The Second Elder was planting herbs in the courtyard when he saw Shu Lan rushing in and became curious.
"Uncle-Master, what brings you here?" The Second Elder put down his work, turned around to pour Shu Lan a cup of tea, and invited Shu Lan to sit down at the table in the courtyard.
Shu Lan had rushed here in one go, and now seeing the Second Elder's kind and gentle manner, and thinking about the questions he was about to ask, Shu Lan couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. His face flushed slightly, adding a touch of warmth to his otherwise cold expression.
Shu Lan finally sat down. He looked at the Second Elder with some hesitation, and finally made up his mind to speak: "Second Elder, I came here to ask you a question."
"Oh, my pleasure. What is the question? I will answer it to the best of my ability." The Second Elder picked up a cup of tea and took a small sip.
"Exactly, exactly, what are the signs that someone likes another person? I'm talking about liking someone between Daoist couples." Shu Lan had prepared herself mentally for a long time, but finally she went all out and asked all the questions she wanted to ask.
The Second Elder smiled inwardly as he looked at Shu Lan's slightly flushed and somewhat uneasy face. It seemed that his martial aunt also had someone she liked.
The Second Elder put down his teacup and paused for a moment before saying, "When my Daoist partner and I were together, we always cared about each other and worried about each other, fearing that something might happen to the other. We would always want to be with each other, and even just sitting together quietly without saying a word would be enough to make us happy."
Shu Lan immediately thought of him and Xiao An. Xiao An was always worried about him, and he was always worried about Xiao An too. He really enjoyed spending time with Xiao An; just seeing her every day made him happy.
"When I'm with my Daoist partner, I don't want her to have any troubles. Whenever she encounters troubles, I will do everything I can to help her solve them."
Shu Lan thought of how he always felt heartbroken whenever he saw Xiao An looking down. He would always ask Xiao An what was bothering her, and Xiao An would tell him if she wanted to. He would always try his best to help Xiao An solve her problems, not wanting to see her looking so disappointed.
"Another thing I've come to realize is that when my Daoist partner is hurt, I feel guilty. Why didn't I protect my partner? Why wasn't it me who got hurt? I wish I could take the hurt for my partner."
Shu Lan recalled how his heart ached whenever he saw Xiao An injured. He wished he could take her place and bear all her pain.
“There’s also a very simple way to find out if you like that person.” Just then, a woman’s voice rang out in the courtyard.
Shu Lan and the Second Elder turned around and saw a gentle and beautiful woman standing to the side, carrying a basket and listening to their conversation.
"Oh! My lady, when did you arrive?" The Second Elder quickly went to greet her, helped her unload the basket from her hands, and then helped her to sit down at the table.
So this is the Second Elder's Daoist partner! Shu Lan watched their interaction quietly from the side, feeling that the two of them were very harmonious.
“I’ve been listening here for a while now. I arrived when your uncle asked you a question,” the Second Elder’s Daoist partner replied.
Shu Lan was so embarrassed he wanted to bury his head in the ground. Asking such a shameful question and having it overheard by others was unthinkable. What was worse, he and the Second Elder were so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't noticed anyone else standing next to them.
"I have a way to tell if you've fallen for someone," the Second Elder's partner winked at Shu Lan.
"That is, would you be willing to let the person you care about be with someone else, or even become their Daoist partner?"
"I don't want to!" Almost as soon as the Second Elder's Daoist partner finished speaking, Shu Lan answered without thinking. Only then did he realize that he had already developed a possessive desire for Xiao An. The thought of Xiao An becoming a Daoist partner with another woman in the future caused him a dull ache in his heart.
He cared so much about Xiao An that he was unwilling to give her up to someone else.
"That settles it!" The Second Elder clapped his hands suddenly. "Since he doesn't want the person he cares about to become a Daoist partner with someone else, then it means he's fallen for that person!"
The Second Elder's words were a wake-up call.
Shu Lan then realized that she, as Xiao An's master, had actually fallen in love with Xiao An, whom she had raised as her younger brother and disciple. It was truly unbelievable!
Shu Lan didn't even know how she said goodbye to the Second Elder and his Daoist partner. She returned to her Tinglan Peak courtyard in a daze.
Shu Lan only came to her senses when he sat down under the orchid tree again.
Unexpectedly, he actually fell in love with Xiao An, not like the love between master and disciple, but like the love between lovers and Daoist partners.
Shu Lan stroked the auspicious bird jade pendant at her waist, her smile somewhat bitter.
He felt that Xiao An would definitely not be able to accept his feelings for her. Putting everything else aside, the fact that they were both men was already objectionable. Men cannot have children together, but Xiao An was determined to get married and find a woman to be his Daoist partner, to have children with her, and he would live a very happy life…
Shu Lan gripped the jade pendant tighter and tighter until her knuckles turned white.
Finally, Shu Lan let go of her hand. He looked at the tree full of blossoms and smiled with relief. Since there would be no future between him and Xiao An, it was better to keep his feelings hidden from the beginning and never let Xiao An know.
Shu Lan made a decision: whenever he saw Xiao An again, he would treat him as a normal master and disciple, and would never cause Xiao An any trouble.
The wind stirred the flowers of the orchid tree, blowing down a few petals. One petal gently landed on Shu Lan's head, adding a unique touch of beauty to him.
Shu Lan sat quietly, letting the breeze caress his face, his gaze fixed on the void. He began to miss Xiao An again. Xiao An, when will you come back?
At the bottom of the Demon Abyss, Qin An suddenly opened his eyes. Just now, he had sensed something strange in his heart.
Qin An took out the auspicious bird jade pendant tied to his chest with his master's hair ribbon and kept stroking it with his hand: "Master, did you miss me? Don't worry, Xiao An is fine now. We will see each other again soon!"
Qin An carefully tucked the auspicious bird jade pendant, which was tied to his master's hair ribbon, back into his chest, and then returned to meditation.
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