The Guide to Capturing a Black Lotus

100

"Me?"

Mu Yao had drunk a few more cups than usual today so her face was covered with a thin layer of redness. Her reactions were slower than normal and even her words seemed to have degraded a little. She was just a little embarrassed as she slowly opened her lips: "When I was young, my life was very boring."

"Before the sun had even come up, I would go out and train my skills. I would have to draw at least 10 talismans every day. Every month I would have to out and gain practical experience out in the world."

Mu Sheng lowered his eyes, not refuting nor flaring up. He merely listened calmly and it seemed like he was listening with all of his attention. Ling Miaomiao slowly turned her head to look at him.

"When I was young, my father was extremely strict. If I couldn't achieve his standards, I would be locked in a dark room for a while." She took a sip of her wine and lowered her eyelashes. She recalled the memories with a wisp of a smile: "Without my father's commands, no one could let me out. I was both cold and hungry and only she..."

Perhaps it was due to the effects of the alcohol, she didn't feel the urge to talk so urgently anymore. She paused for a moment before continuing with a complex expression: "She would curse at the people at the door, carrying food into the room and bringing them to me."

Her mental state seemed to loosen all of a sudden. It was as if she had suddenly smelled the scent of her youth. The fragrances of slow cooked pork chop congee and boiled eggs.

When that woman watched her eat the food, she would hug her while crying up a storm. It was almost like her crying could cause a natural phenomenon in the form of a rainstorm, drenching and messing up her clothes: "Who wants to be the clan leader of a demon hunter clan huh!? Yao'er won't be one! Why can't she just be married to a good man and that's it? She can live a nice, comfortable life that way..."

Ling Miaomiao truly could not suppress her curiosity, turning her head back around to ask softly: "Who was she?"

Mu Sheng paused for a moment before replying to her: "Bai Yirong."

Ling Miaomiao was astonished: "Madam
Rong?"

This whole time, Mu Yao had avoided this topic countless times as if she was trying to avoid a terrible scourge. She wasn't even willing to divulge a name, only using the pronoun 'her' to refer to her. Yet, in the end, this person was her birth mother.

"Mhm." Mu Yao heard her and smiled. The complex emotions continuously revolved within her mind as she thought of the name she had covered up for so many years:
"Madam Rong."

"Madam Rong was betrothed to my father at the age of 18."

That year they got married, the Mu family patriarch Mu Huaijiang and his wife Bai Jin had been married for six years. Yet, they were still childless.

As the result of two great clans connecting together in marriage, Bai Jin was the eldest firstborn daughter of the official wife. Her appearance was above the masses, her personality gentle and magnanimous. Her skills with spells was also amazing, making her a near perfect match with Mu Huaijiang.

The Bai family was a demon hunter clan that knew when to take a step back. How could they allow Mu Huaijiang to have no future children? However, how could they allow their son-in-law to marry an outsider?

How could they feel at ease doing so? Thus, after some discussion, they chose another girl from their family to send over. The one they chose was Bai Yirong, one of Bai Jin's concubine born cousins.

From head to toe, Bai Yirong could not compare in any way to Bai Jin. It was like the difference between heaven and earth. As one of the concubine's children, she had no resources given to her to train in spells. In addition, she was just like the average delicate lady raised in her chambers, never taking a single step out the door no matter how wide the door was. Her vision was short, her temperament was brutish, she liked decorating and dressing up and most importantly, she loved to fight for favor. Always jealous and bitter.