Shi An could not care less about who Ling Wanxing was. Since they were completely unacquainted, letting the brat wake up quickly to go find his companions was already Shi An’s most rational course of action.
Sensing that he was being carried away, yet feeling that the embracing arms were utterly familiar, Yunzhou drifted between sleep and wakefulness, falling into an even deeper slumber.
Finding it impossible to fend off the hand wreaking havoc on his ears, Shi An woke up, cast a resentful glare at Shi An, and shifted back into human form. Hand in hand with Shi An, he very consciously recounted the gossip he had just overheard.
Shi An found it quite amusing; it was precisely the kind of thing his master would do. Yunzhou had never been someone bound by rigid conventions; he had even used his true form in the past to fool newly initiated junior disciples.
Shi An shared his method of dealing with Ling Wanxing, and upon hearing it, Yunzhou was simply glad to know the boy was safe and sound.
After exiting the secret realm, they originally intended to head straight back, but spotted a familiar face among the gathering outside.
It was Elder Suxu, who was presumably one of the team-leading elders designated by their own sect, the Pinglan Sect, for this disciple trial.
At this moment, he carried his customary air of transcendent grace. He wore an indigo dharma robe crafted from huanhua brocade, edged with inlaid gold thread and split silk. His white hair cascaded loosely over his shoulders, and an aqua-blue spirit pearl hung from a forehead pendant.
Even within the sect, he usually existed like a crane untethered from the world. He was an honorary guest elder whom Immortal Yunzhou’s master had befriended in the netherworld before digging up (or rather, tricking) and bringing into the Pinglan Sect.
The spirit pearl upon his brow was his natal magical artifact. Elder Suxu had perused myriad books, and many of the web novels and source materials circulating in the market originated from his pen. He was also skilled in divination; since matters of affinity were profound and mysterious, though Elder Suxu enjoyed romances and scandals for amusement, he never idealized true dao companions in his writings.
Elder Suxu had not expected to run into Immortal Shi An here. Back then, both Immortal Yunzhou and he had left the sect under the pretext of leisure travels, and he had assumed it would be difficult for them to return for many years. Never had he imagined he would encounter Immortal Shi An today.
The cold, refined youth in red robes beside Immortal Shi An, though having his vision covered by a red silk ribbon, carried a certain demeanor reminiscent of an old friend, which instantly piqued Elder Suxu’s curiosity.
As he chatted politely with Shi An, wanting to ask yet feeling too embarrassed to do so, his fingers flickered beneath his sleeves, divination calculations blurring into phantom after-images before suddenly freezing. He was unsure whether he should greet Yunzhou; since Yunzhou refused to reveal his identity, he could not speak of it either, yet offering no greeting at all felt discourteously awkward.
Elder Suxu held a higher status than Shi An, who was merely a disciple, but since Shi An could now be addressed as an immortal lord, his status was equivalent to that of an elder. Suxu and Yunzhou shared a deep bond rooted in their mutual love of gossip, but upon meeting, he wanted to maintain formal propriety. Suxu’s divination only pinpointed Yunzhou’s true identity, stopping right at the boundary.
Unaware of the other’s internal thoughts, Yunzhou silently retreated behind Shi An the moment he heard that voice, determined not to let Suxu see him in this state that would undoubtedly become a dark chapter in his history.
After exchanging pleasantries with Suxu, Shi An conveyed the sect leader’s longing for his master along with his exasperation toward Shi An.
Yunzhou smiled helplessly; no matter how much time passed, Chu Xuanzhi remained perpetually disgruntled by the fact that his junior brother had ended up becoming his master-in-law.
With no urgent matters requiring their attention at the moment, it mattered little where they stayed. After inquiring about the sect’s recent conditions from Elder Suxu, Yunzhou, Shi An, and the elder decided to return to the Pinglan Sect to live in seclusion. To them, the Pinglan Sect felt much more like home.
Shi An had already entered the demonic path, but how to handle this situation would likely have to wait until they returned and assessed the circumstances.
Both of them had maintained pristine reputations up to this day. If malicious individuals used this incident to spin narratives and damage the sect’s good name, Yunzhou was fully prepared to sever ties with the sect alongside Shi An, and as for those troublemakers, there was no need to coddle them either. But as for the sect itself, they would prefer not to leave unless absolutely necessary.