Arc 5: Chapter 2
The entire morning, Lin Yuan was stuck in the fog of obtuseness. His only takeaway was that his husband’s voice was very good, clear and cold.
After Xie Hanzhou left, everyone in the hall suddenly became more lively.
“Master’s lecture was like a jolt of enlightenment, it was like clearing the clouds away to help me see the sun.”
Lin Yuan, who heard this while passing by, felt even more ashamed. He desperately wanted to leave immediately, otherwise, if a classmate found him to chat about today’s class, he wouldn’t be able to say a word, and it would be so awkward!
“After listening, I seem to be on the edge of a breakthrough. I will be in closed-door cultivation for the next few days.”
“Senior, that’s wonderful!”
Lin Yuan was shocked. The difference between people was so big. His ears were bright red by now. Wuuu, he didn't want to be the worst student…
Lin Yuan ran out of the hall like a puppy with its tail between its legs, but he only took a few steps before he heard someone call him.
“Junior, wait!”
Lin Yuan turned around in confusion and saw a cute boy that seemed eleven or twelve years old smiling at him.
“Senior…brother?” Lin Yuan tentatively called. Although he seemed a couple years younger than him, it wasn’t strange to meet some very young geniuses.
“Junior, I am a disciple of the sect master, my name is Molian. My master has summoned you, come with me.”
Lin Yuan’s expression turned subtle, and he seemed a little reluctant.
Seeing his expression, Molian’s eyes flashed lightly out of surprise. Whenever the sect master asked for someone, they would always be overjoyed as if a golden pie had fallen from the sky, why did this junior brother look unwilling?
It wasn’t that Lin Yuan didn’t want to see Xie Hanzhou, but he hadn’t done any mental preparation before going to meet him yet. In the hall, Xie Hanzhou was as far away from him as the moon was from the sea. Lin Yuan wondered, how did his husband accurately find his wife in the midst of hundreds of disciples?
He asked Molian curiously: “Senior Molian, what does the sect master want to find me for?”
Molian was actually a black lotus who gained spiritual enlightenment and had been accompanying Xie Hanzhou as an attendant for over a century. He didn’t reveal anything and just smiled lightly, saying: “Junior brother will know when you meet my Master.”
Lin Yuan nodded and followed him obediently.
Molian led him to the back of the hall, where there was another room. Inside, Xie Hanzhou was standing in front of a bookshelf and in the middle of flipping through books. His tall figure was layered with both light and shadows, and when he turned around, his handsome features were even more breathtaking.
Molian saluted respectfully and announced: “Master, disciple has brought Junior Lin Yuan here.” After saying so, he retreated outside of the room and waited.
Lin Yuan looked at Xie Hanzhou who was within reach and was a little at loss. He pinched his fingers nervously until he remembered that he had to salute. He bowed with tense movements and stammered: “Disciple… Disciple Lin Yuan greets… greets Master…”
It was the first time Xie Hanzhou had seen someone that was afraid of him. His cold eyes showed no change, as if he was looking at a stone on the ground.
Lin Yuan felt Xie Hanzhou’s stare and was panicking in his heart. Why was his husband looking for him? Why didn’t he say anything?
As the silence lengthened, the new disciple looked like he was about to collapse and Xie Hanzhou couldn’t help but find it a little funny. He closed the book in his hand and walked over to Lin Yua, and said: “Take it.”
Lin Yuan smelled a clean breath hovering close to him, like snow on a cedar tree, and he became a little dazed. When Xie Hanzhou handed over the book in his hand, Lin Yuan’s body acted faster than his mind and he received the book obediently. He paused and then blinked twice. Lin Yuan looked up at Xie Hanzhou and asked in confusion: “Master, this is?”
Xie Hanzhou’s voice was light: “Just now in the hall, Master could tell you were confused. This book, Scripture of Clarity, can help answer your questions.”
Lin Yuan suddenly flushed brightly: “Master, disciple… I didn’t… it wasn’t on purpose…I… I really didn’t understand.”
Wuuu, will his husband dislike him now? He had only been in this world for a few hours, Lin Yuan couldn’t help but feel aggrieved. The corners of his eyes had reddened faintly, and his feather-like eyelashes trembled slightly.
In so many years, Xie Hanzhou had never seen such an innocent disciple, making him inexplicably feel that he had bullied him. His sight swept over the other’s soft and moist eyes and thought for a moment. He handed Lin Yuan another jade slip: “Study the book and this jade slip carefully. If you don’t understand, you can ask any senior brother.”
Lin Yuan impulsively wanted to ask Xie Hanzhou if he could ask him instead, but he didn’t say anything in the end, not wanting to cause more trouble for Xie Hanzhou.
Holding the jade slip and book in his arms, Lin Yuan looked up with round eyes and he whispered nasally: “Yes, Master. Disciple knows.”
Xie Hanzhou said calmly: “Go back.”
Lin Yuan was reluctant to leave, he didn’t know when he could talk to Xie Hanzhou again. He dawdled a bit, but then told himself that Yu Sui’an’s blackening value was more urgent right now.
Just as he was about to step over the door, Lin Yuan thought of something. He turned and looked back at Xie Hanzhou: “Master, next month… I will definitely understand everything! If… If I can’t, then I’m a pig!”
Lin Yuan’s voice was full of energy, but once he finished speaking, he immediately deflated. What if he still didn’t understand… wouldn’t he end up with another nickname?
Lin Piggy.
Wuu, too horrible.
Lin Yuan couldn’t bear to think further, and promptly ran away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Xie Hanzhou thought that the appearance of his little disciple running away was a little amusing, but there was no smile in his deep eyes, not even a trace of emotion.
Lin Yuan ran for a long time before he finally stopped. He complained to 521 in his mind: “521, what should I do? What if my husband really sees me as a pig next month?”
521 shrugged and nudged close to Lin Yuan and said: “Senior, you should look on the bright side.”
Lin Yuan tilted his head: “How exactly should I look at it?”
521 said honestly: “Pork is very tasty! Isn’t that a good thing?”
Lin Yuan didn’t have the heart to respond to 521. What kind of nonsense was that?
Holding the book and jade slip given by his husband, Lin Yuan went to the dining hall for lunch.
Pure Jade Palace had twelve major peaks. The main peak was called Pure Jade Peak, housing the Grand Hall, which was where all of the palace’s major ceremonies were held. The secondary peak was called Peak of Highest Virtue, it had dining halls, libraries, etc. There was also a sky bridge between each peak.
Lin Yuan was quite hungry. At the dining hall, he ordered three dishes and one soup, and ate vigorously.
After finishing his first bowl of rice, he hurried to fill a second bowl. Just as he was about to stuff his mouth, a senior sister shouted loudly: “Look over there! Isn’t that Senior Sui’an? Who is that next to him?”
“Look at his tassel, he’s one of the newly joined junior brothers.”
“This little junior’s luck is way too good, I haven’t even spoken a word to Senior Sui’an.”
Yu Sui’an? With a newly joined junior disciple?
The food in Lin Yuan’s bowl was no longer fragrant. He looked up and saw Yu Sui’an walking across the dining hall, his loose ink hair freely drifting behind him and a lazy smile pasted on his beautiful face.
Chu Yao, the source of all evil, followed behind closely like sticky mud. His face was unnaturally flushed, and his eyes peeked at the man in front of him every few seconds, full of obsession.
Lin Yuan’s expression darkened. Looking down at the now tasteless rice in his bowl, he thought seriously. In the end, he felt that he shouldn’t waste food, and his stomach was not yet full.
Yu Sui’an felt a piercing gaze that carried resentment. He looked over, and was a bit surprised to see it was the little junior who wasn’t listening in class. The little junior no longer looked at him, and instead stuffed food into his mouth, making his cheeks bulge like a greedy hamster.
Like a little kid. The corners of Yu Sui’an’s hooked higher.
Chu Yao saw Yu Sui’an smile and was even more greedy to win over this person. If he could make Yu Sui’an fall in love with him, not to mention the generous rewards, he'd have a peerless beauty by his side that he could show off every day. When he imagined that beautiful scene, he was about to drool.
Oh, and he couldn’t forget about Xie Hanzhou. Chu Yao was confident that as long as he showed his moves, Xie Hanzhou’s ice-cold exterior would definitely melt. And with Xie Hanzhou’s figure, he must be particularly fierce in bed, which would make him very happy.
Lin Yuan knew in his heart that Chu Yao would never be able to take advantage of his husband, but he was still angry. He still hasn’t even exchanged a word with his husband and Yu Sui’an didn’t even know his name.
The more he thought about it, the more angry he was. Lin Yuan finished four more bowls of rice in anger.
Full and satisfied, after Lin Yuan left the dining hall, he returned to Ancient Grove Peak. He found a quiet and empty place and opened the book that Xie Hanzhou gave him.
Unknowingly, half a month passed peacefully as Lin Yuan was immersed in the ocean of knowledge. But he was still clear about the plot in his mind, and one night, he intentionally sneaked out.
According to the plot, Chu Yao planned to give Yu Sui’an an aphrodisiac tonight while he himself pretended to be drunk, and then they would ‘naturally’ get together.