“Master…” After returning to Lingjian Peak, Wen Jiayin hadn’t said a word.
She went from being shy to nervous in an instant.
Normally, Master would be fussing over her, but this weird silence—did it mean Master already knew?
“Jiayin.” Xin Yun suddenly spoke.
Her voice was as gentle as ever, but Wen Jiayin couldn’t help it—she shivered in fright.
“Does your wound still hurt?” Xin Yun stopped walking, her tone now tinged with worry.
This was the Master she was used to.
“It doesn’t hurt, not at all.” Wen Jiayin was so scared she could barely feel anything, and she’d thought Master was really mad at her.
“Master, it’s my fault.
I shouldn’t have left with Martial Uncle Zu without telling you.
Will you forgive me?” Wen Jiayin was quick to admit her mistake.
“How could I blame you? I’d never be angry with you.
But Jiayin, tell me honestly—did Martial Uncle take your protective talismans and just send you in there?” Of course Master had figured it out.
Wen Jiayin knew Martial Uncle Zu’s little tricks could never fool Master, but she’d promised that unreliable Martial Uncle she’d help keep it a secret…
Wen Jiayin wanted to struggle a bit, but when she looked up and met Master’s gentle, forgiving gaze, she just couldn’t do it.
Master always looked at her with such warmth and tolerance, as if she could get away with anything, as if Master would believe any lie she told.
That was exactly why Wen Jiayin couldn’t bring herself to lie.
Her own guilt was enough to make her feel terrible.
So… sorry, Martial Uncle Zu, it’s not that I ratted you out—Master figured it out herself! It’s got nothing to do with me.
Like they say, better you than me.
Martial Uncle Zu, didn’t you say you weren’t afraid of my Master? Well, good luck facing the music!
“Yeah, Martial Uncle Zu said Chang’an and I didn’t need to bring so many protective talismans, since we weren’t going on a picnic or anything.” Wen Jiayin still tried to put in a good word for the wine immortal.
“I think Martial Uncle Zu had a point, and she was protecting us—she got us out just in time!”
“I guessed as much.
If your jade pendant was still on you and you’d been badly hurt, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed.” Xin Yun said, not surprised at all.
So that’s how it is! Wen Jiayin thought of the jade pendant hanging around her neck—Martial Uncle Zu had given herself away from the start! She silently lit a candle for the wine immortal.
Xin Yun carried Wen Jiayin back to her own room and applied a special ointment from the Dan Peak master to her wound.
Normally, this would have been a totally ordinary thing between master and disciple, but the awkward part was where Wen Jiayin was hurt.
Xin Yun hadn’t noticed at first, but after she finished applying the ointment, the sight of that soft, pale skin made her freeze.
Realizing she’d crossed a line, she quickly covered Wen Jiayin’s collar, making sure not to let her panic show.
Afterward, she even helped Wen Jiayin tidy her clothes, and before leaving, reminded her, “Change your clothes, this one’s dirty.”
Once she left the room, Xin Yun put her hand to her face.
Normally, her body temperature was lower than most people’s because of her ice spiritual root, but now her face actually felt a little warm.
As for Wen Jiayin… her brain had crashed and stopped working, leaving only three questions: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
What was she doing? Right, what was she supposed to do? With that thought, Wen Jiayin’s rusty brain finally started working again.
She’d come to find Master because of the dog male lead… the male lead!!!
After wasting so much time, Wen Jiayin finally remembered her real purpose and jumped up.
Any shyness she felt was nothing compared to the appearance of the male lead!
“Master! Master!” Wen Jiayin rushed out and ran straight into Xin Yun, who was coming in after hearing the noise.
“Don’t rush, slow down.” Xin Yun caught the flustered girl just in time.
“Master, I heard from Martial Uncle Zu… there’s a jerk, a man who keeps pestering you, and he even fought with you just now.
Is he still around?” Wen Jiayin didn’t sense any unfamiliar presence nearby, but she still didn’t trust that shameless male lead—she was afraid he’d keep bothering Master.
“Don’t worry, he’s gone.
He lost to me in one move and didn’t have the face to stick around.” So that’s what this was about.
Xin Yun hesitated, then patted Wen Jiayin’s head.
“That’s good.” Wen Jiayin let out a sigh of relief.
Yeah, in the original story, her Master was always cold to the male lead at first.
Until the original’s betrayal at the end, there was no need to worry about Master being tricked by that scumbag.
“Master, you have to stay away from him.
I heard from Martial Uncle Zu that he’s a total womanizer, and now he’s trying every trick to get close to you.
He even tried to get information about you from me—so shameless!”
“He came to you?” Xin Yun immediately caught the key point, her expression turning dangerous.
“Y-yeah.
He heard you took a disciple, so he wanted to get info about you from me.
But don’t worry, I didn’t tell him anything and even scolded him!” Wen Jiayin felt a little proud—who else dared to scold a tribulation-stage cultivator except someone at the same level? Well, her, apparently.
Though after scolding him, she was a bit nervous, suspecting that the next time they met, the male lead—who was definitely not the forgiving type—would try to trip her up.
But hey, isn’t youth about being reckless? It felt great to let loose!
“In the future, when I’m not around, you must stay far away from him, understand? That kind of petty man will definitely try to hurt you if I’m not there!” If there was anything Xin Yun feared, it was the murderer from her past life getting close to A Yin again!
Master seemed a little off, but Wen Jiayin didn’t know why.
She just nodded over and over, almost ready to swear an oath.
Why was Master so emotional? Wen Jiayin couldn’t figure it out, so she just chalked it up to the male lead being a jerk and Master seeing through him, worried she’d get hurt.
Xin Yun’s clenched fist relaxed a little.
Even though her inner demon screamed at her to kill the Carefree True Lord, she knew she couldn’t do it without absolute certainty.
That man had some strange treasures—otherwise, she wouldn’t have failed to kill him several times in her past life.
Even at the end, she wasn’t sure he was really dead.
If she couldn’t kill him in one blow, there would be endless trouble.
“I’ll definitely steer clear of him, Master, don’t worry.
If he gives me any trouble, I’ll let you know right away!” Wen Jiayin looked up, sneaking a glance at her Master, who didn’t seem to be in a great mood, and whispered, “Master? If there’s nothing else, I’ll go now?”
“Wait.” Xin Yun reached out and pulled the would-be escapee back.
“There’s one more thing I want to ask you.”
“Did your Martial Uncle Zu send you to the Demon Suppression Tower, or the Demon Subduing Hall?”
Oh crap! Wen Jiayin silently sent her condolences to Martial Uncle Zu on the main peak.
She was done for—her secrets were all out! Martial Uncle Zu, you’re on your own now.
——————
The next day.
Just as the wine immortal was about to enjoy the afternoon sun and take a nap, she sensed two unexpected guests.
“Well, well, what a surprise! Little junior niece, I thought you’d wait a few days before bringing your disciple over.
Finally changed your mind?” The wine immortal jumped down from a tree, smiling at Xin Yun, who was leading her disciple over.
“Not at all.
I brought Jiayin today to thank Martial Uncle for your guidance.
We have a gift for you, and I hope you’ll accept it.” Xin Yun took a pure white wine jar from her bag, its texture like pearl.
“No need to be so polite, it’s what I should do.” The wine immortal said that, but she accepted the gift without hesitation.
“This wine is called Su Yuan.
It was brewed by the previous chief of the merfolk clan in memory of his late wife, and it’s said to be his best work.
Rumor has it that anyone who’s tasted it says there’s nothing else like it in the world.” Xin Yun said, “I don’t know much about wine, so it’d be wasted on me.
I’d rather give it to Martial Uncle.”
Wen Jiayin kept her eyes down, pretending to be a clueless quail.
She seriously suspected Master had put something in the wine to drug Martial Uncle Zu.
Of course, Xin Yun would never stoop to drugging someone, but the wine really was special.
After losing his wife, the previous merfolk chief was heartbroken.
He was a genius at brewing, and he made this wine so he could see his wife again in his dreams.
After his death, his son gave some of the wine to friends, Xin Yun among them.
Once people learned of its magical effects, everyone wanted it, and only three jars remained.
But by the current timeline, its reputation hadn’t spread yet.
Just one sip could get a tribulation-stage cultivator drunk, letting them see the person they most wanted to see in this life.
It was something people would fight over outside.
Xin Yun knew exactly what this wine could do.
Almost no one could resist its effects.
In her past life, she’d been the one to drink it.
If not for the pain in her heart keeping her clear-headed, she might have gotten lost in the illusion too.
“I knew him—he was a genius! I bought a lot of wine from him.
Hmph, after all these years, he still kept treasures from me? If he weren’t already gone, I’d go settle the score!” The wine immortal snorted, her eyes inevitably filled with memories of her old friend.
She opened the jar, and a rich, intoxicating aroma wafted out.
The wine immortal even felt a little dizzy just from the smell—her, someone who lived in wine, actually felt tipsy from the scent alone? It really was good stuff!
She immediately invited Xin Yun and Wen Jiayin to sit at her little stone table, then eagerly took out a ladle and cups.
This kind of treasure couldn’t be wasted—it had to be savored.
One cup down, the mellow flavor lingered on her tongue, and a wave of heat rushed to her head.
The wine immortal suddenly felt dizzy, like she was drunk.
Drunk? Impossible!
“A Qing! You’re drinking again! How many times have I told you, if I catch you one more time, I’m not talking to you anymore!” A fair hand landed on the wine immortal’s shoulder, and that familiar nagging voice sounded in her ear.
The wine immortal looked up in a daze and met that person’s eyes.
The familiar face made her tears fall uncontrollably.
“What’s wrong with Martial Uncle Zu?!” Wen Jiayin was startled to see the wine immortal suddenly hugging a tree and bawling.
Xin Yun was unfazed.
“She’s just drunk and making a scene.
So Jiayin, you must never follow your Martial Uncle Zu’s example, okay? It’s embarrassing to get drunk in front of people.”
“Uh… okay, but Master… what’s that in your hand?” Wen Jiayin noticed a round object had suddenly appeared in Xin Yun’s hand, and a suspicion crept up on her.
“Just a recording stone.” Xin Yun replied in an especially gentle voice, “If you’re going to keep training here, we need to have some dirt on your Martial Uncle, so she won’t keep causing trouble.
Don’t you think so?”
Yes, yes! Master is always right! Wen Jiayin was on her best behavior—if Master said the sun was the moon, she’d agree without hesitation!
