Missing a red veil

The restrictions on Hidden Sword Valley were lifted.

This was a sensational event in the Qingyun Sword Sect.

The reason was simple — the Peak Master of Talisman Peak, the Golden Core cultivator Xiao Menglan, was about to take on a disciple!

In the past, this would have been a major affair, usually announced at least half a year in advance, with invitations sent to various factions across the cultivation world.

But this time was different.

Although ordinary disciples didn’t feel much about it, many thought that this disciple initiation ceremony seemed rather rushed.

After all, Peak Master Xiao was a Golden Core True Person, once a disciple of the former Sect Leader, and now the junior martial sister of the current Sect Leader.

By all accounts, she was practically second only to one person in the entire sect.

Her taking a disciple should have been a grand occasion.

Holding the ceremony in such haste seemed improper.

Yet, when people considered the tense atmosphere that had recently spread across the cultivation world, it started to make sense.

Still, more than the timing, what the disciples were most curious about was the identity of Peak Master Xiao’s new disciple.

Normally, they had no chance to even see lofty Golden Core immortals, but a fellow disciple was different — they might still catch a glimpse.

Yet, up to now, no one had the slightest clue about the new disciple.

Some said,

“That person was a late bloomer, always inconspicuous in the sect.
No one noticed them, but Peak Master Xiao, with her sharp eyes, picked them out from among the crowd.”

Others said,

“That mysterious soon-to-be personal disciple isn’t even from the sect.
Peak Master Xiao found a talented youth outside and, moved by a moment of admiration, decided to take them in.”

Still others whispered,

“That person is actually Peak Master Xiao’s lover.
This hastily arranged initiation ceremony is just a formality to give them a proper status.
In the end, with or without the ceremony, it wouldn’t matter.”

As the rumors grew more outlandish, some disciples who had been outside the Scripture Pavilion spoke up.

They testified that Peak Master Xiao’s new disciple was a young woman — and a very beautiful one at that.

When the two of them appeared before the disciples, they were holding hands, looking as though they were already very close.

It clearly wasn’t the kind of impulsive acceptance of a stranger one might have imagined.

That revelation ended most of the wilder speculations.

After all, one shouldn’t speak recklessly about a Golden Core True Person.

As for Cao Xueyan, the subject of all this gossip, she felt little of it herself.

She had been staying in the Moon-Inviting Palace, focused on her cultivation, and the rumors hadn’t yet reached her ears.

Looking up at the sky, Cao Xueyan thought to herself that it truly felt lonely at such heights.

The drifting clouds, floating islands, and spirit birds all seemed distant from this lofty palace.

But such was the nature of cultivation.

The cultivation world was like a pyramid — the higher one climbed, the fewer places there were to stand.

Yet at the same time, the broader the world one could see.

“Are you ready?”

Xiao Menglan entered from outside, and as usual, she immediately wrapped an arm around Cao Xueyan.

One hug led to a wandering hand, and the hand soon began to…

Cao Xueyan pushed her away with both hands.

It felt like pushing against a ball of cotton — her fingers sank in, and the sensation was… indescribable.

“Master!” she cried out in embarrassment.
“Tomorrow is the ceremony!”

“So what?” Xiao Menglan said indifferently.
“There’s no one else here.
Ceremony or not, you’re my disciple all the same.”

She stepped forward, using her tall stature to look down at Cao Xueyan.

If she lowered her head just slightly, her lips could easily brush against Cao Xueyan’s forehead.

Xiao Menglan never wore makeup, so her lips bore no rouge, yet she still left behind a faint, almost invisible trace of moisture on Cao Xueyan’s forehead.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” she whispered against her disciple’s ear.

“I’ve memorized all eight rites of the initiation ceremony,” Cao Xueyan replied.
“And I’ve finally managed to recite that ridiculously long sacrificial text — it took me ages to learn it!”

“And the set of clothes I gave you — have you tried them on?”

“No…” Cao Xueyan’s cheeks flushed red, and she averted her gaze, not daring to meet Xiao Menglan’s eyes.

Some days ago, Xiao Menglan had given her a set of ceremonial robes.

They were clearly no ordinary garments — woven from some unknown material, adorned with the feathers of a rare spiritual bird, and glowed like living flames.

Just one look was enough to tell they were extraordinary.

But what made Cao Xueyan most embarrassed was the color — a dazzling red, crowned with a phoenix plume and draped in fiery radiance.

In her mind, such attire was fit only for queens or imperial consorts in the mortal realm.

“Why haven’t you tried it on?
If there’s anything that doesn’t fit, I can still make adjustments today.
Tomorrow will be too late.”

“I… I don’t know how to wear it,” Cao Xueyan admitted sheepishly.

Xiao Menglan was momentarily taken aback, then burst into laughter.

She thought to herself — how could this child be so adorable?

“It looks complicated, but once you put it on, it will guide you naturally,” she explained, taking Cao Xueyan’s hand and leading her away.
“Ah, you little Yan’er!
Already slacking off in matters your master entrusted to you.
If you’re like this even before becoming my official disciple, what will you be like after the ceremony tomorrow?
Come — back to your room!
I’ll teach you how to wear it properly… and give you a good lesson!”

“Master, please, no!” Cao Xueyan pleaded pitifully.
“I didn’t mean to neglect it.
It’s just that when I put it on, it felt too much like…”

“Like what?”

A Golden Core cultivator’s speed was beyond words.

Before Cao Xueyan could react, the scene around her shifted.

The next moment, she found herself in Xiao Menglan’s private quarters.

Her master stood tall, while she… was lying face-down on the soft carpet.

This carpet hadn’t always been here.

Xiao Menglan had specially procured it, distressed that her disciple might catch a chill when kneeling or lying on the cold floor.

Made from the hide of a rare beast, it was unbelievably soft, wonderfully warm, and — most surprisingly — waterproof.

When the carpet first appeared, Cao Xueyan had a bad feeling about it.

But since Xiao Menglan hadn’t done anything untoward afterward, her worries had gradually faded… until now.

Could it be that today was the day…?

No, no! Impossible!

Her master had held back all this time.

Tomorrow was the disciple initiation ceremony — a moment when all eyes in the sect would be on them.

Surely she wouldn’t lose control now.

Could a dignified Golden Core cultivator really have so little self-restraint?

Cao Xueyan’s thoughts were running wild, but in truth, Xiao Menglan had nothing improper in mind.

She simply took out the ceremonial garment and personally draped it over her beloved disciple’s shoulders.

Beneath it, Cao Xueyan still wore her usual blue disciple robes.

But as soon as the fiery-red garment touched her, it came alive, wrapping itself snugly around her slender figure.

Cao Xueyan’s blush deepened to its limit, her face as red as if it would start bleeding.

She looked so radiant and delicate that one could hardly resist the urge to lean in and take a bite.

Seeing her lovely disciple in such a state, Xiao Menglan felt a heat stir in her lower belly.

It was as if a mischievous flame was licking at her heart, making her restless.

She swallowed discreetly, then let out a soft hum.

“So you lied to me!
You said you hadn’t tried it on, but this Phoenix-Feather Weave recognizes its master the first time it’s worn.
What do you have to say for yourself now?”

Cao Xueyan had no excuse.

The truth was, she had tried it on as soon as she got it.

After all, once she wore this Phoenix-Feather Weave, she looked almost exactly like…

…a bride.

All she lacked was a red bridal veil.

Xiao Menglan’s heartbeat faltered as she gazed at her disciple in full ceremonial dress.

It was her first time seeing her like this, and her beloved truly looked breathtaking.

Yet something felt missing.

What was it…?

Ah.

It seemed to be missing a red bridal veil.