The Dilemma of Ziling'er

Five years later.

Eastern Region, Great Yan Dynasty.

"Senior, where are we going next?"

On the second floor of the tavern, by the window, Zi Ling'er looked at the senior sitting opposite her, her eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.

Five years, a whole five years.

Following by the senior's side, she originally thought that relying on his strength would give her a greater guarantee of safely returning to the Immortal City. Yet, for a full five years, the senior had taken her across all the remote and desolate places of the Eastern Region, stubbornly refusing to say when they would go to the Immortal City.

He had forcibly dragged her, a peak Golden Core cultivator, all the way to the third tier of the Nascent Soul realm. She was just one step away from breaking through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

With this cultivation level, combined with her talent and combat prowess, if it weren't for what happened back then, she would probably have already wiped out the Bloodlust Sect, successfully passed the Heavenly Melody Pavilion elder's assessment, and broken free from her family's shackles.

Fortunately, interacting with the senior over these five years had been very pleasant. The time spent together was far happier than her days in the Zi family. There was no oppression at all, nor did she need to consider trivial matters; she could freely do whatever she liked.

Most importantly, the Zi family unexpectedly hadn't sent anyone to look for her. Of course, it was also possible that because she and the senior had been wandering through various remote areas, the Zi family simply couldn't track her down.

During these five years, the senior's only request of her was to occasionally play a tune on the zither or play the flute.

She gradually grew accustomed to this feeling of wandering the world. With no fixed residence, they lived wherever they went, witnessing different things, meeting different people, and gaining different experiences.

She even felt that if things continued like this forever, it would be quite nice.

The world was so big. After walking through the Eastern Region, they could go to other places. Anyway, both she and the senior were rogue cultivators, free and unrestrained.

"The next place..."

Mo Tianxiao poured a mouthful of wine into his mouth, looking at the bustling traffic on the street outside the window. In a place Zi Ling'er couldn't see, a character panel floated before his eyes.

[Name: Mo Tianxiao

Cultivation: Peak Profound Comprehension Realm

Luck Level: Black

Cultivation Method: Devil Emperor Sutra (Tier 3)

Magical Artifacts: Nine Tribulations Holy Sword (Sealed State), Human Emperor Banner (Fragmented)

Secondary Professions: Advanced Alchemist (+), Advanced Talisman Master (+), Intermediate Array Master (+), Primary Blacksmith (+)

Secret Art: Immortal Dao Secret Art - Empty Hands

Spells and Divine Abilities: Great Annihilation Fist (True Grade), Eight Desolates Roaming Dragon Steps (True Grade)

Villain Points: 331,121

Luck Points: 6,300]

Over the course of five years, he had traveled to every remote corner of the Eastern Region, exterminating an unknown number of cultivators who tried to rob them.

The villain points provided by the Demonic Sect disciples every year were becoming less and less. Fortunately, there were still some, and coupled with the cultivators who delivered themselves to his door to be killed over the past five years, his villain points had once again become abundant.

Among them, Zi Ling'er provided him with quite a lot. Every time he asked her to play the zither or the flute, he would more or less gain some villain points.

However, in these five years, he surprisingly hadn't encountered a single Child of Destiny.

Logically speaking, didn't all Children of Destiny rise from humble beginnings? He had searched all the remote places in the entire Eastern Region, but there wasn't a single one.

The only thing worth rejoicing about was that his luck points were almost enough for another lottery draw.

The last draw gave him an Immortal Dao Secret Art; he wondered what the next one would give him.

"Let's go to the Immortal City for our next stop."

Mo Tianxiao glanced at a few figures on the horizon and spoke calmly.

"Haven't you always wanted to go to the Immortal City?"

"Ah? We're going to the Immortal City?"

Hearing this, Zi Ling'er was taken aback for a moment, and then a trace of sadness that even she didn't notice appeared in her clear, autumn-water-like eyes.

If possible, she really wanted to keep wandering around like she was doing now, being a true rogue cultivator, unrestrained by anyone or any faction.

Together with the senior, she didn't feel lonely.

But such thoughts could only be fantasies in the end. The senior couldn't be with her forever; he had his own things to do, and the Zi family would eventually find her one day.

Even if the Zi family couldn't find her, the people of the Huangfu family would.

"What's wrong? Looking at you, why do you seem a bit reluctant? Could it be that you've stayed by my side for too long and can't bear to leave?"

A smile hung on Mo Tianxiao's face, his tone sounding like a joke.

"This is quite good too. In the future, whenever I want to hear a tune, I can hear it anytime."

Zi Ling'er was proficient in playing wind, stringed, plucked, and sung instruments; she was a rather comprehensive musical cultivation genius.

Especially her flute playing, which was exceptionally good and always left him with endless aftertastes.

After five years of getting along, his understanding of Zi Ling'er was, if not eighty or ninety percent, at least thorough. Judging from her usual behavior and manners, she was most likely a lady from a prominent family who ran away to become a rogue cultivator for some unknown reason.

"Senior, I actually want to follow you forever, but that would implicate you."

Zi Ling'er wore a solemn expression. Over the five years, she had already come to regard this senior as a friend.

Since they were going to the Immortal City now, she felt it was necessary to make some things clear, otherwise, she would feel guilty.

"Senior, to tell you the truth, I am actually a member of the Zi family in the Immortal City."

Zi Ling'er stared earnestly at Mo Tianxiao, planning to tell him about her situation.

"Because the young master of the Huangfu family, Huangfu Yunteng, took a fancy to me, the Zi family wanted to send me to him to be his twentieth concubine.

The Zi family is a large family, but in front of an ancient family like the Huangfu family, it can only be considered an ant.

In order to latch onto the power of the Huangfu family, the entire Zi family, except for my parents, unanimously agreed to sacrifice me alone in exchange for benefits for the Zi family. I disagreed, so I found an opportunity to secretly run away."

A trace of unwillingness flashed through Zi Ling'er's eyes. She did not want to become a sacrificial lamb for her family, so she could only seek the protection of the Heavenly Melody Pavilion.

However, even in the Heavenly Melody Pavilion, only a Saint Realm elder had the ability to protect her.

If she was just an ordinary disciple of the Heavenly Melody Pavilion, no one would pay attention to her. The sect would not interfere in the family affairs of its disciples.

Even if she became a disciple of the Jade Pool Heavenly Palace, the top faction in the Eastern Region, she could not avoid the fate of being taken back by her family for marriage.

Only by becoming the personal disciple of a Saint Realm elder would the Zi family not dare to touch her, and the Huangfu family would also spare her out of respect for a Saint Realm expert.

"So, you returning to the Immortal City now is...?"

Hearing Zi Ling'er's melodramatic story, Mo Tianxiao's expression remained calm.

It was the standard operation of large families, and he could understand it. Cultivating clan members for the benefit of the family was very normal, and Zi Ling'er not wanting to become someone's... twentieth concubine was also normal.

He was actually a bit interested in this guy named Huangfu Yunteng. Taking so many wives, could he handle it all? Wasn't he afraid of snapping it?

"Senior, I plan to return to the Heavenly Melody Pavilion. I must gain the recognition of an elder and become their personal disciple, otherwise, I will ultimately still be sent into the hands of Huangfu Yunteng by the Zi family."

Zi Ling'er's gaze was resolute. She absolutely would not compromise with fate. If she had no talent, she would accept her lot, but it wasn't as if she didn't have a chance to resist.

As long as she could obtain the protection of a Saint Realm expert before the Zi family found her, she could change her destiny.

"Senior, I would like to ask you to escort me for a leg of the journey and let me safely arrive at the Heavenly Melody Pavilion. The Zi family will definitely send people to catch me, but they probably won't send cultivators exceeding the Soul Formation realm."

"So that's how it is."

Upon hearing Zi Ling'er's words, the corners of Mo Tianxiao's lips curled up slightly. "Ling'er, what do you think of my character as your senior?"

Zi Ling'er: "Huh?"