Volume One, Chapter 13: Pursuing a Familiar Scent

Early in the morning, Jiu Ze was already awake. Although he felt some resentment about recognizing Bai Zhi as his master, thinking about her abilities made him somewhat eager. If he could learn her skills in alchemy and artifact forging, he would willingly accept her as his master.

He knocked on Bai Zhi’s door, but there was no response. Pushing open the slightly ajar door, he found that Bai Zhi was not inside at all.

“Didn’t she promise to teach me cultivation? Where the hell has that old hag run off to?” Jiu Ze sat restlessly in her room until noon, a trace of worry creeping into his anxious heart.

By dusk, Bai Zhi still hadn’t shown up, and Jiu Ze began to panic. Could it be that she missed her other disciples and had returned to Yunqing Sect?

“Damn it, she left me here without a word!” He slammed the table, his face darkening as he stood abruptly, then dashed out of the inn, heading straight toward Yunqing Sect.

...

As night fell, the town’s lights flickered on. Bai Zhi had spent the whole day searching the town, only sensing that familiar aura but never finding the person. Of course, if that old man didn’t want to see her, she was powerless.

Bai Zhi smiled slyly, took out a bottle of fine wine she had treasured for years, and sat beneath the bridge tunnel by the river. She uncorked the bottle, letting the fragrant aroma spread.

“Oh well... since there’s no one to drink with me, I’ll just drink alone...” she said, raising the bottle. But just as it was about to touch her lips, a cold wind swept by and the wine jug vanished from her hand.

On the bridge above, a graceful young man held the wine jug, took a sip, and sighed appreciatively at the quality. He was handsome and elegant, his long hair fluttering in the breeze like an immortal. Yet when he spoke, Bai Zhi couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.

“Why didn’t you bring out the good wine earlier? You’re making me, an old man, have to snatch it myself,” the man said in a clear voice that belied his refined appearance. When he rolled his eyes, a black mole on the whites of his eyes became visible.

It was said that Master Chen Qing was a recluse, a mysterious figure rarely seen, but only Bai Zhi knew that he wandered among mortals daily, disguising himself in various appearances. Once, when he wanted to experience life in the royal court, he appeared as a eunuch, skulking obsequiously by the empress’s side.

His disguise was flawless; the only giveaway was the mole in the eye whites, visible only when he rolled his eyes. He was the most unreliable recluse anyone had ever seen.

“I pay my respects, Master,” Bai Zhi knelt respectfully.

“Tsk...” Chen Qing sipped his wine, glancing sideways at Bai Zhi. “When did you become so respectful, little girl?”

“Master, you made it so easy for me to find you...” Bai Zhi smiled bitterly, leaping up beside him. “You’ve long received my talisman kite, so why appear only now?”

Chen Qing raised an eyebrow. “I disagree.”

Bai Zhi was stunned.

“Master… you…”

“Are you really so upset over that trivial matter?” Chen Qing looked at her with bewilderment. “Are you willing to abandon your lifelong bond with Ling Qing, and all those disciples you’ve painstakingly raised since childhood?”

Bai Zhi’s expression darkened. Indeed, the bigger events had yet to occur, so perhaps to others, she was overreacting.

Seeing her dazed look, Chen Qing chuckled lightly. Though he hadn’t been by those two children’s sides as a master all these years, he had never truly left, always guarding his two disciples under different guises. He had watched this girl grow up and understood her thoughts well.

She was sentimental and devoted; if she wasn’t truly heartbroken, she would never let go.

“Master.”

Bai Zhi raised her eyes, knelt solemnly with determination in her gaze.

“Please, Master, give me the marriage token. I have made up my mind.”

“Pfft... cough, cough...” Chen Qing didn’t expect her to be so resolute and was startled enough to spew out the wine in his mouth.

Bai Zhi hurried to pat his back. After a long cough, Chen Qing recovered, his expression turning serious.

“Zhi’er, why?”

For a moment, Bai Zhi couldn’t explain. She couldn’t say that if she didn’t sever ties with them, they might kill her. Nor could she reveal Lin Caibing’s matter, for Chen Qing would never forgive her.

After all, the Demon Emperor was no ordinary figure. Without Lin Caibing, entrusting the matter to others would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Moreover, in previous lifetimes, the image of Chen Qing having his golden core cut open alive was still vivid in her mind...

In this life, this world-weary old man was also someone Bai Zhi wished to protect.

“Master, please grant me this.”

Looking at Bai Zhi’s raised hands, Chen Qing’s eyes flashed with complex emotions.

“You two chose to become Dao companions together. Now, I want you both to make this choice again.”

Bai Zhi turned her face away. “I don’t want to see him.”

“I’ve been away for only a few years. What on earth happened between you two?”

Chen Qing was more puzzled but still resolute.

“You swore to Heaven when you formed your Dao companionship. To break it now means facing the punishment of the Three Heavenly Thunderbolts!”

“Master, I’m not afraid!”

“I’m not afraid, but I am!” Chen Qing said.

He feared she wouldn’t endure it and would harm her body.

Chen Qing shook the empty wine jug lazily.

“Come with me to a place first. Calm your heart, then we’ll go to Yunqing Sect together to find Ling Qing.”

“...Alright...” Bai Zhi sighed. If Master wanted her to calm down, she would calm down.

No matter how calm a good horse is, it never eats its old grass again.

This life, she would no longer care about those disciples.

Thinking of her disciples, Bai Zhi was suddenly shocked.

“Wait! Master! I still have something to do!”

After sensing Chen Qing’s aura, she had searched all day and completely forgotten Jiu Ze!

*

Rushing back to the inn, Bai Zhi only saw a broken window. She searched everywhere but still found no sign of Jiu Ze.

Chen Qing leaned casually against the doorframe, arms crossed. His carefree youthful face held a faint, indifferent gaze.

“Who are you looking for?”

“My disciple.”

“You personally take disciples down the mountain... is it the fourth or the sixth?”

“Those are his disciples, not mine. I have only one disciple.”

“Oh? Who?”

“Jiu Ze, my newly accepted disciple. I will bring him to pay respects to the Patriarch someday.”

At the mention of the name, Chen Qing’s eyes flickered with surprise.

“Jiu Ze... son of the Old Demon King?”

Bai Zhi nodded, anxiously casting spells to search for his aura in the vicinity, but found nothing.

“You actually gave up your Dao companion and the disciples you raised with your own hands, only to take in a demon as your disciple?”

A dangerous glint flashed in Chen Qing’s eyes, and his tone grew cold.

Bai Zhi ignored him and cast another spell, expanding her search.

“I think you really need some quiet time,” Chen Qing said, suddenly grabbing Bai Zhi’s wrist, breaking her spell.

“Come with me.”

“Wait, Master, Jiu Ze—”

A powerful pressure overwhelmed Bai Zhi, leaving her unable to resist. Chen Qing seized her, mounted his sword, and soared into the distance.