Chapter 3135: Cattaleya’s Request Seeing Lin Mu eat, the Grand Elder Huo slapped his knee and roared with laughter. "Hah! Now that’s eating! A man who fights like a mountain collapsing should eat like one too!" Even Cattaleya, whose appetite was impressive by any standard, was left blinking in disbelief. She had been working her way through an entire boar leg glazed in honey-spice sauce, yet compared to Lin Mu’s pace, it seemed like a child nibbling on a snack. She finally gave in, stood up, and smacked Lin Mu’s back with a resounding thump. "This!" she declared, her voice loud enough to turn heads. "This is how a real man eats! If you were born in my clan, Lin Mu, you’d be the most popular man alive. I swear you’d have dozens of women fighting over you, each trying to cook your next meal." Lin Mu almost choked on a bun, coughing awkwardly. His ears reddened slightly. "That... uh... that’s not necessary." But Cattaleya wasn’t done. She leaned closer, narrowed her eyes, and let them drift around the banquet hall. She quickly noticed what Lin Mu had ignored: the female cultivators, young and old, sneaking glances at him, their eyes filled with admiration and a sparkle that was hard to mistake. Some were blushing, others whispering behind their sleeves. Cattaleya clicked her tongue. "Forget what I said. You don’t need my clan. You’ve already got more admirers than you know what to do with." Lin Mu gave an awkward chuckle and turned away, pretending not to notice. Just as he thought, Cattaleya wasn’t done though, the woman whispered once more. "Come meet me in the back gardens when you’re free. I’ve something to talk to you about in private." She stated before taking her leave. Lin Mu’s brows furrowed in confusion but he didn’t get to linger on it long, as someone pulled him into a conversation. After that ended, his gaze fell instead on Meng Bai, who was surrounded by a group of young female cultivators. The boy looked utterly flustered, scratching his cheek while trying to maintain polite conversation. Meanwhile, Daoist Chu stood nearby with his arms crossed, grinning proudly like a father watching his son take his first steps. "See that?" Daoist Chu said loudly enough for Lin Mu to hear. "Your disciple’s already learning from his master without even realizing it!" Lin Mu groaned quietly. "That’s not what I taught him." "Of course not. The master in this case is I, Daoist Chu!" He proclaimed. The laughter around him was enough to keep him from escaping any sooner. Everyone wanted a toast, everyone wanted a word. For hours he endured the flood of admiration and respect, smiling politely, his cup raised until he lost count of how many times he had drunk. If not for his body cultivation and his almost immunity to toxins that prevented him from getting drunk, Lin Mu might’ve already passed out. It was only much later, when the banquet had begun to mellow and many had moved to the front gardens to watch the musical performances, that Lin Mu managed to slip away. His steps carried him toward the quieter side of the mansion; the back gardens, where a small lake reflected the lantern light like a mirror. He paused briefly, wondering why Cattaleya had asked to meet him there in private. She had whispered her request earlier, her voice so uncharacteristically quiet that Lin Mu hadn’t quite known what to make of it. And then he saw her. She was seated on a large stone at the lake’s edge, her boots discarded beside her. Her bare feet dangled in the cool water, toes stirring ripples across the surface. A liquor pot dangled casually from one hand, her hair tumbling loose around her shoulders in the lantern glow. Without turning, she spoke. "Took you long enough." Lin Mu stepped closer, bowing his head slightly. "Sorry. It was... difficult to get away. Too many people wanted a word." Glugh~ Haaaah~ She tilted the pot to her lips, taking a long pull before exhaling. "That’s fine. I’ve got plenty of time." For a moment, silence stretched between them, broken only by the faint hum of music drifting from the distant banquet. The contrast between the noisy hall and the serene garden was stark, almost dreamlike. Lin Mu finally spoke. "What did you want to talk about?" Cattaleya leaned back on her hands, eyes half-lidded as she gazed at the stars above. "You." The single word hung heavy in the air. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢 Lin Mu frowned slightly, confused. "Me?" She turned her head then, her sharp amber eyes meeting his with a seriousness that was rare for her. "Yes. You." Lin Mu’s brows furrowed as he tried to parse Cattaleya’s words. When she had first said you, he had thought she was going to tease him about his appetite again, or perhaps laugh about the duel with the Grand Elder. Or perhaps even about having a spar with him, like Meng Bai had told him before. But the shift in her tone, the way her fangs peeked as she smiled with too much delight, made the hair on his neck prickle. Her question only added to the confusion. "You really don’t have any bloodline other than the beast bloodline you assimilated?" she asked, her amber eyes gleaming with an odd hunger. Lin Mu shook his head firmly. "No." Cattaleya tilted her head, watching him carefully. "No bloodline from some prestigious clan? No hidden inheritance tied to an ancient beast? No forgotten link to a guardian bloodline hidden in your ancestry?" Lin Mu exhaled slowly, his confusion deepening. "No. Nothing like that." His voice hardened just a fraction. "Why do you ask?" That was when she smiled... far too wide, enough that her fangs caught the moonlight. "Perfect," she whispered. Lin Mu blinked. ’Perfect?’ Something about that smile stirred an old unease in him. He had seen it before—on Lady Yeon, when her hunger for his potential had manifested in a way that threatened to turn to obsession.