Hua Cishu gave a cold huff, his expression filled with disdain as he retorted to Xie Tinglan, “You might want to stick to Master, but Master might not necessarily want to bother with you. Master said it herself—I am her favorite disciple. She even braided my hair personally.”
Having said that, he pointedly shook the exquisite silver bell on the tip of his hair. “Look, Master gave this to me. It seems you... don’t have one.”
The mocking malice in his eyes, combined with his arrogant posture, was far too grating. Standing beside him, Zongzheng Huangyue silently took a step back.
As soon as those words left his mouth, Yao Dai—who had been about to mediate—immediately felt her face darken. Her eyes grew cold as she glared at him.
“What did you say?”
It was one thing for Master to take in disciples; that was her choice. But this brat dared to claim he was Master’s favorite...
He didn’t deserve the title.
What was a one-on-one just a moment ago instantly became a two-on-one brawl.
Hua Cishu knew he was at a disadvantage without cultivation, so he simply reverted to his black fur ball form. He hopped around like a spring, taking advantage of Xie Tinglan’s unfamiliarity with his original form to land a direct kick on the boy’s shoulder.
Xie Tinglan’s face was grim. He didn’t care if this person was some damn junior brother; he also transformed into his original form. A massive, twenty-meter-long Soaring Serpent manifested, baring its fangs as if it meant to swallow the black fur ball whole.
“Roar!”
A blast of flame erupted from its mouth.
Hua Cishu was unable to dodge in time; the fur on his head was scorched, emitting a foul odor, though the silver bell remained unharmed.
“Hah!” With a ruthless glint in his eyes, he extended his claws and lunged at Xie Tinglan’s neck.
Even Yao Dai brought out her Blood Vine Whip, preparing to teach this insolent junior brother some manners and show him the meaning of humility.
Zongzheng Huangyue stayed where she was, naturally having no intention of intervening. She had always found Hua Cishu eyesore, and now that someone was dealing with him, it was perfect.
In the meantime, she observed the personalities of the Eldest Senior Sister and Second Senior Brother.
Naturally, she had picked up on one thing: she must never let it show that Master was too good to her in front of these two. These two...
Just like her, they only wanted Master all to themselves.
Actually, the same went for Hua Cishu.
Xin Jiuxian’s eyes flickered as she watched Xie Tinglan’s Soaring Serpent form. A hint of movement appeared on her cold, frail face, as if she were seeing something novel. So the second one was a snake.
Was it edible?
“Who is it?! Who’s wrecking my cave dwelling?!”
A roar echoed from the entrance of the cave dwelling.
Zongzheng Huangyue’s brows raised. Knowing Master had arrived, she immediately opened her mouth to urge them to stop.
“Eldest Senior Sister, Second Senior Brother, Fifth Junior Brother, stop breaking Master’s things! Don’t fight anymore! We’re all from the same sect; there’s no need for this!”
However, the three of them were in the heat of battle. The sound of things smashing was so loud it drowned out her voice.
Furthermore, Zongzheng Huangyue didn't truly want to stop the fight. Her voice was only clear enough for the arriving Wen Li and Xin Jiuxian to hear.
“Why are they fighting?!”
They had only just met, so why was everyone attacking like mortal enemies?
As soon as Wen Li entered, she saw her perfectly good cave dwelling had been reduced to a ruin. Her expression turned ugly. Then she saw her three disciples fighting—or more accurately, Xie Tinglan and Yao Dai teaming up to discipline Hua Cishu.
“Master, you’re finally back.”
Zongzheng Huangyue’s eyes filled with surprise as she explained in a lowered voice, “The Third Elder mentioned you brought back Eldest Senior Sister and Second Senior Brother, so Old Five and I hurried over to visit. Who knew that after only a few words, Old Five—perhaps due to improper language—offended them? That’s how this little scuffle started.”
Of course, she hid some details. Originally, Hua Cishu had intended to use cloying, manipulative words to flatter Xie Tinglan. But as soon as Xie Tinglan heard he was the fifth disciple, his face darkened instantly. He couldn’t stand seeing him use his pretty face to act weak and affected.
If he dared to be like this upon their first meeting, he would surely be even more shameless in Master’s presence, using coquettish behavior to trick her. A waste who only had looks and no cultivation—Master must have been fooled by this fox-like brat.
Thus, Xie Tinglan decided to use his status as a senior brother to show this junior brother his place. One thing led to another, and Hua Cishu realized this senior brother couldn’t be won over and would only compete for Master’s attention, so he dropped the act entirely.
A little scuffle?
Wen Li looked over. Xie Tinglan’s fangs were sharper and more forceful than ever; every barb on Yao Dai’s Blood Vine Whip was standing upright; and even Hua Cishu was spitting toxic saliva with every pfft.
They were fighting to the death.
Wen Li’s head throbbed. “Stop it! Everyone, stand down!”
She had expected the six of them to bicker, but she didn’t expect their first meeting to be this intense. And Gu Linshu hadn't even arrived yet—there were only five of them, and it was already like this.
【Oh ho! It’s a fight! Host, I’ve finally lived to see this day. It’s a good thing I didn’t stay asleep; you’re in for a treat.】
Naturally, the system chose this moment to jump out and cheer recklessly.
Wen Li snapped coldly, 【Get out!】
She forcibly muted the troublemaking system.
Hearing her voice, the black fur ball’s eyes darkened, and he immediately slowed down.
Crack!
He was struck by Xie Tinglan’s thick serpent tail and sent flying into the wall, smashing the stone into fragments as dust filled the air.
The fight ended with Hua Cishu’s defeat.
“Master...”
Yao Dai turned and saw Wen Li standing at the entrance. She retracted her Blood Vine Whip, her eyes trembling with moisture as she excitedly flew toward her.
Wen Li reached out her arms.
Under the impact, her slender frame trembled slightly, but she caught Yao Dai steadily.
“Master...”
Yao Dai hugged Wen Li tightly, burying her head in the crook of Wen Li’s neck and refusing to let go. She was terrified that Wen Li would vanish in the next second, that she would leave her outside to train again, that they would be separated for another two years.
Feeling her body heat and her trembling breath, Wen Li slowly raised a hand and patted her head.
“Mm, I’m here.”
Her cold voice softened. “I’m here now; everything is fine.”
However, Yao Dai, who had just experienced a brush with death, was still too frightened to let go. She had almost thought she was truly going to die, and that she would never see her Master again.
Behind Yao Dai, Xie Tinglan shifted from his original form back into a human—a youth dressed in black.
He stepped forward and gazed at Wen Li. His strange, red vertical pupils were dazed and held a trace of moisture. He opened his mouth but could find no words, letting the bitterness choke his throat while his emotions were laid bare in his eyes.
There was agitation, bitterness, attachment, anger, resentment, and longing. That complex gaze was enough to break one's heart.
Xie Tinglan’s proud and awkward personality meant he was destined to be unable to express his feelings as directly and intensely as Yao Dai.
Furthermore, she was already holding Yao Dai in her arms.
Wen Li gave a thin smile and reached out her other hand toward him. “What? Now that you’ve grown up, you don’t recognize me as your Master anymore?”
Xie Tinglan’s thin lips pressed into a straight line. His hands were clenched into fists as he suppressed his emotions, his eyes red as he stood frozen in place.
“I need an explanation.”
She had said she was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator and couldn't beat the dwarf old man, so she could only sell him to him and use the resources to cultivate. Yet the scene of her appearing today and casually killing a Soul Formation cultivator felt like a slap to his face. It felt like she was mocking the hope and longing he had felt for her over the past two years, mocking everything he had endured while being imprisoned and humiliated.
She said the disciples by her side needed to train to become strong and that she didn't take in useless people. Yet she had taken in a waste without any spiritual energy, even giving him beautiful clothes and braiding his hair.
She had lied to him. How much more had she lied about?
How much more could he believe her?
【Ding! -20 to Villain Xie Tinglan’s Salvation Progress Bar. Current progress: 22%】
Rate on N.U.
