Chapter 22: Does our Holy Master have such unique tastes?

"Husband, what shall we name our child?"

"It is a girl. Let us call her Su Yao."

"Su Yao, my sweet child, may you grow up in peace and comfort."

...

Su Yao opened her eyes and realized, to her astonishment, that she was swaddled in blankets. She could not help but purse her lips. When this expression appeared on the face of an infant, the sight was profoundly uncanny.

"W-wife, Su Yao... she just seemed to purse her lips." The man was suddenly flustered.

Su Yao ignored him entirely. This was an illusion created by the Pavilion of Red Dust. Its purpose was to force the disciples within to experience countless cycles of reincarnation, to comprehend the painful causality of the mortal world, to cast aside all distractions, and to find their true heart and uphold their Daoist path. Only in this way could one remain fearless against the threat of inner demons on the path of cultivation.

For a cultivator, whether breaking through realms or increasing one's power, beyond the primary threat of the Heavenly Dao, nothing was more terrifying than the inner demon. Once a demonic obsession took hold, the result was, at best, a deviation from the path of righteousness and a descent into madness; at worst, it meant the soul would shatter, leaving the person a living corpse.

Yet, for her, the Pavilion of Red Dust was almost useless. Her Daoist heart was pure, and she faced no threat from inner demons. Su Yao placed her tiny finger in her mouth and began to suck on it, tasting the sensation.

"Grand-uncle-master seems to be angry with me, but why?" she pondered. "No matter. Once I see the 'life' he has prepared for me, I will surely understand the mystery behind it."

The only thing that gave Su Yao peace of mind was the exaggerated flow of time within the Pavilion. A single breath in the outside world was equal to a century within these walls. She did not need to worry about neglecting her duties at the Yaoguang Sacred Land.

In the blink of an eye, she had grown into a woman of peerless beauty. Suitors came from all directions, their numbers countless. From princes of great dynasties to the local scholars, everyone was the same. They surrounded her like stars around the moon, accompanying her for three years.

Finally, on a cold, quiet night, Su Yao suddenly caught sight of a figure. He stood in the middle of a field, swinging a hoe with great effort to clear away the weeds. That familiar feeling made her heart tremble.

"Grand-uncle-master!"

To activate the Pavilion of Red Dust, two people must enter the illusion together. Xiao Chenxin had to be in this environment, and Su Yao had been searching for him for a long time. It was only on this night, the moment she saw the farmer swinging his hoe, that she was jolted into realization. To prevent her from discovering the truth, her Grand-uncle-master had actually been willing to disguise himself as a common farmer, gripping a hoe and laboring in these fields. To think that the esteemed Grand-uncle-master of the Yaoguang Sacred Land would be willing to act as a lowly, hardworking farmer just to ensure she could immerse herself in the illusion and gain insight into life.

At that moment, Su Yao’s heart quivered violently. This was her gentle Grand-uncle-master. She trotted over to Xiao Chenxin, ignoring the gazes of the high-ranking officials and talented young nobles, and suddenly reached out her hand.

"Grand-uncle... sir, are you married?"

At that moment, Xiao Chenxin was busy preparing the next illusion for Ling Hu, who was being far too stubborn. After searching the entire world and failing to find Ye Chen, she had staged a dramatic performance of "true love" by threatening to die. "If Ye Chen is not in this world, then there is nothing left in this world worth lingering for."

The sudden change of plans gave Xiao Chenxin a headache. Why wouldn't this "lick-dog" listen to reason? He had prepared so many high-ranking, outstanding men for her, not for her to sit around and make comparisons! He needed to use stronger medicine. After careful consideration, he decided to fill Ling Hu’s next illusion with nothing but Ye Chens.

Occupied with this task, Xiao Chenxin had relaxed his guard. In the past, he could have relied on his supreme authority within the illusion to avoid Su Yao’s gaze entirely.

"Sir? Are you married?"

Hearing Su Yao ask again, and using such an unfamiliar form of address, Xiao Chenxin assumed his disguise was still intact and replied casually, "No."

A glimmer of brilliance flashed in Su Yao’s eyes as she reached toward him. "Then, sir, what do you think of me? Would you be willing to marry me?"

This sudden, explosive declaration blasted everything in Xiao Chenxin’s mind into oblivion. "Marry me?" He pointed a finger at himself.

Su Yao nodded immediately. "Yes! I am very willing to marry you!"

Xiao Chenxin was instantly displeased. The Holy Maiden of the Yaoguang Sacred Land actually liked an old farmer? This was... a bit too avant-garde! Xiao Chenxin immediately commanded the others in the illusion to come forward and display their worth.

"Su Yao, what is so good about this farmer? Aside from a handsome face, he is useless. He doesn't compare to even a fraction of my royal uncle."

"Su Yao, if you follow him, you will have to toil in the fields every day. Just thinking about your delicate skin being scorched and tanned by the sun makes my heart ache."

"Sister Yao, even if you don't want to marry me, there is no need to live like this with him! My family has a fortune of ten thousand pieces of gold."

...

Su Yao looked at Xiao Chenxin with burning eyes, her expression resolute. She did not take these illusions seriously at all. They were all fake; only her Grand-uncle-master was real. She couldn't help but smile.

"Sir, surely you don't find me unworthy?"

Xiao Chenxin almost coughed up blood. He even set aside the task of preparing the next illusion for Ling Hu. He couldn't leave the Holy Maiden of the Yaoguang Sacred Land to her own devices! If she truly became a "lick-dog" and gave away the Sacred Land, his identity as Grand-uncle-master would be worthless!

Collecting his thoughts, Xiao Chenxin rolled up his sleeves to reveal his dark, rough skin, then opened his hands to display the calluses on his palms. "My rough skin and flesh are hardly a match for a young lady like you."

Su Yao covered her mouth and chuckled. "I like it. Well, sir, will you marry me? If you don't, I will... I will end my own life right in front of you!"

The greatest card Su Yao had to threaten Xiao Chenxin with was suicide. She knew all the supreme treasures of every peak in the Yaoguang Sacred Land, and the Pavilion of Red Dust was no exception. If she killed herself within the illusion, the illusion would collapse. Although the Pavilion was a treasure born of heaven and earth and possessed its own inherent power, controlling that power still required spiritual energy. Su Yao did not believe that Xiao Chenxin, with his Foundation Establishment stage cultivation, could easily rebuild it. She was forcing him to agree!

Xiao Chenxin looked at Su Yao with a strange expression. "Do you truly want to marry me?"

Su Yao nodded immediately. "I can marry you right now! I want nothing else, only you!" Perhaps because she was in the illusion, Su Yao spoke without restraint.

Xiao Chenxin made up his mind on the spot. "Good grief, so she was bewitched by a farmer! No, heaven knows what demands that farmer might make. I'll drive all the farmers near the Yaoguang Sacred Land away, not a single one left! Daring to make our sect's Holy Maiden a lick-dog—they are the number one enemy of our sect!"

To stop Su Yao from being a lick-dog for a farmer, Xiao Chenxin decided to teach her a lesson. It was just a marriage, and since it was inside the illusion, it wouldn't affect the outside world! He immediately revealed a mouthful of yellowed teeth, exhaled a breath of "foul air" he had just conjured, spat a glob of thick phlegm to appear as disgusting as possible, and then began to rub his hands together lecherously, casting a greedy and sordid gaze upon Su Yao.

"Girl, you’ve got a fine figure, plenty of substance—you must be good for birthing children."