Chapter 68: Mu Chen became red-faced in a flash. This mischievous disciple! He should dare to...
Translator: Claire.KK
The two had agreed to buy seeds, but Mu Chen then looked at Gu Yunjue with exploration, displaying obvious distrust. The bastard had kept him from knowing something again.
As the old saying goes, "Once bitten, twice shy". Once finding himself being duped again, Mu Chen stared at Gu with piercing eyes as if poking him with a knife.
Gu Yunjue had no choice but to draw Mu over, reaching for his ear and saying, "The Heaven and Earth Bell forms its own world, in which I could cultivate an orchard and quench your thirsty with tasty fruits on our way."
As he talked, warm breaths touched Mu Chen's ear, and his arm was around Mu's waist. Feeling the warmth and closeness, Mu was disturbed and gave him a pat on the back of head. "How could he talk to me like this? And we are out with so many people around. What if someone overhears the Heaven and Earth Bell?"
The tool was overwhelming. When craving minds found it was in the hands of Gu, troubles would follow. The master and disciple were not afraid of troubles, but troubles were truly annoying, if any.
Even though he got patted, Gu Yunjue was not vexed. Instead, he took the chance and rubbed his own face against Mu's. Then catching Mu's hand, Gu Yunjue and Mu Chen went out of Medicine Pavilion and set off on the journey to buy seeds.
Walking several steps, Mu Chen suddenly recalled something and said, "Go to your Second Senior Brother next time. He has all the seeds you need."
Gu Yunjue nodded with compliance and then grasped his hand, saying, "I'm afraid that I would get lost. I need Master to protect me." His mouth cramping a bit, Mu Chen got dragged away helplessly.
*
Out of Shungji City, the two took north and headed for Green Red Valley.
In his previous life, Gu yunjue had been there so visiting there again was quite a piece of cake for him.
"Master, do you need some water? How about taking a rest?" Mu Chen sat cozily in the luxurious chair while enormous Black Egg flied over his head shading the sun with its wings. He himself was engrossed with playing a thirteen-ring glaze interlock, while the rings clanked and cluttered. Mu couldn't help but feel agitated. 'How come the interlock transforms into various shapes in my disciple's hands? How come he unties it into thirteen rings while it's just a bunch of junk in my own hands, difficult to play with?"
At the disciple's inquiry, Mu glanced downward and simply answered a yes.
Gu Yunjue caught a touch of grievance in the master's response and smiled back. Reaching out and holding Mu Chen's fingers, the disciple chuckled, "This thing asks for skills. Look, here, like this, then the two rings can be interlocked together".
Mu Chen blinked his eyes and began to get some feel for it suddenly. He went on fiddling with it and showed his accomplishment to the disciple.
In response, Gu Yunjue, beaming, held Mu's fingers and showed the right gesture.
Below was an open space. There should have been a fight as the trees and ground were damaged. They could go down there to take a rest.
When away from home, people were certainly afraid of being attacked when in lack of soul power. They had seen too many kills and robs on their way. Although their cultivations were much higher than the average, the two stayed alert, keeping rich soul power in case of emergencies.
Gu Yunjue pushed the chair to move Mu Chen into tree shade and poured water into a crystal cup. Seeing Mu didn't look up to take the water, Gu raised the cup to the master's lips.
Mu Chen took several sips. Suddenly he smiled and showed the disciple a ball in his palm, "Black Egg".
Watching his smiles, Gu Yunjue acclaimed, "Yes, very alike", yet even without glimpsing the thing in Mu's hand.
Perching on the tree, the real Black Egg looked down at the thing and narrowly missed falling off. "What the heck? Not alike at all! Not even a bit! I'm a bird with wings, though heavy. Look at that! It's a ball, and not very round! Beauty in minds, manners off mind, what an owner! Humph!"
Aware of Gu Yunjue's gaze, Mu Chen froze a bit and then lowered his head. Wiping the smile from his face, he continued playing the interlock, but with his ears going red.
'This licentious disciple dares to give me such an impertinent look! He's asking for a good beating!'
"Master, you stay right here. I'll hunt a spirit beast and then broil it for you." Gu Yunjue, perceiving the expression on Mu Chen's face, gave a chuckle of delight.
"Em." Mu Chen answered coldly, then continued to fiddle with the Glazed Ring Puzzle.
Gu Yunjue gave a look at Black Egg. Immediately the later patted its chest with its wings, meaning to assure him, 'Don't worry. If anyone dares to move closely, I'll eat him alive!'
Generally, according to Gu Yunjue's cultivation, hunting a spirit beast should be as easy as picking vegetables in backyard for him. But, after about a quarter, he had not returned. Mu Chen began to feel anxious. "Where have this treacherous disciple been? Was he dealing with some sordid business like homicide behind me again, or hooking up with girls somewhere?"
"Palace Master, let me give you a shoulder massage." Seeing the change of his expression, Black Egg jumped down from the tree and said eagerly.
Gu Yunjue stared at its feet.
"Relax. I haven't landed since I washed my feet. They're still clean." Black Egg lifted up the soles of its feet and showed them to Mu Chen.
Mu Chen nodded indifferently, permitting Black Egg to step on his shoulders. 'Well, indeed it's so comfortable.' Mu Chen's cold face was lightened up slightly.
After another quarter, Mu Chen felt agitated again and deeply concerned in his heart, 'This unreliable disciple hasn't come back yet!'
Just as he was thinking to give him a black eye, Mu Chen felt the familiar soul power coming closer. Mu Chen lifted his head and looked ahead. He sensed at the same time other five strange soul powers of different intensity mixing together.
He frowned with impatience. "This treacherous disciple! How can he bring outsiders here?"
Just as expected, he saw Gu Yunjue carry a Fire Antelope, followed by five young people—four men and one woman. Given the look of their dresses, they should be descendants of noble families. All were more or less wounded except the woman cultivator, and one of them was severely injured.
When they noticed the man sitting under the tree, they were struck by the beauty they saw.
Gu Yunjue's appearance was stunning enough. However, there was a cold and fierce disposition on his face, which deterred others from approaching him.
Mu Chen was different. As long as he was not irritated by others, he would just remain expressionless and indifferent, unwilling to waste his expression to others. At this moment, he was in white finery and sitting on a gorgeous chair with a snow-white bobble standing on his shoulder. His refined features were shining, which gave people an illusion as if the world around him was still, like a banished immortal or a cool fairy suddenly descending in the mountain.
All of them landed on the ground, but none of them were sure of Mu Chen's identity.
Gu Yunjue put the Fire Antelope on the land and stepped toward Mu Chen. "Master, I just saved some people." Perceiving Mu Chen's confusion, he said suavely in expectation of Mu Chen's praise.
"Why?" Mu Chen asked.
"As a member of an authentic and notable martial group, naturally, I must punish vice and promote virtue!" responded Gu Yunjue in a firm tone by finding himself a suitable reason.
Mu Chen twitched his lips and speechlessly pointed at Gu Yunjue's forehead with doubt in his eyes, 'How could a man like you with so many twists and turns in your mind be so kind to help others?'
Gu Yunjue blinked his eyes and told him by his divine sense, "They came from Green Red Valley, so we can get some information from them."
Mu Chen waved his hands showing no interest and replied coldly, "I am hungry."
"I'll roast some meat for you right away." Saying that, Gu Yunjue began to prepare the antelope. Apparently, he didn't mean to introduce Mu Chen to the five people from Green Red Valley.
Still, the five people were quite surprised when they heard Gu Yunjue call Mu Chen Master. They had witnessed Gu Yunjue's power, thus they could imagine how extraordinary Mu Chen would be. Of course, they would not make themselves embarrassed by getting close to Mu Chen after noticing that he appeared so indifferent. However, both the master and his disciple looked so upright and strong that those five looked at one another and read from their eye contact that they each had already had some plans.
Gu Yunjue picked up a knife and quickly skinned the antelope. He then got some water from the space ring to wash it clean, cut down a leg and made a fire to roast the meat.
The young female cultivator approached and squatted to watch Gu Yunjue doing all those so swiftly, then she smiled and asked, "Senior Martial Brother Gu, you look so skilled. Do you often come out for experience?" Her melodious voice sent out a kind of natural purity, which sounded so innocent. All these, in addition to her sweet and beautiful face, inspired any man's desire to protect her.
Mu Chen stopped playing the rings in front of him suddenly, making the two rings strike together and produce some jingling sounds which were quite piercing to ears.
He did not remember he had admitted any girl disciple. Senior martial brother was by no means an insignificant title that could be called by anyone. If this evil disciple dared to hook up with her......Mu Chen suddenly looked serious and broke a ring.
It was lucky that Gu Yunjue had no intention to talk too much but just responded her briefly, "Occasionally."
Seeing Gu Yunjue not so warmhearted, the girl shot him a reproachful pout. Feeling quite depressed, she sat beside Gu Yunjue with her arms around her legs, and looked down dumbly at the antelope leg being rolled and roasted on the fire. She murmured, "Alas, we haven't entered the secret boundary, yet, Second Senior Brother is wounded so seriously."
"Secret Boundary?" At last, GuYunjue sounded somehow interested in her, so he stopped working and asked, "What is it?"
"You don't know?" The girl was surprised. Finding Gu Yunjue didn't seem to be pretending, she felt a glimmer of delight which she hid inside instantly. "It was said in more than ten days, a secret boundary will appear in the world. It has attracted many cultivators here. We were also commanded by our master to broaden our horizons. If Senior Brother Gu and this Elder also have an interest, we can go together and our brothers can show the way."
The female cultivator looked at Mu Chen. Though she could not tell his bone age, she could feel that he was not actually too old. What's more, he had such a fine face and sat there silently playing a ring puzzle in the luxurious chair. She felt it was awful to call him Elder.
Gu Yunjue hesitated for a while as if he couldn't decide. So he looked at Mu Chen.
However, Mu Chen didn't give him any response, but went on playing the thing in his hands, as if nothing in the world could be more attractive than these rings. Gu Yunjue smiled secretly. Little master refused to cooperate with him. Even with such a temper, he looked still lovely and attractive.
"Senior Brother Gu? Brother Gu?" the girl found Gu Yunjue paid no attention to her and asked again in a low voice.
Gu Yunjue came back to himself and turned the antelope leg over. He concealed his impatience and asked doubtfully, "You'll show me the way?"
"Yes, you saved our lives......" With that, the girl met Gu Yunjue's seemingly smiling eyes. She suddenly felt shy and her face turned red. Somehow, her brain was in blank and she spoke out everything without thinking, "Because the atmosphere in Green Red Valley is very tense, many cultivators have teamed up together. In order not to meet any challenge after going inside the secret boundary, they fought whenever they had a conflict. As a result, those with shallow cultivation were all slaughtered. Those who survived were all cultivators that have reached beyond Nascent Soul Stage."
"So you were being chased and killed because of this?" asked Gu Yunjue. He put the roasted antelope leg on a big jade plate, cut it into small pieces and then put them onto a smaller jade plate. On each piece of meat, he put in a stick suitable for people to pick it up to eat.
The girl nodded with her eyes fixed on the jade plate subconsciously and her stomach growling. The lovely little girl felt shy and her face turned red. She looked at the man beside her while her lips pouted, appearing quite delicate and touching.
Gu Yunjue stood up with a smile, passed by the girl but didn't give her another glance.
The girl felt annoyed. She had never seen such a man unknowing the slightest amorous feelings! She returned to her brothers' side. From her another glance at GuYunjue, shyness was shown.
Just then, Mu Chen suddenly looked up at the five coldly and indifferently.
Being glanced at by Mu Chen that way, five of them felt shocked and trembled. Even their master had never given them such a pressure. Especially for the girl, she sweated as if her soul were stabbed by a sharp thorn.
Cultivators never exposed their age. This woman appeared to be 17 or 18 at age, but maybe she was actually an old witch of hundreds of years old. How dared such a woman flirt with his disciple by using so dirty a trick! Naturally, Mu Chen was very dissatisfied with all these. If there were one more try, he would send them to death without any hesitation.
"We will not disturb this Elder eating. Thanks for Senior Brother Gu's help. Given the chance, we'll surely return the favor!" Apparently, the senior sedate cultivator noticed that Mu Chen disliked them. Naturally they dared not try to make use of them and decided to retreat right away with his younger brothers and sister.
Impatiently, Mu Chen frowned, as he didn't want to talk with strangers.
The female cultivator was unreconciled and wanted to say something, but she was glared and stopped by her senior martial brother. They were really so naïve as they planned to make use of the master and his disciple. Judging by the master's manner, it was lucky for them to stop before they went too far to be killed in the end.
Finding that they understood the situation and went away, Mu Chen hummed and let them be.
Gu Yunjue could not help laughing at little master's manner. Was it because he was jealous?
Mu Chen glanced at his disciple coming over to him but did not accept the food in his hand. In a word, some anger and impatience were shown in his eyes because he thought his disciple had been gossiping and annoying. How could he get some strangers back without any reason?
Gu Yunjue raised his eyebrows, took out a chair and sat in front of Mu Chen. He stretched his legs onto Mu Chen's chair legs, almost holding Mu Chen in his arms. Mu Chen could not move in his chair and saw a beautiful face approaching to his mouth. "You don't want to behave yourself and eat? Then I'll feed you." Gu Yunjue threatened him with a cold face.
Mu Chen became red-faced in a flash. 'This mischievous disciple! He should dare to... He really really really needs a spanking!'