Chapter Thirty-Five: Parting Ways

  The lamp cast a dim, flickering light on the faces of the two people in the room. The silence was oppressive, filling the small guest room with an almost palpable tension, as if a thin string had been stretched taut between them, and neither person wanted to be the first to pluck it.

  A faint, bitter laugh echoed in the silence. Xuan Zhen raised his eyes to look at his usually obedient master and said in a low voice: "Master, for the sake of Qionghua Sect's so-called 'long-cherished wish', you would rather betray a girl who wants her only father to live on, is this... worthy of her?"

  The Taiching True Person's white eyebrows shot up, a pair of cold eyes scanned over with a fierce gaze, the aura around him suddenly surged, causing the tea bowls and teapots to rattle and jump about. He said in an icy tone: "Have you forgotten what I told you just now? You are my first disciple as the leader of the Qionghua Sect, and also the leader of the younger disciples in the sect. You should put the affairs of the Qionghua Sect above all else in your heart. As for other things... Hmph! This kind of indecisiveness is truly different from when you were on the mountain!"

  Xuan Zhen only felt a great force pressing down on his shoulders, and he usually revered the Tai Qing True Person extremely. At this moment, he also habitually followed the force and slightly bowed his head, but the unspeakable discomfort in his heart was something that could not be suppressed no matter what. Even if it would provoke his master's anger, he did not want to utter a single word of submission, so he simply stood there silently.

  The Supreme True Person let out a long sigh, seemingly unwilling to blame his proud disciple too much, and could only force himself to suppress his anger and slowly say: "Master knows your intentions. Although Jade has not yet entered the sect, you have already regarded her as a fellow sister, which is why you have been taking care of her like you do with Su Yao and Su Xiang... Now that she is willing to enter the sect, isn't this a good thing? Even if Master owes her, even if the Qinghua Sect owes her, we will slowly make it up to her in the future. However, no matter what, for the sake of our sect's great affairs, this girl must be brought back to the Qinghua Sect!"

  Xuan Zhen's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he raised his hand to stop himself. With a serious and solemn tone, he continued: "This matter doesn't need to be discussed further. You only need to remember that no matter what, you cannot reveal the truth to Yu'er. I'm telling you this so that you'll always keep in mind that Qiong Hua Sect is the most important and top priority in your heart. Xuan Zhen, perhaps for you, Master's actions today may be unacceptable, but later when you understand the various reasons behind it, you will know the deep meaning... Master and the elder members of the sect have high expectations for you, we only hope that you won't disappoint our hopes."

  Taiqing Zhenren's words were like a heavy blow, and Xuanshen was no longer dissatisfied, but could not resist anymore. He had to lower his head and lightly responded with a "yes".

  That night, he didn't sleep well. The next morning, Xuanzhen came out of the guest room and heard a loud laugh from downstairs. The voice was quite familiar, but compared to the previous few days, it was much more energetic. He looked down over the railing again and saw two people sitting in the hall near the door, a man and a woman. The woman was a young girl of eighteen years old, wearing a simple blue shirt that couldn't hide her slender beauty. The man had white hair on his temples, holding a cane in his hand, but his waist was straight like an old pine tree. It was indeed Yu'er's father and daughter.

  Yesterday's bedridden patient can walk on the ground today, and the guests, shop assistants, and a group of idle people in the hall are all amazed, surrounding the father and daughter. Yu'er's old father drank tea served by the shop assistant, savoring the pastries given by the boss, and with a proud expression, he told the "legend" of how the immortal saved his life last night. Yu'er sat quietly beside him, her eyes no longer bitter as before, but full of joy and comfort.

  Seeing Xuan Zhen walking down from the building, Yu'er hurriedly got up and walked over: "Young Master." Glancing at her still excited father, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. "Father... he's just too happy, I hope Young Master and Zhenren won't mind."

  “……It won't be.” Xuan Zhen had something on his mind, and now that he was awake, he saw the two people he felt most guilty towards. He didn't dare to blame them, but instead hated that he couldn't leave immediately. He hastily avoided Yu'er's gaze, which was looking at him with a hint of a smile, and forced a smile as he said: "I suppose you father and daughter are here to find my master? I'll go up and inform him right away." As he spoke, he quickly turned around, wanting to slip back upstairs.

  Just as he looked up, he met Taiching Zhenren. The clear and solemn Taoist priest was naturally more eye-catching than him, a young man. Moreover, this old man had floated down from the second floor in an instant, his blue-white Taoist robe and three-foot-long beard slowly fluttering down, and the hall was silent as if no one dared to make a sound.

  "Old immortal!" The uncle slowly walked out of the crowd, his face flushed with excitement as he smiled and said, "Old immortal, I can see you again!" As he spoke, he threw aside his wooden cane and was about to kneel down. The surrounding crowd couldn't help but stare at him, their eyes filled with reverence.

  Taiqing Zhenren simply shook his sleeve, gently sending him back to his seat. Without saying a word, he himself calmly moved aside by more than three feet, stroking his beard and saying, "No need for excessive courtesy."

  The old man was taken aback, then smiled and said: "Since the old immortal saved my life, I should be willing to go through boiling water and raging fire for you. How can I not show respect with a bow? Alright, alright, this old arm and leg of mine cannot do anything for my benefactor, but fortunately, I have a good daughter at home... Yuer, come here!" He stood up from the stool again as he spoke.

  Yu'er responded with a sound, and walked to her father's side, holding his arm. Her uncle looked at her reluctantly and said: "In this life, I haven't done anything great, the thing that makes me most proud is having such a beautiful and filial daughter... A few days ago, Xuan Zhen said he wanted to take my daughter back to Kunlun Mountain, I wasn't very willing at first, but now... Yu'er, just follow the old immortal and this young master!"

  Yu'er was taken aback, first glancing at Zhēn Shén and Tàiqīng Zhenrén, just as the two were gazing back at her. A flush suddenly rose to her cheeks, and she lowered her head.

  Taiqing Zhenren stroked his beard, intentionally hesitating for a moment before nodding and saying: "This is very good. I took a liking to this young lady Yu'er the moment I saw her, it seems there's some innate affinity between us... If she can become my disciple, I will naturally treat her well, you don't need to worry."

  The old man's face showed a mix of excitement and reluctance as he looked at his daughter, "Yu'er, your father is reluctant to let you go alone to the desolate northwest, but since you saw the old immortal's divine power last night, following him to learn some magic is much better than staying with me in this small town... Ah, I just hope you'll be well and learn more healing magic on the mountain, so that in the future, you can also save people like your father who have fallen ill..." He couldn't help but feel a little sad, but then he remembered the matter at hand and quickly put on a smile as he turned to Taiching True Man and Xuanzhen, "My daughter has never left home since she was young, her nature is good, perhaps a bit foolish, I only ask that you take care of her and let her serve by your side, it's also a way for us to repay our gratitude."

  Tai Qing Zhenren gazed at Yu'er, his eyes intentionally revealing a warm and gentle expression, but unable to conceal the triumph and satisfaction within. Xuan Zhen glanced over with a sidelong glance before lowering his head, recalling the truths his master had revealed to him the previous night, his heart feeling as if it was being gnawed by countless ants, making him want to escape far away.

  At this point, Yu'er immediately knelt down and bowed to Taiching Zhenren several times. When she turned her head to look at her father, there was still some lingering attachment, but when she stood up, she walked behind Taiching Zhenren and stood there, clearly already considering Taiching as her master. Taiching Zhenren also treated this female disciple who had personally come to welcome him back to the Qinghua Sect with a different attitude, and said in a rare gentle tone: "Yu'er, I am the leader of the Qinghua Sect, and my daily tasks are heavy, so I don't have much energy left to teach disciples. You will be my closed-door disciple. This is Xuanzhen, your senior brother. Your two sisters are currently traveling outside the mountain and haven't returned yet. In the sect, there are only two new disciples who have just entered, their temperaments are different, but I think they can get along with you harmoniously. I hope that after you enter the sect, you will work hard to cultivate yourself, and live up to my and your father's expectations."

  Yu'er slowly opened her autumn waves, and along with the Taiching True Person's slow words, a serious expression naturally floated up in her beautiful eyes, and she said solemnly: "Yes, Master."

  Xuan Zhen also forgot the weight on his mind and asked in surprise: "Junior brother, are there still two of them?"

  Tai Qing Zhen Ren glanced at him sideways and nodded: "That's right. Three months ago, two young men broke into the Taiyi Xianjing together and arrived at the Qionghua Pai mountain gate. Both were exceptionally talented, but their personalities were quite different - one was cold and the other hot, which made things interesting. Although they entered the sect at different times, they both passed the 'wine, lust, wealth, and anger' four trials on the same day. I was pleased with their performance in the sect's trial exercises, so I decided to take them both as my disciples. You've gained two more junior brothers."

  Xuan Zhen had been the leader of the twenty-fifth generation of Qinghua disciples for over a decade, and was highly respected by his seniors in the sect. His juniors who were around the same age as him also showed great respect towards him, but they didn't get along particularly well with him. The only ones who got close to him were Su Yao and Su Xiang, but they didn't really mesh with Xuan Zhen's personality either. Su Yao was strict, while Su Xiang was lively, and both of them were women, so there was always a sense of distance between them. Now that he had heard he had two new junior brothers, one hot-headed and the other cold, his heart couldn't help but feel a little excited. But then, Shun Heng's calm face flashed before his eyes, and Xuan Zhen felt a slight jolt. He thought to himself: Could it be that the cold one among the two new disciples was...

  Xuan Zhen thought carefully, the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Xun Feng didn't know the art of swordsmanship, if he wanted to go to Kunlun Mountain, he could only go step by step like San did that day, from the East Sea to the northwest desert, the journey was long and arduous, taking half a year would be considered extremely swift. The white-clothed youth's will was firm, he didn't fear the vast yellow sand, Kunlun's majesty, with just one volume of his family's sword scripture, he could practice high-level swordsmanship, his talent was naturally exceptional, wanting to pass the sect's trial was also not difficult. Thinking about it, his own junior brother might be him.

  "Yu'er, there are still important matters to attend to in the sect, and it's not convenient for me to stay here for long. You go back and pack your bags, and we'll head back to Kunlun Mountain together this evening." On the side, Tai Qing True Person saw Xuan Zhen being silent with a thoughtful expression, and didn't bother to pay attention to him either, turning his head to instruct the new female disciple who had just entered the sect.

  Yu'er nodded slightly after a moment of hesitation, and the joy she had felt due to her father's recovery was replaced by the sadness of parting with her hometown and loved ones. She was originally a melancholic person, so she suppressed that faint smile and silently supported her father as they left.

  Xuan Zhen was shocked awake by his master's words and hastily said, "Master, I...I also have another matter to attend to, I'm afraid I won't be able to return with you and Shifu Mei."

  "Oh, what's so urgent?" Taiching Zhenren asked in surprise.

  He gazed at the colorful silk tassel hanging from the wooden knife pendant on his shoulder, then looked up and said firmly: "Master, Qingyang Shishu had asked me to go to the Huangshan area to search for memories. Now that I have found some clues in Nanzang, this place is not far from Nanzang. If I leave like this, it will be hard to come back again, and I really don't want to give up. I only ask Master to let me go to Nanzang this time. Whether or not I find the memories, I will return to Qionghua Sect immediately after that. I hope Master will agree!"

  The author has something to say: Thank you to Lingping, Lao Da (this name really sounds like a big shot), Lu Lu, Huaming Wei, Ye Maozi's someone, Jun Man, Scatterbrained Philosopher, still remembering the little waist of the past, Jin Kui, Fucheng Xi Ke (your new name is really like Shichen Creek Cave!), kiduot, and the message from Bi'an Hua Kai Xiang Yingxiu~~~ This time there are so many messages, I'm really happy~~

  P.S. So the slow-burning certain herb finally made it to South Xinjiang, all sorts of foreshadowing in the first part, finally came in handy hehe...