The next morning, Xi Guxing returned from practicing swordsmanship on Yuxu Mountain. He was informed by the white crane of Fanjiang Residence that Shen Gurong had gone to Zhibai Hall early that morning to attend a lecture, carrying the Quiet Mind Sutra.
Xi Guxing was somewhat surprised. He had thought Shen Gurong's comment about attending the morning lecture yesterday was just a joke. He hadn't expected that this grown man would actually shamelessly mingle with a group of children for a morning lesson.
A chill ran down his spine. He put his sword back in his quarters and hurried to Zhibai Hall.
The usually lively Zhibai Hall was now deathly silent, with only the chirping of cicadas drifting from the depths of the forest.
Xi Guxing peeked through the window and saw Shen Gurong sitting cross-legged on a futon in the last row, his hand supporting his chin as he was half-asleep on his desk.
Because of his presence, all the disciples in Zhibai Hall sat upright, their expressions blank, their foreheads covered in cold sweat, as if afraid that if they moved even slightly, a raging flood would rush up from behind.
Xi Guxing: "..."
Is this even humane?
The disciples of Liren Peak are terrified of their sect leader, a fact Xi Guxing knows. Therefore, he rarely visits Zhibai Hall to add unnecessary pressure, which is detrimental to their cultivation and only breeds resentment.
But Shen Gurong, knowing everyone avoids him like the plague, brazenly barges in, seemingly hoping others will fear him—utterly wicked.
The elder giving the lecture is also sweating profusely, clearly intimidated by Shen Gurong, his lecture stumbling and faltering.
Elder: "Quietly concentrate, solidify the hundred meridians, solidify the spirit."
The disciple mechanically repeats: "Solidify the hundred meridians, solidify the spirit."
Elder: "..."
Xi Guxing: "..."
Mu Zhe is following the elder's instructions to solidify the hundred meridians and circulate his spiritual energy when he hears his master laughing wildly in his mind.
Ha, ha, ha!
Mu Zhe: "..."
He turned his head and bumped right into Shen Gurong's eyes, brimming with laughter.
Shen Gurong's silk veil was very thin, allowing a glimpse of his long, narrow, light-colored eyes. Having just woken up, the slightly drooping corners of his eyes were tinged with a hint of red, captivatingly beautiful.
Mu Zhe was stunned for a moment.
Shen Gurong lazily propped his head up, meeting Mu Zhe's gaze with a slight smile.
Mu Zhe immediately looked away, no longer looking at him.
Shen Gurong clicked his tongue, thinking that building a good relationship with the young protagonist was truly not easy.
A long and arduous road indeed.
Xi Guxing, who had witnessed everything from outside the window, twitched slightly, but seeing the disciples' unprecedented obedience, he didn't drag Shen Gurong out. He simply turned and left, leaving the disciples to continue their tumultuous affair.
The days dragged on endlessly for everyone. By the time morning lessons ended, all the disciples were drenched in sweat. They hurriedly bid farewell to the Holy Lord and elders and slipped away one after another.
Yu Xinghe was probably the only disciple unaffected by Shen Gurong. After class, he shyly ran to Shen Gurong's side, his face flushed, and asked, "Master, will you still accompany us to morning lessons from now on?"
Shen Gurong looked at him, resting his chin on his hand: "Do you want Master to come?"
Yu Xinghe nodded foolishly: "Mmm-hmm!"
The disciples who hadn't finished leaving: "..."
Tomorrow we'll expel this heartless, black-hearted little dumpling from the sect!
Can't you see your senior brothers are about to cry from fright?!
The black-hearted little dumpling had no idea that his usually doting senior brothers were secretly plotting how to torment him because of his words, and he was still beaming with undisguised joy.
Shen Gurong couldn't resist Yu Xinghe's charming smile and reached out to pat his bun. "Have you packed everything?"
Yu Xinghe nodded: "Yes, yes, Mu... Senior Brother's things have been moved back to the side courtyard."
Shen Gurong pinched his chubby cheek. "Good boy."
Yu Xinghe let him pinch him, bubbling with happiness.
Mu Zhe, not far away, slowly packed the books into a small cloth bag and tidied up Yu Xinghe's scattered calligraphy practice sheets on his desk. Having finished everything he could, he turned around and found Yu Xinghe still acting cute in front of Shen Gurong.
Mu Zhe's gaze was deep; he sat there silently, waiting for Yu Xinghe to act silly.
Yu Xinghe chattered on and on, noticing that his usually indifferent master showed no impatience whatsoever, his eyes filled with a gentle, spring-like warmth. He became even happier.
Seeing that most of the people from Zhibai Hall had left, Shen Gurong stood up and looked down at Yu Xinghe: "Going back?"
Yu Xinghe clapped his hands excitedly: "Going back, going back with Master!"
Shen Gurong's heart melted, and he picked him up.
Little Xinghe let out an "Ah," then his face turned red. He didn't dare hug Shen Gurong's neck, timidly reaching out his little hands to hook Shen Gurong's sash, looking incredibly obedient.
He said shyly, "Thank you, Master."
Shen Gurong thought, ah, so cute.
He hugged and rubbed him.
Shen Gurong carried Yu Xinghe ahead, while Mu Zhe trotted behind carrying two small cloth bags. The disciples who hadn't returned yet watched, thinking that the Holy Lord Shen truly disliked Junior Brother Mu Zhe, and was now trying to torment him again.
If Shen Gurong knew what they were thinking, he would definitely protest his innocence.
Knowing Yu Xinghe's jealous nature, he had already decided to treat both children equally, giving them both treats and sharing the punishments without any bias.
Upon leaving Zhibai Hall, Shen Gurong offered to hug Mu Zhe, but Mu Zhe flatly refused, his aloofness seemingly carrying invisible thorns.
Shen Gurong asked helplessly, "Is your leg healed?"
His mention of it only made things worse; Mu Zhe immediately recalled being pinched on the ankle and forcibly hugged by Shen Gurong yesterday, along with the mockery of his illiteracy, deepening his resistance.
Shen Gurong had no choice but to carry Yu Xinghe away.
Yu Xinghe, perched on Shen Gurong's shoulder, looked back, mouthing to Mu Zhe: "Master hugged me again!"
Mu Zhe remained silent.
The three returned to Fanjiang Residence. Shen Gurong placed Yu Xinghe at the entrance of the side courtyard and instructed, "Tell Master if you need anything."
Yu Xinghe looked up at Shen Gurong and said in a childish voice, "Okay."
Mu Zhe nodded slightly, waiting for the two to finish their pleasantries.
Shen Gurong knew Mu Zhe didn't want him to stay long, so he patted Yu Xinghe's head and turned to leave.
As soon as Shen Gurong left, Mu Zhe handed Yu Xinghe his small cloth bag and went back to his room.
Yu Xinghe was in a good mood and happily followed him in, chattering incessantly, "Master seems different than before! He hugged me several times today, and he smells especially nice."
Mu Zhe opened the book he had borrowed from the library, not even lifting his eyelids, ignoring him.
Yu Xinghe talked for a while, then noticed Mu Zhe's lack of interest and lowered his head somewhat dejectedly.
"Senior brother, I'm sorry," the little dumpling stammered. "Did I say something wrong?"
Mu Zhe, having already read the first page and found himself surrounded by unfamiliar characters, looked up at him calmly upon hearing this, and asked, "Why do you feel that way?"
Yu Xinghe whispered, "I think... I shouldn't have praised Master in front of you."
After all, Mu Zhe had suffered greatly under Shen Fengxue's tutelage. Although Yu Xinghe felt a pang of heartache every time he saw those scars, he could never truly empathize with Mu Zhe.
After all, that pain wasn't felt by him personally.
Yu Xinghe had become a disciple of Shen Feng Xue, the number one person in the Three Realms, and had always held this saintly master in high esteem and reverence. Even after being neglected for a year, his anticipation remained undiminished.
Any slight from Shen Gurong towards him instinctively drew the still inexperienced Yu Xinghe closer.
Mu Zhe paused for a moment before softly saying, "You're right, he's really good to you."
Yu Xinghe still wore a bitter expression, feeling he shouldn't have praised his master so much in front of Mu Zhe.
Putting himself in Mu Zhe's shoes, he knew Mu Zhe must be feeling terrible.
Seeing his dejected, tearful expression, Mu Zhe pondered for a long time, sighed inwardly, and said, "Do me a favor."
Yu Xinghe, already feeling guilty for his loose tongue, perked up at the suggestion: "Alright! Leave it to me! Xinghe can even hold a knife up and warm himself by the fire for you, Senior Brother!"
Mu Zhe glanced at him: "That's called going through fire and water. You'll be punished by copying that ten times when you get back."
Yu Xinghe wilted and timidly agreed.
Mu Zhe walked to the desk, picked up a brush, wrote a line, and casually handed it to Yu Xinghe, giving him something to do.
"Go ask Master what this sentence means."
Yu Xinghe patted his chest: "Okay!"
He hugged the paper and skipped off to the main courtyard.
Shen Gurong was holding a bamboo flute, pondering how to play it without making people wet themselves. Seeing Yu Xinghe approach, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yu Xinghe's face flushed red. He tiptoed and handed the paper to Shen Gurong, asking expectantly, "Master, what does this sentence mean?"
Shen Gurong glanced at it and raised an eyebrow slightly.
It was Mu Zhe's handwriting.
After a quick thought, Shen Gurong roughly guessed that Mu Zhe's stubborn nature was why he had sent Yu Xinghe to ask. Shen Gurong perked up slightly, feeling his chance to shine had arrived.
He read through the line of text, his face stiffening.
Yu Xinghe tilted his head.
Shen Gurong remained expressionless, thinking: Damn it, I recognize each character individually, but how come I can't understand them when they're put together?
What kind of celestial book is this? The Heart Sutra's secret techniques?
Shen Gurong frowned, his expression growing increasingly somber. Yu Xinghe, also somewhat frightened, cautiously asked, "Master?"
Shen Gurong took a deep breath, handed the paper back to Yu Xinghe, and feigned composure, saying, "Xinghe, these aren't things you should be learning at your age."
Yu Xinghe, thinking he'd stumbled upon some forbidden technique, turned pale with fright.
Seeing his fear, Shen Gurong softened his tone, squatted down, and patted Yu Xinghe's head gently, saying softly, "When Xinghe grows up a bit more, Master will teach you, okay?"
'Good boy, give Master some time to learn, and I'll teach you when I've learned as well.'
Yu Xinghe finally cheered up, clutching the paper and running off happily.
Shen Gurong immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, 'Finally, I've fooled you.' After returning, Yu Xinghe relayed Shen Gurong's words to Mu Zhe. Mu Zhe paused in copying the book, his brows furrowing slightly.
"But... this is just the beginner-level cultivation technique we learned today."
Yu Xinghe tilted his head: "Huh?"
Mu Zhe was silent for a moment, then suddenly couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Mu Zhe had been orphaned since childhood, receiving very little kindness, resulting in a cold and indifferent nature. He rarely laughed, and after being tormented by Shen Feng Xue for over a year, he hadn't laughed at all.
This was the first time.
Unlike his previous cold or mocking smiles towards Shen Gurong, Mu Zhe this time genuinely couldn't suppress his laughter. A smile spread across his glassy eyes, like ripples spreading across a deep pool.
This was the kind of laugh a child should have.
***
Liren Peak, Yuxu Mountain.
The higher they climbed, the stronger the wind and snow intensified. The elder trudged forward step by step, his black robes fluttering in the biting wind.
A layer of eerie blue protective energy surrounded him as he slowly made his way through the fierce, blizzard-swept winds, finally reaching the summit.
The elder bowed slightly, offering a respectful greeting to the deserted mountaintop.
"Nan Yangjun."
A gust of wind swept in, swirling the willow-fleck-like snowflakes before him. A few moments later, the snowflakes materialized into a man whose face was obscured.
The moment the man appeared, the howling snowstorm ceased instantly.
His imposing aura was so overwhelming that it forcibly dissipated the clouds in the sky, allowing rays of sunlight to stream down.
A chill ran through him as he coldly asked, "What is it?"
The elder knelt on one knee and nodded, saying, "The Holy Lord has come to Tibet seeking the Kunyu Map."
"Give it to him," Nan Yangjun said. "Give him whatever he wants; there's no need for him to come and ask me specifically."
The elder sensed the impatience in Nan Yangjun's words and lowered his head even further: "The Holy Lord was seriously injured in seclusion a few days ago. A few days after waking up, he came to inquire about the Kunyu Map, wanting to find… 'Huitang City'."
Nan Yangjun was suddenly startled.
After an unknown amount of time, he spoke again: "Send word to Xianyun City to prepare spiritual medicine. I will emerge from seclusion as soon as possible."
The elder: "Yes."
Looking up again, the wind and snow howled once more, instantly scattering the man's snow-formed body into countless willow catkins, drifting down.
So maybe there actualy is a Huitang city in that world then? 👀
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