“Master, we know we were wrong,” Wang Xuanyi and Zhu Huai apologized.
They had expected a scolding from Mo Yan, but to their surprise, he only sighed. With a complicated expression, he said, “It is fine. If you want to listen, then listen. It is no big deal.”
Seeing this, the two exchanged a glance, both feeling that something was off with their master.
Normally, Wang Xuanyi would have been beaten up by now.
“Senior Sister, I shall head off to rest first.”
With that, Mo Yan picked up a jar of Green Bamboo Wine and stumbled away from the bamboo forest. His already hunched back looked somewhat frail under the reflection of the dusk.
Wang Xuanyi and Zhu Huai looked at each other, completely baffled.
Their master was a bit different today.
Somehow... he seemed much more sorrowful.
“You two are quite the clever little devils.”
Su Qian took a sip of wine and smiled faintly.
“Martial Aunt, Master, he...”
“Him? He is trapped by love, unable to escape the cage of his own weariness, that is all,” Su Qian said.
“Please, do elaborate,” Wang Xuanyi said, his interest piqued.
He really wanted to know how the usually heartless old geezer could become so sorrowful when speaking of his first love, looking like a completely different person.
“Alright~ As you wish.”
With a slightly flushed face, Su Qian tapped Wang Xuanyi's forehead with her finger and said coquetishly, “You little brat, you really bring this sister endless amusement.”
Using wine to loosen her tongue, and borrowing the dusk and the evening glow, Su Qian reminisced about the past.
“Your master, he was once high-spirited and full of mettle too...”
The young man had high ambitions. He traveled far and wide, determined to become the number one immortal in the world.
By chance, at a place where he temporarily settled, he met the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
Unfortunately, heaven did not favor them.
While the young man was fighting for the opportunities of heaven and earth, he and his partner accidentally wandered into a place of ghost immortals.
Make a choice.
Half of your life, or your Dao companion.
Without the slightest hesitation, the young man chose the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but he was also cursed because of it.
Never to be young again, and forever having only half of his lifespan.
The young man was no longer a young man; he became a white-haired old man.
Originally, the young man thought that as his cultivation level increased, he could completely obliterate the curse. Little did he expect that the curse would grow deeper and deeper, carving itself into his soul.
In the end, the old man closed off his heart and rejected his partner's plea to stay together forever.
His partner was not discouraged, refusing everything else for her lover.
All just to wait for her beloved.
“‘I ask the world, what is love, that it binds two in life and death?’”
After listening to Su Qian's story, Zhu Huai was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes.
What a beautifully tragic love story.
She had never expected her master to have such an unforgettable memory.
No wonder he got drunk every single night.
“Huh?”
Wang Xuanyi crossed his arms, tilted his head, and raised an eyebrow. “Wait, that is still no excuse for him stealing my wine to drink every day.”
“...”
The tears Zhu Huai had just squeezed out were instantly choked back by Wang Xuanyi's words. Su Qian, who was about to take a sip of wine, froze mid-action.
The touching atmosphere of the poignant story vanished in an instant.
Thud!
Zhu Huai could not help but punch her senior brother, utterly speechless. “Senior Brother, you really know how to ruin a mood.”
“Am I wrong?”
Wang Xuanyi took the punch from Zhu Huai, his eyes wide and his face filled with bewilderment as he asked, “His partner did not mind that the young man had grown old and was willing to spend the rest of her life with him. What was there for that old man to be unwilling about?”
Then, Wang Xuanyi added, “In the end, it is just the old man's ego at play. He forced his partner to suffer year after year, waiting through hundreds of springs and autumns. If you ask me, his partner is just unlucky to have met such a spineless person. She might as well have just remarried.”
He spoke bluntly, striking straight at the heart of the matter.
These words left both Zhu Huai and Su Qian stunned.
Suddenly, they felt that what Wang Xuanyi said made perfect sense.
“The young man was unwilling to stay with his partner forever because he was also afraid that one day he might suddenly...” Su Qian threw the question back to Wang Xuanyi.
She wanted to see what kind of solution Mo Yan's disciple would have.
“Is the old man dead yet?”
“...”
“Is the old man dead yet?” Wang Xuanyi repeated.
“The old man is still alive,” Su Qian replied.
“Then isn't that it? He is not only a coward, but his ego is also too big. He even made the person he loves wait in vain. If that is not a useless piece of trash, then what is?” Wang Xuanyi said bluntly.
“Since one cannot decide the future, why not enjoy the present?”
“Since there are countless tomorrows, why not slap oneself twice to wake up and be brave? The old man would rather be a turtle shrinking into its shell than take a single step forward. He is a coward through and through.”
“Just this? And he talks about ambitions? He dares to speak of the path to becoming an immortal.”
“He might as well find a place to bury himself. The sooner he dies and gets reincarnated, the better, so he can stop ruining someone else's life!”
Word by word, sentence by sentence.
Every word was the truth, and every sentence was like a sword.
Wang Xuanyi's words not only shocked Zhu Huai but also astonished Su Qian. For a mere disciple, his state of mind was incredibly open and clear.
“Since one cannot decide the future, why not enjoy the present...” Su Qian murmured.
She had thought Wang Xuanyi was just an unserious person who liked to play pranks and cause trouble.
Never expected that...
He was the one who truly saw through things.
“Hahaha...”
Suddenly, Su Qian burst into laughter. The cool night breeze brushed through her vibrant crimson hair, fluttering the strands at her temples and revealing her delicate, flawless profile.
Strands of moonlight filtered down, shining upon Su Qian and adding a faint silver glow to her figure, making her look even more alluring.
“Martial Aunt, what are you laughing at?”
Zhu Huai asked.
Her senior brother's words just now had indeed woken her up, pulling her out of those absurd, dramatic love stories.
All that talk of love and affection, only to end up in such a pathetic state.
From then on, Zhu Huai's outlook on love was elevated to a new level.
“Nothing. Little Yi-Yi is indeed right. That old man is a useless piece of trash, and I also feel that it was not worth it for his partner.”
Su Qian smiled, taking another sip of wine unconsciously.
The difference was that this time, she was in a very good mood and drank with great satisfaction.
“Tsk, and here I thought the old geezer was some kind of big shot. Turns out he is just a turtle shrinking into its shell,” Wang Xuanyi mumbled, crossing his arms and pouting.
“You are right. My junior brother is indeed a turtle shrinking into its shell. He dares not accept a love that is right in front of him, only daring to yearn in secret.”
Su Qian chimed in, mocking Mo Yan's incompetence.
As the night grew deeper, the three chatted more and more. Unknowingly, Zhu Huai leaned against her senior brother's shoulder and fell fast asleep.
“Sigh~”
Wang Xuanyi looked at Zhu Huai, who was sleeping lightly beside him. He retrieved a coat from his storage ring and threw it over her, then poked the campfire to make it burn brighter.
“Immortal fairy sister, I will carry Zhu Huai back to her room first. Please help keep an eye on the fire; it won't taste good if it gets burnt later,” Wang Xuanyi said as he picked up Zhu Huai.
Su Qian waved her hand, signaling him to go quickly.
Wang Xuanyi did not dawdle either, swiftly making his way to the bamboo house where Zhu Huai lived.
Creak!
As soon as he pushed open the door, a room decorated entirely like a young girl's met his eyes.
Wang Xuanyi smiled, placed Zhu Huai onto the bed, and thoughtfully tucked her in. He said softly, “Zhu Huai, oh Zhu Huai. The two of us have hung out for over a decade, yet we have never once bathed together. You claim you are a guy, but do you really think I would believe that?”
“Junior Sister, if you do not tell your senior brother when something is wrong, how am I supposed to help you solve it?”
Wang Xuanyi pinched Zhu Huai's cheek. She turned and snuggled against his hand, looking very content as she let out a soft mumble from her happy dream.
By the look of it, she was having a wonderful dream.
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