven Origin Sect.”

The gauze skirt tickled his nose, so Lin An raised his hand and rubbed it.

‘That’s a lot of information. That Ling Cang is quite skilled—a true oracle.’

“Oh… wait, what?”

Lin An caught the key point.

“You mean you set your sights on me, who didn’t even exist yet, twenty years ago?”

“Correct.”

‘…’

‘I was targeted before I was even born, and for twenty years. That’s almost like a ninja turtle.’

‘Thinking about it, Lu Mingyue’s behavior when she first met me… does that explain it?’

“What do you mean by ‘this era’?”

“It means there is only one Transparent Sword Body in the world at any given time. The last one appeared a thousand years ago.”

Lin An pursed his lips, a mix of emotions flooding him.

“You’re pretty lucky, huh…”

“Yes, I think so too. To have met you, young master—my luck really is good~”

As soon as she finished speaking, a certain movement made Lin An realize something was wrong.

He suddenly lifted the gauze covering his face, only to meet Lu Mingyue’s eyes, now clouded with mist.

The woman sitting on him gently stroked her flushed cheeks with one jade hand, while the other pressed against his chest.

She looked utterly seductive and wanton.

“Pavilion Master Lu, you…”

“What? Don’t you like it? Or did you want to be on top? That’s fine too~”

‘No! This woman isn’t Lu Mingyue!’

A sudden thought struck him.

Although he had only met her once before, he knew clearly that this woman would never show such a demeanor.

Because she was absolutely not that human-like!

No, wait… that human!

“Who are you?”

“Me? I am Lu Mingyue.”

Her brows furrowed slightly as she bit her lower lip.

Then she leaned down, bringing her mouth close to Lin An’s ear, whispering softly:

“I am her, and she is me. I am her Inner Demon, my darling Young Master Lin, hehe~”