Xuanyuan Sect, Main Hall
Zhongli Qian was talking business with Shu Yanyan in the discussion room. He had been ignored by Wenren È for ten years now, over which he would send a resignation slip to Wenren È and Yin Hanjiang every half month. After persistently sending two hundred and forty talismans over the past ten years, he finally got an annoyed response from Wenren È: "If you find someone suitable to manage Xuanyuan Sect, you can hand the position over and leave."
After receiving this message, Zhongli Qian happily touched his hair and hurried to find Shu Yanyan. He passed the regulations he had written over the past years, rewards and punishments, stocks of spiritual stones, the methods of sect members and their potential advancements and bottlenecks in the future, all over to Shu Yanyan. Seeing how she leaned on the desk with no intention of checking the jade slips, he was forced to explain every point to her.
After ten years, Shu Yanyan was still beautiful as a young maiden. She yawned, looking at Zhongli Qian bleary-eyed. "Forty years ago, when I met you at the literature conference, why didn't I realize you were so long-winded?"
At the literature conference, Zhongli Qian had discussed classics and composed poetry, each line eloquent and uplifting even if you didn't understand it. Right now, he was talking about how many first-grade, upper-grade, mid-grade, and lower-grade spiritual stones were in storage, what anxieties the sect members had lately, what the Altar Masters were planning and how to keep them content, and so on. Shu Yanyan couldn't stop her eyelids from growing heavy as she listened.
She pinched Zhongli Qian's handsome face and said wearily, "No wonder the scholars of the mortal world are so distinguished and elegant as students, like a tender bamboo stalk, that you can't help but want to sample. But after passing the exams, they all become gluttonous officials with potbellies and wrinkles, and on top of being ugly, they can't even compose a poem and stink of alcohol. Ah, Zhongli Qian..."
She shook her head with a sigh, as if lamenting a beauty past its prime.
Zhongli Qian, who had been youthful and handsome for many years: ...
After some thought, he replied, "After all these years at Xuanyuan Sect, I'm still a teacher of the Dao and haven't changed."
"I know." Shu Yanyan suddenly stood up. Stroking his chin, she said tenderly, "You've lost weight."
Zhongli Qian was stunned.
Shu Yanyan said seriously, "I celebrate you being a student or a teacher, but don't bother yourself with Xuanyuan Sect's odd jobs anymore. That's not suited to you. A teacher passes on knowledge and values. You make every effort for your disciples, but there are times where you have to take your hand away. Everyone walks their own paths, and you can't do it for them. You're exhausting yourself."
Zhongli Qian stared at the jade slips on the table, one of which recorded each sect member's future path of cultivation. He had written down everything he could think of, but in truth, there were countless possibilities he hadn't been able to write.
"As for me, I follow my heart in everything. I sample everything I like and discard everything I don't like. If I appreciate someone, I'll interact with them more. If I respect them, I'll be honest with them and share my feelings, and not treat them lightly," Shu Yanyan said. "I respect Sir Zhongli, so I'm willing to let someone I desire leave me. But at the same time, I'm happy to let go because I want Zhongli Qian to forever remain a gentleman, a revered teacher. If you let this pack of fools degrade your principles, then I won't be so nice anymore."
Zhongli Qian pondered for a long time, then cupped his hands to Shu Yanyan. "Many thanks to Protector Shu for her guidance. I understand now."
He had given so much to Xuanyuan Sect over all these years, and without his notice, it had become a fetter for him, just like the Zhongli clan, gradually taking away his freedom and causing him to forget his original intent.
He had originally wanted to spread the Dao to the entire realm. However, the Dao he wanted to teach wasn't rigid, and thus each person would have a different understanding and arrive at their own path. And right now, he had nearly planned out the future paths of all the members of Xuanyuan Sect, instead of letting them develop on their own.
"I'm glad you understand." Shu Yanyan picked up the jade slips. "I'll look at the things you put together, but as for whether or not I'll follow your instructions, that can't be said. This Protector has her own path, so I don't want you buzzing by my ear like a fly, telling me to do this and not that. People who speak too much aren't attractive."
"I understand." Zhongli Qian smiled slightly, carefree like the night breeze.
"You can go," Shu Yanyan said. "Spread your Dao across the world and let me see if peace can exist under heaven. Also, come back every few years so I can admire your face, okay?"
"The sage said, 'anyone can be my teacher'. The path of teaching isn't just about teaching others, but finding your own teachers, which can be anyone in the world. Today, Protector Shu has been my teacher," Zhongli Qian said.
Staring at his face, Shu Yanyan pressed a hand against her forehead, waving him off with her other hand. "Hurry up and go, before I make you be my teacher for a day."
With a smile, Zhongli Qian said, "Then this is farewell. A few years later, when my realm has advanced, I'll come back to discuss the Dao with Protector Shu."
Watching his departing figure, Shu Yanyan shook her head. "You better not come back, or I really won't be able to resist."
She picked up a jade slip, looking through everyone's current information until she got to Qiu Congxue. It was written, "Protector Qiu frequently goes to Shangqing Sect to challenge a duel, and after losing to Baili Qingmiao, she goes to beat up Su Huai. With her motivation, the three have each made swift progress, so it could possibly be considered legendary."
The corners of Shu Yanyan's mouth twitched. Someone like her, who sought pleasure in the moment, could never understand how Qiu Congxue's brain worked.
Oh, right, she didn't have a brain. She never thought about anything, just relying on her instincts for everything, huh? It's a good thing Baili Qingmiao and Su Huai spoil her and let her use Shangqing Sect as a playground. That was fine, with Protector Qiu at Shangqing Sect all day, Shu Yanyan had one less rival for the position of Sect Leader.
As for the other two...
Protector Shu gazed toward Wenren È's room. By the time those two came out, they would probably be heading off to the immortal realm to terrorize the immortals, so by then, Xuanyuan Sect would be hers!
But this was somewhat boring. They were going to the immortal realm to throw their weight around, and since she was so dedicated to rising in the ranks, shouldn't she follow and become a leader of immortals?
Sitting at the desk with her chin in her hands, Shu Yanyan began to seriously consider focusing on her cultivation.
At the back mountains of Xuanyuan Sect, a red-robed man sat barefoot at the edge of the spring, silently watching the moon in the sky.
The black-robed man sat leaning against his back, also looking at the sky, not understanding what there was to see about the moon.
Wenren È casually spoke his question, and after a long pause, Yin Hanjiang replied behind him. "On that day you found me, the moon was especially bright and the night was peaceful. When I managed to stick my head from the corpse pile, I saw you slowly approaching in the moonlight. You walked with no sound and my vision was weak, so if the moon hadn't been so bright, I would've missed you."
"Put that way, the full moon truly is beautiful." Wenren È turned and pulled Yin Hanjiang into his lap.
The night wind blew their loose hair to one side. Seeing their hair together, Yin Hanjiang controlled the wind with a flick of his fingers and tied their hair together in a knot.
Yin Hanjiang's hand landed casually on Wenren È's body, but firmly pinned his robe.
Noticing his actions, Wenren È didn't say anything, but used chaos energy to entangle the two's hair completely together, so they couldn't tell whose was whose.
"After Zhongli Qian leaves, Shu Yanyan will rule over the place again," Yin Hanjiang said, suddenly remembering.
"That doesn't matter. She can solve a lot of problems. But if you like being Sect Leader, I'll shoo her off for you."
"I'm not interested." Yin Hanjiang turned his head, looking at the side of Wenren È's face in the moonlight.
"Then what do you want?" Under his gaze, Wenren È's throat slightly trembled.
Yin Hanjiang leaned toward Wenren È and whispered in his ear. "Under the moonlight..."
The next few words, only Wenren È could hear. He noticed that Yin Hanjiang's ears were bright red.
"Okay."
By one hand, he grabbed Yin Hanjiang's waist. Underneath the moonlight, their belt sashes fluttered in the wind, landing in the spring and reflecting a silver shine on the water's surface.