Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Shen Ying!” Lonemoon glared at her, you better not be recklessly kind-hearted now.
“Um… I just wanted to point out that, you missed out one.” Shen Ying took a bite of her fruit, then pointed towards Zhi Lin at the side.
Zhi Lin’s face paled instantly, wearing a complete look of disbelief. “Sister Shen…” Tears welled up in her eyes, looking full of grievance like she could start crying anytime.
“Actually…” Shen Ying cocked her head to a side, still exhibiting a languid attitude, her eyes narrowed. “I am quite fond of white lotus flowers 1 , I just don’t like those with a black heart.”
Lonemoon’s brows knitted together. “Fatty, bring her down together!”
“Yes, Master.” Fatty could only turn back to drag her.
“No! I don’t want to leave the mountain.” Zhi Lin was truly panicking this time, tears flowed down as she begged, “Master… Brother, brother help me.” She frantically grabbed on Jian Xing who was beside her.
Jian Xing was also anxious as he kneeled down and implored, “Master, Little Lin did not do anything wrong, why is she being expelled too?” After all, she was his sister.
Lonemoon had yet to speak when Shen Ying suddenly walked over. Taking out a familiar-looking bottle, she handed it to Zhi Lin. “Here, I picked this up, I’m returning it back to you!” That was a bottle of grain liberation pills, which happened to be the same bottle that Zi Yu had given to Shen Ying back then.
Zhi Lin’s face turned ghostly pale at once, even the hand that was grabbing Jian Xing relaxed and fell to her side as she stared at that bottle with disbelief. She… knew everything.
Fatty was also taken aback upon seeing that bottle, she was actually the one who’d instructed Zi Yu to come forward and get Shen Ying to abstain from eating, at a deeper thought, Zi Yu wasn’t a core cultivator, Zhi Lin was. His face darkened instantly as he directly rid her of her cultivation and dragged her out.
“Oh yes!” Just as Fatty was about to step out with the five people in tow, Lonemoon suddenly added, “It seems like I keep forgetting to tell all of you, Shen Ying… she is our actual sect master.”
This time, not only the five disciples who’d been evicted, even the remaining four had abruptly widened their eyes as they looked towards Shen Ying in disbelief. She… was the sect master!
Shen Ying: “…” Was Father Niu conveniently pushing all the responsibility back!
Son of a b*tch!
“Master…” Jian Xing looked towards Lonemoon once again with some urgency.
“I know what you want to say.” Lonemoon stopped him from voicing the words that were already in his mouth and turned to look towards his remaining three disciples at the side before saying in a low voice, “I teach all of you to practice cultivation, because I do hope that you will achieve something in the future and pass on the techniques of cultivation to more people, to protect the common people and lessen suffering in the world. But I hope all of you remember, that I chose you because you happened to appear, and not because you are irreplaceable!”
The few of them were all shocked and their expressions changed as they bowed their heads, even Jian Xing had put down his cupped fists.
Lonemoon glanced at the group that was being brought down the mountain, his eyes narrowing as he commented, “All of you should be glad that Ch… Yi Qing isn’t here today. Otherwise, not just those few, all of you don’t have to dream of leaving the mountain alive.”
“…”
Daring to provoke the cheat, did they think that they were Shen Jing?
—————
It was another watering day.
“Shen Ying, is it really okay to not water the plants today?” Mushroom glanced at the rows of droopy mushrooms beside the immortal meridian and asked with some worry.
“I didn’t eat, I have no energy to do watering.” Shen Ying slumped onto the rock like mud while nibbling on a fruit. “I don’t know when Chef is coming too.” Father Niu said that Chef went to help Rabbit out in supervising the second batch of students of the Purple Night Palace branch of the Civil and Military Academy. He would take some time there and only come back after Rabbit has brainwashed the entire batch.
“Huh? But hasn’t Great Immortal Lonemoon went to make you food?”
The corner of Shen Ying’s lips twitched as she looked at Mushroom with an expression like she couldn’t express herself in a few words. “Sigh, you don’t understand!” If she was given pig feed for meals, she would rather eat snacks everyday. “Want a fruit?” She handed one over.
Mushroom’s eyes lit up and it nodded fervently before receiving it. “Shen Ying you are the best, best person in the entire world.” Mushroom labeled her a good person with an innocent look. “You are the only other person who gives me food other than Little Flower.”
“Does Fatty not?” Shen Ying could not help but ask, don’t the two of you hang out together often?
Mushroom shook its head and pouted a little angrily. “He only gives me carrots and even told me to abstain from eating.”
“…” Sigh, as expected, Rabbit was Fatty’s true love!
“You’re still the best.” Mushroom looked towards her with bright eyes. “Just… why is it that all the fruits you give these few days all have a bite taken out of them already?”
“Um…” Shen Ying went stiff for a moment. “Don’t be mindful of such details.”
“Alright.” Mushroom big-heartedly stopped questioning and added after a moment of thought, “Hui Ze is in low spirits recently, he doesn’t even plant mushrooms with me anymore, I’m so bored being all alone.”
“What’s with him?” Shen Ying kept up the conversation.
“He said he doesn’t know how to teach his disciples and is fretting over what to do in the future.”
“Oh…”
“It’s been so quiet here recently, so many people disappeared. The little sister who was picking herbs the previous time is gone too.” Mushroom said while chomping on the fruit.
“You like her a lot?” Shen Ying looked back.
“Mm…” She thought for a while before nodding. “She was the only one who would talk to me amongst the whole group, I think I do?” It frowned, looking a little confused. “But Hui Ze told me to stay away from her, I don’t know why too. She’s already gone, how do I stay away?”
“Oh.” Shen Ying continued to nibble on her fruit.
“By the way, Shen Ying!” Mushroom held her hand and pointed to the big tree in front, saying, “Do you owe that person a lot of fruits?”
“Hmm?” Shen Ying took a glance and saw a person standing under the tree, looking right in their direction, he seemed slightly familiar. Seems like the Innate Sword Embodiment disciple that Father Niu talked about all day long and boasted in front of Chef a while back, she forgot his name.
“Am I the kind of person who will owe a debt?” A father will pay for his daughter’s debt, even if she did, it would be on Father Niu.
“But he has been staring at us from that spot for four hours.”
“If that’s the case.” Shen Ying’s eyes narrowed. “Then we’ll look back.” Can’t lose out.
“Sure!” Mushroom nodded fervently.
Hence, two gazes landed on the figure under the tree together, not forgetting to nibble on their fruits while staring. All at once, the entire back mountain was filled with the sounds of crunching.
Jian Xing froze for a moment and shifted his eyes away embarrassingly in less than ten seconds. He instantly felt that such actions of his was especially silly, but also somehow had a feeling of being defeated.
He coughed and retracted his gaze with a frown before walking forward and stopping before the two people with an expressionless face. Cupping his fists, he bowed towards Shen Ying respectfully. “Greetings, Sect Master!” His gaze seemed to sweep across Mushroom at the side.
“Mm.” Shen Ying responded lazily.
He clenched the hands by this side, inhaled deeply and said, “Jian Xing come forth this time to apologize to Sect Master on behalf of my sister. I hope that Sect Master would forgive her rude and offensive behavior previously on the account that she is young.”
