Ling Luo never expected that her casual remarks would spread throughout the entire Tianji in such a short time.
Yun Shou Xi’s popularity in Eastern Island Tianji was truly impressive.
Yu Xiu frowned, still confused.
Ling Luo reached out her hands and said, “Second Senior Brother, let me take these.”
She took the dew and moon grass from Yu Xiu’s arms.
“Why is everyone suddenly collecting dew today?” Yu Xiu looked at several disciples hanging from trees ahead, puzzled. “And what does this have to do with Master?”
Ling Luo said with a straight face, “Perhaps they want to collect the essence of heaven and earth to show filial respect to Master. Second Senior Brother, let’s hurry, we’ll be late if we don’t go now!”
Shouxin Hall was where disciples practiced the sect’s core cultivation methods.
New inner disciples had to train there for at least a year.
During this time, senior brothers and sisters would accompany and teach their junior disciples.
Ling Luo spent the entire morning at Shouxin Hall, returning to Shen Tower with Yu Xiu for lunch.
Yun Shouxi sat behind the table, watching his two disciples return with dew and moon grass.
After careful consideration of his words, Yu Xiu said, “Master, these are gifts from disciples of the three sects for you.”
Ling Luo sat obediently to the side, eyes downcast without speaking, silently placing the bottle and basket on the table.
Yun Shouxi glanced at them, showing no irritation. He merely smiled at Ling Luo and said, “The Sect Leader and several hall masters also sent me quite a bit this morning.”
Ling Luo’s fingernails lightly dug into her palm as she tried to contain herself.
Yu Xiu heard this and was momentarily confused, not understanding the meaning.
Yun Shouxi continued, “Since others have all sent gifts, why haven’t I seen any gesture from my two disciples?”
Yu Xiu said, “Please don’t blame us, Master. It’s just that I don’t understand why Master would want this dew and moon grass?”
With a smile lingering at the corners of his lips, Yun Shouxi looked at Ling Luo and said, “Hasn’t your little junior sister told you?”
Yu Xiu was slightly startled and turned to look at Ling Luo.
Ling Luo knew she couldn’t remain silent any longer. She lowered her head and obediently admitted her mistake, “Master, I acknowledge my error.”
Yun Shouxi extended his hand, his fingers long and slender with defined knuckles. He flicked open the bottle cap and glanced at the clear dew inside.
“What error have you committed?” he asked gently.
Ling Luo said, “This morning when chatting with fellow disciples about Master, they asked what Master likes to eat. Because Master appears as an immortal in my eyes, I said that immortals eat moon grass and drink dew.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiu finally understood and couldn’t help but smile slightly, the corner of his mouth turning up.
Yun Shouxi poured a small cup of dew and took a piece of moon grass. True to its nature, nurtured at the peak of the immortal mountain, it had a bright color, resembled a moon, was thin and delicate, and carried a faint fragrance.
He placed the moon grass in the cup and handed it to Ling Luo, “Would you like a taste?”
Ling Luo couldn’t refuse, so she accepted it and drank. With a piece of cold moon grass in her mouth, she looked at him while inwardly complaining that she should never have accepted the invitation to join that jade listener discussion group. This hadn’t happened in her previous life.
Yun Shouxi reached out and made a gesture that seemed extremely intimate to Ling Luo.
His warm fingertip lightly wiped away the moisture at the corner of her lips, and he softly asked, “Does it taste good?”
Ling Luo: “…”
Pervert.
How dare he touch her like this in front of Second Senior Brother!
Yet Yu Xiu didn’t find anything inappropriate about it.
In his mind, his pure and elegant master would never have any low or dirty thoughts toward his little junior sister.
Ling Luo didn’t answer directly, only saying, “Disciple acknowledges her mistake and awaits Master’s punishment.”
Yun Shouxi smiled and said, “I haven’t had time to decide on a punishment, but Hall Master Fan has already decided for me.”
He withdrew his hand, his posture dignified and elegant, his words typically gentle: “According to the rules of the Discipline Hall, go and receive your punishment.”
“Disciple will go at once.” Ling Luo rose, bowed her head, and took her leave, heading toward the Discipline Hall.
Yu Xiu turned to look at Yun Shouxi, wanting to plead for Ling Luo, but stopped when he saw his master’s expression.
Ling Luo remembered that in her previous life, when she had first entered the inner sect, she had stayed by Yun Shouxi’s side, behaving properly, not causing trouble or making mischief, only cultivating all day. But now, with a completely different mindset, unexpected things are happening.
Both the outer and inner sects had Discipline Halls. Ling Luo went to the inner sect’s Discipline Hall and was punished by being sent to clean the Samsara Realm.
The Samsara Realm was located at the boundary between the inner and outer sects, a place where Tianji imprisoned disciples who had committed serious crimes and demons.
Some disciples, after experiencing the world, violated sect rules, committed heinous acts, or practiced forbidden arts of the immortal sects, allying with demons.
The sect leader would issue an arrest warrant for such individuals, either to bring them back to Tianji for imprisonment or execute them on the spot.
Ten years ago, the Second Sect Leader’s most beloved personal disciple had colluded with demons to wreak havoc in the mortal world, inciting public anger. The sect leader had no choice but to order his capture and return to the mountain, but the elders and disciples sent to apprehend him were all killed.
In the end, the three sect leaders went together to capture him and imprisoned him in the Samsara Realm.
He was originally to be executed, but the Second Sect Leader knelt and begged for mercy for his disciple. As a result, he was only imprisoned in a place without sunlight, suffering the consuming fires of karma, and never allowed to leave the realm.
With his beloved disciple straying from righteousness, killing fellow disciples, and incurring public wrath, the Second Sect Leader felt deeply responsible. He went into seclusion to atone for his sins and has not emerged to this day.