Zhōng Yǐn Yuè fell into deep thought.

If he remembered correctly, the protagonist hated Zhōng Yǐn Yuè the most when he was at Yù Luán Mountain. When he left Yù Luán Mountain, he practically took off like a rocket, not looking back as he sped away to Qián Yào Mountain. He adored Elder Qián Yào, who was always so demanding and strict, yet had a heart of gold. This was quite evident in the original story, and there were even comments analyzing why Bái Rěn Dōng had such a serious crush on his teacher.

Now, however, he claimed to dislike Gěng Míng Jī.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè suddenly felt that the world had become very surreal.

Why?

After pondering for a moment, he understood.

Because the original character treated him like a servant, while Zhōng Yǐn Yuè, in this new life, was actually teaching him well.

It seemed that Shěn Chàng Xuě had predicted this… Zhōng Yǐn Yuè had only taught him for a few days, and he had already started to dislike Gěng Míng Jī!

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè felt a mix of surprise and joy in his heart; this was simply wonderful!

His emotions surged, but he couldn’t let Bái Rěn Dōng see any change in his demeanor. So, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè made an effort to calm himself down. After thinking for a while, he became uneasy again.

He was anxious because of the plot, completely oblivious to the fact that Bái Rěn Dōng, standing beside him, had lowered his brows, and a strange glint flickered in his eyes.

The sky gradually darkened.

At dusk, the snow in the sky stopped, and Tiān Jué Mountain was unusually clear.

The sunset cast a layer of fiery orange light on the ground.

As dusk fell, the lively atmosphere of the grand ceremony had also quieted down quite a bit.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè stood among the now calmer crowd, with Bái Rěn Dōng by his side.

“Bái Rěn Dōng.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè called out to him.

Bái Rěn Dōng replied, “Disciple is here.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè moved his lips, suddenly unsure of what to say.

He sighed and simply said, “I’m thirsty. Go pour me a cup of tea.”

Bái Rěn Dōng acknowledged and turned to weave through the crowd to find a place to pour tea for him.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè watched him disappear into the crowd and sighed again.

His heart was clouded with unease. Although this was good—if the protagonist hated Qián Yào and didn’t become his disciple, then he wouldn’t be planted with the demonic seed in the future.

But if he wasn’t planted with the demonic seed, did that mean Shěn Chàng Xuě wouldn’t have to go to the secret realm?

If he didn’t go to the secret realm, could he really avoid death?

Moreover, just because the protagonist hated Qián Yào now didn’t mean he would always hate him in the future.

Shěn Chàng Xuě was right; if everything was fate, the protagonist might still end up liking Qián Yào.

Even if he didn’t like Qián Yào and didn’t become his disciple, someone else might still be planted with the demonic seed, forcing Shěn Chàng Xuě to go to the secret realm.

Even if the secret realm was avoided, who knew…

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè couldn’t articulate what “who knew” meant, but he felt a vague unease in his heart, sensing that the matters behind this were much more troublesome.

After a long while, Bái Rěn Dōng returned with a cup of tea. He handed the tea to Zhōng Yǐn Yuè, who softly thanked him and took a sip.

The two stood in place, with Bái Rěn Dōng beside him, watching the bustling crowd.

After a moment of silence, Bái Rěn Dōng quietly asked, “Master, I have something I want to ask.”

“Speak.”

“Why did you want me to come along today?” Bái Rěn Dōng asked. “Today is the Tiān Jué Grand Ceremony. Although all the elders must bring a disciple to serve, why did you replace Senior Brother Wēn?”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè fell silent and took several sips of tea.

His expression didn’t change, which made Bái Rěn Dōng a bit bolder, and he continued, “For such a grand ceremony, it seems a bit… too much for you to bring me along.”

Bái Rěn Dōng hesitated, not finishing his thought.

“Too much?”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè completed the unspoken part of his sentence.

Bái Rěn Dōng choked slightly and nodded.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè probed further, “You have no spiritual root, not even the most basic luck, so you feel embarrassed for me bringing you along?”

Bái Rěn Dōng’s face turned red at the words, and he nodded vigorously.

“What’s embarrassing about it?” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said. “You are also a disciple of Tiān Jué Sect.”

“But still…”

“What’s the ‘still’ about?” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said. “In my eyes, you are no different from Wēn Hán.”

Bái Rěn Dōng was taken aback.

“We are all disciples, all with a heart for cultivation, so there is no difference.” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said. “You don’t need to feel inferior. It’s just a spiritual root; there’s no need to think of yourself as lowly because of it. If someone mocks you for this, then that person hasn’t practiced the Dao well, and having a spiritual root or not makes no difference.”

“We cultivate the Dao, naturally wanting to ascend to immortality. But to become an immortal, one must have compassion for all beings and cannot harbor any prejudice. An immortal must first pity the world.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè caressed the teacup in his hand and said, “If one looks down on my student for lacking spiritual roots, then what have they truly cultivated in their pursuit of immortality?”

Bái Rěn Dōng blinked, looking somewhat confused.

“So, you don’t need to belittle yourself.” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè said. “You don’t need to think you’ve embarrassed me; I am the face of Yù Luán Palace. When we are out, it’s not that you are my support, but rather that I am your support.”

Bái Rěn Dōng looked like he was about to cry, his eyes glistening with tears.

“Master!” His voice trembled, “Master, you truly are the best!”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè, feeling a bit guilty, raised his teacup to drink, remaining silent.

He really could act.

As night fell, red lanterns lit up at the grand ceremony.

Elder Huáng Yú smiled kindly as he called the disciples to gather and guess the riddles.

A lively group formed, and the disciples of Guǎng Hán Palace set up two large pots nearby—one for making medicinal soup and the other for cooking sweet rice balls.

Elder Líng Zé used magic to draw a flowing river of light from the sky above Xiān Shān.

The disciples released river lanterns, and countless lights floated on the water, each representing a heartfelt wish.

The elders returned to their high seats.

Watching the river of lanterns drift towards the sky, bright and bustling, the disciples below chattered excitedly. The head of Xiān Shān was very pleased. He stroked his white beard and, unusually, smiled, praising Zhōng Yǐn Yuè several times.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè responded with a smile.

Beside him, Qián Yào listened to the praises for a while, and his expression gradually turned sour.

Finally, he blurted out, “Such matters should be handled by Junior Brother Yù Luán. After all, Junior Brother comes from a family of small merchants, so naturally, he understands these things best.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè’s smile suddenly stiffened.

The original story didn’t mention the protagonist’s background, but the memories of the original character contained this detail.

Before cultivating, the original character was the son of a wealthy merchant in Jiangnan.

He was supposed to inherit the family business and do business in Jiangnan. However, fate had other plans; his family fell into decline, leading him and his mother to be reduced to servitude and sold to work as a servant in someone else’s home.

After many twists and turns and enduring much hardship, he finally came here to cultivate.

Now, Qián Yào’s comment about his family being small merchants was just picking at the scar of his past as a slave.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè chuckled lightly, completely unfazed. He set down his teacup and said, “Senior Brother, you must have a poor memory. Yù Luán has long fallen from grace; when I came up the mountain, I was already a servant. The incident happened suddenly, and I hadn’t been freed from servitude. If I were to go down the mountain now, I would still have to look for my master’s family like a dog.”

“What small merchants? Senior Brother, you really flatter me. My background is nothing compared to yours; your family has been fortunate to remain prosperous.”

Qián Yào’s eyes widened in surprise.

Ah, so you want to rub salt in the wound, huh? Who can’t do that?

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè picked up his teacup again to drink.

The head of Xiān Shān cleared his throat, urging them to tone it down.

Qián Yào was about to throw another jab, but upon the head’s cough, he fell silent, his expression still quite unpleasant.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè felt quite good.

The crowd below remained lively. After another hour and a half, the night deepened.

The river of light slowly faded into a deep blue sky. That was the magical light dust of the water spiritual root, beautiful as the aurora.

By midnight, the grand ceremony concluded. The disciples knelt again beneath the high platform of the elders. The head of Xiān Shān said a few simple words and didn’t disturb the exhausted disciples any longer, waving his hand to dismiss them.

The disciples yawned, reluctantly chatting as they returned to their respective mountains.

The utensils from the grand ceremony were magically moved away by the appropriate mountain palace disciples, leaving only some tables and high platforms that couldn’t be cleared quickly.

After listening to a few more words from the head, the elders also left their seats.

“Thanks to the assistance of all the elders and the head, the grand ceremony could conclude successfully. Yù Luán is very grateful. Tomorrow, I will personally come to remove these tables and platforms.”

At the mountain gate, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè was respectfully bowing to the head, saying, “No need to trouble the head; Yù Luán will handle everything properly.”

The head of Xiān Shān nodded, “That’s good. But I noticed today… you and Qián Yào seem to have developed quite a rift.”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè lowered his head and remained silent.

“I know you two don’t see eye to eye.” The head said, “If there’s an issue, you both must talk it out. If you continue to be at odds, it won’t be good for anyone. After all, you are brothers; there’s no need to treat each other like enemies.”

“You are right, Head.” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè replied, “Yù Luán will find an opportunity to go to Qián Yào Palace and have a heart-to-heart talk with Senior Brother to resolve our misunderstandings.”

The head of Xiān Shān nodded and turned to leave.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè straightened up and let out a sigh of relief.

Finally, this troublesome grand ceremony was over.

He looked around and found that there was no one left beside him.

Just as he was about to say a few words to the head at the mountain gate, he ran into Sū Yù Yíng on the way down, so he let Bái Rěn Dōng accompany her back to the mountain on his sword.

Now that he was alone, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè shed the burdens on his shoulders. He stretched hard, making some strange sounds as if he were about to transform.

He looked up at the sky, where the stars and moon shone together, and Elder Líng Zé’s magic had not completely disappeared; some water-colored light dust still floated in the sky.

No matter how you looked at it, the first hurdle had been passed…

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè patted his shoulder vigorously. As the tension in his heart eased, he felt a real ache in his back.

This was the first round of the original story’s plot… right now, the protagonist hadn’t awakened his spiritual root and still disliked Gěng Míng Jī. Although there were many unknowns ahead, overall, it was a good…

Before he could finish his thoughts, a sudden loud bang echoed.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè turned around to see a mountain ablaze.

What the hell? Where is that? Why is it on fire?

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè scratched his head, feeling sympathy for the elder on that mountain, while also feeling puzzled: the original story didn’t mention any mountain catching fire after the grand ceremony ended!

The plot was deviating more and more from the original story.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè looked up at the sky and thought: What was that loud bang just now?

It sounded like thunder, but the sky was clear…

…

…?

Thunder!?

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè’s expression turned horrified.

Before he could react, another loud bang echoed in the sky.

This thunder was even more terrifying than the previous one. In an instant, the night was as bright as day. A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, tearing the clear night sky in half, heading straight for that mountain.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè suddenly saw clearly.

That was Yù Luán Mountain!!!

“Bái Rěn Dōng!!”

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè could no longer keep up the act; he screamed hysterically, “You little brat! My house!!!”