The man stared at the cooled soup, his expression slowly turning cold. Just as his thoughts were racing, a clear, low voice sounded from behind him.
"Rong Hua."
His expression stiffened. When he turned around, his face was already beaming. "Master!"
Shen Yue responded faintly, walking slowly towards him.
Rong Hua said flusteredly, "The soup is cold. I'll make another bowl for Master. It'll be ready soon."
As he finished speaking, he was about to rush off.
"No need."
These two simple words halted his steps. Rong Hua murmured, "Master..."
Shen Yue, with her back to him, said, "I'm going out."
The man's eyelashes trembled, his voice deepening. "When will Master be back then?"
"A year."
Rong Hua gazed deeply at the straight, tall back of the white-robed immortal, resembling a green bamboo stalk. He clenched the tray in his fingers, his knuckles turning pale, yet his voice remained relaxed.
"Why must Master leave as soon as I return? Master hardly ever descends the mountain. Why are you leaving for such a long time this time?"
Although Shen Yue couldn't see the man's expression, she could sense his sharp emotions. She raised her hand to comfortingly pat his shoulder, but the man dodged her touch with his raised hand. His wide sleeves slid down his arm, revealing a pale, jade-like forearm.
Seeing this, Shen Yue understood. The man was genuinely throwing a tantrum again.
This young disciple had quite a temper. He was indeed becoming less endearing as he grew older.
Shen Yue pursed her lips, which were as tender and full as crabapples. She didn't force the issue. She lowered her hand. "I will try to return as soon as possible."
Was it that even being a master was so difficult these days? To be honest, Shen Yue sometimes felt that this villainous figure was more like the master.
Rong Hua was still displeased. He was like a spoiled child, being unreasonable and willful. "Can't you not go? Is there something that requires you to go personally?"
Shen Yue couldn't reveal the truth, because if she did, Rong Hua would even less likely let her go.
"My mind is made up." Shen Yue turned her face away, not wanting to look at Rong Hua. Her neck was slender and beautiful. Her hair slipped down from her face, revealing the taut lines of her neck, exposed to Rong Hua's eyes.
Rong Hua asked, "You must go?"
Shen Yue said, "I must go."
Before her words had even fallen, Rong Hua, as if he could no longer bear to listen, placed the tray heavily on the table and fled without another word.
He was truly becoming more rebellious.
Shen Yue realized that perhaps after being a Venerable Immortal for so long, her sense of superiority had been elevated. She felt like she was looking at a brash youngster when she looked at anyone.
She was clearly not suited to teaching children. They were so adorable when they were little.
Shen Yue sighed like an old father, then picked up the cooled soup. Frugality was her virtue, so she drank it down in two or three gulps.
Even though it was cold, it still tasted quite good.
The system couldn't stand it anymore. [Do you know that if anyone were to pass by and see your eating habits, we'd have to restart from the beginning.]
Shen Yue wiped her mouth and said pitifully, [It's been years since I last ate anything. Can you be more understanding?]
The system was speechless.
—
Snowflakes danced, as white as silver, fluttering and swirling, falling from the sky like torn cotton wisps, flying all over.
The man practiced his sword in the snow, wearing only a thin white robe. He pointed his sword forward, turning his wrist to grip the hilt, and the sword slowly began to spin.
Gradually, the sword spun faster and faster, stirring up the snow on the ground, carrying a strong aura of killing intent and aggression.
With a flash of sword light, a terrifying sword mark, three inches deep and three feet long, was carved into the boulder opposite him. It was clean, sharp, ruthless, and merciless.
He was panting, his exhaled breaths turning into hot white mist.
"Hey!"
A woman's charming voice rang out.
Rong Hua simply inserted his sword into its sheath in silence. The cold wind was bone-chilling, but his body was burning.
"You've been practicing here all day. Aren't you tired?" Yin Jing, wearing a white cloak, walked up to Rong Hua.
Rong Hua lowered his head, remaining silent. His handsome features were becoming increasingly unfathomable, his thin lips pressed together.
Yin Jing took out a handkerchief and stood on tiptoe to wipe the sweat from his brow, but the man dodged her. The unfamiliar presence almost made him reflexively resistant.
Her hand froze in mid-air. She looked at the man strangely, wondering if it was an illusion, but she felt that ever since she arrived here, Rong Hua had become much colder towards her.
The girl was both shy and embarrassed, but Rong Hua, lost in his own world, didn't notice at all.
—
Shen Yue's current journey was for the Dragon Pearl of the Glacier Dragon King. This Dragon Pearl was extremely rare and a precious medicine for cultivators, capable of allowing one to break through two cultivation levels at once, making it highly sought after. Correspondingly, the Glacier Dragon King was a overlord of the sea, and obtaining its Dragon Pearl was extremely difficult.
Even for the Venerable Immortal Xi Yu, it would take a certain amount of time.
Shen Yue didn't intend to snatch it; she wanted to steal it.
Dragons in the sea generally enjoyed sleeping the most. If they woke up early, it might be after a decade, or it could be hundreds of years later. Therefore, Shen Yue planned to sneakily take it while it was asleep.
This dragon was covered in golden scales, its four claws sharp. Its eyes were tightly shut, and its whiskers swayed with the seawater. Even in its slumber, it exuded an aura of majesty.
Within a radius of ten li, no living creature dared to approach.
The Dragon Pearl was held within the dragon's mouth. It was large and round, emitting a brilliant golden light, exceptionally conspicuous and beautiful in the deep sea. Shen Yue intended to sneak in while it was snoring to steal it. However, as soon as she touched the Dragon Pearl, the Dragon King seemed to sense a petty thief and woke up instantly, spitting her out.
As expected, imagination was beautiful, but reality was harsh.
Shen Yue quickly shrunk the Dragon Pearl and hid it in her sleeve, turning to flee. However, the Dragon King, whose treasure had been stolen, would not let her go so easily.
The golden dragon's eyes were also golden. Its eyes were large, almost larger than Shen Yue herself.
It felt its Dragon Pearl disappear, and the white-robed immortal emanated the aura of its Dragon Pearl.
The answer was obvious: this person had stolen its precious Dragon Pearl.
The golden dragon narrowed its yellow pupils slightly, letting out a low, violent roar, baring its teeth at Shen Yue.
Shen Yue dryly smiled flatteringly. "Brother Dragon, could you lend me your Dragon Pearl for a few years? I promise to return it to you properly."
The system: [If you deviate from your character by 100%, we'll have to restart.]
Before Shen Yue could even react, her head spun, her nerves ached, and she dazedly opened her eyes to face the golden dragon baring its teeth at her again.