Even though the sect had many proud talents, they could not withstand the joint pressure and coercion from various sects attempting to carve up a share of the spoils.
Unwilling to see their sect bullied in such a manner, Yunzhou and Shi An revealed their true cultivation levels during a grand assembly of the sects to determine sect rankings, setting up arenas to challenge the pillar figures of all major factions.
With white robes and a folding fan, and azure robes wielding a sword whether it was the path of alchemy, artifact crafting, talisman array-making, or divination they faced all challengers without fear or hesitation.
Achieving overnight renown after a single battle, the two successfully safeguarded the sect and thereafter rarely showed their faces, living in seclusion on Canglan Peak. However, whenever disasters or fierce beasts emerged into the world and everyone else was at their wit’s end, they would respond to every plea for help.
Though they nominally lived in seclusion, it did not stop the two supreme tribulation-stage masters from transforming into a white fox and an azure dragon to wander everywhere eavesdropping on gossip and tricking newly initiated junior disciples.
Elder Suxu was well-informed. While the web novels and stories he compiled did not necessarily align strictly with historical facts, the people involved always had fascinating tales surrounding them. The three of them would frequently team up to scout for information and gossip across various places on behalf of the sect.
When the former sect leader was in his youth and full of vigor, he had fallen in love at first sight with Liu Qingshuang, the elder sister of the Qingnang Pavilion’s master. At the time, despite being a proud son of heaven, he had a dissolute and roguish demeanor.
Since Liu Songhan was already the young master of the sect back then, seeing his sister entangled with such a dissolute man had enraged him so much that he ordered his disciples to carve the words “Chu Jinhuan Not Permitted to Enter” right at the mountain gates. Yet, this still failed to block the former sect leader’s passionate and sincere pursuit.
Now that he had successfully won the beauty’s hand, and with their child having entered the age of sixteen to become a disciple of Immortal Yunzhou, Chu Xuanzhi was taught how to handle sect affairs as soon as he reached the Nascent Soul stage.
As the years rolled on and Chu Xuanzhi’s cultivation advanced to the early stage of the Mahayana realm, enabling him to solidly anchor his position as sect leader coupled with having Immortal Yunzhou and Immortal Shi An as backing the former sect leader quickly packed his storage bag and embarked on leisure travels with his beloved wife, Liu Qingshuang.
Occasionally, they would return to the sect to check how Chu Xuanzhi was managing affairs, then walk through the front gates to sit face-to-face with Pavilion Master Liu for a shared drink, reminiscing about the days of chasing his wife. That would leave Liu Songhan with a countenance as dark as water, grinding his teeth as he saw his guests out, only to burst into hearty laughter afterward though naturally, he never dared tell his dear wife that he had gone to provoke his younger brother-in-law once more.
When everything was tranquil and serene, the long years of close companionship between Yunzhou and Shi An gradually brought them to the precipice of crossing boundaries into a master-disciple romance script.
Following the passing of Venerable Xingyin, Yunzhou shouldered the responsibilities of a master, continuing to instruct Shi An in mental cultivation and sword techniques.
Perhaps it was on some ordinary day at the sword-practice arena, when his master casually snapped a red plum branch and knocked Shi An’s sword from his grasp. With an ethereal and elegant posture, a teasing smile on his lips, and eyes moistened and bright like autumn water, he had completely captivated his disciple’s heart.
Or perhaps it was during those moments when, transformed into a white fox, he maintained a lazy and leisurely posture, intentionally teasing and gently brushing his fluffy, soft nine tails against the dragon horns beside him, stirring a lingering flurry of agitation in the young man’s heart that he dared not reveal.
Through years of companionship, somewhere along the way, he had fallen completely. Shi An’s emotional desires and yearning grew day by day, running wildly out of control deep within his heart, yet on the surface, he still respectfully handed over tea and addressed him as “Master, Master” with utmost propriety.
As for Yunzhou, teaching his disciple had shifted from an initial carefree ease to experiencing frequent, inadvertent physical contacts with Shi An. His heart fluttered with unease from time to time, and Shi An constantly surfaced in his thoughts.
Immortal Yunzhou could neither grasp nor clearly define this bizarre sensation in his chest. It was only after borrowing numerous web novels from Elder Suxu to read through that he finally realized this might mean he had developed romantic feelings for Shi An.
Sensing the aura of a massive piece of gossip, Elder Suxu scoured his collections and stealthily slipped a set of rather unconventional, intimate illustrated manuals into Immortal Yunzhou’s hands. Though Yunzhou’s brows furrowed deeply as he flipped through them, he realized one thing: he did not feel any aversion toward it.
Yet when he imagined himself pressing Shi An beneath him… he quickly shook his head, not daring to let his thoughts wander any further.
As days passed, whether it was merely his imagination or not, he always felt that this dragon named Shi An was acting increasingly flamboyant and provocative in front of him. Although there were no drastic changes compared to weekdays, there was an unmistakable, subtle lingering ambiguity in the air.