Yu Shengyan tugged tighter on his collar, his fingers trembling slightly, as he demanded, “Are you telling the truth?”
“I am. I don’t know how long I have been following the Holy Lord, but at the very beginning, the Holy Lord was just a spirit a kind spirit. But… as times changed and hardships passed, I don’t know why, but he transformed into a demon.”
“I believe his true nature remains kind. Perhaps, if he returns, if he goes back home, he will depart from your First Senior Brother’s body. So… Holy Lord, come home with us, return to the Hidden Village!”
Jialuo’s firm words echoed in the cave. Yu Shengyan glanced at him; Jialuo’s gaze was sincere—he wasn’t lying. Yu Shengyan then thought back to that faint trace of spiritual energy he had channeled earlier. If the Demon Lord were to leave him, would he survive? Did that trace of energy mean the First Senior Brother was still in there? That his soul was still within his own body…
Just… currently occupied by a portion of the Demon Lord…
The more he thought about it, the happier he felt; the more he thought, the more euphoric he became.
Lan Tian, meanwhile, was feeling even more bewildered.
Lan Tian: “Little Mengmeng, how much stuff have you kept from me…” Little Mengmeng: “I tell you what you need to know, My Lord! xue kei xuan.”
“Very well, I agree.” Yu Shengyan let go of Jialuo’s collar. Jialuo, kneeling on the ground, broke into a wide smile upon hearing Yu Shengyan’s consent.
“Thank you, Holy Lord.” Jialuo prostrated himself once more, kowtowing in a final gesture of profound gratitude.
“Hold on.” Min Yue’s voice rang out, grave and steady. Yu Shengyan realized he hadn’t yet sought his Master’s approval. He turned around hurriedly to face him.
Min Yue’s mood was complex, his brows tightly knitted. From his persona’s perspective, he should bring them both back to the Immortal Mountain, but for the sake of his mission, he had to agree to let Yu Shengyan enter the Hidden Village. Yu Shengyan interpreted this expression as anger and impatience. Still, he held his Master in high regard, so he lowered himself, bit his lip, and pleaded with him slowly.
“Master… First Senior Brother, he…”
“Enough! You don’t need to say another word!” Min Yue raised his hand abruptly, cutting off Yu Shengyan. Yu Shengyan fell silent, watching him quietly.
Min Yue turned his back slowly; it seemed he hadn’t expected Yu Shengyan to trust others so easily. His figure appeared immensely dejected, as if he felt disappointed. Min Yue remained silent. Yu Shengyan clenched his hands, contemplating that if his Master refused, he would have to follow them into the Hidden Village alone. After all, he had to fight for any glimmer of hope to save the First Senior Brother.
Lan Tian secretly gave another thumbs-up; the Big Boss’s acting skills were truly masterful he really needed to learn from him.
“Xiao Yu,” Min Yue finally seemed to have made a decision, turning back to face Yu Shengyan directly. His expression remained cold and unyielding.
Yu Shengyan was flattered by the slightly intimate tone. Unknowingly, he grew tense, suddenly worried about what would happen if his Master were to forcibly take him away for the sake of safety.
“Xiao Yu, you may go, but Master is going with you.”
Min Yue spoke the words slowly, finally letting out an inward sigh of relief. Whew, my mission must be the priority.
Yu Shengyan had been mentally preparing for how many chances he had to successfully resist his Master if necessary. Instead, this was what he heard. He didn’t know how to respond for a moment. He suddenly remembered that throughout his life, nothing he did had ever been validated by others. So, when he learned that the First Senior Brother had actually been looking after him in secret, he had been profoundly touched. Coupled with his own guilt, he had decided to spend the rest of his life making amends.
Even… in the next life…
He had thought that the First Senior Brother was the only one in this world who cared about him, but… he didn’t understand why his Master would…
“Why? Master, shouldn’t you return to the Immortal Gate?”
“Return? You want me to abandon you? You are my inner-door disciple. As your Master, I have the right to be responsible for you. I know that no matter what I say, you are determined to save him, so I will go with you.”
Go with me… Go with me…
Yu Shengyan didn’t know how long he had been alone. Even his sister, who belonged to a different sect, hadn’t had much interaction with him.
“After all… my eldest disciple did explicitly instruct me to take good care of you…”
Min Yue continued. Yu Shengyan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. It was the First Senior Brother… it was still the First Senior Brother…
In this life, he suddenly felt complete. All the humiliation, helplessness, and sadness he had endured in the past vanished into thin air… Unknowingly, the light in his heart began to transform… shifting into a physical entity that radiated warmth… gradually filling Yu Shengyan’s heart.
“Yes! Thank you, Master!” Yu Shengyan’s eye sockets reddened. He shouted loudly, his voice trembling and choked with emotion.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
Min Yue’s mind displayed that the trust value had increased by another 4,000, totaling 9,000 only 1,000 more remained to complete the mission. As for Lan Tian, his trust value kept climbing with the prompt, eventually hitting the maximum!
Little Mengmeng: “Congratulations, My Lord, for completing the supplementary task. Now, the normal mission officially begins—don’t forget about the hatred value! ⊙⊙!” Lan Tian: “The Big Boss’s legs are so easy to cling to; I want to do missions with the Boss forever!”
Main Plot Boss: “Ayyy, ayyy, this generation’s protagonist is quite easy to handle, hahaha.” Main Plot Boss: “By the way, if I’m not mistaken, you should be handling the hatred value. I might leave as soon as I finish my mission; will you be okay?” Lan Tian: “Don’t worry, as long as I don’t have to kill anyone, I think the hatred value will be easy to farm. Isn’t it just about annoying him?” Main Plot Boss: “Hmm… why do I feel like it won’t be that easy…”
Lala Main Plot: “Little Anti-Protagonist, are you ready? We’re about to set off.” Main Plot Boss: “xue kei xuan.” Lala Main Plot: “xue kei xuan.”
Lan Tian and Min Yue exchanged looks; they understood. The Lala main plot… had actually… messaged both of them.