Chapter 33 Handling it so gently, I must be sick.

Nan Yushan frowned as soon as he saw him kneeling, and immediately felt a throbbing sensation on his forehead.

It's hard to believe, but the leader of a sect in the Eighteen Realms is actually worried about his junior brother all the time.

His junior brother is a true god who is famous throughout the world.

Nan Yushan raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. Zhou Zheng looked tired. He asked, "What happened? Didn't you go to Huatan Town to look for the child?"

It's not as simple as just finding a child.

Heng Qichun moved his lips slightly, knelt on the ground and told the whole story in detail, only omitting his own and Lou Yan's encounter in the illusion.

"...Ultimately, this matter stems from the unpredictability of human nature. Although the clam spirit father and daughter caused the sweltering heat and time reversal in the human realm, their actions were understandable." Heng Qichun's voice was hoarse. He pursed his lips again before continuing, "Fortunately, Elder Hengyang of Hezizhou is willing to take care of them. If they can cultivate in Hezizhou, nothing will go wrong in the future."

"Heh." Nan Yushan sat at the head of the table and sneered, looking down at his usually composed junior brother. "Since you handled everything so well, why are you here to confess your sins now?"

Heng Qichun paused for a moment, then spoke again: "Qichun's followers are not strict, and he has allowed Lou Yan to kill Tan Chengyi."

Nan Yushan stiffened, all the smile in his eyes vanished, and he stared intently at him, asking almost word by word, "What did you say?"

Heng Qichun remained composed, but his face was pale as he bowed deeply, his voice growing increasingly hoarse, "It was Qichun who indulged him too much; please punish him severely, Senior Brother."

quiet.

The chill of autumn swept in through the gaps in the bamboo forest, while outside, cicadas chirped as if they were about to fight a desperate battle with the winter snow.

Footsteps sounded, and Nan Yushan walked up to Heng Qichun.

"Get him out of here." Heng Qichun heard his senior brother's extremely cold voice. "He's a menace."

Heng Qichun suddenly looked up, and a layer of sweat had unknowingly appeared on his forehead.

The stray hairs on his forehead clung to the edges of his skin, and the pale hair made him look even more haggard.

"Impossible." He straightened up, staring directly at Nanyu Mountain. "According to the Eighteen Realms Rules, if a disciple errs, the master is also at fault. He is the disciple I brought back; his arrogant behavior is due to my poor guidance, Senior Brother—"

Nan Yushan interrupted him sharply, "Do you even remember who you are?!"

“Ever since the mermaid incident, you’ve been completely bewitched by your disciple. Now that he’s committed such a mistake, you’re still protecting and condoning him.” Nan Yushan squatted down, looking directly into Heng Qichun’s eyes, and asked, “Do you still remember the divine bone in your body?”

Heng Qichun's face grew paler and paler, and his clear eyes showed signs of fatigue. He blinked, and his eyelashes cast a small shadow on his eyelids.

“I remember,” Heng Qichun said, “but that doesn’t conflict with the truth.”

“I am a god, and I have the responsibility to educate all living beings. Lou Yan is also among all living beings, so it is even more impossible for me to abandon him.”

"His ambition remains unchanged; sooner or later he will bring you down!"

Heng Qichun paused, seemingly pondering Nan Yushan's words, but after a moment he chuckled to himself.

This smile contained boundless compassion and extreme sorrow, an expression that Nan Yushan had never seen on his face before.

He suddenly realized something was wrong and was about to examine Heng Qichun's eyes more closely when he suddenly heard Heng Qichun speak.

"If that day ever comes, I will kill myself first, and then kill him."

Nan Yushan shuddered suddenly, feeling his heart skip two beats beneath his chest.

That's not right.

His junior brother should be sitting serenely on a lotus throne, detached from worldly affairs, compassionate towards all beings, guiding them to enlightenment. How could he—

Why would you go to so much trouble for a disciple who doesn't know proper etiquette?

After several rounds of conversation and debate, Heng Qichun had been kneeling for a long time, his shoulders and back still upright, but a faint metallic taste rose in his throat.

He swayed slightly without realizing it, but Nan Yushan caught his shoulder in time.

"Are you injured?"

A faint, almost imperceptible stench of blood mingled with the fragrance of lotus blossoms.

Heng Qichun did not deny it, and pursed his lips and said "Mmm", "It was my carelessness that led to my being ambushed. Fortunately, I met Xiuzhu."

Nan Yushan had almost never seen him look so sickly. His hands, hanging by his sides, were clenched into fists, as if he had nowhere to vent his anger.

Coincidentally, Heng Qichun still insisted on being strong at this time, bowing deeply despite his illness and repeatedly saying, "Please punish me, Senior Brother."

Nan Yushan laughed angrily, "Punishment, punishment! Do you think you're indestructible? In your current state, what punishment can you withstand?"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he casually threw the open book on the table at the table.

The heavy book, carrying the burning rage of Nanyu Mountain, flew straight toward Heng Qichun.

To everyone's surprise, Heng Qichun didn't dodge at all, letting the book fall on him, leaving a very shallow and thin bloodstain on the page under his chin.

But against that pale face, she looked exceptionally haggard.

Nan Yushan frowned and looked at the book that had fallen on Heng Qichun's lap. It was the "Record of Heavenly Secrets," which he taught his lower-level disciples to read.

The book is a thousand pages long and contains the entire history of the cultivation world; even a three-year-old child can recite it.

Nan Yushan stared at the book for a long time, then laughed angrily, pointed at the book and said, "Now you know how I punish my disciples, right?"

“Since you think you’re wrong, then go back and copy the books for a month.” Nan Yushan gritted his teeth. “You’re to be confined to the mountain.”

Heng Qichun blinked at him, her lips tightening even more, clearly somewhat surprised.

Given Nan Yushan's temperament, such a serious mistake would be enough to warrant being brought to the Tiantai Pond for reprimand, and he would not be able to get away with it without a severe punishment. He had even prepared to relinquish his position as the Venerable Lord.

You can copy books...

Heng Qichun's expression was somewhat conflicted.

Since his master passed away, he had never been subjected to such childish punishment again. The few times he had to copy books in his life even happened when he was a child.

But that was thousands of years ago.

"What?" Nan Yushan saw through his junior brother's thoughts at a glance. He stood with his hands behind his back, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Unwilling?"

Heng Qichun hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.

After struggling for a long time, he picked up the book "The Record of Heavenly Secrets" with one hand, used the ground to support himself and moved up with difficulty. Holding the book, he bowed to Nanyu Mountain and said, "I will accept the punishment for abandoning spring."

It was rare to see him so pragmatic, and Nan Yushan finally relaxed a bit. Then he saw Heng Qichun looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't, and waved his hand at him with an annoyed expression.

"I'll keep this matter in check for your disciple, so he won't fall into my hands again." He knew Heng Qichun wanted to question Lou Yan, so he simply said, "If there's a next time, I'll make him regret becoming your disciple."

It actually means to handle with care.

Perhaps Tan Chengyi was indeed guilty of heinous crimes, for even Nan Yushan, who valued the sect rules the most, relented.

As Heng Qichun was thinking this, he soon heard his senior brother, unable to hide his annoyance, shoo people out, "Go back, let Wei Xiuzhu in."

The enormous Endless Tree cast a shadow.

As darkness fell, the entire Immortal Sect was shrouded in gloom. Disciples who had finished their studies returned to their residences in scattered groups. Heng Qichun was among them, dressed in white, pure as snow, with the fragrance of lotus emanating from him.

Gradually, the disciples who were traveling with him carefully fell behind a few steps, then a few more, until they were far away from Heng Qichun.

The deity held a high position, and no one accompanied him.

Fortunately, after so many years, he has long since gotten used to it.

When Heng Qichun returned to Shenxiao Palace, it was just getting dark. The palace doors were open, and the inside was quiet. Only the spring water flowed tirelessly, cascading over the high hall and flowing into the Tiantai Pool.

The sound of water adds to one's annoyance for no reason.

Heng Qichun stepped across the threshold, and as he leaned on the frame, he couldn't help but cough for a while, his meridians aching all over. A scorching spiritual energy surged wildly in his dantian, burning his internal organs to the point of unbearable discomfort.

A rustling sound came from behind him. Heng Qichun stopped what he was doing and looked down in the direction of the sound. He saw his disciple, who had made a big mistake, kneeling in front of him. His slightly curly braids were already soaked with sweat, and his eccentric and sinister face even showed a hint of cuteness.

He pursed his lips, took a step forward, and respectfully offered a cup of tea with both hands, as if he were in a carriage.

Looking at him, Heng Qichun felt half of her troubled mood lifted.

With a lingering metallic taste of blood in his throat, Heng Qichun remained silent, tacitly accepting the cup of tea and drinking it down in one gulp. He then went straight to the head of the table and sat down.

Lou Yan took the empty teacup back, and it felt as if it weighed a ton in her hand.

The more silent Heng Qichun remained, the more agitated and uneasy he became.

A heart pounded wildly in her chest, wanting to flee in a panic, but also yearning to hear more from Heng Qichun.

Even if it was a divine retribution.

I'm truly insane. Lou Yan is making rash conclusions.

He didn't know how long he had waited, but when he felt his waist and legs aching and his knees were numb, he suddenly heard Heng Qichun sigh softly.

He looked up and saw his master sitting at his desk, quietly looking down at something with an extremely focused expression.

Using the dim light of the approaching dusk, Lou Yan could tell that it was a very thick book.

hiss--

He immediately became alert and sensed that something was very wrong.

Could this be some kind of sect rules and regulations that Heng Qichun brought back from Nanyu Mountain, intending to bring him to justice according to these rules?

Judging by the thickness of that book, he will probably die even more tragically than in his previous life.

what to do……

"Hmm." Lou Yan was determined to die knowing why, ignoring Heng Qichun's order to "shut up," and asked, "What did Uncle-Master say?"

There was no response.

Heng Qichun was still staring blankly at the "Sect Rules," neither answering his question nor reprimanding him for breaking the "silence" rule.

It seems that it's true.

He really intends to execute me.

Lou Yan felt a desperate urge to fight to the death. He tried to stand up by moving his knees, but he had been kneeling for too long. As soon as he stood up, he stumbled again and fell straight towards Heng Qichun's legs.

The wolf was cunning in its ability to bend and stretch. Suddenly, he changed his mind, and in that position, he pressed down on Heng Qichun's knee, his eyes brimming with tears, and said, "Are you trying to kill me?"

Heng Qichun lowered his eyes to look at the wolf cub lying in front of his legs.

Despite having such fierce features, he could appear incredibly harmless when he put on that pitiful expression.

Heng Qichun was stunned.

For the first time, he had this thought of protecting someone, wanting to turn a big problem into a small one, and a small problem into nothing, just like Nanyushan did.

She reached out and tapped the little wolf on the forehead, gently scolding, "Aren't you coming over here to copy the book?"

Lou Yan looked over with a belly full of doubt, and saw three big characters written on the spine of the "Sect Rules".

—The Record of Heavenly Secrets.

Lou Yan: "?"

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Author's Note: Do you guys think Master will obediently copy the book? [doge emoji with rose in mouth]