Chapter 34 [VIP]

The long corridor outside the council hall lay quietly nestled among the mountain mists, the bronze bells hanging from the eaves ringing melodiously in the wind. Jiang Zhuochen leaned against a vermilion pillar under the corridor, gazing absently at the ancient tree in the courtyard.

A breeze swept through the corridor, ruffling his loosely tied bangs. The coolness that brushed against his eyelashes pulled him back from his daze.

"What are you daydreaming about, junior brother?" A laughing voice suddenly fell beside his ear, and at the same time, a hand waved in front of his face.

Jiang Zhuochen looked up and was met with a familiar smiling face. Several of his senior brothers had left the council hall at some point and were now surrounding him.

"Daydreaming?" A slight hint of confusion flashed across his eyes. "Lately, it seems like people keep saying that about me."

"You must have been waiting too long and are getting sleepy." Sixth Senior Brother Feng Shuang patted his shoulder. "Why don't you go back and rest? Even if you don't wait here, we will come looking for you later."

Jiang Zhuochen laughed, his eyebrows and eyes relaxed, and the daze was instantly dispelled, replaced by a fresh and bright look.

“That won’t do,” he said, standing up briskly and dusting off his robes. “I promised to treat you all to a welcome feast. Come on, fellow disciples, let’s go for a big meal!”

“You…” Ninth Senior Brother Gu Liqiong shook his head, but his eyes were full of indulgent smiles. “Keep your voice down, you’ve broken all the sect rules. Be careful the elders don’t invite you to the Discipline Hall again.”

“Then let’s do it quietly.” Jiang Zhuochen blinked, looking quite self-righteous.

The group exchanged smiles upon hearing this, helplessly spreading their hands and following his lighter yet still cheerful steps.

At the end of the corridor, the wind rose again, gently brushing against their receding hair and the hem of their clothes, hiding their whispered conversations from days apart into the deepening twilight.

As night deepened, the candlelight flickered gently in Shen Hezhou's residence, casting swaying shadows of the people gathered around the table. Steam rose from the dishes on the table, and the aroma of food filled the air, mingling with hearty shouts and laughter.

Jiang Zhuochen was focused on eating, holding his bowl, when Shen Hezhou called him several times before he looked up blankly, still chewing his food.

"Does the food smell that good? You can't even hear your senior brother calling you?" Shen Hezhou flicked his finger, pretending to flick his forehead.

Jiang Zhuochen shrank his neck and grinned: "Senior Brother's voice is ethereal and melodious, how can it compare to the substantial food?"

The group burst into laughter, but Shen Hezhou shook his head. "He said it was a welcome feast for his senior brothers, but he himself ate the most."

Feng Shuang, on the other hand, served Jiang Zhuochen food with even more enthusiasm, completely ignoring Shen Hezhou's words. "Eat it, you should eat more while you're still growing. Come on, junior brother, don't mind that old-fashioned guy."

"If Senior Brother is a little old-fashioned, then who is an old-fashioned old-fashioned?" Jiang Zhuochen asked with ill intent.

Suddenly, a chorus of coughs filled the room, and people were even having trouble picking up food.

Xu Chang'an let out a long sigh, looked around seriously, and finally patted his chest. "Please, don't attract Master's attention."

"Master isn't that scary," Jiang Zhuochen defended Xu Xing. As long as nothing serious happens, Master usually turns a blind eye; those old-fashioned elders and uncles are the real terrors.

"Yes, yes, yes," Xu Chang'an echoed. "It's a pity that Master didn't come to serve such a delicious meal."

Jiang Zhuochen scoffed at his perfunctory attitude and didn't bother to reply.

Ling He pointed to the dish in front of Jiang Zhuochen's left and reminded him, "That dish of bracken has golden stamens added. Eating it will make you dizzy and unsteady on your feet. You shouldn't eat it."

"If that's the case, why serve it at all?" Jiang Zhuochen asked, puzzled, and turned his chopsticks to avoid the vibrant green.

Ling He joked, "Because your senior brothers have deeper spiritual power than you, they can purify themselves."

Jiang Zhuochen chewed his rice with gusto, his cheeks bulging, and muttered, "Is it so great to act like an old man?"

The senior brothers suppressed their laughter and remained silent. Ling He had finally regained the face she had lost a few days ago, and with a radiant smile, she happily placed a piece of harmless bamboo shoot on his plate.

Jiang Zhuochen buried his head in his rice bowl again, eating with complete focus. However, when he reached for his chopsticks again and his eyes swept over the tempting plate of ferns, his mind suddenly went blank.

What did my senior brother just tell him?

Action precedes thought; he hesitantly picked up a piece of bracken with his chopsticks, slowly put it in his mouth, and tentatively chewed it. Only when the bitter taste spread on his tongue did a forgotten warning suddenly jump back into his mind.

This dish is inedible!

Jiang Zhuochen's first reaction was to vomit, but his throat moved subconsciously and he swallowed it down.

Almost instantly, a strange dizziness surged up my head. The candlelight before my eyes and the smiling faces of my fellow disciples began to spin and blur, appearing near and far. My body felt as if my bones had been removed, and I was about to slump to the side.

"Junior Brother?!"

What happened?

"What happened?!"

The other senior brothers immediately noticed something was wrong and gathered around. Jiang Zhuochen felt dizzy and, with a weak voice, pointed to the plate of ferns, saying, "The vegetables... I ate them..."

Shen Hezhou instantly understood, feeling both amused and exasperated, and sighed helplessly, "You put everything in your mouth! Is Wangxian Valley short of food or what?"

Jiang Zhuochen leaned back in his chair, feeling dizzy, and stubbornly insisted, "I... I remember..."

"You're putting food in your mouth while memorizing it?" Gu Liqiong was both amused and exasperated. "You haven't even finished digesting the meaning of this sentence, but you've already digested the food, huh? Junior brother, your reaction is a bit slow."

Is it slow?

In the warm candlelight, Jiang Zhuochen's cheeks were flushed, his eyes were hazy, and he had no mind to think deeply. Listening to his senior brothers' teasing, he wanted to retort but could only utter a few meaningless mutters before collapsing completely.

This action drew a series of helpless yet indulgent chuckles from the crowd. Shen Hezhou took out a golden pill and fed it into his mouth.

Although the Golden Elixir could cleanse the turbid qi, the symptoms couldn't be suppressed so quickly. Jiang Zhuochen slumped against the back of the chair, saying weakly, "Senior brothers, don't worry about me, keep eating. I'll rest for a while."

Fortunately, the senior brothers all knew that the fern's poisonous effects were minimal; after being processed by the Golden Elixir, it would only cause fatigue and weakness. Since they were almost full anyway, and not wanting him to feel guilty for spoiling the fun, they pretended to eat for a while before stopping.

Shen Hezhou helped him up, checked him with his spiritual power to make sure he was alright, and then felt relieved. "I'll take you back."

“No need, senior brother.” Jiang Zhuochen was able to stand steadily now, and he refused, “I can go back by myself.”

Shen Hezhou frowned, disbelieving him. "Why are you being so stubborn? Don't cry if you fall later."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhuochen broke free from him and spun around under the other's terrified expression, staggering like a drunkard, but at least he didn't fall. "Did you see, Senior Brother? Don't worry about me, the effects of the medicine will be almost gone once we get back."

"Alright, fine."

Jiang Zhuochen turned around, waved, and slowly walked back.

Back at the mountain, he saw that his master's room light was still on. He pushed open the door, walked step by step to the desk, and leaned over to rest opposite Xu Xing. "Master, why aren't you resting so late?"

Xu Xing put down the booklet in his hand and looked at him. "Waiting for you."

Jiang Zhuochen raised the corners of his mouth and reached out to take the booklet that Xu Xing had put down, holding it up to his eyes. "What's this?"

After staring at it for a while, I finally realized, "Oh, my schoolwork."

Xu Xing's half-loose hair had a strand hanging down in front of him, and the flickering firelight on the table softened his expression, even making his usually cool voice sound warm. "The medicine hasn't worn off yet?"

Jiang Zhuochen was puzzled. "It's resolved."

"Then why is the reaction still so slow?" Xu Xing asked with a hint of inquiry.

Jiang Zhuochen frowned, a slight irritation rising within him. He felt inexplicably resistant to exploring his increasingly strange behavior lately. So he leaned on the table and stood up to avoid the question, saying, "I'm going to sleep."

"Chen'er." Xu Xing called out to him, and only continued to ask after the man obediently turned around, "Have you been feeling unwell these past few days?"

Jiang Zhuochen looked aggrieved: "No, Master, I'm all better now."

Xu Xing's heart softened upon seeing his appearance, and he was willing to let him go, but he couldn't. "What's done?"

"The injury has healed." Jiang Zhuochen didn't understand why Xu Xing would ask such a question. Hadn't he been by his side day and night? How could he not know?

"When were you injured?" Xu Xing asked again.

“About half a month ago.” Jiang Zhuochen searched his memory for a while and found that apart from that time, his previous memories were somewhat blurry, but he just assumed it was because too much time had passed. “Why did Master suddenly ask?”

Xu Xing did not answer, but after the cool scent of cedar completely enveloped the invading mist, he asked softly, "Why are you injured?"

Jiang Zhuochen stood frozen in place, his mind racing but unable to make sense of it. The memory seemed buried, or perhaps it had never happened. He hesitated, "I don't remember clearly, maybe it was just a minor, insignificant injury?"

He countered, "Doesn't even Master know?"

Xu Xing knew perfectly well, and he reassured him, "It was just a casual question, don't overthink it. Go and rest if you're tired."

"Okay." Jiang Zhuochen breathed a sigh of relief, no longer delving into this nonsensical conversation, and strode off to occupy the other's place again.

Xu Xing came to the bed after Jiang Zhuochen's breathing became long and even. He quietly looked at his sleeping face, his fingertips carefully brushing across his eyebrows and eyes, his deep gaze revealing a different meaning.

It was as if she felt heartache, yet also overflowed with reluctance.

The next day, Jiang Zhuochen finished studying his cultivation routine as planned, thinking he could reward himself, but his senior brother inexplicably dragged him to the council hall. Looking up, he saw that quite a few people had arrived, including his master and uncles.

"What are you trying to do?"

Shen Hezhou led him to where his fellow disciples were gathered, and they stood together to wait. "You'll find out soon enough."

Jiang Zhuochen looked around and roughly counted the positions; almost every peak had sent disciples over.

There must be something big happening when there are so many people. He's just a disciple with half-baked cultivation; he can't understand what's going on, and he can't fight back. He's never been involved in this kind of thing in previous years; at most, his master would give him a ride to join in the fun. Why is he being called on this time?

Because of the large number of people, it didn't feel right to openly go to see his master. So he stared straight at the other person. Xu Xing's gaze met his, and although there was no change in his eyes, he felt a little relieved.

Once everyone was present, Ni Gui took a sip of tea and gently put down her teacup. Her eyes swept over the disciples present, and her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze: "No need to be nervous. I called you here today for no important matter."

These words only confused Jiang Zhuochen more. If there was nothing serious, then why gather all these disciples together?

"Several elders have discovered that three thousand miles southwest of the foot of the mountain, there is a secret realm called Cloud and Water Realm that has been fluctuating with spiritual energy recently, and a small world within it is about to appear in the world."

The Cloud and Water Realm is a rare and auspicious place, and every time it appears in the world, it is accompanied by a rare small world. Not to mention that it contains many rare treasures, if one can successfully pass the trials, it will greatly benefit one's cultivation.

Ni Gui paused briefly, then continued, "After discussion within the sect, it has been decided to send you there for some training. There is no need to worry too much. The sect leader, myself, and Immortal Venerable Ju Mo from Chixiao Peak will all go together to ensure your safety."

Jiang Zhuochen was completely bewildered after listening. The explanation was eloquent and logical, but as for others, he had to think twice before even entering a small world. He was afraid that if he stepped into this rare one, he would be buried halfway in the grave.

Unable to understand, he sought out Xu Xing after the meeting and asked, "Master, why do I have to go?"

Xu Xing was unlikely to tell the truth. "You've been too playful these past few days, and your cultivation has fallen behind by half. It would be good for you to go with me and temper your temperament."

Jiang Zhuochen was incredulous and felt that his master had changed. He had never been so strict with his cultivation before!

A note from the author: