5. "Jealousy and rivalry"?
Yin Li secretly glanced at the person in front of her. Her eyebrows and eyes were fierce, and she often straightened her back when she spoke harshly, as if she looked more intimidating that way.
He subconsciously curled the corners of his mouth and said, "Yes, disciple will certainly not disappoint you."
This kid might actually have a chance to develop in a proper and upright manner.
Although he could not escape the exposure of his demonic identity in the end, if he always retained a shred of kindness and integrity, he would surely be a good leader.
As a university teacher, Chu Qing always includes ideological and political education in her classes. So no matter where she is now, as long as she is a teacher, she is always observing the students' thoughts and spirit.
"Tell me about that day in the secret realm."
She took a sip of tea, rested her elbows on the table, gently pressed her fingertips against her temples, and asked with her eyes closed.
For some reason, Yin Li didn't rush to answer, but instead boldly looked at Chu Qing.
The master was like a cold sculpture, with snow-white skin and black hair, light and long eyebrows, and her expression was always so indifferent. There was rarely a smile on her lips, and even if there was a curve, it was as fleeting as a flower in bloom.
The crisp scent of cedar occasionally wafted into his nostrils; it seemed that only at such close proximity could he truly feel the lingering chill of the other's fragrance.
The mist shrouds the green mountains, quiet and secluded, yet untouched by the world, possessing its own inherent integrity.
Chu Qing kept her eyes closed and pretended for a long time, but she didn't hear a reply from the other person.
What on earth is Yin Li doing? She can't even peek with her eyes closed, and she's been sitting here so long her body is going numb.
Her eyes snapped open, and her slightly furrowed brows betrayed her impatience. The two men's gazes met the next moment.
This is--
Chu Qing was unsure what emotion had just flashed in his eyes.
Yin Li hurriedly looked away, her heart inexplicably beginning to stir, as if a flame was burning in her chest, the heat spreading throughout her body.
[Current favorability rating: 32. Keep up the good work, host!]
?
She hasn't even done anything yet, what's wrong with this kid?
Something's not right, something's not right.
Something seemed to flash through Chu Qing's mind, but it was too fast, and the tiny clue could not be accurately captured.
She gazed at the kneeling boy, her ears flushed red, which stood out starkly against her fair skin.
What are you hesitating about?
An impatient voice suddenly broke the somewhat strange atmosphere. Yin Li's eyelids twitched, and after taking a few deep breaths, the strange flame in her heart finally subsided.
“Master, I was with the others that day. When I received the brocade pouch and stepped into the barrier, it seemed—it seemed that the surroundings shook slightly, but it was too slight. Please forgive my carelessness, I didn’t pay much attention to it.”
That is, the barrier that Yin Li entered when he stepped into the secret realm was tampered with, deliberately causing him to enter another area, which is why the illusion was created.
"Hmm, is there anything else?"
"I'm sorry, Master. I seemed to have been bewitched at the time. Now I only remember what happened when you were there after I regained my senses."
The boy lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions within them, and spoke innocently.
Chu Qing felt that Yin Li must be hiding something, but seeing that she couldn't get anything out of him by asking, she waved her hand to signal him to leave: "I understand, go and call Mo Yu over."
"Does Master want to see Senior Brother Mo Yu about something?"
Yin Li paused at the door, and for some reason, asked the question uncontrollably.
Chu Qing raised an eyebrow, and as she looked at the person at the door asking a casual question, she seemed to detect a different emotion.
Perhaps, I can create a detailed, tailor-made strategy plan.
However, she had to maintain the status quo, so she suppressed her amusement and said lightly, "Are you itching for a beating? Asking so many questions."
The boy suppressed his feelings and silently withdrew.
As the last rays of sunlight faded, the green mountain peaks became a pale ink painting in the night, hazy and mysterious.
A bunch of peach branches lay across the window beam above, illuminated by the candlelight inside, creating a warm atmosphere.
Chu Qing lowered her head and scribbled in her notebook, roughly summarizing the personalities of her three disciples based on the past year's experiences:
First of all, there's Mo Yu. As Chu Qingge's lackey, he's extremely obsequious. In the original novel, he's a minor, insignificant character, but putting that aside, he's only a year or two older than Yin Li.
He manages all the affairs of the Cloud Mist Sect, big and small, and he is also proficient in medical theory, making him a truly gifted individual.
Even if she is not often in the sect in the future, or when it comes time to truly fight the demons and Wen Ruyu, he can still live a leisurely life relying on his medical skills.
Next up is Ling Xueluo, the female lead of the original novel. Needless to say, she is kind and upright, and she and Yin Li are attracted to each other. She can be said to be the most beloved junior sister in the entire sect.
She's too guarded around herself. Let's take it slow. This year she's probably figured out where the line between being out of character (OOC) is. Hopefully, her teachings won't be in vain.
The last student who caused the most headaches was also the most talented—Yin Li.
Chu Qing began to analyze the situation carefully in her notebook.
It's clear now that although his favorability rating is still below par, ever since I saved him, as long as I show him a little cold concern, his youthful nature comes out. He's just a kid, and he can't resist sincere guidance.
Chu Qing pondered. In the past, he would never have asked about anything, but since his favorability rating had increased by leaps and bounds, he had actually asked about her affairs today, which was unprecedented.
That reaction, and that fleeting emotion, was curiosity, or to put it boldly, concern.
So perhaps no one can resist the urge to save a life, let alone the tender feelings for a fledgling. So she will carry on with this feeling and earnestly play the role of a "good teacher".
The chirping of insects echoed outside the window from time to time. Moonlight cast a silvery frost, the night was quiet, and the candlelight cast a hazy glow. In her drowsy state, Chu Qing seemed to see Yin Li's face before her. The golden sunlight shone down, and his hesitant yet yearning eyes struck her heart.
Sigh, I wonder when the plot will progress to his injured return. Thinking of this, for some reason, Chu Qing is reluctant to go to Crescent Moon Town.
If, she thought, there were no hidden dangers like the divine artifact that everyone was chasing, even if she couldn't go home, it wouldn't be a bad thing to stay here, chatting and sipping tea, and occasionally teaching her disciples.
Wherever she is, she is used to being alone and will not linger anywhere.
The next morning, Chu Qing was awakened by a quarrel.
"I'm looking for my master, what business is it of yours!"
"The master is resting."
"Hmph, don't think that just because Master has been looking at you a lot lately, it means he's treating you differently. Remember your place and don't bother Master all the time."
One was black, the other white, and they were evenly matched, about the same age. One of them stiffened his neck and stared wide-eyed, while the other crossed his arms and wore a mocking expression.
Chu Qing watched the commotion from inside the room for a while; it was just that the two of them were coming to find her and bumped into each other at the door.
But no one can let these two people with a grudge get together. She still vividly remembers the whip Mo Yu gave her a year ago, and she probably holds a grudge against someone like Yin Li as well.
"It's so noisy."
The door was suddenly pushed open. She rubbed her temples with her index finger, looking impatient, and said in an icy tone, "You're here so early in the morning, do you all want to be punished?"
"Master, please forgive me. It was my fault. I saw that you were a little tired last night, so I specially went to the pharmacy today to get some medicinal herbs and brew you some calming tea."
laugh.
Yin Li found his fawning manner irritating, so he bowed and said indifferently, "Master, I just met Elder Xu and Elder Hua, and they invited you to have a chat."
Has Xu Zhiqi found a clue?
He glanced at the two disciples blocking the door, shoving each other and refusing to give way, acting childishly.
"Mo Yu, as a senior brother, you don't know how to be considerate of your junior brother. You are punished by having to weed the front yard for a month."
"Yin Li, go to the back mountain to chop firewood. You must get up at dawn every day and rest for an hour. If I find you slacking off, get out of the Cloud Mist Sect."
Chu Qing turned and left, letting out a cold snort as she left.
Seeing his master walk away, Yin Li took a step back, glanced at the person opposite him, and, unwilling to say anything more, walked straight towards the training ground.
Mo Yu, not to be outdone, made a face at his back. Humph, his master was still on his side. Everyone knew that weeding was easy and he could also pick herbs while he was at it.
Yin Li had to get up early to chop firewood in the back mountain, which was physically demanding and would exhaust him!
In the council hall next door, Chu Qing arrived and saw that in addition to Xu Zhi Qiu and Hua Qi, Wen Ru Yu was also present.
In an instant, a tense atmosphere filled the surroundings, like undercurrents silently eroding every corner, hinting at the arrival of a storm.
The group exchanged greetings but didn't say much before getting straight to the point.
"Elder Qingge, we initially suspected that the abnormal movement of the barrier was man-made, but now—it seems there is another hidden story."
Xu Zhi Qiu sighed, her brows furrowed, and shook her head.
"In the past few days, Elder Xu and I have entered various secret realms and found that there seems to be demonic energy floating around us."
Demonic energy?
It's demonic energy again!
Could it be that the unusual movement of the Fire Dance Spirit Orb has exposed its own demonic energy?
This speculation is possible. After all, many plot points have deviated from the original story. If Huo Wu Ling Zhu, who was originally by Yin Li's side, is still in the secret realm, there is no guarantee that something else might happen.
"Elder Hua is right. After all, when Yin Li was lost in the illusion, we both saw it. His pupils were covered by purplish-red demonic energy, and he had already lost his mind."
Upon hearing this, Chu Qing recalled the scene after she rushed over that day, with Qingfeng Sword in his hand, as if he were about to kill an enemy, and fiercely stabbed it towards his throat.
Could this illusion be related to the Fire Dance Spirit Orb?
"Qingge, the three of us just thought of a possibility."
Wen Ruyu spoke up, her voice filled with worry: "We suspect that the Fire Dance Spirit Pearl that sealed the Heavenly Annihilation Wheel might be about to reappear, and we're worried about this divine artifact—"
"But besides the Fire Dance Spirit Pearl, wasn't there also the Mysterious Heaven Spirit Pearl that took away a portion of the artifact's magical power?"
Hua Qi spoke up, stroking his beard as he continued, "How about this, two of us go to that secret realm to search for the Fire Dance Spirit Orb. If we find it, we'll seal it again, not giving the artifact a chance to appear."
"How about Elder Xu and I go together? Qingge is about to take her disciples to Crescent Moon Town to deal with the magical beasts. Perhaps we could trouble Elder Hua to stay at Green Mountain Peak."
Among the elders, in principle, whoever is the strongest should be in charge of the sect. None of these four can compare to Chu Qingge, but Chu Qingge has no interest in managing the sect, so it is the turn of Wen Ruyu, who is second in strength, to take over as acting elder.
Chu Qingge also earned the title of Grand Elder, mysterious and naive to worldly affairs.
Only now did Chu Qing see through Wen Ruyu's thoughts.
Crescent Moon Town wasn't his real destination; it was just a pretext to lure him there. It seems he wasn't sure of the whereabouts of the Mystic Ice Spirit Orb, so he was actually after the Fire Dance Spirit Orb from the beginning!
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