Chapter 26

Many years ago, there was a rumor in the cultivation world: that Master Xuan Yuzi, along with his three disciples, were not ordinary people.

This rumor was well-known among most people in the cultivation world, but no one knew the true identities of Xuan Yuzi and his disciples. There were many speculations, but no one could provide an accurate answer. In the end, the matter was left unresolved, with only vague chatter remaining.

Zhu Xiu, however, was the Dao companion of the Grand Elder of the Wuchang Sect, and a long-time close friend of Xuan Yuzi. Naturally, she knew the truth behind these secrets.

Ordinary people wouldn’t notice anything unusual, but due to the connection between beings of the same kind, she could sense it clearly — the rumor was true.

However, as a Shishu, she wouldn’t actively inquire about the true identities of her disciples. That was simply basic courtesy.

In her impression, Junior Disciple Yu Li was always cold and distant, emotionless. She had thought he might be a fierce beast like a silver wolf, but she hadn’t expected him to be a… cat.

Moreover, he had become Junior Disciple Yu Tao’s spiritual pet, quietly standing on the young girl’s shoulder, obedient and docile.

What a contrast.

Zhu Xiu felt she shouldn’t dwell on it, but she couldn’t help herself from thinking more about it.

So strange… ‘I need to take another look.’

Yu Tao noticed Zhu Xiu’s gaze shifting back and forth between her and the cat and asked in confusion, “Shishu Zhu, is something wrong?”

Zhu Xiu remained silent for a moment.

Forget it, perhaps it was just a little youthful whim between the juniors. There was nothing she needed to ask further.

Zhu Xiu lightly cleared her throat. “It’s nothing. By the way, Junior Disciple Yu, have you decided what to say?”

Hearing her change the topic, the black cat, which had slightly clenched its claws, relaxed them.

As one of the same kind, Zhu Xiu was the only one in the sect who could immediately recognize him. When she first heard that Yu Tao was coming to see Zhu Xiu, he had hesitated, wondering if he should leave.

Fortunately, Zhu Xiu was still the same as before and never asked questions like these.

Yu Tao hesitated. “I do have a few ideas, but I’m not sure if they will work.”

These past few days, Yu Tao had been thinking a lot at home.

She usually wasn’t good at talking to people, so how could she persuade the rebellious Wen Ming to come back home?

After thinking for a long time without any answers, she decided to seek help once again, asking Zhu Mingyu, Hua Lian, and Lu Qingyu this question.

【How can I convince a rebellious child who has run away from home to come back?】

The first guest, Zhu Mingyu, answered as follows:

【This is something I’m familiar with. My family is large, with many uncles and aunts. It’s common for children to have tantrums, argue, and run away from home. In those cases, they’ll drag the child back and give them a good lesson, and then they won’t dare run away again.】

【If a mischievous child isn’t listening, a good beating usually solves the problem.】

Yu Tao raised her head. “Shishu Zhu, what is Master Wen Ming’s current cultivation level?”

Zhu Xiu sighed. “He’s been lazy these past few years and refuses to cultivate. He’s still at the second level of the Nascent Soul stage.”

Yu Tao: “…”

Yu Tao suddenly felt that communication should be more harmonious and kind.

Next.

The second guest, Hua Lian, gave a much gentler approach. When asked this question, it was right after he had just finished testing the dishes for Yu Tao.

After thinking for a moment, he took out a pill and gave it to her. “Simple. This pill will make the person who takes it more obedient and sensible.”

“Hmm, consider it a payment for Junior Sister’s meal~”

It was a medicinal solution, and Yu Tao thought it was reliable, though she had forgotten to ask the name of the pill at that moment. She took out her liuli mirror and asked him directly.

He quickly replied: 【Puppet Pill.】

Yu Tao: ?

Yu Tao silently put the pill away and locked it up.

She was only trying to persuade someone to return home, not to set up residence in the Heavenly Alliance’s prison.

Compared to this, the third guest, Lu Qingyu’s idea was actually the most reasonable of the three.

After a brief pause, she spoke:

【In my family, there’s a junior with great potential, but they really dislike swordsmanship and often throw tantrums, refusing to cultivate. No matter how the clan members tried to persuade them, it was useless.】

【One day, the clan members threw this junior into the Trial Valley, full of demon beasts, and left them there for half a year. When they came back, they no longer hated swords. In fact, they considered the sword their truest companion.】

【The person you’re talking about probably has a reason for running away from home. Just persuading them won’t work. You need to find the root of the problem and resolve the contradiction, and then there won’t be any issues.】

【If they don’t want to come back, then make them realize how dangerous the outside world is. Only home is truly safe. That’s the simplest and quickest solution.】

After thinking it through, this idea seemed the most reasonable, but there would certainly be many obstacles in implementing it. After all, Wen Ming was at the foot of the Wuchang Sect’s mountain—how could there be any real danger?

Yu Tao then shared the methods suggested by Zhu Mingyu and Lu Qingyu with Zhu Xiu.

To her surprise, after hearing this, Zhu Xiu’s lips twitched slightly, and her expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

“Disciple Yu… what you’ve mentioned, we’ve already tried.”

Yu Tao: “…Huh?”

“The problem is that this kid is as stubborn as a mule. We tried forcefully bringing him back, but he would rather get injured and bleed than take a single step away.”

Yu Tao: …Sigh.

So, he’s in the late rebellious phase.

The black cat on her shoulder lowered its eyelids slightly, seemingly deep in thought.

Zhu Xiu sighed again. “So, Disciple Yu, you don’t need to do all that. Just have a chat with him, say a few words.”

“He’s probably fishing at Lingning Lake right now, so you’ll be able to find him there.”

Following her advice, Yu Tao went to Lingning Lake. Catching the Five Spirit Fish required at least Nascent Soul-level spiritual power to use as bait, so there were few people around, just a handful here and there.

She found him under a large tree by the lakeside. From a distance, he was leaning against the tree, seemingly resting.

Yu Tao took a few deep breaths, mentally preparing herself, and walked over. However, when she got closer, she realized that the young man wasn’t sleeping. He was simply leaning back, holding a small wooden object in his hand, looking at it with a focused expression.

Noticing the shadow in front of him, he paused and slowly lifted his eyelids, glancing up at her. He suddenly stopped.

“Miss? What are you doing here?”

Before coming here, Zhu Xiu had specifically told her not to reveal her purpose. Otherwise, Wen Ming might become wary and not want to talk to her.

Yu Tao reminded herself of this in her heart, rubbed her nose, and awkwardly smiled. Her gaze shifted around nervously. “Well, the weather is nice today, so I just came out for a walk, and… I happened to see you, Boss… um!”

She nervously bit her tongue, wincing from the pain but still stubbornly finishing her sentence: “What a coincidence, I was just coming over to greet you.”

The black cat silently turned its head away: “…”

How foolish.

Such an awkward coincidence made Wen Ming fall silent. He stared at her for a while, then seemed to figure it out. Suddenly, he asked, “Did my master’s wife send you here?”

Yu Tao’s eyes widened.

She had just greeted him, how did he guess that?!

She was shocked. “Classmate Wen, have you learned to tell fortunes?”

Wen Ming: “…”

Any normal person could tell something was off, right? Moreover, there was no need for fortune telling! Her thoughts were written all over her face!

Wen Ming put the object he was holding back into his pocket and rubbed his brow. “Did my master’s wife send you here to persuade me to return to the sect?”

Without much thought, he knew it must be because of his special attitude towards her the other day, which made Zhu Xiu think she could persuade him to return to the sect, so she asked her to come.

Yu Tao was silent for a moment, then cautiously asked, “If I say no, would you believe me?”

Wen Ming: “…What do you think?”

Alright. The mission ended before it even began.

Yu Tao covered her face. She felt so guilty, especially after all of Zhu Xiu’s earnest advice.

Wen Ming propped up one leg and closed his eyes. “Miss, you don’t need to waste your breath trying to persuade me. I won’t go back. You should just go.”

Yu Tao weakly said “Oh,” but didn’t move from her spot.

One minute. Two minutes.

Ten minutes passed.

The wind by the lake stopped, but her heart only became more restless.

Wen Ming couldn’t help but open his eyes. “So why are you still standing there?”

They had already talked things through.

Yu Tao gently pressed her lips together, her voice soft. “I want to know, why did you leave the sect?”

Wen Ming looked up and met her gaze. The girl’s expression was serious, her clear and clean eyes staring directly at him.

“…” He suddenly turned his gaze away. “It’s nothing. I just didn’t want to stay there. It was suffocating, uncomfortable.”

Yu Tao thoughtfully said, “Is it because you feel like the sect has too many restrictions? But those rules are actually meant to help you learn how to navigate the world. They’re very useful. Once you go out on your own, you’ll see the benefits.”

“If you feel suffocated, you can always leave the mountain and go out to see the world. There’s no need to leave the sect, right?”

Yu Tao squatted down, resting her arms on her knees, her voice calm and unhurried. “Classmate Wen, if you keep going like this, the people around you will worry about you. They want you to practice because they care about you. They may have used the wrong approach, but their intentions aren’t bad. They just want you to improve and walk the right path.”

“Moreover, they have made concessions. If you don’t want to learn swordsmanship, they’ve allowed you to learn spells instead. They didn’t force you to study swordsmanship. If you don’t want to cultivate, they stop pressuring you, only asking you to stay in the sect, simply because they’re worried that if you leave, you’ll be bullied.”

Yu Tao softly said, “Classmate Wen, think about it from their perspective. If your family suddenly acted like this, refusing to listen to anything you said and even planning to run away from home, wouldn’t you be worried about them?”

Wen Ming couldn’t escape the brightness of her eyes and instinctively looked away. His thoughts became a mess, and he awkwardly raised his voice, “Not everyone’s family is like yours. Someone like you, who has obviously been pampered by your family, wouldn’t understand the difficulties of other people’s relationships.”

“Don’t advise others unless you’ve walked in their shoes. Please don’t speak like that to others.”

The black cat immediately narrowed its eyes, its light golden gaze sharp.

Yu Tao was silent for a moment, then lowered her eyelashes and spoke hesitantly, “I’m sorry. I truly didn’t understand your perspective. If you don’t mind, Classmate Wen, you can tell me about it…”

“No need.” Wen Ming closed his eyes coldly. “Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”

Yu Tao lowered her eyebrows and responded softly, “Hmm.”

“Well then, Classmate Wen, I’ll leave now.”

The young man closed his eyes and didn’t say a word.

Yu Tao walked back to Wuchang Street in a daze. At the jewelry stall, Zhu Xiu was holding a wooden carving in one hand, carefully sculpting with a file, occasionally glancing up at the street. It was clear her mind wasn’t calm.

When she saw Yu Tao return, she hurriedly put down the carving, her gaze hopeful. “How did it go?”

Yu Tao felt a pang of guilt, opened her mouth, lowered her head, and said despondently, “Sorry, Shishu Zhu, I wasn’t able to persuade him.”

Zhu Xiu hadn’t held out much hope to begin with, but the sudden special treatment had made her a little hopeful.

She quickly noticed that the girl seemed down, sensing she had likely been wronged by Wen Ming. Zhu Xiu immediately comforted her, “It’s alright, Junior Disciple Yu. That brat’s temper isn’t something that changed overnight. Did he scold you? When he gets back, I’ll give him a good beating. How could he speak to a young lady like that?”

Yu Tao shook her head. “It’s not like that.”

“Come on, Disciple Yu, I’ve prepared the materials for the cat collar. You can go home and make it into the design you like.”

Yu Tao looked up and reached out to decline. “Shishu Zhu, I haven’t even finished your request yet.”

Zhu Xiu rubbed her head, her attitude firm as she pressed the materials into her hands. “I’m old friends with your master. You’re his new disciple, and I haven’t had the chance to give you a proper greeting. Take it.”

Yu Tao couldn’t refuse and reluctantly accepted, thinking about how she could persuade Wen Ming again before the Grand Elder’s birthday in a few days.

She saw a few wooden carvings on the stall, along with carving tools, and asked, “Shishu Zhu Xiu, what are you making?”

Zhu Xiu smiled. “Well, your Shishu likes wooden carvings, so I’m making a few to give him. He’s really clumsy with his hands, though, and even though he likes carving, he’s never succeeded. He’s bad at it but keeps trying.”

Yu Tao nodded, looking at the carvings with a slight frown, deep in thought.

It was only then that Zhu Xiu noticed the black cat was missing from the girl’s shoulder. She casually asked, “Hey, by the way, where’s your spiritual pet cat?”

Yu Tao was startled, turning her head to look. The cat, which had been sitting on her shoulder, had suddenly disappeared without her noticing.

…Huh?

A gentle breeze brushed against her face, rustling the treetops and causing a few leaves to fall.

After Yu Tao left Lingning Lake, Wen Ming suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze somewhat hesitant.

Had he been too harsh with his words earlier?

She had only meant well.

Unable to relax, Wen Ming got up, his mind preoccupied with the hurt look in the girl’s eyes. He decided to go to the lakeside and use his spell to catch fish.

After using his spiritual energy as bait to attract a large group of fish, Wen Ming was about to cast his spell to catch them when a gust of wind blew past. He lost his balance and fell into the lake.

“Ah?!”

His spiritual energy felt like it had been drained away, leaving him completely empty. But his body still emitted spiritual energy, causing the Five Spirits Fish to surround him immediately, fiercely biting and bumping into him.

What’s going on…

“Ugh… Glub…” Though his body was at the Nascent Soul stage and wouldn’t drown, Wen Ming, who couldn’t swim, choked on several mouthfuls of water from the Five Spirits Fish.

The fish were also tugging at his hair and biting him, with tufts of hair and scraps of his clothes floating in the middle of the lake.

After a long while, someone who had come to fish noticed him and quickly pulled him out of the water.

The once fine young man was now covered in bruises, with his hair in patches, looking like it had been gnawed by a dog. The Five Spirits Fish hadn’t been able to bite through his flesh, but his clothes and hair were not spared.

The fish still didn’t want to let him go, bringing a fish from his hair that was still alive, thrashing its tail.

As soon as Wen Ming was back on shore, his spiritual energy returned. He checked himself and found nothing wrong. But why had his spiritual energy been depleted the moment he fell into the lake?

He lay there, awkwardly coughing up water, while trying to make sense of this strange event.

Damn… Could it be some supernatural incident?

Yu Tao, having lost the cat, hurriedly returned to the path to search for it. She felt deeply guilty. Her mind had been preoccupied with other things, and she hadn’t noticed when the cat had gotten off her shoulder.

Had it fallen because she was walking too fast, or had the cat been distracted by something and jumped down, only realizing it had wandered off when she was already too far ahead?

It was just a cat, one that had never been down the mountain before, so it was normal for it to be curious about the new things on the street. Why hadn’t she thought of that?

In any case, she searched frantically, and suddenly, at a corner, she saw that small black figure. She sighed in relief.

The black cat met her anxious gaze and hesitated for a moment, slightly avoiding her eyes.

It must have gotten lost suddenly, so she was probably angry at it.

Yu Tao crouched down, pulling the cat into her arms, resting her head on its neck. Her voice was low, apologizing, “I’m sorry, cat. I didn’t notice when you jumped down.”

She reassured it repeatedly, “It won’t happen again. I won’t let you get lost again.”

‘Silly, always blaming herself.’

The cat’s ears twitched lightly, warmth rising inside it, a bit of a blush appearing in its golden eyes.

The shallow golden cat pupils focused on the soft white skin of her neck. The girl had been running for a long time, and she was still panting.

The black cat lowered its eyelids, hiding the emotions in its gaze. This time, it didn’t resist or try to break free from her embrace.

Hmm, just this once.