C7 She Was a Woman

Upon seeing Ling Sixiao and Ling Siying enter, Qing Shu decided not to conceal her identity any longer. She removed all her facial disguise and also took off her mask.

Qin Mu had originally mistaken Qing Shu for a man, but now before him stood a beautiful maiden with rosy lips and pearly teeth, surpassing even the beauty of Ling Sixiao and Ling Siying.

Qin Mu had never encountered a woman of such stunning beauty, and he was genuinely taken aback.

"Ancestor, what's happening here?"

"Ancestor, who is this woman?"

...

Ling Sixiao and Ling Siying bombarded Qin Mu with questions, not giving him a moment's peace. Even Chu Feng, green with envy towards Qing Shu, was at a loss for words.

"Enough, both of you! She's my newly accepted female disciple!"

Qin Mu finally managed to get his words out, or else he would have been overwhelmed by the incessant questioning from Ling Siying and Ling Sixiao.

Qin Mu dismissed Chu Feng along with Ling Sixiao and Ling Siying, eager to spend some time alone with Qing Shu.

Initially, Chu Feng and the sisters were reluctant to leave, only doing so after Qin Mu scolded them sharply.

Now alone with her master, Qing Shu started to feel shy as Qin Mu drew nearer.

"Tell me, why did you come here to steal my bronze sword?"

While speaking, Qin Mu took Qing Shu's hand, causing her to startle. She had never had her hand held by a man before, but she had vowed when she was younger that the first man to hold her hand would be her true love.

"This... It's difficult to explain."

Qing Shu, still unaccustomed to Qin Mu's forwardness, was too frightened to meet his gaze.

"Why is it difficult to explain?"

Despite his Deification status, Qin Mu still possessed the emotions of a mortal.

Before Qing Shu could utter a single word, Qin Mu's system began blaring an alarm.

"Uuu..."

The alarm grew louder and more insistent, causing Qin Mu's head to throb with pain. He inwardly cursed the system's lineage for reacting so harshly. Was it such a crime to take a small liberty?

"That's your disciple. You're taking advantage of your own disciple. Are you even human?"

Qin Mu's awareness sharpened when he suddenly heard the system's voice.

"What's happened to my disciple?"

"Consider Little Dragon Girl and Yang Guo. Aren't they blissfully happy?"

"And Bai Zihua and Hua Qianli? They're in a master-disciple romance too, aren't they?"

"System, you're being too conservative!"

"What's more, Qing Shu hasn't even served me tea yet. She's not officially my disciple!"

"That's still not acceptable!"

"Why not? Explain to me why not!"

But the system fell silent. Before vanishing, it filled Qin Mu's body with a bitterly cold poison.

Qin Mu realized the system must be jealous, unable to stand the sight of others' affection!

The moon climbed high, casting a pure white light over Mistmantle Mountain, creating an ethereal, dreamlike scene.

Qin Mu was in distress. He had insulted the system, and it seemed his words had been detected. Now, he found himself in a frigid, snowy landscape, unprotected by any spiritual energy and wearing only a thin garment.

Inside the room, Qin Mu huddled over, shivering uncontrollably, and kept exclaiming, "Cold, so cold! I'm going to freeze to death!"

Qing Shu shifted Qin Mu closer to the bonfire, but to no avail.

Biting her lip, Qing Shu drew Qin Mu to her side and embraced him tightly. Her warmth seeped through their layers of clothing into Qin Mu's body.

He felt as though he were enveloped in the warmth of spring, a delicate fragrance lingering in the air.

The system, sensing all of this, was beside itself with rage, yet powerless to intervene.

Reluctantly, it had to purge the poison from Qin Mu's body.

Qin Mu's sensations began to return, and he cracked open his eyelids.

A stunningly beautiful woman was holding him close. Qin Mu was so overwhelmed with joy that he nearly passed out.

Yet, he remained unconscious, occasionally murmuring, "Cold! So very cold!"

The system was fuming to the point of collapse.

Two explosive words thundered in Qin Mu's ears.

"Shameless..."

Despite the ringing in his ears, Qin Mu just wouldn't wake up.

The system, infuriated, shut down its perception, refusing to pay any more attention to that despicable man!

In the warmth of the embrace, Qin Mu's consciousness began to blur.

He drifted off to sleep.

Qin Mu shifted slightly, and Qing Shu felt the man in her arms stir. A blush spread across her cheeks, coloring them all the way to the tips of her ears.

Listening to Qin Mu's steady breathing, Qing Shu's anxiety eased.

Still, she held Qin Mu close, and before long, she too succumbed to sleep.

Dawn's light streaked across the sky, and a red sun rose slowly, heralding a new day.

Qin Mu awoke to find the space beside him empty. The scent that lingered on him brought a silly smile to his face.

"Pathetic!" the System chided coldly.

"System, you're getting more capricious by the day. What's the deal? Are you looking to settle down? And I still don't know your gender. If you tell me, maybe I can match you with another System someday!"

But the System remained silent.

No matter how much Qin Mu teased, the System kept its silence. How dull!

Qin Mu stood up, a thought crossing his mind: 'I should check on what my little Qingqing is up to.'

Stepping out of the cave, he spotted Qing Shu tending to a fire, apparently cooking porridge.

Qin Mu chuckled. "Qingqing, what kind of porridge are you making?"

Qing Shu, seemingly unaware of his presence, replied gently, "It's porridge made from wild fruits I've just picked. It'll be ready soon. Just wait a bit."

Qin Mu took a seat on a nearby stone, content to watch Qing Shu.

When she suddenly looked up and caught Qin Mu's intense gaze, she blushed and quickly looked down, asking in a barely audible voice, "How are you feeling? Is everything okay?"

Her voice was so faint that even Qin Mu, with his Deification-level abilities, almost couldn't catch it.

Qin Mu grinned. "I'm perfectly fine. How could I not be? A good night's sleep works wonders. Last night, I slept like a baby!"

Qing Shu's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. With a soft hum, she fell silent.

Qin Mu was overjoyed.

In his past life, he had been perpetually single. After finally finding success, he met an untimely death and found himself in this new world.

He remembered the young couples from his previous life, constantly wrapped up in each other. Qin Mu never really understood it. Wasn't it a waste of one's youth to forego ambition for the sake of romance?

But now, Qin Mu had a change of heart. Being with an intriguing girl brought him genuine happiness. And wasn't happiness the ultimate goal in life?

Those who can live happily ever after are either fools or possess great wisdom. In that sense, perhaps true wisdom is indistinguishable from folly!