213: Fifth Incarnation: The Heavenly Physician (Part 5)

Mu Tianzheng's words came from the bottom of his heart.

Xu Yuan's choice not only preserved the face and dignity of his daughter, Mu Qingying, but also highlighted the Su Family's tradition of valuing trust and keeping promises, allowing him, as a father, to see a glimmer of warm hope.

However, after the initial excitement, Mu Tianzheng's expression gradually returned to calm, even carrying a hint of deeper solemnity.

He gestured for Xu Yuan to sit back down, then slowly took his own seat. He looked at Su Yuan with deep, penetrating eyes, his tone becoming exceptionally serious, even carrying a hint of a father's earnestness:

"Yuan'er, your intentions, your Uncle understands." Mu Tianzheng paused, then changed the subject, "However, precisely because of this, there are some things your Uncle must make clear to you beforehand."

"Qingying... she is my only daughter. Her mother passed away early, and she is my greatest concern in this life."

Mu Tianzheng's voice was low and powerful, carrying an unquestionable firmness.

"I know that your talent is outstanding and your heart is vast. That you are willing to keep your promise today, your Uncle is deeply moved."

"But precisely because your future is limitless, your Uncle cannot let you ruin your own path of the Dao due to a moment of impulse or pity, and even more so... cannot let that child Qingying suffer the blow of having her hopes shattered once again."

Mu Tianzheng leaned forward slightly, his gaze like torches, staring intently into Su Yuan's eyes as he said word by word:

"Regarding the marriage engagement, since you have made up your mind, your Uncle will say no more. But please... you must be cautious!"

"If you give her hope today, and one day... if things ultimately cannot be done, or your heart changes, this hope will turn into the most poisonous blade! For her, that will be a thousand, ten thousand times more painful than the current silence!"

"Therefore, Yuan'er," Mu Tianzheng's tone was almost pleading, "Your Uncle does not ask you to make any grand vows, I only hope that you... act according to your own heart, and also act within your means."

"If one day you find this path difficult to traverse, or you encounter other opportunities, you only need to be honest and tell us, and the Mu Family will have no complaints! But do not... do not give her illusory expectations simply because you cannot bear to refuse at the moment."

"That child... has already suffered too much, and she can no longer withstand any more turmoil."

These words were truly heartfelt, laying bare a father's deepest love and concern for his daughter without reservation.

He was both grateful for Xu Yuan's loyalty and fearful that this loyalty would ultimately bring even greater harm.

He would rather Xu Yuan leave "cruelly" now than see his daughter fall into deeper despair in the future.

Xu Yuan listened quietly, his heart also moved. His expression turned solemn as he stood up again, bowed to Mu Tianzheng, and spoke in an extremely grave tone:

"Uncle Mu's teachings are pearls of wisdom, and this Junior will keep them in his heart! My words today were by no means a momentary impulse, nor were they pity or charity. The path of the Dao is long, and the two words 'Dao Companion' are as heavy as a mountain. Since this Junior has made a choice, I have already considered it thoroughly."

"This Junior dares not boast that I will definitely be able to resolve Qingying's predicament, but I will certainly do my utmost to find the root and trace the source."

"During this time, this Junior will treat her with sincerity and will never make light promises. If... if in the end the will of Heaven is difficult to defy, this Junior will definitely handle it properly. Heaven and Earth can bear witness to this heart and this resolve!"

Mu Tianzheng looked deeply at Su Yuan, as if trying to see right through him. After a long while, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, a smile of relief mixed with a hint of complex expectation appearing on his face.

"Good! Good! With these words of yours, your Uncle is relieved!"

Mu Tianzheng stood up and patted Su Yuan's shoulder heavily, "Let's go, the birthday banquet is about to begin, let's not keep the Old Ancestor waiting."

"Yes, Uncle."

The two walked out of the side hall together. The gloom on Mu Tianzheng's face seemed to have dissipated significantly, and his steps were much lighter.

The birthday banquet was held in the Mu Family's most magnificent "Hall of Myriad Phenomena."

At this moment, the hall was brightly lit, filled with floating celestial music. Rare delicacies were laid out, guests from all sides had gathered, and cups were clinking in a scene of celebration and harmony.

The Mu Family's Old Ancestor, a great Immortal Master at the Late Golden Core Stage with crane-white hair and a youthful complexion, whose aura was as deep as the sea, sat high on the main seat, accepting congratulations from various factions. He wore a gentle smile, but in his occasionally opening and closing eyes, a majesty forged by the vicissitudes of life was revealed.

As the Young Lord of the Su Family and a disciple of the Fruit Position, Xu Yuan was arranged in the VIP seating, second only to the core Elders of the Mu Family, attracting much attention.

His manners were appropriate, his responses composed, and he handled the representatives of various factions who came to toast and exchange pleasantries with ease.

However, a portion of his attention was always kept on the entrance of the main hall.

Midway through the banquet, when the core disciples of the Mu Family stepped forward one by one to kowtow and offer birthday wishes to the Old Ancestor, the noise in the hall suddenly quieted down a bit.

All eyes turned involuntarily toward the direction of the hall door.

A young girl dressed in a simple and elegant moon-white long dress, accompanied by a middle-aged nanny, walked slowly into the hall.

She had a slender figure and a pretty face, which could be considered good-looking, but in this Noble Family of Cultivators where Fairies were as common as clouds and outstanding talents emerged in succession, she was not the type of stunning beauty that would amaze people.

However, what attracted everyone's attention was not her appearance, but the loneliness and coldness radiating from her, which was completely out of place with the surrounding celebratory atmosphere.

She kept her head slightly lowered, looking straight ahead, her steps light and slow but carrying a sense of alienation, as if she were walking in her own world, cut off from the noise of the outside. On that delicate face, there was no expression—neither timidity nor sadness, only a kind of near-numb calm, or rather... a high wall of self-protection built with coldness.

She was none other than the eldest Young Miss of the Mu Family, Mu Qingying.

The moment she appeared, the atmosphere in the hall became somewhat subtle.

Whispers became barely audible, but countless gazes—curious, sympathetic, pitying, and even slightly indifferent—fell upon her.

Indeed, no one in the Mu Family dared to openly bully this daughter of the Family Head, but that invisible sense of neglect and distance, as if she were a "transparent person" or a "fragile object," was more suffocating than direct malice.

Wherever she passed, the crowd subconsciously made way for her, but very few people took the initiative to step forward and talk to her, as if they were afraid of being tainted by something ominous.

Mu Qingying seemed to have long been accustomed to such gazes. She walked straight to the center of the hall and bowed gracefully to the Old Ancestor on the high seat, her voice cold and calm: "Unfilial granddaughter Qingying wishes the Old Ancestor blessings as vast as the Eastern Sea and longevity as long as the Southern Mountain."

Her manners and etiquette were impeccable, yet one could not hear a trace of the joy and vitality that a girl of this age should possess.

The Mu Family's Old Ancestor looked at the granddaughter below, a trace of imperceptible complexity and heartache flashing in his eyes. He waved his hand gently: "Qingying, you have a good heart. Rise and take your seat."

"Thank you, Old Ancestor."

Mu Qingying bowed again, then silently retreated to the end of the seating area set aside for Family disciples, sat down quietly, and lowered her eyelids, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.

From the moment Mu Qingying stepped into the hall, Xu Yuan's gaze had never left her.

He seemed to be playing with the jade cup in his hand casually, but in reality, his mind was highly focused, using his Divine Soul perception, which far exceeded that of ordinary people, to observe every subtle movement and every trace of Qi fluctuation in Mu Qingying.

With his experience from many lives and his powerful Divine Soul, he still could not detect any abnormalities in Mu Qingying; she seemed to be just an ordinary Cultivator at the 3rd Layer of Qi Condensation.