The Unsettling Uniform

The sunlight shining through the screen window shone on Lin Mo’s face. The dazzling sunlight slowly forced him to wake up from his sleep, and he used his hands to block the dazzling sunlight.

When his consciousness was completely restored, he looked down and found that he seemed to have been practicing martial arts all night, and fell asleep in a daze while practicing.

‘That’s strange,’ he thought. ‘Didn’t they say cultivators don’t need sleep? Or is it just that my cultivation realm isn’t high enough?’

Perhaps it was due to cultivation, but after sitting cross-legged all night, his body felt no stiffness; instead, he experienced a profound sense of ease.

As a new day dawned, Lin Mo stretched languidly, preparing to rise and greet it.

“Awake?”

The sudden voice made Lin Mo jolt. His body tensed abruptly, like a startled rabbit, and he sprang upright.

Spinning around, he discovered it was Mu Qingli!

Lin Mo’s eyes widened, filled with a mix of astonishment and bewilderment. ‘Hadn’t she left his room last night? He had watched her depart with his own eyes!’

‘How had she returned?’

‘When did she come back?’

‘How long had she been sitting beside him?!’

Mu Qingli sat composedly at the edge of the bed, her gaze sharp and cold, her stern expression utterly unchanged. “Excellent,” she stated dispassionately. “You heeded my words. You went nowhere, merely cultivating obediently in your room. This is a promising start.”

‘She monitored me all night?!’

Lin Mo’s heart seized with alarm.

‘Did she have nothing better to do? She was a Grand Cultivator and the Sect Master, for heaven’s sake! How could she possibly have the leisure to monitor him?!’

‘No… it wasn’t just monitoring… This woman, she probably wanted to absorb his Yang energy, didn’t she?’

Although Lin Mo had no idea what power within him attracted Mu Qingli, this sensation felt unmistakably like Mu Qingli, this ‘female ghost,’ was burdened by excessive Yin energy and sought to absorb Yang energy to maintain her Yin-Yang balance.

‘Yes! That’s it exactly, that analogy!’

The more Lin Mo considered it, the more apt it seemed.

After all, considering Mu Qingli’s demeanor during their private interactions, this explanation truly hit the mark.

Thankfully, Mu Qingli wasn’t a real female ghost; she could absorb whatever she wished, cling to him however she pleased, and he felt no ill effects… a blessing in disguise, he supposed.

“S-Since it is Sect Master’s command, this humble one must naturally obey. Not only did Sect Master spare my life, but you also imparted cultivation techniques and guided me onto the path of immortality. Each of these acts is a profound kindness from Sect Master, a testament to your boundless compassion. If, after Sect Master’s clear instructions, this humble one were to insist on leaving, would that not be the height of ingratitude?” Lin Mo bowed deeply, cupping his hands.

First, he expressed gratitude, then promptly reaffirmed his subordinate position.

Ostensibly, he was Mu Qingli’s disciple, but privately, he absolutely could not claim that. Mu Qingli detested men; his survival merely meant he still held some utility.

To Mu Qingli, he was nothing more than an object. He dared not refer to himself as ‘disciple’ in private, lest he invite trouble.

He needed to make Mu Qingli understand that he was sensible and knew his place.

“Heh, isn’t ingratitude commonplace for your kind?” Mu Qingli’s lips curled into a cold sneer. “Take this.”

A wooden waist token was tossed at Lin Mo’s feet.

“Sect Master, this is…?”

“A visitor’s token. It can temporarily defend against the sect’s grand formation for twelve hours.”

!

At her words, Lin Mo’s body trembled.

‘He had almost forgotten! The Xuan Nv Sect possessed a grand formation capable of slaying men!’

“Th-Thank you, Sect Master!” Lin Mo hastily picked up the token, then wondered where to hide it…

‘Where were his clothes?!’

Only then did Lin Mo realize he was… completely naked?!

‘Why?! Last night he had been wearing… no, at least he’d had a jacket on, hadn’t he?’

Lin Mo stared at Mu Qingli in astonishment, hoping for an explanation.

Instead, Mu Qingli let out a cold snort and immediately berated him, “Yesterday, seeing you, this idiot, suddenly cease your cultivation, I assumed you, this fool, had encountered a problem in your practice. I tore off your beastly clothes to examine you thoroughly, only to discover you, this good-for-nothing, had merely fallen asleep. What a waste of my effort.”

‘Good heavens, four ‘you’s, each paired with a different insult… Clearly, it was this female ghost who craved Yang energy, she must have rushed over, couldn’t resist tearing off his clothes, and desperately absorbed it, right?!’

‘Perhaps she had knocked him unconscious to make him sleep!’

But dared Lin Mo say any of this aloud?

He dared not.

Curse her he might in his heart, but on his face, he had to feign sudden realization. He immediately knelt and kowtowed to Mu Qingli, thanking her profusely. “To think this humble one caused Sect Master such trouble! I truly deserve death ten thousand times over!”

Lin Mo had intended to kowtow heavily, letting the dull thud against the floor convey his profound apology to Mu Qingli. The lessons he had learned from Qiu Yue, he realized, could still prove useful here.

‘Perhaps Mu Qingli was the same.’

Yet, a wisp of clear breeze gently lifted his head, as if an invisible pair of hands had softly cupped his forehead.

“Enough of these superficial gestures,” Mu Qingli said. With a delicate flick of her finger, a flash of light rippled, and Lin Mo suddenly noticed a new set of clothes lying on the ground.

“Put on your clothes. I’ll wait for you outside the door.” Having spoken, she rose and departed.

Lin Mo gazed at the clothes on the ground, then picked them up with both hands.

This appeared to be a Xuan Nv Sect uniform, predominantly black, accented with white and silver. The loose, flowing black robes and fishtail skirt, along with complementary inner garments, were adorned with exquisite embroidery and lavish accessories, perfectly showcasing a woman’s grace and elegance.

This was no ordinary Xuan Nv Sect uniform; Lin Mo had observed at the disciple-acceptance ceremony that most disciples wore uniforms primarily in pale lavender.

Moreover, the inner cuff was embroidered with the character “Lin.”

‘Did… she make it for me?’

‘Don’t be ridiculous. Just because it has the character ‘Lin’ means she made it for him? Stop fantasizing, Lin Mo. Had he already forgotten the lesson Qiu Yue taught him?’

Even though the wounds from fifty lashes had long healed, Lin Mo could still, from time to time, feel a faint ache beneath his perfectly mended skin.

‘Do not fall into a woman’s trap!’

Feigning indifference, Lin Mo put on the clothes.

Lin Mo was quite tall and broad-shouldered, so clothes designed for women should have felt constricting. Yet, to his surprise, the uniform fit perfectly. He moved around a little, finding no tightness or pinching anywhere.

It molded flawlessly to his body.

‘Could this be the legendary Ruyi Robe (TL Note: A mythical garment that can automatically adjust to the wearer’s body size), capable of sensing its wearer’s form and resizing itself at will?!’

“Once you’re dressed, come out quickly. Don’t waste time, you idiot.”

Mu Qingli’s scolding voice drifted from outside, jolting Lin Mo back to his senses. He quickly made his way out.

As Lin Mo emerged, his face, paired with the exquisite attire, struck Mu Qingli into a momentary trance.

His face, like a meticulously carved piece of jade, was utterly flawless. From every angle, it exuded a captivating blend of allure and beauty, as if imbued with an invisible magic, holding an irresistible charm that drew all eyes like a magnet.

Yet, why should such a perfect face belong to a man? It was truly a pity.

“Does it fit?” Mu Qingli inquired.

“Eh…?” Lin Mo paused, momentarily stunned, but his years of survival instinct prompted him to instinctively reply, “It fits perfectly! Thank you for the generous gift, Sect Master! This humble one has never worn such fine clothing!”

“Good that it fits. It has been a long time since this Master last sewed, so my skills are a bit rusty. Moreover, I merely found some discarded, trashy fabric to stitch it together, pairing it with you, this cheap—” Mu Qingli’s words halted midway as she suddenly noticed a tiny tear silently tracing a path down Lin Mo’s astonished face.

“You… why are you crying?” Mu Qingli frowned. “Do you despise this Master’s clothes?”

As she spoke, Mu Qingli’s gaze sharpened, radiating intense killing intent.

“No…” Lin Mo smiled, a brilliant, radiant smile that even his tears could not diminish. His exquisitely beautiful face, lightly moistened by the teardrops, resembled a pear blossom bathed in rain, yet this only added a more alluring and captivating charm to his smile.

The smile seemed to possess a magical quality, from the crescent curve of his eyes to the slight upward tilt of his lips, every detail exuded an enchanting aura.

Mu Qingli watched him in silence, her breath involuntarily quickening. Her gaze felt utterly ensnared by Lin Mo, unable to shift even a fraction.

This beauty was not merely pleasant to the eye; it was a profound, heart-shaking impact. Each prolonged glance felt like an invisible hand gently plucking at Mu Qingli’s heartstrings, causing her pulse to quicken uncontrollably, as if a small flame slowly ignited within her, bringing an indescribable warmth and tremor.

Mu Qingli shook her head vehemently. ‘It m-must be Lin Mo’s physique playing tricks! No, otherwise, how could she find a stinking man like him attractive?!’

‘It m-must be a physique issue!’

‘Y-Yes, that’s right!’

‘Her Profound Yin Body must be acting up again; it p-probably wanted to consume whatever emanated from Lin Mo’s body.’

Yet, paradoxically, warmth permeated Mu Qingli’s body; there was not a trace of coldness.