Chapter 34

“That… this is a misunderstanding, Palace Lord, I didn’t summon you on purpose… No, no, no, I didn’t change the contract on purpose…”

Bai Shuo, nimble as a monkey, jumped up and curled into a corner of the bed, stammering nervously.

Fan Yue watched her silently, without uttering a word.

Bai Shuo forced a nervous smile, looking more distressed than if she were crying.

“I really didn’t mean it… I-I-I was just scared, scared of dying…”

Suddenly, Fan Yue reached out his hand towards Bai Shuo—

“Spare me, Palace Lord! I won’t deceive you again. Please, for the sake of my old and young family members, don’t hold a grudge against me…” Bai Shuo closed her eyes and shouted.

She waited for a while but did not receive the demigod’s wrath that would turn her to dust.

Instead, she felt a warm breath on her face.

Bai Shuo mustered up the courage to open her eyes, only to see the young man close by and poking her face with a finger.

That expression—how to describe it… in Bai Shuo’s words….it’s called curiosity.

What is this situation? Damn it… Bai Shuo didn’t even dare speak out, blinking in confusion.

“I…” Fan Yue slowly uttered a single word.

Finally, some sound! Bai Shuo quickly leaned in to listen, afraid of missing the Lord of Haoyue Palace’s decree. But Fan Yue didn’t continue speaking, leaving Bai Shuo staring at him, full of questions.

“What?”

“You…” Fan Yue uttered another word, tilting his head in bewilderment.

“What?”

What do you mean by ‘I’? What do you mean by ‘you’? What do you want to say?

Bai Shuo internally wailed but then had a sudden realization and ventured a guess, tremblingly pointing at Fan Yue, “Are you asking…who you are?”

The boy nodded.

Bai Shuo immediately pointed at herself, “And who am I?”

The boy nodded again, looking at Bai Shuo with curiosity and confusion.

Bai Shuo silently stared at the boy for a long time before patting his shoulder and shouting, “Good disciple, I am your master. How could you forget me?”

The sun shone brightly in the sky, and it was a rare sultry day in the East Sea. Bai Shuo laid on a wooden rocking chair under a tree, enjoying a comfortable nap.

A lotus leaf shaded her head from the scorching sun, held by an ordinary-looking boy kneeling earnestly under the tree.

The old turtle slowly crawled in from outside the garden and turned into a human form. He was old and frail, but very energetic. He glanced at the two people under the tree and coughed heavily.

Bai Shuo woke up from the noise, yawned, and said, “Old Hei, you’re back…”

The old turtle threw down a basket of herbs with a snort, “You sure have it easy, leaving an old man like me to gather herbs.”

Bai Shuo chuckled, “We had a bet, remember? If I could refine a first-grade elixir, you’d handle the inner island’s herb supply for the month.”

She stretched lazily.

“Waking up naturally every day is so comfortable. No wonder some people enjoy their time after taking on a disciple.Their turtle shells have become lighter, and their drinking skills have improved. They’re just so happy!”

Bai Shuo wore a casual and cheeky smile in front of everyone, but she ruled the small medicine hut with authority.

She glanced at the boy and said, “Mumu, is master right?”

“Yes.”

The boy nodded woodenly, without hesitation.

Bai Shuo patted his shoulder approvingly and said, “Good boy.”

The boy’s eyes lit up, and his lips curled slightly.

Bai Shuo seemed surprised, leaning closer, “Mumu, did you just smile?”

The boy stared at Bai Shuo, dumbfounded.

“Smile again for Master.”

The boy tried to smile again but couldn’t replicate the earlier expression.

“No, no, the angle is wrong. This looks like a sneer, not a smile.” Bai Shuo poked his face with two fingers and said, “A little higher, it should be like this…”

The boy earnestly moved his lips according to Bai Shuo’s guidance, trying to create the desired expression.

“Strange.”

The old turtle on the side looked at the boy under the tree, speechless, “A spirit who has cultivated for a hundred years is actually a fool; only you can pick it up.”

The old turtle muttered while resignedly holding a basket of herbs, and he entered the medicine hut. Just as he set it down, Bai Shuo slipped in quietly and asked, “Old Hei, did you deliver it?”

The old turtle said “um” impatiently.

“And he… um… did he say anything?” Bai Shuo’s heart pounded.

Chong Zhao had gone into seclusion in the back mountain. Bai Shuo didn’t dare see him but was concerned about his injuries, so she had Old Hei secretly deliver the remaining half of the bodhi elixir.

“He did.”

“What did he say?”

“He said thank you.”

“That’s it?”

“He’s the first disciple of the sect leader and an Immortal Lord. Saying thank you is already good enough. What more do you want?”

The old turtle gently mocked her, and Bai Shuo forced a smile and said, “You’re right.”

Before she could dwell on it, the old turtle nudged her, glancing at the boy under the tree, “Girl, even if you don’t need to train in the inner island, you’re now an inner disciple proclaimed by the sect leader. According to the rules, your name is on the Jade Tablet. Taking in a tree spirit without reporting it will get you in trouble if the inner island finds out.”

Bai Shuo, already feeling melancholy, became more so.

She turned her head to look at the boy and muttered, “You are quite young, maybe…”

If the sect leader found out she hid the Lord of Haoyue Palace on the outer island and tricked him into being a tree spirit, he’d probably strike her down with three lightning bolts for betraying her master.

But what could she do? She had to live with her own mistakes.

That night, she had revived the Lord of Haoyue Palace with immense courage, prepared to be beaten to death. Unexpectedly, the revived Fan Yue was like a newly formed spirit, behaving like a child, with barely any demonic energy left. She had foolishly claimed to be his master and immediately regretted it.

However, Fan Yue believed her, calling her master and falling into a deep sleep, holding her. Poor Bai Shuo lay awake, afraid to move until dawn. The next day, the big demon awoke, still calling her master softly.

This nearly killed Bai Shuo.

Bai Shuo couldn’t kill to silence the witness, so she had to accept her fate and live a simple life with Fan Yue.

She made him drink a transformation talisman made from locust wood, hiding his demonic aura and turning him into an ordinary-looking locust spirit.

In the first few days, she was cautious, fearing Fan Yue would regain his senses. But as time passed and the obedient disciple handled all the chores, Bai Shuo grew bolder, becoming a proper “master.”

Behind her, the old turtle snored thunderously, having turned back into a turtle and fallen asleep with its legs in the air after a long day gathering herbs…

Bai Shuo’s thoughts returned to the present. She looked outside just as the boy under the tree glanced her way, pulling the corner of his mouth softly. Bai Shuo felt a shiver but couldn’t help shouting.

“Mumu! I’m hungry!” Bai Shuo called out, hands behind her back, heading outside. The boy obediently got up to prepare a meal.

Watching the boy’s back, Bai Shuo stood under the tree, grinning foolishly.

A demigod as a disciple—this was beyond imagination. Even if she were struck by lightning someday, she’d be remembered in immortal history!

At the entrance of the back mountain cave, Chong Zhao stood atop the peak, a pill filled with spiritual energy floating in his palm.

His gaze lingered on the distant medicine hut among the towering ancient trees of the outer island. A falling leaf startled him awake. Chong Zhao sighed softly, clenched his fist, and turned back into the stone cave. The entrance stone rolled shut, hiding the outside world from view.

A thousand miles away, four powerful phoenix leaves flew from Wutong Phoenix Island, one landing in the Heavenly Palace and the other three in the Demon Realm’s Cold Spring Palace, Jingyou Mountain, and Haoyue Palace.

The Wutong Martial Banquet, a grand event across three realms, was approaching.

Immortals and demons across the realms eagerly awaited this major event. Even the distant East Sea’s Piaomiao Island bustled with excitement. After all, the island hadn’t produced an Immortal Lord in centuries.

Chong Zhao is now qualified to attend, prompting Songfeng to order the selection of new Liuyun disciples in the upcoming month’s competition to accompany Chong Zhao. This decree stirred the inner disciples of Piaomiao Island, eager to shine in the competition for a chance to witness the grand event.

But this excitement had nothing to do with Bai Shuo. She led her little disciple in the herb garden daily, living a carefree life. However, the disciples’ upcoming competition increased the demand for inner island herbs threefold. Even with Old Hei’s four legs working tirelessly, Bai Shuo had no choice but to toil day and night with her foolish disciple, busy as a spinning top.

“Mumu, over here, over here, pick some Mix Dragon Grass… It’s great for foundation building.”

Under the dark sky and fierce wind, Bai Shuo munched on beans, directing her disciple, who was carrying a small medicine basket under the moonlight.

“After this, we’ll check other places for good herbs.”

The night was dark, and the ground was overgrown with weeds, revealing only the faint glow of spirit herbs among the rocks. The boy carefully selected herbs, showing no impatience.

“Sigh.. Being immortal without relying on one’s own cultivation and only depending on elixirs, it’s no wonder that the island hasn’t produced an Immortal Lord in hundreds of years. I’m exhausted…” Bai Shuo mumbled, seeing her little disciple bent over, searching half the night, only to fill a shallow basket.

She couldn’t help but pout.

The inner island just demands elixirs from the medicine hut without considering that Piaomiao Island is only so big. Spirit herbs grow naturally and can’t be conjured out of thin air. There aren’t enough spirit herbs to make all those elixirs. All the spirit herbs on the island were picked, but there weren’t enough. Bai Shuo had no choice but to expand to the surrounding small islands, but after toiling for half the night, the results were minimal.

Her little disciple diligently carried the medicine basket.

Bai Shuo, with a wild herb in her mouth, mumbled instructions, “Disciple, there have been many people coming to the medicine hut lately. You must hide well. Don’t come out during the day. Our Piaomiao sect is a major sect, and little spirits like you aren’t allowed on the island. I took you in because I pitied you. If others find out, I’ll be punished too…”

Hearing no response behind her, Bai Shuo turned around and met her little disciple’s bright eyes. He had picked an immortal peach from somewhere, carefully wiped it clean, and offered it to Bai Shuo.

“Master.. tired..eat.”

Little Mumu had been following the talkative white fox for days, still unable to speak a complete sentence, only able to blurt out one word at a time, yet it made Bai Shuo smile brightly.

“Good boy.”

Bai Shuo took the peach and said, “Oh, and I must remind you, if you encounter someone, just turn into a small locust tree…”

As Bai Shuo spoke, she took a bite of the peach. A surge of spiritual energy flooded her throat, making her shiver. She quickly looked down at the peach in her hand. It was overflowing with spiritual energy, even more so than the fruit from the immortal peach tree hidden on the inner island of Piaomiao.

“Where did you find this?” Bai Shuo hurriedly asked.

Such dense spiritual energy indicated that the place nurturing this peach tree must be a paradise, home to many spirit herbs!

Little Mumu was puzzled as to why Bai Shuo was so happy, but seeing her happy made him happy too. He pointed to a spot three steps away, “There…all there.”

What? Bai Shuo followed his pointing finger but saw nothing but darkness.

“There’s nothing there,” Bai Shuo waved her hand in front of Little Mumu’s eyes, “Disciple, are you seeing things?”

Little Mumu frowned, looking serious, “Yes. Take.. you..to see.”

The boy took Bai Shuo’s hand and reached toward a spot in mid-air. Bai Shuo suddenly had a realization.

How could she forget that the one before her was a big demon, not just a locust spirit? If Fan Yue could see something she couldn’t, it meant there was a barrier!

“Wait! Don’t—”

Before Bai Shuo could stop him, the boy had already extended her hand into the night sky. A flash of light appeared, and the world suddenly brightened, almost blinding Bai Shuo.