Tianxuan Sect was the premier sect, and naturally, there was no shortage of administrative affairs. Although the Sect Leader handled the management, Su Yunyu could not simply stand by and watch.
After his excursion to the mortal realm yesterday, he could no longer spend his entire day revolving around Xiao Shuying.
He simply gave Xiao Shuying a token, instructing him to go to the Wugu Hall (Grain Hall) to get some food first, and upon his return, he would be settled into the disciple quarters.
Su Yunyu had also considered letting him live in his own palace, but the Long Aotian currently lacked cultivation and couldn’t withstand the cold of the palace, so he had to abandon the idea.
The token for the Beiming Palace resembled its master: a piece of pure, warm white jade, cool and frigid in its radiance, carved only with the character “Su,” with no other patterns.
When Xiao Shuying received it from Su Yunyu’s hand, he could even smell the faint, cold fragrance that had clung to the token.
“The Wugu Hall is just to the south along the path from the sect plaza. If you get lost, just ask your fellow disciples,” Su Yunyu said. As he grasped the hand that took the token, he looked down at his obedient disciple, giving calm instructions on the surface, while feeling joyous inside.
Great, I finally have time to explore the Tianxuan Sect.
Xiao Shuying felt a tightening in his heart when his hand was grasped, but fortunately, it was only a brief hold. He kept his expression timid and filled with reverence:
“I understand. Thank you, Master.”
Great, I finally don’t have to deal with this hypocrite.
The master and disciple each harbored their own thoughts. Xiao Shuying carried the token and easily found the Wugu Hall.
Most of the people here were outer-sect disciples. The majority of those who practiced diligently would simply consume Spirit-Grain Pills, but he was different.
His meridians were severed, and he had absolutely no spiritual energy, making him no different from an ordinary person. If he consumed Spirit-Grain Pills, he would instead accumulate pill toxins, which would be detrimental to his meridians.
Moreover, the food produced in this Wugu Hall was of the highest quality; even ordinary people could use it to nourish their bodies and refine their energy.
On the way there, disciples kept stealing glances at Xiao Shuying.
Some who didn’t know who he was were struck with shock upon seeing the white lotus patterns embroidered on his sleeves.
Because of this, Xiao Shuying could hear whispers throughout the journey.
Being in the spotlight was a blessing.
Having nothing to his name was a misfortune.
He calmly showed the token to the head cook, received a tray of food, and sought a quiet place to eat.
Just as he had picked out a corner, someone approached and, without a word, slammed their shoulder into him.
Thud. The food and soup splashed all over the ground. Xiao Shuying did not escape unscathed; he stumbled before managing to steady himself, looking at the person with an expressionless face.
The person was a stranger. Seeing that he had knocked into someone, he put on a look of apology, scratched his head, and then shoved his own food into Xiao Shuying’s hands:
“Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to. I was just too hungry and didn’t look where I was going. You eat mine; this saves you from waiting in line.”
Xiao Shuying stared fixedly for a few seconds. In his memories, he couldn’t actually recall knowing anyone like this. He glanced at the long queue of outer-sect disciples and simply took the food the man offered and walked away.
His cold, detached demeanor was completely different from the style he maintained in front of Su Yunyu.
After he sat in the corner, the person who had knocked into him walked up to a familiar disciple and acted with fawning obsequiousness:
“Young Master Xiao, I have already given him the food.”
The one being called Young Master Xiao was none other than Xiao Qingran, the legitimate son of the Xiao family. Yesterday, after Xiao Shuying was taken away by Su Yunyu, he had come to the sect after the Immortal Sect Grand Selection ended and was taken in by the Sect Leader.
The two had entered the sect on almost the same day, yet their masters were of entirely different ranks.
Xiao Qingran glared hatefully at Xiao Shuying, thinking about how wonderful it would have been if he had been the one to be taken as a disciple by Su Yunyu.
This disaster star! He cursed his mother to death at birth, and now he’s pressing me down a notch. Why? I am the true son of heaven!
Unfortunately, now is not the time to make a move against him. Xiao Qingran’s gaze darkened, and he walked away slowly with his followers.
Meanwhile, Xiao Shuying, sitting in a quiet corner, looked at the food in contemplation.
In his first life, although he had also been taken in as Su Yunyu’s disciple and enjoyed a period of respect.
It was soon discovered within the sect that Su Yunyu paid him no mind, and gradually, his life became no different from hell.
At first, he could still use his token to collect food.
Gradually, everyone pushed him out, and he couldn’t get any good food, so he could only eat one meal to last for two.
Fortunately, he had been used to going hungry since he was a child, so such days didn’t mean much to him.
However, there were many sudden changes in this lifetime, and he felt an inexplicable sense of panic…
He casually scooped a spoonful of vegetables into his mouth and chewed a few times, but then—crunch. He furrowed his brows, stopped swallowing, and reached out to catch the vegetable he spat out.
Lying there was a small stone, incredibly hard. Hidden within the soft food, there was no way to guard against it.
As Xiao Shuying pressed his tongue against his upper palate, a faint metallic tang of blood arose in his taste buds.
He didn’t need to trace the source to know his gums had been cut.
As for whether it was intentional, it was probably hard to say.
Xiao Shuying looked at the food he had only touched once, his eyes dark and deep.
He had never been a generous person. After reaching the pinnacle of the six realms in his first life, he could take revenge on the past, and he wouldn’t suffer in silence today, either.
He abandoned the food, carried his token, and returned to Haomiao Peak.
Then, he glanced at the empty, desolate, and frigid place, and after preparing for a moment, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
“Master”
At this moment, Su Yunyu, who had just finished dismissing Wen Renli, was lying in the gold-inlaid, jade-fitted prime location of Beiming Palace, sleeping on a warm and pleasant jade-carved bed, eating energy-rich fruit—it was truly delightful.
Until he was drifting off to sleep, he suddenly heard a vague, shadowy sound.
He had always had the bad habit of auditory hallucinations; whenever he heard any commotion, he couldn’t help but prick up his ears to listen carefully. Now that he heard this, he hurriedly got up in alert.
“Why do I feel like someone is calling me…”
[You’re overthinking it. Doesn’t everyone in the cultivation world use spiritual power to communicate?]
“That’s true,” Su Yunyu thought to himself that this was the cultivation world—who would use their mouth to shout at someone? It wasn’t like they weren’t exhausted.
With that, he was about to continue lying down when he suddenly heard another sound, and Su Yunyu jumped up in alert again.
“Something feels wrong.”
He suddenly recalled one thing he had overlooked.
His disciple Xiao Shuying had no cultivation at all, and he was shy. If he wanted to find him, he could only shout from the bottom of the mountain.
“Oh no, oh no.” Su Yunyu couldn’t lie down anymore and hurriedly got up to head down Haomiao Peak.
His robes billowed in the wind. Upon arriving, he saw that it was indeed Xiao Shuying.
His body hadn’t fully matured, so he naturally wasn’t tall enough. Standing in the boundless world of Haomiao Peak, calling out for his master, even Su Yunyu couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.
Su Yunyu landed before him, expressionless, knitting his delicate brows, his tone calm:
“What do you need me for?”
Xiao Shuying hadn’t expected that shouting a few times would actually bring the man here. He had assumed he would have to shout for someone else first, and then that person would help him contact his master.
After all, Su Yunyu was a cold-hearted person. He treated him with courtesy on the surface, but in secret, he probably loved seeing him disheveled and downtrodden.
However, since he had come so quickly, it saved him some effort. Xiao Shuying gripped his robes, forcing his eyes to have a bit of mist, before looking up at Su Yunyu:
“Master…”
As soon as he spoke, his hoarse voice added to his pitifulness.
It was a pity that Xiao Shuying didn’t detect any agitation in Su Yunyu’s expression.
Hah. Truly a hateful face.
Xiao Shuying pulled at his sore throat and asked:
“Does Master have any medicine to stop bleeding?”
He asked without explaining, just waiting for Su Yunyu to investigate.
Su Yunyu was trying his best to maintain his “aloof” persona. Ever since he had been electrocuted last time, he was filled with fear. Therefore, even though Xiao Shuying was acting so pitiful, he could only continue to be calm:
“What do you need medicine to stop bleeding for?”
Xiao Shuying hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. His two rows of teeth were stained with a pale pink color of blood, and he timidly blamed himself:
“It was my bad luck. I was even cut by a stone while eating.”
In reality, it wasn’t just a single time from a stone; he had cut himself a few more times.
If he didn’t make it look serious, it would just seem like he was making a mountain out of a molehill.
His coming to ask for medicine was just a facade; he only wanted to see Su Yunyu’s attitude.
The Wugu Hall had always produced high-quality food, and there hadn’t been any reviews of disciples having problems for a hundred years.
So, as long as Su Yunyu paid a little attention, he would know that this stone wasn’t ordinary.
Thus, Xiao Shuying looked timidly at Su Yunyu on the surface, while the depths of his eyes were already filled with cold malice.
If he reacted with the same cold indifference as in the first life, he would make Su Yunyu pay with his life, even if the timing wasn’t right.
While Su Yunyu didn’t know the ins and outs of the story, he knew that if one ate a stone, according to his plan to win his disciple’s heart, he would definitely have to stand up for him.
Thus, his gaze flickered, seemingly like ripples on an autumn lake, and in an instant, a bottle of medicinal pills appeared in his hand. He took one out and handed it to Xiao Shuying’s lips:
“A hemostatic pill; it can stop your pain.”
Xiao Shuying felt the cool touch of the man’s fingertip against his lips with stiffness. Just as he was about to take it, he seemed to remember something and acted with an innocent expression, asking:
“After I take this, will I faint from the pain again?”
As soon as these words were out, the system began to laugh wildly at Su Yunyu in his sea of consciousness.
Su Yunyu himself was sweating profusely, calling it a sin.
Look at how I messed him up with that Marrow-Cleansing Pill last time. He’s traumatized. Su Yunyu immediately promised:
“That won’t happen again. You can rest assured.”
Only then did Xiao Shuying obediently swallow it.
However, when he swallowed it, he “accidentally” moistened Su Yunyu’s fingertip. He偷觑 (stole a glance at) his expression, trying to find a trace of displeasure.
He found that Su Yunyu’s expression was still calm, and now, it was he who felt unhappy.
Damn it. Failed to wound the enemy, and suffered a loss myself.
Su Yunyu just felt like Xiao Shuying was like a little puppy, wetting his hand while taking medicine, but he didn’t have any particular emotion. He just said:
“Come, I’ll take you to the Wugu Hall.”
Without waiting for Xiao Shuying’s consent, he flipped his hand, and the world before their eyes transformed.
Inside the Wugu Hall, there were still some disciples laughing and arguing—it was lively—until a hint of pressure arrived, accompanied by a cold fragrance filling his sleeves, and it fell silent in an instant.
Su Yunyu couldn’t be bothered with their feelings. He simply walked up to the head cook, and without holding her accountable, he just instructed:
“Ma’am, please be more careful with the meals in the future.”
He took out a pouch of spirit stones and placed them before her, causing the woman to break into a cold sweat:
“I don’t know what this is for… The meals in our Wugu Hall have always been top-notch. You don’t need to tell us, Immortal Venerable; we naturally follow the rules.”
“To tell you the truth,” Su Yunyu sighed: “My disciple found a stone in his food. He has no spiritual energy, so he was naturally hurt by it; that is why I am here.”
With the beauty frowning, it was a pitiful sight that only made one want to dissolve the sadness, so the woman immediately put down her spoon and said fiercely:
“This stone definitely did not come from our Wugu Hall; it must have been placed there by someone black-hearted. Immortal Venerable, rest assured; from now on, whenever your disciple comes for food, I will personally keep a close watch. It will never happen a second time.”
This made Su Yunyu almost laugh; he hurriedly suppressed it and told her to keep the spirit stones as a bonus for her hard work. With the matter settled, Su Yunyu looked at the disciples in the hall who were holding their breath, and gave a reserved smile:
“Shuying has a poor constitution; I hope you all will take care of him. I will not disturb you further.”
Others were worth a thousand words for a single syllable; Su Yunyu was worth a thousand words for a single syllable, while his smile was also worth a thousand words. So, it was no surprise that those disciples were stunned, and it wasn’t until he had walked away that they reacted and quickly said:
“Don’t worry, Immortal Venerable!”
Su Yunyu, who brought Xiao Shuying back to Haomiao Peak, turned to look at him. Seeing his unnatural expression, he thought he was moved, feeling quite smug inside, and said to him:
“In the future, if you are wronged, just tell me.”
Remembering something, he took out a voice-transmission plaque and gave it to him:
“Use this to call me in the future; don’t strain your voice.”
Xiao Shuying just nodded obediently. After Su Yunyu left, he stared at the back of the white-robed figure, clutching the plaque, his eyes cold, and sneered:
Small favors to bewitch people.
I want to see how long Su Yunyu can keep up his act.