Shen Gurong scanned the trembling disciples, suppressing his delight, and asked, "Have you ever played 'hide-and-seek' in the mortal realm?"
Li Suo hurriedly replied, "Yes, but only when I was a child."
Shen Gurong said, "We'll do it again today—I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. After you've hidden, take out your Tranquility Talisman. If the talisman explodes and I catch you, you've failed."
Everyone: "..."
They'd never heard of a Tranquility class being tested like this!
Seeing them motionless, seemingly bewildered, Shen Gurong said with a half-smile, "The time it takes for an incense stick to burn."
Upon hearing this, Li Suo immediately led his men out.
Yu Xinghe tried to run after him, but Mu Zhe grabbed him, frowning. "We don't need to attend the meditation class."
Yu Xinghe's eyes lit up: "Playing hide-and-seek with Master, that'll be fun!"
Mu Zhe: "..."
Shen Gurong's mischievous laughter still echoed in his ears. Mu Zhe pursed his lips and added, "It might not be fun. Listen to me, don't go."
Yu Xinghe blinked: "But..."
At Yu Xinghe's age, it was the perfect time to play. Seeing that he wouldn't listen, Mu Zhe had no choice but to let go and let him go.
In just a few moments, only Shen Gurong and Mu Zhe, who was practicing calligraphy, remained in Zhibai Hall.
The carved wooden windows on both sides of Zhibai Hall opened, bamboo curtains hung down, and a breeze carrying the heat of the late summer solstice swept through the hall.
Shen Gurong wasn't in a hurry to search for the disciples hiding in various corners of Changying Mountain. Instead, he leisurely sat down on the futon next to Mu Zhe, a crane-feather cloak draped over his shoulders, his chin propped up, eyes slightly closed, looking somewhat drowsy.
Mu Zhe had initially been able to practice calligraphy without changing his expression, but half an hour had passed, and Shen Gurong, chin propped up, seemed to have fallen asleep. He finally couldn't resist, put down his brush, and softly said, "Master."
He had a feeling… Shen Gurong was playing tricks on them.
Shen Gurong responded vaguely, his voice slightly nasal from sleepiness: "What?"
His voice was a slightly alluring, deep tone. Mu Zhe felt a tickle in his ear. He awkwardly touched his earlobe and said, "It's been half an hour."
Shen Gurong was still sleepy, probably due to his lingering injuries. He mumbled, "Mmm."
After saying that, he closed his eyes again to sleep.
"Aren't you going to find them?" Mu Zhe asked.
He regretted his words immediately.
Shen Feng Xue was a man of great stature; everything he did had its reasons. Even if he was deliberately teasing someone, it was none of Mu Zhe's business.
Mu Zhe lowered his head, his face pale. Shen Feng Xue's gentleness these past few days had almost made him forget what kind of person he truly was.
Shen Gurong lazily opened his eyelashes, glanced at Mu Zhe, and suddenly said, "Are you afraid of me?"
Mu Zhe's hand trembled slightly, and he said in a hoarse voice, "I wouldn't dare."
Shen Gurong didn't say much, but answered his earlier question: "The meditation session requires two hours of meditation for the talisman to remain intact. It's only been half an hour, what's the rush?"
Mu Zhe was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Shen Gurong to answer such a presumptuous question.
Shen Gurong didn't notice his unusual expression and continued to close his eyes for a short rest.
Shen Gurong was naturally willful and reckless. His feigned indifference these past two days had been making him feel quite stifled. If Mu Zhe hadn't been there, he would have wanted to lie on the ground and roll around in frustration.
Once he relaxed, he took a three-hour nap in Zhibai Hall.
Mu Zhe's initial thought, "Is he really playing tricks on his senior brothers?', eventually turned to, 'He really is just having fun.'
Finally, remembering Li Suo's recent recovery from a serious illness, Mu Zhe mustered his courage and called out to Shen Gurong, "Master, Master?"
Shen Gurong, seemingly possessed by some unknown ability, had simply been sitting there resting, managing to remove the ice silk covering his eyes. When awakened, he mumbled something, then instinctively reached for the sash on his robe to cover his eyes.
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe's lips twitched slightly. He knelt forward, picked up the ice silk from the hem of his robe, and placed it in Shen Gurong's palm.
Shen Gurong then covered himself with the ice silk cloth, lazily asking, "What time is it?"
Mu Zhe replied with a troubled expression, "Three hours have passed."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Oh dear, it's already afternoon.
He stood up, mumbling, "Time for a nap."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe, unable to bear it any longer, took a deep breath and subtly reminded him, "Master, Senior Brother Li Suo and the others are still hiding in Changying Mountain."
Shen Gurong was still half-asleep, and only after Mu Zhe's reminder did he remember that he had been doing that despicable thing.
He wasn't flustered; he took out the jade marrow from his sleeve and went to find Xi Guxing.
Xi Guxing's voice quickly came from the jade marrow: "Are you going to die again?"
Shen Gurong yawned listlessly: "Bring Li Suo and the others here."
Xi Guxing: "What?"
"They hid in Changying Mountain for half a day; they should have passed the meditation lesson by now."
Xi Guxing: "..."
Xi Guxing roughly guessed Shen Gurong's teaching method. After a long silence, he said, "Shen Feng Xue, they're right to scold you. You really are a hypocrite."
Shen Gurong: "..."
I kindly substituted for your class, and you still scold people?
Half an hour later, Xi Guxing led a group of disciples, who were practically wilting under the scorching sun, into Zhibai Hall.
Changying Mountain was comparable to the end of summer; the midday heat was like being roasted alive. The disciples were so afraid of Shen Gurong that they didn't dare move after hiding. Because they were so focused, the meditation talisman between their brows remained intact for three hours.
All the disciples were so focused on their meditation that they seemed to have renounced worldly life. If Xi Guxing had arrived any later, most of the disciples on Liren Peak would probably have gone to cultivate Buddhism.
The disciples stood dejectedly back by their desks, hands slightly bowed, and bowed to Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong glanced at them and noticed that their fear of him seemed to have deepened.
Shen Gurong, finding a strange sense of amusement in seeing others fear him, smiled faintly: "Passed?"
Xi Guxing also gave a forced smile: "Everyone passed. It's all thanks to the Holy Lord's excellent teaching."
Shen Gurong said reservedly: "You flatter me."
Xi Guxing: "..."
All the disciples fell silent, even the usually cheerful Li Suo dared not utter a sound.
Xi Guxing waved his hand: "Disperse. If you fail the meditation class again next time, remember today's lesson from the Holy Lord Feng Xue."
Everyone shuddered again.
Li Suo bowed deeply, and the other disciples said in unison, "Thank you for your teachings, Holy Lord."
This lesson would be unforgettable.
After everyone left, Shen Gurong propped his chin up, his voice still slightly sleepy: "Senior brother, when is the next meditation class?"
Xi Guxing glanced at him irritably: "You want to tease them again? Have some conscience, Shen-shidi."
Shen Gurong's lips curled slightly: "But I can't recklessly use my spiritual power these days. Staying in Fanjiang Residence all day is too boring."
Xi Guxing glanced at Mu Zhe, who was tidying up calligraphy scrolls, his eyes filled with coldness.
Mu Zhe knew the sect leader disapproved of him. His face paled, and he quickened his pace.
He stood up, holding the calligraphy scrolls, and bowed.
Just as he was about to leave, Shen Gurong suddenly said, "Mu Zhe, stay."
Shen Gurong had been thinking of checking the map to confirm whether Huitang City actually existed in this world. Although he felt it was unlikely, Shen Gurong still thought it was better to be sure.
Otherwise, having a face so similar to his own, he always felt a strange unease and panic.
Shen Gurong only knew the general location of the Hidden Peak of Liren. Someone like him, who could get lost eight hundred streets in a row, definitely couldn't get there on his own.
After thinking it over, Shen Gurong decided to have Mu Zhe take him, and also find a reason to bridge the gap between their strained master-disciple relationship.
However, in Mu Zhe's eyes, every time Shen Feng Xue coldly said "Mu Zhe, stay," he would suffer hellish pain afterward.
Upon hearing these words, Mu Zhe's mind hadn't even processed them before his body instinctively trembled.
Xi Guxing caught the lingering fear in Mu Zhe's eyes and sneered, "No need to stay, leave."
Mu Zhe's face darkened further. His legs went weak, and he pursed his lips, saying "Yes," before turning and leaving.
After leaving Zhibai Hall, Mu Zhe recalled Shen Gurong's icy expression and felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
He stared at the blazing sun outside Zhibai Hall for a while before hesitantly trying to circulate his spiritual energy.
Shen Gurong's voice suddenly exploded, almost startling Mu Zhe.
Don't go!
Who will take me to hide if Mu Zhe leaves?!
That idiot Xi Guxing!
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe, already feeling conflicted, nearly choked on his own breath upon hearing this, his chest tightening.
Shen Gurong, completely unaware that the young protagonist had seen right through him, was still asking Xi Guxing about the morning classes.
Xi Guxing: "You never attended the morning classes at Liren Peak back then, and now you want to teach them? You're dreaming."
Shen Gurong chewed a few spirit berries and mumbled, "So, should I make up for it now?"
Xi Guxing: "..."
Xi Guxing looked at him with a complicated expression: "You're just trying to amuse yourself, aren't you?"
Shen Gurong remained silent.
Xi Guxing still couldn't get used to Shen Gurong's current temperament. He picked up a bamboo flute and tapped Shen Gurong's leg, coldly saying, "Sit up straight. No proper posture, is this how your master taught you?"
Shen Gurong, no longer bothered, simply half-slumped on the small desk, his long hair cascading down his back, looking drowsy: "But I'm tired."
Xi Guxing was extremely displeased with Shen Gurong's spineless, lazy appearance, saying with a forced smile, "I told you not to act cute with me."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong almost jumped up and cursed him. Speaking softly was considered acting cute?
Why didn't a bolt of lightning strike Xi Guxing dead?
Xi Guxing only felt familiarity after seeing Shen Gurong glare at him.
However, after realizing this, Xi Guxing's expression changed, inwardly cursing himself for being so shameless.
He wasn't even used to Shen-shidi being obedient; did he only feel satisfied when the two of them were constantly fighting?
Xi Guxing glanced at him, saying irritably, "Come to morning class if you want, just don't cause me any trouble."
He said, getting up to leave.
Shen Gurong said, "Thank you, Sect Leader..."
Xi Guxing turned back, his eyes filled with chilling killing intent.
Shen Gurong flinched, finishing with the last two words: "...Senior Brother."
Only then did Xi Guxing turn and leave.
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