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

After hearing the master and apprentice's arrangements, Xie Qingying expressed her understanding and did not insist on keeping them. The two agreed on a day to enter the valley to pick the Spiritless Immortal Sprouts, and then parted ways at the city gate.

Chu Xianlan's gaze lingered on Xie Qingying's departing figure for a long time, her heart filled with conflicting emotions.

I simply cannot reconcile the man in front of me with the pervert in my dream.

Chu Xianlan stared for so long that her eyes were almost sore. When she looked up, she saw that her master was also staring at her without looking away.

The master and apprentice stood three steps apart, staring at each other silently at the bustling city gate.

"Are you satisfied?" Yi Chen asked softly.

"..." Chu Xianlan struggled for a long time but couldn't utter a single word. He was already this old and he was still trying to cheat on his master. Heavens and earth, he was so embarrassed that he wanted to disappear!

His heart was pounding, but he didn't forget his promise and headed straight for the most luxurious inn in Shuangyun City.

"Would you like to stay at the inn, gentlemen?" The innkeeper behind the counter was a plump old man who looked very kind.

"Please give us two superior rooms with the character '甲' in the name."

Although Chu Xianlan loved money, his principle when going out to gain experience was always to ensure that his food and lodging were not bad, and that he would have the energy to do things if he was well-rested. He would save where he could and spend where he could.

"Okay!"

The shopkeeper placed a set of keys on the table. "Rooms A3 and A15, go up the stairs on the left."

The room numbers are so far apart, they're clearly not adjacent rooms. Chu Xianlan casually asked, "Are these two rooms next to each other?"

Hearing him ask that question, Yi Chen had a bad feeling.

The disciple is so clingy now, always finding excuses to get close to him. Now, asking if their rooms are next to each other—is he about to…?

The innkeeper smiled apologetically and rubbed his hands together. "Oh dear, we've had quite a few visitors from the city lately, and all the rooms on this floor are full. Room number three is on the second floor, east side, and room number fifteen is on the third floor, separated by a floor. Do you not mind, sir?"

Yi Chen listened calmly.

He could almost foresee the boy's next reaction; he might turn around, put on a pitiful expression, and make an inappropriate request: "Master, is one room alright?"

Of course not.

As a result, Chu Xianlan picked up the two keys and said decisively, "It's okay, I don't mind."

He turned around. "Master, which one would you like to choose?"

"..." Yi Chen, "Whatever."

The two walked through the hall one after the other, each lost in their own thoughts. Several young people dressed in light blue sect uniforms were sitting around a table drinking and chatting. Chu Xianlan glanced over casually, just as they happened to look over as well.

"Hey, it's you!" The girl's voice was clear and cheerful as she smiled and waved at him.

It turned out to be the group from the Xuan Yang Sect that I had just met a few days ago.

Shuangyun City is adjacent to Xuanyang Sect and Tianjian Sect, so it is not surprising to encounter disciples of these two sects here.

Ji Fuyao, the senior disciple of Xuan Yang Sect, still looked elegant and poised. She sat by the window, with her Heavenly Phoenix Umbrella, which served as her weapon, leaning against the table.

"What a coincidence, Fellow Daoist Baoyue, Fellow Daoist Ji."

"Want to grab a bite?" Baoyue crossed her legs, patted the table magnanimously, made room for someone, and extended a warm invitation.

Despite her small stature, she already had eight or nine empty plates stacked in front of her, and several untouched snacks and side dishes beside her, indicating an astonishing appetite.

Chu Xianlan shook her keys and smiled, "No, we're new here and need to settle in."

"Sure," Baoyue said, resting her chin on her hand and smiling with narrowed eyes. "Hey, you didn't come here for the Spiritless Immortal Sprout too, did you? The Valley of the Dark Heart is quite dangerous. We can travel together then."

Chu Xianlan knew she meant well, but she couldn't agree.

The effects of the Spiritless Immortal Sprout go far beyond dispelling poison. As a precious immortal herb, it contains pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which greatly benefits cultivators who are advancing from the Golden Core stage to the Nascent Soul stage. If one can find it and absorb it on the spot, it can cleanse the marrow and strengthen the foundation of one's cultivation.

For those Golden Core cultivators who have been stuck at their cultivation bottleneck for many years, this may be the key opportunity to break through.

For this reason, whenever the Immortal Sprouts of Spiritless Essence mature, various forces flock to Youxin Valley, all wanting to try their luck.

But the mystery of the non-spiritual fairy bud lies in this.

Its number and specific growing locations are unknown, and the harvesting conditions are harsh, requiring the finding of a local "herb gatherer" as a guide and the use of special methods to harvest it.

Therefore, entering the valley to search for medicine is a gamble on luck, but also on skill.

Where there is opportunity, there is also bloodshed and turmoil. It is not uncommon for people to kill each other and steal treasures in order to compete for a single spiritless fairy sprout.

Chu Xianlan wasn't worried about Ji Fuyao and the others stealing the treasures. After all, the Xuan Yang Sect was one of the top righteous sects in the cultivation world, taking in homeless orphans from all over the land. Even without spiritual roots, one could cultivate through martial arts to strengthen their body or become an ordinary cleaning disciple. Such a sect wouldn't stoop to such despicable acts.

However, Chu Xianlan and the others had a more special situation, since it was inconvenient for outsiders to see the process of removing the curse.

At this moment, Ji Fuyao suddenly said, "Baoyue, Fellow Daoist Chu already has companions."

Ji Fuyao's gaze passed over Chu Xianlan and landed on the man in black behind him.

Without deliberately concealing their cultivation level, cultivators of the same realm can sense each other's cultivation depth. If there is a difference of one level, they can also identify the approximate realm by spiritual power pressure or aura.

Ji Fuyao, who was at the late stage of the Golden Core realm, was already an outstanding figure among the younger generation. At this moment, she couldn't detect even a trace of the man's cultivation level.

Clearly, he was deliberately concealing his cultivation level, like a huge, unfathomable shadow.

When did such a person arrive in Shuangyun City? Ji Fuyao's heart skipped a beat, and she asked with a smile, "May I ask who this senior is?"

Chu Xianlan habitually said, "This is mine..."

Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly remembered that his master had deliberately altered his appearance in order to keep a low profile when going out. Chu Xianlan stopped talking, coughed, and had a mental whirlwind.

How should I introduce it?

Friends?

No, how could a disciple presume to be friends with his master?

brother?

This is even more outrageous. The master's status is so noble that using the junior brother's seniority is too low; it's purely taking advantage.

As the saying goes, "A teacher for a day is a father for life," Chu Xianlan took a deep breath and said, "This is my godfather."