With the Sect Master uttering those words, the matter concerning Caomiao Village was settled once and for all.
Master Shuiyue was wise enough not to contradict the Sect Master, knowing full well that any decision made publicly by him was immutable.
What did it matter if there was one more blind person?
It was no different from setting out an extra bowl and pair of chopsticks at mealtime—it hardly caused any trouble.
Upon bringing Zhang Yuan back to Xiaozhu Peak, Master Shuiyue did not treat him with indifference simply because he was blind. Instead, she attended to him attentively, ensuring his food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all taken care of, without demanding that he necessarily achieve anything in cultivation.
She assigned him a room directly opposite Lu Xueqi's.
Since the two of them were of the same age, they would surely have plenty of common topics to discuss.
With Lu Xueqi around to help look after him, she could feel much more at ease.
"Zhang Yuan, since your eyes cannot see, you should stay inside your room for now. This evening, I'll have your Senior Sister bring your meals over. As for other matters, we can talk about them once you gradually grow accustomed to the environment," Master Shuiyue said calmly.
"Understood."
Zhang Yuan nodded, a sense of gratitude welling up in his heart.
It was a fortunate thing that Xiaozhu Peak had taken him in.
Otherwise, in the world of Jade Dynasty, having no background or connections whatsoever would make it terribly difficult to get anything started.
Watching Master Shuiyue leave, Zhang Yuan closed the door eagerly. Having just awakened his Mind's Eye in Yuqing Hall, he hadn't yet had the chance to test it out! Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention to him, he intended to verify the abilities of his Mind's Eye right away.
At a thought from Zhang Yuan, a slight itching sensation arose in the subcutaneous tissue of his corneas, as if a third eye had opened. His Mind's Eye perspective pierced straight through the walls, revealing the bamboo forest outside. It was a vast sea of bamboo, rolling across the undulating mountain ranges like a giant eagle poised to take flight—a truly breathtaking sight.
His perspective extended further.
On Xiaozhu Peak, he saw female disciples engaged in cultivation.
Across the sea of bamboo, he saw a small bird laying eggs.
On the ground below, he saw ants crawling about.
How fascinating! And to think he was blind.
Though his physical eyes could no longer see, he had comprehended the Mind's Eye, which perceived things with far greater clarity than ordinary eyes. He wondered how it compared to the spiritual sense of cultivators.
After testing it out for a while, Zhang Yuan roughly figured out the characteristics of his Mind's Eye. Its maximum observation range was a radius of a hundred meters, and it also possessed functions such as perspective, magnification, and slow motion.
This already left him thoroughly satisfied.
If it could evolve further down the line into something like double pupils, that would be even better.
A short while later, having maintained his long-distance observation for too long, his mind grew somewhat fatigued, and he slowly reined his perspective back in.
Wait!
Was that Lu Xueqi? Just as he was about to withdraw his perspective entirely, a sudden impulse moved Zhang Yuan, and as if guided by some unseen force, he glanced into the room directly opposite his.
She was a woman beautiful to her very core.
Lu Xueqi sat cross-legged on a rush cushion, wearing a white dress. Her skin, akin to snow, was outrageously smooth and tender, setting off the white dress in a mutual radiance.
A long sword was strapped across her back, and her dark hair drifted without the aid of wind, bestowing upon her an otherworldly and ethereal grace. With her eyes tightly closed and her brows slightly furrowed, she seemed to be grappling with some difficult problem.
Below, a pair of full, rounded, fair legs lay bare in plain view.
Lu Xueqi had no inkling that a pair of eyes had appeared inside the room, gazing at her with burning intensity. Had she known, she might not have been able to maintain her composure during cultivation!
After pondering for a while without resolving the doubts in her heart, Lu Xueqi rose, left her room, and walked in the direction of Master Shuiyue's quarters.
As Lu Xueqi departed, Zhang Yuan withdrew his gaze as well; after all, he was no voyeuristic maniac—just feasting his eyes for a moment was quite enough.
Since he had already transmigrated into the world of Jade Dynasty, he had plenty of time to take care of Lu Xueqi on behalf of Zhang Xiaofan. *Ahem*... no, rather, to cultivate a deeply engraved, unforgettable romance.
Being exceptionally well-behaved, Zhang Yuan did not step outside the entire day.
After all, he was a rather lazy person who wouldn't go out unless absolutely necessary, and besides, how lonely it was to go out all by oneself!
If he had Lu Xueqi keeping him company, that would be a different story entirely.
Night quietly descended, the nocturnal scenery of the Jade Dynasty world resembling that of his past life in every way. Oh, right—except for the sea of bamboo right outside, whose stalks were said to be weeping bamboo, entirely different from the black-jointed bamboo of Dazhu Peak. He wondered what the difference actually was.
Eight o'clock in the evening.
It was more than an hour past mealtime. Zhang Yuan was so hungry his chest felt pressed against his back, and the stomach acid within felt as though it might pierce right through his belly—he was only a hair's breadth away from being a starving ghost!
Didn't Master Shuiyue say she would have Lu Xueqi bring dinner over?
Why hadn't she come yet?
Unable to bear the hunger any longer, Zhang Yuan straightened his clothes and prepared to go out in search of food. But the moment he reached the door, he caught sight of a slender figure approaching and hastily retreated back inside.
Lu Xueqi had finally arrived.
*Knock, knock, knock...*
A series of knocks sounded at the door.
"The door isn't locked, come in!"
Sitting on a stool, Zhang Yuan thought that he would soon see Lu Xueqi, and his heartbeat inexplicably quickened a fraction.
"You're the blind person Master mentioned?"
Carrying a food box, Lu Xueqi walked in. Her voice was ethereal and exceedingly pleasant to the ear, the kind that made one feel instantly at ease.
"My name is Zhang Yuan."
*Ahem*... "I'm sorry! Junior Brother Zhang, I already heard from Master; your eyes cannot see." Standing before Zhang Yuan, Lu Xueqi blushed slightly. Calling the junior brother she had just come to meet a "blind person" hardly seemed like a very polite thing to do.
With that, she took a step forward, stopping a mere thirty centimeters away from Zhang Yuan.
Stretching her neck out, she stared curiously at Zhang Yuan. His eyes were turbid, lacking even whites in the eyeballs, leaving them pitch black—completely unlike a normal person's.
Were these what a blind person's eyes looked like? They didn't seem particularly special.
Such were the thoughts running through Lu Xueqi's mind.
The refreshing fragrance of a young woman washed over him.
Zhang Yuan's heartbeat quickened a bit more. This was a fairy from an anime come to life, and now she was standing right in front of him. Moreover, wearing a low-cut long dress, she simply wasn't treating him like a human being at all!
Was she testing the bottom line of a blind man? Zhang Yuan finally understood the joy of being blind.
"Senior Sister, could you please not stand so close to me?"
"Aren't you unable to see?" Lu Xueqi replied with a nonchalant expression.
Fine then...
Hearing Lu Xueqi's words, what could Zhang Yuan possibly say? He reached out, feigning a clumsy fumble, before picking up his chopsticks and beginning to eat.
Lu Xueqi stared curiously at Zhang Yuan for a moment, quickly lost interest, and instead produced a manual—the *Taiji Xuanqing Dao*—and began to study it closely.
Master had just told her that the reason she had yet to break through her realm was because she hadn't fully grasped the *Taiji Xuanqing Dao*, and her understanding of it lacked sufficient depth.
If she simply read it a few more times, comprehended it slowly, accumulated enough insight for a breakthrough, and thoroughly understood the principles within, she would be able to advance.
Lu Xueqi began to read aloud in a soft voice.
Zhang Yuan ate while listening.
By the time he finished his meal, Lu Xueqi had just finished reading through the *Taiji Xuanqing Dao* once.
Recalling it slightly in his mind, Zhang Yuan discovered to his astonishment that he had managed to memorize the entire *Taiji Xuanqing Dao*, able to recite it forward or backward without a single flaw.
Truly worthy of Heaven-Defying Comprehension.
Having heard it just once, he could already recite it in reverse.
If he had possessed this skill in his past life, wouldn't Tsinghua and Peking University have been his for the choosing?
"Junior Brother Zhang, I'll head back first and bring you breakfast tomorrow morning. Also, my room is right next to yours; if you have any questions, just call for me." Packing up the bowls and chopsticks, Lu Xueqi departed immediately, her tone somewhat aloof.
Yet, upon second thought, it was entirely normal—who would show warmth and enthusiasm to a complete stranger, let alone a blind person?
"Alright, thank you, Senior Sister. If anything comes up, I'll call for you."
Zhang Yuan closed the door tightly, sat cross-legged on the bed, and reviewed the *Taiji Xuanqing Dao* in his mind once more. Ensuring there were no omissions whatsoever, a bold idea suddenly took root in his mind.
Shall I try cultivating it?