Chapter 37 : After the Dispersal

Chapter 37: After the Dispersal

Plans had failed to keep up with changes.

Originally, the two of them had thought the target was merely an ordinary hometown genius.

They could shamelessly go up, strike up a bit of familiarity, and try to build a connection.

It would be embarrassing, sure, but it counted as standard procedure.

But now, that genius had actually turned into their own maidservant!

The little schemes in Long Tao’s heart instantly wilted away, replaced instead by an indescribable sense of awkwardness and embarrassment.

What was more, at this very moment, Xiao Ying was surrounded layer upon layer by the Sect Master and elders, who were fussing over her with warmth and care.

Her status was already worlds apart from before.

The two of them—mere Qi-Refining small fry—didn’t have the slightest chance to squeeze their way in.

“Old Dong, let’s withdraw for today,” Long Tao tugged at Dong Jiayuan’s sleeve, his voice a little dry.

“I’ll go back later and send a spirit pigeon letter home to ask about the situation. After that, we’ll plan again.”

“Mm,” Dong Jiayuan nodded, then suddenly reacted sharply.

“No, wait! I reckon you won’t even need to send a letter! Your family’s letter is probably already on the way! Maybe… it’s even tucked on Xiao Ying herself!”

Hearing this, Long Tao slapped his forehead hard, revealing an expression of “How did I not think of that?”

He cast one more complicated glance toward the familiar figure in the distance, who was being treated like the center of the stars.

Then, carrying a heart full of unease and a trace of inexplicable panic, he quietly withdrew from the crowded plaza together with Dong Jiayuan.

……

Not long after Long Tao and the others left, Xiao Ying finally managed—under the “protection” of her master, True Person Zhiying—to break free from the overly enthusiastic encirclement of the elders and return together to that sword-shaped Rending-Cloud.

Inside the vessel cabin, it quieted down.

Only then did Xiao Ying let out a small sigh of relief.

Hesitating for a moment, she still spoke softly, “Master… just now, I seemed to see my young master.”

“Oh?” True Person Zhiying, who was gazing at her newly acquired precious disciple with eyes full of affection, lifted her brows slightly upon hearing this.

“The one you mentioned before—the young master who told you things like ‘space and time are originally one,’ and ‘the flow of time is related to speed’?”

Her tone was gentle, but inwardly she felt rather unconvinced.

There were plenty of madmen in this world who concocted shocking theories just to stand out and attract attention.

Even if one or two sentences happened to be right by sheer luck, what did that prove? It was nothing more than a lucky coincidence.

After all, all sect disciples—including menial disciples—had to go through a special procedure upon entering the sect: sensing a fragment that contained a trace of her sword intent.

If anyone could feel even the slightest fluctuation of time power from it, they would immediately be listed by the sect as a key observation target and would never be buried or overlooked.

Yet for decades now, not a single one had succeeded.

That so-called young master she spoke of had clearly been filtered out by this very mechanism—a mediocre nobody.

Since that was the case, what was there worth paying attention to in a mortal who could not comprehend time?

Still, since he was an old master remembered by her precious disciple, True Person Zhiying did not wish to appear overly cold.

She pondered inwardly: later, she could give that fellow—what was his name, Long Tao?—a mild warning.

If he knew what was good for him, then for her disciple’s sake, tossing him a bit of spirit stones or pills as petty compensation would be acceptable.

But if he failed to recognize the situation and tried to leverage that meager master-servant bond from his mortal days—or worse, opened his mouth like a lion asking for the moon…

A faint, nearly imperceptible cold glint flashed through True Person Zhiying’s eyes.

In that case, she would not mind using some “overzealous” methods to make him thoroughly recognize reality.

With her decision made, the smile on her face grew even more kindly.

She gently patted Xiao Ying on the shoulder.

“In any case, I’ll first take you back to Zhiying Peak to get settled. Once things on your side are stable, it won’t be too late to go find your young master and explain the situation.”

She paused, her tone sounding quite considerate of the other party.

“You’re in the limelight right now. Who knows how many pairs of eyes are watching you. If you rashly go to find him, you might instead bring him unnecessary trouble and attention. Do you understand?”

“Ah… so that’s how it is,” Xiao Ying nodded as if half-understanding, feeling that her master’s words made a lot of sense.

She obediently replied, “Disciple understands. I’ll follow Master’s arrangements in everything.”

True Person Zhiying smiled in satisfaction.

Half of what she said came from private motives—she did not want her precious disciple to be too deeply entangled with an old master the moment she entered the sect.

The other half, however, was indeed reality.

Cases where servants rose up through talent and far surpassed their former masters were not uncommon within the sect.

In most situations, both sides would feel rather awkward.

Some servants who gained power would even choose to avoid meeting altogether, cutting off contact for life to spare mutual embarrassment.

But then the little girl frowned again and said,

“It’s just that… Young Master showed me great kindness. If I pretend not to see him at all, I always feel like there’s a hurdle in my heart that I can’t get past…”

……

After True Person Zhiying and her disciple departed aboard that sharp, sword-like cloud vessel, tearing through the air, the crowd in the plaza gradually dispersed as well.

The elders either rode escape lights away or gathered in twos and threes, using this rare chance to meet to quietly discuss sect affairs.

Sect Master Zhuge remained standing in place.

The radiance on his face from discovering a peerless genius quickly faded, and he soon returned to that weary look of being crushed by countless trivial matters—if anything, he looked even more dispirited than before.

“Master, these are the documents that require your personal review today. I’ve already screened them once,” a beautiful female disciple wearing a dark-colored disciple robe and exuding a capable air stepped forward at just the right moment.

She respectfully presented a thick stack of dossiers and jade slips to him, her tone polite yet carrying an undeniable firmness.

“Please don’t find excuses to slack off again.”

“Manyu…” Sect Master Zhuge cast a plaintive glance at this personally transmitted disciple of his, who was famous for her strictness.

“As your master’s caring little padded jacket, shouldn’t you show a bit of sympathy for these old bones of mine? Piling so much official work on me at a time like this—isn’t that a bit too cruel?”

Disciple Manyu’s expression did not change, her tone calm but sharp.

“You’re a late Golden Core great cultivator. The sect’s resources support you—no matter how hard you work, you won’t be exhausted to death. But this ramshackle boat of our sect? If you slack off even a little, and something goes wrong in any link below, we might be finished. This concerns the sect’s safety. Disciple will absolutely not indulge you on this matter.”

“Sigh… which tendon in my brain was wrong back then, choosing you as my assistant…” Sect Master Zhuge sighed in resignation, muttering as he accepted the documents.

He complained with his mouth, but in his heart he knew well that anything screened by Manyu would inevitably be the tedious yet unavoidable routine affairs that required his personal handling.

He habitually skimmed through the titles and summaries at speed.

Most of it was the expected dry content: fluctuations in spirit stone mine output, mediation of disputes among affiliated clan families, progress reports on secret realm exploration, resource allocation applications from the various peaks… Just as his gaze swept over the pages almost numbly, a task record with a slightly different title suddenly caught his attention.

“Hm? This is… a routine cleaning task report from the Windless Cliff region?” He straightened up a little, a trace of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

“A mere cleaning task, yet recorded with such detail and rigor? That’s rare.”

To him, these unexpected, slightly unusual little matters were instead a rare diversion and pleasure amid the mountain of official duties.

“Yes,” the corner of Manyu’s mouth curved almost imperceptibly.

“This record is not only detailed in content, but the process description is also quite interesting. The handwriting of the person who wrote it is neat and forceful as well. Disciple deliberately picked it out—perhaps it can help relieve your boredom.”

“Then I really must thank you!” Sect Master Zhuge perked up somewhat and picked up the booklet.

“Let me see… recorder: Long Tao? The name sounds rather domineering. Mm… an Outer Sect Disciple at the Qi-Refining Fifth Layer, who accidentally entered the Windless Cliff trial area while carrying out a cleaning task? And then… was rescued by Nan Yuchen, who happened to pass by?”

As he read on, an expression of keen interest appeared on the sect master’s face.

This task record was written with rises and falls, vivid details—almost like a short story.

Just as Manyu had said, it was indeed very suitable for refreshing the mind.

“This Nan Yuchen—his character really is as upright and benevolent as ever. Junior Sister Mingzhu has taught him well,” he nodded in praise, then noticed the key point in the report.

“But judging from this report… the spiritual energy environment in that area of Windless Cliff seems to have experienced some fluctuations recently?”

“Master has keen insight,” Manyu nodded.

“Precisely based on the detailed descriptions in this report, some below believe it is necessary to conduct a new survey and investigation of Windless Cliff. They hope to use this opportunity to ascertain the cause of the environmental changes, and perhaps discover new resource points or special spiritual plants.”

“Approved.” Sect Master Zhuge waved his hand decisively.

“Issue a special investigation task in the sect’s name, allowing Inner Sect Disciples and cultivators at Foundation Establishment or above to form teams and accept it. And also…”

His gaze returned once more to the signature at the end of the record—the two characters “Long Tao”—as his fingers lightly tapped the page.

“This little fellow called Long Tao… hm. Although his cultivation is only at the Qi-Refining Fifth Layer, just judging from this report alone, his organization is clear, his narration comprehensive, and his grasp of key details is on point. When it comes to handling these practical documents, he can be considered quite capable.”

He raised his head to look at his sharp and capable eldest disciple, a glimmer flashing in his eyes as the corner of his mouth curled into a smile.

“Manyu, find some time to test this Long Tao. If his ability to handle affairs is indeed good, and his temperament passes muster… it might not be a bad idea to try cultivating him—as a new ox…” He paused, changing his wording.

“As a seedling for future observation.”

He had almost let slip the blunt truth of “a new beast of burden.”