Yan Xiuzhu smiled and said, "Alright, it's getting late. A-Jian, come back with me to rest first. You can talk another day."
Lin Xiaolu was a little disappointed, clutching Tu Longjian's sleeve tightly, "Junior Sister, you must come again! I still have so many constructive ideas that I haven't realized yet. You're simply my muse~"
She looked at her master with a mournful expression, as if he were the murderer who had separated the artist from his muse.
Yan Xiuzhu smiled helplessly, his slender fingers slowly pulling Tu Longjian's sleeve away from Lin Xiaolu's palm, and then leading Tu Longjian away.
For some reason, the beautiful master led her on foot through the forest, his fingers still tightly gripping her sleeve.
The air was filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers; all was quiet, and it seemed as if only two people were walking silently through the world.
The rosy glow cast a pale light on the tall, reliable back of the man in front of her.
He turned around suddenly with a faint smile.
On her high, straight nose, the smile in her beautiful eyes transformed into the molten gold of the setting sun.
The beauty was so alluring that Tu Longjian's mind wandered, and he didn't even notice his master's sudden stop, and thus crashed straight into him.
Her hand, which was gripping Yan Xiuzhu's sleeve, pressed against his firm chest out of inertia.
The two were halfway up the mountain. Tu Longjian was standing on the slope and fell forward. With the support of her hands and chest, she stopped just before their noses collided.
Their noses touched, and for a moment their breaths mingled.
This time, she caught a glimpse of the faint blush rising on her master's jade-like face.
Is it the glow of the sunset?
A hint of doubt appeared in her eyes.
However, after moving my fingers, the texture was quite nice.
Wait, this seems to be her master. I'm a bit guilty.
Tu Longjian tried to pull himself back, but his sleeve was grabbed and he couldn't move.
"Master?"
The beautiful master gazed at the woman before him, her eyelashes fluttering, her eyes brimming with tears, and his mind wandered.
He had heard his disciples call him "Master" countless times, but the woman's equally solemn call was like a feather falling on the still lake of his heart.
It stirred up ripples, bringing a tingling, itchy sensation.
He couldn't help but recall the feeling of being touched by Tu Longjian, who had accidentally wandered in, when he was meditating in the forest as a green bamboo.
Even the slightest touch seemed magnified countless times in his eyes, causing his Adam's apple to bob involuntarily.
"Master!!!" Tu Longjian shouted helplessly, but the difference in their cultivation levels was too great, and she could not resist.
Yan Xiuzhu's soul returned to its body, and he lowered his head to look at Tu Longjian's hand pressing on his chest muscles.
"Hehe, it was unintentional. Master forgot to let go of my sleeve." Tu Longjian said calmly, since she hadn't suffered any loss anyway.
Upon hearing her words, Yan Xiuzhu released her sleeve as if he had been electrocuted and turned his head away.
"Feel sorry."
As if wanting to quickly get through this awkward moment, Yan Xiuzhu pointed swiftly to the exquisite cave dwelling not far away and said gently:
"This is the cave dwelling I prepared for you. Take a look and see if you are satisfied. If there is anything you don't like, just tell your master."
"Master has prepared everything perfectly, how could I be dissatisfied?" Tu Longjian looked at him with a smile.
After briefly meeting Tu Longjian's smiling eyes, Yan Xiuzhu quickly looked away and silently began to introduce every corner of the cave.
The cave was located halfway up the mountain, surrounded by persistent clouds and mist in the distance, which effectively blocked any prying eyes.
The cave entrance was square, with a water ripple-like barrier at the entrance, which only Tu Longjian had the authority to open.
The cave dwelling is divided into several rooms, including a living room, a reception room, an alchemy room, a weapon-forging room, an armory, and a warehouse.
The jade floor exuded a faint spiritual aura, and the dome was inlaid with several luminous pearls, illuminating the cave with soft light.
It doesn't look like it was recently built. Although it's new, a closer look reveals that it's quite old, yet there's no sign that anyone has ever lived there.
Tu Longjian asked casually, "Master, has anyone ever lived in this cave?"
Yan Xiuzhu's eyes flickered, but his expression remained unchanged: "No one has ever lived here. I built it for you."
He did indeed meticulously build the cave dwelling for Tu Longjian, a process that began a long time ago.
The shelves in the alchemy room were piled with several bottles of high-quality pills, the armory contained many spiritual weapons and several spiritual treasures, and the warehouse was filled with mountains of spirit stones and materials.
Tu Longjian was about to be blinded by the pale blue light emitted by the spirit stone, so he quickly turned around, went out, and closed the door.
Her master was behind her and was inadvertently cornered against the wall.
"What's wrong? Don't you like it?" Yan Xiuzhu's eyelashes trembled as he asked in a low voice.
His tall figure was awkwardly squeezed into the cramped corner, making him look somewhat pitiful.
"No, I like it very much." Tu Longjian smiled and narrowed his eyes. Although he enjoyed the feeling of making money, who wouldn't like something given to them for free?
However, she did not back down at all, and instead moved even closer to Yan Xiuzhu.
Yan Xiuzhu had nowhere to hide, and his breathing became somewhat disordered.
He saw the woman before him staring intently at him with her strikingly beautiful phoenix eyes, her red lips slightly curved:
"Why is Master so kind to me?"
"I treat all my disciples the same way." Yan Xiuzhu's eyes flickered slightly, as if he had thought of something. His expression became even gentler, but also more distant.
He was indeed protective of his disciples, but his actions towards Tu Longjian were more out of guilt, and—
Self-help.
The book of fate does indeed say that the two have a master-disciple relationship, but it is a tragic one.
It was his personal karmic tribulation.
According to the Book of Fate, he fell in love with his little apprentice without hesitation, but the little apprentice was an anomaly in the Heavenly Order, and was not tolerated by the world.
He once transformed a part of his own body into a bamboo flute and gave it to his young apprentice.
When his youngest apprentice was in danger, he blew a bamboo flute to summon him.
Seeing his beloved lying in his arms, coughing up blood, he was heartbroken and willingly sacrificed his own life to prolong her life.
Yan Xiuzhu saw his own madness reflected in the Book of Fate and was quite puzzled.
He had grown up in a bamboo forest for a very long time. As spiritual energy gathered there, he gradually cultivated himself into human form.
He was gentle, unassuming, and lived a quiet life, spending his days in meditation in the bamboo forest.
He didn't know why he was alive, but since he was already alive, he might as well stay alive.
But he hadn't decided to die yet.
Let's just call him selfish. For the first time, Qingzhu, who had been in seclusion for many years, had the idea of defying fate.
Since fate cannot be defied, he accepted it and took Tu Longjian as his disciple, and also gave her his original form, the bamboo flute.
Make it up to her, pamper her, and help her become strong.
However, Yan Xiuzhu would not allow himself to fall in love with her.
The bamboo flute had long been forcibly separated from his body. After staying by Tu Longjian's side for a long time, it became an independent entity. The three attacks were real, but they could not summon him.
When Tu Longjian is about to perish due to the wrath of Heaven, he can only sigh sadly from the sidelines.
Tu Longjian looked at Yan Xiuzhu's expression, which changed several times before finally settling into indifference, and felt a pang of regret.
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