Mu Zhe used immense willpower to suppress his turbulent emotions. Expressionless, he recalled his disciple…Daoist Contract. Watching the vibrant red contract flutter down into his palm like a butterfly, he suddenly exerted force, gripping the contract tightly.
The contract shattered instantly. Mu Zhe lowered his trembling hand, using his wide sleeve to conceal the slight shaking. He coldly said, “Don’t follow me. I’m afraid my Daoist partner will misunderstand.”
Su Fangyi was startled, not yet reacting, when Mu Zhe strode away, instantly leaving them behind.
Miao Qingfeng caught up, seeing Su Fangyi’s dazed expression, and said, “He’s not speaking human language again?”
Su Fangyi murmured, “He really is a good man.”
Miao Qingfeng: “?”
Why did her feelings for him deepen?
The good-natured Mu Zhe walked expressionlessly along the riverbank. His Dao Companion Pact remained fixed in one direction, and Shen Gurong, seemingly obedient, waited for him in place, without moving an inch.
Mu Zhe's heart suddenly pounded violently.
His Dao Companion Pact…
And his obediently waiting master…
All of this made Mu Zhe's blood boil, as if the beautiful dream he had woven in his mind all these years had come true, making him want to rush to Shen Gurong's side in the next instant.
Mu Zhe walked quickly for a while, and finally saw Shen Gurong holding an umbrella and waiting for him on a riverbank.
Mu Zhe's heart pounded wildly, and he rushed over uncontrollably, his breathing unsteady.
"Master!"
He had just walked over when he heard Shen Gurong mutter to himself, "How am I supposed to tell Mu Zhe that I made a mistake in the disciple's contract? Saying it directly would be too embarrassing for Master."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe stumbled, almost falling to the ground.
Only then did Shen Gurong hear the noise. He turned slightly to look at him, a strand of white hair blowing in the wind before his eyes. He gently tucked it behind his ear, looking like an immortal.
When he saw Mu Zhe, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, and anyone could hear the joy in his voice: "Mu Zhe."
'You finally found me! You have no idea, just now there were so many ferocious beasts trying to devour me, but I scared them all away.'
He drew out the "so many" sound, making it sound exceptionally cute.
Mu Zhe froze, staring at him in a daze.
Shen Gurong tilted his head: "What's wrong?"
Mu Zhe's face was pale. He pursed his lips before whispering, "Nothing."
Nothing.
Mu Zhe suddenly felt a little ridiculous.
What kind of person was Shen Gurong? How could he possibly form a Daoist partnership with him without his knowledge? Given his absent-minded nature, it was perfectly normal for him to mistake a disciple's contract for a Daoist partnership.
Even knowing the Daoist partnership was strange, Mu Zhe still clung to a last sliver of hope, fantasizing that his arrogant and delusional heart could have a good ending.
However, Shen Gurong's casual remark completely plunged him into despair.
The more joy he had just felt, the more despair he felt now.
Fortunately, Mu Zhe had suffered too many setbacks with Shen Gurong over the years. Last night, he had even done what his master had refused. The current situation was merely a bucket of cold water poured on him.
Everything was back to square one.
But that accidental Daoist partnership had given Mu Zhe even greater hope once again. Mu Zhe calmly thought, "Even Heaven is on my side."
Otherwise, with so many disciples, why was it that he alone drew the wrong contract, becoming a Daoist partner?
Mu Zhe quickly composed himself, slowly stepped forward, and tried to embrace Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong stiffened, still unable to accept such intimate closeness. Just as he was about to reprimand him, Mu Zhe murmured, "There are too many ferocious beasts on the road. It was Mu Zhe's fault for keeping Master waiting."
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong immediately swallowed his rebuke.
Mu Zhe's unusually submissive tone made Shen Gurong feel, in a daze, like a cruel master exploiting his disciple. The child had gone through so much trouble to find this directionally challenged person, what more did he want?
Thinking this, Shen Gurong could only relax slightly, trying to maintain an adult's composure. He raised his hand and patted Mu Zhe's head, comforting him, "It's alright, I didn't wait long."
As he spoke, a sob escaped his lips: 'What did this child eat to grow so tall? Why is he even taller than Master?'
Mu Zhe: "..."
Then Mu Zhe felt his Master secretly tiptoe.
Mu Zhe: "..."
Pfft.
He almost burst out laughing.
After all these years, his Master hadn't changed at all.
Taking advantage of Shen Gurong's lack of resistance this time, Mu Zhe hugged him and took full advantage, finally pulling away before Shen Gurong could get angry.
Knowing when to advance and retreat is key to gaining more in the future.
The Gu Hong Secret Realm is a circle; no matter which way you go, you'll always return to the starting point. Mu Zhe randomly chose a direction and went with Shen Gurong to search for opportunities.
Opportunities are often accompanied by danger.
The entire Gu Hong Secret Realm was like flat ground for the two of them, but it also meant that opportunities were even harder to find.
The two walked side by side at a leisurely pace. Because of Shen Gurong's presence, the ferocious beasts around them didn't dare to approach. Jiu Xi had no use for its skills, so it could only run off to play happily, no longer following them.
With no one else to disturb them, Mu Zhe was happy to be free.
However, his happiness didn't last long, and his mood became somewhat gloomy.
Because Shen Gurong was probably bored, he began to mentally devise how to propose to Mu Zhe that they dissolve their Daoist partnership contract.
Shen Gurong pondered deeply: "How about we say that our senior brother, the headmaster, is unhappy with the contract we formed in private? We can dissolve it first, and then return to Liren Peak to hold a grand contract-forming ceremony before re-forming the disciple contract, how about that?"
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe thought to himself, no way.
Shen Gurong thought for a moment, then realized this method wouldn't work. Given his bad luck, his senior brothers who knew about it would likely expose it to Mu Zhe upon his return to Liren Peak.
He didn't want Mu Zhe to learn about his embarrassing affair from others.
Mu Zhe thought to himself, "I already know."
Shen Gurong racked his brains: "Or maybe I should get angry, say I'm going to expel him from the sect, break the disciple contract, then pretend I've calmed down and reinstate the contract?"
Mu Zhe: "..."
What was his master thinking about all day?
Perhaps Shen Gurong thought this method was feasible, so he started thinking about how to find the source of his anger.
Last night…
Shen Gurong blushed.
Last night was indeed the perfect opportunity to vent, but he had been easily fooled by Mu Zhe's words, and bringing it up again now would only make him seem pretentious.
Shen Gurong, not considering herself a sentimental person, reluctantly abandoned this best excuse.
"What about his cultivation level?!" Shen Gurong suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "He was already a Nascent Soul cultivator when he left, and after four years of training, he probably hasn't broken through. Otherwise, I would have been struck by lightning on Liren Peak long ago. Hmm, right, he's still a Nascent Soul cultivator. Let's use 'Heh, my disciple Shen Feng Xue, after four years of training, he hasn't made any progress at all. He's a disgrace to Liren Peak. Your senior brother is never this lazy.' as the excuse."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Shen Gurong was secretly pleased. After finalizing his reason and wording, he coughed and suddenly said, "Mu Zhe, your cultivation level over the years..."
Mu Zhe paused, then suddenly raised his hand and coldly unleashed a burst of spiritual energy towards a huge ferocious beast not far away. With a deafening roar, the only ferocious beast in the entire Gu Hong Secret Realm that didn't flee in disarray upon seeing Shen Gurong instantly turned to dust. Its Nascent Soul stage beast core lay in a pile of dust, faintly gleaming with a scarlet light.
Shen Gurong: "..."
Shen Gurong: "???"
The wind from the dissipation of the enormous beast swept Shen Gurong's long hair back. He stared blankly as Mu Zhe effortlessly reduced a Nascent Soul stage beast to dust with a single blow, the spiritual energy emanating from Mu Zhe's hand rushing towards him.
It was a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator, and a Great Perfection one at that.
Just one step away from catching up with him.
Shen Gurong was stunned, unable to react for a moment.
After a long while, he screamed, "Ah—"
'Wh-what's going on?!'
'W-Where did my huge Nascent Soul stage beast go?!'
He stared blankly at Mu Zhe, who picked up the beast core and casually wiped off the dust, his mind suddenly blank.
'Ah, that's good,' Shen Gurong thought expressionlessly, 'So he's already at the Divine Transformation Realm.'
After thinking this, despair returned.
'Wait a minute? Isn't the path from Nascent Soul to Deity Transformation supposed to involve forty-nine lightning tribulations? Why haven't I been struck by lightning in these past four years…?' At this moment, Shen Gurong suddenly remembered that four years ago, Xi Guxing had unwittingly stuffed him into a secluded cultivation cave on Yunian Mountain, a half-eaten almond pastry still clutched in his hand.
Xi Guxing said decisively, "You want to go into seclusion."
Shen Gurong asked blankly, "Huh? What seclusion? I don't want to."
He tried to leave the cave, but Xi Guxing grinned maliciously and pushed him back in, saying, "You do."
With that, he sealed the cave's protective barrier and left.
Shen Gurong had no choice but to go into seclusion.
Half a month later, he emerged from the cave.
However, upon exiting, the area outside the cave looked as if it had been struck by lightning; not a single snowflake had fallen, which startled Shen Gurong.
When pressed for details, Xi Guxing impatiently said, "There was a thunderstorm and torrential rain a few days ago, and almost all the flowers and plants in your yard died."
Upon hearing this, Shen Gurong didn't think much of it and hurried back to tend to his plants.
So, back then… Xi Guxing knew that Mu Zhe was about to undergo a tribulation and breakthrough, so he had him "forced" into seclusion beforehand?
Shen Gurong still had the mindset of a mortal and never actively used his cultivation level to probe others' cultivation levels. Therefore, since their reunion, he didn't know Mu Zhe's cultivation level.
Thinking back, he had naively thought that Mu Zhe was the least talented of Shen Feng Xue's disciples.
Shen Gurong's face began to redden again.
After retrieving the beast core, Mu Zhe's eyes darkened slightly, and he said softly, "Master, what were you trying to say just now?"
Shen Gurong shuddered and stammered, "N-nothing."
'I just wanted to mock your cultivation level, but I didn't expect that it would be my brain that was mocked in the end.'
Mu Zhe: "..."
Seeing his dejected and defeated appearance, Mu Zhe suppressed a laugh and handed him the beast core, saying, "Master, this is a Nascent Soul stage beast core, which can be used as material to craft spiritual artifacts."
Shen Gurong was taken aback: "For me?"
"Yes," Mu Zhe said, "Mu Zhe's things are Master's."
'Things.' Shen Gurong felt a little embarrassed.
He gently pushed the beast core away with a finger, feigning nonchalance, and said, "Since you hunted it, you should keep it yourself. I don't lack spiritual weapons."
Mu Zhe added, "...It can also be exchanged for tens of thousands of spirit stones."
Shen Gurong grabbed the beast core and stuffed it into his sleeve, saying, "Master will keep it for you and give it to you when you grow up."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Shen Gurong felt something was off about that statement. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that his mother always used this phrase to trick him out of his New Year's money when he received it from his uncle.
She said she'd give it to him when he grew up, but when he did, he never saw a single copper coin.
Shen Gurong suddenly felt the joy of being a parent. He coughed lightly, looking at Mu Zhe with loving eyes, and said, "You did very well."
"Master is very satisfied."
This was probably how his mother felt when she tricked him out of his New Year's money.
Joy.
Mu Zhe: "..."
The two continued forward, scaring away many ferocious beasts, but they didn't see even a glimpse of any opportunity.
Too bored, Shen Gurong relentlessly began thinking about how to break his Daoist bond with his disciple.
'How exactly should I get angry and legitimately expel Mu Zhe from the sect?' Shen Gurong fell into deep thought.
Finally, he gritted his teeth slightly, deciding to take the plunge, thinking, 'Maybe I should just let him 'offend' me one more time.'
Mu Zhe: "..."
His master, sometimes, was truly adorable when he acted foolishly.
Readers: "..."
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