The Beloved Master's Mad Dog Disciple - Chapter 16

She should treat her better.

Bo Xuenong stared at Shen Yanting in disbelief. Over the years, their relationship had always been reserved, unlike the intimate bond between Feng Yingbo and Feng Jin or the cold, silent distance between Cui Huaizhou and his disciples. They existed somewhere in between—not particularly close, but never distant either.

She had always believed that her relationship with Shen Yanting represented the ideal master-disciple dynamic. Feng Yingbo was too informal, Cui Huaizhou too strict, while Shen Yanting struck the perfect balance: maintaining the dignity of a master without spoiling her disciple.

Bo Xuenong genuinely didn’t want Shen Yanting to take another disciple, but as an obedient disciple, she would never dare to request anything of her master.

To hear Shen Yanting declare herself the only one for life was both shocking and intensely joyful.

Spiritual energy amplified the words, echoing three times through Warm Moon Hall to ensure every soul present heard them clearly.

He Yongshi’s face darkened instantly. “Elder Shen, I hope you won’t regret this!”

Shen Yanting ignored him. He Yongshi glared at her flawless face, deeply resentful that his dream of a beautiful master and handsome disciple had shattered. His cold gaze swept over Bo Xuenong, brimming with hostility and malice. If his strength allowed, he would have found a way to make her disappear.

Bo Xuenong was too thrilled to care about He Yongshi’s resentment. She couldn’t suppress the madly rising corners of her lips, her eyes sparkling with joy.

Even though she had heard clearly, she still needed to confirm: “Master, do you really mean it?”

Shen Yanting understood Bo Xuenong far better than the latter realized. Bound by her Bloodline, Bo Xuenong struggled to form genuine attachments, yet she held deep respect for the woman who had raised her. Shen Yanting had tested Bo Xuenong countless times: whatever she asked, Bo Xuenong would strive to fulfill, even forcing herself to be a good Senior Sister despite disliking most of the Sect members.

Shen Yanting forced a smile and softened her voice.

She wished Bo Xuenong could live more freely and spontaneously, but it was impossible. Shen Yanting carried a mission, while Bo Xuenong bore the burden of her Bloodline. Any lapse in vigilance would invite tragedy to repeat itself. Shen Yanting trusted her disciple, but she could never trust Bo Xuenong’s Bloodline—the bloody precedents were too numerous.

Her heart ached for Bo Xuenong’s forced performance, yet her reason reminded her that Bo Xuenong’s self-imposed restraint was for the best.

Shen Yanting could do little more than patiently guide Bo Xuenong. She also made it a point to appear before her whenever she sensed Bo Xuenong’s anger rising. Perhaps because Bo Xuenong had always regarded her as a mentor, her mood seemed to brighten slightly whenever they met. Her forced smiles would gain a hint of sincerity, and her self-control and forbearance would strengthen.

Having grown accustomed to Bo Xuenong’s thin, restrained smiles, Shen Yanting was momentarily stunned by the radiant, genuine smile that suddenly lit up her face.

A honeyed sweetness seemed to seep from her eyes, carrying with it a delicate, fragrant sweetness.

With the artifice and restraint gone from the curve of her lips, their color seemed to deepen into a more vibrant hue.

In Shen Yanting’s memory, Bo Xuenong had seemed to skip the carefree innocence of girlhood long ago. She had almost forgotten when Bo Xuenong had begun to play the role of gentle kindness, only remembering that she had suppressed her Innate Nature for an impossibly long time.

For the first time, Shen Yanting felt that Mo Tingshu was wrong. Even with her unique circumstances, Bo Xuenong deserved to be loved.

She had said this because she didn’t want to take Lin Yongshi as a disciple, and Cui Huaizhou’s sarcastic remark about changing masters had irritated her. Besides, she had never intended to take any disciples at all; accepting Bo Xuenong had been an accident. In smaller sects like the Imperial Tranquility Sect, it was normal for cultivators to take disciples around a hundred years old, since weaker cultivation meant shorter lifespans. A cultivator who only lived for two centuries might reasonably take a disciple at the age of one hundred. But in the Cloudmist Sect, where every member was a peerless genius with an exceptionally long lifespan, disciples were taken much later. Mo Tingshu had only accepted Shen Yanting as her first disciple at the age of two thousand. Shen Yanting, having taken Bo Xuenong at a mere thousand years old, still had much to learn about being a proper mentor.

Compared to Mo Tingshu’s kindness toward her, Shen Yanting felt she wasn’t treating Bo Xuenong well enough.

Shen Yanting selectively forgot Mo Tingshu’s words about never truly accepting Bo Xuenong as her disciple. Suddenly, she felt a strange urge to prolong Bo Xuenong’s honey-sweet smile. She raised her hand, extending her forearm slightly forward, tempted to touch that radiant smile. But before her fingers could make contact, she froze.

Bo Xuenong saw Shen Yanting raise her hand, as if about to touch her face, but the hand stopped halfway.

Without hesitation, Bo Xuenong gauged the distance between them with her eyes, ignoring what others might think. She bent her knees, her waist following suit, and hunched her shoulders, smoothly pressing her cheek into Shen Yanting’s palm. “Master,” she chirped obediently.

Pressed against Shen Yanting’s half-raised palm in an awkward pose, Bo Xuenong made Shen Yanting’s eyebrows twitch. Her desire to coax the girl grew stronger. “I’m not lying,” she said. “You really will be my only disciple.”

“Master!” Bo Xuenong’s joy doubled at the satisfying answer.

Her pearly white teeth flashed eagerly into the air, her soft face contorted into a silly grin.

Shen Yanting watched, a faint smile curving her lips as a hint of amusement flickered in her eyes.

The frost that perpetually clung to her gaze melted slightly at the edges, and the cool, melted snow trickled down in tiny droplets of laughter, seeping slowly from her eyes into her heart.

Bo Xuenong instinctively touched her chest. “Master, were you just smiling?”

Shen Yanting withdrew her hand stiffly, ignoring the question. But Feng Jin’s inner voice answered for her:

Ahhh! Yes! She smiled! Why does Martial Aunt Shen insist on playing the strict teacher? If she just smiled at Eldest Senior Sister eight hundred times a day, I guarantee the Eldest Senior Sister wouldn’t even think about destroying the world, let alone killing anyone. Just managing to keep up with her cultivation would be a testament to her willpower… The author set her up as a charismatic heartbreaker, meant to use her charm to win over the Eldest Senior Sister… Hmm, so the Eldest Senior Sister is just easily smitten? No problem! Love stopping murder is such a great trope! I’ll ship it first!

What nonsense was she spouting?

Bo Xuenong understood some of Feng Jin’s words, but others were incomprehensible.

She glanced strangely in Feng Jin’s direction, but as soon as her gaze drifted over, Feng Jin’s inner voice immediately shifted.

No way! Is Eldest Senior Sister trying to kill me again?! I’m a good person! I swear to the heavens I’d never harm her or Martial Aunt Shen! I’m more afraid of her dying than she is! Why doesn’t she look at He Yongshi? He’s the real bastard! His arrival at the Imperial Tranquility Sect wasn’t a coincidence—Guan Caimei chose all those new disciples as Dual Cultivation partners for herself, plain and simple. They were just Guan Caimei’s reserve provisions, planted with the Nirvana Soul Technique before being sent here. The fact that they’re even conscious now is thanks to Eldest Senior Sister killing Guan Caimei! And now he’s threatening Martial Aunt Shen? Eldest Senior Sister! He stabbed you in the back! Kill him now! …Forget it, killing this points-less guy isn’t worth it. I’ll wait until he has points before finishing him off.

Ding! Wrongful kill will deduct fifty points…

Points?

Bo Xuenong heard another voice in Feng Jin’s mind—cold, steady, and… not quite human. More importantly, she could now hear Feng Jin’s thoughts with increasing clarity. The additional voice remained indistinct, offering no further clues, but it only deepened her suspicion that Feng Jin was becoming increasingly strange.

She couldn’t confront her directly with so many people around. Perhaps she should visit Phoenix Spirit Mountain again tonight. She refused to believe Feng Yingbo would still be sleeping with Feng Jin!

If it had been her own affair, Bo Xuenong wouldn’t have been so intensely curious. But Feng Jin’s inner thoughts kept revealing glimpses of her deep knowledge about Shen Yanting. She had to uncover Feng Jin’s origins and identify the source of that second voice echoing within her.

So engrossed was Bo Xuenong in listening to Feng Jin’s thoughts that she completely missed He Yongshi’s sharp, knife-like gaze.

He Yongshi seethed at being ignored, yet he knew full well that despite the Imperial Tranquility Sect’s weakness, he couldn’t defeat any of its Elders or Inner Sect Disciples. He could only hurl a venomous threat before turning to leave, followed by the crowd that had surrounded Warm Moon Hall.

Once the hall was empty, Cui Huaizhou casually asked, “Should we count how many people are left in the Imperial Tranquility Sect?”

The sole male disciple standing behind him spoke up, “Master, He Yongshi took all the disciples with any aptitude for cultivation. The outer sect is now left with only those who have no hope of advancement and the elderly who can barely move. I’d estimate about ten or so remain.”

Cui Huaizhou turned to Shen Yanting with a mocking smile. “Senior Sister Shen, did you hear that? You don’t seem at all concerned about the sect’s decline. Well, you are the Sect Leader of the Cloudmist Sect’s prized disciple—even if you’ve been cast out, you still look down on our Imperial Tranquility Sect and couldn’t care less about its fate.”

Fu Yunqing’s face paled. “Senior Brother Cui, what exactly are you trying to say?”