[You inquired about Chen Kongyu's current situation as a guest of the Misty Sect. Some people initially didn't want to reply, but after you had the sect leader behind you step forward, they immediately changed their attitude and earnestly explained to you.]

"Junior Brother Chen? He practices martial arts with extreme dedication, as if something is chasing after him!"

"You said he has a childhood sweetheart? I don't recall Senior Brother Chen mentioning that."

The disciples were all discussing it animatedly.

"No wonder Senior Brother Chen seems indifferent to some of his female classmates... But why hasn't he gone to see his childhood sweetheart all these years?"

"He probably didn't want to see his old friend grow old, alas."

"After all, Senior Brother Chen is destined to become a Xiantian figure. The difference between mortal and martial arts is vast; meeting him would only bring more sorrow."

Okay, Yun Shou has figured it out.

Besides being a "landmine" type of person, Chen Kongyu is also a hypocrite.

A hypocrite who deceives himself and fools himself.

He and Xu Ling'er were childhood sweethearts when they were young, and it's only natural that he was reluctant to part with her when they were separated.

However, his feelings for Xu Ling'er were far from deep. He was unwilling to give up martial arts for Xu Ling'er, nor was he willing to use up his "sect points" to go back and see his young lover.

This isn't too bad; it just means he's more career-oriented, has a stronger desire for martial arts, and is less emotionally involved. The only problem is that he doesn't know Xu Ling'er has been waiting for him all along.

It may be wrong, but it cannot be called a sin, much less deserving of death.

However—he is not a sentimental person, but he has created a noble and righteous image of a sentimental person for himself in his heart, and even deceived himself!

He deceived himself, saying, "I deeply love my childhood sweetheart," but subconsciously he knew that Xu Ling'er was just an ordinary person and no longer worthy of him.

So he never went back, probably thinking that as time went by, Xu Ling'er would be dead, and he would no longer need to see the old man.

Then, in the original timeline, he became a Xiantian (a type of immortal) when he was over a hundred years old, and his long-standing self-deception came to an end: the Piaomiao Sect gave him a ten-year leave, and he had no excuse to refuse it.

So he returned to Xiaoli Village.

Because he was deceiving himself, he couldn't accept an old and frail Xu Ling'er, so he simply killed her, then continued to deceive himself, which twisted him into a mental illness; and because he had been deceiving himself for decades, if there really were a young and beautiful Xu Ling'er, he could accept her, because then he wouldn't be at a loss...

[You found Chen Kongyu's master, Bi Wenjun, and brought him along. Finally, you met Chen Kongyu in person at the martial arts training ground.]

Bi Wenjun stepped forward and asked, "Kong Yu, I remember when you first entered the sect, you always wanted to go back, saying that someone was waiting for you?"

Although Chen Kongyu didn't understand why his master suddenly asked about his past, he still said with a look of reminiscence, "Yes, when I advance to the Innate Realm, I must go back to see Ling'er!"

[Bi Wenjun wanted to ask more questions, but you stopped her through mental communication.]

That night, you prepared a cup of sedative tea for Chen Kongyu. After he drank it and collapsed, you silently took out an enormous Rejuvenation Fruit and stuffed it into his mouth.

This fruit is worth 300 battle merits and can help one sense vital energy. Its value is equivalent to killing dozens of innate-level demons. Using it on a dead person seems wasteful.

But your family is wealthy and powerful, so you don't care.

[After stuffing it in, he circulated his true energy to help him digest it.]

[Chen Kongyu silently and without fanfare entered the Innate Realm overnight.]

The next morning, Chen Kongyu advanced to the Innate Realm. Bi Wenjun gladly allowed him to return home. Then, two Supreme Elders of the Misty Sect, a Sect Master, a Master, and you—five great masters—followed him.

[Hmm, one Supreme Being, two Overlords, two Humans, and a newly promoted Innate Being following closely behind.]

[You even had those people from the Misty Sect holding Golden Spirit Cameras and live-streaming the touching "Brother Chen's Homecoming" all the way.]

Currently, this program is only broadcast at Piaomiao Gate Square.

Although Chen Kongyu is only a newly promoted Xiantian cultivator, he can mobilize and absorb Yuan Qi. With the high concentration of Yuan Qi in the Qingyu region, he can sustain long periods of travel each day, covering tens of thousands of miles.

[You had the leisure to follow me all this way. The four from the Misty Sect were initially speechless. They knew you were recently being touted as the future of humanity, the number one rising star... but they had never heard of your achievements.]

Your current fame is widespread among the general public, but in the eyes of those who have been to war zones and slain demons and monsters, it's somewhat of a hollow reputation.

[They've always talked so big, but when you get to the bottom of it, they've never actually killed a single pseudo-king or demon lord.]

Then... they discovered that every six or seven days, someone would appear out of nowhere, smiling broadly at them, engaging in silent communication, allowing them to pat their head, and then leaving.

When they saw the first person, they felt he looked familiar; when they saw the second person, they were incredulous, thinking it was their imagination; and when they saw the third person, they completely lost their composure.

[Because that third person is the domain lord of Hangtian Territory, Supreme Song.]

The four of them stood like ants, yet, even the Song Domain Lord, whom they revered most, had to obediently bow his head before you...

As Song Zhizun left, he glanced at the two overlords and warned them telepathically not to spread the word.

[The supernatural power that can increase one's essence with a simple touch is too abstract. It's not that he's afraid the Misty Sect will expose all this; in fact, this supernatural power of yours will eventually be popularized among prodigies and some extremely outstanding young people.]

[Song Zhizun was warning him about being patted on the head.]

More than a month later, Chen Kongyu returned to Xiaoli Village and met Xu Ling'er, who was disguised as an old man.

[After more than a month of filming in the wilderness, the reality show "Brother Chen's Homecoming" has finally reached its most exciting part: the reunion scene.]

Miniature cameras and sound sensors were installed at the entrance of Xu Ling'er's house and between the rooms.

The grand show begins.

Everything unfolded as you predicted.

[Almost exactly the same as before.]

The difference was that when Chen Kongyu made his move, his four sect elders simultaneously roared and intervened to stop him.

[But you'll act even faster. The four from the Misty Sect will stop Chen Kongyu from making a move, and they'll also prevent Xu Ling from retaliating. You can't allow the latter.]

After Xu Ling'er killed her former lover, you calmly revealed everything: you took her in as a disciple because of a whim, and discovered that she had been waiting for her lover who was going to the Misty Sect for nearly a hundred years.

"I really thought your Misty Sect was so inhumane... Heh."

You suspect there's something wrong with Chen Kongyu, so you decide to stage a big show.

"The result was raising a twisted scumbag."

…

(The next chapter is under review. I'll update the rest after it's released (o﹃o ))