The White Moonlight Disdained by the Male Protagonist of Redemption - Chapter 12.2

Before seeing the visitor, Ning Yao had wondered what kind of person could be so troublesome. After seeing them, she realized Chu Xiao hadn’t been exaggerating.

It was none other than He Tianshou, the Sect Master of Xuanyue Immortal Sect himself.

She had quite an impression of this person: He Tianshou was short, barely five feet tall, with sharp, beady eyes that gleamed like a cunning rat’s. She had met him once before when she ventured down the mountain, and at the time, she had thought—this was truly an unforgettable character.

Now, this unforgettable man stood in her territory, wearing a fake smile that was uncomfortable to look at.

Ning Yao sat down and lazily gestured. “Sect Master He, have a seat.”

She turned to Feng Jingzhuo beside her. “You too.”

He Tianshou’s eyes flickered between them before he chuckled. “Lord Ning, I trust you’ve been well. First, I must apologize. My foolish little servant has surely caused you quite a bit of trouble.”

Ning Yao smiled amiably. “He belongs to Luoxiang Mountain. Sect Master He, why are you talking nonsense in broad daylight?”

Feng Jingzhuo felt a warmth in his chest and looked up at her—just in time to catch her gaze.

Their eye contact didn’t go unnoticed by He Tianshou, who rubbed his fingers together.

Not good.

His smile deepened. “Indeed, Luoxiang Mountain must be an excellent place. Feng Jingzhuo is lucky. He served Lady Lianzhen well, and now even Lord Ning holds him in high regard. Isn’t that right, Jingzhuo?”

Feng Jingzhuo said calmly, “I am indeed fortunate.”

He Tianshou’s expression darkened. He had to show Ning Yao some respect, but Feng Jingzhuo?

“What nerve. You’ve learned to talk back now. Don’t forget, you—”

“I say, He Tianshou,” Ning Yao tapped the table twice, not too lightly, not too heavily. “You came all the way here, barged into my home, and started insulting my people. And you came alone…”

She tilted her head, genuinely curious. “Aren’t you afraid of getting beaten up?”

He Tianshou froze.

It took him a moment to pull out a forced laugh. “Lord Ning… Haha, you jest. I came today to act as a bridge. Lady Lianzhen asks you to return her beloved pet.”

Ning Yao raised a brow. “So you’re her messenger. Why didn’t she come herself?”

He Tianshou smirked. “Why would Lady Lianzhen trouble herself over such a small matter? She knows you’re young and playful, and that you like to take interesting things for amusement. It’s nothing serious. I’m just here to run an errand so neither of you have to waste your energy.”

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Feng Jingzhuo.

Feng Jingzhuo sat quietly, showing no reaction.

He Tianshou tightened his hands inside his sleeves before putting on another smile. “Lord Ning, Lady Lianzhen understands that you took Feng Jingzhuo and the dragon scales. She won’t hold it against you. But you’re a reasonable person—you wouldn’t want to keep something that belongs to another, would you? No need to ruin our good relations over a mere plaything.”

Ning Yao paused. Then she asked, “Is Fengxie Dao Sect afraid to declare war on Luoxiang Mountain?”

She had no patience for roundabout talk, so she laid it out directly. “Logically speaking, Lady Lianzhen wouldn’t dare a full-scale battle, but she also won’t let this slide. That’s why she sent you—to see if I’d return them willingly, right?”

He Tianshou hesitated. “Uh…”

“But you don’t have that kind of power either, do you?” Ning Yao continued. “If you did, you wouldn’t be sitting here talking in circles. You’d have made your move already.”

Then why was he so sure she would give in?

Ning Yao genuinely couldn’t think of a reason.

He Tianshou’s smile was starting to crack. “Why are we talking about fighting, Lord Ning? You and Lady Lianzhen are both esteemed leaders. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing to clash over a mere man?”

Ning Yao scoffed. “What’s truly embarrassing is failing to protect your own people. If I can’t even keep my own safe, what kind of leader would I be?”

That was the end of the conversation.

He Tianshou sighed and glanced at Feng Jingzhuo again.

He had remained still, unchanged from before—but that very stillness revealed an expectation.

This wretched boy… so he understood everything.

He Tianshou lowered his head with a quiet chuckle. When he looked up again, he leaned back comfortably in his chair. “Lord Ning, you’re young. If you like dragons, I have plenty of dragon youths about your age. You can choose freely. Why insist on keeping someone others have already played with—”

Before he could finish, he flicked his sleeve. A misty image formed in the air.

The scene was crystal clear.

Feng Jingzhuo, dressed in thin robes, knelt before Lady Lianzhen. Her fingers, painted bright red, rested against her lips. She crossed her legs and studied him for a long while before hooking his chin with the tip of her shoe.

He was forced to lift his head, eyes glistening with faint ripples of light, avoiding her touch as subtly as he could.

The image vanished.

He Tianshou looked at Ning Yao, but her expression remained unchanged.

Impressive. Despite her young age, she was still a seasoned leader—not like a foolish girl who would fluster over such things.

Seeing no reaction from her, he turned to Feng Jingzhuo.

Oddly enough, he remained composed as well. His face was deathly pale, but his brows did not twitch, his eyes did not waver.

He Tianshou waved his sleeve, withdrawing the image. “Lord Ning, many have seen this before. Lady Lianzhen’s illusion technique may not be offensive, but it is truly remarkable. The clarity of it… well, it’s almost like being there in person. Don’t take it the wrong way—I’m merely showing you the truth. Some people are too filthy to be worth your protection.”

The image was gone, yet Ning Yao still stared at the empty air.

He Tianshou frowned. “…Lord Ning?”

She lowered her gaze.

A moment later, she scoffed. “Absolutely ridiculous.”

She turned to him, palm up, summoning a wind blade.

He Tianshou sensed danger and shot up. “Lord Ning—”

Before he could finish, the razor-sharp wind slashed down, slicing off his hair crown. The blade pressed further, forcing him to bend lower and lower until he was kneeling.

Horrified, he shouted, “Ning Yao! What are you doing?!”

Ning Yao smiled. “Lady Lianzhen showed her best trick—how could I not return the favor? This wind blade? Take it back to her as my response.”

He Tianshou left her the place kneeling.

Ning Yao remained crouched in place.

Feng Jingzhuo hesitated, then silently squatted beside her.

She turned to him. “What is this, punishment squatting?”

Feng Jingzhuo murmured, “These two sects are now enemies.”

Ning Yao blinked. “That’s how it is. Some people will never be friends, only foes.”

Feng Jingzhuo said, “If not for me, you wouldn’t have made these enemies.”

She grinned. “Oh, please. My master says I make new enemies every time I leave the mountain. It’s not your fault.”

Feng Jingzhuo exhaled, then softly said, “I knew he’d use that trick.”

She held out her hand. “And you knew I wouldn’t care, didn’t you?”

He looked at her.

Then, gently, he reached out and placed his palm against hers.

Feng Jingzhuo was stunned. But… he wasn’t very good at this.

Ning Yao wasn’t finished: “The most outrageous thing is that you actually treated me like a fool. Do you think I couldn’t tell you were being controlled?”

She pointed to a spot on his face. “That Gu worm under your skin at the time—it was small, but I saw it. What is it? Does it like staying on the face? And… is it afraid of bl00d? Is that why you keep getting new wounds on top of old ones?”

Feng Jingzhuo’s lips moved slightly. “Yao Yao…”

Ning Yao said, “Let’s not talk about that.”

“What?”

“The scars from the past—we don’t uncover them before the body is healed.” A small dimple appeared at her cheek as she pulled him up. “How long are we going to squat here? Come on, let’s go find Grandmaster.”

“…Huh?”

Ning Yao smiled like a little fox. “We’ll squeeze him dry, exploit him. He loves reading so much and knows so much—let’s make him figure out how to cure you. Then, all you have to do is act cute in front of him.”