Yi Ling called out several times, but Cang Yu gave no response, remaining sound asleep on the bed.
Sighing, Yi Ling walked over, sat at the edge of the bed, and tucked him in carefully.
The midnight moonlight passed through the window lattice, casting a soft glow over the young man’s youthful face. Yi Ling gazed quietly at him, his thoughts drifting back to the time they first met in his past life.
Back then, Cang Yu had just fought with Luo Xingzhou. The commotion was so grand that Lu Yufeng frantically called Yi Ling out to mediate.
The Cang Yu that Yi Ling saw had anger still lingering in his eyes. Wearing tattered clothes and a straw hat, his hair was an unsightly mess, and his face was smeared with dirt.
He looked just like a beggar who had accidentally wandered into Lingxiao Palace.
Yet those water-blue eyes were crystal clear and bright, striking straight into Yi Ling’s sea of consciousness. Almost at first sight, Yi Ling felt that any disciple he took in the future must have eyes like those.
Unfortunately, Cang Yu had struck out to harm someone in public, breaking several of Luo Xingzhou’s ribs. By rights, Cang Yu should have been expelled from Lingxiao Palace.
Yi Ling had never initially considered taking Luo Xingzhou as a disciple, but Cang Yu had struck so ruthlessly that Luo Xingzhou was on the verge of breathing his last. A cultivator suffering severe injuries inside Lingxiao Palace was a serious matter; forced by the situation, Yi Ling could only accept Luo Xingzhou into his lineage.
Although Cang Yu shed tears at the time, explaining that Luo Xingzhou had spoken insolently and insulted Yi Ling, causing him to react, Yi Ling had not heard it himself. He did not know Cang Yu well and could not tell if it was a fabricated lie. If Cang Yu had been able to offer a single piece of proof to earn his trust back then, Yi Ling would have accepted him as a disciple even at the risk of being nagged by Lu Yufeng for a whole month.
Regrettably, there were no “ifs” in reality.
Fortunately, Yi Ling was granted a second chance at life.
A soft murmur pulled Yi Ling back from his thoughts. Focusing his divine sense, he saw Cang Yu breaking out in a cold sweat with a pained expression, as though trapped in a nightmare: “Don’t, don’t come over…”
Not knowing what Cang Yu was dreaming about, Yi Ling immediately formed the Heart-Clearing Spell and pressed it onto Cang Yu’s brow. Seeing Cang Yu’s furrowed eyebrows gradually relax, Yi Ling was about to withdraw his hand when Cang Yu suddenly grabbed it.
In his sleep, Cang Yu unconsciously rubbed his face gently against Yi Ling’s palm, a soft smile appearing at the corners of his mouth as he murmured softly: “Master…”
The soft touch against his palm caused Yi Ling’s heart to skip a beat. He froze in place for a moment, ultimately deciding not to pull his hand back. Instead, he removed his shoes and socks and lay down on the bed beside him.
Under such circumstances, cultivation was out of the question anyway. It was better to stay beside Cang Yu to prevent him from suffering another nightmare.
Cang Yu had not enjoyed a good night’s sleep in a long time.
Although he dreamed of being hunted in the Demonic Realm, Yi Ling had surprisingly appeared, staying by his side to slay all those demonic cultivators.
Cang Yu naturally knew it was just a dream, but his Master was so gentle toward him in the dream, never growing angry no matter how tightly Cang Yu held him. Thus, Cang Yu was more than happy to remain in the dream.
Only after he felt he had held him enough did Cang Yu lazily open his eyes. Catching sight of Yi Ling’s face right before him, he thought he was trapped in a dream within a dream.
Huh? How could Master be…
Yet Yi Ling’s calm, warm breath fluttered against his neck, making him realize this was no dream.
His mind went blank for a second, after which he sprang right up from the bed, blurting out in shock: “Master?!”
A sudden loud cry rang in Yi Ling’s ear. Opening his eyes, a momentary daze crossed his face before he restored his composure. It was only when he saw Cang Yu’s thoroughly startled expression that Yi Ling realized he had actually fallen asleep.
He checked the time. It was still early enough to send Cang Yu to the Shangqing Academy.
Without paying attention to Cang Yu, who remained speechless beside him, Yi Ling turned over, stepped off the bed, and straightened his clothes.
“I, this disciple, I don’t know why I woke up here…” Cang Yu surveyed his surroundings, realizing a far more serious problem. He had thought that perhaps Master was worried about him and came to sleep in his room, but he had not expected that he had actually climbed onto Master’s bed.
Cang Yu thought to himself: Goodness, what on earth have I done?!
What kind of disciple ends up sleeping in their Master’s bed? Yi Ling was probably going to punish him severely this time. Cang Yu felt like crying without tears.
Yi Ling said calmly: “You merely suffered a nightmare last night. Do not pay it any mind.”
He raised his hand, cast a Cleansing Spell over Cang Yu, and handed him a set of new clothes.
Huh? He wasn’t angry at all?
Cang Yu was deeply shocked. Taking the clothes, he paused: “Do I not need to wear the disciple uniform?”
Yi Ling frowned slightly: “The disciple uniform does not suit you, and I do not like it. You are my personal disciple; no one will dare say anything even if you do not wear it.”
Well… Cang Yu looked at the brand-new robes in his hands, wondering where Master had obtained them. After all, he and Yi Ling had different builds, yet the clothes fit perfectly, so they were definitely not robes Yi Ling had never worn.
Still, he did not want to dwell on it too much. How many people in this world could have Yi Ling personally prepare clothes for them? Since he was the one benefiting, why overthink it?
While Cang Yu was changing, Yi Ling retrieved the white jade hairpin Cang Yu had taken off before sleeping from the side hall. He then gestured to Cang Yu, who was adjusting his look in front of a bronze mirror.
Seeing Cang Yu approach with messy hair, Yi Ling raised an eyebrow: “Your sleeping posture is terrible.”
Cang Yu stood speechless. Remembering how he had held onto Yi Ling tightly in his dream without letting go, he averted his gaze guiltily.
In truth, his sleeping posture wasn’t bad at all, really.
Yi Ling pulled out a jade comb to fix his hair. Startled, Cang Yu stammered: “No, there is no need… Should I do it myself?”
Saying so, he reached out to take the jade comb, but Yi Ling dodged his hand.
“Do you know how?” Remembering that Cang Yu looked unkempt every time they met, Yi Ling had long concluded that Cang Yu did not know how to groom himself. “This jade comb is very expensive for you; it costs one hundred thousand spiritual stones.”
Cang Yu jerked his hand back instantly. What kind of jade comb was worth more than his entire net worth from his past life?!
He could only sit obediently before Yi Ling, feeling the teeth of the comb slide through his hair, the tips of his ears turning red enough to bleed.
He wondered whether Master truly understood what it meant to tie someone else’s hair. Hopefully, he had only done this for him. Otherwise, with Yi Ling’s immortal-like looks and immense wealth, ladies would probably come knocking on his door directly with their dowries.
At Shangqing Academy.
Perhaps because the new Disciple Recruitment Ceremony had just concluded, many disciples were standing in front of Shangqing Academy, holding their Spiritual Aura Scrolls, tapping them against one another as they giggled and played in a crowd. The noisy chatter added a touch of vitality to a place that was usually quiet.
The disciples entering Shangqing Academy to study were all in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Stages, so there were no major differences in cultivation levels among them.
A certain disciple who had just added someone on the Immortal Affinity Register happened to catch sight of two figures walking over from afar. Shock and excitement flashed in his eyes as he yelled: “Everyone, look! Elder Yi came in person!”
The surrounding disciples moved upon hearing the shout, crowding together around Yi Ling until he was completely surrounded.
Most of them were outer disciples who usually lived at the Water Curtain Pavilion in the disciple quarters, rarely having the chance to see their own elders.
Although today was the day new disciples reported to Shangqing Academy, none of the elders generally bothered to send their disciples over, even if they were personal disciples.
With glowing eyes, the disciples raised their Spiritual Aura Scrolls high, shoving them toward Yi Ling.
“Elder, please stamp my scroll!”
“I got here first, stamp mine first!”
“Why are you cutting in line? Don’t push me!”
Finding himself suddenly surrounded by a group of youths, Yi Ling’s expression went blank for a moment before he quickly realized what was happening.
Each disciple’s Spiritual Aura Scroll had five grey marks corresponding to the Sect Master and four Elders of Lingxiao Palace. When Lu Yufeng introduced it to Yi Ling back then, he mentioned that whenever an elder used spiritual energy to stamp their personal seal on the scroll, the corresponding mark would light up. The more marks one lit up, the more “famous” their Immortal Affinity Register would become.
Aside from adding friends by tapping scrolls together, the Immortal Affinity Register could also recommend “immortal friends” by sensing nearby scrolls. Being “famous” meant the chances of being recommended were greatly increased.
Although Lu Yufeng’s original intention was to encourage interaction between elders and disciples, the disciples of Lingxiao Palace had long treated these marks as symbols of status, begging the elders for their seals almost fanatically.
In his previous life, Yi Ling rarely used the Spiritual Aura Scroll, so the disciples refrained from asking him for his seal. However, in this life, he had added Cang Yu to his register, and due to his elder “privileges,” everyone who received a scroll learned about it, so…
Yi Ling had always found such matters troublesome. On any other day, he would never have agreed. Today, however, looking at Cang Yu, whom he had dressed so neatly, put him in an exceptionally good mood, so he willingly raised his hand and stamped every single scroll.
The disciples who received their marks hopped around excitedly, showing off everywhere, which led to even more disciples crowding toward Yi Ling. No one noticed Cang Yu, who had been pushed to the side.
Cang Yu stared gloomily at Yi Ling, the resentment around him almost taking physical form. Yet Yi Ling was surrounded by so many disciples that he didn’t spare a single glance for him.
Looking at this crowd of troublesome disciples, Cang Yu could only grit his teeth and console himself.
It doesn’t matter. So what if they get a personal seal? I will always be Yi Ling’s only personal disciple. How could these random people compete with me?
Still, many disciples felt the hostility emanating from Cang Yu in the corner. Feeling a chill run down their spines, they did not dare crowd around any further.
Once they had all dispersed, Cang Yu quickly walked to Yi Ling’s side, pulling on his sleeve aggrievedly while holding out his Spiritual Aura Scroll: “Master, I want one too.”
Yi Ling asked: “?”
He laughed softly: “Why are you copying them?”
He considered these impractical features of the Spiritual Aura Scroll entirely meaningless. He did not care if other disciples were obsessed with them, but Cang Yu was different. Yi Ling had always been strict with himself, so his expectations for his disciple were naturally not low. Although he was lenient with Cang Yu, indulging in playfulness was strictly forbidden.
Furthermore…
Yi Ling looked his young disciple up and down; everything Cang Yu wore and carried was a gift from him. He did not understand why Cang Yu wanted to collect those useless things.
Yet Cang Yu felt even more aggrieved: “But they all have one… why can’t I have one?”
Fortunately, Yi Ling was in a good mood, so he ultimately gave in.
However, he naturally would not satisfy Cang Yu’s request in a conventional way. As his disciple, Cang Yu deserved “special treatment.”
How should I do it? A subtle light glimmered in Yi Ling’s eyes, and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, clearly having thought of a great idea.
Under Cang Yu’s expectant gaze, the fingertip Yi Ling intended to press onto the scroll suddenly shifted, tapping unexpectedly onto Cang Yu’s face. Immediately, a light-golden character for “Yi” swiftly surfaced on his cheek before quickly fading away.
Cang Yu’s eyes widened in shock. Losing his grip on the Spiritual Aura Scroll, it fell to the ground with a clatter.