Chapter 33 Call me Master!

Shen Jiuxu didn't say anything, but just stared at him intently, his beautiful eyes filled with a hint of confusion and embarrassment, making Jiang Yu feel as if he had become a thug harassing a respectable young master.

Jiang Yu had called out whatever Shen Jiuxu told him to call out when they were in bed before. Was he going to show favoritism now?

"Just say it!"

Jiang Yu stared at Shen Jiuxu with her big, watery eyes, looking pitiful. "You won't lose anything by asking. I can teach you a couple of moves. I won't even teach elders, but I'll definitely teach you the rules of conduct."

"don't want."

Shen Qinggui awkwardly turned his head away, and Jiang Yu tugged at his arm, shaking it repeatedly, "I am Jiang Yu, I am very powerful, there are so many people in the world waiting to be my apprentice."

"Then go find them."

This man was as stubborn as a rock, completely unapproachable. Jiang Yu was so angry that she grabbed his arm and bit him. The strong muscles made his cheek hurt. She turned around in anger and said, "Then don't make me call you husband anymore. I won't say a word in bed either."

"But we're married, isn't that a matter of course?"

Shen Jiuxu put on an extremely serious expression, stretched out his long arm and pulled Jiang Yu into his arms, "Calling me Master is unreasonable, why don't you call me first?"

"Waaaaahh ...

Jiang Yu was speechless at his shameless behavior. Just as he was about to say something, he overheard the rumors his disciples had been talking about.

"Is it here?"

The two stopped worrying about how they addressed each other and held their breath. They hadn't set up any barriers, and sure enough, the flames went out, leaving the surroundings pitch black.

Jiang Yu pulled off the black headband and wrapped it around Shen Jiuxu's wrist. This was a magic artifact that Lian Quesheng had given him before. Ever since the news of Shen Jiuxu's death in Yunshui City came, and the people there couldn't find his body, he had found a way to get this.

The other end of the headband was on Jiang Yu's wrist, which would not affect their movements. On the contrary, he could find Shen Jiuxu's whereabouts when he was missing.

The wind howled as it rushed through the cave, and pebbles on the ground flew around in the air, interspersed with what sounded like whispers, like the arguing of an ordinary couple.

"Could those missing villagers be here too?"

Jiang Yu confirmed that he hadn't misheard. Shen Qinggui nodded. "The cave is small and shouldn't be able to hold so many people. Perhaps the monster brought them here."

"Is it possible that they are inside the monster's belly, so when the wind blows, there are also human voices mixed in?"

The flickering green flames spontaneously ignited, and then they saw a huge shadow, without a face or limbs, just a round, enormous creature, like a rock on a mountain.

"Once you're here, you're not leaving."

The shadowy figure enveloped Shen Jiuxu and Jiang Yu, covering the entire space like a vast expanse. The voice was hoarse, as if someone were rubbing two pieces of sand back and forth.

Jiang Yu felt a headache coming on. He drew his sword and slashed at it, only to find that there was no sword light at all; his spiritual power was gone.

Jiang Yu tugged at Shen Qinggui's clothes.

When the opponent made a move, he found that he could not use any spiritual power. No wonder a disciple with a decent cultivation level like Qingfeng did not put up any resistance. It turned out that his spiritual power was suppressed.

Just then, they heard the child crying again.

After a strong, unmistakable stench, the two disappeared into the cave, which was now empty as if no one had been there that night.

Only the whooshing sound of the wind remained between heaven and earth.

Why is the wind so strong?

Lian Quesheng watched as the wind blew the window he had closed shut open again, and felt a surge of frustration. He simply used his spiritual power to seal the doors and windows before returning to the bedside. "There wasn't such a strong wind during the day. I wonder how Jiang Yu and the others are doing in the cave?"

"Master really cares about Young Master Jiang and the others."

Xi Chuang smiled and said, "However, Young Master Jiang's cultivation is so high that he should be unharmed."

"I hope so." Lian Quesheng looked listless and yawned several times, but there was only one bed in the room, and Xi Chuang was sitting properly at the table, so he felt embarrassed to just lie down and sleep.

"Is Master sleepy?"

Xi Chuang quickly got up, took out another quilt from the cabinet next to him, and carefully made the bed. "Master, please take a nap. I'll stay here and watch over you."

“What kind of master does that? I still have a conscience. Go to sleep. I’ve been through all sorts of storms. With your mediocre skills, if we really encountered a mountain demon, I might have to get out of bed to save you.”

Lian Quesheng struggled to open his eyelids, walked to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Before I arrived, Madam Lian specifically instructed me to take care of Master. How could I let Master keep watch at night?"

Xi Chuang knew that he would listen to whatever was said. Although Madam Lian looked kind, she was actually very decisive. She had been very strict with Lian Quesheng since he was a child. Whenever it was mentioned that it was her order, the eldest son of the Lian family would turn from an explosive lion into a docile cat.

Lian Quesheng looked indignant, but in the end, Xi Chuang pressed him down on the bed, saying, "Then you can come up and sleep with me."

"Master, go to sleep. This place is dangerous. It's better to have someone watch over it."

Lian Quesheng couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he had to go to sleep. Xi Chuang touched the cool cup, his eyes fixed intently on the person lying on the bed. A wave of tenderness washed over him. Behind him, a tiny shadow slipped in through the crack in the door, opened its blood-red maw, and swallowed the person whole.

Meanwhile, Lian Quesheng on the bed was breathing softly and evenly. The shadow opened its mouth and glanced at him a few times before slowly retreating through the crack in the door.

"Father, Mother, there's someone here."

A little girl in a red dress with two pigtails curiously touched the person on the ground, saying, "He smells so good."

Upon hearing this, the woman rushed over, only to find that a tree had inexplicably appeared in the middle of the previously empty courtyard, with delicate pink flowers blooming beneath its lush branches, emitting a fragrant aroma.

The person the girl was pointing to was lying under the tree, his thick, black hair scattered on the ground. He must have been asleep. His handsome, aloof features showed a hint of tranquility. The woman was startled, but she quickly realized that this must be someone from outside.

But where did this tree come from?

Jiang Yu felt the faint footsteps beside him become clearer, and he smelled the aroma of food, so he subconsciously thought that Shen Jiuxu was cooking again.

He opened his eyes and reached out to touch the side, only to find the warm edge of the bed, but there was no one beside him.

Although the house was simple, it was very clean. It seemed to be a few simple rooms made of thatched roofs, but there were no tables or chairs in the middle. Where was this?

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and a little girl ran in. Seeing that he was awake, a smile immediately appeared on her face. "Big brother, you're awake! Dad, Mom, big brother is awake."

Jiang Yu sat awkwardly on the bed, with a makeshift pillow made from his outer robe behind him. Being stared at by three pairs of bright, watery eyes, he inexplicably felt like burying himself in a hole.

“Young man, don’t be afraid. We found you in the backyard. Since you were unconscious, my wife and I brought you back. We meant no harm.”

The man had dark skin and his cheeks were rosy from the sun. His exposed hands were still covered in dried mud. He scratched his head and chuckled, "This is Guren Village. It's a remote place, and few people come here. How did you find your way here?"

Now it was Jiang Yu's turn to be puzzled!

“Old Friend’s Manor,” Jiang Yu pondered, “how long have you been here?”

“For decades, our ancestors have lived here. I was born here, and this is the mother of my child. We grew up together as childhood sweethearts in Guren Village. My name is Huang Pingkuan, and this is Song Quan. I see you are still young, so you can just call me Brother Huang.”

Jiang Yu thanked him, "Just call me Jiang Yu."

Their expressions didn't seem fake, but if Gurenzhuang had always been in this place, then where was the village they stayed in before?

Could it be that there are two old friends' manors?

"Brother Jiang, no outsiders have come to our village for decades. This is the first time we've seen anyone else here. How did you find this place?"

Huang Pingkuan couldn't help but be curious. They usually didn't go out and just stayed in the village, so they hadn't seen anything new for a long time.

"I don't know either, I just fell asleep and ended up here."

Jiang Yu chuckled. He still hadn't figured out what was going on with that cave and that gust of wind. "By the way, Brother Huang, when you found me, wasn't there anyone else around?"

Where did Shen Jiuxu go?

He tugged at the hairband on his hand and realized that the person was not far away, so he immediately thought of going down to find him.

"I don't see anyone. You're the only one in the yard."

The man then knelt down and asked his daughter, "Sweetie, did you see anyone else?"

The little girl shook her head. Seeing that she couldn't get any information from them, Jiang Yu smiled at them and said, "I came with my husband. He might be lost. I'll go look for him."

“Brother Jiang, how about I ask the villagers to help you look for it? Since it’s a person, we’ll find it in no time. But when you came over, there was an extra tree next to you.”

The man must have seen a lot of the world. After all, there are always some immortals who flee to the wilderness with their magical artifacts. That tree might just be some new magical treasure.

"Do you recognize that tree? I think its flowers smell quite nice." The man said, leading Jiang Yu over. "Brother Jiang, you don't seem like an ordinary person. You cultivators don't carry swords anymore, but instead carry a tree with you?"

Jiang Yu didn't understand what he meant until he went to the backyard and was greeted by a familiar fragrance. He looked at the flowers that he usually tucked behind his ear, which were now in full bloom, and realized that Shen Jiuxu might be carrying a tree with him.

"No, the sword is here."

As Huang Pingkuan's words became increasingly exaggerated, Jiang Yu quickly pulled a sword out of her collection bag. "This tree... was probably planted by my husband!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Yu saw the tree branch sway a few times, and a still-white flower bud tremblingly emerged from the cluster of leaves, nodding in his direction.

Jiang Yu: Hmm?

Was he seeing things, or had the tree come to life?

"Is that so? Your husband is quite interesting, Brother Jiang. You stay here for now, I'll talk to the villagers and ask them to help you find someone." Huang Pingkuan was very kind-hearted, and then ran off.

Jiang Yu, still utterly bewildered, stared at a tree in confusion. Suddenly, an absurd thought popped into his head, and he asked the tree, "Are you Shen Qinggui?"

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Author's note: It's clear that Jiang Yu really wants to be a master. I'm considering making arrangements to fulfill his little wish.

Monday's update was the familiar midnight time, which means things will finally be back to normal in about four hours. Seeing those inconsistent posting times is really frustrating for someone with OCD like me [crying emoji].