Chapter 58

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Chapter 58: Master, Elder

The magic boat drifted smoothly on the open sea, lost in the mist, unable to see the light all day, unable to distinguish between day and night.

However, after staying in the mist for a long time, it became familiar, especially for Wen Yun, who had nothing to do. She made many lamps with the playful children and hung them all over the boat, shining brightly. It felt like being in a lively place with lights, adding a touch of interest.

However, these ordinary lamps were fragile, extinguished by a wave. At first, the children were interested, but when they saw the lamps they had just made being put out by the waves, they soon lost interest and walked away disappointed.

Luckily, Wen Yun had another diligent student by her side.

Ye Shubai sat upright, his slender and fair hands holding the Thunder Bamboo firmly, cutting them into thin slices with precise movements.

Wen Yun guided from the side, "Make it shorter and align it with the one before."

He followed her instructions and handed the slices to Wen Yun. She then skillfully assembled them into a delicate lantern, adding a Magic Stone the size of a thumb inside before handing it back to him, "Here, you can practice with this."

They were making lanterns, but in reality, Wen Yun was teaching Ye Shubai how to draw magic circles. There was already a large pile of discarded papers on the table from their previous practice.

Luckily, this time Ye Shubai didn’t disappoint Wen Yun’s expectations. He successfully drew a beautiful magic circle on paper, pasted the paper onto the bamboo frame, and the Magic Stone in the middle was immediately activated, lighting up the lantern with a soft, bright light.

Wen Yun threw a hidden fruit over and praised, "Ye Xiaobai is really good, he succeeded in just five tries."

Lanterns blessed with a magic circle are not as fragile as ordinary lanterns. No matter how rough the waves are, it can still shine brightly.

Ye Shubai took the fruit without eating it, just holding it in his palm, and looking up slightly, he asked solemnly, "So, how many tries did he succeed in?"

"Him?" Wen Yun was hanging the lantern inside the house, lost in her thoughts, and only after thinking it over did she understand the question.

Oh… so it’s another competition with the little fire dragon. Truly deserving of being the top sword cultivator since childhood, the spirit of comparison is too strong.

But the dragon’s claws are too big to even grip a pen, how could it draw a magic circle? Of course, such words cannot be directly told to him. You have to give a little face to your wand spirit.

After hanging the lantern, Wen Yun calmly sat back down and said, "You’re just about the same as me."

A good hero treats everyone equally, never favoring any spirit!

Ye Shubai didn’t ask any questions, he just lowered his head and started to draw the magic circle faster without saying a word.

After Wen Yun showed him the reference picture, she leisurely drew a pattern on the paper.

In the distance, Shen Xinghai, who had just returned from surfing, effortlessly jumped onto the boat, dried the water marks on the decaying wood, skillfully carried it on his back, and eagerly walked over to see.

"Hey, Martial Sister Wen, could you draw a lamp for me too? I’m taking it to explore the sea so that I don’t hit any rocks in the dark."

Wen Yun glanced at him silently, thinking to herself, "You go surfing, why use exploring as an excuse?"

But she didn’t expose Shen Xinghai, instead, she cooperatively asked while turning her pen, "What kind of design would Martial Brother Shen like for the lamp?"

"Dive deep like a dragon, aiming high with a sword! Martial Sister Wen, please draw a flying dragon for me!"

A smile appeared in Wen Yun’s eyes as she confidently replied, "How fortunate, I happen to be very familiar with flying dragons. Let me draw the most majestic and powerful dragon for you!"

Ye Shubai’s hand paused, causing the smooth and steady strokes to become crooked, rendering the magic circle useless.

But his mind was not on the paper anymore. At this moment, Ye Shubai’s head was filled with Wen Yun’s words, "I happen to know a lot about flying dragons," and the Sword Intent Transformation she performed in the shape of a dragon…

He stood up straight without saying a word, and quietly turned his gaze towards Wen Yun.

Her movements with the pen were smooth and natural, and she looked relaxed, but the thing she drew was hard to describe.

"Martial Brother Shen, here, this is for you!"

Holding the newly drawn lantern, Shen Xinghai fell into deep thought for a moment, then finally couldn’t help but speak, "Martial Sister Wen…"

"Hmm? Are you satisfied with what you see?"

"It’s not about being satisfied or not, I wanted a flying dragon, why did you draw me a pig with wings?"

Shen Xinghai asked earnestly, and Wen Yun wanted to explain that this was a real dragon, but in the end could only sigh deeply, "Forget it, you haven’t seen one, so I can’t blame you."

When the little fire dragon recovered in the future, she would definitely make these uninformed fellow disciples see what a real flying dragon looks like.

Disliking it a bit, Shen Xinghai still carefully put away the lantern. But the more he looked at it, the more he felt something was off. He quietly talked to Ye Shubai next to him, "Martial Brother Ye, how about you help me redraw a dragon on the other side?"

Martial Brother Ye had a refined air about him, even the scholarly Yu Qinghong couldn’t compare. Clearly a skilled artist, when asked to redraw the dragon on the lantern’s other side, he suggested covering up the pig’s head on the back, to not waste Martial Sister Wen’s kindness, while saving face. Quite clever.

Shen Xinghai casually asked, already prepared for Ye Shubai’s rejection, but to his surprise, Ye Shubai actually started to draw, rolling up his sleeves and sketching the dragon on the other side of the lantern with ease and grace.

Wen Yun, "I suspect you look down on me."

"You misunderstand." Without looking up, Ye Shubai calmly replied while painting.

"Haha, how could that be…"

Shen Xinghai awkwardly smiled, but fortunately, at that moment, the black stone that had been guarding the three unconscious sword cultivators rushed in with A’xiu.

As expected, the black stone loudly announced upon entering, "Immortal Master, those three sea monsters… Oops, I mean, those three Immortal Masters are awake!"

The three senior brothers from The Tenth Peak had depleted their spiritual power entirely. It had already been the third day since Ye Shubai had brought them back to the magic boat. During this time, Ye Shubai had used his own spiritual power to nurture them, ensuring they didn’t suffer any hidden injuries.

Wen Yun stood up and walked outside, then realized something was wrong. She turned around and asked Ye Shubai, "Aren’t you coming with me to take a look?"

Ye Shubai was drawing with one hand holding his sleeve and looked very elegant. He softly said, "You go ahead, I’ll join you later."

Okay, he was completely lost in his painting.

*

Before Wen Yun even entered the room, she heard voices inside—

"Elder Martial Brother, I have no spiritual power left, could you help me pour a cup of tea?"

The speaker was Xu Wanfeng, lying still, and Yue Xingzhou, despite being exhausted, forced himself to stand up and prepare tea for his junior brother.

Before he could reach the tea cup, a delicate hand had already filled three cups with water and was walking towards the bed carrying a tray of tea.

The girl who used to always stay in the woodshed with ash on her face now stood before them, still with the same simple appearance as before. However, her eyes were clear like autumn water, and her aura was ethereal. Even the Second Master Brother, who was used to seeing beautiful ladies, was left stunned, his breath momentarily slowing down.

Xu Wanfeng was surprised when he saw Martial Sister Wen flying on her sword. He was happy and exclaimed, "I was right about you all along!"

Bai Yushan bluntly reminded Xu Wanfeng that he had mistakenly believed they were captured by demon cultivators.

Xu Wanfeng pretended not to hear Bai Yushan’s comment, and continued chatting with Wen Yun. He mentioned that they were worried about her and had planned to go to the Demon Realm to find her, but luckily they met her on the way back.

Xu Wanfeng and Wen Yun were close friends on The Tenth Peak, where Xu Wanfeng liked taking care of his younger martial sister. He was now expressing his concern for her.

Bai Yushan watched Wen Yun silently as Xu Wanfeng complimented her. After Xu Wanfeng praised Wen Yun for the third time, Bai Yushan couldn’t hold back and handed her a space bag.

"Bai Yushan explained that he had brought all the wood Wen Yun liked from The Tenth Peak, as he knew how precious it was to her. All the wood was cut and stored in the space bag."

Bai Yushan remembered how Wen Yun used to look sad when burning the ordinary wood outside. So, he decided to bring all the extraordinary wood from The Tenth Peak to ensure she had the best firewood.

Wen Yun was surprised to receive the space bag filled with fire hemlock. She realized that Third Martial Brother remembered how much she cherished this wood.

Third Martial Brother remembered how much she loved the wood during her time on the peak.

Xu Wanfeng felt upset when he was interrupted while caring for his younger martial sister, then quickly asked, "I heard that your Golden Core was dug out, can it still be used?"

As soon as he said this, all three people looked at each other with concern.

The news of Wen Yun retrieving the Golden Core had spread widely across the Four Continents. Anyone who had been to the Swordsmanship Contest had witnessed the shocking scene. The achievement of Xie Mian reclaiming the Golden Core on the Sword-fighting Platform had also spread far and wide due to his reputation as a young genius.

It turns out the true genius is Wen Yun from the Qingliu Sword Sect, who formed her Golden Core at the age of fifteen!

The once renowned Xie Mian turned out to be just a thief, behaving like a demon cultivator!

The heroic appearance of the girl on the Sword-fighting Platform had been talked about like a legend. Some said she was a once-in-a-millennium genius, while others speculated that she had gone into seclusion after retrieving the Golden Core. Her story was widely discussed.

After Jiang Si from the Jiang family admitted, "I am not as good as Wen Yun," her reputation soared infinitely.

While others only listened to Wen Yun’s story as a legend, those close to Wen Yun felt heartbroken hearing about her experiences.

Yue Xingzhou gently said, "You have been robbed of your core energy before, it is likely that you have hidden injuries. I still have some spiritual spring water that my master gave me in the past. Remember to drink it later, it will greatly benefit your injuries."

Speaking, he carefully took out a small jade bottle and handed it to Wen Yun.

Wen Yun felt tight in her throat and her eyes grew hot from their actions. She remembered how she had been cautious around them when she first entered the sect. Feeling ashamed, she confessed, "Senior Brother, earlier I lied about my Golden Core being stolen by a demon cultivator because I was afraid you would find out the truth. I’m sorry."

Xu Wanfeng casually waved his hand and said, "It’s no big deal. When we first met, I wouldn’t have dared to reveal such a big secret either."

Elder Martial Brother Yue Xingzhou, upon seeing this, bowed slightly to Wen Yun with a apologetic look on his face. He said, "I didn’t know Martial Sister Wen was carrying such deep grudges. As a senior brother, I failed to stand up for you, younger martial sister. It’s our fault."

Wen Yun quickly helped him up, but when Yue Xingzhou’s hand touched hers, his expression suddenly became puzzled as he stared at her as if seeing a ghost.

"Martial Sister Wen, have you formed your Nascent Soul?"

"Pff… *cough* *cough*." Xu Wanfeng choked on his tea and quickly reached out to touch Wen Yun’s wrist, sensing a much stronger cultivation power than before.

The three of them looked at Wen Yun in confusion, unable to speak for a while.

They were considered young geniuses, which was why they were qualified to be disciples of Ye Shubai. Before Ye Shubai’s accident, they were the top talents in the Qingliu Sword Sect. The younger martial sister and brothers all admired them.

But compared to Wen Yun, a sense of humility arises, making the three unable to lift their heads.

"Forming a Nascent Soul at the age of fifteen, is this person real?" Xu Wanfeng looked at Wen Yun, with a soulful question.

Wen Yun hurriedly corrected, "I will be sixteen next month."

"…"

In the cultivation world where age is usually counted in centuries, please don’t mention this one-year age gap, okay?

Bai Yushan held back for a while, with a hint of infinite envy in his voice, "Truly worthy of being the disciple chosen in Master’s dream, indeed stronger than us."

Xu Wanfeng also sighed, "No wonder Master personally protects you, not caring about the three of us. I used to think he was looking after you because you were young."

It was only then that the three belatedly remembered a very important matter.

"Martial Sister Wen, didn’t you say that Master was with you? Where is he?"

Wen Yun quickly noticed the figure that just walked past, and discreetly pointed, saying "over there."

A man dressed in simple white clothes had quietly entered the room, his expression as cold and distant as ever. Just standing there made people feel as if they were facing a sharp, icy sword, filling their hearts with endless fear.

He silently watched the three people without speaking.

Despite the passing of centuries, he suddenly brought them back to their childhood memories.

All three of them were orphans brought back to the Qingliu Sword Sect by Ye Shubai. When they first entered the sect as children, they were quite afraid of Ye Shubai’s cold and strict demeanor. Whenever they practiced swordsmanship, just his silent presence on the side made them work diligently, fearing the same fate as other disciples who couldn’t meet their master’s expectations.

However, their master had never actually punished them.

When they repeatedly made mistakes in their sword techniques, their master would coldly point out the errors and demonstrate again and again. Upon reflection, they realized that their seemingly strict master had never scolded them.

At this moment, his standing there made everything seem so familiar!

Their master had truly returned from his seclusion, he had indeed not perished!

Yue Xingzhou stared blankly at the familiar face. The smile on his face gradually faded, and he solemnly knelt down on the ground, bowing deeply.

"Unworthy disciple Yue Xingzhou pays respects to Master!"

Behind him, Xu Wanfeng and Bai Yushan also knelt down heavily, trembling as they lay on the ground.

"Master!"

Tears glistened in the eyes of the three, looking up at Ye Shubai, almost unable to contain themselves.

Just then, Xu Wanfeng noticed Wen Yun standing beside him. Worried, he quickly pulled at her dress and urged, "Martial Sister Wen, how can you not kneel before Master!"

Their master was the top figure in the cultivation world, a towering presence. Even the heads of those prestigious sects should kowtow, let alone them as disciples.

Although the younger martial sister had outstanding talent and was highly favored by the master, if she displeased him and was expelled from the sect, it would not end well!

Wen Yun remained silent, casting a complicated look towards Ye Shubai.

Although she wanted to save face for him, she hesitated since the master had to kneel before the sword spirit, risking being considered disloyal and punished on the spot.

"It’s a long story, but my relationship with him is not what you think…"

I am the master of your master, so according to hierarchy, you should also address me as master.

Before Wen Yun could explain, Ye Shubai looked at his three male disciples on the ground and calmly said, "Get up, as a sword cultivator, do not easily kneel down before the spiritual jade again."

The master remained aloof as usual, evoking familiar feelings that stirred the heart!

His gaze swept over the three weak figures, realizing they were only experiencing the aftermath of depleted spiritual power. He asked softly, "How dare you venture across the outer sea?"

Hearing this, the eldest disciple, Yue Xingzhou, respectfully approached and trembled as he said, "Master, I heard that you and the younger martial sister were trapped in the Demon Realm. How could I sit idly by!"

Thus, Wen Yun listened to a thrilling adventure story filled with the distinctive aura of a sword cultivator.

Ye Shubai’s three disciples were fearless and inexperienced in flying over the outer sea. Overconfident, they thought of taking turns using sword techniques to conserve spiritual power and forcefully cross the outer sea.

The plan was actually doable, since all three of them were at the Soul Changing Stage, so theoretically they should be able to manage it.

However, even though they were all crossing the sea, their luck was not as good as Shen Xinghai’s. Others at the Golden Core Stage could make it to shore on their own, but these three strong Soul Changing Stage experts got lost at sea, wasting a lot of spiritual power. If it wasn’t for Wen Yun and Ye Shubai arriving in time, their rescue mission would have failed halfway.

Or in other words, it was actually normal for the three of them to get lost at sea, and Shen Xinghai was the unexpected one.

The three of them were almost in tears as they spoke. Yue Xingzhou was excited and said, "It must be that our teacher found us and came to rescue us on purpose. You went through all this trouble for us, we feel ashamed!"

Wen Yun subtly looked at Ye Shubai. If she remembered correctly, he didn’t seem to recognize their voices back then, did he?

Ye Shubai pretended not to see Wen Yun’s look, and calmly gestured for the three of them to rest well. Then he motioned for Wen Yun to come closer, saying, "Wen Yun, come here."

When Ye Shubai called for Wen Yun, Yue Xingzhou thought he was upset with her disrespectful attitude, so he quickly spoke up to plead on her behalf, "Teacher! Martial Sister Wen is just over ten years old, she is still young and ignorant. Please don’t blame her!"

Xu Wanfeng also hurriedly spoke up, "Teacher, you have always been kind, please forgive Martial Sister Wen this time!"

Before Bai Yushan could say "Teacher," Wen Yun had already walked to Ye Shubai’s side, standing calmly beside him.

Ye Shubai looked down at her and softly asked, "Shen Xinghai caught some fish at sea, do you want to eat them?"

Hearing the news, Wen Yun immediately forgot about the awkwardness and exclaimed, "There are still fish at sea? I want them grilled, slightly spicy."

He nodded, walking her outside and replied casually, "Sure, I’ll grill them for you in a bit."

The three people in the room looked at each other.

Stepping out of the house, Ye Shubai could still faintly hear the voices inside, "Master is really kind and gentle, very indulgent towards Martial Sister Wen."

"Indeed, Master is…"

…

He paused his steps.

Wen Yun also heard the voices inside, suppressing a smile, she looked at Ye Shubai and teasingly mimicked, "Master, you old man…"

"Wen Yun," Ye Shubai interrupted her with a serious look and said, "You don’t need to call me master, we can just be like usual."

Although he sometimes jokes about being a master, he doesn’t want Wen Yun to pretend to be his apprentice in front of others. She should just be herself, shining brightly.

After a moment of silence, he said solemnly, "I reached the Golden Core stage at fifteen, Nascent Soul at thirty, Soul Changing Stage at a hundred, Transmigration Realm at two hundred, then I entered a deep sleep for five hundred years. By this count, I am only two hundred years old."

Cultivators only care about one’s cultivation level, they don’t care about age. Ye Shubai has never cared about such things. Why is he acting so strange today?

Even though it was a trivial matter, Ye Shubai’s serious tone made Wen Yun unable to maintain her smile. She looked at him slightly nervously.

He looked down at her, his deep black eyes serene and beautiful, reflecting her face clearly like a deep pool of water.

"If we calculate further, I had my body remade by the Phoenix tree twenty years ago, so our ages are not too far apart and I’m not that old."

Wen Yun’s breath hitched slightly, not understanding why he suddenly said that.

However, Ye Shubai had already turned and continued walking ahead.

He calmly said, "Let’s go, I’ll roast some fish for you."