"Don't act the fool with me, Fairy," said Patriarch Mu in a cold and demanding voice. "Your disciple, Tianfei, possesses no romantic feelings towards my son. Why?"

"Are feelings really that important, Patriarch Mu? Is it not enough for the children to be simply married to each other," asked Heaven Gazing Fairy.

"Perhaps an old shrew like you might not understand the importance of mutual feelings. I, however, find them to be very important." Patriarch Mu then levelled an accusatory gaze toward her. "Also, unlike you, I treat my people as actual people; not as mere commodities that can be traded away."

As a Sovereign, Patriarch Mu possessed the sharpest senses in the entire world. With such sharp senses, it was easy for him to identify and understand the intent in each word and action made by the Heaven Gazing Fairy.

And the truth? The Heaven Gazing Fairy was shockingly emotionless and inhumane. There was absolutely no depth or feeling behind any of her words or actions; this was the case even towards her own personal disciple.

As a person with an abundance of emotions, Patriarch Mu found such behaviour to be loathsome and questionable. It made him ask himself; if the Fairy was this uninterested towards her very own disciple then what guarantee was there that she would honor the alliance agreement between their two forces?

Even a traitorous liar can be trusted to feel something whenever they do something traitorous. This feeling might cause them to rethink or hesitate. However, should a person feel nothing at all, there would not be anything holding them back from changing their mind at the drop of a hat!

The Heaven Gazing Fairy was naturally aware of all these considerations from the instant that words left Patriarch Mu's lips. Knowing that there was nothing for her to hide, she honestly spoke. "Patriarch Mu is correct in his considerations. I admit. It is true that my heart has shrivelled and that my feelings towards others and all matters have near-entirely waned. However, you need not worry. I will not go back on my promises."

"How am I to trust someone who holds no meaning in the word 'trust' at all?" asked Patriarch Mu, sharply.

"You needn't trust me," answered Heaven Gazing Fairy. "You only need to trust the Heavens." Raising her hand, the Heaven Gazing Fairy stirred her powers and solemnly spoke. "I, the Heaven Gazing Fairy, Leader of the Heavenly Spirit Tower of the Heavenly Spirit Empire, do declare that I shall honour my promises towards World Sovereign Mu Wudi, given that he honours them first."

"This proclamation shall last till the end of time and will be guaranteed under the witness of the heavens!"

The sky above the Mu Household furiously crackled and thundered in response to her words. The agreement was thus set.

Following her promise, the stiffness in Patriarch Mu's face receded. He now looked at Heaven Gazing Fairy with a bit more appreciation in his eyes. After a while, he asked, "So, what is the deal with your disciple?"

The Heaven Gazing Fairy's words had proven that she had not played any nefarious tricks to muddy the relations between the two youngsters. And while it may come a little narcissistic, Patriarch Mu was certain that his son's charm wasn't any lesser than his own. Of course, he was also aware that his son wasn't as free-spirited (playboy) as his father but that only served to add to his overall appeal.

All of this made it hard for Patriarch Mu to believe that there existed a young woman in this world who hadn't fallen for his son. What was worse was that Feng Tianfei didn't even seem to possess the slightest intimate inclinations that females usually held towards males; not to mention, their partners.

Why was his daughter-in-law so strange?

At his question, the Heaven Gazing Fairy heaved a weary sigh. "My disciple is a strange one. She is intelligent, beautiful, obedient, proper, and loyal; all characteristics of an ideal woman. However, she is strange in the sense that she seems to hold an endless reverence towards 'Cultivation' in her heart." {AN: 'Cultivation here refers to 'Seeking the Dao.'}

"I do not know how this reverence came to be. However, it is rooted extremely stubbornly within her heart. Nothing can triumph that feeling." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Even her respect and awe towards me, her Sovereign Master, is shallow. I have no doubts that the day she surpasses me, she will forget everything about me and treat it like I never existed."

Patriarch Mu was completely speechless at the end of her explanation. He inwardly wondered what the odds were for such a person to exist; and for this exact person to be his daughter-in-law. "What a strange girl," he simply remarked.

The Heaven Gazing Fairy said nothing.

After a while, Patriarch Mu suddenly questioned, "What if my son is able to move her heart? Surely you are not against such a thing?"

"Not at all. I would be glad if this were to happen," replied the Heaven Gazing Fairy. "While I lack any strong feelings of attachment towards the girl, I would still find it a pity if she were to remain alone for all her life with no one by her side. Such loneliness is not something that can be borne by a human." Her words sounded strangely resonant; especially during that last sentence.

"Then I shall rest easy," said Patriarch Mu with a chuckle. He then stood up and said, "I thank you for gracing our household with your presence, Fairy. Rest assured, your disciple will be safe in our hands."

The Heaven Gazing Fairy also stood up and replied, "I have no reason to doubt the Mu Household's treatment of their family members. Such being the case, I have no worries over the well-being of my disciple."

"I shall take my leave now, Patriarch Mu." Heaven Gazing Fairy spoke her final words of etiquette and disappeared with a flash.

Left alone, Patriarch Mu stood stonily with a frozen expression on his face. His eyes remained glazed over as his mind recalled the final parting words left by the Heaven Gazing Fairy.

'I have no reason to doubt the Mu Household's treatment of their family members.'

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Collapsing onto the ground powerlessly, Patriarch Mu tearfully spoke a name. "Little Fairy..." An expression of immense pain and heartache appeared on his face.

Unknowingly, the Heaven Gazing Fairy's parting words left an irrevocable injury on Patriarch Mu's heart. Her polite words tore open the bandage that he had applied over his wounded heart; reminding him unceasingly of his greatest sin. Guilt consumed him like a ravenous beast.

Patriarch Mu became more and more powerless as he fell endlessly into a spiral of heartache and guilt. Energy furiously gushed out of him, wreaking terrible havoc in his surroundings. The foundation of his power perilously trembled as his heart was nearly overcome by a heart demon.

Just as Patriarch Mu was about to lose himself to his power, a figure suddenly appeared before him and gently kissed him on his forehead.

"Hush, my husband. Everything shall be alright," whispered the mysterious figure. At her whispers, Patriarch Mu's situation stabilized and he fell into a deep slumber.

Meanwhile, the mysterious figure gently scooped her husband off and ground and carried his sleeping self in her arms. A terrible frown overcame her peerless features. "The seal that I put over his heart has come undone. He is on the verge of being overcome by his inner demons."

Clicking her tongue, she continued, "This situation is far more serious than what I previously imagined. If this heart demon is not resolved, and readily at that, then there is a real chance that husband might lose himself and die." The mysterious woman felt her heart squeeze.

"No," she quickly shook her head. "It will not come to that. I will ensure that it never comes to that!" She resolved herself. A token suddenly appeared floating in the air before her.

"Summon everyone to gather at the Ancestral Hall. I have something very important to discuss." The token trembled for an instant before disappearing.

Gazing at her husband's face, the mysterious woman lightly kissed him on his lips and firmly declared, "Do not worry about anything, and sleep well. I shall take care of everything."

She then flashed away with Patriarch Mu in her arms.

---

Inside Yuelong's Personal Study.

The absolute beauty, Feng Tianfei, sat reclined on a leather chair with her long legs extended and stacked over each other above the table before her. Her pretty hands held onto a stack of papers which her enchanting eyes eagerly read.

Occasionally, her eyes widened in excitement causing her hands to cutely tremble. The entire scene was such that any living man would hopelessly fall for this gorgeous goddess of a woman.

Watching all of this with a nervous expression was Mu Yuelong, who sat opposite her. And unlike what one might expect of a young, hot-blooded man given this situation, Yuelong's eyes contained neither infatuation nor arousal. Instead, all that was present was anxiety and nervousness.

The awe-inspiring Son of the Heavens resembled a nervous school student awaiting the results of his written exam.

Time passed and Tianfei finally flipped over the final paper. Done with reading, she closed her eyes and carefully pondered about their contents. Minutes later, her soft eyelids trembled and a pair of soul-stirring golden eyes stared at Mu Yuelong. And much akin to an emperor passing his final verdict, she spoke. "Your research is certainly inspired."

Hope appeared within Yuelong's eyes as his fists balled in anticipation.

"However, it is nothing new. I'm sorry," Tianfei honestly voiced her opinion. "It is worth a few points and an equal number of citations. But it is far from the level of earning you accolades and recognition."

Yuelong's self deflated like a punctured balloon. A feeling of grim hopelessness radiated off of his figure. "So, you're telling me that there is not an ounce of Star-worthy results."

Tianfei shook her head. "Not a single word."

"You didn't have to say it so directly, you know?" Yuelong said, resentful.

"My apologies," Tianfei promptly apologized. She then corrected her expression by wearing a bright smile and a cheerful demeanour. Then, with an adorably sweet voice, she spoke. "Yuelong, your research is nowhere near the level expected of a Star! In fact, it makes me wonder whether you're a Star at all! But don't worry! I'm certain that you will do better next time! Good luck! Chu!~" She even blew a kiss at the end.

Yuelong looked at her with an exasperated expression. "You are a terrible person," he said.

Tianfei simply chuckled and did not retort.

Clutching his head, Yuelong keeled over and screamed with anguish. "Arrrghh!! What does 'Star-level' even mean!?"

"I don't know." Tianfei shrugged her shoulders. "Though, if I had to guess, it probably means something like 'opening a brand-new frontier in the exploration and understanding of the Paths, Heaven, and the Beyond!'"

She then paused her dramatic recital and said, "By the way, that is the official book description."

"How is that supposed to help me answer my question?" Yuelong asked, speechless.

Once again, Tianfei simply shrugged her shoulders. She then sat with an amused expression and quietly watched Yuelong tear his hair out of frustration. A moment later, she even grimaced at the absence of snacks to accompany her viewing.

Unbeknownst to the greater world, Feng Tianfei, the woman dubbed as the 'Goddess' and 'Most Ideal Woman to Marry,' was, in fact, a black-bellied demon who loved to watch the world burn. Moreover, she was even the type to add fuel to the fire to make it burn even more fiercely.

'Troublemaker', 'Chaos-incarnate', 'Cultivation Madwoman', 'Path Demon'... these were a few of the nicknames bestowed upon her by her fellow disciples and family members.

"Fantastic Ms. Feng," called Yuelong. This was the nickname that a young Tianfei had ordered a young Yuelong to call her by. While he had initially been unwilling, indignant, and embarrassed to call her as such, the years had long since beaten all such feelings out of him.

Now, Yuelong was happy to address her as such; ecstatic even. Every time he addressed her as such, Tianfei willingly helped him with his troubles.

"Fantastic Ms. Feng," repeated Yuelong, seeing as to how she intentionally ignored him the first time. "Please guide me. What am I to do? The Paths Symposium is merely six months away and the one that I showed you now was my best work. At this rate, I will have nothing to show for all my years of research!"

"Oh my, that is very bad," Tianfei eventually frowned, her demeanour growing serious. She then gave the research in her hand another look and said, "Normally, just a level of research would earn you praise given your age and rank. However, you are not a normal person. You are the illustrious Son of the Heavens."

"I'm afraid, the expectations that the scholars of the world have placed upon you are enormous. Showcasing this," she gestured to the research, "will only result in you getting laughed off the stage."

Yuelong heavily sighed. He felt the unbearable burden on his shoulder grow even more wearisome.

"You need to come up with something better. And it has to be amazing," said Tianfei. "It has to be something that will cause everyone to go completely speechless and red with excitement."

"Why?" asked Yuelong, startled. As if his task wasn't already difficult enough. Why was this girl adding even more difficulty to his quest?

At his question, Tianfei suddenly became silent. A minute of silence later, she spoke with a low voice. "There have been rumours floating around the Tower recently that someone has submitted a 'Star-worthy' research paper for private evaluation. And they are true. My Master is one of the evaluators."

"And!?" Yuelong asked, his voice brimming with impatience and anxiety. "Is it 'Star-worthy!?'"

Tianfei simply replied. "My Master's exact words upon reading the paper were, 'To think a person would possess the genius of a Star but not its fate. Extraordinary work!'"

Yuelong felt the world around him crumble. He felt suffocated.

Tianfei's Master's words were extremely clear; that mystery work was definitely Star-worthy!

Tianfei gently reached out with her hand and patted the despairing Yuelong's shoulders. In a kind tone that failed to hide her amusement, she cheered. "Work hard. Otherwise, your entire reputation will be buried in the upcoming conference." She then leapt to her feet and disappeared from the study.

Meanwhile, left all alone, Yuelong began imagining terrible scenarios. And the absolute worst one was this; disappointing everyone that believed in him.

Yuelong believed that death was a better outcome as compared to that.