"You're eyes, they linger."
Wu Tianmo looked down like a god among men, his body still radiating a faint red aura,
Ling'er met his gaze without hesitation,
"I dare not look away."
She said before thinking,
"For you may disappear before me."
Wu Tianmo raised an eyebrow, the boldness of this woman surprised him.
Her face flushed as the realization of what she said had struck her,
"I... I apologize Immortal. I don't know what came over me."
Wu Tianmo jumped down from the branch next to her and extended his hand.
She hesitated for a moment before taking it.
She grabbed his hand and with little effort he raised her from the ground,
"Jiang Ling'er"
He said calmly,
"Now that you have seen the hermit in Wu Clan Estate, what do you plan to do?"
Jiang Ling'er's face flushed even more, she was hoping he didn't remember that...
"Immortal I---"
Wu Tianmo raised his hand stopping her,
"I'm not an immortal, I'm simply one who chases immortality. I haven't shed my mortal body yet, our lives are only separated by strength."
Jiang Ling'er blinked in disbelief, she couldn't believe her ears,
Was this an Immortal being humble?
Every other cultivator she encountered along the river villages carried themselves domineeringly. Their presence alone crushed the pride of all the mortals beneath them.
Jiang Ling'er smiled,
"Then what should I call you? Patriarch?"
Her smile turned mischievous,
"Hermit?"
She was indeed bold, wanting to see how far she could push him. She was the kind of person that when given an inch, took a mile.
Wu Tianmo chuckled softly,
"You may call me Wu Tianmo, or Patriarch Wu."
Jiang Ling'er was bold, however she wasn't bold enough to call this cultivator by his name.
Still she etched his name in her heart.
A heart which beat faster with every word he spoke.
For many days she and her sisters watched him from afar, performing some kind of sword performance over and over again. She even wanted to try it herself!
Jiang Ling'er looked past him towards the training field,
"Patriarch Wu, what are you doing out there?"
She gestured towards the courtyard,
"You've been repeating the same sword dance for quite some time."
Wu Tianmo smirked,
"And how long has that been?"
It was generally taboo for others to observe a cultivators training methods.
Yet Wu Tianmo didn't care, even if others learned the sword dance they couldn't cultivate it without the accompanying cultivation technique or the Crimson Moon Flower.
Jiang Ling'er looked away nervously,
"Not... That long..."
She pointed a finger,
"What were you doing? Your moves were very enchanting."
Wu Tianmo,
"Knowing too much is a burden, Miss Jiang"
Jiang Ling'er was disappointed but didn't push the issue,
"You may call me Ling'er..."
Wu Tianmo nodded and began to look her up and down,
"Still... What to do with you, you trespassed onto my family's estate."
A bead of sweat dripped down Ling'er's neck, she was about to speak yet Wu Tianmo spoke further.
"Not only that, you secretly observed the Patriarch while he was cultivating in seclusion."
Ling'er started to realize the error in her and her sister's ideas.
Wu Tianmo snapped his finger and looked at Ling'er mischievously,
"There must be some sort of punishment or people will think that anyone can trespass with impunity."
Ling'er took a single step back, she noticed his gaze, thankfully it was not one of lust that most men had.
Before Ling'er could react, Wu Tianmo stepped forward and picked her up effortlessly.
A moment later she found herself slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Patriarch what are you doing!"
--
Wu Tianmo arrived back at the training field with Ling'er and let her gently down onto the stone floor.
Ling'er quickly looked around, realizing the worst hadn't happened. At least not yet. A woman in the cultivation world, a mortal woman at that, really had to be careful.
They indeed were too bold...
Ling'er looked at Wu Tianmo slightly aggrieved,
"What do you want..."
Wu Tianmo threw her a broom.
This caused Ling'er's eye to twitch.
Did he take her for a serving girl?
She was about to decline when she saw his imposing gaze upon her.
She sighed inwardly thinking to herself,
Could be worse.
Wu Tianmo saw her acceptance and ordered,
"Since you enjoy gazing at the Wu family estate, you must like it. Right?"
Ling'er felt this was a trap yet replied,
"Yes Patriarch Wu..."
Wu Tianmo smiled mischievously,
"Then you must want to see it in the best condition possible. You're job is to clean up the estate and maintain it while I finish my seclusion."
Ling'er smiled unknowingly then nodded,
"Yes Patriarch!"
Ling'er was quick to remove her outer elegant robes and lay them down on a nearby blackwood table. Underneath was a workers outfit, a tan tunic and pants. She kind of looked like a pirate.
This caught Wu Tianmo by surprise yet only for a moment, he could only think to himself,
Mortals are truly adaptable.
Wu Tianmo raised the blackwood wooden training sword in his hand and took a deep breath,
"This time, I will get to 251!"
He began his sword dance, which Ling'er was now able to view much closer.
She smiled, it truly was a beautiful sword dance.
She didn't dare stay idle, she had a job to do and wasn't one to shirk responsibilities.
---
1 Month Later
---
Ling'er was feasting on one of the fasting pills which were conveniently on the table of the training floor.
A whole mountain of them.
Generally these pills could last one a whole day in seclusion, yet Ling'er was a foodie and ate them like candy.
She was surprised, they were quite tasty.
She had been watching the Patriarch of the Wu clan for a full month now. Even her father had come to the gate of the manor but was not received.
Wu Tianmo was in a trance, a sword trance which he couldn't be woken from.
She was impressed and soon quickly grew to respect Wu Tianmo's determination. Every time he stumbled he restarted and the dance was more elegant than before.
She could also see a red aura enveloping him,
So this is cultivating? What is that on his forehead?
Seeing a cultivator was rare, for a mortal to see one while cultivating, it gave them a sense of longing. A strong desire, a greed for the life of a cultivator.
She sighed and made her way to the other pavilion, she might as well make herself useful. She was a mortal, dwelling on the impossible only brings pain.
---
1 Month Later
---
A large blast of red aura exploded from the training field, causing a red pillar to momentarily appear in the sky.
Ling'er who had already cleaned the whole estate by herself quickly rushed over to see the Wu Patriarch standing proudly.
His figure and aura was even more imposing than when she last saw him.
Wu Tianmo exhaled slowly as the crimson aura faded around him.
His eyes opened,
"I have broken through."