“Ghost…” Everything had been going smoothly.
“I… Master… and also, also…”
Chen Boyu answered cautiously: “And… Master’s wife?”
“…?”
Mu Yinyue gripped Chen Boyu’s shoulders tightly with both hands.
“Oh, Senior Sister, you haven’t met Master’s wife yet. She came back after you went into seclusion.”
Chen Boyu suddenly realized and scratched his head a little awkwardly.
“Hehe, even I was startled at the time. Master’s wife looks so young, I thought she was one of our peers.”
“…?”
Mu Yinyue murmured in a daze.
Her hands slowly loosened their grip on his shoulders.
“Master and Master’s wife are actually fellow disciples!”
“Fellow disciples?”
“Yeah, yeah, she’s the junior sister Master used to talk about a lot.”
Chen Boyu puffed up his cheeks, sounding a bit disgruntled:
“Master is really something. He always said bad things about her, like how she was some ruthless killer…”
“Ah…”
“They even have a daughter! She’s super cute!”
“That little girl is so well-behaved—full of energy, really sensible—totally unlike Master… always so lifeless.”
“…?”
Mu Yinyue’s once-confused eyes suddenly became vacant.
How is that possible?
Before taking her in, Master had always been alone…
When did he get a wife?
When did he have a daughter?
Cough!
Cough!
Cough!!!
Her throat tightened.
A violent coughing fit burst forth, and she coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.
“Senior Sister!”
Chen Boyu’s expression changed drastically as he quickly supported her by the shoulders.
“Senior Sister, what’s wrong?”
“I—I’m fine…” Mu Yinyue shook off his support.
“Fine? How could you be fine?!”
Chen Boyu was getting anxious.
“You’re coughing up blood! Did something go wrong with your cultivation? Do you want me to call Master?”
“No need!”
Mu Yinyue replied in a slightly agitated voice, which soon weakened.
“Just… a small issue… I’ll be fine after taking a couple of pills.”
She forced herself to sit upright on the stone platform, pulled out two pale-golden pills from her storage pouch, and swallowed them.
But the expected warmth from the medicine never came.
Instead, her abdomen surged with sharp pain, her stomach churning like a storm, nausea crashing into her head.
She bit her lip hard, forcing herself not to vomit.
“Senior Sister, are you really… okay?”
Chen Boyu waved his hand in front of her eyes, but received no response.
Mu Yinyue had no mind to pay attention to anyone anymore.
She tightly shut her eyes, trying to calm herself.
But…no matter how many deep breaths she took, her heart still pounded uncontrollably.
Her chest felt so heavy she could barely breathe.
Master’s wife…?
How could that be?
Could some bad woman have seduced Master on purpose?
Was Master tricked?!
Or…was he threatened?!
That’s right…Master always called that junior sister a demon.
How could he fall in love with someone like that?
He must’ve been forced!
She really wanted to ask Master directly.
But…if she went out now, wouldn’t her breakthrough fail?
If she gave up halfway, wouldn’t Master be disappointed in her?
She had to break through—fast!
She must break through!
As Mu Yinyue struggled with her turbulent emotions, the spiritual energy around her suddenly began to surge.
Meanwhile…“Daddy, where’s Sister Potato?”
At the dining table, Shuyao sat on a high stool, asking Ren Bin with a puzzled look.
Two grains of rice were still stuck to her little lips.
Ren Bin smiled and took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth.
“She’s already eaten and is cultivating hard right now. Shuyao, you focus on eating, okay?”
“Okay.”
Shuyao nodded and buried her head back into her meal.
Ren Bin watched as she finished her third bowl of porridge and fell into deep thought.
As expected of a growing girl… she sure can eat.
He leaned closer to Yuxian, who gently pushed him away.
“Is it too early for Shuyao to be eating spiritual rice?”
The food cultivators ate naturally differed from that of ordinary people.
For example, the rice Ren Bin prepared was grown in spirit-rich fields, aiding in cultivation.
“It’s fine.”
Yuxian shook her head and gestured that there was nothing to worry about.
“I asked Elder Hantan about it. They said eating some lightly infused spiritual foods early on will help her cultivate better in the future.”
“Just think of it as early Qi training.”
Ren Bin looked at the bowl in Shuyao’s hands, then glanced over at Yuxian, who was slowly chewing with her chopsticks.
He was speechless for a moment.
You call this ‘moderate’?
He thought back to when he first began cultivating…He didn’t eat nearly as much as this girl!
“And what about that girl Boyu?”
Yuxian narrowed her eyes.
Naturally, she didn’t believe the excuse Ren Bin gave to trick Shuyao.
Ren Bin sighed helplessly and quietly recounted what had just happened.
“Ah…” Yuxian sighed.
“You really aren’t cut out to be a teacher.”
Ren Bin:…“You don’t understand, Boyu is genuinely lazy.”
“Have you considered that maybe talisman cultivation just isn’t right for her?”
Yuxian frowned, her expression serious.
Whatever Ren Bin wanted to say, he swallowed back.
“Talisman cultivation is not only tedious in its methods, but also extremely boring.”
“Boyu is so full of energy—it’s natural she wouldn’t enjoy this kind of practice.”
Ren Bin muttered in his mind:I gave her multiple options.
She chose talisman cultivation herself, okay…?
“With her talent and mindset, she should be better suited to sword cultivation.”
“If you keep punishing her like this, it’ll only make her more rebellious.”
Yuxian really knew what she was talking about.
She came from a medical family, and had been forced to study medicine and herbs from a young age—even though she hated every moment of it.
If it weren’t for their master accidentally discovering her talent, she might’ve run away from home.
Who knows what would’ve become of her?
“Forget it. When she comes back from Yinyue, ask her yourself.”
Ren Bin rubbed his forehead.
He knew just how stubborn Yuxian could be.
“By the way, your eldest disciple… she’s in seclusion trying to break through, right?”
Yuxian changed the subject.
“I didn’t sense any change in her aura. Do you think something’s gone wrong?”
“Maybe.”
“You don’t seem worried at all as her master.”
Yuxian shot Ren Bin a sideways glance.
“Breaking through to Golden Core isn’t that easy.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s easy… Golden Core is still a major hurdle.”
“I did it in eight days. You took nine. Or eight and a half, technically.”
“Hey, hey… let’s not compare her to us two geniuses, okay?”
Ren Bin’s mouth twitched.
“Yinyue doesn’t have Boyu’s natural talent,” he said.
“But I trust her completely.”
“From the day I picked that girl up, she’s never caused me a single worry. She’s focused entirely on cultivation.Her talent might be average, but she’s never once given up.”
“Letting her take her time breaking through to Golden Core might actually be a good chance to explore her limits and technique.”
Just as he finished speaking, Ren Bin suddenly felt a jolt in his heart—so strong that he almost crushed the chopsticks in his hand.
He sensed a familiar aura.
And not just him—Yuxian’s body also trembled slightly.
They looked at each other, eyes filled with the same shock and confusion.
“…Senior Brother?”
Crash!
The sound of chaotic footsteps crunching on snow came from the door.
Then it was thrown open with a loud bang.
Chen Boyu burst in, hair in disarray.
She stumbled over the doorstep and faceplanted into the floor.
Shuyao jumped in fright at the sudden noise and clutched tightly to Yuxian’s arm.
“Master!”
Chen Boyu didn’t even notice the pain.
Her face was full of panic.
“Senior Sister—Senior Sister, she…!”
“Something’s gone seriously wrong!”