Terry Tian smiled and said, "Milo, do me a favor—tell your father I'll be coming to propose the day after tomorrow. I hope he'll agree. What do you think?"
"You're finally going to propose?" Milo Ming grinned.
"Well, now that I'm back and nothing's holding me up, it's time to get this done, right? I'm way better than that black lump." Terry Tian laughed.
"That's true. No problem—I'll talk to my dad about it later." Milo Ming replied.
"That's more like it. When I marry your sister, you'll definitely get some benefits." Terry Tian laughed.
"Heh, thanks in advance." Milo Ming grinned, and the two walked out of the room smiling. After they left, Milo Ming muttered, "Annoying. Still wants me to speak up for him? In his dreams."
"What are you planning?" Liam Yang asked curiously.
"Obviously, I'm going to teach him a lesson. Watch me." Mira Ming said.
After Terry Tian left with a cheerful smile, everyone else dispersed. Just as Milo Ming was about to go find Mira Ming's father, Mira Ming showed up, smiling. "Hey there."
"Second Sis, why are you just getting back? Terry Tian was here earlier." Milo Ming said.
"Of course I know. And I also know you're planning to put in a good word for him, aren't you?" Mira Ming said with a smile.
Milo Ming glanced at Liam Yang, then pulled Mira Ming aside, leaving Liam to amuse himself.
"Second Sis, you're not seriously going to choose him, are you?" Milo Ming asked.
"That's right. So what?" Mira Ming replied.
"Just now, Terry Tian told me to let Dad know he'll be coming to propose the day after tomorrow." Milo Ming said.
Mira Ming sneered, "Him? In his dreams."
"Second Sis, what are you saying? He's got huge backing, and Terry Tian really likes you. Why would you pick that black lump instead?" Milo Ming asked.
"My business is none of yours. And don't tell Dad about this, or I'll lock you up right now." Mira Ming snorted.
Milo Ming didn't expect Mira Ming to react so strongly, but he'd promised Terry Tian, so he couldn't just do nothing. He kept silent and pretended not to care.
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Behave yourself, or I'll teach you a lesson." Mira Ming finished and walked off, calling to Liam Yang, "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Liam Yang asked curiously.
"Obviously, I'm taking you around to get familiar with the place. Otherwise, what if you get lost? In a few days, I won't have time to babysit you every day." Mira Ming said.
"Why not? What are you going to be doing?" Liam Yang asked, curious.
"Of course I've got things to do. Why do you care so much?" Mira Ming replied.
Liam Yang had no choice but to follow Mira Ming around as she wandered the area. Meanwhile, Milo Ming wasn't about to behave—he slipped into a secret chamber.
Inside the chamber, he found his father.
"What brings you here?" his father asked curiously.
"Dad, I need to tell you something. Terry Tian just came by." Milo Ming said.
"He came? Was he looking for your second sister?" his father asked.
"Yeah, but Second Sis wants to pick that black lump instead." Milo Ming said.
"Black lump? What's that supposed to mean?" his father asked, puzzled.
Milo Ming explained, and after listening, his father laughed. "So that's how it is. Now I get it."
"Dad, aren't you going to do something? Second Sis has a bright future. If she marries Terry Tian, our Demon Mask Sect will be even stronger." Milo Ming said.
"That depends on your second sister. My word alone won't do much." his father replied with a smile.
"Dad, can't you make the decision? She's your daughter, after all." Milo Ming said.
"Don't you know your sister's personality? Do you really want to push her to run away from home?" his father laughed.
"Well, maybe there's another way." Milo Ming said after thinking it over.
"Oh? What do you have in mind?" his father asked, curious.
"Set up a competition, make that black lump back down. Isn't that easy?" Milo Ming said.
"A competition? You want to hold a martial arts contest for marriage?" his father chuckled.
"Dad, can't you come up with a way to make things hard for him? You don't really want someone useless to be Second Sis's partner, do you?" Milo Ming said.
"That's true. In that case, I'll set up a competition. That way, it's fair for everyone." his father muttered after thinking it over.
Milo Ming nodded, feeling his plan had succeeded, and left with a grin.
After wandering with Liam Yang, Mira Ming left him behind, telling him not to wander off and to stay in the area.
So, Liam Yang was left with no choice but to wander around the Demon Mask Sect alone. "So boring. What is she up to, anyway? I need to find out."
Feeling bored, Liam Yang decided to see what Mira Ming was doing. He slipped away, disappearing in a flash. He was quite skilled with space techniques, able to hide in corners for short periods—though his power was limited, so he could only manage short distances. He followed Mira Ming to a pool, steam rising from its surface.
"What kind of pool is this?" Liam Yang muttered.
At that moment, Liam Yang was hidden in space. Mira Ming looked around, and seeing no one, took out a magical artifact from within herself. Instantly, a protective barrier formed, covering the pool.
"A protective barrier? What's she up to?" Liam Yang wondered suspiciously.
Mira Ming began to undo her clothes. When Liam Yang saw this, he realized she was about to take a bath.
But now Liam Yang couldn't leave—the artifact had enveloped the whole area.
"Stay calm, stay calm, don't get caught!" Liam Yang knew his time hiding in space was limited and hoped Mira Ming would finish her bath quickly. He waited quietly in midair.
He squeezed his eyes shut, pretending he saw nothing. Mira Ming soaked in the hot spring, sighing, "It's been ages since I came here. This time, I'm going to soak for days and nights."
When he heard 'days and nights', Liam Yang nearly fainted. He could only keep hidden for a quarter of an hour—after that, he'd definitely be exposed. The thought made his head ache.
Even with his eyes closed, he could hear the splashing water and Mira Ming's voice. Liam Yang could only pray, "Don't do this to me... I'm doomed."
Time ticked by. Mira Ming enjoyed herself, while Liam Yang grew more and more frustrated.
Liam Yang waited patiently until, after a quarter of an hour, he finally couldn't hold on. Suddenly, as Mira Ming was soaking in the water, a black shape fell from the air with a splash, sending water flying.
The splash startled Mira Ming. "Who is it?!" she shouted, then launched an attack at the black object.
Liam Yang was hit and cried out, "Ah!" He crawled out of the water, and when Mira Ming saw it was him, she was shocked. "You!"
Liam Yang was in so much pain that he accidentally opened his eyes, catching a glimpse of the meticulous Mira Ming.
"I—I didn't mean to, I didn't see anything!" Liam Yang quickly dove back into the water.
Mira Ming realized she wasn't wearing anything and screamed—louder than if she'd been seriously injured.
Liam Yang prayed she wouldn't get angry. After a while, things quieted down. He slowly opened his eyes and crawled out of the water. The protective barrier had been removed, and a furious woman glared at him from the poolside.
"Tell me, what did you see?" Mira Ming demanded.
"I—I didn't see anything," Liam Yang replied.
"Liar! Tell the truth." Mira Ming said.
Liam Yang sighed, "I really didn't see anything."
"Then I'll have to take action." Mira Ming began to get angry. Seeing her like this, Liam Yang quickly said, "Fine, fine, I saw everything! Either way, I'm dead."
"What? You saw everything?" Mira Ming was shocked and furious.
"I didn't mean to, really! I just wanted to see what you were up to, but you locked down the area and I couldn't get out, so I fell in." Liam Yang said, frustrated.
"Hmph, like you have any right to complain." Mira Ming said angrily.
"I really didn't mean it," Liam Yang said helplessly. Mira Ming looked ready to attack, so Liam Yang quickly added, "If you kill me, you'll have no partner left."
Mira Ming reluctantly stopped. "Fine, I'll let you off this time. But listen—no one else can ever know about this. If they do, I'll destroy your eyes and your soul."
"Okay," Liam Yang replied, though he thought to himself, "If I'd known, I'd have looked more. Who knew it would end like this?"
Unaware of Liam Yang's thoughts, Mira Ming cut her bath short and took him away.
But as soon as they returned to the Demon Mask Sect, her father called her over.
Her father said, "Xixi, I heard Terry Tian came by."
"Dad, did Milo Ming tell you?" Mira Ming asked.
"Yes, he's just looking out for you. I don't have much to say, but since you want to choose, I should at least have the right to set a challenge, shouldn't I?" her father said.
"Dad, what kind of challenge are you talking about?" Mira Ming asked helplessly.
"He'll be coming to propose the day after tomorrow. We need a way to shut him up, otherwise we can't just turn him down outright." her father said.
"How will you shut him up?" her father asked curiously.
"That's easy. The day after tomorrow, I'll set up a few trials. Whoever passes them can be your partner. How about that?" her father said.
"Will it be really hard? If you're just trying to make things difficult for my new partner, then forget it." Mira Ming said.
"It won't be. Don't worry." her father replied.
"Alright, I hope you'll help me, Dad. You know my personality." Mira Ming said.
"Don't worry, who else would I help if not you?" her father smiled. Mira Ming left, and seeing Liam Yang spacing out, she glared at him. "Hey, listen up. There's something happening the day after tomorrow. You'd better be careful."
"The day after tomorrow? What's going on?" Liam Yang asked, curious.
"You know Terry Tian, right? My dad decided you'll both take part in a trial the day after tomorrow. Whoever wins gets to be my partner. So you'd better do your best!" Mira Ming said.
"Uh, he's a Heavenly Dao expert. With my strength, you want me to compete with him?" Liam Yang asked, suspicious.
"Of course. What, are you scared? You weren't scared when you watched me bathe just now!" Mira Ming retorted.