A trace of delight welled up in Zi Xiner’s eyes. “Little one, you did well. That’s it for today’s training.”
“Thank you again for today, Aunt Zi.”
Chu Feng tried to break free from Aunt Zi’s hands, because his master had arrived!
But he couldn’t get loose at all.
“Little one, I’ve told you many times already. Between us, there’s no need to thank Aunt Zi.”
Hearing that, cold sweat poured down Chu Feng’s back. He immediately shot Aunt Zi a look, signaling her to stop talking…his master was going to get jealous!
But Zi Xiner completely ignored Chu Feng’s gaze.
Seeing his master walk up to him, Chu Feng hurriedly said, “Master, um, this…please listen to my explanation!”
Lu Xiyue’s delicate brows knit together as she said to Zi Xiner, “Xiner, how can you do something like this to my disciple!”
“Xiyue, this is just a reward for a child who performed well. With rewards, a child will have the motivation to keep improving.”
Zi Xiner spoke as if it were perfectly natural, like it was nothing out of the ordinary.
Yes, the logic was sound. There was nothing wrong with what she said. But she had the wrong target. That kind of approach was meant for three- or four-year-old children!
When Lu Xiyue heard her best friend’s words, she was caught off guard. She had been on guard this whole time, worried that her best friend might develop feelings for Feng’er. But she hadn’t expected that although feelings had indeed developed, they weren’t romantic feelings. They were maternal ones, like a mother looking at her child.
Chu Feng, meanwhile, shook his head slightly, silently pleading that when Aunt Zi and his master were talking, could she at least let go of his face? Being held by the cheeks like this while the two of them chatted made him feel incredibly embarrassed.
Seeing that her disciple was still being held in Xiner’s hands, Lu Xiyue frowned and reached out to pull her disciple back into her own grasp.
“Xiner, Feng’er is my disciple. No matter what, you should at least ask for my permission first.”
What she meant was that Feng’er belonged to her. If anyone wanted to touch him, they needed her consent.
Zi Xiner looked at her friend’s protective stance and said calmly, “Xiyue, disciplining a child strictly according to your own ideas might stir up a rebellious streak.”
“A teacher for a day is a mother for life. I’m half a mother to Feng’er as well. He would never rebel against me.”
When Lu Xiyue said this, her gaze wavered slightly, because what she and Feng’er had done together was far from something a “half-mother” should be doing.
***
Back in the room, Lu Xiyue sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her disciple with an unreadable expression. Her tone carried a faint hint of jealousy as she asked, “Feng’er, when you’re at the Yaochi Holy Land, have you always interacted with the Holy Master like this?”
“Ah, um….no, that’s not it, Master. I’ve always treated Aunt Zi with respect. It’s just that… she’s a bit too enthusiastic.”
Chu Feng hurried to explain. From their first meeting until now, as they had gradually grown more familiar, he had always treated Aunt Zi with the respect due to an elder. As for what Aunt Zi was actually thinking, he had no idea.
This was also the first time Lu Xiyue had seen Zi Xiner behave like that. Come to think of it, hadn’t Xiner always shown little interest in men? So why was she being so intimate with Feng’er?
“No matter what, Feng’er, you must keep your distance from the Holy Master. Absolutely do not cross the line. Do you understand?”
“I understand, Master!”
Chu Feng nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.
Only then did Lu Xiyue smile faintly. With a wave of her hand, the young man’s body flew uncontrollably into her arms.
“M-Master?”
Chu Feng quickly lifted his head, afraid that another “chest accident” might happen.
Lu Xiyue looked down at her disciple in her arms with a tender gaze and gently stroked his hair.
“Feng’er, remember this….your master would never harm you. So be good and listen to me. And I’ll reward an obedient Feng’er just like Xiner does.”
“A reward?”
Meeting her disciple’s gaze, her eyes flickered. Then her robe slipped down to the crook of her arms, and she used her actions to give her obedient “baby” a reward. The so-called baby cafeteria….every baby loves it, and this big baby of a young man loved it just the same.
***
The Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect, one of the top powers in the cultivation world, had naturally chosen a blessed land rich in spiritual energy as its base.
On the Sect Master Peak, clouds and mist swirled. At the top of a towering pavilion, a young man sat with his eyes closed, breathing steadily as he cultivated.
An immortal crane slowly flew over from afar, delivering a letter.
The young man opened his eyes. The crane pulled a letter from the storage pouch hanging around its neck, placed it beside him, and then flew away.
Before the young man could open the letter, an elder stepped forward and said respectfully, “Sect Master, it’s not just the other sects demanding an explanation from us this time. Even the Buddhist and Daoist factions are beginning to stir.”
Just a few days ago, a rumor had spread across more than half of the cultivation world at astonishing speed. It claimed that the reason the Sky-Mending Secret Realm had opened early and then closed ahead of schedule was because someone had taken the greatest treasure within it: the legendary Sky-Mending Stone of Goddess Nuwa had been taken.
And the one who took it was a disciple of the Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect.
At first, everyone assumed it was just a rumor. No one believed it.
But then, according to an insider, the news was confirmed to be true, not a fabrication. Immediately, many factions began demanding answers from the Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect.
The Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect’s official response was: “We are currently investigating this matter. Please remain calm. As soon as we have any news, we will inform everyone.”
Well, that only made things worse. Everyone involved was an experienced veteran. Saying something like that wouldn’t fool people; it would only fool ghosts.
There were even rumors saying that some time ago, Moonlight Sword Fairy had left the Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect in order to secretly take the disciple who obtained the Sky-Mending Stone and hide away. Others claimed that this disciple was none other than Moonlight Sword Fairy’s direct disciple.
Many factions demanded that Moonlight Sword Fairy personally come forward to explain the matter; otherwise, any explanation from someone else would only further confirm the rumors.
Faced with so much pressure, the Sect Master was at a loss. To make matters worse, Junior Sister Lu was not present at this time. No matter how much he tried to explain, these people simply refused to believe him.
Thus, the Sect Master had no choice but to personally write a letter. However, not long after, the immortal crane sent to deliver it flew back, indicating that it had failed to find any trace of Junior Sister Lu; she had gone beyond the crane’s service range, which gave him a terrible headache.
Upon hearing the elder’s report, the Sect Master had not expected that even the Buddhist and Daoist factions would believe this rumor.
“When Junior Sister Lu left, did she say where she was going?”
The elder replied, “Sect Master, Peak Master Lu went to the imperial capital of the Great Yan Empire. However, when we sent people there, we found that she is no longer in the capital.”
The Sect Master rubbed his forehead. Really….some time ago, Junior Sister Lu had said she wanted to revoke Lin Ruo’s status as a direct disciple, and now this matter had become entangled with the Sky-Mending Stone. At such a critical moment, she was nowhere to be found!
As for Lin Ruo, this disciple had gone missing after the Sky-Mending Secret Realm closed. Most likely, he had perished within the realm. After all, throughout history, countless geniuses had fallen inside secret realms.
No matter how extraordinary a genius might be, invincible among peers of the same level, once isolated, even a fierce tiger could not withstand a pack of wolves.
“It seems I will have to personally make a trip to the imperial capital of the Great Yan Empire and request an audience with the Great Yan Empress to inquire about the details.”
At this point, there was no other choice. He could only hope that the Great Yan Empress might know something about Junior Sister Lu’s whereabouts.
“Sect Master, how should we arrange the representative elders from the various factions?”
“Have them remain at the foot of the mountain outside the sect for now. We will decide everything after I return.”
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