The wind from the valley whistled past, scraping Gu Qingyun’s cheeks until they stung. His disciple’s words were like three-foot-thick ice, continuously eroding and frost-biting his heart. His hair, whiter than snow, fluttered in disorder in the bleak, chilly wind.
“Master… I didn’t! I…”
Gu Qingyun’s words trailed off. He looked at Ye Qianjue, seeing only anger and disappointment reflected on that small face.
It was the expression Gu Qingyun feared seeing most, the one he was least willing to behold. He could endure the ridicule and slander of the world, but he could not bear even a hint of estrangement from Ye Qianjue—not even the slightest bit!
The Demon Lord’s scheme had truly left him with no way to argue his case.
“Will you listen to Master’s explanation?”
Gu Qingyun crouched down humbly. In this moment, he was no longer the Immortal Venerable of ethereal grace, the embodiment of kindness and purity in Ye Qianjue’s heart.
Ye Qianjue’s tears streamed down, and he clenched his fists. “I saw it with my own eyes—is Master still going to lie to Jue’er? Last time, Master deliberately drove the puppy away too, didn’t you?”
In an instant, Gu Qingyun felt as though his heart had been squeezed tight.
A thousand words condensed into a single sentence: “Master was wrong.”
Although Ye Qianjue was only five years old, he had never known his parents; had it not been for Gu Qingyun’s protection, he would have long since been bullied by those disciples with powerful backgrounds. The little one had already learned about the ways of the world far too early.
Whether it was Gu Qingyun driving Ye Yuan away before, the discussions among the senior brothers in the bamboo forest, or everything that was happening right now—this time, Gu Qingyun had fallen into Ye Yuan’s trap, leading Ye Qianjue to ignore him for an entire month.
However, a puppy that had appeared midway through his life naturally couldn’t compare to the Master who would be by his side for a lifetime. After calming down for a few months, Ye Qianjue forgave Gu Qingyun, and the master-disciple duo returned to their harmonious scene.
Ten years later.
“Junior Brother! Come down quickly! There are plenty of fish here~”
Bai Xiuzhu stood at the head of the flat-bottomed boat, hands together, spotting ripples on the water’s surface. With a plunge, he dove into the lake. The resulting splash showered the other boat, drenching Bai Fulan.
“Little Junior Brother, don’t learn from him!” Bai Fulan stood gracefully at the bow of her boat, covering her nose and giggling, watching Bai Xiuzhu play in the water with curved, smiling eyes.
“Got it, Senior Sister”
A pleasant, youthful voice rang out. As the breeze parted the green lotus leaves and blew open the lotus buds, a small bamboo boat appeared in the emerald pond. Ye Qianjue, dressed in the cyan robes of Feixian Peak, lay lazily on the bamboo boat, surrounded by lotus leaves. The young man’s handsome face was gradually shedding its lingering youthfulness, stepping toward maturity.
“What beautiful weather today.”
Ye Qianjue stretched out his hands, laying them horizontally in the air, shielding his eyes from the dazzling sunlight.
In such a leisurely and elegant moment, a pair of large hands grabbed the side of the bamboo boat. Bai Xiuzhu suddenly emerged from the water, spitting out a mouthful of lake water: “I finally managed to sneak out! I took the risk of Gu Shizun and my own Master finding out to secretly bring you both out! We might as well enjoy ourselves to the fullest~”
Saying this, Bai Xiuzhu propped himself up against the bamboo boat and sat down beside Ye Qianjue. A massive shadow blocked the sun, casting a patch of cooling shade.
“Senior Brother, you’re blocking me.”
Ye Qianjue’s voice was languid as he pushed Bai Xiuzhu, who was sprawled beside him.
Bai Xiuzhu’s handsome, extraordinary face immediately showed annoyance. He grabbed Ye Qianjue’s arm and mocked: “Since we’ve come to the lotus pond, what’s the point if you don’t get wet?”
A mischievous smirk played on the corner of his mouth before he dragged Ye Qianjue into the water.
“Little Junior Brother! Bai Xiuzhu, you’re crazy! You’ll be done for if Master Gu finds out!” Bai Fulan shrieked, hands on her hips, anxiously searching for the two of them.
Amidst the lush green, only her blue skirt stood out at the bow of the boat, like an immaculate white snow lotus. She approached the edge of the boat and leaned over to look, only to see a dark shadow approaching.
With a splash, Ye Qianjue and Bai Xiuzhu surfaced one after the other.
“Senior Brother, you’re too mean! I want revenge!”
“Alright, alright! Come on then. This is how it should be, Day in and day out, all you do is sigh, it’s not like you at all”
Ye Qianjue laughed as he swam toward Bai Xiuzhu, and the two began to tussle, playing and frolicking endlessly in the water.
“These two, how many years has it been, and they’re still the same” Bai Fulan smiled like a flower, leaning against the side of the boat, picking lotus flowers and gathering seeds. She looked at the surging surface of the lake and fell into memories.
It was these ordinary, happy days, Bai Xiuzhu fleeing from Wu Hengmu, Little Junior Brother fleeing from Gu Qingyun, and she fleeing from Su Hanshan, the three of them traveling together. Counting the days, it had already been fifteen years, and in the blink of an eye, Little Junior Brother was now fifteen.
“Ha~ these days are truly too happy~” Ye Qianjue sighed with contentment.
“Let’s grill fish! It’s been so long since we’ve eaten grilled fish~” Bai Xiuzhu suddenly sat up and suggested.
Ye Qianjue frowned slightly, pulling Bai Fulan’s hand. “Senior Sister~ can we make crispy lotus-fragrant fish instead? Senior Sister~”
“No way! Grilled fish is the way to go. How can crispy lotus-fragrant fish compare to grilled fish? Natural fish requires the purest cooking method!” Bai Xiuzhu looked righteous, giving Ye Qianjue no room to retort.
Ye Qianjue stood up from the boat. “Crispy lotus-fragrant fish is obviously the best! Grilled fish is just not as good!”
“Ugh… here we go again…” Bai Fulan sighed helplessly, supporting her forehead.
Amidst the endless bickering, the boat reached the shore. Bai Fulan swung her sleeves gracefully and stepped off the boat, holding the freshly picked lotus flowers. She turned back to see Ye Qianjue and Bai Xiuzhu still arguing incessantly. Their soaked hair clung tightly to their cheeks, water droplets dripping from the tips, their clothes clinging to their skin—they looked completely disheveled and miserable.
Bai Fulan sighed, her face full of worry as she walked toward them.
“Do you two want to dry your clothes first? Don’t obsess over the fish. Little Junior Brother, if Master Gu finds out, he’ll be heartbroken. And you! Bai Xiuzhu, if Immortal Venerable Wu sees you, your legs won’t be saved~”
Bai Xiuzhu looked at his clothes and casually tied up his wet hair. “Well… let’s dry the clothes first. But!” He looked back at Ye Qianjue with a smirk: “After we’re done with the clothes, it’s time to grill the fish!”
Again?
Ye Qianjue pouted in defiance, his hands on his hips. The two stood head-to-head, looking exactly like fighting bulls.
“Crispy lotus-fragrant fish is still better!”
“Enough!” Bai Fulan could no longer bear it. She walked toward them at lightning speed and, with one free hand, delivered a heavy, accurate rap to each of their heads, sternly scolding: “Both of you, behave yourselves! If you keep arguing, don’t blame me for being impolite! Master recently taught me some spells, and I was just looking for a place to test them if you’re willing”
Bai Fulan looked at them like a demon. Her deep eyes seemed to glow with a greenish light. As expected, Senior Sister is the most terrifying! Way scarier than that old man Wu Hengmu!
Ye Qianjue and Bai Xiuzhu covered their mouths in unison.
Inside a small mountain cave, Bai Xiuzhu chanted the incantation to light the campfire. The two, who had just been at each other’s throats, now sat tightly together to share the warmth. The flames crackled, and the wood hissed.
Bai Fulan watched the two behaving themselves and finally let out a breath of relief. She skewered several fish on branches and brought them close to the fire.
Bai Xiuzhu laughed secretly, looking provocatively at Ye Qianjue, as if saying: See? I won after all~
Ye Qianjue read the infuriating look in Bai Xiuzhu’s eyes, and with an unsatisfied “hmph,” he turned his head away.
The firelight illuminated the cave like daylight, and sounds of laughter and joy filled the air, completely unaware that danger was approaching.
Ye Qianjue stood up and shook his body; his clothes were nearly dry. He stretched and yawned: “I really don’t understand why old man Wu has been so strict lately. It’s like he’s become a different person~”
Bai Xiuzhu chuckled: “My Master has always been like this~ that old man is doing it for the upcoming Immortal Alliance Grand Assembly!”
“Immortal Alliance Grand Assembly? What is that?” Ye Qianjue looked curious.
“The Immortal Alliance Grand Assembly is held every fifteen years. On the surface, it’s a competition between immortal sects; in reality, it’s to build relations between the various immortal families~ We saw it once when we were little, and this time, Little Junior Brother can participate with us~”
Immortal Alliance Grand Assembly sounds very impressive!
“That’s great! I want to participate too!” Ye Qianjue clenched his fists, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Just as he was at his happiest, Bai Xiuzhu poured cold water on him, sneering: “You? Just you? You can’t even beat me; you still want to participate? You’d better stay a good little baby for your Master~”
Bai Xiuzhu mocked him mercilessly.
This scene stung Ye Qianjue’s competitive spirit. The image of Gu Qingyun’s gentle face appeared in his mind. “I want to participate!”
I want Master to see! I can do it even without him!
Ye Qianjue sulked, supporting his head dejectedly.
Realizing he had spoken out of turn, Bai Xiuzhu coughed twice: “Actually, it’s nothing much~ just look at my Master, that old man has a long face every day~”
As he spoke, Bai Xiuzhu stood at the cave entrance and began to mimic Wu Hengmu’s mannerisms. He stiffened his face, raised his brows from time to time, and said with an utterly displeased expression: “You brat! How did this Venerable teach a disciple like you! If you don’t place in this Immortal Alliance Grand Assembly! You can get out of Wenxian Peak!”
Ye Qianjue laughed so hard he rolled on the floor, and Bai Fulan laughed until she had tears in her eyes, frantically covering her mouth.
Just at that moment, footsteps sounded from outside the cave. The person stopped after hearing the noise from within.
Bai Xiuzhu was still at it. This time, he was even more exaggerated; he pounded his chest, and before he could speak, he burst into laughter himself.
“You! Ye Qianjue! You haven’t learned even the slightest bit of your Master’s grace!” Bai Xiuzhu pounded his chest and pointed at Bai Fulan, “And you! As a direct disciple of Su Hanshan, you spend all day mingling with them! It’s truly vulgar and unrefined—”
“Vulgar and unrefined!” A deep, powerful voice rang out.
Bai Xiuzhu covered his mouth and laughed, pointing at Ye Qianjue: “Right! That’s exactly the voice! Little Junior Brother, you sound exactly like him!”
“Ma… Master…” Ye Qianjue’s laughter stopped abruptly, and he went completely silent. He pointed behind Bai Xiuzhu, “Behind…”
“Behind?” Bai Xiuzhu noticed the two’s expressions were off. He first lowered his head, but was startled to discover a shadow, and combined with the expressions of Ye Qianjue and Bai Fulan, he quickly guessed it.
He turned around stiffly, and there, right before his eyes, was Wu Hengmu’s face.
Ye Qianjue looked at the frowning, furious Immortal Venerable Wu it was exactly as his Senior Brother had described!
This is too interesting! Unable to hold it back, Ye Qianjue let out a “pfft” of laughter.
Oh no! He hurriedly covered his own mouth.
Wu Hengmu raised his brows, his face full of rage. He looked at Bai Xiuzhu, then at Ye Qianjue and Bai Fulan: “The three of you! Get to the schoolroom immediately! I am grounding you all!”