Chapter 29 "Master, it seems you prefer..."
Not long after dawn, Si Yao kept recalling the scene from earlier.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Xiao Yezi's eyes burned with passion, but in the blink of an eye, he transformed into Li Ye...
Li Ye even personally called her "Master".
This is so fake.
But Si Yao remembered that Li Ye had a pleasant scent, just like the one she had smelled that night in Qingfeng Stream.
And when he reached out to touch her, the feeling was so real.
So was it a dream or a real scene?
It was like a dream, leaving Si Yao feeling quite disoriented.
Without hesitation, she walked straight into the room of Fubukiin's apprentice and went to Xiaoyezi's bedside.
Little Yezi was still fast asleep in the room, her even breathing rising and falling.
Si Yao moved very lightly, and her approach did not wake Xiao Yezi.
As the morning light streamed in through the window, Si Yao sat in front of Xiao Yezi, gazing at her apprentice, but the image of Li Yezi kept appearing in her mind.
She reached out and gently stroked Xiao Yezi's forehead.
She was absolutely right; there was a tiny red magic mark between Li Ye's eyebrows.
As her fingertips gently traced the surface, Xiao Yezi's raven-feather-like eyelashes trembled slightly. Si Yao held her breath and immediately withdrew her hand.
He was still asleep, seemingly lost in a dream.
Si Yao shook her head. Could it be that she had really suspected the wrong person?
Xiao Yezi didn't go to her room last night; those scenes of entanglement with Li Ye were nothing but a ridiculous dream.
She gave a silent, self-deprecating laugh. What was wrong with her? Why did she keep thinking about Li Ye?
"Master?"
Xiao Yezi's voice suddenly came, startling Si Yao so much that her eyelids twitched.
She was at a loss, staring blankly at Xiao Yezi who had just woken up in bed. How could she explain her presence here at this moment?
Xiao Yezi slowly got up and sat on the edge of the bed, his face full of doubt.
Si Yao quickly explained, "It rained all night, and I was worried you might catch a cold in your sleep, so I came to check on you."
After saying that, she picked up the blankets beside her with both hands and stammered, "I...I wanted to cover you with the blankets."
Xiao Yezi's narrow eyes flickered slightly as he looked at Si Yao. "Thank you, Master. I'm perfectly healthy and won't easily catch a cold."
His eyes held a hint of mockery, as if he had seen through Si Yao's lie at a glance.
Si Yao released his hand, not daring to look him in the eye.
Just like in her dream last night, Li Ye's domineering and sinister gaze chilled her to the bone.
"Master, why aren't you looking at me?"
When Xiao Yezi's voice came, Si Yao was stunned. She lifted her eyelids and looked at him.
For a moment, she had a strange feeling that she saw Li Ye's shadow in Xiao Yezi.
Although they are not the same face, compared to Li Ye's charming and wicked appearance, Xiao Yezi's face is handsome and refined. However, upon closer inspection, Si Yao actually found that they were three parts similar.
Especially just now, Xiao Yezi's eyes and tone of voice were just like Li Ye's.
"My disciple, I have something to ask you."
"Master, please ask."
"Over all these years, I have never asked you where your hometown is?"
Xiao Yezi remained calm and casually said, "My home is Qiyun Village, which is located by the sea in the east of Lanzhou. My parents died when I was two years old, and I was raised by Uncle Xue from the same village. He also fell seriously ill and passed away when I was eleven. A year later, I joined the Hehuan Sect."
He speaks very fast; it doesn't sound like he's making it up.
After revealing all this, Xiao Yezi curled her lips and said, "Master is only asking now. It seems you haven't been showing enough concern for your disciple all these years."
Si Yao frowned slightly.
Something's not right. She really felt that Xiao Yezi had started acting strangely after her birthday.
However, she still smiled and said, "This is indeed my oversight."
"Why is Master suddenly asking this?"
“Yesterday, I talked to Qianxi about you. She was curious about your background, but I couldn’t answer her.” Si Yao smiled and lied with ease. “So I did realize that I haven’t paid attention to this aspect of your life in recent years. If we have time another day, we can go back to your hometown, and you can pay your respects to your parents and Uncle Xue, who raised you.”
"Okay." Xiao Yezi nodded, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
"What else would you like to know, Master?"
"Huh?" Si Yao was taken aback, not expecting Xiao Yezi to be so eager to tell her everything.
He seemed to want to reveal something, but when she asked, he would give her other answers.
In short, Si Yao naturally wouldn't directly ask the question that was on her mind, and she also knew that the answer the other party gave was not what she wanted.
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
Si Yao felt a chill run down her spine.
She couldn't understand why the person sitting in front of her was her own apprentice.
"Alright, there's nothing else. I'll go back and catch up on some sleep."
Si Yao left those words behind and rushed out of Xiao Yezi's room barefoot.
Si Yao received the news that day.
Yu Ke, who had been in seclusion for five years, has recently emerged from seclusion. Considering that she is a Nascent Soul cultivator and a senior in the sect with a relatively high cultivation level, Sect Master Yan Yu made an exception and prepared to establish an Elders' Council for Yu Ke to reside in. In the future, she can also take on disciples and teach them.
Fearing that Si Yao might overthink things, Yan Yu proactively informed Si Yao and explained, "When the old sect leader was still alive, Yu Ke was exceptionally intelligent and always diligent in her studies. She was also the old sect leader's beloved disciple. Over the years, she has been ambitious and has put you down in many ways. But since her defeat in the last competition with you, she has chosen to go into seclusion without hesitation. Actually, I know that she couldn't save face at the time, which is why she went into seclusion for five years."
Yan Yu said earnestly, "Si Yao, I know this decision may not be fair to you. Logically speaking, if Yu Ke wants to become an elder, she should compete with the existing elders according to the sect rules."
Si Yao didn't care. "Sect Master, you're overthinking it. I was lucky to win against her in the last competition, which allowed me to keep my position as an elder. Now, the sect has made an exception and promoted her to the new Dean Elder. It won't really have much impact on me or the other elders. On the contrary, she's already a Nascent Soul cultivator. Wouldn't it be a waste of such a talented person if she didn't teach and impart knowledge? For the sake of the sect's development, I think the Sect Master's decision to make Yu Ke the new Dean Elder is wise."
Yan Yu breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, "As long as you don't have any other ideas, don't blame me for being biased."
Si Yao waved her hand, "I have no other thoughts, and I don't mind. Hehe, after all these years, don't you know what kind of person I am?"
She looked around at every plant and tree in Fubuki-in, and thought, "As long as I can stay here peacefully in Fubuki-in, I'll be content."
Seeing her relaxed and carefree expression, Yan Yu stopped trying to comfort her. "That's good then. Three days from now, Yu Ke's new elder ceremony will be held in the main hall. Remember to bring your disciple to participate."
The courtyard that the Hehuan Sect added for Yu Ke was called "Shuhan Courtyard," and it was personally named by the sect leader Yan Yu.
On the day of the ceremony for the new elder, in the main hall of the Hehuan Sect, Yu Ke wore a bright red robe and a golden hairpin on her head, dressed up as a flamboyant phoenix.
During the meal, Si Yao took her seat with her apprentice, Xiao Yezi.
Qianxi was already in place, holding fresh fruit in her hand. "Siyao, I didn't expect you to actually come."
Si Yao reached out and took a peeled orange from Qian Xi's palm, popped a segment into her mouth, and said, "Come on, why can't I?"
"Hmm...this orange is so sweet." She chewed it slowly, took another segment and placed it in Xiao Yezi's hand next to her, and then turned to Qian Xi and said, "The sect leader personally spoke to me the other day. I came here today, firstly because I can't offend her, and secondly because I can't let others think that I am narrow-minded and resentful of Yu Ke's promotion to elder."
Looking at Yu Ke, the protagonist of this ceremony, Si Yao lowered her voice and said, "Do you think I'm like her, resentful of my management of the Snowfall Academy for so many years?"
Qianxi nodded. "You really are not like her. Her position as an elder was hard-won. I heard that a few days ago, she had already planned her apprenticeship and training program for the next few years, claiming that she would train several outstanding disciples who would surpass your Xiaoyezi."
Upon hearing this, Si Yao couldn't help but laugh, then stretched and said, "That's not bad. The sect should have more elders like her who put in so much effort. That way, I can slack off and steal some peace and quiet anytime."
After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but glance at Xiao Yezi, who was standing silently beside her.
During the meal, he sat upright with his back straight.
"Disciple, have something to eat." Si Yao picked up a bunch of grapes and placed them in front of him.
Xiao Yezi lowered his eyebrows, glanced at the grapes, then tilted his head to look at her, "Master, would you like some? I'll peel them for you."
"No, no, no, I can do it myself." Si Yao quickly stopped him.
Thinking back, over the years, I've attended several banquets, big and small, within the sect. Back then, Xiao Yezi wasn't as proactive as she is today.
"Look at the other side."
Xiao Yezi's voice drifted over, and Si Yao looked in the direction he indicated.
Across from her, Elder Qu Sui of the Flower Cinema was all smiles as Qi Lan fed her. Next to Qu Sui was Elder Su He of the Chifeng Academy, whose beloved disciple Xing You was pouring fine wine and carefully feeding it to her.
Si Yao looked away, turned her head to the side, and winked at Xiao Yezi, "What's wrong with them?"
"What do you think?" Xiao Yezi unexpectedly asked in return.
Si Yao's eyes flickered, recalling how Xiao Yezi was usually very serious and scoffed at the idea of dual cultivation. She whispered to comfort him, "Xiao Yezi, don't think they're being unrestrained. In fact, in the Hehuan Sect, it's perfectly normal for masters and disciples to be so close."
"I know," Xiao Yezi said casually, her eyes meeting his. "That's why I was planning to peel the grapes and feed them to you myself."
ah……
Si Yao took a deep breath, her gaze darting away, "No need, no need, just be like before."
Xiao Yezi said, "As a disciple of the Hehuan Sect and your apprentice, I should follow the trend and learn from those senior brothers to properly respect you."
Si Yao: "..."
She quickly rubbed her forehead, wondering what had happened to Xiao Yezi these past few days; he had indeed changed quite a bit compared to his usual self.
If he were really like Qi Lan or Xing You, she would find it difficult to adapt to him in a short time.
"No, no, Xiao Yezi, just be yourself as you were before."
Hearing her emphasize this again, Xiao Yezi chuckled and said, "Master, it seems you prefer the old me."
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