Chapter 14: Coming Forward To Seek Marriage
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Shen Gurong followed the disciples of Changying Mountain for several days of morning classes. The disciples, who were initially cautious, had somewhat become accustomed to his presence. At least, they no longer broke into a cold sweat every time after the morning class.
On the day of Gu Yu[16], the sky drizzled with rain. Shen Gurong, holding a bamboo umbrella, arrived at Zhibai Hall after the morning bell had rung four times.
If it were any other day, the hall would already be filled with people by this time. However, for some unknown reason, not a single disciple was present today.
Shen Gurong closed his umbrella, sat on a cushion, and waited with a puzzled expression for quite some time. Still, no one showed up.
He clicked his tongue in disapproval. Did these disciples think they could defy the heavens? They actually dared to skip class collectively.
In the drizzling rain, Shen Gurong lay on the desk by the window for a while, feeling a bit drowsy. Shen Fengxue’s body was too weak. Shen Gurong took the spiritual medicine pills given by Xi Guxing every day. After a few days, there was a slight activation of spiritual energy in his body, but he still couldn’t shake off the constant drowsiness.
Shen Gurong yawned and forced himself to stay awake. He pinched the jade token and went to find Xi Guxing.
“Senior Brother,” Shen Gurong called.
Xi Guxing quickly responded, his tone inexplicably irritable, “What’s the matter? Spit it out!”
Shen Gurong asked, “What’s wrong with you again? Who has provoked you this time?”
“Isn’t it because of you!” Xi Guxingwas impatient.
Shen Gurong felt innocent, “What did I do? I haven’t done anything these past few days.”
“Master somehow heard about your injury. A few days ago, he sent a message to your Sixth Senior Brother, asking him to refine healing medicine for you within three days.”
Shen Gurong exclaimed, “Ah?”
“He dares not express his anger directly, so he can’t scold you. He can only come and find me,” Xi Guxing said, “He has been cursing you all night. He took a break just now to drink some medicine—tch, he’s back, and he’s started again.”
“Shen Fengxue, be careful. Sixth Senior Brother will poison you sooner or later.”
Shen Gurong: “…”
In Shen Fengxue’s impression, his Sixth Senior Brother seemed like a sickly healer. He treated others but neglected himself. He could cough up several liters of blood just by taking a few extra steps each day. He was so delicate that you couldn’t even touch him, and his temper was unexpectedly so irritable.
While listening to Sixth Senior Brother’s sickly complaints, Xi Guxing asked Shen Gurong, “What’s going on? Hurry up— I’m about to be driven crazy by all of you. I shouldn’t have agreed to be the Sect Leader back then.”
Shen Gurong dryly replied, “Senior Brother, you’ve worked hard.”
Xi Guxing insisted, “Speak.”
Shen Gurong inquired, “Is today a special day? Why hasn’t anyone come to Zhibai Hall until now?”
On the other end, Xi Guxing remained silent for a moment, then strangely said, “Perhaps they practiced too late last night, and they all slept in. Wait a bit longer; they’ll probably come soon.”
Shen Gurong didn’t doubt him and continued to wait.
Waited, waited, waited—Shen Gurong almost turned into a statue of a waiting wife.
Sitting there, Shen Gurong couldn’t resist taking a short nap for two hours. Belatedly realizing that Xi Guxing might be playing a trick on him, he once again flicked the jade token.
“Xi Guxing, why haven’t they come yet?”
Xi Guxing’s tone was odd, “You’re still waiting?”
Shen Gurong asked, “What do you mean?”
This time, Xi Guxing couldn’t hold back and directly chuckled, “Shen Fengxue, you also have day like this?”[17]
Shen Gurong: “…..”
Can’t you speak like a normal person?!
Xi Guxing mocked him for a while before saying, “Do you know whose morning class it is today?”
Shen Gurong, with a wooden expression, asked, “Who?”
As soon as he asked, he suddenly froze, and a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his lips, “Lou…… Bugui?”
“Yes,” Xi Guxing said, “He always takes quite a while to arrive for the morning class. Over the years, the disciples have gotten used to it. Whenever it’s his morning class, they all independently arrive a good four hours late.”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Shen Gurong was now a bit angry, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
Xi Guxing replied, “Of course, it was to tease you.”
Shen Gurong: “You…”
Shen Gurong took a deep breath, thankful for his good temper. He compromised and asked, “Then why didn’t other disciples tell me about this?”
Seeing him seemingly defeated made Xi Guxing very pleased, “You, Shen Fengxue, are almost universally disliked at Liren Peak. Who would willingly inform you?”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Enough, I don’t want to talk anymore.
Xi Guxing mocked him some more, and Shen Gurong wiped away the jade token with a resigned expression.
Then, Shen Gurong slumped onto the desk, uttered a weak groan, and softly cursed Xi Guxing, “Sect Leader, Sect Leader, you’re just a Sect Leader, Sect Leader.”
When Mu Zhe, holding an umbrella, ran to the corridor outside Zhibai Hall, he heard his Master muttering something about “Sect Leader.” Unconsciously, he stopped and turned his head slightly to look.
His usually dignified Master, who always sat upright, now seemed boneless, slouching on the desk. His hand hung over the edge, and his long, slender, white fingers rhythmically tapped along with his words.
“Sect, Leader.” Tap, tap.
“Sect, Leader, Xi.” Tap, tap, tap.
It seemed like a child throwing a tantrum.
Mu Zhe: “…”
Mu Zhe awkwardly folded his umbrella, shook off the raindrops, and walked quickly into Zhibai Hall.
The moment he heard footsteps, Shen Gurong, who had been quietly cursing Xi Guxing, immediately sat up straight.
Mu Zhe entered and nodded in greeting, “Master.”
Shen Gurong, who had been waiting for over two hours, estimated the time. Lou Bugui should still take another hour to arrive.
Shen Gurong asked, “Why are you here so early?”
Mu Zhe had initially thought that someone informed Shen Gurong about the delayed morning class today. He wanted to come early to avoid arriving at Zhibai Hall with Shen Gurong. However, he ended up avoiding him on the way there but ran into him inside Zhibai Hall.
Holding a small cloth bag, Mu Zhe walked to his usual spot, knelt down, and sat on the cushion. “The assignments left by the elders yesterday are not yet completed. I came early to catch up.”
Shen Gurong seemed oblivious to Mu Zhe’s indifference. He got up and sat down beside Mu Zhe’s desk, lazily supporting his cheek with his hand. He found a topic, “Hmm? Is there any homework you don’t understand? Do you want me to help you figure it out?”
Mu Zhe gave him a strange look, not sure what he was thinking, and subtly tugged at the corner of his lips.
He took out the scrolls one by one and laid them on the desk, saying, “There is no need to trouble Master.”
Shen Gurong, twiddling his fingers against his cheek, thought to himself: Sigh, rejected again. This brat has quite the temper.
Feeling bored, Shen Gurong casually glanced at the small wooden box peeking out from one side of Mu Zhe’s cloth bag and found another topic.
“What’s this?”
Mu Zhe followed his gaze, took out the small box, and explained, “This is a wooden box for storing spirit medicine…”
At this point, he pursed his lips and gently opened the small wooden box, revealing the candied fruits inside.
Mu Zhe whispered, “I’m afraid of wasting them, so I use it to store the candied fruits Senior Brother Li Suo gave me.”
Shen Gurong stared at the candied fruits in the box, thinking to himself: I want some.
Shen Fengxue had been on a fasting regimen for a while now, and Shen Gurong hadn’t consumed anything for several days after arriving here. Seeing the ordinary human food, he couldn’t help but salivate.
Shen Gurong forcibly restrained himself, gave a forced “Oh,” and then turned his head without saying anything.
Whether it was his imagination or not, Mu Zhe seemed… different from before.
The previous Mu Zhe had always resisted and disliked Shen Gurong. Even though some of that resentment had diminished after Shen Gurong saved him, they never really got close. Now, it seemed like he had changed his mind. The current Mu Zhe didn’t seem as repelled by Shen Gurong’s presence as before.
If this were a usual day, Shen Gurong suddenly approaching him would have triggered Mu Zhe’s instincts, making him want to jump up and keep his distance. However, today was different. Instead of wanting to escape, Mu Zhe not only held a normal conversation with Shen Gurong but also appeared quite relaxed.
Shen Gurong thought, “Has he finally realized that I won’t harm him anymore? Tsk, it seems shamelessly engaging with the little protagonist is effective for improving master-disciple relations.”
The master and disciple sat quite close, one leaning on his hand lost in thought, the other sitting upright, diligently practicing calligraphy.
An hour later, the disciples of Zhibai Hall slowly arrived. Upon seeing the already present Sage, they quickly took their seats. Soon after, Lou Bugui, who was four hours late for the “morning class,” finally arrived with a small basket on his back.
All the disciples had come after having their lunch. As Lou Bugui arrived, they stood up and greeted, “Good afternoon, Martial Uncle.”
Lou Bugui placed the small basket on the lectern and mumbled, “Good morning.”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Lou Bugui was still immersed in his own little world, not bothering to look at anyone. He carefully took out the herbs from the small basket and placed them on the lectern. Slowly, he said, “Today, we will learn about Soul-Capturing Grass.”
Li Suo sat in the front row and gently reminded, “Senior Uncle, the Sect Leader forbids you from teaching us poisonous herbs.”
Lou Bugui seemed to not hear and continued explaining, “The stems and branches of the Soul-Capturing Grass are a vibrant green, with ten branches on the main stem. A single drop of its essence can instantly kill a cultivator below the Foundation Establishment stage.”
As he spoke, he plucked a branch of Soul-Capturing Grass and was about to put it in his mouth.
Li Suo, clearly familiar with such situations just like his Master, swiftly grabbed the herb and said gently, “Martial Uncle, it’s enough for you to explain. There’s no need to personally test the herb.”
Lou Bugui exclaimed, “Ah,” and said blankly, “I’m already at the Golden Core stage. Even if I test the herb, I won’t die, I will just lose consciousness for a moment.”
Li Suo struggled to maintain his smile. Cultivators detested separating their souls from their bodies. Even a brief loss of consciousness could lead to chaos, let alone for a moment.
Sighing, Li Suo suggested, “Martial Uncle, perhaps you should focus on explaining instead.”
Lou Bugui probably realized it wasn’t appropriate. His stubborn habit of wanting to put herbs in his mouth as soon as he saw them was hard to change without someone stopping him.
He nodded and, after putting away the Soul-Capturing Grass, continued explaining the second poisonous plant. Only after explaining all the poisonous herbs did he realize, “Oh, don’t tell Senior Brother that I taught you about poisonous herbs.”
Li Suo: “…”
Li Suo responded, “Alright.”
The disciples liked this Martial Uncle who didn’t make them wake up early for morning classes. They were especially attentive to his instructions and did their best to cover for him. “Yes, Martial Uncle.”
After a session on poisonous herbs, it was already afternoon. Shen Gurong, intrigued by Lou Bugui’s Soul-Capturing Grass, walked over after the class to help him organize the herbs.
Lou Bugui looked up, tilting his head left and right for a while before recognizing him. “Ah, Shiyi.”
Shen Gurong silently took a piece of Soul-Capturing Grass from him, “Senior Brother’s class was excellent. Shiyi has learned a lot.”
If Soul-Capturing Grass could make a Golden Core stage cultivator’s soul leave momentarily, then perhaps it could also be used to shift a soul.
Shen Gurong was curious. When his soul entered this body, where did Shen Fengxue go? What would happen to this body when his soul left?
Lou Bugui, unsure if he understood the praise, continued organizing the herbs with his head down. After a moment, he suddenly said, “One is missing.”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Are his eyes that sharp?
Shen Gurong was about to come up with an excuse to slip away when suddenly, from outside, there came a thunderous proclamation.
“The Yao Clan’s Xue Manzhuang! Is here to propose marriage to Liren Peak!”
The disciples, not completely detached from the previous situation, exchanged glances and engaged in hushed conversations in small groups.
Liren Peak had a boundary spiritual monument, preventing outsiders from entering without permission. The sound reverberating through the mountains was likely transmitted using secret techniques. The waves of the announcement echoed across Liren Peak like ripples on water.
Shen Gurong pondered over who this “Xue Manzhuang” could be; their demeanor seemed quite arrogant.
He asked Lou Bugui, “Do we have female cultivators onLiren Peak?”
Lou Bugui, still talking about the missing herbs, suddenly said, “My herb is missing, Shiyi, did you see anyone take them? And where’s my sword?”
Shen Gurong felt a bit guilty. He had the intention to return the herb, but hesitated to do so under Lou Bugui’s watchful eyes, fearing he might get slashed. He cleared his throat, stood up, and followed the other disciples outside to watch the spectacle.
Under the azure sky, a white crane spread its wings and slowly landed on the halfway point of Yuxu Mountain.
Xi Guxing was in the middle of training when he saw the white crane came, frowning he said: “What happened to Shen Shiyi again?”
As the words fell, Xue Manzhuang’s voice already spread to Yuxu Mountain.
“The Yao Clan’s Xue Manzhuang! Is here to propose marriage to Liren Peak!”
Yè Gūxíng’s face immediately turned green. He coldly remarked, “He alreadu got healed after being beaten by Shen Shiyi a few years ago?”
The white crane reported, “It seems he’s in good health. Right now, he’s waiting at the Boundary Spirit Stele.”
Xi Guxing sneered, “Go tell him that Shen Fengxue is in seclusion, has no time to spar with him, let alone agree to get married to him. Tell him to leave early.”
The white crane hesitated.
Xi Guxing scoffed, “What’s the matter?”
The white crane reluctantly said, “But the Sage has already gone to the Boundary Spirit Stele.”
Xi Guxing: “…”
Shen Fengxue… Did he finally agree to get married with that little red bird?!
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Glossary:
[16]: 20th April- 4th May
[17]: this is a bit weird in a sentence but it’s like the expression ‘every dog has its day’
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