216: Fifth Incarnation: Heavenly Physician (8)

"This Young Lord of the Su Family is remarkable! He values loyalty and affection, and has both courage and finesse!"

"Although the eldest Young Miss of the Mu Family has lost all her cultivation, with such a fiancé, who in the Mu Family would dare to touch her easily?"

"The Grand Elder's faction has really hit a brick wall this time... Su Yuan's future is limitless; making an enemy of him is truly unwise."

The looks everyone directed at Xu Yuan were filled with a bit more awe and a desire to form a connection.

And the looks directed at Mu Qingying in the corner also held less contempt and more of a complex, indefinable meaning.

Grand Elder Mu Yunshan sat back in his seat with a gloomy expression, his heart seething with rage, yet he was forced to restrain himself.

He knew well that after this battle, trying to use Mu Qingying's situation to strike at the Clan Head's faction would be harder than ever.

The storm subsided, and the birthday banquet continued. Singing and dancing resumed, and cups clinked in toasts, as if the conflict just now had never happened.

But everyone knew that the power structure within the Mu Family had undergone a subtle yet profound change due to Xu Yuan's intervention.

Xu Yuan remained calmly in his seat, his expression serene, as if he had only done a trivial thing.

He gently swirled the Spiritual Tea in his cup, his gaze seemingly inadvertently sweeping over that lonely figure in the corner once more.

Mu Qingying still kept her head lowered, as quiet as a sculpture.

But Xu Yuan keenly noticed that after he spoke up to defend her, her perpetually tense shoulders seemed to relax for a nearly imperceptible moment.

"It seems this stance wasn't entirely without effect," Xu Yuan thought to himself. "At least it lets her know she isn't completely alone and helpless."

His goal had been achieved.

He had publicly established himself as her protector, intimidated the petty-minded, stabilized Mu Tianzheng, and sent a signal of "goodwill" to Mu Qingying.

Next, he just needed to find a suitable time for their first "official" contact.

The birthday banquet lasted for several hours until the moon reached its zenith; only then did the guests and host part in high spirits, slowly dispersing.

Mu Tianzheng personally escorted Xu Yuan to the luxurious guest courtyard arranged for him, gave him some earnest reminders, and then departed.

After Mu Tianzheng left, Xu Yuan dismissed his attendants and stood alone in the courtyard, gazing up at the moon in the sky of the Dao Realm—which was even more bright and clear than the moon outside—as thoughts flowed through his mind.

"Tomorrow... I'll pay her a visit." A faint curve touched the corner of his mouth. "As for the excuse... visiting my fiancée to check on her 'illness' is perfectly reasonable."

The next day, the first light of dawn appeared.

Xu Yuan walked alone, strolling toward the secluded courtyard in the back mountains of the Mu Family known as the "Quiet Heart Courtyard."

As he went further into the back mountains, the crowds thinned. Though the Spiritual Qi remained abundant, the bustle of the front mountains faded, replaced by a sense of deep tranquility.

Passing through a lush green bamboo forest, a small courtyard with bamboo fences, white walls, and gray tiles came into view.

Above the courtyard gate hung a slightly weathered wooden plaque with the three characters for "Quiet Heart Courtyard" written on it. The calligraphy was thin and sharp, exuding a sense of loneliness.

The courtyard gate was left slightly ajar.

Xu Yuan stopped for a moment. Instead of pushing the door open directly, he raised his hand and gently knocked on the door ring.

"Thump, thump, thump."

The crisp sound of knocking echoed through the silent mountain forest.

A moment later, the courtyard gate creaked open from the inside, revealing a crack.

Mu Qingying's figure appeared behind the door.

She was still wearing yesterday's simple and elegant Moon-white dress, her hair simply tied up without any makeup. Her clear and beautiful face bore a hint of ill-concealed surprise, as if she hadn't expected a visitor, especially so early in the morning.

When she saw that it was actually Xu Yuan standing outside, her surprise quickly vanished, replaced by a polite yet distant calm.

"Young Lord... Su?" Mu Qingying stepped slightly to the side to make way, her tone flat and emotionless. "May I ask what brings the Young Lord here so early in the morning?"

Xu Yuan's gaze swept over her, taking in both her fleeting surprise and the mental defenses she had quickly erected.

A perfectly gentle smile appeared on Xu Yuan's face as he said naturally, "Sister Qingying, there's no need for such formality; you can just call me Su Yuan. Yesterday's banquet was rushed, and I didn't get a chance to talk with you properly. I've come today to visit and see if you lack anything here. If you have any needs, please don't hesitate to speak up."

As Xu Yuan spoke, he naturally stepped into the small courtyard.

The furnishings in the courtyard were extremely simple: a stone table, a few stone stools, and some common Spiritual Plants growing in the corner. Though tidy, it exuded a coldness from a lack of human presence.

Most notably, besides Mu Qingying, there was no one else in the courtyard—not even a single serving maid or servant.

Xu Yuan looked around, his brow furrowing slightly as he showed an appropriate amount of concern. "Sister Qingying, why are there no servants to attend to you in this Quiet Heart Courtyard? Have the subordinates been neglectful? I'll go speak with Worldly Uncle Mu right away..."

Xu Yuan made a move as if to leave.

"There's no need," Mu Qingying spoke to stop him, her voice still cold but carrying a trace of imperceptible exhaustion. "I don't need them; I've dismissed them all."

Xu Yuan stopped and turned to look at her, his gaze questioning.

Mu Qingying avoided his gaze and walked over to the stone table. With her back to him, she explained indifferently, sounding more like she was stating a fact that had nothing to do with her: "Having maids around is just noisy. Besides..."

She paused, her voice dropping lower. "Though they don't dare say anything openly, those looks of either pity or curiosity are even more uncomfortable. It's better to have some peace and quiet alone."

Xu Yuan understood in his heart.

It wasn't that she truly didn't need care, but rather that she was unwilling to show vulnerability in front of others and loathed that silent sympathy and prying.

This almost stubborn pride and self-protection precisely proved the unwillingness in her heart and her past glory.

"I see." Xu Yuan walked to the other side of the stone table and sat down, his tone gentle and understanding. "You prefer peace and quiet; it was my intrusion."

"However, it's normal to encounter occasional setbacks on the path of cultivation. You should relax your mind and not let things weigh too heavily on your heart, lest... your Dao Heart becomes clouded."

Hearing this, Mu Qingying's hand pouring the tea paused almost imperceptibly before returning to normal. She pushed a cup of clear tea toward Xu Yuan, picked up a cup herself, took a small sip, and then said faintly, "Thank you for your concern. In my current state, how can I even speak of a Dao Heart?"

"I'm merely lingering on, wasting time."

There was a lingering sense of self-abandonment and indifference in Mu Qingying's words, as if she truly had resigned herself to fate.

But Xu Yuan keenly captured a flash of extremely faint unwillingness and coldness deep in her eyes when she said the words "lingering on"!

"As expected... she hasn't truly given up!"

Xu Yuan was certain in his heart.

"Why must you belittle yourself, sister?" Xu Yuan picked up his teacup and looked at her calmly. "The world is unpredictable. The Great Dao has fifty paths, and the Heavenly Evolution leaves forty-nine, with one escaped. There is a silver lining in all things."

"You were exceptionally talented back then. Perhaps this tribulation is not a dead end, but rather... another kind of Opportunity, for all we know."

His words already carried a bit of guidance and suggestion.