Chapter 205: Mutation

“The young lady is too polite. I have long heard of the great reputation of the Xie family of Luoshui!”

Wu Ming also stood up to return the courtesy. After they were seated, Xie Ling’er’s face turned red with apparent embarrassment:

“…My lord has just married, and I should not have come to disturb you. However, my younger brother was reckless and offended you. Please forgive him!”

Speaking of this, Xie Ling’er felt bitterness in her mouth.

She had given him countless warnings before setting out, but her younger brother was simply too mischievous and arrogant with his superior skills. He had actually sneaked into Wujiabao at night and had since gone missing.

“Haha… I’ve heard much about your younger brother, the precious gem of the Xie family. He is indeed a rare genius to have mastered Daoist arts at such a young age!”

Having such a younger brother was indeed pitiable.

But Wu Ming had no sentimentality whatsoever: “I’ve long admired the Xie family’s Daoist heritage and have always wanted to learn from you. I hope you won’t mind giving me some guidance in the future!”

“Is he trying to take my brother as a hostage in exchange for Daoist scriptures and magical artifacts?”

Xie Ling’er’s face stiffened, but she quickly smiled: “Of course not…”

“Good! I’m sure your younger brother, Xie Baoyu, will return soon. There’s no need to worry!”

Wu Ming smiled slightly.

Xie Ling’er was overjoyed and gracefully bowed: “Thank you, my lord!”

Taking advantage of Wu Ming stepping forward to offer a polite hand, she suddenly flashed a mischievous glint in her eyes, cried out in surprise, and pretended to fall forward.

“The floor here is slippery. My lady should be careful!”

Wu Ming embraced the beauty and whispered near Xie Ling’er’s delicate ear.

“Does my lord not fear at all?”

Xie Ling’er tilted her head up, her eyes sparkling with allure.

“Haha… When beauty is present, I fear neither knives nor fire!”

Wu Ming, however, knew this woman was no ordinary one. She might even be practicing seductive arts to test him.

Yet, she maintained just the right amount of distance. He could even sense that she was still a virgin, clearly a clever little fox who offered only a bit of sweetness but nothing more.

Unfortunately for her, she had met Wu Ming, an old hunter who played by no rules—any little fox would have to kneel before him.

He laughed heartily, grabbed her by the waist, and walked straight toward the bed.

“My lord… you…”

Xie Ling’er finally showed genuine alarm. She glanced at the Fire Phoenix guards outside, who kept their gaze strictly forward. Her heart sank, as if falling into an abyss…

…

“Sister!”

In the evening, Xie Ling’er walked out of Wujiabao with slightly unsteady steps, got into the carriage, and saw Xie Baoyu already waiting there. He didn’t seem to have suffered much, so she let out a long sigh of relief.

Then she turned stern: “I told you not to underestimate heroes across the land. Now do you know better?”

Xie Baoyu’s face stiffened, his body trembling, clearly having learned his lesson. Surprisingly, he didn’t retort, which made Xie Ling’er marvel.

The carriage jolted forward. After traveling more than ten miles, Xie Baoyu finally exhaled in relief: “Sister! Wujiabao is no ordinary place. There’s a Daoist immortal there!”

“An immortal? Do you mean Wu Qing?”

Xie Ling’er was startled. Daoist immortals were no trifling matter; even the Xie family would treat them with utmost seriousness.

“No! I mean Wu Ming!”

Xie Baoyu’s face turned pale: “As soon as I used my Daoist arts to sneak into the fortress, he captured me… His Daoist skills are unfathomable, perhaps even rivaling Uncle Er!”

Uncle Er of the Xie family was a seasoned immortal, hailed as a rare Daoist prodigy in a hundred years, and the most powerful cultivator in the Xie family.

This evaluation shocked Xie Ling’er.

Then, as if recalling something, her face flushed again: “This Wu Ming is definitely not as simple as his relationship with Wu Zhi suggests… It’s definitely not as the rumors say…”

“Big sister, how do you know that? And why are you blushing so much?”

“That’s none of your business!”

Xie Ling’er quickly turned serious, naturally not telling her brother about how her scheme had failed, leaving her not only embarrassed but also at a disadvantage.

…

“Little brother, you seem to be in high spirits. Just don’t forget your old friends when you have a new love!”

Wu Ming was in a good mood when he came out, only to meet Wu Qing, who gave him this teasing remark.

“Hmm? What do you mean? Could my elder sister be referring to…”

Wu Ming’s eyes flickered, then he awkwardly chuckled a few times: “Are you talking about Li Xiuyun?”

In his heart, he knew that with his current status, if he didn’t marry her, Li Xiuyun would likely be unable to return to her clan or marry anyone else, and would have to grow old in his mansion.

For a young girl, that would be too cruel.

“This is indeed a small problem. Perhaps I should just marry her as a concubine and keep her in the inner quarters. I certainly have enough resources to support her…”

“I saw how heartbroken she was during your wedding…”

Wu Qing sighed: “I think she truly loves you…”

“Don’t worry, elder sister. I will give her a proper arrangement!”

Wu Ming could only reply with an awkward expression.

“Good. Seeing you married and continuing the Wu family line, I have no regrets left…”

Wu Qing smiled, her aura becoming even more ethereal: “In a few days, I will apply to the Daoist Academy to study at the main mountain of the Yuqing sect…”

“Little brother wishes my elder sister eternal blessings and longevity!”

Wu Ming joked around with a laugh and quickly slipped away.

“Hmm?”

Just then, a sudden surge of premonition struck him, making Wu Ming feel a chill.

As his cultivation advanced, cultivators often developed such intuitive feelings—like the “Heart Hexagram” he had used in the previous Japanese world, without which he would never have found Susano Yoshitsune.

“This feeling… is it a danger approaching?”

Wu Ming stroked his chin: “And there must be a trigger! I just heard Li Xiuyun’s name, and this premonition arose. It must be related to her!”

With his mind made up, he immediately headed toward Li Xiuyun’s residence.

The young lady resided in a secluded and tranquil spot behind Wujiabao. Because of past incidents, the steward dared not mistreat her. She had her own small, private courtyard where a plum tree was in full bloom, its fragrance permeating the entire garden.

The house was a large tiled building made of blue bricks, with windows covered in mulberry paper. Wu Ming approached quietly and peered through a crack, seeing a young girl doing needlework.

A copper kettle was whistling on the stove, filling the room with steam, while Li Xiuyun carefully adjusted her stitches, creating a warm atmosphere.

On her lap, a piece of clothing was slowly taking shape—it was a man’s garment, one that Wu Ming had never seen before.

“Ah… Master Ming!”

After a while, the girl put down her needlework and sighed softly.

Outside, Wu Ming felt a pang of guilt. He realized he had neglected this girl, leaving her alone here, which was not thoughtful at all.

But if he had sent her back earlier, the rumors outside would have ruined her! And now, even more so.

Yet, in this quiet corner of the garden, she had been quietly growing.

After a long while, the garment was completed.

Wu Ming only needed one glance to know it was meant for him, and without trying it on, he knew it would fit perfectly.

Li Xiuyun gazed at the garment, then recalled the past—how she had been taken into the fortress by that wicked young master, how she had felt like dying, but later Lin Qi had come chasing after her, how he had confronted the villain, and how he had avenged her parents.

Seeing her alone and helpless, he even took her in.

“Master Ming has changed a lot… Unfortunately… he already has a wife… But I don’t ask for anything. Just being here, quietly watching over him, is enough…”

Li Xiuyun murmured, placing the garment into the cabinet.

“Sigh…”

Wu Ming sighed outside, realizing he had unintentionally affected a woman’s entire life. Just as he was about to enter, his expression suddenly changed: “This feeling!”

“Ah!”

A startled cry came from inside the room. By the time Wu Ming rushed in, the room was already empty!

“The Pantheon Temple!?”

If it had been earlier, Wu Ming might have been confused, but now, as a Pantheon Controller, he could clearly sense it: “Was that the Pantheon selecting a new participant? Did it take Li Xiuyun? What kind of joke is this?!”

Although he had become a Pantheon Controller, he had not yet fully mastered the entire Pantheon Temple, so he could only sense it slightly but was unable to stop it in time.

At this moment, his face turned dark green: “First me, then Elder Sister Wu Qing, and now Li Xiuyun again! This frequency! What kind of joke is this?!”

In his understanding, the Pantheon’s selection of participants should cover the entire Zhou Dynasty.

Yet now, it had selected three from Wujiabao alone! This was clearly abnormal!

It was like someone winning the lottery five times in a row—utterly impossible!

“Abnormal! Too abnormal!”

He could understand the first two: he himself had been brought into the Pantheon by Lin Qi’s mysterious power, which was a special case, and Wu Qing’s talent was extraordinary, so she could have been randomly selected.

But this time, it felt too deliberate!

“Unless someone is manipulating it on purpose, how could such a coincidence happen?!”

Wu Ming’s expression turned serious as he sensed a sense of “malice.”

“Could it be…”

His eyes narrowed: “The Pantheon Temple!”

As a Pantheon Controller, he was connected to the Pantheon Temple and had limited authority to modify it.

A flash of light!

In the next moment, Wu Ming had already arrived outside the grand gates of the Pantheon Temple.

Bang!

He pushed both palms forward: “As expected, it still won’t budge. The gate remains unmoved, resisting my force… However…”

Placing his hands on the gate, Wu Ming faintly sensed that a new batch of participants was indeed being selected and sent into various worlds to complete missions.

Following a faint trace, he detected Li Xiuyun’s presence and the mission world she had been sent to!

【Ding! Honored Pantheon Controller, you cannot enter the current world. Would you like to activate the mission mode?】

At the flick of his will, a prompt appeared from the Pantheon.

As a novice-level Controller, Wu Ming couldn’t forcibly descend into the dungeon world, but he could enter it through a mission, which was equivalent to initiating the next dungeon mission ahead of schedule.

At this moment, looking at the prompt, Wu Ming’s face darkened ominously.