He could not bear to see him in love with another.
Since transmigrating into the book, Cen Moyu still did not fully understand the distribution of power in this world. The System always answered his questions one by one and never shared everything it knew. It remained secretive about many matters. Cen Moyu guessed it had its own difficulties, so he eventually stopped asking.
If it were not for the System, he would have died immediately upon arriving, with no possibility of returning home. Although one can cultivate immortality in this world and a hundred years is nothing to a cultivator, to the former human Cen Moyu, a hundred years was incredibly long. Even his ex-boyfriend had not provided such a sense of companionship.
Before leaving with Mai Li, Cen Moyu asked the System if this was acceptable. The System was occasionally as fierce as Wenren Qi. [Do you have no opinion of your own?]
Cen Moyu apologized instinctively. The System, having no other choice, said, [Dongzhou Demon City is a good place. Many demons enjoy living there.]
Cen Moyu replied, “I have never seen that city on a map.”
The System could not help but call him an idiot again. [You bought a mortal map. Of course it does not show a demon city.]
Having grown familiar with the System, Cen Moyu occasionally complained. “Then why did you not tell me? I thought you would provide navigation like you did last time.”
He was referring to the navigation during the rainy night he flew to Lu Jijun’s cave dwelling. Had Cen Moyu been less cowardly or possessed a worse temper, he might have argued with the System until the end of time, splitting the blame equally. After all, he was the host. If the System were to assist him fully, failing to predict that Lu Jijun would be away from the sect was a major error.
The former celebrity Cen Moyu was better at accepting his bad luck. He was so soft-hearted that the System felt too embarrassed to say more, even after he ended up bearing a child for the protagonist. Although it was Wenren Qi and Cen Moyu who had slept together, if the System were a person, there would be three people responsible for the child.
The System fell silent as Mai Li’s voice urged him from outside. Cen Moyu picked up his bundle, and a jade hairpin fell out. He told the System to rest well and that Mai Li would protect him. He then repeated what he had said countless times lately: “Once the baby hatches, I will continue to help you complete the mission.”
The jade hairpin belonged to Wenren Qi. Cen Moyu had left in such a hurry that day that he did not realize a hairpin had been tucked into his tail feathers. When he washed it, the hairpin was stained with fluids and was quite unsightly. He could not bring himself to throw it away, fearing someone might pick up such a filthy object, so he kept it.
“Moyu! Why are you still lingering? I have already made an agreement with the magpies,” Mai Li said as he crossed the threshold. “They will build nests here and raise their young. They will stay here for generations to keep watch over your home.”
Cen Moyu had paid a high price for the house. Many people had been watching him when Mai Li arrived. Mai Li understood worldly affairs better than Cen Moyu did. He had left money for someone to help watch the gate and forbade them from chasing away the birds in the courtyard. Mai Li had a nest of his own and treated this place as one of Cen Moyu’s nests, which also served as a smokescreen. If the Sect Leader or Lu Jijun found it, it could act as a buffer.
“Fine, I understand. Let us go.”
The jade hairpin lay on the floor. After thinking for a moment, Cen Moyu did not take it with him. He was going to live a new life without the protagonist or the love interest, only him and the little bird.
When he heard that Wenren Qi intended to personally find the disciple who had supposedly disgraced him, Lan Que was the first to disagree. The difference between Wenren Qi and Wen Jingyuan was like the difference between the Qingheng Sect and the Jixue Sect.
There are countless immortal sects and factions in the world. Most that can establish a sect possess family legacies and divine artifacts. Some artifacts are passed down through generations, while others are made by sect craftsmen or brought out from secret realms.
While the Qingheng Sect specialized in individual combat, the Jixue Sect focused on formations. Their leader, Wen Jingyuan, was currently the highest-ranking formation master. Having been a disciple for a hundred years, Cen Moyu had seen many exchange meetings. There was a lot of competition between the major sects, which to him felt no different from children comparing what their parents did for a living.
He could not understand some of the more complex terms, so he categorized them as offense, defense, and support when chatting with the System. His summaries left the System stunned. Cen Moyu also wondered why the System, which should know more, seemed like an inhabitant of this world who was also confused about its origins.
Among all the sect leaders, only Wenren Qi was the most mysterious and powerful. Nearly a thousand years old with no heirs or romantic interests, his abstinence was well-known among disciples and matched the original book. Had Cen Moyu not produced an egg after sleeping with the protagonist, he might have believed the description that Wenren Qi disliked bedroom matters.
He was terrifying! “Old but powerful” was the perfect description for him.
While Cen Moyu rushed toward Dongzhou Demon City, the father of the bird egg was being questioned by his elders in the sect meeting hall. Lan Que promised to keep the secret and did not tell his respected senior brother, Elder Jueya, that the Sect Leader had been involved with a disciple. He left the explanation to Wenren Qi, who sat in the high seat.
Tiansui and Lu Jijun were the most senior disciples among the twelve peaks, so they were not considered outsiders. Their role was mostly to serve tea. Such a confidential meeting was not suitable for attendants to overhear.
“You are the Sect Leader. Do you not know that you cannot leave the sect?” Jueya had finally gotten into a better mood after drinking, only to be infuriated by Wenren Qi again. “With your current cultivation, any random cultivator could beat you up if you went out.”
The aftereffects of a failed ascension lasted a long time. Being struck by lightning once every hundred years meant at least fifty years of recovery. Just as one could catch their breath, the Heavenly Dao would chase them again. Seeing his master’s miserable state, Lu Jijun had no passion for ascension. He felt it was fine to let his master and the elders handle everything while he remained a carefree senior disciple.
No one knew what the world after ascension was like, but it was unlikely his master would be beaten by an ordinary cultivator. Elder Jueya was being too dramatic.
Wenren Qi’s brow was low, as if he were harboring an approaching storm, though his tone remained unchanged. “Does my uncle wish to try?”
“Look at this! All of you elders, look at him! This man has no respect for his elders! It is hateful! He should be locked at the bottom of the sect cliff to reflect on his actions.”
The other elders remained silent, feeling that Wenren Qi’s daily life was already like being in prison, so there was no need to actually lock him up.
“Then find someone else to be the Sect Leader.” Wenren Qi threw down his outer robe and seemed ready to leave. “I quit as well.”
Lan Que hurriedly tried to smooth things over. “Wait, what are you doing? Senior Brother, you as well. A Qi is the Sect Leader now, not a child.”
“Do you hear him? He wants to leave the sect for a disciple! Anyone who did not know better would think our Sect Leader was seduced away.”
Lan Que thought to himself that this was likely true.
Wenren Qi’s tone was icy. “Who seduced whom?”
The atmosphere was tense. Lu Jijun silently sent a message to Tiansui: [Senior Brother, where is your Mai Li? He has been gone for days. Did he go to tip off Cen Moyu?]
Tiansui stood expressionless like a guardian deity, but his reply was honest: [He is not mine. He took paid leave to attend a wedding.]
Lu Jijun was shocked. Whose wedding could it be? Cen Moyu looked beautiful but dull; did he swing both ways and have a secret affair? Did he only get a title after having a child?
Lu Jijun: [Cen Moyu’s wedding? Senior Brother, do not scare me. Did you hear what my master said?]
Tiansui: [I heard. He wants to personally find Cen Moyu.]
Tiansui: [The other person stole his most precious item. It is vital, and if not handled correctly, it could bring disaster to the world.]
Tiansui was an upright man, and it was hard to imagine him involved in any romance. Lu Jijun also found it hard to believe that his master’s purity concerned the fate of the world. While he was stifling a laugh, his master, who was holding a bird feather, said coldly, “Was the Gate-Closing Disciple not brought in by you, Elder Jueya?”
“What does that mean? Are you blaming me?” Jueya was furious. “The child’s cultivation and talent were ordinary. Why are you targeting him?”
Wenren Qi sneered. “What part of that face is ordinary? He quit, and countless disciples are complaining. Do you think I do not know?”
Jueya spat and argued until he was red in the face. He rolled up his sleeves and panted, “Do you have feelings for him? His wife is about to give birth. Why did you not notice him sooner?”
Lan Que interrupted again. “We discussed this days ago. Today we wanted to…”
“Then let me ask you.”
Jueya walked up to Wenren Qi. However, since he had watched his nephew grow up into a man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, Jueya felt like a withered, small old cultivator in comparison. His momentum faded, so he added weight to his words. “You say he stole something from you. What did he steal?”
“Even if everything was chaotic on the day you failed to ascend, why would a disciple steal from you specifically? The mirrors can recreate the events of that day. Why not check them?”
Tiansui replied, “There was a strange phenomenon that day. All the mirrors in the sect were damaged. They only show lightning and heavy rain.”
Wenren Qi scoffed. Even Lu Jijun felt that his master’s behavior was quite irritating. No wonder the elders said he was much more obedient than his master had been at his age.
“So?” Jueya swallowed several heart-clearing pills and exhaled. “What did he steal?”
Lan Que and Lu Jijun knew the truth, but they had sworn an oath not to tell Jueya. Everyone knew how much Jueya liked to pry, and Wenren Qi needed his permission to leave the sect.
Wenren Qi remained silent. “You do not agree? Then I will not be the Sect Leader.”
He dropped his outer robe and seemed ready to walk into the white snow behind the hall. Jueya shouted, “Wenren Qi! Stand still!”
Jueya was old and looked like a man at the end of his life. With Tiansui’s support, he sat down tiredly. “If you truly stop being the Sect Leader, where does that leave me? My life is coming to an end. How am I supposed to face your parents and brother after I die?”
Wenren Qi stood in the snow, his voice cold. “We may not meet after death.”
He was always cold-hearted, which was why Jueya found this behavior so unusual. Jueya thought for a long time, noticed Lan Que’s hesitation and Lu Jijun’s averted gaze, and realized something. “Your heart has finally opened, and you have set your sights on that disciple. Even if he has a wife and child, you still want to go down the mountain to find him?”
Lu Jijun wanted to laugh. He felt that Cen Moyu was incredibly unlucky. Sleeping with the master was like a fly getting stuck to a glue board; it was troublesome and difficult to escape. It was impossible to expect an old immortal who loved silence to be considerate. It was more likely he would seek revenge or even kill the disciple who had stained his purity.
Wenren Qi did not care what others thought. He could not tell Jueya the details of the past, which was partly why he had remained alone all these years. “Yes.”
Jueya frowned, surprised by his audacity. “The child’s wife is just a mortal. Even if they have a child, their lifespan is limited. What is worth chasing after?”
Wenren Qi thought to himself that the child was a demon. If its essence were taken, it would take less than a year for disaster to strike. He lied without blinking. “I cannot bear to see him in love with another.”
Jueya was furious. “That is destroying a marriage! You will be struck by heaven!”
After his jade hairpin was lost, Wenren Qi had replaced it with one made from a Fairy Pitta’s feather. He sneered. “When has heaven ever spared me?”
Jueya was speechless. He had not seen Wenren Qi this persistent in centuries. He rubbed his temples. “Fine, but you cannot leave the Wheel of Tracing Years unattended. Plus, you need to enter seclusion for your cultivation. It would be better to separate your soul and go down the mountain in a puppet. If the demons sense your departure, they will surely act.”
“Let Elder Qinxun refine a puppet for you. It is better than wasting cultivation to create another.”
It would take some time for the puppet master to create the doll, but this was a result Wenren Qi was satisfied with. Before Jueya left, he asked, “Do you have any trace of the disciple?”
Wenren Qi stood still, seemingly frozen. The elder finally won a point and said sarcastically, “I bet you could not even find a place to drown him for his sins.”