After The Death Escape and Ascension, The Male Protagonist of Long Aotian Went Crazy - Chapter 21

Among the group, Qin Xiyan held the highest seniority. She had joined Qingxuan’s tutelage at the age of ten, and every disciple within the sect had to address her as “Senior Sister.”

She had once asked Qingxuan whether he would ever take on another disciple in this lifetime. Qingxuan had only smiled then, without giving an answer.

He had said before that he chose disciples by fate.

If the fated one appeared, he would accept them.

Eight years passed, and he had indeed accepted another disciple.

Qin Xiyan’s calm life suddenly gained a junior brother. She wasn’t sure how to interact with him, but thankfully, he often took the initiative to approach her.

This time, when she was ordered by Qingxuan to instruct a few of the junior brothers, Xie Wanmian had eagerly asked if he could join.

Since Qingxuan now temporarily oversaw the sect, his personal guidance of Xie Wanmian had inevitably been lacking.

After thinking it over, Qin Xiyan nodded and agreed.

But now, looking at the four people standing before her, Qin Xiyan fell silent.

How had things gone from guiding just Wei Shizhou… to four people?

She felt a little pressured.

Her gaze first fell on the brightest among them—Shi Hua.

A flicker of astonishment passed through her eyes.

This was only the second person—besides the Jade-Rinsing Immortal Venerable—who had ever astonished her.

“And this is…?”

Only Wei Shizhou among them knew her.

Qin Xiyan herself had merely received Qingxuan’s sound transmission.

Shi Hua lifted a smile, her gaze locking directly onto Qin Xiyan:

“Greetings, Senior Sister Qin. My name is Jiang Qingwu. I came to Xuanyin Immortal Sect to study.”

“Oh… oh!”

Qin Xiyan’s mind went blank for a second, and she quickly straightened her expression, lowering her lashes to hide her embarrassment.

Such a beautiful girl.

“Well then… let’s begin.”

Qin Xiyan cleared her throat softly and drew her sword.

The Xuanyin Immortal Sect was famed for its countless peach trees. Now, under a sky filled with fluttering blossoms, a young woman in blue held her sword and moved with grace.

Her sword moves were gentle, carrying not a trace of killing intent.

Utterly pleasing to watch.

However—

With a sudden twist of her wrist, Qin Xiyan’s once-serene gaze burst forth with a sharp sword intent. Her movements shifted from gentle and seamless into ruthless killing strikes, the gleaming edge of her sword flashing with dazzling sunlight.

The brilliance stung the eyes.

Xie An instinctively squeezed his eyes shut as a terrifying killing aura swept across his face.

The sword tip had stopped three inches from him without him realizing.

His pupils contracted.

Xie An gulped nervously, forcing out a sheepish grin as he slowly retreated, terrified of bumping forward by accident.

“Se-senior Sister, I—I’ll behave…”

Qin Xiyan withdrew her sword, sweeping her gaze across the four of them.

“The technique I just demonstrated is a life-saving move that every sect disciple must learn. Now, try it.”

Xie An glanced down at his own sword, then at Xie Wanmian beside him—who had already started practicing. His movements were fluid, and unbelievably, he had memorized the entire set after just one look.

Xie An felt crushed.

Same Heavenly-grade spiritual bone—how could the gap be this big?

Clumsily gripping his sword, Xie An kept sneaking glances at his cousin’s form, barely managing to stumble through the set.

Qin Xiyan felt gratified, then turned expectantly toward Wei Shizhou.

With his Heavenly-grade immortal bone, his talent surpassed even that of the Jade-Rinsing Immortal Venerable. Surely his practice would be…

“Senior Sister, I only remembered half.”

“…Hm?”

Qin Xiyan froze.

The two Xie brothers also stopped their practice.

Was that… right?

Wei Shizhou looked perfectly at ease, as though nothing were amiss.

He had never intended to earnestly pursue cultivation—just going through the motions to follow the “script.”

Qin Xiyan tried to console herself.

It’s fine. There are exceptions. Perhaps it’s simply not his time yet… Forget it. She would just have to teach him personally, hand in hand.

Expression stiff, Qin Xiyan walked over.

【Immortal Venerable, you must stop them!】

Shi Hua blinked innocently, slipping between them. With a bashful, almost timid look at Qin Xiyan, she whispered:

“Senior Sister Qin, I can’t do it either…”

Qin Xiyan’s lips parted, but then she heard her continue:

“My talent isn’t as good as theirs. I’m just a mortal bone, so my cultivation will always be slower. Senior Sister Qin, could you… guide me personally?”

The emphasis was on personally.

A chance to break up the male and female lead’s intimacy.

Qin Xiyan immediately turned her head with a smile.

“Mm, I’ll teach you. Don’t worry.”

A soft, sweet junior sister—who wouldn’t like her?

The Jade-Rinsing Immortal Venerable was far too cold and distant for her to approach, but Jiang Qingwu was different. Blooming youth, eyes moist like they could speak—Qin Xiyan had wanted to draw near her from the very first glance.

“Thank you, Senior Sister Qin!”

Shi Hua beamed, linking arms with her and pulling her aside, holding her sword with an eager expression as she sought instruction.

【Mission complete.】

Wei Shizhou, now left aside, felt rather displeased.

“Ah, Junior Brother, your comprehension is decent. You help those two.”

Qin Xiyan called out hurriedly.

“…All right, Senior Sister.”

Xie Wanmian answered gloomily, his face darkening.

Was it only if he acted clueless that she would personally guide him?

Watching Qin Xiyan hold Shi Hua’s hand, gently correcting her grip and patiently leading her through each move again, her face soft with smiles and sprinkled with praise—Xie Wanmian felt a pang in his chest.

“Xie Wanmian, why are you just standing there? Come on!”

Xie An urged him from where he waited with Wei Shizhou.

With a sigh, Xie Wanmian walked over.

Since it was Qin Xiyan’s order, he would do his utmost to teach them thoroughly, without holding anything back.

Xie An, determined not to shame Shi Hua, practiced with unusual focus. Wei Shizhou, on the other hand, lazily swung his sword about, half-hearted at best. Yet oddly enough, each strike was still accurate—though he seemed boneless, constantly pausing for breaks.

Were all Heavenly-grade immortal bones like this?

Xie Wanmian couldn’t understand.

During their rest, the group sat in a pavilion, chatting idly.

Most of the time, it was Xie An talking.

“Senior Sister, since you became a disciple earlier, you must have seen the three Immortal Lords of the sect. But I think I’ve only seen two?”

Qin Xiyan took a sip of tea and nodded.

“When you joined, the Wujie Immortal Lord was in seclusion. A few days ago, I heard from Master that he has emerged, but for some reason, he left the sect—taking his disciple with him.”

Not only was Wujie Immortal Lord missing, so too were the three disciples of the Jin Qing Immortal Lord.

Patient as ever, Qin Xiyan explained each question:

“As for the Jin Qing Immortal Lord’s disciples, I haven’t seen them in years. Apart from his third disciple, who joined later than me, the other two senior brothers should be considered the most senior among us.”

The group grew thoughtful.

The three Immortal Lords were pillars of the sect, their status no lesser than the Jade-Rinsing Immortal Venerable’s. Xuanyin Immortal Sect’s position as the foremost sect owed much to their contributions.

Xie An tilted his head dramatically, then suddenly asked:

“I’ve heard that Master once sealed a demon with a single sword at the Broken Cliff. Senior Sister, do you know about that?”

At once, images of the East Sea surfaced in their minds—an instant freezing of the South Sea, flame and ice twin arts overwhelming all.

Shi Hua perked up with interest, curious to know what these juniors thought of “her.”

Qin Xiyan thought for a moment.

“I don’t know the details. That was ten thousand years ago. But Immortal Venerable is the strongest in this world—even if several sect powerhouses joined forces, they might not be able to defeat her.”

Tribulation stage cultivation, just one step from ascension.

Such terrifying power was something most people could never dream of touching, even in a lifetime.

Xie An’s eyes shone with unrestrained admiration.

“I’d heard Master’s name even back in the mortal realm. To actually be accepted as her disciple—something I never dared dream of! I mustn’t bring shame to Master!”

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

Xie An was simply too lively, like a walking bundle of joy.

The rest of them tended to be calm and even-tempered. After eight years of cultivation, Qin Xiyan’s own emotions had dulled somewhat, but watching Xie An’s spiritedness didn’t irritate her—it was refreshing.

“Wei Shizhou.” Sitting on his right, Xie An nudged him. “You had such strong opinions about my Master before—do you still feel that way?”

Everyone grew curious.

Was there really someone who didn’t revere the Jade-Rinsing Immortal Venerable?

Shi Hua was curious too. Why was Wei Shizhou so hostile toward her? And to think he’d spoken badly of her to Xie An even before they met.

At that time, they hadn’t known each other. She hadn’t even triggered any “plot events” yet—so how could he be speaking against her image?

Shi Hua silently took note for later.

Suddenly the center of everyone’s attention, Wei Shizhou glared at Xie An, but said nothing.

He had nothing to add. How he thought back then was still how he thought now.

Shi Hua found it boring. She had expected something more interesting.

Resting her chin on her finger, she spoke slowly:

“The Jade-Rinsing Immortal Venerable…”

At once, all eyes turned to her.

Even Wei Shizhou couldn’t help but glance over.

“She is the strongest in the world. I had already heard of her during my wanderings. It was precisely because of this that I came to Xuanyin Immortal Sect to study. If I must say it—she is also the one I admire most.”

When it came to praising herself, Shi Hua felt no shame at all.

【Immortal Venerable, that’s so…】

Shi Hua answered with a mental “Mm,” and the system immediately logged off.

“Great minds think alike!”

Xie An leapt to his feet, declaring with delight, looking as though he had just found a kindred spirit.

It was impossible not to laugh.

This disciple of hers was… actually rather adorable.

【Clearly, Xie An is the Immortal Venerable’s little fanboy.】

The system squeezed in one last comment before vanishing.

Shi Hua didn’t quite understand what “little fanboy” meant, but she could guess.

As for Wei Shizhou, his expression was unreadable.

Looking at that face—so like little Shi Hua’s—speaking words of admiration for Shi Hua herself… something about it felt odd.

A bold guess began forming in his heart.

He needed to confirm the answer.

Within Xuanyin Immortal Sect was a library pavilion called Wuya. Disciples were barred from stepping above the tenth floor, but the ten lower levels—an ocean of knowledge—were more than enough for them.

After practice, Wei Shizhou slipped away on the pretext of an errand.

The answer he sought could not be found on the lower floors.

So he went straight to the tenth.

Sweeping across the rows of shelves, his eyes devoured book after book, nearly consuming half the floor’s collection.

“You little disciple—what are you searching for?”

A lazy male voice drifted from the corner.

Wei Shizhou froze, turning to see only a black robe, the man’s face hidden.

His cultivation was extremely high.

“And you are…?”

The black-robed man clapped his hands and stood.

“A nameless wanderer, not worth mentioning. What are you looking for? I know every book in Wuya by heart. I’ve watched you search in vain—better to ask me directly. Perhaps I can give you your answer.”

Wei Shizhou said nothing.

To claim knowledge of every book in Wuya—did he mean all thirteen floors?

If so, this man’s identity was extraordinary indeed.

After careful thought, Wei Shizhou finally asked:

“In your view, if there exists something that can send a person into the past… then might there also exist something that can bring the past into the future?”

The black-robed man laughed heartily.

“What an amusing little disciple! But yes, there is such a saying. There exists the Two Forms Floating-Life Array, which can mirror memories and trap one in the past. By reversal, there could naturally be something that brings a person of the past into the future—though bound by time’s limits.”

Just as he suspected!

He didn’t need specifics.

Jiang Qingwu’s every word and action mirrored Shi Hua’s childhood self. The world could not hold two identical beings. Even counterfeits had flaws—but Jiang Qingwu had none.

Only this theory could explain it.

Wei Shizhou didn’t know from what point in the future Jiang Qingwu had come. Judging by how she seemed not to know him, it must have been before she joined the sect.

Before she became a disciple of Xuanyin Immortal Sect, her name had been Jiang Qingwu.

Not Shi Hua.