Li Miaoyin, this woman is shrouded in mystery.

Fang Changle said she was skilled in both Thunder and Fire Dual Skill, had mastered the Northern Emperor’s Skill, possessed an ethereal temperament, and belonged to the Profound Sect orthodox lineage.

Zhang Fan never imagined that, having traveled far to the Hundred Thousand Mountains, he’d run into Li Yishan’s matchmaking date on the plane.

Rumble rumble...

The airplane’s roar split the sky, and the change in air pressure brought on a touch of tinnitus.

Zhang Fan held his breath and resisted a little, and his ear pressure returned to normal. He instinctively turned to look at Li Miaoyin. At this moment, she was leaning against the window, gazing down at the receding Yujing City.

"Are you admiring the scenery, or staring at me?"

Li Miaoyin didn’t even turn her head; her soft voice drifted over.

Zhang Fan’s expression tightened, only to see Li Miaoyin glance his way, that stunning face holding a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

This woman was always like this—just a few words, lightly spoken, yet always laced with hidden meanings to stir one’s imagination.

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Zhang Fan rolled his eyes and turned away.

He always felt like this woman somehow restrained him.

"I know a bit about Li Yishan’s family matters. I think your background isn’t exactly clean." Zhang Fan said seriously.

"What matters in their family?"

Li Miaoyin leaned in, not shying away as she looked at Zhang Fan, smiling as she said, "So, according to you, if my background is questionable, then their family’s is dirty too?"

"You... That’s not what I meant." Zhang Fan explained, "It’s just you who’s not clean."

"Oh, so you think I’m dirty, huh? And how do you know I’m dirty? Just open your mouth and destroy a woman’s reputation."

Li Miaoyin’s expression turned cold, arms crossed over her chest, looking genuinely annoyed as she turned to the window.

"No... That’s not what I meant..."

Zhang Fan pouted, a little embarrassed as he tried to explain.

"If that’s not what you meant, what did you mean?" Li Miaoyin pressed on relentlessly.

"I’d like to know what kind of woman you’ve painted me as behind my back."

"Who could I even talk to?" Zhang Fan said dumbfoundedly.

"Li Yishan, Fang Changle... Of course, your pack of rowdy friends..." Li Miaoyin bit her silver teeth together.

"I swear I’ve never said anything."

"Really?" Li Miaoyin’s face softened a bit, sounding him out.

"Of course it’s true, I..."

Zhang Fan had barely spoken before he caught himself—something felt off.

"Why the hell am I even explaining myself to you?"

"Alright, I believe you." Li Miaoyin broke into a gentle smile; for a second she seemed incredibly docile, though that docility was tinged with a bit of slyness.

"Who asked you to believe me?" Zhang Fan glared, a strange feeling brewing inside him.

"You say my background is questionable—but do you think the Daoist Sect’s various factions are all clean? Or is it the Wuwei Sect who’s clean?" Li Miaoyin suddenly shifted the topic.

"Of course it’s..." Zhang Fan started, then fell silent.

Honestly, in his life, he’d always been entangled with both the Daoist Sect and the Wuwei Sect in countless ways.

His father’s family was from the Dragon Tiger Mountain Zhang Family, one of the world’s Ten Great Daoist Mountains, but his mother was a Human Xiao of the previous Wuwei Sect generation.

Even now, he himself had ties with the Wuwei Sect that couldn’t easily be severed or explained.

"Five hundred years ago, the Daoist Sect gave rise to a genius named Liu Baiyi," Li Miaoyin suddenly remarked.

"He became Sect Leader of Sanqing Mountain by fifty."

"Sanqing Mountain."

That was one of the Ten Great Daoist Mountains.

"But who could’ve known, behind the scenes, he was actually Lord of the Jiang Palace in the Wuwei Sect!?"

"Huh?" Zhang Fan was stunned.

He knew that the Daoist and Wuwei Sects infiltrated each other deeply, but for a proper Sect Leader of the Sanqing sect to actually be Jiang Palace’s Lord—this was unimaginable, and a blow to the Daoist Sect like never before.

"Three hundred years ago, Laojun Mountain’s Vice Sect Leader, Wang Kuangfu, secretly joined the Wuwei Sect, becoming the Rat of the Thirteen Zodiacs."

Li Miaoyin’s knowledge was extraordinary; when she talked about Daoist history and Wuwei tales, she spoke with clarity and detail.

Dragon Tiger Mountain, Zhenwu Mountain, Zhongnan Mountain, Kongtong Mountain, Laojun Mountain, Sanqing Mountain, Qingcheng Mountain, Qi Yun Mountain, Maoshan, Lao Mountain...

These were the Ten Great Daoist Mountains.

For centuries, the Daoist and Wuwei Sects had clashed endlessly, yet it seemed there had never been a clear boundary between them; they infiltrated each other, and in the end became intertwined, so you were in me and I was in you—just like the primeval chaos of the universe, the alternation of Yin and Yang.

"The Daoist Sect speaks of ’knowing the white, guarding the black’—this world was never just black or white."

Li Miaoyin paused for a moment, looking back at Zhang Fan. Her delicate face carried an enigmatic smile, and her gaze seemed like a beam of sunlight shining on Zhang Fan’s face.

"So, am I black or white?"

"I can’t out-talk you."

Zhang Fan rolled his eyes, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes to rest.

"Why are you heading to Guixi Province this time?"

The tree longs for stillness but the wind does not cease. A hint of fragrance drifted over; Zhang Fan opened his eyes and saw Li Miaoyin had moved closer, curiosity gleaming in her clear eyes.

"Not your business, is it?" Zhang Fan said warily.

"Oh, you never know. You’re not familiar with the place—if you need to handle things, that’ll be a pain." Li Miaoyin chuckled. "I could help you, you know."

"I’ve actually got some connections there."

Zhang Fan heard that and still shook his head. "You and I aren’t close."

"So a kind heart gets treated like donkey’s liver and lungs, huh? I’m only offering for Li Yishan’s family’s sake. If you don’t trust me, can’t you at least trust them?" Li Miaoyin said with displeasure.

"Well..."

Zhang Fan hesitated. Although he didn’t really know Li Miaoyin’s background, if she’d been introduced to Li Yishan as a prospective partner, she ought to be reliable enough.

The key was, once he was there, he’d be a stranger to the place—definitely inconvenient. He was going to rescue someone, not picking a personal fight for pride’s sake.

"Actually, it’s nothing major—I might not need to trouble you at all." Zhang Fan’s tone softened.