Two days later, after Su Haocang finished handling matters at Dongji Sect, Su Luowei found an opportunity to tell him that she planned to return to Qingxu Sect in a few days.
Although Su Haocang was reluctant, he understood that his daughter was now a disciple of Qingxu Sect and couldn't stay at home forever. So, aside from grumbling to his wife before bed each night, he didn't say much on the matter.
The day before their departure, Zhan Xueying personally arranged for a grand meal, saying it was to send them off.
Su Luowei was naturally very happy to have a good meal with her family. Knowing that it might be a long time before she could return again, she cherished the time spent with them even more.
At first, Meng Shuying and the others were worried about intruding on her family gathering, but they found it difficult to refuse Zhan Xueying's kind offer—especially since Zhan Xueying's appearance and demeanor reminded them of Zhan Xuehan, making them somewhat apprehensive.
Especially Xie Hanzhu, who needed a lot of courage to even consider refusing.
The family banquet was set for the evening. When everyone arrived at the dining hall, besides Su Luowei's parents, there was an unexpected guest: Mu Xiu, Su Haocang's senior disciple.
Both of Su Luowei's parents were outgoing and experienced, so there was never a dull moment during the meal.
Xie Hanzhu, who usually loved such occasions, initially restrained herself, but after a few drinks, she began to relax, acting more exuberantly than Su Luowei herself. She quickly spilled all sorts of trivial details about life at Qingxu Sect.
Su Haocang, holding a wine cup, listened with a smile as Xie Hanzhu shared these harmless stories. When she accidentally mentioned that many disciples on Yanmo Peak secretly admired Su Luowei, he finished his drink in one gulp and turned to his daughter with a smile. "And what about you, Weiwei? Is there someone you fancy? If there is, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll support you."
Su Luowei's mother also turned to her, smiling. "Weiwei, you're not getting any younger."
Su Luowei tensed, realizing the moment had finally come.
Before being transported into this novel, she had often heard her colleagues complain about how their parents would always steer the conversation toward marriage during family meals.
Especially during holidays when the entire family gathered, marriage seemed to be the only topic of conversation.
Those colleagues were exhausted from spending their weekends at one matchmaking event after another, exchanging polite words with strangers while subtly probing their personalities, incomes, educations, and family backgrounds.
At the time, Su Luowei had secretly felt fortunate that her family ties were so weak that she didn't have to endure such torment.
But now, she realized she couldn't escape it after all.
Not knowing how to handle the situation, Su Luowei stammered, "I haven't considered it yet. Right now, cultivating is more important."
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt several gazes land on her—those of her parents, Xie Hanzhu, and Mu Xiu. But the most intense gaze came from Meng Shuying.
Her emotions were a jumble of complexities. On one hand, no one had ever openly pressured her like this. Before entering this novel, her mother had passed away early, and her father had remarried, leaving little time for her. After entering the novel, she had always been by Zhan Xuehan's side, who didn't have a Dao partner herself and thus never urged her.
But to say she had never thought about it would be self-deception. After all, Meng Shuying's feelings for her were genuine, and she had to admit that she wasn't entirely indifferent to her either.
Yet, there were still many obstacles between them. As long as she remained burdened by the system, she couldn't openly respond to Meng Shuying's feelings.
Moreover, as far as she knew, many parents in the real world couldn't accept their daughters having a same-sex partner. If her parents felt the same way… revealing her feelings would only bring trouble.
For all these reasons, she couldn't go into detail. After much consideration, Su Luowei repeated herself, "Cultivating is more important."
She felt a bit guilty as she said this, especially with Meng Shuying right there, making her feel somewhat shameless.
She was clearly enjoying Meng Shuying's kindness toward her, yet here she was, declaring that she wasn't considering such things.
Su Haocang, while pretending to reach for the wine jug, secretly glanced at Zhan Xueying. She gave him a look, and he remembered what they had discussed the previous night. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke, prompted by her gaze. "Your mother and I… discussed this last night. You're at the age to consider a Dao partner. It's a long way to Qingxu Sect, and we can't help but worry about you being there all alone without someone suitable by your side…"
Su Luowei looked at him, puzzled, waiting for him to continue.
It was his first time discussing such a matter with his daughter, and in front of so many people, Su Haocang felt a bit embarrassed. He coughed twice and then, with a flush of determination, said, "We think your Senior Brother Mu Xiu is a good match. He's around your age, his cultivation is decent, and if you think it's suitable, he can take care of you."
Su Luowei's eyes widened in shock, freezing in place.
She had thought Su Haocang would suggest some matchmaking.
She hadn't expected him to propose an engagement directly.
And to do so in front of so many people.
Even Xie Hanzhu paused with her chopsticks, glancing between Su Luowei and Meng Shuying with a complicated expression.
Meng Shuying's face darkened instantly. She placed her chopsticks on the table with a sharp click.
Su Luowei immediately stood up, her brows furrowed, her displeasure evident. "Senior Brother Mu Xiu and I are like siblings. Father, please don't joke about this. Besides, he's a disciple of Dongji Sect—there's no reason for him to go to Qingxu Sect."
Su Haocang hadn't expected his daughter to react so strongly. After a moment of stunned silence, he quietly said, "If you become Dao partners, naturally, he would follow you."
Su Haocang's reasoning was simple.
He believed that the path of cultivation was long, and without a like-minded companion, it could be lonely. So, he wanted Su Luowei to find a Dao partner soon.
In his view, if Su Luowei didn't have someone she was interested in, then Mu Xiu was an excellent choice.
He had personally trained Mu Xiu, who was upright, gentle, and considerate, with good looks and cultivation.
Moreover, as far as he knew, many female disciples in Dongji Sect admired Mu Xiu, but he had always maintained his distance, never getting involved with anyone.
Su Luowei understood that Su Haocang was doing this out of concern for her, and that he had likely put a lot of thought into choosing Mu Xiu.
But the situation was simply absurd.
Feeling the cold aura emanating from beside her, she sighed softly. "I've made up my mind, Father. Please don't bring it up again."
By the time they finished the meal, the moon was already high in the sky.
With their departure set for the next morning, Xie Hanzhu, who had been thinking about the plum wine on Dongji Island, insisted on dragging Wen Miaomiao with her to the night market. She originally wanted to invite Su Luowei and Meng Shuying as well, thinking they could relax one last time before leaving.
But the oppressive atmosphere around Meng Shuying made her shiver, and she decided to enjoy the night alone.
As soon as Su Luowei returned to her room, Meng Shuying followed her.
She lit the lamp on the table, a hint of sarcasm in her smile. "What did you mean by that, Senior Sister?"
"I…" Su Luowei was flustered by the question. "I was just speaking casually."
Meng Shuying's tone was icy. "Speaking casually? Does that mean you really want to become Dao partners with him?"
In the past, out of fear of displeasing her senior sister, Meng Shuying had always held back, carefully hiding her true feelings and jealousy.
She knew that her senior sister liked the well-mannered, polite version of herself, so she constantly reminded herself not to cross the line, to always appear pure and kind.
But that wasn't the real her.
Beneath the facade, the true her had long been tainted by darkness, far from an innocent soul.
Meng Shuying had never been this angry in front of her. The calm mask she usually wore was now cracking, revealing the storm raging beneath.
Like clouds blotting out the sun, the atmosphere grew tense, and the clear sky suddenly turned gloomy.
Meng Shuying's demeanor was cold and sharp, her gaze intense. Her eyes, already dark, seemed even darker now, like black whirlpools that could pull someone in if stared at too long.
Su Luowei suddenly remembered that in the original novel, the person before her was far from kind.
Her hands were stained with blood, her path littered with corpses.
Su Luowei's heart skipped a beat and then tightened with anxiety.
That's right—even if she appeared harmless and innocent in front of her, Meng Shuying was far from a kind soul.
She had made a grave mistake.
Her mistake was in thinking that this version of Meng Shuying was simple, just because they had spent three years together. She naively believed that the other was truly a weak and helpless junior sister, always waiting for her protection.
How could she have forgotten that she had personally carried out many tasks, helping the system push the plot forward?
If Meng Shuying had grown into a different, softer character, the system would have already determined that she had deviated from the plot and that the mission had failed.
So, in places beyond her sight, had Meng Shuying still followed the predetermined path?
Su Luowei suddenly felt a sense of despair at this realization.
She lowered her head, not knowing what to say. Meng Shuying, however, took her silence as confirmation, leaving her speechless.
Meng Shuying was infuriated.
She placed the lamp on the table with a thud and took a step forward. Su Luowei, feeling cornered, backed away, only to find herself pressed against the bed with nowhere to escape.
Meng Shuying moved closer, forcing her to sit on the bed. But she showed no intention of backing down. Instead, she leaned forward, trapping Su Luowei between the bed and herself.
Blocking all escape routes, Meng Shuying stared directly into her eyes and asked in a low voice, "So, Senior Sister, do you want to become Dao partners with him?"
As if having an epiphany, she nodded slowly. "Of course, you and he grew up together, childhood friends. And what's more, even Uncle Su approves of him."
"Stop it!" Su Luowei, her heart pounding, quickly explained, "I already said that I only see him as a brother. I consider him like a sibling!"
"And what about me? What do you consider me, Senior Sister?" Meng Shuying lowered her gaze, hiding the mockery in her eyes.
"Do you think of me as just a junior sister? Or as a sister? If that's the case, shouldn't I be calling you…"
She lowered her voice, deliberately leaning close to Su Luowei's ear.
"Sister."
At that moment, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Junior Sister, are you there?" During the meal, Mu Xiu had wanted to speak privately with Su Luowei. Seeing her light still on, he decided to knock.
Meng Shuying frowned and was about to respond.
Su Luowei, in a sudden rush of panic, didn't think twice. She hurriedly covered Meng Shuying's mouth.
Meng Shuying didn't resist but instead moved even closer. Her eyes locked onto Su Luowei's, and her soft, warm lips brushed against her palm.
Meng "Jealous King" Shuying: I should have dealt with Mu Xiu first in Jiuwu Mountain.