When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

Chu Xianlan was stunned.

Chu Li is his courtesy name. Children from ordinary families are usually given a courtesy name by their elders when they reach a certain age, but cultivators are mostly not bound by this, regarding all things as fleeting clouds, and their names are just titles.

Chu Xianlan didn't really like this name. The character "Li" sounded unlucky and implied separation. It was chosen too casually. If it was truly valued, why not use the "Li" from "liuli" (glass)?

The sudden use of the font size could signify either seriousness or admonition, and Chu Xianlan sensed a hint of scrutiny in it.

However, it is normal for a disciple to express respect to his master. Chu Xianlan could only draw one conclusion—it seemed that his master thought his reverence was not sincere.

I haven't passed that level yet.

Chu Xianlan's mind raced with thoughts, but she suddenly snapped back to reality, a hint of embarrassment on her face: "Master, I bowed only because I was momentarily excited, and it was absolutely not out of guilt or a desire to curry favor because I was being punished..."

"That's not what I meant," Yi Chen interrupted bluntly. "From now on, don't perform this grand ceremony again."

Chu Xianlan thought her master still minded her trespassing into the forbidden area, but she never expected that the other party was talking about this. She swallowed subconsciously and blankly said "Oh".

"The forbidden area is surrounded by dangerous monsters. You ventured in alone; were you injured?"

So Master already knew.

Chu Xianlan paused for a moment, "This disciple is unharmed. I was quite lucky; I only encountered a few low-level demonic beasts..."

Before she could finish speaking, her wrist was gently lifted up, and even through the armbands, a dark stain could still be seen on the fabric of her palm.

Yi Chen was extremely sensitive to the smell of blood. He frowned but remained silent.

Chu Xianlan choked for a moment, only then realizing with surprise that her palm had been cut open at some point, and a subtle feeling of guilt welled up inside her.

It was like when I did something wrong as a child. I didn't understand why I always embarrassed myself in front of my master and displeased him.

One thing after another, it seems like nothing good has happened.

Yi Chen was unaware of his dejected mood. The wound reminded him of some things from the past. Chu Xianlan was clumsy and careless when he was young, and he often bumped and bruised himself, but he was very afraid of pain. Every time he got into a fight, he would run back to Yujing Pavilion dirty and ask for treatment.

Thinking of this, he instinctively tried to heal his disciple in the same way he always had.

But Chu Xianlan quickly withdrew her hand, avoiding her master's touch.

Not wanting to cause any more trouble, Chu Xianlan scratched her head and said, "Master, this is just a superficial wound. I don't feel anything. It's probably from fighting with a demon beast. It's nothing serious. I'll go see Senior Sister Zhu Ling to take a look later."

Yi Chen's hand, which had missed its target, hovered in mid-air. His fingertips paused for a moment before he gently lowered his hand.

The conversation naturally turned to cultivation matters. Chu Xianlan had now reached the early stage of the Golden Core realm, making the fastest progress among her peers. She spoke with much more confidence about it, and her expression gradually relaxed.

"Master, I have another question to ask..."

Just as Chu Xianlan was about to recount her strange dreams from recently, she heard a lazy, smiling voice behind her: "Excuse me, I'm sorry to disturb your reunion. Yi Chen, may I have a word with you in private?"

The scent of sandalwood wafts on the wind.

The speaker leaned lazily against the door, arms crossed, his red robe dazzling and his black hair flowing down to his shoulders.

The man arrived silently and without anyone noticing. He was Wei Jin, the master of Xingjin Pavilion of Taiyi Sect, a contemporary of Yi Chen—and also Chu Xianlan's nominal junior uncle.

Wei Jin flicked his hair and said, "I heard from Xiao Huandu that you've gotten into trouble again. You're really something every day."

"Oh, this..." Why bring up something you shouldn't say? Chu Xianlan's eyebrows twitched; she wished she could slap Xiao Huandu from afar.

You big sieve.

That guy is Junior Uncle's disciple; aside from other skills, he's quite fast at relaying messages.

"Please continue your conversation, my esteemed teachers. I shall take my leave." Chu Xianlan quickly cupped her hands and fled as if escaping.

"What's that kid up to all this time?" Wei Jin raised an eyebrow and glanced towards the door, then turned to Yi Chen with interest, asking without hesitation, "How did you punish him just now? You didn't spank him, did you?"

"..."

Yi Chen stared at him silently for a moment, then turned his face away expressionlessly.

-

Stepping out of the inner room, Chu Xianlan unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

It wasn't that he was fussy; in fact, he was always able to be at ease in front of others. Unfortunately, whenever he faced his master, that composure vanished. In addition, after not seeing him for many years, he was always a little uneasy.

Disciples are always like this, feeling the pressure of their elders and constantly worrying that they are not doing enough. Because there is always a towering mountain standing in front of them, they subconsciously have the urge to look up to it.

Sigh, he's probably fallen for her.

He was moved by filial piety.

Snowflakes were falling softly from the branches along the road, landing on the ground in small, scattered drops from the bent branches. Chu Xianlan walked from inside the courtyard to outside and heard a commotion.

"Senior Brother Chu!"

"Senior brother, are you alright?"

Several disciples quickly surrounded him, their eyes gleaming with eager anticipation and their voices filled with enthusiasm.

"Why are you here?" Chu Xianlan recognized them as the fellow disciples she had rescued from the forbidden area not long ago.

One of the junior healers looked up, blaming himself, and said, "Senior brother, we came to thank you. The situation was critical, everyone was terrified, and we caused you a lot of trouble, and even made you get punished... We really shouldn't have done that."

This group of medical practitioners had only recently begun their training and had limited experience. The oldest of them was no more than fourteen or fifteen years old. In Chu Xianlan's eyes, they were no different from a bunch of little dumplings. They had just escaped death and were then taken to the Discipline Hall for interrogation. They were all still feeling lingering fear.

Chu Xianlan chuckled softly, reaching out to ruffle the little healer's hair: "What are you afraid of? If something really happened, would I still be standing here talking to you all in good health?"

He was too rough and messed up the person's hair.

The boy who was being cruelly abused was named Qu Ling. He knew he was being teased, but he didn't try to escape; instead, his face turned red.

Seeing this, a disciple next to him gave him a playful shove: "Hey, Qu Ling, didn't you just say you wanted to heal Senior Brother Chu's hand? Hurry up and go!"

"Senior Brother Chu, may I?" Qu Ling gave a slightly shy smile.

"Sure," Chu Xianlan said generously, extending her hand. "Then I'll have to trouble you to take care of me."

The lighthearted tone had a reassuring power, and everyone laughed again, offering a chorus of words of gratitude.

Inside the room, the two had just finished discussing business when Yi Chen suddenly looked out the window.

Chu Xianlan quickly removed the arm bindings, and a slightly shorter disciple stood very close to him, earnestly applying something to the other's wounds.

Wei Jin blew on his teacup, noticing Wei Jin staring blankly out the window, and casually asked:

"What are you looking at?"

Yi Chen withdrew his gaze, straightened the teacup on the table, and answered calmly, "Xianglan."

Wei Jin twitched his lips.

I had intended to tease this person for spying on my disciple, but to my surprise, the other party answered so confidently, without the slightest embarrassment at being caught.

Just then, a few rays of warm sunlight streamed in through the window. Amidst the snow-covered landscape, the boy, surrounded by a crowd, smiled warmly, illuminating the surroundings.

"Youth is wonderful," Wei Jin sighed, resting his handsome face on his hand. "His intention to rescue his fellow disciples was good, and his disturbance of your seclusion was unintentional. Don't be too harsh on him."

Yi Chen frowned slightly, not understanding why Wei Jin would say that. He had never blamed Chu Xianlan for this matter.

When he sensed his disciple's presence near the forbidden area, his first thought was that the disciple had encountered trouble and had come to seek his help.

But Wei Jin changed the subject, "How did you feel seeing your disciple?"

"He has grown much taller."

Wei Jin detected a hint of confusion in the other person's indifferent tone, as if he were treating Chu Xianlan like a potato that doesn't grow out of season. He couldn't help but chuckle and said, "What else can I say? That kid is nineteen this year. He can't have only grown older in five years without growing taller. People change. Were you born with a full head of white hair?"

Yi Chen: "That's true."

Wei Jin paused for a moment, then clicked his tongue.

Okay, you're awesome.

Cultivators easily lose their sense of time; five years is but a fleeting moment for Yi Chen. For a child, it is enough to complete the transformation from childhood to adolescence.

Just then, Chu Xianlan outside the courtyard burst into loud laughter. His back was to the window, his figure tall and handsome. Yi Chen could not see his disciple's expression at that moment, but he could hear the clear and cheerful laughter.

Wei Jin squinted, observing, then casually put down his teacup, his tone rising, "What's wrong? Feeling disappointed?"

Yi Chen didn't seem to hear him. He looked down at the teacup that was casually placed, then reached out and picked it up, carefully arranging it in a straight row with the other cups.

Wei Jin: "..." Does it have to be this particular?

This person has been so conflicted since childhood.

Many fellow disciples are not particular about etiquette and can even share water bowls and teacups, but Yi Chen is different. He does not allow others to sleep on his bed, his belongings must be in perfect order, and he cannot tolerate even the slightest trace of other people's blood or bodily fluids.

Even if his natal sword gets stained with blood, he'll wipe it for a long time with a sour face.

The Taiyi Sect leader, Master Zhiyue, had three direct disciples: Pei Fang'an (eldest disciple), Yi Chen (second disciple), and Wei Jin (third disciple).

Pei Fang'an is a kind-hearted person, Wei Jin is always stirring up trouble, and Yi Chen is a clean freak, has obsessive-compulsive disorder, and is rigid.

Despite being fellow disciples for many years, Wei Jin still couldn't quite understand his senior brother. In his early years, Yi Chen was exceptionally talented and often practiced meditation by the sect leader's side. However, he was taciturn, lacked any human warmth, rarely showed interest in the things around him, and never got too close to anyone.

To sum it up in two words—lonely and isolated.

And so Yi Chen grew up from an orphan, to an orphan, to a young adult, and finally to an old man living alone...

Well, it's not entirely true that cultivators can stay young forever.

"It's normal for him to be a bit distant after not seeing you for a few years," Wei Jin said quietly, toying with his thick, black hair. "You're so old, how can you understand what young people are thinking? Don't you realize that?"

This is more than just a ditch; it's practically an insurmountable chasm.

There is no harm without comparison.

After a long silence, the surrounding temperature inexplicably dropped a few degrees.

"Xianlan has never been estranged from me." Yi Chen lowered his brows slightly, correcting his statement.

They're still pretty stubborn.

Wei Jinfeng's eyes flickered slightly, sensing an opportunity to have some fun.

He said with a half-smile, "Oh, really?"

"In the past few years, you have neither personally guided his cultivation nor inquired about his life. You don't even know what kind of personality he has now. Tsk tsk tsk, if you ask me, it's already good enough that this child still recognizes you as his master. Maybe he has accumulated a lot of resentment in his heart, but he just doesn't dare to say it."

Yi Chen's eyelashes twitched slightly.

"The other disciples in the sect all have their masters to teach them carefully, but he is all alone and looks quite pitiful."

"I saw him taking his self-made magical artifacts down the mountain to exchange for spirit stones a few days ago, so he must be very short of money."

"There's no one to talk to, it's so lonely and cold."

"I heard that the child always locks himself in his room and doesn't show up for three to five days... and strange noises come from inside the room," Wei Jin said, pretending to ponder. "Could he be hiding away, wiping away tears and feeling sad? Sigh, his life is really hard."

In just a few words, Chu Xianlan was portrayed as a left-behind child with a tragic fate, suspected of having mental problems, and who was unloved and neglected by her master.

If the Discipline Elder were to hear these words, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit three pounds of blood on the spot. Chu Xianlan has only slightly restrained her temper in the past few years. Before, she was a troublemaker who would overturn medicinal fields, blow up spirit mines, and study strange and unusual magical artifacts all day long. Otherwise, the old man would not have hated her so much.

Seeing that the fire was almost lit, Wei Jin added the last bit of fuel, "In short, you really have raised a terrible disciple. If you don't believe me, you can try..."

On the other side, Chu Xianlan had no idea how she had been portrayed in such a ridiculous way.

After seeing off the group of young medical cultivators, he hurried back to tidy up his residence, making sure everything was perfect before turning around and walking towards Yi Chen's courtyard. There, he bumped into Wei Jin, who was humming a little tune and strolling around.

"Junior Uncle is going back already?"

"Sigh," Wei Jin sighed, drawing out the last syllable, "I'm afraid someone is just hoping I leave."

Chu Xianlan: "...?"

Wei Jin supported his shoulder and pushed him inside, "Go ahead, don't thank me too much." Then he smiled meaningfully, gracefully left, concealing his merit and fame.

Chu Xianlan was confused but impressed: "??"

Is it just my imagination? Why do I get the feeling that Junior Uncle has ulterior motives?

When he walked into the house, completely bewildered, he was almost tripped by the sight before him.

Yi Chen held a book in his hand, his upright body facing away from the window. The sandalwood table next to him, which usually only held tea sets, was now covered with all sorts of colorful pastries—peach blossom cakes, mint cakes, candied fruits, and so on, all neatly arranged, as if a pastry shop had been opened on the spot.