Si Rong was clearly distracted, looking from one thing to another before finally deciding to ask Hao Xin, "What did you just say? Were you asking her, saying she was the Master? Are you crazy too?"

"Then ask her, am I crazy or is she crazy?" Hao Xin still looked at Shen Qingmang.

Shen Qingmang burst into tears. "I'm sorry, Axin, Arong."

Si Rong sucked in a breath and pointed at Shen Qingmang tremblingly. "You...you...you are the master? How is that possible? Didn't the master already..."

She couldn't utter the word "transformation." Her lips trembled for a long time, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Is it really true that Master has returned?"

"It's me..." She stood up and hugged Si Rong. "I'm sorry for making you so sad, Ah Rong."

Si Rong also hugged her and said with tears in her eyes, "It's good that you're back. A Rong is not sad. A Rong is very happy."

"The saddest person is not here. I wonder where he is in seclusion in some corner." Hao Xin said these cruel words, but his eyes were getting redder and redder.

Shen Qingmang wiped away her tears and said, "Axin has really grown up."

He actually recognized her at a glance and acted as if nothing had happened, catching her off guard and making it impossible for her to disguise herself anymore.

But she was too embarrassed to pretend any longer. She hadn't expected that the decision she thought was right would bring such a serious negative impact to others.

"Big Brother also knows that Master is back, right? Yes, he must know, otherwise why would he accept a disciple? He actually didn't tell us, that's really too much!" Si Rong said angrily.

Shen Qingmang burst into laughter. "You were just speaking for him."

"Let's be clear, Senior Brother has finally found his happy ending after all the hard work, and is now in high spirits... Oh, that's not right, Senior Brother went into seclusion? How could he bear to leave you behind to go into seclusion?"

Shen Qingmang looked embarrassed. "It's my fault. I had a fight with him and made him sad."

"This..." Si Rong was stunned for a moment, then said, "Then you should go and coax the eldest brother."

"Well, it's just that I don't know where he is now." She sighed.

"Could he be in Qiongzhi Palace? He lives there for half a year every year." Si Rong said.

"Hey?" Shen Qingmang looked towards the direction of Qiongzhi Palace.

"Originally, we moved to a new place, and the original house should have been left to the younger generation, but you left so suddenly, it was like tearing the past apart, and we can only remember it through old things. Just like although I live in Linyuan Palace now, I come to Liuran Cottage for dinner every day, because sitting here, I can think of the four of us masters and apprentices reuniting and having meals together. Those were really beautiful days." Si Rong sighed softly.

"So no one lives in Qiongzhi Palace now?" Shen Qingmang asked.

"Only the eldest brother will go, but only the three of us know about this; no one else knows. The eldest brother hasn't had a good rest for years. He said he can only find a moment of peace and sleep in the Qiongzhi Hall, perhaps because of your presence."

Shen Qingmang's eyes became hot and he felt like crying. He quickly raised his hands to fan the air, trying to evaporate the tears.

Hao Xin opened the lunch box. "Let's eat."

"Master, do you want to join us?" Si Rong asked.

Shen Qingmang waved his hands and smiled bitterly: "How can I eat more? Let's try Ah Xin's cooking another day. I'm going to try my luck at Qiongzhi Palace first."

She rushed to the Qiongzhi Palace and found that the door was closed. She couldn't push it open with her hand, and neither could she use magic. She went around to the window to look, but it was dim and yellow inside, and she couldn't tell if there was anyone there.

"Sui Han?" she called out tentatively.

There was no sound in the hall.

She leaned on the window and looked out for a while, then turned around and sat on the steps in front of the hall, holding her chin and staring into the distance in a daze.

She might have really done something wrong. Her mistake was not only in not informing her apprentices of her decision in advance, but also in the decision itself.

She shouldn't have died.

Hao Xin was right. She only had the vague concept of the Taichu Sect in her eyes, not the specific people who loved her. She only considered that abundant spiritual energy was a good thing for them, but she didn't consider which was more important to them, restoring their spiritual energy or being with her.

Ultimately, she made this sacrifice to relieve her conscience; it seemed selfless, but in reality, it was selfish to the extreme. She thought she had a clear conscience, but after seeing the scars and tears of her disciples, her guilt was even greater than before.

"I know where I went wrong, Sui Han. Give me a chance to correct it." She gripped the twigs tightly, her voice thick with nasal twang. "I shouldn't have abandoned you, all of you. I've failed everyone's love and become the person I despise the most. I'm in pain, but I know I deserve this pain. If you hate me or blame me, I deserve it, but..."

A tear fell on the steps.

"I still shamelessly want to gain your forgiveness. Please at least give me a chance to atone for my sins. We have missed each other for so long, do we have to continue wasting time? I miss you so much, Sui Han."

The palace door behind her creaked, and Shen Qingmang immediately turned around. In her blurry vision, a figure gradually became clear.

Gu Suihan walked down the stairs step by step, stood in front of her and stretched out his hand.

She wiped her tears, blushed, put her hand into his palm, and was pulled up by him.

"So Master would cry like this, too." Gu Sui Han looked at her tears with an unfathomable expression.

Shen Qingmang whispered, "Stop looking, okay? It's so embarrassing."

He reached out and touched her face, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, but they were soon wet again.

Shen Qingmang's face turned even redder. "I don't know what's going on. Maybe I was overwhelmed today and can't control myself."

Gu Suihan smiled softly. "It's okay, cry."

Shen Qingmang decided to go all out and simply buried her face in his chest.

She felt like an ostrich burying its head in the sand when in danger. She was completely deceiving herself and had completely lost her dignity as a teacher.

But it doesn't matter, she is his apprentice now anyway.

Gu Sui Han stretched out his hand and gently stroked her back from the top of her head down.

"During these days of seclusion, I've been wondering if I've done anything wrong. I shouldn't have been angry at Master, I shouldn't have imprisoned you, I shouldn't have harbored... hatred. Was it because I was too emotional in front of you in the past that you thought I was immature, and so you didn't think of asking for my opinion when faced with a decision?"

"That's not the case." Shen Qingmang shook his head violently and said in a muffled voice, "You're not wrong. It's normal for you to have these emotions. It's me who's such a jerk. If you still feel unsatisfied, you can lock me up for another year or two, as long as you can come and accompany me from time to time."

"Master, why did you suddenly come to your senses?"

"I met Ah Xin and Ah Rong." After a pause, she said, "A Rong thought I looked like Jiang Cenyun, but Ah Xin seemed to recognize me quickly. I forgot to ask him how he recognized me."

"Eyes."

"Hey?" Shen Qingmang looked up at him.

Gu Suihan lowered his head and looked at her. "The way you look at us is always gentle and tolerant, like a cloud."