Chapter 19: Millennium

“You know, Junior Brother Yuyang, the Vice Sect Leader of Jianmen Mountain was actually Master’s suitor!”

That day, Chen Yuyang was eating dinner in his room when Lingxi suddenly burst in with a bang and then pitter-pattered over to him, shouting as if she had just uncovered some big news.

“Oh, is that so?”

Hearing this, Chen Yuyang couldn’t help but be surprised.

The Vice Sect Leader of Jianmen Mountain and the Sect Leader of Hehuan Sect are quite far apart in status.

If there were any pursuit involved, it would generally be the latter chasing after the former that made more sense.

“Where did you hear that?”

“When I was cultivating sword intent at the square, I overheard some disciples from Baihua Valley gossiping next door. I got curious and listened over, and that’s what they said.”

“That must be nonsense.”

Chen Yuyang raised an eyebrow, not really believing it.

“No, it really isn’t nonsense.”

At that moment, Gu Qiushui’s voice chimed in eagerly as she leaned closer and continued.

“I personally saw it. Six years ago when I came here with Master, the Vice Sect Leader of Jianmen Mountain came to cling to Master, saying he wanted to become Dao companions.”

Chen Yuyang paused mid-bite and then asked, “Then what happened?”

“Master told him not to be delusional and sent him away, but I think there’s a story behind it. Don’t you think Master had some kind of history with that Nie Qi from long ago…?”

Mentioning this, Gu Qiushui’s eyes gleamed with interest, ready to discuss further.

But before she could finish, a hand chop lightly but firmly landed on her head.

“How dare you talk about your Master’s reputation just a few days after he left? Gu Qiushui, you as a senior sister are really setting a fine example!”

A cold voice rang out from behind Gu Qiushui.

Her body trembled, and though she hadn’t turned around yet, the oppressive aura emanating from behind made cold sweat drip down her back.

“Huh, you’re about to breakthrough?”

Suddenly, Tai Lingxuan noticed something, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Y-yes, Master… your disciple senses it too. In about two months, the thunder tribulation will come. Then your disciple will officially step into Nascent Soul Realm.”

Hearing this, Gu Qiushui hurriedly followed the topic, “This is all thanks to Junior Brother.”

Tai Lingxuan nodded but her gaze shifted toward the boy beside them.

Did Yuyang use the Spirit Stones he left to buy the perfect heavenly materials for Qiushui?

Thirty top-grade Spirit Stones to do this—this kid must have put in a lot of effort.

“Since you’re about to breakthrough, go back and focus on cultivation, and stop gossiping here.”

Tai Lingxuan admonished sternly once more.

Gu Qiushui quickly agreed and found an excuse to escape, afraid that Tai Lingxuan might reprimand her further if she stayed.

On the other side, Lingxi bit her lip, both hands gripping the stool, her calves nervously crossed as she trembled.

Only Chen Yuyang remained calm, continuing to eat his meal as usual.

“You little girl, don’t believe every rumor you hear. Alright, you should go cultivate too.”

Tai Lingxuan was a bit gentler with Lingxi, but she still gave her head a couple of light pats as a mild scolding.

Feeling like she’d been pardoned, Lingxi immediately jumped down from the chair and scampered back to her room.

Tai Lingxuan then sat down in front of Chen Yuyang and quietly studied the boy.

“There’s nothing between him and me.”

“It’s always been one-sided. Even in the past, I only regarded him as a normal friend.”

Suddenly, Tai Lingxuan spoke.

Her unexpected explanation made Chen Yuyang pause again mid-meal.

After a few moments, Chen Yuyang nodded and uttered a soft “hmm.”

Seeing the boy’s indifferent reaction, Tai Lingxuan grew a little anxious, a faint blush coloring her exquisite face.

“Yuyang, to be honest, your Master is still a…”

Tai Lingxuan wanted to say ‘virgin,’ but then thought about how she was no longer that now…

Her first time had already been with the boy before her.

“In any case, nothing ever happened between him and me.”

Biting her lip, Tai Lingxuan struggled to look sincere.

Chen Yuyang’s eyelids twitched slightly, and he quickly said, “Master, I really understand…”

“I won’t misunderstand or overthink.”

At these words, Tai Lingxuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded gently.

But then she began to wonder if it was a bit inappropriate to explain so hard…

Before she could think further, Chen Yuyang spoke:

“Master, while you were away, your disciple stumbled upon a windfall and earned some Spirit Stones.”

Then Chen Yuyang recounted the story of the mysterious old man he had tricked and how he gained the windfall.

Tai Lingxuan listened, stunned.

But then she seemed to realize something and excitedly asked:

“Yuyang, this is your opportunity. If I’m not mistaken, this jade pendant might be a token left behind by that mysterious old man, or even proof of some special inheritance… Where is the jade pendant now?”

“I auctioned it off.”

Chen Yuyang said straightforwardly.

Tai Lingxuan’s lips parted in disbelief.

“What? Auctioned… How much did you get?”

Chen Yuyang slowly raised four fingers.

“Four hundred Spirit Stones is not small, but compared to such a chance, it’s nothing at all, Yuyang, you were too impulsive!”

“Master, it was four thousand top-grade Spirit Stones.”

Chen Yuyang corrected her.

Tai Lingxuan’s words caught in her throat, her mouth still slightly open.

“How, how much exactly?”

“Four thousand two hundred twenty-five Spirit Stones.”

This time, Chen Yuyang gave a more precise figure.

A number so unreal it nearly took her breath away.

Silence stretched on for dozens of heartbeats.

“T-That’s still not acceptable. Yuyang, do you know who bought that jade pendant?”

Tai Lingxuan suddenly stood up, as if she’d made up her mind.

Seeing her reaction, Chen Yuyang paused, guessing what she was thinking.

He sighed resignedly and stood too.

“Master… forget it.”

“Your disciple has deep fortune and doesn’t care much about this.”

“Besides, the pendant has already been sold. If you asked me to break my word now, wouldn’t that give rise to a heart demon?”

“But, but this…”

Tai Lingxuan wanted to protest, but Chen Yuyang interrupted firmly.

“Master, I’m not a child anymore. I want to make my own decisions.”

Looking at the boy’s serious expression, feeling the unintentional domineering and authority he exuded,

Tai Lingxuan felt her own presence as Master weaken, and she unconsciously answered:

“Y-Yes…”

Tai Lingxuan sat back down, and Chen Yuyang resumed his seat and continued eating.

After a long while, Tai Lingxuan finally came to her senses, realizing she had been scolded by this kid instead.

She blushed a little.

But what he said made sense.

Heart demons often arise from the smallest matters and are the hardest to guard against.

Indeed…Yuyang was already grown. He had his own ideas and decisions.

If it’s his choice, as Master, she should not interfere too much.

Four thousand top-grade Spirit Stones, if used well, could bring him many benefits.

Just as Tai Lingxuan was thinking this, the boy pushed a spatial ring toward her.

“What’s this…?”

“This contains the Spirit Stones from the auction. I kept a little over two hundred for myself. The rest, four thousand, all for you, Master.”

Tai Lingxuan’s eyes widened and her tone rose several octaves:

“Yuyang, don’t joke around. These are your Spirit Stones. How can I accept them?”

“Master, I don’t need so many Spirit Stones. Instead, the sect’s reconstruction and other senior and junior sisters’ breakthroughs require a large expenditure of Spirit Stones.”

Chen Yuyang said calmly.

Tai Lingxuan was stunned.

Spirit Stones useless?

If Spirit Stones were useless, why would cultivators clamor for them?

Spirit Stones aren’t just currency; they’re indispensable in formations, forging, alchemy, and even cultivation.

If one can absorb Spirit Stones instead of natural spiritual energy during training, growth accelerates greatly.

This amount of Spirit Stones could equip Yuyang with a full set of grade-four gear and buy many heavenly materials needed for breakthroughs…

Did Yuyang not realize how significant these Spirit Stones were for himself?

No, this kid was so mature; he must have known.

Yet he still didn’t hesitate to hand over the Spirit Stones he’d earned with his opportunity.

Or rather, the reason Yuyang sold the jade pendant instead of keeping it might have been for the sect all along…

At that moment, Tai Lingxuan felt as if her heart had been violently hammered.

It hurt.

This child was willing to sacrifice and give so much…

Guilt.

Such guilt.

As Master… she could do nothing for him…

At this moment, Tai Lingxuan even felt like a vampire sucking blood from the boy.

Not only could she give him nothing, but this child was also overdrawing on his limitless potential to make up for the sect’s deficit.

Tai Lingxuan’s eyes reddened.

But she could not cry.

As Master…

How could she shed tears before her disciple?

Meanwhile…

Chen Yuyang had no idea how much Tai Lingxuan was imagining.

When he said the Spirit Stones were useless, he meant it completely sincerely.

Only, noticing the change in her expression and the redness in her eyes, he felt a little guilty.

Had he done something wrong?

Lowering his head to eat, Chen Yuyang pretended not to notice.

“Sss—”

Tai Lingxuan took a shaky breath.

“Yuyang… I understand your intentions, but I still can’t accept these Spirit Stones.”

Chen Yuyang was silent.

After a long while, he sighed softly and finally looked up at her.

“If that’s the case, then Master can hold onto these Spirit Stones for me temporarily.”

“My strength is low. Carrying a fortune like this would attract envy.”

“As for the duration… let’s set it for a thousand years for now.”

Saying this number, Chen Yuyang smiled slyly.

Tai Lingxuan was stunned.

A thousand years…

Temporary custody?

Her lifespan as a Coalescent Realm cultivator was only a little over a thousand years.

In other words, this was basically a pile of Spirit Stones “not to be returned until death.”

“Th-That won’t do, Yuyang, you…”

“Master, are you unwilling to hold them for your disciple?”

Before Tai Lingxuan could speak, Chen Yuyang blinked with an innocent look and retorted.

This expression and question left Tai Lingxuan unable to argue, so she nodded in agreement.