Fairy, please have some self-respect. I am not the reincarnation of your deceased husband.

Mu Qianxue paused, then turned around, still with that icy and aloof demeanor.

"Master..."

"What is it?"

She tried her best to make her voice sound calm, even conveying a sense of responsibility as a senior sister and consideration for the sect's rules.

"Is it improper to have my junior brother temporarily reside in a side hall of Yunxin Palace?"

"It's alright."

Pei Wanyun waved her hand gently, her expression calm and indifferent, not taking it to heart.

"There are only the three of us, master and disciple, on Jade Spirit Peak now, so there's no need to be so rigid in our adherence to tradition."

"If you really had to follow the rules in everything, I wouldn't have allowed you to live alone in such a secluded place as the back mountain in the first place."

"..."

Mu Qianxue was speechless for a moment, and could not refute it.

Unexpectedly, his past preference for tranquility and his solitary life in the back mountains have now dug a huge hole for him, and he has become a precedent in his master's eyes.

But she quickly changed her story:

"Master, as a junior disciple who has just entered the inner sect, he may need a quiet and independent place to concentrate on his cultivation."

"Furthermore, the side hall of Yunxin Hall is too close to the main hall."

"In case my junior brother makes any noise during his daily cultivation or routine, disturbing Master's peaceful practice..."

"It's alright."

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Wanyun interrupted him gently.

Her smile remained gentle, but her tone of voice had softened somewhat.

"Lian Shu's foundation still needs to be solidified. Living nearby will make it easier for me to guide him."

Since both of her disciples were present, she naturally addressed her husband as "Lian Shu" and her eldest disciple as "Qian Xue," clearly distinguishing between them.

"Besides..."

Her gaze shifted slightly from Mu Qianxue to Chen Lianshu, her words filled with concern, as if they were genuine concern from an elder for a younger generation.

"He is new to the profession and unfamiliar with many things. He will stay near me and may come to ask me anytime if he has any questions."

These words are all reasonable and almost irrefutable.

unless……

"..."

Mu Qianxue clenched her fists even tighter inside her sleeves.

She could almost imagine how her master would "instruct" her husband.

After all, what I just witnessed was enough to prove...

"But…"

Just as Mu Qianxue was about to retort, Pei Wanyun gently raised her hand, stopping her from speaking.

"Snowflakes".

Master's voice remained gentle, yet it carried a subtle air of authority befitting a peak master and elder.

"I have my own plans."

"It's very kind of you, as the senior sister, to care about your junior brother, but now that this matter has been settled, there's no need to worry about it anymore."

"..."

Mu Qianxue fell silent, finally suppressing the resentment surging in her heart.

We cannot argue.

At least not right now.

If the competition continues, even the slight "information gap" advantage that I have left will probably be noticed by my master.

The situation will only get worse then.

After all, there is still room for maneuver.

"Yes, disciple understands."

When she met her master's gaze again, her eyes had returned to calm.

After giving Chen Lianshu one last, deep look, he quietly took his leave:

"Then this disciple will not disturb Master."

"Go."

Pei Wanyun's tone remained unchanged.

However, the subtle oppressive aura quietly dissipated, returning to a gentle state.

"Your studies are not urgent, but don't neglect them."

"Disciple understands."

After saying that, Mu Qianxue turned and left decisively, walking in a hurry and looking a little disheveled.

Even if I have a thousand words to say, I cannot reveal even a fraction of them at this moment.

However, she would never sit idly by and wait for her doom.

Even in the briefest moment of turning around, a plan had already quietly taken shape in her mind…

Master... please forgive your disciple for being disrespectful and unfilial.

This is the only matter on which my disciple absolutely cannot back down.

Until the palace doors closed gently, completely isolating that figure in pure white.

A mechanical sound came—

[Ding, a premonition of a karmic tribulation has been detected in the host...]

[System under repair...]

Current progress: 10%

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Before Chen Lianshu could even process the system notification that suddenly popped up...

He clearly sensed that his master's gaze had returned to him.

"Pity the Book".

When she couldn't call him "husband," she preferred to call him by his name rather than "disciple."

Of course, sometimes in order to emphasize that she was only "teaching" her husband, she could only use "teacher" and "disciple" to cover up her intentions.

"Um?"

"Don't overthink it. Qianxue may be a bit cold-hearted, but she has a good heart."

Pei Wanyun comforted her gently, her eyes softening.

"Can…"

Chen Lianshu recalled the deep look Mu Qianxue gave him before she left, and the intense emotions revealed by the red heart above her head, and hesitated before saying:

"My senior sister seems a little unhappy?"

"Peace of mind."

Pei Wanyun chuckled softly.

"She's just not used to having another person in the peak; she'll get used to it after spending more time with them."

Is it really just that I'm not used to it?

Chen Lianshu couldn't help but have doubts.

Before he could think further, his master had already returned to his desk and beckoned him:

"Alright, let's continue. Pay extra attention to the spirit runes we just discussed..."

Chen Lianshu sat down as instructed, but her mind was still somewhat wandering.

Only when that soft, warm hand gently covered the back of his hand again, guiding his fingertips to trace the path of the talisman, did he gradually regain his focus.

As expected, after this "teaching," the notification for repairing the karmic entanglement sounded again:

[The connection is being repaired...]

[Master-Apprentice Line: 32%]

About half an incense stick later, today's guidance came to an end.

"Alright, you must be tired today, and I'm a little exhausted too."

Pei Wanyun withdrew her hand, her smile gentle and her voice soft:

Let's stop here for now.

"Come, let me show you the side hall."

It wasn't that she was tired, but rather that she was content.

But she didn't reveal anything, and only led her disciple towards the side hall.

Pushing open the door, the interior is fully furnished, neat and elegant, clearly having been carefully arranged.

Compared to their previous residences outside the gate, the difference was like heaven and earth.

However, perhaps because she was in her master's bedroom, even though it was just a side hall, the air still retained a faint lotus fragrance similar to that on her body.

"How was it? Are you satisfied?"

"Thank you for your trouble, Master."

Chen Lianshu walked to the window, glanced at the quiet night outside, and then went to the bedside.

On the small table beside the bed, there was not only an oil lamp, but also an exquisite incense burner, in which incense was burning, its fragrance elegant and calming, seemingly having a soothing effect on the soul.

"Since you are satisfied, I will take my leave now."

"Take good rest. If you need anything, come to the main hall to find me anytime."

"Yes."

Chen Lianshu bowed in the direction his master had left.

He was left alone inside the hall.

After his master left, he took off his clothes and lay down on the bed.

Looking up at the sky, I don't know why, but the bedding was also filled with that familiar, faint fragrance of lotus.

However, he didn't think much of it, assuming it was just from the incense in the hall.

It's been a busy day, and I'm really tired.

As soon as I lay down on the bed, accompanied by that calming fragrance, I fell into a deep sleep in no time.

They didn't even notice—

In the middle of the night, the palace door was pushed open very gently.

The man then approached Chen Lianshu's bedside, seemingly intending to commit an indecent act—