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

The atmosphere in the cramped forging room was too subtle. Even someone as oblivious as Yi Chen sensed something amiss. He immediately withdrew his hand, turned his back to his disciple, and said, "Put your clothes on first."

Chu Xianlan was granted a general amnesty.

While tidying up, he mentally berated himself: It was just that Master touched his stomach a few times, did you have to make that kind of noise!

After a while, Yi Chen, still with his back to him, explained, "These are the Gu patterns generated by the Entangling Life Gu."

"Gu patterns?"

"Previously, I asked Master Xie about the details of the Entangling Life Gu. He mentioned that some mother and child Gu, after being bound together, may show corresponding Gu patterns, which can be considered a manifestation of the Gu worm existing in the body. There is no need to worry too much."

"Does Master also have Gu patterns on his body?" Chu Xianlan couldn't help but ask.

Yi Chen's fingertips trembled beneath his sleeve.

What kind of question is this?

Does that mean I have to take off my clothes on the spot so he can carefully check for the presence of Gu patterns?

Under the guise of concern, in reality...

Yi Chen instantly became alert.

Even if there were truly Gu patterns, it would be impossible for her to show them to him.

"It's not clear yet." Yi Chen pursed his thin lips, silently maintaining his composure and trying to keep his tone distant and indifferent.

That would be a clear rejection, wouldn't it?

Chu Xianlan gave an awkward "Oh," and didn't continue the topic.

He thought sadly that even if he didn't accept reality, it had already happened. So be it, the Gu mark was just a Gu mark. Anyway, no one could see it if it was hidden under his robes.

As long as it doesn't cause facial pain, everything is fine.

Having recovered from the embarrassment, Chu Xianlan frowned and looked around her messy forging room. It was so dirty and chaotic that it looked more and more like an untended doghouse.

"Master, this place is full of iron dust, smells strongly of cooking, and is not clean. You should go back to Yujing Pavilion first." His gaze fell on Yi Chen's snow-white robes, and he suddenly felt that he was living a very rough life.

Yi Chen, who had maintained a calm expression, frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Go back? He's being told to go back, and he's supposed to stay here?

First, he didn't return to Yujing Pavilion for two days. Now, he's come to pick him up in person, just because I wouldn't let him confirm whether I had any Gu marks on my body... He's stubbornly refusing to go back?

Is this a firm decision to sever ties? Are they determined to continue hiding, and don't even want to go home?

They really are having a tiff.

"Come back with me." Yi Chen's tone changed completely.

Chu Xianlan was thus unwittingly dragged back to Yujing Pavilion by Yi Chen.

I thought something big was about to happen, but my master didn't say anything and turned to head towards the cold pool behind the mountain.

The next morning, Zhu Ling came to the door.

"Want to do some sect quests? Accompany me down the mountain to deliver some medicinal herbs, quick and back."

This is a common practice of the Taiyi Sect.

The territory of a cultivation sect is vast, and disciples are required to complete a certain number of training missions down the mountain each month. This serves as both cultivation and a responsibility to protect the surrounding area. If there are threats such as monster incursions in nearby villages and towns, sword cultivators will be dispatched to eliminate them. Similarly, in the event of epidemics or difficult-to-treat diseases, medical cultivators will go to provide medical treatment.

As for disciples specializing in alchemy, weapon crafting, or talisman cultivation, they are considered to have completed their task by submitting a sufficient quantity of qualified products each month.

However, the task details are not so rigidly divided, and mutual help is common. Usually, you just need to team up to complete tasks.

Chu Xianlan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Since Ji Cheng'an was now returning to the palace and the persistent precognitive dreams had stopped bothering him, there was no need for him to stay by his master's side and cause unnecessary embarrassment. So he simply agreed to go with him.

Knowing that Yi Chen disliked outsiders approaching when he was cultivating, Chu Xianlan shouted loudly from a distance away from the cold pool to report her whereabouts.

"Master, your disciple has gone down the mountain to gain experience!"

"..." Yi Chen opened his eyes, and there was no longer any trace of the other person in Yujing Pavilion.

So, he had just brought the man back last night when his disciple slipped away right under his nose again.

And they even managed to slip away with a plausible explanation.

-

"Wood!"

"don't want."

"Two fires."

"……Pass."

Inside the bumpy carriage, the Five Elements cards clattered as they were shuffled. Chu Xianlan slammed a wooden card onto the table between her fingers: "Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth! I've got a straight, so I can take your whole hand! I win!"

Xiao Huandu, on the other side, let out a mournful cry, his face covered in talismans, and shook his head frantically: "I'm not playing anymore! I've lost five games in a row! I'm quitting!"

Chu Xianlan laughed so hard her shoulders shook, then pulled out a yellow talisman and stuck it on the only empty space on his forehead: "Why are you so unlucky?"

The girl sitting by the window slowly put down her teacup, spread out all the Five Elements cards in her hand, and calmly said, "I won."

The two looked at Zhu Ling in shock—in front of her were two sets of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth in sequence, plus a pair of heavenly spiritual roots.

—So there are experts out there.

As they were talking, the carriage suddenly braked, and the five-element cards on the table scattered all over the floor with a clatter.

"What's going on?" Chu Xianlan held onto the carriage wall and peered out the window.

Xiao Huandu was overjoyed. Taking advantage of the chaos, he ripped off the talismans from his face and secretly hid a few cards. Just then, the disciple driving the carriage turned around and shouted, "Senior Brother Chu, there's a fight ahead, blocking the road!"

Peeking through a corner of the carriage curtain, two groups of people were clearly facing off in the middle of the official road.

Both sides were aggressive.

One group of people wore purple and gold armor, silver hair crowns, and were all tall with swords at their waists; the other group consisted of female cultivators dressed in light blue robes, holding oil-paper umbrellas with different ink paintings on their surfaces, clearly weapons specially made by their sect.

"They are disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Profound Sun Sect."

Chu Xianlan understood perfectly; she was already used to the conflict between the two factions.

The Heavenly Sword Sect and the Profound Sun Sect have been at odds since their founding, and their grudges likely date back to the first generation of sect leaders.

Ironically, due to their respective cultivation methods and founding principles, the Heavenly Sword Sect only accepts men, while the Profound Sun Sect only accepts women, which is not uncommon in the cultivation world. However, the two sects have been engaged in constant open and covert struggles over the years, with countless sword duels and clandestine clashes in various secret realms, which have practically become a regular feature of the cultivation world.

Zhu Ling expressed her dissatisfaction: "Why did you have to make a move on the main road? I wanted to finish delivering the medicinal herbs and get back as soon as possible."

As they were talking, a pretty female cultivator from the Xuan Yang Sect crossed her arms, raised her head, and said indignantly, "Senior Sister, don't bother reasoning with them! There's no point in arguing with these guys who only know how to brandish swords and spears!"

Someone from the Heavenly Sword Sect immediately bristled, "What nonsense are you talking about! We, the Heavenly Sword Sect, clearly use swords! Where would we get knives and spears!"

"Hmph, you brute."

"Who are you calling a brute? If you disagree, let's fight!"

"Whoever is right, that's who we'll talk about!"

"You little brat—" The Tianjian Sect disciple could no longer contain himself and roared as he drew his longsword.

Xiao Huandu couldn't bear to see the beautiful woman injured, so he asked, "Do you need help?"

"There's no need," Chu Xianlan shook her head.

Almost the instant the sword light fell, an oil-paper umbrella painted with a phoenix totem appeared in front of the female cultivator.

With a slight turn of the umbrella's edge, the person who made the move blocked the sharp blade with just the thin umbrella surface. On the contrary, the Heavenly Sword Sect disciple who made the move was repelled by a resilient spiritual force and was forced to retreat dozens of steps.

"—Senior Sister!"

"Senior sister is amazing!"

The female disciples of Xuan Yang Sect immediately cheered with joy.

The person holding the umbrella turned around.

She was a tall female cultivator; even her silhouette from behind was striking, like a graceful daffodil.

When she turned around completely, she was even more captivating. She was ethereal, with a face like a lotus, eyebrows like willow leaves, a touch of crimson on her lips, and a small red mole under her eye. It would be no exaggeration to call her a fairy with jade-like beauty.

Zhu Ling suddenly said, "So it was her."

"Who?" Xiao Huandu looked completely bewildered.

"Ji Fuyao, the senior sister of Xuan Yang Sect—also the second prince in the palace, Ji Cheng'an's elder sister."

"Who?!" Xiao Huandu exclaimed, "Ji Cheng'an's older sister?!"

The difference in temperament is just too great!

Ji Fuyao had already closed her paper umbrella and simply took a step forward, yet her aura was completely different from the others.

She said, "He Jingxuan, don't push your luck."

The voice was extremely beautiful, elegant yet not weak.

"Oh."

A deep laugh came from the crowd of Tianjian Sect members, "Ji Fuyao, long time no see, you still love to meddle in other people's business."

The man who spoke was wearing a purple-gold armor of a higher grade than the others, with a cloak draped over one shoulder. He had a rugged and handsome face, and an arrogant smile on his lips.

"How could it be him?" Chu Xianlan exclaimed in surprise.

"What? You know him too?" Xiao Huandu began to wonder if he was the only one who was ignorant.

He Jingxuan, the only son of the Heavenly Sword Sect's leader, is not only the sect's senior disciple but also a once-in-a-century genius. At only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, his cultivation has already reached the late Golden Core stage, enough to make many elders of smaller sects wary.

These words enraged the female cultivators of the Xuan Yang Sect. "How dare you! How dare you disrespect our Senior Sister! You have no manners!"

"Who was rude first? If you have any manners, say something nice!" The swordsman from the Heavenly Sword Sect retorted, brandishing his sword and shouting.

The two sides exchanged another long string of insults, and as the tension escalated again, Xiao Huandu rubbed his hands excitedly: "Everyone here is someone of importance. If those two really fight, who would win?"

"Ji Fuyao has a good chance of winning; her weapon is of a high grade," Chu Xianlan analyzed, squinting her eyes.

Zhu Ling said meaningfully, "Not necessarily. He Jingxuan's strength is not bad."

At this moment, He Jingxuan's eyes darted around, and he crossed his arms, laughing loudly, "Very well! Since everyone has their own version of events and we can't reach a conclusion, why don't we invite a fellow Daoist from the Taiyi Sect who happens to be passing by to judge this matter!"

After he shouted that, everyone's attention turned to the carriage.

The Taiyi Sect members watching the drama unfold inside the carriage: ? ? ?

Damn, how did I get infected even while lying down?