Chapter 12: The Broken Sword

"Senior Sister, I found a cave over there," Mu Chongyun softly said to Tang Yue. She turned toward the direction he pointed and indeed saw a cave entrance.

The moment she'd entered, she had already scanned the surroundings—something her private tutor had drilled into her as a life-saving skill: always survey a new environment, or you might die in a daze.

And she was sure—when she first entered the illusion, there had definitely been no such cave. Yet now that her little junior brother said there was one, it had mysteriously appeared. Very strange. Still, it was the only lead atop this black mountain of blades, so the two of them carefully made their way toward it.

There seemed to be a barrier at the entrance. Tang Yue reached out to touch it but was stopped by an invisible force. Yet Mu Chongyun walked right through it without resistance, pulling Tang Yue along with him.

They had barely taken a few steps when a volley of arrows shot toward them. Tang Yue quickly picked him up and dodged, her practiced footwork finally proving useful again. While evading, she headed toward the clearing ahead, where no more arrows flew.

Several arrows narrowly missed them. Fortunately, her recent body tempering had paid off—her meridians were now both flexible and strong, allowing her to dodge with agile twists and turns.

After finally making it through the arrow trap, Tang Yue sat down to rest. To her surprise, the little junior brother took out a handkerchief and offered it to her to wipe her sweat. She chuckled. "Why are you giving something to this so-called bad woman?"

Mu Chongyun's cheeks flushed. "Someone else said you were bad. I didn't know… but you're not actually that bad."

Tang Yue didn't need to guess who was spreading rumors about her and couldn't be bothered to explain. The original host probably hadn't been very kind to him either, so it wasn't an unfair impression.

They had barely rested when a blue light flashed around them, and the two of them suddenly found themselves no longer in the cave, but in the middle of a sea of fire.

Blades and fire—it seemed this illusion was built entirely around idioms. How unoriginal.

As if responding to her thoughts, the fire instantly shifted into an ice cavern. The two of them went from sweating profusely to shivering with cold. Thankfully, Tang Yue had packed well; she pulled out a small cloak for her junior brother and a long coat for herself.

They continued to explore in the cold wind, only for strange whirlwinds to suddenly form around them and rush in their direction.

Instinctively, Tang Yue stabbed into one with her sword. She could sense something hidden inside. Her strike connected, and a crystal dropped from the whirlwind.

Mu Chongyun, being small, helped her pick it up. "Senior Sister, this must be a spirit crystal. A spirit formed inside the whirlwind."

"You know a lot," Tang Yue genuinely praised. She hadn't known natural phenomena could produce spirit forms.

Mu Chongyun puffed up a bit. "Senior Brother Chu taught me. I've learned a lot from him."

Tang Yue instantly lost interest. "Junior Brother, I'll handle the whirlwinds. You pick up the crystals."

"Okay!"

So one stabbed while the other picked up crystals. Soon, all the whirlwinds vanished, and a massive frozen waterfall appeared ahead.

They approached and saw through the ice to a vast field beyond. Oddly, while the ice plain had a high noon sun, the field beyond was bathed in a starry night.

This time, again, it was Mu Chongyun who pulled Tang Yue through the barrier—only when he led her could she pass into these illusion realms.

The two of them stepped into the grass, startling a group of fireflies that lit up around them in a beautiful, romantic scene.

Unfortunately, Tang Yue was a mentally exhausted adult woman in the body of a nine-year-old girl, holding the hand of a three-year-old boy. Romance was the last thing on her mind. The two stared at the fireflies, baffled. Beautiful as it was, they had no clue how to break this illusion.

Tang Yue tried catching one to examine it—no clues. But Mu Chongyun, mimicking her, caught the only firefly glowing with a greenish-blue light.

The moment he grabbed it, the illusion collapsed.

A broken sword appeared in Mu Chongyun's hand. Though the tip was missing, it radiated a vibrant green aura—clearly extraordinary. He stared at it for a while before carefully looking at Tang Yue. "Senior Sister… this broken sword has acknowledged me as its master."

Tang Yue swallowed her dismay and pretended to be generous. "Junior Brother, since the sword chose you, that means it's fated for you. I won't fight over it."

She paused and added, "Just now, only when you led me could I enter the illusions. Clearly, this realm was made for you. I only followed out of worry for your safety."

Mu Chongyun beamed. "Senior Sister, you really are a good person!"

Tang Yue twitched slightly. Just like that, she had gone from "bad woman" to "good person." The world sure changes fast.

"Senior Sister," he continued, "the sword said it gave you a piece of Five-Colored Sky-Mending Stone as a reward for discovering the illusion. And you can also have those two jars of three-thousand-year spirit wine on the ground."

He faithfully relayed everything the sword spirit had told him. The sword even said Tang Yue was a good person and encouraged Mu Chongyun to stay close to her.

Tang Yue was secretly amazed. A sword with a spirit? She'd only heard of such things in legends. Even Tang Wenhua had never owned a sword with a spirit. And this three-year-old got one just like that?

She warned him, "Junior Brother, don't tell anyone else about the sword spirit."

Mu Chongyun nodded solemnly. "I won't. The sword spirit also said I shouldn't tell anyone except you."

Tang Yue was secretly amused. Even the sword spirit knew not to trust the city lord. It had excellent instincts.

It was still night outside. She checked the timer she had left on the table—barely a quarter of an hour had passed. So time in the illusion was indeed accelerated. She packed up and prepared to send Mu Chongyun back. She'd spent what felt like half a year in that illusion and was thoroughly exhausted.

"Junior Brother, where are you staying? I'll walk you back."

"Senior Sister, I live in the northern courtyard. There are lots of rooms, but I'm the only one there. I get really scared and hungry at night."

He looked up at her pitifully.

The city lord had only accepted two disciples: Chu Tianshu and Mu Chongyun. The former was often off adventuring or meditating in his cave, so the northern courtyard really did only have Mu Chongyun living there.

Tang Yue's heart softened. How could Tang Wenhua leave a three-year-old to live alone like that? No wonder the novel described Mu Chongyun's personality as twisted when he grew up. His love for the female lead was obsessive and problematic, and he caused the main couple a lot of grief.

The city lord claimed he was too busy managing Kunwu's affairs to care for his disciples. He believed that as long as he gave them resources and assignments, he'd done his duty. For Chu Tianshu, who had an ancient soul following him, that was fine. But Mu Chongyun was just a three-year-old who had been handed over to the city lord after showing rare talent, right at the age where children needed love and support.

Tang Wan had tried to care for him, but she had too many responsibilities—pleasing her father and mother, winning over disciples of noble families—she couldn't spare much attention.

After spending time with Tang Yue in the illusion realm, Mu Chongyun instinctively sensed she had a soft spot for children. Naturally, he clung to her.

Tang Yue sighed. "Then come stay with me. I'll find a room for you in Ruoshui Residence."

"Thank you, Senior Sister! Can I live close to you?"

"Sure."

And so, Mu Chongyun moved into Ruoshui Residence. One night turned into several. Since their cultivation levels were similar, they often trained together, and Tang Yue even prepared snacks so he wouldn't go hungry at night.

Over time, even Madam Shui accepted his long-term stay. As the city lord's wife, she had many social obligations and ran Qionghua Hall. She hadn't paid much attention to Mu Chongyun, especially since he was close to Tang Wan and not her daughter. But now, seeing him become attached to Tang Yue, she accepted it as if gaining another son and began caring for him, even gifting him child-safe magical tools.

In contrast, Zhuang Qiaohui couldn't bring him to her courtyard—personal disciples had many expenses, and stipends weren't enough. She wasn't about to spend her own money on a child with no blood ties. Investing in Chu Tianshu made more sense. Occasionally, she'd have Tang Wan send some food and clothes, playing the part of a good person.

Compared to her, Madam Shui had no qualms about the extra expense and genuinely cared. Over time, Mu Chongyun began seeing her as a mother.

Tang Wan, upon seeing her junior brother living in the eastern courtyard, felt uneasy. He had sword bones and was a direct disciple of the city lord—he was sure to hold power in Kunwu's future. If Tang Yue gained his loyalty, it would be a huge threat.

She had tried to convince her mother to bring him to the western courtyard, but Zhuang Qiaohui refused, citing a lack of funds. With the eastern courtyard cutting the entire residence's expenses, the western courtyard suffered the most—no way was she agreeing to another mouth to feed.

With no alternative, Tang Wan decided to try persuading him directly. She brought some homemade sweets and drinks to visit him.

The moment she saw him, she realized he had grown taller, his cheeks were flushed and healthy, and his already lovely features made him look like a celestial child.

Her heart sank—she wouldn't be able to persuade him today.

Still, she asked gently, "Junior Brother, are you comfortable living in the eastern courtyard? Is anyone bullying you?"

Mu Chongyun felt uncomfortable at her question, though he didn't know why. Still, he answered honestly, "Shimu and Little Senior Sister Tang are both very kind to me. I'm really happy here. Look, this is a little sword Shimu gave me!"

Tang Wan looked down. The small sword glowed faintly with green light, its craftsmanship exquisite—dragon and phoenix patterns on the hilt, gems embedded in the scabbard. Too short for adults, but perfect for a child.

So the Madam really was wealthy—she even gave spirit-grade swords to children. Even she only had one herself. Jealousy rose in her heart.

"Junior Brother, it's inconvenient to live here. Why not return to the northern courtyard? I'll visit often and teach you swordsmanship, alright?"

Mu Chongyun immediately frowned. After finally escaping that lonely, dark place, he had no desire to go back. "Senior Sister Tang, I don't want to move back."

Tang Wan tried again but saw Tang Yue walking toward them. She had no choice but to greet her. "Meimei, it's been a while. I came to see our little junior brother."

"Jiejie, it's been so long and you didn't come see me—but you came just for him? I'm heartbroken."

Tang Yue didn't know why she always had the urge to jab at Tang Wan. She got along fine with Yue Yanling and could fake sisterhood with her. But with Tang Wan? It just wasn't possible. Maybe it was a clash of auras.

Tang Wan once again felt like her words had been smothered by Tang Yue's. "Meimei, it's not like I meant to avoid you. I've just been so busy with classes. I heard our junior brother moved in here and was worried he wouldn't be used to it, so I came to check. We were just about to visit you, actually."

Tang Yue didn't care what she meant. Smiling brightly, she said, "What a coincidence. I was just coming to invite Shidi and Mother to dinner. Jiejie, would you like to join us?"

"No need. I won't intrude on Madam Shui's meal. I have to accompany my mother to a flower-viewing banquet."

Just the thought of Madam Shui made her legs weak. She had been cold and intimidating lately, even releasing spiritual pressure a few times—terrifying Tang Wan. Fortunately, her father had always been there to shield her.

"I see. Then Shidi and I will walk you out. I hope you and Aunt Zhuang enjoy the banquet."

Tang Wan's face darkened slightly at how Tang Yue referred to her mother but held back her temper. "Thank you, Meimei."

She left the eastern courtyard, already scheming how to deal with Tang Yue. Since she couldn't get Mu Chongyun to move back, maybe it was time to expose Tang Yue's true colors.