Chapter 342: The thousand dao city 12.

Whether Mo Yuxin had bought too many swords. She insisted she had not. Su Yubing disagreed. The argument ended with Mo Yuxin buying her another pastry. That solved everything. Or so it seemed. When they reached the northern road, they looked up.

The towers of the major sects stood ahead. All of them were impressive. All except one that looked increasingly tired with each passing day. The Battle Maiden Sect branch remained quiet. Its disciples continued to train. Its gate remained open. Its red and silver banner moved gently in the wind. But the formation beneath it flickered again. Mo Yuxin stopped. Su Yubing looked at her.

"You see it."

"Yes."

Mo Yuxin’s eyes moved over the formation. The damage was hidden inside the outer shell. Someone had not broken the formation. Someone had inserted a flaw into it. A flaw that would slowly spread. Mo Yuxin did not like the design. Not because it was powerful. Because it was patient. Whoever had done this wanted the sect to weaken so slowly that no one would notice until it was too late. Su Yubing’s expression became serious.

"Someone is doing this on purpose."

Mo Yuxin nodded.

"Yes."

Before they could discuss it further, a man passing by noticed them looking toward the branch. He slowed down and shook his head.

"That sect is having a hard time."

Su Yubing looked toward the Battle Maiden Sect branch.

"Because of the investigations?"

The man shrugged.

"Among other things."

He looked at the damaged banner.

"They cannot even afford to repair their own formation anymore."

Mo Yuxin looked toward the Battle Maiden Sect branch. Her eyes moved over the formation lines. One layer. Then another. Then another. There. The damage was not natural. It was too clean. Too precise. Someone had deliberately weakened the formation without destroying it. Someone had wanted it to look old. Someone had wanted the sect to appear weaker than it really was. Mo Yuxin’s expression remained calm. She took Su Yubing’s hand. She said nothing.

Yet.

The next morning, the bells of Thousand Dao City began ringing before sunrise.

It was not the ordinary city bell that announced the opening of markets or the beginning of a new day. This sound was deeper and more formal. It rolled through the streets from the central district, passed over the floating pavilions, slipped between the towers, and reached even the quiet northern road where Mo Yuxin and Su Yubing had spent the previous evening. The sound carried a hint of spiritual pressure, not enough to frighten anyone, but enough to make every cultivator understand that something important was happening.

Su Yubing opened her eyes slowly.

She had been sleeping with her head against Mo Yuxin’s shoulder, and Mo Yuxin had somehow remained in almost the same position throughout the night. The room was still dark. A thin line of pale morning light had started to appear beyond the curtains, and the spiritual lamp beside the bed had automatically dimmed itself.

Su Yubing listened to the bell for a few moments.

"That sounds serious."

Mo Yuxin, who had been awake for a while, looked toward the window.

"It is the Ten Thousand Dao Assembly."

Su Yubing blinked and then remembered.

"Today?"

"Today."

"How did you know?"

"Someone mentioned it yesterday."

Su Yubing lifted her head and looked at her wife.

"You remembered?"

"I remember things you think I am not listening to."

"You were eating honey cakes when that merchant mentioned it."

"I can eat and listen at the same time."

Su Yubing smiled.

"Apparently you can do everything."

Mo Yuxin looked at her seriously.

"Not everything."

"What can you not do?"

Mo Yuxin thought for a moment.

"Leave you alone."

Su Yubing stared at her.

There was a brief silence.

Then she laughed and pushed lightly against Mo Yuxin’s chest.

"Get up."

"Why?"

"We need to get ready."

"I am ready."

"You are still lying in bed."

"That does not mean I am not ready."

Su Yubing shook her head and climbed out of bed.

Mo Yuxin watched her walk toward the wardrobe, then lazily followed.

It took them far longer than necessary to get dressed because Mo Yuxin kept finding excuses to stand close to Su Yubing. First she helped arrange Su Yubing’s hair. Then she adjusted a jade ornament that did not need adjusting. Then she decided the collar of Su Yubing’s outer robe was slightly crooked and fixed it even though it was not crooked at all.

Su Yubing finally caught her hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping."

"You have adjusted the same collar three times."

"It keeps becoming crooked."

"It is not crooked."

Mo Yuxin looked at it.

"Now it is perfect."

Su Yubing narrowed her eyes.

"You just wanted an excuse to touch me."

Mo Yuxin smiled.

"Yes."

Su Yubing’s face warmed slightly, but she did not pull away.

Instead, she straightened Mo Yuxin’s own robe, smoothed down a fold near her shoulder, and lightly tied back a loose strand of black hair.

"There."

Mo Yuxin looked at her reflection.

The dark blue robe suited her. The cut was simple, but she carried it with the kind of ease that made her look more like a wandering sword cultivator than a woman who had spent the morning fussing over her wife’s collar.

Su Yubing looked at her for a moment.

"You do look handsome."

Mo Yuxin immediately smiled.

"Say it again."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because you will be pleased with yourself all day."

"I already am."

Su Yubing laughed.

They left the inn after breakfast.

The streets of Thousand Dao City were already far busier than the previous days. Many cultivators were heading toward the central district, some riding spiritual carriages and others moving on foot. Sect disciples wore formal robes instead of their usual training clothes. Merchant representatives carried boxes filled with documents and jade slips. Even ordinary shopkeepers had put up banners welcoming the delegates.

Today was not a public festival, but it felt almost like one.

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TO BE CONTINUED.