Seeing Master so close, Mo Xuanli’s breath caught. His mind gradually calmed, recalling what had just happened, feeling dazed and unsure of himself.
Outside the door, he had seen Master’s clothing disheveled on the bed, Master—who usually hated being touched—pinned by senior uncle, with a trace of white at his mouth. Mo Xuanli’s mind went blank; when he recovered, sword in hand, killing intent radiated.
When he realized it was a misunderstanding, he had to awkwardly stop and hide, never wanting anyone to see such an embarrassing scene.
Such immense killing intent directed at a usually caring uncle was completely inappropriate.
But… Mo Xuanli worked to sort out his thoughts and finally understood.
He realized he was angry because Master, powerless without spiritual energy, couldn’t resist, and the drunken senior uncle had behaved improperly. Though there was no other intent, Master… liked men. Senior uncle’s actions were disrespectful, so he was angry on Master’s behalf. Had senior uncle not stopped, he would have rushed in to help Master.
Mo Xuanli was only a palm’s distance from Gu Baiqing’s face, gaze unfocused, sweeping back and forth across Master’s face.
He recalled Master coming to his room earlier.
At that time, he had absentmindedly followed, seeing Master pausing at his door.
Mo Xuanli watched Master’s face, frowning, then downcast. He understood—Master… missed him tonight. Perhaps on nights he didn’t know about, Master often came here.
Master must have been reluctant to let him move away. Initially, it wasn’t cruelty toward him, but toward himself.
Seeing Master close the door sadly, as if restraining himself, and then come to their usual lesson corridor to meditate, all alone—it was heartbreaking.
What could he do to avoid hurting Master?
Mo Xuanli was troubled. A few strands of Gu Baiqing’s hair floated onto his face, tickling. When he looked up, he saw Master’s face so close that he could feel the warmth. Mo Xuanli’s face instantly burned; he leaned back, nearly falling.
Unconsciously, he had leaned too close, almost touching noses.
He took several deep breaths, felt he had acted improperly, steadied himself, and gently removed the maple leaf from Master’s shoulder.
Master meditated attentively; his breath was familiar, usually undisturbing.
Mo Xuanli turned his head and saw Three Bean sitting nearby, cat eyes fixed intently on them.
Mo Xuanli blushed in embarrassment and made a “shh” gesture to Three Bean.
Three Bean tilted his head, puzzled—why had the little benefactor gotten so close to Master? Something felt… off.
But as Master and disciple, maybe it was just concern?
The next moment, Three Bean’s guess was confirmed. Seeing Gu Baiqing dressed lightly, Mo Xuanli went to get a cloak and draped it over Master. Indeed, he was caring for his elder.
Then Mo Xuanli sat nearby, quietly entering meditation with him.
Three Bean didn’t understand human behavior—why did the little benefactor come to deliver him but still stay instead of going back to sleep?
Three Bean didn’t mind and yawned, curling up obediently between the two.
…
Regarding the Demon-Refining Tower matter, Fu Zhiyi did not go soft-hearted. Just as in the original account, he directly expelled Lin Jiaying from the sect. Although Elder Lin tried his utmost to save her, Fu Zhiyi absolutely refused to show favoritism.
Elder Lin even used the departure of his granddaughter as leverage, saying he himself would leave as well to pressure Fu Zhiyi.
In fact, having already lost Elder Zhao, losing Elder Lin as well would be a great loss to the Zixiao Sect—especially now with Gu Baiqing’s condition still uncertain. Naturally, the other elders tried to persuade Fu Zhiyi to deal a lighter punishment as a warning.
But Fu Zhiyi only asked one question: if it had been someone else encountering the malfunctioning checkpoint that day, would they really have been so lucky to walk out of the Demon-Refining Tower alive?
One could not treat it as a minor matter just because there were no casualties. Zixiao Sect would absolutely not allow disciples to make such mistakes.
Don’t be fooled by Fu Zhiyi’s usual good-natured appearance—once he set his mind, no one could argue him down.
In the end, Elder Lin was so furious he took off his elder’s robes on the spot and left Zixiao Sect with Lin Jiaying.
That night, the disciples responsible for supervising the Demon-Refining Tower naturally also received punishment.
Once Fu Zhiyi had handled matters, he personally went to inform Gu Baiqing.
Gu Baiqing was in the middle of teaching Mo Xuanli.
After listening to Fu Zhiyi’s report, he asked in puzzlement, “You could have just sent someone to tell me—why come all this way yourself?”
“Since I’m currently in charge of managing the sect, if something goes wrong and drags you into it, of course I should come to apologize in person,” Fu Zhiyi said with a smile. “Also, to remind you—this is your first time taking on a disciple, and I’m afraid you might have forgotten: your disciple has reached mid-stage Foundation Establishment and should now have his own life-bound magic weapon.”
As Fu Zhiyi spoke, Gu Baiqing heard a “ding” in his mind.
System: [First Mission Quest, Task 3: Obtain life-bound magic weapon and successfully advance to late-stage Foundation Establishment. Hint: No hints available.]
Gu Baiqing’s mouth twitched—this hardest task of all, and there was no hint. Fortunately, he already had foreknowledge; otherwise, he might have been utterly trapped.
“On the first day of next month, Ten Thousand Swords Island will open. Xuanli can make it in time—how about letting him go?”
Gu Baiqing nodded in agreement.
Ten Thousand Swords Island was essentially a man-made secret realm, built jointly by the Four Great Immortal Sects and over a dozen sects and clans. Everyone contributed sealed spirit swords, stored there, and when disciples reached the proper cultivation stage, they could enter to seek the sword destined for them.
After all, one’s life-bound spirit sword had to be found through fate, and a single sect could not ensure that all its disciples would find a suitable weapon. Thus, everyone pooled resources to build Ten Thousand Swords Island.
It was said that the island held swords ranging from low-grade to immortal-grade—whether one was chosen by a sword as its master depended entirely on fate.
Once chosen, the sword’s spiritual consciousness would merge with the person, and even the most powerful immortal-grade sword could be taken away.
However, anyone who took a weapon from the island was obliged to later return another of equivalent value to replenish the island, ensuring it could continue to operate.
The island’s only trial was the Guardian Beast, but as long as one had reached mid-stage Foundation Establishment there was generally no danger. This was to prevent young people from being too eager, obtaining their life-bound sword too early, and harming themselves by forcing their growth.
It could be said this was the older generation’s way of caring for all young cultivators.
However… Gu Baiqing knew Ten Thousand Swords Island would not have Mo Xuanli’s life-bound sword at all, but this trip still had to be made—because Mo Xuanli would find a treasure there.
But the trip was also extremely dangerous. In the original account, an accident occurred on Ten Thousand Swords Island, triggering Mo Xuanli’s demonic nature and causing his feelings for his original master to intensify without limit.
If the treasure didn’t have to be retrieved by Mo Xuanli himself, Gu Baiqing would have gone in his place.
After Fu Zhiyi left, Gu Baiqing called Mo Xuanli over and briefly explained the matter of going to Ten Thousand Swords Island.
Mo Xuanli’s excitement was obvious. “Was Master’s Morning Snow also obtained there?”
Gu Baiqing nodded. “Yes. There are still twenty days before the first of the month. In this time, you cannot slack off—you must strengthen your cultivation, especially actual combat as a sword cultivator. Find people with higher cultivation than you to train with.”
Mo Xuanli looked at Gu Baiqing with some confusion.
Gu Baiqing explained, “Although Ten Thousand Swords Island is a place where young disciples go to seek their destined weapons, it’s inevitable to encounter people with ill intentions. While there will be oversight on the island, there are always moments of negligence. You must be cautious.”
From the original body’s memories, when he obtained Morning Snow—an immortal-grade sword—he was immediately targeted and ambushed. Some people, unable to obtain a good weapon themselves, would rather others not have it either. Even if they couldn’t use it, they could sell it. In short, they wouldn’t allow peers from other sects to surpass them.
Although Ten Thousand Swords Island was built for young cultivators, it was not a place where fairness was guaranteed. In any place called a “secret realm,” killing for treasure was commonplace. Other than making yourself stronger, there was no better defense.
Hearing his master’s warning, Mo Xuanli nodded seriously. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Three Bean walk over and lazily curl up in Gu Baiqing’s arms. Gu Baiqing, used to it, fed it a small dried fish and gently stroked it.
It was simply a scene of a man petting a cat in the afternoon sun.
Yet Mo Xuanli felt uneasy. Three Bean… could turn into a human—and a man at that. Hadn’t Master seen him in that form? How could he still hold him and stroke him like that?
He wanted to bring it up but didn’t know how, and in the end could only sullenly continue cultivating.
Because of the pressure of the upcoming trip to Ten Thousand Swords Island, his already diligent training became even more intense.
In the entire Chunyang Pavilion, only Nan Zhi had the interest and endurance to spar with him.
And Nan Zhi never pulled punches—her moves were practically full-force combat. On the first day, after sparring with her, Mo Xuanli had to be carried by Nan Zhi to Flying Crane Pavilion to find Yun Yue. Though Mo Xuanli could have tended to his own injuries, at that point he could barely even lift his hands.
“How could you hit so hard?” Yun Yue asked in surprise.
Nan Zhi’s face remained cold. “He told me to go all out.”
Yun Yue looked at Nanzhi with some irritation. “Your cultivation levels are so far apart. Even if you’re being serious, you should at least show a bit of restraint.”
Nanzhi couldn’t be bothered to explain. She and Yun Yue were very familiar with each other; whenever she was hurt, she would always come to Yun Yue, and she never got upset at Yun Yue’s words.
“Hurry up and treat him. I’m heading back first.” Nanzhi finished speaking and was about to leave, but Yun Yue still pulled her back. “Don’t rush off. You’ll have to send him back later.”
“He still can’t move on his own later?” Nanzhi asked in surprise.
Yun Yue’s almond-shaped eyes widened, and Nanzhi could only close her mouth helplessly.
Yun Yue smiled and pointed to a table nearby. “As it happens, I made some cheese puffs. Don’t you like them? Stay and have a bit. In a while, Junior Brother Xuanli will be out.”
Nanzhi twitched her nose and indeed spotted the pale yellow cheese puffs on the table. She went over to sit down, which counted as silently agreeing to wait for Mo Xuanli.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Mo Xuanli was also rather helpless. In truth, if he just rested a little longer and waited for his muscles to recover, he could move on his own. There was really no need to trouble his two senior sisters.
But Yun Yue was always so gentle and attentive, and Mo Xuanli didn’t have the heart to reject her kindness.
After giving him a simple treatment, Yun Yue helped Mo Xuanli out of the room.
By then, the cheese puffs on the table outside were already nearly gone — the whole plate had been wiped clean.
“Let’s go.” Nanzhi reached out to help Mo Xuanli, making him a bit embarrassed. “Senior Sister, I really can walk on my own.”
Nanzhi didn’t stand on ceremony with him. She let go right away, and seeing that he was fine, she stopped fussing.
Yun Yue was about to send them off when Nanzhi suddenly said, “Oh, right, aren’t you going to Ten Thousand Swords Island too? How about starting tomorrow you come train with us?”
Yun Yue was startled and quickly waved her hands. “I’m a healer. I’m only going to join the fun. I don’t need to train like you do.”
“Senior Sister Yun Yue is going too this time?” Mo Xuanli asked.
Yun Yue answered a little sheepishly, “Yes. I’m afraid I’ll trouble you all, but I’m just going to take a look. Once you’ve found what you need, I won’t hold you back — I’ll leave with you.”
In fact, Ten Thousand Swords Island did have other magical artifacts, some suitable for healers, but they were very few and generally mediocre in quality. Sometimes foundation-stage healers went there just to act as accompanying medical support — finding an artifact was like a pie falling from the sky. As Yun Yue herself said, it was just for the fun of it.
Now that she had already reached the peak of Foundation Stage, her cultivation wasn’t strong enough for her to dare take risks. She had missed several opportunities before, but once she advanced to the Golden Core stage, she would no longer be eligible to go. So Yun Yue decided to go along with her fellow sect members this time to at least see it for herself.
Mo Xuanli smiled. “Senior Sister doesn’t need to worry. We’ll all be acting together, so nothing will happen. If Senior Sister trusts me, you can stick with me then.”
“Then I’ll be counting on you, Junior Brother Xuanli.” Yun Yue gave a warm smile, then turned to Nanzhi. “See? I’ll have my junior brother protecting me, so there’s no need to train.”
Nanzhi shot her a look of disdain, but since Yun Yue refused, she let it go. After all, even if there were conflicts, sword cultivators generally wouldn’t make things difficult for healers — that would be far too disgraceful.
In the days that followed, Mo Xuanli continued training with Nanzhi. From being injured at the start to later being able to smoothly exchange dozens of moves, his progress gave Nanzhi a strong sense of urgency, and their sparring became even more serious.
Twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the massive flying boat of the Zixiao Sect, Fu Zhiyi frowned at Gu Baiqing. “Tell me, why exactly are you coming with us? I was planning to bring our junior brother.”
Gu Baiqing stroked a cat as he asked, “Second Senior Brother dislikes that I can’t fight? Actually, I’ve been feeling pretty good about storing up spiritual power lately. Even if something really happens, I can still make a move.”
Fu Zhiyi still didn’t look reassured. But since Gu Baiqing was already here, he could only grumble, “I know, you’re dragging that sickly body out here just for your disciple, right? Only one disciple, and you want to be there for every big event. I get it.”
The corner of Gu Baiqing’s mouth twitched; he really wanted to roll his eyes. If it weren’t for the fact that this plot had places where he had to show up, he’d rather stay home and let it play out on its own. And “rescue the disciple” plotlines? He really didn’t want any part of them.
Thinking this, he looked out the cabin window. A group of young disciples were leaning over the edge of the flying boat, excitedly looking at the mountains and rivers below, chattering away.
But Mo Xuanli wasn’t among them. Gu Baiqing glanced around suspiciously, then asked the cat in his arms, Three Bean, “Where’s Mo Xuanli?”
“He’s cultivating at the stern,” Three Bean replied.
Hearing this, Fu Zhiyi chuckled. “Your disciple really is just like you — a cultivation fanatic.”
Gu Baiqing set Three Bean down. “Go find him, keep an eye on him, and don’t let him push himself too hard.”
Three Bean swished his tail and padded to the stern, where he found his young benefactor already in meditation. He could only sit to the side and watch over him.
When Mo Xuanli awoke and saw Three Bean, he immediately asked, “Does Master need me for something?”
Three Bean shook his head. “Xuanli, Master says don’t overdo it.”
Three Bean had been corrected by Mo Xuanli many times on how to address him, so now he always spoke this way.
Hearing this, Mo Xuanli gave a warm smile. “It’s fine, I know my limits. I… still have to train more. The Ten Thousand Swords Island trip brings together most of the major powers in the cultivation world, and it’s all young disciples. I can’t embarrass my master — I’m his only personal disciple.”
Three Bean thought for a moment. “That’s true. He’s so famous, of course he’d hate to lose face.”
Mo Xuanli shook his head. He knew Gu Baiqing didn’t care about such empty reputation — he just didn’t want to disgrace his master.
And… Mo Xuanli glanced back toward the cabin, his eyes flickering with a hint of awkwardness. He knew his master shouldn’t have come at all — it was all because he was worried about him.
Since Master had come, Mo Xuanli was determined not to let him lose face in front of outsiders.
So until they reached Ten Thousand Swords Island, Mo Xuanli continued training alone. He also kept Three Bean by his side the whole time. Whenever Three Bean got bored and wanted to go back for a head scratch, he would be stopped.
“From now on, when there’s nothing going on, don’t go clinging to your master.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because… you shed fur.”
Three Bean felt very wronged. Wasn’t it normal for a cat in its feline form to shed? Master never complained, and even brushed its fur for it.
Suddenly, it felt like its young benefactor wasn’t as good to it as when he was little.
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