Chapter 24
Shoutout to ethanldf for the commission!
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
“At that time, Law Flower Immortal was still young. Upon seeing such a handsome and extraordinary man, he couldn’t help but feel attracted and peered from a distance. Others said, ‘This is the number one person in the world, the Sect Master of the Cangyang Sect.’ Suddenly, it seemed that the Sect Master of the Cangyang Sect noticed his gaze, stopped, and turned around to smile at him. Law Flower Immortal suddenly saw this scene, and his heart was shaken, involuntarily—”
The hall fell silent for a while. Xu Shuangce tapped his slender finger on the book and said, “Involuntarily what?”
The early morning light illuminated the Xuanji Main Hall, with purple nanmu bookcases on both sides. The Sect Master and disciple sat upright, with writing utensils and jade slips neatly arranged.
If one ignored Gong Wei’s expression, which indicated he thought he was already dead, this scene could truly be described as that of a good Master and disciple, teaching and learning in harmony.
“…Involuntarily,” Gong Wei paused and numbly said, “blushing.”
Outside the hall, it was quiet.
Xu Shuangce turned a page of the book and asked, “And then?”
With a clatter, Gong Wei stood up and bowed deeply, “Reporting to Master, disciple couldn’t remember the rest.”
“Why?”
“Disciple couldn’t bear to hear those vulgar and false accusations against Master made by the ignorant commoners, feeling infuriated and burning with anger!”
“Is that so,” Xu Shuangce flipped another page casually, “But you finished reading it before, even placed it under your pillow, and didn’t throw it away.”
Gong Wei: “…”
“Moreover, since it’s just baseless rumors, there’s no need to take them seriously, let alone get angry.” Xu Shuangce closed the book with a snap and lightly tossed it in front of Gong Wei, saying, “Take it back and continue memorizing it. After lunch, you must finish memorizing the first chapter of the ‘Initial Encounter’ section, otherwise, you’ll have to recite it loudly in front of me a hundred times. Now, go.”
After a moment, there was a creak, and the door of the hall opened.
Sheng Bo, who was standing on the steps, turned his head back and saw Gong Wei with a pale face, looking dazed. He slowly stepped over the threshold, with the terrifying book still tucked under his armpit.
“…” Sheng Bo couldn’t help but ask, “Are you alright?”
Gong Wei shook his head in silence, standing still on the steps.
With one hand on his forehead, he squinted his eyes and looked up at the vast sky above his head, with his black hair and crimson robes fluttering in the wind, his face pale and his brows calm. Even though Sheng Bo knew that the person in front of him was actually a complete fool, for a moment, he couldn’t help but look away and, unnaturally, scolded, “What are you doing standing here? Why don’t you go back to memorizing the book?”
“Look at how lively those birds are.”
“?” Sheng Bo looked at him inexplicably, only to see two sparrows hopping and jumping on the roof of the distant hall, looking adorable.
“They will die when winter comes,” Gong Wei said kindly.
“??”
“Look at how beautiful the flowers in the courtyard are,” Gong Wei praised again.
“…” Sheng Bo followed his gaze and saw tiny flowers blooming on the mountain path in the distance.
“They will die before winter comes,” Gong Wei said softly.
Sheng Bo: “Hey, I’m talking to you—”
“Look at how wonderful the clouds in the sky are.”
A few faint clouds drifted across the distant horizon.
“When the wind comes later—”
“They will die!” Sheng Bo exclaimed angrily, “Are you going to memorize the book or not? If you don’t, you’ll really die!”
Gong Wei finally withdrew his gaze, stared at him blankly for a while, suddenly smiled strangely, raised his index finger, and shook it, “No need to memorize, I know what’s written below. Law Flower Immortal blushed, fell in love with the Sect Master of the Cangyang Sect at first sight, and then their love was set in stone. From then on, they were inseparable, envied by all. However, unexpected events occurred. Law Flower Immortal, a person with forbidden legends among the major Sect Masters and different versions of romantic stories circulating among the major families, was ultimately a person who, with the Immortal Alliance Leader’s infatuation and the watchful eyes of various powerful figures, made even the Master of the Sword Sect, Yuchi Rui, fall in love with him. So, after countless schemes and manipulations, fueled by rumors, the Sect Master of the Cangyang Sect, filled with resentment, spat out three liters of blood…”
Sheng Bo: “Stop! Stop!! Don’t say it anymore!!”
“Law Flower Immortal tearfully held the hand of the Sect Master of the Cangyang Sect and said affectionately, ‘Shuangce, do you really believe that I am that kind of person?’ The Sect Master of the Cangyang Sect endured the pain and said, ‘Zhiyu…'”
“Stop! Stop!!!” Sheng Bo covered his ears and screamed miserably, “Junior Brother Xiang! You are my Junior Brother! No, I’ll call you senior brother from now on!!”
Gong Wei cruelly continued, “So, the two held hands and looked into each other’s eyes with tears. Law Flower Immortal said, ‘Shuangce, you just need to remember that you are the only one I love…’ “
“I’ll kill you!!” Sheng Bo’s last trace of reason finally shattered with a snap, and he crazily pounced forward.
Gong Wei turned and ran. In the next instant, Sheng Bo’s collar was grabbed from behind, and Wen Xiuyang, who knows when he appeared, frowned and said, “Making a fuss, what decorum is this?”
“Senior Brother!” Sheng Bo, as if seeing a savior, burst into tears, “Senior Brother, save me, quickly! Drive him away!”
Wen Xiuyang coldly said, “Why don’t you say this to the Sect Master?”
Sheng Bo immediately trembled and dared not say a word. Wen Xiuyang let him go and looked at Gong Wei, pondering for a moment without speaking.
“Senior Brother?” Sheng Bo glared at Gong Wei and asked, “Why did you come up at this time? Aren’t you off duty today?”
Wen Xiuyang said, “Something happened earlier.”
“What happened?”
“…”
Wen Xiuyang seemed to be deliberating about something, his expression somewhat peculiar. After a while, he said, “You go back first.”
Sheng Bo looked puzzled, but Wen Xiuyang’s authority was profound, so he obediently grabbed his sword and left the Xuanji Main Hall. As he left, he kept turning back curiously towards this side. It wasn’t until he completely disappeared at the end of the spacious white jade steps that Wen Xiuyang turned to Gong Wei and looked him up and down for a moment.
“…” So Gong Wei could only ask, “What happened earlier, Senior Brother Wen?”
Wen Xiuyang didn’t answer at first, just looked at him, then suddenly asked out of the blue:
“What do you think of the Sect Master, Junior Brother Xiang?”
This question was really fresh.
Others always earnestly advised him, saying, “Sect Master Xu is not the person you think he is”—just like how “Grand Elder Gong is not the person you think he is” had been frequently heard by Xu Shuangce—but it was the first time for Gong Wei to be asked a question in the form of a question at the beginning of a conversation.
“The Sect Master is wise and mighty, with the bearing of a celestial being, making everyone bow down in admiration!” Gong Wei solemnly saluted and said firmly.
Wen Xiuyang fell silent involuntarily. “…I’m not asking about everyone, I’m asking about you.”
Gong Wei maintained his salute posture. “Junior Brother naturally feels the same way.”
“Is that so?”
“Every word comes from the heart, without a single falsehood!”
Wen Xiuyang seemed to be subdued by his resolute attitude or something else. After a while, he said, “You can stand up now.”
Gong Wei stood up straight and modestly adjusted his sleeve cuffs.
“…It’s really strange,” Wen Xiuyang seemed a bit perplexed, murmuring, “You are clearly nothing like Law Flower Immortal, completely different… but why is that?”
Gong Wei thought to himself that there was indeed no resemblance between him and the widely loved Law Flower Immortal: “What do you mean by ‘why’?”
Wen Xiuyang didn’t answer.
“Senior Brother Wen?”
Wen Xiuyang stood there, as if looking at him, but also as if seeing through him to something more obscure and distant, after a while, he said softly, “I used to feel fortunate about the result on the Immortal Ascension Platform sixteen years ago, but in recent years, I have increasingly felt that it was actually a terrible mistake.”
Gong Wei’s brows furrowed.
“It would have been better if nothing had happened at all.”
—What did he mean by that?
Gong Wei didn’t have time to ponder further. He saw Wen Xiuyang had already passed him, walking up the steps of white jade one by one until he reached the closed main door of the hall, where he bowed deeply and said in a deep voice:
“Reporting to the Sect Master!”
At that moment, Gong Wei finally understood why Wen Xiuyang had asked him to stay:
“Yejinmen’s Yuchi Xiao has come with his sword, seeking an audience with the Sect Master. Please grant him an audience!”
After a moment of silence, the hall doors suddenly swung open.
Xu Shuangce stepped out from the high threshold, his face showing no emotion, and beckoned Gong Wei with a wave of his hand.
Gong Wei’s emotions at this moment were indescribable, almost similar to when he had prepared to ascend the Immortal Ascension Platform years ago. He took a deep breath and walked up the white jade steps step by step to the top, sincerely saying, “Master…”
Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder.
Xu Shuangce placed a hand on Gong Wei’s shoulder, seeming to exert a heavy pressure, yet also appearing light and casual, effortlessly pulling him to stand by his side.
The two stood shoulder to shoulder like this, then Xu Shuangce turned to Wen Xiuyang, his voice unhurried:
“For what reason?”
Wen Xiuyang kept his head down, seemingly oblivious to the scene unfolding before him. “He said he came to deliver a gift.”
Want to show your support? Come donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Thank You for the chapter ❤٩(•౪•٩)