Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 428 414: Dao Companion

"Liyuan, did you notice something?"

Pei Yuhang gazed down in confusion at the Dao Companion in his arms.

The gentle Ye Liyuan he knew rarely showed such open hostility toward anyone.

"I hate that Elder Huang. One look at her and you can tell she's a tramp! She was staring at Ah Han the entire time. It was infuriating."

Ye Liyuan grumbled, nuzzling deeper into Pei Yuhang's embrace. It was as if she were trying to rub her scent all over his white robes and mark her territory.

'She was staring at me the whole time…'

Pei Yuhang hadn't really noticed. After all, nearly every woman stared at him. He was already used to their invasive, scrutinizing gazes.

'Liyuan should be used to it by now, though.'

He remembered, decades ago, when he and Liyuan had first started to develop feelings for each other. Back then, when she was still just Junior Sister Ye, Liyuan had been a little jealousy-pot.

Senior and junior sisters from other residences were always finding excuses to take a stroll near the grotto where he and Liyuan cultivated.

In reality, it was just an excuse to catch a glimpse of—or even strike up a conversation with—the famous "Flower on the Cliff," Pei Yuhang.

Back then, Junior Sister Ye had been driven to distraction by that flock of seductive vixens trying to steal her man.

She was possessive, hissing like a cat guarding its food at every Female Cultivator who walked past.

Only after they became Dao Companions did Liyuan finally stop caring about the covetous gazes of the other Female Cultivators.

It wasn't that Ye Liyuan had grown numb to it; she simply understood that Ah Han's heart would always belong to her. No one could steal him away.

'Let those women look all they want. All they can do is drool. They'll never even get a taste!'

At this thought, Pei Yuhang pulled Liyuan a little tighter.

"Since you don't like that Elder Huang, then I don't like her either."

"Hmph... You weren't supposed to like her in the first place."

Ye Liyuan snuggled in the White-clothed Sword Immortal's arms, her face a picture of pure bliss.

...

...

After Lu Ruoxi stepped down from her position as an Elder, her Elder Pavilion on the top floor of the Dan Yun Pavilion should have, by rights, been given to the new Elder, Huang Wanshi.

But perhaps out of fondness for Lu Ruoxi and regret over her departure, Pavilion Master Fu Haixia never brought up the matter of her moving out.

Since the Pavilion Master said nothing, her subordinates naturally feigned ignorance. However, to preserve Elder Huang's dignity, the Dan Yun Pavilion prepared a new pavilion for her on the top floor.

TAP, TAP—

Huang Wanshi returned to her residence, rolling her sore neck.

A short, middle-aged man with a wrinkled face hurried to greet her.

"Wanshi, you've worked hard."

He diligently took Huang Wanshi's outer robe and arranged her shoes, as attentive as a manservant.

But he was, in fact, Huang Wanshi's Dao Companion, Pang Xiaoming.

Huang Wanshi, however, paid no mind to her Dao Companion's devotion, treating him with cold indifference.

When his Dao Companion ignored him, Pang Xiaoming let out a quiet sigh.

Once, he and Huang Wanshi had both been Outer Disciples.

He fell in love with Huang Wanshi during a mission, and so began his long courtship.

Unfortunately, Huang Wanshi always made excuses, saying she was "slow to warm up," "wary of relationships," or that they would "end up in a long-distance relationship." Despite frequently accepting the Spirit Stones and resources Pang Xiaoming gave her, she never returned his affections.

Later, through sheer effort, Pang Xiaoming managed to enter the Inner Sect of the Xuanyuan Dao Sect.

After becoming an Inner Sect Disciple, Pang Xiaoming's wealth and status soared. For a time, he was swarmed by pretty young women from the Outer Sect.

But Pang Xiaoming believed a man should see things through to the end, and he vowed to remain devoted to Huang Wanshi alone.

He continued to pursue Huang Wanshi, handing over nearly his entire monthly stipend of Spirit Stones earned from missions.

Fueled by the resources he poured into her, Huang Wanshi was finally able to break through and enter the Inner Sect as well.

Once she was in the Inner Sect, Huang Wanshi finally agreed to become Pang Xiaoming's Dao Companion.

But her acceptance came with a condition: she wanted to become an apprentice in the notoriously resource-intensive Dan Yun Pavilion, and Pang Xiaoming had to support her dream with all his might. Her logic was simple: if he didn't support her dream, he didn't love her.

How could Pang Xiaoming possibly refuse?

He all but abandoned his own cultivation path. Neglecting his personal progress, he threw all his time into earning Spirit Stones to support his Dao Companion's dream.

Fortunately, Huang Wanshi truly was talented in Alchemy. Just before Pang Xiaoming completely burned himself out, she finally made a breakthrough in her craft. Her career took off, and now, she had even risen to the position of Elder in the Dan Yun Pavilion.

Only...

In his youth, Pang Xiaoming had taken on one high-risk mission after another, hunting Demon Beasts to earn Spirit Stones. As a result, his body was now riddled with countless hidden injuries, and his Dao Foundation was severely damaged.

His once-decent talent for Cultivation had been wasted. Now, he would likely remain at the Early-stage Golden Core realm for the rest of his life.

With his lower Cultivation and limited lifespan, Pang Xiaoming had already begun to show his age, while Huang Wanshi remained as graceful and maturely beautiful as ever.

As a couple, one of them was now weathered and worn, while the other was radiant and glamorous.

It was as if... one person's success had been built by draining the very life from the other.

Pang Xiaoming, however, had no regrets. His Dao Companion was now his pride and joy.

He took a deep breath, poured a cup of hot tea, and walked into Huang Wanshi's study.

"Wanshi, have a cup of tea."

He offered it tentatively, only to be met with a sharp rebuke from Huang Wanshi.

"Did I say you could come in!"

"Get out!"

Huang Wanshi frowned, looking down condescendingly at Pang Xiaoming, whose back was now stooped from years of toil.

Her gaze swept over the wrinkles on Pang Xiaoming's face, and a wave of revulsion made her stomach clench.

'This decrepit man is actually my Dao Companion... It's sickening...'

Her mind instinctively drifted to the dashing White-clothed Sword Immortal she had encountered when leaving the Dan Yun Pavilion.

'Young, powerful, and handsome...'

'A prime specimen like him was actually snatched up by that woman, Lu Ruoxi, with her two massive burdens. How infuriating!'

'Sigh, if only he were my Dao Companion... At least then, showing him off would make every woman under heaven burn with envy.'

Watching the alluring blush spread across Huang Wanshi's well-preserved, pretty face, Pang Xiaoming was suddenly gripped by a terrible premonition.

He was self-aware enough to know that his own appearance and charm could never inspire such a look of infatuation on his Dao Companion's face.

Which could only mean...

"Um, Wanshi... did some man... talk to you just now outside?"

At his words, Huang Wanshi's gaze turned glacial.

"You're accusing me?"

Pang Xiaoming flinched, even taking a step back.

"My wife, I didn't..."

"Don't call me 'my wife'! Get out! Get out of my sight!"

Bitterness filled Pang Xiaoming's heart, but he still trudged out obediently.

'Sigh... They hadn't shared a bed in forty years. Huang Wanshi was disgusted by him, so they had always slept in separate rooms.'

'I had been thinking of begging my Dao Companion for a child... It's all my fault for opening my big mouth! Dammit!'

Pang Xiaoming's already stooped back seemed to hunch over even more, making him look like a large, upright tortoise...