Nanyang Sect, Inner Sect, a bamboo grove courtyard specially refurbished in advance.
On the bed, a young man dressed in the white robes of Nanyang, his eyes slightly closed, breathing elongated.
His eyes dare not close tightly due to an innate caution, while the elongated breathing represented the weariness of his Divine Soul.
On his pale face, finally there was less harshness, adding a rare tenderness to his handsome features.
As if reminiscing about pancakes by the roadside of Baiyun County, a bowl of chives noodles in the Demon-suppression Bureau’s drill ground in Qingzhou, mutton soup eaten over two occasions thousands of miles apart, and the spicy throat medicine wine inside the decrepit temple on Creek Terrace Mountain.
Shen Yi’s expression suddenly became detached, his fingertips moved slightly as he subconsciously reached toward his arm bend.
There used to be a knife there, but now he felt only emptiness.
His elongated breaths inexplicably became hurried, and his clear eyes opened, with a cold sharpness emerging.
"My story is finished,"
In front of a window sprinkled with golden sunshine, Li Xuanqing turned his head, revealing a candid smile, then curiously said, "But you seem to be made entirely of stories."
Shen Yi raised his eyebrows and relaxed his body again.
He moved his gaze away somewhat impatiently.
Because beside Senior Xuan Qing stood a silent old woman, the two standing shoulder to shoulder, watching the sunset there.
No one would wish their breakfast to be such a thing; he was no exception.
"Since Sect Master Shen has awakened, then we will take our leave,"
Only at this moment did the Sect Master of Treasure Flower Sect realize why it was worth having Xuan Qing specially invite her to watch over Shen Yi for just a short nap. It was clear that the young man truly lacked a sense of security.
"Disciple takes his leave," Xuan Qing bowed meticulously and then pushed open the wooden door.
Telling Shen Yi his own story was a sign of respect for the Sect Master’s power, as well as a promise made previously.
Choosing to do so while the other party was asleep was not wanting the enmity to continue, especially at a time when all the pressures of Nanyang Sect rested solely on Sect Master Shen’s shoulders.
Shen Yi sat up with a hint of reluctance, leaning against the wall, stopping the two.
He rubbed his temples casually, turned his head to look over, his voice lazy yet his gaze finally serious, "Tell it again."
The two, who had already stepped through the door, slowly came to a halt, turning back with a trace of confusion.
The gaze of the Sect Master of Treasure Flower Sect flickered, as a giant of the Unity Realm Stage, she actually felt like she couldn’t see through this young man.
He was clearly exhausted to the limit and had just managed to relax a bit. Just after opening his eyes, he was ready to take on the matters again.
She could guess that, given Xuan Qing’s character, he viewed Shen Yi highly and would definitely offer much help, but the meaning behind Xuan Qing’s previous action, if to be summarized in four words, would be one stroke annuls.
The current situation was... Sect Master Shen was not willing to annul.
With this thought, the Sect Master of Treasure Flower Sect carried a helpless smile and looked at Xuan Qing: "Now I understand why he is the Sect Master."
Li Xuanqing stared silently at Shen Yi on the bed.
He suddenly laughed, "Would you be willing to tell us your stories?"
Do not do unto others what you don’t want done unto yourself.
Xuan Qing believed that from his understanding of Shen Yi, he was definitely not someone who wanted to share his burdens with those close to him.
However, what Xuan Qing did not expect was,
Shen Yi slowly straightened up, put on his boots, then lightly rolled them over the floor tiles, raised his gaze, and said indifferently, "My stories are all buried underground now."
With the calmest tone, the simplest of sentences held a murderous aura that even the Sect Master of Treasure Flower felt her eyelids twitch.
This sentence, hardly something a Sect Master of an Immortal Sect should say.
It sounded more like a Demon Cultivator than an actual Demon Cultivator.
Li Xuanqing too was stunned in place, finally letting out a wry smile after a moment, "It’s just the impetuosity of youth, but in the end, things that can’t be competed for,"
Using the word "youth" to describe a Cultivator with a Lifespan over ten thousand years seemed somewhat inappropriate.
In reality, for geniuses, most of their time was spent on dull cultivation, seldom experiencing setbacks, so it was quite normal for them to always harbor a youthful vigor at heart.
Li Xuanqing took half a step back, reclosed the wooden door.
Under the slightly reminiscent gaze of the Sect Master of Treasure Flower, he turned to face Shen Yi, "Everyone knows that Xuan Qing is a once-in-Hongze unparalleled genius, and the most beneficial thing he has done for the creatures of Hongze in this life was to take Fairy Zi Ling of East Dragon Palace as his Dao companion, granting Hongze thousands of years of peace."
"Later on, she had a chance to ascend to the Celestial Court."
"I was unwilling, wanted to keep her, so I gambled the entire Nanyang Sect for it."
As Li Xuanqing spoke to this point, the Sect Master of Treasure Flower suddenly clenched her walking stick, shifting her gaze away.
Clearly, there was a lot missing from this narrative.
At least as far as Shen Yi had heard, he didn’t see how this matter was related to youthful impetuosity, nor did he think Xuan Qing was someone who would out of jealousy destroy his Dao companion at any cost.
"They exhausted Hongze’s precious metals and gems, all kinds of prized materials, just to make that Fairy look even more beautiful,"
The Sect Master of Treasure Flower suddenly continued, staring into nothingness, "They had over a hundred Cultivators polish phoenix talons, weave dragon whiskers, nurture the Dragon Horn."
At this point, Fairy Bao Hua suddenly revealed a mocking smile, "Using those extravagant items, they made her a saddle seat that even the whole of Hongze couldn’t find a second one to compare, and sent her to ascend to the heavens... as an Immortal’s mount."