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

Chu Xianlan had anticipated that Bi Shi would resort to desperate measures, and even imagined that he would kneel down and beg for mercy...

The only thing I didn't expect was that this guy would cry!

Bishi was still lying on the ground, sobbing and calling out "Dad, Mom!" at the top of her lungs, her voice truly captivating.

"You...you bullied me! Waaah, just because you're stronger...you bullied me! I'm going to get my dad to arrest you all! Waaah...my shop, my reputation...it's all gone! You all have to pay me back! Pay me back!!"

Chu Xianlan's brow twitched wildly, and she couldn't help but look down at her hands.

The saying goes, "You can't hit a smiling face, but you can always hit a crying face."

An old saying goes, "A fist can stop a child from crying at night."

A thunderous cry rang in his ears. The shopkeeper was sweating profusely with anxiety. He had to consider Bi Shi's identity while also fearing that the mysterious man in black would anger him. He dared not speak rashly to mediate, and was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Desperate, the shopkeeper looked towards the door for help, only to be met with his savior.

—Here it comes!

On the street, Lord Bi Deng was seen walking with a refined-looking man in blue.

Bi Deng raised his hand in acknowledgment, "Thank you, Valley Master. Although my son is not very talented, he does have a bit of a knack for weapon crafting, so he opened this little shop in the city..."

"Linglong Pavilion, what a wonderful name." Xie Qingying's gaze fell on the distance, and she nodded approvingly.

As they walked to the entrance of Linglong Pavilion, a heart-wrenching cry first reached their ears.

Bi Deng stepped through the door amidst Xie Qingying's slightly questioning expression, and immediately saw his son lying on the ground, crying uncontrollably.

Both hands are flesh and blood, and Biden's heart ached so much it made his liver tremble.

"—Shi'er! My child, what's wrong!"

"Dad! Hiccup...Dad!"

The father and son rushed towards each other. Bi Deng hugged his son tightly, both angry and heartbroken: "Tell Dad who bullied you like this, and Dad will teach them a lesson!"

"Oh, yes, he's his godfather..."

Before Bi Shi could finish speaking, Xie Qingying's slightly surprised voice rang out first: "Yi Chen?"

Biden was dumbfounded.

-

"Haha, it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding!"

The evening breeze carried the fragrance of osmanthus, gently blowing over the exquisite and abundant dishes. Biden raised his wine glass, took a sip, and smiled obsequiously.

The banquet at the city lord's mansion was held in a waterside hall, outside of which was a large lotus pond, where the gurgling sound of flowing water could be heard.

"Speaking of today's misunderstanding... alas, it's all my good-for-nothing son's fault. Since he was little, he's been unable to resist any exquisite magical artifacts he sees, and he insists on collecting them. Fellow Daoist Chu's work must be the same; perhaps he saw it in the hands of some merchant, thought it was unusual, and bought it to collect."

Bi Deng shook his head in a serious manner, "It's all the fault of the servants in the manor for not doing their job properly. They carelessly mixed my son's private stash into the mess, which is why it was sent to Fairy Ji and caused this misunderstanding, almost creating a rift between them."

"I, Bi, have failed in my duty to raise my son. I will punish myself with a cup of wine as an apology to Fellow Daoist Chu."

"Since this matter arose from a misunderstanding, and given Immortal Lord Jixue's high moral character and broad-mindedness, he should... not hold it against you, right?"

Biden lowered his stance and looked at the silent man opposite him. Based on his past experience, matters between juniors usually ended when they reached this point.

Yi Chen looked up. "I will."

Everyone present stared wide-eyed.

"So, this is Shuangyun City's way of apologizing?" he asked again, his cold tone carrying a hint of danger.

A cold sweat instantly broke out on Biden's back.

He suddenly realized that he had made a fatal mistake.

The fact that the other party was willing to sit here and listen to his nonsense was already a great act of charity. If it weren't for Xie Qingying's sake, Yi Chen would never have been able to calmly deal with him here; he would probably have made him pay the price back at Linglong Pavilion.

The Immortal Lord Jixue is indeed as rumored.

Heartless, emotionless, and extremely cold-blooded.

Whitewashing, shirking responsibility, excuses—his survival skills were all meaningless in front of Yi Chen.

For someone who is too powerful, worldly rules and regulations mean nothing to them.

Immortal Lord Jixue did not do this to stand up for his disciple.

Simply for offending a powerful disciple is tantamount to disrespecting the powerful!

terrible!

Bi Deng was quite frightened and quickly said, "Bi Shi, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and sincerely apologize to Fellow Daoist Chu!"

Bishi huddled to one side, her body trembling, clearly still sobbing.

"You're crying so much, you're going to cry away all your good fortune!" Biden said, straining his voice.

Bi Shi, startled by his father's shout, raised his wine cup toward Chu Xianlan, tears streaming down his face, "Fellow Daoist Chu... I was wrong today, I was blind, please... please forgive me."

At this moment, Chu Xianlan rested her chin on one hand and tapped the table with the other, looking preoccupied and lost in thought.

"Are you calm now?" Yi Chen asked, looking at his disciple who was clearly distracted.

"Hmm?" Chu Xianlan's attention had been elsewhere from the start, and her expression was slightly confused. "Master, what's wrong? Are we leaving?"

"I have a question," Yi Chen repeated patiently, "Do you still feel resentful after handling it this way?"

Listening to their conversation, Bitden was filled with disbelief, his mind reeling.

...So this guy really just wanted to stand up for his apprentice? Did he misunderstand everything he just said?

Bi Deng was inwardly turbulent, but could only force a smile and nervously look at Chu Xianlan, afraid that this little darling would say "I'm not satisfied".

Chu Xianlan thought about what her master said for a moment and nodded.

Normally, he might have offered a few perfunctory words to maintain appearances, but now, he had absolutely no time to spare for the Bi family father and son—

Because... Xie Qingying was sitting on the other side of her master.

The two were neither too close nor too far apart, just close enough that their sleeves could barely touch.

Alarm bells rang in Chu Xianlan's mind.

For safety reasons, it was not easy to separate Master and Senior Xie. Who would have thought that they would run into each other again in less than two hours? What a coincidence!

He's so worried!

Chu Xianlan was afraid that she would see the two of them having any unnecessary contact in the next second.

Xie Qingying poured herself half a cup of spirit wine. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Yi Chen's wine cup was empty, so she naturally picked up the wine pot and filled it for him.

Another ding sounded, and a million scenarios flashed through Chu Xianlan's mind.

Drinking... drugging... drunken promiscuity... a strange feeling arose in my heart...

Chu Xianlan's body trembled, and she acted swiftly, snatching her master's wine cup and placing it in front of her.

"Thank you, senior, but no need," he quickly said, his eyes still glancing at Yi Chen, his nervousness evident. "Master doesn't usually drink alcohol, so let's skip the drinks."

Yi Chen was taken aback by his sudden action, but he understood the meaning from the disciple's anxious expression.

Is this a kind of... veiled declaration of sovereignty?

He deliberately distanced himself from the outside world, referring to himself as... godfather. Actually, he probably hadn't recovered from the jealousy he felt that morning.

Since there is no more reasonable position, and it is impossible to ask the master to keep his distance from others, the only option is to draw a line in this childish way.

Ultimately, it's just a struggle with yourself. In the end, the only one who gets angry and frustrated is yourself.

Thinking about it carefully, even when his disciples are jealous of him, they have to find a plausible reason and carefully hide it...

It seems... a little pitiful.