Chapter 6 I volunteered to stay

The next morning.

The first rays of sunlight shone through the flower-patterned window, and a head emerged from the large crimson quilt.

Strands of hair lay scattered across the chest in disarray, and there were kiss marks everywhere on the body from bites and suckling.

Last night, Chu Xuyun almost thought Yu Xiao was going to devour him alive. Several times he tried to escape from the bed, only to be grabbed by the ankle and pulled back under Yu Xiao’s body.

His eyes were so tired he could barely keep them open. He could only faintly see Yu Xiao’s turbulent eyes in the moonlight. Leaning down, he pinched Yu Xiao’s face, his voice low, “Will you remember me now, Immortal Lord?”

Chu Xuyun was so dizzy from the encounter that he couldn’t even begin to decipher what Yu Xiao’s words meant.

Receiving no response, Yu Xiao merely chuckled softly, gripping his waist tighter. “If the heart won’t remember, the body surely will.”

It was truly terrifying… But Chu Xuyun didn’t dislike this side of Yu Xiao; in fact, he quite liked it.

He liked how tightly Yu Xiao held him, and he liked how Yu Xiao was always affectionate. No matter what Yu Xiao did, just seeing that face made Chu Xuyun quickly forgive him.

Yu Xiao’s scent permeated the soft quilt. Chu Xuyun brought his thoughts back, gently sniffing the smell of Yu Xiao on the blanket, as if Yu Xiao were still beside him.

Strange, why wasn’t Yu Xiao around every early morning?

Meanwhile, in a secluded hall of the Demon Palace, Yu Xiao skillfully dissected a crucian carp on the chopping board.

Chu Xuyun should like crucian carp soup for breakfast. How was this soup made again?

“Lord, shall I do it?” Chi Yan asked timidly.

Yu Xiao glanced at him coldly. “Get lost.”

Everything concerning Chu Xuyun, he insisted on doing himself. This way, even if Chu Xuyun were to forget him again in the future, perhaps eating his cooking would jog his memory.

On the other side, Chu Xuyun, unaware of Yu Xiao’s activities, rolled over boredly and planned to continue sleeping.

Yu Xiao had kept him up very late last night, and he was still feeling exhausted in the morning.

“Master.”

Oh no, he was starting to hallucinate his disciple’s voice.

“Master, it’s me. Wake up!”

Chu Xuyun abruptly opened his eyes and looked back. A furtive figure had climbed in through the window, grinning foolishly at Chu Xuyun with a wide, toothy smile.

It really was his disciple!

Was he so tired he was hallucinating? How could he see Li Yanhe here at the Demon Palace?

Chu Xuyun had countless disciples under him, but Li Yanhe was the most talented, a rare genius in cultivation seen once in a generation after Chu Xuyun.

But to Chu Xuyun, this child was good in every way, except…

He talked too much.

“I heard Master was captured by that idiot Yu Xiao, so I came to rescue you as soon as possible. The master must be curious how I got in.” Li Yanhe eagerly waved a mask in front of Chu Xuyun. “You taught me alchemy before, and last night I made this. It not only conceals one’s presence but also disguises as a demon cultivator. I plan to call it the Devil’s Mask of Heavenly Shape. I’m sure it’ll fetch a good price at the alchemy shop in the future…”

Chu Xuyun yawned, ignoring his disciple’s self-praise and pointless chatter, looking out towards the door.

Where had Yu Xiao gone today? Did the Demon Lord have so many things to attend to every day?

“Then I followed those demon cultivators and quietly sneaked into the Demon Domain disguised as one of the Demon Lord’s subordinates. Who says the entrance to the Demon Domain is hard to find? They just lack the genius of this disciple…”

Why wasn’t he done yet? He was really tired.

Chu Xuyun could hardly keep his eyes open and simply lay back leisurely on the soft couch, burying himself in comfortable, soft quilts.

Seeing him lie down, Li Yanhe finally remembered his purpose for coming here and urgently pulled back Chu Xuyun’s quilt. “Master, what are you doing? We don’t have much time left. We need to escape quickly.”

Saying this, he pulled out another mask from his chest and handed it to Chu Xuyun, eagerly saying, “Master, put this on quickly. I specially made this mask handsome and charming, as well as dashing and charming. I can’t bear to use it myself.”

Chu Xuyun examined the mask for a while. Indeed, it was finely crafted by Li Yanhe.

But…

He didn’t want to go back.

Chu Xuyun hesitated for a moment, then returned the mask to Li Yanhe’s hand and took off a storage ring from his finger, taking out a long sword from Li Yanhe’s hand with his incredible eyesight.

“Master, you have a sword!” Li Yanhe almost shouted.

Why didn’t he use the sword? He thought that his teacher had no iron and was tortured in the Demon Domain.

Even if he lost his aura, Chu Xuyun was very strong. It shouldn’t be difficult to escape from the Demon Palace, right?

He looked down at the sword in his hand, which was Chu Xuyun’s own sword, one of the three immortal swords in the cultivation world, Thousand Tribulations.

This sword was a full-fledged killing sword, and it killed more creatures than Li Yanhe had eaten in his lifetime.

“Thousand Tribulations…” Li Yanhe looked at Chu Xuyun in astonishment, extremely puzzled. “Master, since you have a Thousand Tribulations, why do you want to stay in the Demon Palace?”

Chu Xuyun pondered for a moment, spreading out his palm.

Li Yanhe was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood what he meant. He took out a stone pen from his chest and handed it to Chu Xuyun.

He knew that Chu Xuyun practiced the Silent Path, so he always carried a stone pen with him in case Chu Xuyun needed it.

Sure enough, Chu Xuyun took the stone pen and got up from the soft couch, slowly writing on the wooden table.

Li Yanhe anxiously held a Thousand Tribulations and stood next to Chu Xuyun, holding his breath.

After a moment, Chu Xuyun put down his pen.

Li Yanhe quickly looked over, only to see a line written on it.

“I’m not leaving. You go.”

Li Yanhe: ?

“Master, why is this!” Li Yanhe couldn’t understand why Chu Xuyun insisted on staying in the Demon Palace, feeling as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.

Could it be that Master had been so unbearable by Yu Xiao that he harbored a heart of death? But with Master’s character, he would never be so weak.

What exactly is the reason?

Chu Xuyun remained calm and didn’t explain.

“No, you have to come with me.” Li Yanhe’s eyes were red, tears on the brink. “If you don’t go, I won’t go either.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Xuyun became a little anxious.

He couldn’t stay. If Yu Xiao came back and saw this, he would definitely capture Li Yanhe and might even kill him.

He had even given his foolish disciple a sword for protection, so why wouldn’t he leave?

After a moment’s pause, Chu Xuyun picked up a stone pen and wrote a line on the table.

—I voluntarily stay.

Now it should be clear.

Chu Xuyun breathed out, his gaze on Li Yanhe who stood blankly opposite, pointing at the Thousand Calamities sword in his arms.

Following his gaze, Li Yanhe looked at the sword in his arms and suddenly understood everything.

His master must want to perish together with Yu Xiao, hence saying he voluntarily stayed!

Indeed, now that Yu Xiao could defeat his master, he had become the greatest menace in the cultivation world. Besides Chu Xuyun, who else could restrain the current Yu Xiao?

Chu Xuyun could leave, but if he did, Yu Xiao would surely cause havoc upon the world.

His master… voluntarily stayed for the sake of countless lives in the world!

Tears streamed down Li Yanhe’s face, and he gradually tightened his grip on the sword in his arms. “Master, I understand.”

Chu Xuyun looked at him with relief.

“Disciple will return to cultivate diligently. You must live well. When the time comes for me to achieve success, I will use this Thousand Calamities sword to break into the Demon Palace and eliminate Yu Xiao to save you!”

Chu Xuyun: …?

What was he saying?

Li Yanhe wiped away his tears and whispered, “Four years ago, when Master drove him away, I had thought this day would come, but I didn’t expect it to come so soon. Master, you should have listened to the Sect Master back then and not let him stay.”

At these words, Chu Xuyun fell silent abruptly.

Seeing his lack of reaction, Li Yanhe realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly said, “Disciple spoke out of turn. I hope Master will forgive me.”

What happened four years ago?

Chu Xuyun frowned slightly. Was there something significant that happened four years ago? It seemed there was a deeply memorable incident.

He remembered four years ago when the Sect Master had summoned him alone to the hall and handed him a painting.

It was his portrait, beautifully done and lifelike as if someone had traced him onto the paper.

Then he heard the Sect Master say with a heavy expression, “Take a look for yourself. This is a masterpiece from your disciple. Guess who painted it?”

Chu Xuyun was absorbed in admiring the depiction of himself in the painting and didn’t answer the Sect Master. As a result, the Sect Master became even more furious, snatching the portrait and throwing it on the ground. “You still want to look? He holds your portrait day and night, sleeping with it, and you still have the heart to admire it?”

The Sect Master was the person who understood him the most in the world.

Chu Xuyun felt a bit embarrassed and lowered his eyes to pick up the portrait from the ground, carefully dusting off the dirt.

Seeing him like this, the Sect Master was almost speechless with anger. “Chu Xuyun, you’ll drive me to death sooner or later. I’ll give you three days. You must drive him away.”

Chu Xuyun didn’t know why the Sect Master was angry and looked at him with some grievances.

But the Sect Master suddenly understood his gaze, coldly sneering, “Don’t know why you’re being scolded, huh? With your brain, who do you follow? He’s just about to declare his feelings to you, and he’s only sixteen. You’re really corrupting the youth!”

Chu Xuyun was stunned for a moment, finally understanding. So the person who painted his portrait had feelings for him.

At the same time, he also understood why the Sect Master was so angry.

“If you don’t drive him away, tomorrow I’ll go back to my old home and report to my parents, saying that you’ve corrupted your disciple outside and made that disciple fall in love with you.”

Chu Xuyun widened his eyes and instinctively pleaded, “Brother, please don’t.”

It’s over. Now the secret was broken.

Fortunately, no word can be broken once a year, as long as later slow practice can make up for it, too much is over.

“I’ve said it many times, call me Sect Master in the sect for one day.” The Sect Master looked at him hatefully, this stupid younger brother really didn’t make people worry, “Anyway, you can watch yourself, be careful I really tell my parents you do bad things outside.”

No, it can’t be. His parents know that he does bad things to get so angry at him.

Chu Xuyun in the heart crying.

The head took out a storage ring from his arms, threw it to Chu Xuyun, “I’m not an unfeeling person, enough money in it to let that boy live to his age, he’s stubborn, as long as a day in the sect, will never forget you, this is the best way.”

This is the best way.

Chu Xuyun just took the ring, and before leaving he said, “I want to curse, and be careful I really don’t talk to my disciples in the sect.”

Since then…

“Master, are you angry?”

Li Yanhe’s voice suddenly sounded, and Chu Xuyun was interrupted by his thoughts and looked back at him, shaking his head gently.

“Sorry, the disciple shouldn’t have mentioned the events of the year, don’t you feel sad.” Li Yanhe thought Chu Xuyun must be heartache by the events of the year, after all, Chu Xuyun had paid so much effort to Yu Xiao, but now he had suffered such betrayal and torture.

Yu Xiao is really hateful.

Hearing his words, Chu Xuyun shook his head again, he wasn’t sad, at most a little sorry for the portrait that had been taken from him by the Sect Master, and painted so beautifully, did not know it was even kept. Is there any good?

“Disciple is leaving.” Li Yanhe looked outside the door, lowering his voice, “There’s a half-hour guard exchange at the door, and if you don’t leave, you can’t leave.”

Chu Xuyun nodded quickly, wanting to make him leave quickly, but Li Yanhe said, again, “Before leaving, Master…”

Li Yanhe silently wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes and stretched out his hand to Chu Xuyun.

Perhaps this is… the final meeting! Although Shizun is usually cold and terrifying, he is after all his own Master, who has bestowed great kindness upon him. If he doesn’t embrace now, he fears there will be no chance in this lifetime.

Chu Xuyun instantly widened his eyes, about to wave his hand to refuse, but Li Yanhe had already embraced him.

“Master, after I return, I will definitely work hard in my cultivation. Please don’t give up easily, wait for my return…”

Chu Xuyun reached out to push him away, but Li Yanhe held on tighter. Just as he was about to speak out of urgency, he suddenly caught sight of a cold, dark figure.

His struggling paused momentarily. Chu Xuyun swiftly snatched the Thousand Calamities sword from Li Yanhe’s hands, with a terrifying speed that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye, as Yu Xiao’s knife was now in his hands.

Amidst the gleam of blades, Yu Xiao’s eyes were reflected on the cold blade, as icy as the depths of an abyss.

“Immortal Lord, I’ll take half a moment.”

Yu Xiao slowly sheathed his knife, his eyes cold as snow, looking at Li Yanhe beside him. With a kick, he pushed Li Yanhe aside and stood beside Chu Xuyun.

“If we are to reminisce, why not wait for me?”