It was precisely because, deep in her heart, Dan'er held a man who occupied every corner of her heart, that she could never allow the shadow of any other man to enter it.
Even if he were the greatest genius in the world, even if he possessed a hundred kinds of virtues, in Dan'er's eyes, such a person would be nothing more than an insignificant passerby.
That man was her heaven and earth, her entire world, the source of all her happiness.
The feelings between a man and a woman were truly that wondrous.
And Dan'er was precisely that kind of person.
Once she fell in love, she could never extricate herself — no matter how much hardship it cost, she would never harbor a shred of regret.
In Dan'er's heart, this man was a forbidden zone that could never be touched.
She would never allow anyone to speak a single ill word about him.
The reason she had never mentioned him to anyone was that she didn't want to hear even one negative remark about him from someone else's lips.
Everything Dan'er had done was a choice she made willingly, of her own volition. She was even carrying his child in her womb, and he likely had no idea.
If he truly were the kind of man who abandoned a woman after seducing her, then when she had first revealed her feelings to him, he could have taken advantage of the situation.
But he hadn't done that. This proved that he was an honest gentleman — something Dan'er had never once doubted.
Cuier saw that her young miss was so angry and didn't know what to do. She lowered her head and stammered, "Miss, Cuier was wrong again. Please don't be angry, alright?"
When Dan'er didn't respond, the little maid's tears started falling in a stream. "Miss, if you're angry with me, you can hit me or scold me — just please don't bottle up your feelings. His Majesty said that the knot in your heart is too deep and your worries too heavy for you to keep brooding alone. If you do, it will be bad for your health."
Cuier spoke through her tears.
Dan'er let out a soft sigh. "Cuier, you don't know him, so you wronged him — I won't blame you for that. However, this is the last time."
Cuier nodded hurriedly. "It won't happen again, I promise. If Cuier ever speaks nonsense again, Miss can pull out my tongue."
"Am I really that fierce?" Dan'er didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Cuier broke into a tearful smile. "Miss isn't fierce at all. Miss is very good to Cuier. Cuier doesn't know how happy she is to have been chosen by His Majesty to serve Miss. Miss, please don't be angry with Cuier. If His Majesty thinks I'm not serving you well enough, Cuier will have to leave. Cuier doesn't want to leave Peacock Sacred Mountain."
At Peacock Sacred Mountain, even a maid was a maid of the highest caliber.
Cuier's entire family had risen in status along with her — one person achieves the Dao, and even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.
If Cuier were expelled from Peacock Sacred Mountain, her family would likely be sent straight back to where they started. That was the power of Peacock Sacred Mountain. Even as a maid, the invisible influence one wielded was beyond estimation.
"Little girl, where has your mind wandered to? I wouldn't bear to let you go either. Without your constant chattering by my ear, I'd actually feel a bit out of sorts."
Dan'er would never truly grow angry at a straightforward little maid. Seeing the nervous look on the girl's face, she offered a few words of comfort.
"All right, Cuier, tell me — what exactly happened with that pill battle?"
Cuier brightened up immediately at the topic, her gossipy nature resurfacing as she launched into a vivid account, speaking with all the dramatic flair she could muster.
Dan'er had been living at Peacock Sacred Mountain, and though she hadn't been qualified to witness the battle firsthand, she had picked up plenty of secondhand information.
News that circulated within Peacock Sacred Mountain was naturally far more reliable than what reached the outside world.
She recounted everything she had heard to Miss Dan'er in full.
"So His Majesty truly has a discerning eye for talent. Out of all the genius Pill Kings on Peacock Sacred Mountain, he didn't use a single one — instead, he chose an outside, young Pill King. I imagine that when His Majesty made this decision, everyone must have been unable to understand it, perhaps even questioning his judgment?" Dan'er sighed.
"Miss, you're truly prescient. After His Majesty made the decision, there really were a lot of doubts within Peacock Sacred Mountain. I heard that among the Four Great Sovereigns, apart from Sovereign Yunzhong, the other three all had their suspicions — to say nothing of the other Great Emperors in Glazed King City." Cuier spoke with great animation.
"Reality has proven that His Majesty is still His Majesty. In Glazed King City, only His Majesty stands at the highest point and sees the farthest. Everyone else is always a step behind him — or even ten steps, a hundred steps." When Dan'er spoke of the Peacock Great Emperor, her words were filled with admiration, much like a daughter speaking of her great father, with a hint of pride in her tone.
"Heh heh, no wonder His Majesty dotes on Miss so much. With all the people on Peacock Sacred Mountain, it turns out Miss is the one who truly understands His Majesty." Cuier marveled.
"I'm hardly worthy of being His Majesty's confidant. It's only that when His Majesty occasionally converses with me, I can glean something of his thoughts from his words."
Dan'er was perceptive by nature, and she knew that at the Peacock Great Emperor's level, his thoughts and considerations were far beyond what ordinary people could comprehend.
His decision to deploy this unknown Pill King Zhen was a perfect illustration. Deploying a nameless junior required tremendous courage and resolve.
If this battle ended in failure, all the criticisms and censure would never fall on that Pill King Zhen — they would fall squarely on His Majesty the Peacock Great Emperor.