Chapter 252: Unlocking the Heart

"Senior, please..." King Shi asked the Demon Lord to sit in the upper position with his head bowed, and he and Mo Qitian sat on both sides of the Demon Lord.

"Master, these lotus root slices are delicious, please eat more." Qing Yi was scolded by King Shi for the whole afternoon, and was scolded by Ye Qingyu again when he returned. Knowing that he was in the wrong, he behaved very attentive at this moment.

"Yeah." The Demon Lord responded. He didn't know why his disciple was so attentive. Did he have something to ask of him?

"He doesn't like eating lotus root slices!" Mo Qitian said.

Qing Yi had a lotus root slice on his chopsticks and was about to put it into his master's bowl, but his chopsticks stopped in mid-air.

"Oh, then what does Master like to eat?" Qing Yi put the lotus root slices into his bowl.

"Mushrooms." The voices of Demon Lord and Mo Qitian sounded at the same time, and the table suddenly became quiet.

Upon seeing this, Qing Yi quickly filled a bowl of mushroom soup and said with a smile, "We are indeed grandfather and grandson. Master, to be honest, I like mushroom soup too." Qing Yi filled a bowl for his master out of filial piety.

The Buddhist King was happy in his heart. It seemed that his whole afternoon of talking was not in vain. The attitudes of the master and disciple had changed.

"Your master actually loves it, too. Um... in the past..." Demon Lord finished, then added awkwardly. When Mo Qitian was little, he often took Xiaoqi and Xiaoya to the mountains to pick mushrooms and then made mushroom soup himself. Mushrooms were extremely rare in the Western Regions, requiring searching deep in the ravines. Even after half a day, the three of them couldn't find much.

"Ah?" Qing Yi remembered that his master didn't like mushroom soup. He didn't know whether he should serve his master a bowl at this time?

"..." Ye Qingyu saw something and secretly tugged at the corner of Qingyi's clothes, signaling him to stop being dazed. Don't you see this bit of foresight?

Qing Yi came to his senses. It seemed that his master and his master were on the verge of reconciliation. It all depended on whether his master could drink this bowl of mushroom soup. Thinking of this, he quickly filled a bowl and placed it in front of his master.

Mo Qitian didn't look at him, nor did he pick up the bowl of mushroom soup. Instead, he drank and ate silently. Everyone saw that it seemed that Master Mo's attitude towards the Demon Lord hadn't changed, so they couldn't say anything and could only eat in silence. The King of Buddha's good mood had also dimmed considerably. Although Mo Qitian's attitude had changed slightly, it seemed that it was impossible for him to forgive the Demon Lord from the bottom of his heart.

The Demon Lord seemed to have sensed the attitude of his only disciple towards him, and felt bitter. He planned to finish the meal and then leave Prince Shi's Mansion, travel around, and no longer disturb his disciple's life.

"Ashi, you guys eat. I'm done and will go out for a walk." Mo Qitian put down his chopsticks and stood up.

"Well, I'll come to you after we finish eating." King Shi said. Perhaps he was too impatient and put pressure on Mo Qitian. How could the knot of life and death that had lasted for decades be solved so easily with just a few words!

Mo Qitian didn't say anything. He looked at the bowl of mushroom soup, reached out to pick it up, drank it all, then turned and left.

"Hey, my master..." Qing Yi stared blankly at his master's departing back.

"..." Not only Qing Yi was stunned, but also the Demon Lord. The old man drank the mushroom soup in front of him with trembling hands, then stood up and walked out.

Qing Yi stood up and was about to chase after him, but was stopped by Ye Qingyu.

"Xiao Ye, my master..." Qing Yi looked at Ye Qingyu and said carefully, "He seemed to be crying, right?"

"Sigh, Qing Yi, sit down and let them have a good chat." The King of Dharma sighed. He had originally wanted to persuade the Demon Lord, unable to bear seeing him being treated so coldly by his disciple at such an old age, but now, his heart ached for Mo Qitian. Forgiveness, letting go, how easy is that?

"Xiao Qi, you still hate me, right?" The Demon Lord looked at his apprentice. When he left, Xiao Qi was only fifteen years old and hadn't grown this tall yet. He was a few years younger than Qing Yi is now.

"What do you think?" Mo Qitian's voice was as dark as the night, giving no light to others.

"You've always been a thoughtful kid, holding back everything you say. You're not as lively as Xiaoya..."

"How dare you mention her?" There was an unusual amount of anger in Mo Qitian's voice.

"..." The Demon Lord lost his usual dignity and looked like a lonely old man. He didn't say anything, but tears flowed from the corners of his eyes. His voice trembled slightly, "Yes, yes, I shouldn't have mentioned her. I hurt her..."

The Demon Lord turned and prepared to leave. Never mind, let it be. Why bother demanding an answer? Xiao Qi had already given him, the Master, face by not tearing his face apart in person, not denying his master. Although the hatred was hard to dispel, he was still the Demon Lord's only disciple after all.

"If she was the one alive, you would definitely be happy. She would never blame you anyway." Mo Qitian's voice rang out, stopping the Demon Lord from leaving.

"Your sister is a kind child." said the Demon Lord.

"You've been praising her since she was little. You always give her the good things first..."

"You're not talkative..."

"I know you don't like me..." Mo Qitian's voice suddenly took on a sense of loss. He had always believed that his master didn't like him because whenever there was something delicious or fun, his master would always say, "Give it to your sister first."

"Silly child, how could your master not like you?" The Demon Lord did not expect that the cold and forbearing Mo Qitian would say such a thing?

"Since I was little, I've always felt that you don't like me and favor my sister."

"She's a girl, and you're a boy. Shouldn't you take care of her? If I didn't like her, why would I teach her everything I know and accept you as my only disciple?"

"..." Mo Qitian didn't say anything. He didn't know what happened today. He actually expressed his dissatisfaction with his master when he was a child. He had kept these words in his heart even decades ago.

"Xiao Qi, I feel guilty towards you. I let you fight in the bloody storm when you were so young, and left without handling the affairs of the Demon Cult properly, which almost hurt you. I feel guilty towards your sister for not teaching her the ability to protect herself, which caused her to lose her life at such a young age. You know, that year..." The Demon Lord began to narrate why he left, what he had experienced, what he saw when he returned to the Demon Cult, and what he planned to do.

Mo Qitian didn't say anything, he just listened silently. This was something that had never been discussed since the Demon Lord came back. He didn't expect that his master had experienced all this.

"It's fine if you don't forgive me. I just hope you can let go of your worries and stop holding back. Chu Shi is a good boy, thoughtful and sincere. Please change your stubborn temper. You two will be well. I'm leaving now." The Demon Lord has truly let it go. Although it's not entirely satisfactory, he is already satisfied to have this conversation with his apprentice. Xiao Qi actually said that he doesn't like him? Oh, what a quiet and silly child!

"Master..." Mo Qitian's word "Master" made the Demon Lord's heart tremble. This was the first time his disciple called him "Master" after he came back.