I suddenly had a brilliant idea: "Master, if one of our senior brothers from the Free and Unfettered Sect could win over the young princess in one fell swoop, wouldn't that make him famous throughout the martial arts world and create a legendary tale!"
My six senior brothers all glared at me, looking as if they were afraid that this task would fall on their shoulders.
My master glared at me and said, "You're always coming up with bad ideas. I was just about to tell everyone to keep their distance, and you, instead, want to pounce on them and get intimate."
I reluctantly shut my mouth. Now my mind is full of matchmaking ideas; I wish I could get rid of all the bachelors in the Free and Unfettered Sect. Speaking of which, this whole mess is the fault of the sect's most recent leader. He never married and lived to be a hundred years old. When martial arts figures came to celebrate his birthday, they asked him the secret to his longevity. He replied, "Because I never married, that's why I've lived so long and my martial arts skills are so high."
The direct consequence of this statement was that, from then on, more and more members of the Xiaoyao Sect refused to marry. By my master's generation, out of eighteen fellow disciples, only seven went down the mountain to get married. The rest remained in the Xiaoyao Sect like ancient iron trees, refusing to blossom even if beaten to death. Nowadays, the Xiaoyao Sect's expenses are increasing.
Thanks to my master, we were assigned to the Bamboo Grove Courtyard, south of the Mountain Shade Villa. And the Distant Mountain Sect, which I secretly coveted, was actually staying in the Lotus Flower Courtyard, right next to ours to the east. You see, Bamboo Grove and Lotus Flower are a perfect match, truly a divine arrangement!
I secretly asked my master, "Did you deliberately ask the old man to arrange it this way?"
The master asked, "What do you mean?"
I whispered, "Our Xiaoyao Sect has a lot of bachelors, while the Yuanshan Sect has a lot of beauties. I was just thinking of finding a fairy to match my senior brother Yunzhou. Your arrangement is just perfect, the timing is just right, and the flowers are in full bloom."
Master frowned and tapped my forehead: "Xiao Mo, what's in your head? A complete mess?"
"Master, you can do it for me. I'll not only act as matchmaker for Senior Brother Yunzhou, but I'll also help out the other senior brothers. By the way, Master, do you need my help?"
Master quickly waved his hand and said, "Little Mo, I appreciate your kindness on behalf of all my fellow disciples, but we're only staying here for three days. You'd better keep quiet and not cause any trouble, okay?" Master was startled by my ambitious intentions, his face turning even paler, with a hint of red. So thin-skinned, no wonder he's become such a handsome iron tree, sigh.
I said with a grin, "Master, how about I go and chat with the female warriors of the Distant Mountain Sect?"
The master quickly said, "May I chat with you?"
"No, that won't work."
"Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo!" Master called after me, but I pretended not to hear. I ran next door and knocked on the door of Lianhua Courtyard. A moment later, the door creaked open.
Have I entered the Jade Pool Golden Garden of the Queen Mother of the West? Could this person before me be a fairy? I was so engrossed in looking at her that I forgot to speak, my eyes fixed on her.
"Who are you looking for, young lady?" Ah, the fairy's voice is so beautiful, like a zither.
“I live next door to you. I am Yun Mo, a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect. Master Yuanzhao is my maternal uncle.”
Upon hearing the names of Master Yuanzhao and the Xiaoyao Sect, the "fairy" immediately flashed a smile that captivated me. How could she smile so beautifully?
"Oh, so it's Miss Yun."
I think I was very wise to choose the surname Yun back then. Miss Yun, it sounds so ethereal.
I quickly smiled and said, "I'm bored with all the senior students who came with me. I was thinking of coming here to visit. Is that convenient for you?"
I made up my mind that even if she said it was inconvenient, I would still come and "play" with them, well, just to find out what was going on and get closer to them.
"Of course it's convenient. Welcome, Miss Yun. Please come in."
I happily followed the "fairy" into the Lotus Flower Courtyard.
"Sister, what's your name? Are you Dong Shuangcheng or Xu Feiqiong?"
The fairy sister chuckled: "Miss Yun, you're making fun of me. I'm not a fairy, my name is Shui Muyun."
Upon hearing her poetic name, I immediately regretted not changing the character "末" (mo) when I changed her name. Compared to Shui Muyun, the two names are worlds apart, one a fairy and the other cannon fodder.
"Sister Muyun, how many people have come from your Yuanshan Sect?"
"There are seven of you, including the sect leader. How many are there?"
I clapped my hands excitedly: "Great, we have eight!"
She paused for a moment, probably confused by my excited appearance. Little did she know my little scheme. Excluding me, our Xiaoyao Sect has seven men. You see, the timing, the location, and the people are all in perfect harmony; even the numbers are perfectly matched—it's practically destiny.
While I was overjoyed, I also felt a great sense of responsibility. Time was tight and the task was heavy, so I had to prioritize Yunzhou.
The thought of Yunzhou filled me with excitement. The fairy before me was named Mu Yun. Tell me, isn't this destiny? I was both happy and disappointed, feeling that my trip had been worthwhile and that there was a sign of a great victory.
Upon entering the living room, my eyes widened in amazement. Six beauties, each a vision of poetry and painting, sat there. In the center was a woman whose nose was veiled in white. Though her full features were obscured, her bright, clear eyes shimmered with a captivating brilliance. She sat there serenely, silent and still, yet her beauty was boundless. The veil only amplified her ethereal and mysterious allure.
As Shui Muyun entered the hall, the Seven Fairies were right there. I was overwhelmed by the sight of these beauties, and in my mind, I roughly compared them to my senior brothers. Speaking of which, the most outstanding among my senior brothers were Yunzhou and Jiang Chen. Yunzhou was easy to find; I immediately took a liking to Shui Muyun. The two looked like a perfect couple, like immortals. But Jiang Chen was a bit more troublesome. Looking at the women before me, none of them seemed quite right. I've always felt that with Jiang Chen's personality, he'd need a fierce, demon-like girl to tame him.
Shui Muyun said to the veiled woman, "Sect Leader, this is Miss Yunmo from the Xiaoyao Sect next door."
Oh, so she is Yu Muxi, the leader of the Yuanshan Sect! So young and beautiful, she is truly admirable.
I quickly stepped forward and bowed.
Yu Muxi smiled sweetly and extended her jade-like finger: "Miss Yun, please don't be so polite, please sit down." I was truly impressed that she could smile so charmingly even with her face covered.
Without any ceremony, I sat down as if we were old friends and quickly became friends with them. Except for the sect leader, Yu Muxi, all six girls were laughing so hard that my eyes were blurry. I thought of Jiang Chen; he really should have come to such a pleasing sight.
It was like a gift from heaven! A knock was heard at the gate, and after Shui Muyun left, a dashing young man in white robes was brought in moments later—it was none other than Senior Brother Jiang.
As soon as he entered, five of the six girls blushed, while only Yu Muxi, whose face was covered by a veil, could not be seen.
Jiang Chen bowed slightly to Yu Muxi: "Sect Leader Yu."
"Oh, it's Young Master Jiang. How is your mother's health?"
"Thank you for your concern, Sect Leader Yu. My mother is in good health."
I was stunned as I watched from the side. So they knew each other?
Jiang Chen turned around and smiled at me: "Xiao Mo, Master asked me to come and call you back for dinner."
"I'm not hungry."