Shen Yue could not see him, but she could sense his location.
"Call me Master from now on," she said, her tone somewhat gentle.
Rong Hua's eyes lit up, a faint smile appearing on his delicate face. "Master!"
As the boy could not read, Shen Yue taught him personally. Shen Yue also gave the boy a cultivation manual, demonstrating it once before leaving him to study it on his own.
The boy, who was once sallow-skinned and as thin as a monkey, became fair and tender, with a bright, sunny smile on his face, completely devoid of his initial gloomy demeanor.
He wore the same white robes as Shen Yue, and he skipped along as he walked, looking utterly adorable!
"Master!" His young, clear voice, still carrying a childish lilt, brought a sense of life to the desolate Qingxin Hall.
Rong Hua peeked his head through the door, finding it empty, with no sign of the white figure.
"Master, Master!"
The boy was not discouraged, darting around with light steps, two buns tied atop his head, bobbing with his movements.
"Master enjoys quiet; do not make a disturbance here," a disciple said, frowning as he blocked the boy's path, a look of annoyance in his eyes.
The entire Qingyun Sect now knew that Master Xiyu had taken in a disciple, and this disciple was just a child with rather mediocre talent. No one knew what had drawn the Master's attention to him.
Naturally, many disciples felt a sense of discontent.
Rong Hua timidly dared not speak, his fingers nervously clutching the hem of his clothes, but he still asked softly, "Do you know where Master is?"
The disciple's expression grew more impatient, his voice deepening. "Master is very busy; do not disturb him unless it is important. Go play by yourself."
Rong Hua seemed to be frightened by him, his fair, tender face showing a wronged expression, and his beautiful eyes misting over.
The disciple looked bewildered. He had only spoken a bit louder, so why was the boy looking as if he had been bullied?
The next moment, a white figure suddenly appeared, causing the disciple's expression to stiffen.
"What is it?" a cool voice suddenly inquired.
The boy hurried over and hugged Shen Yue's leg, his delicate, fair face rubbing against her. "Master, where did you go? I looked for you for so long," he said in a childish voice.
Shen Yue's body stiffened slightly, her usually expressionless face showing a hint of unnaturalness, but she did not push away the little white bundle clinging to her leg.
"I went to the front hall for a council," Shen Yue said, patting the boy's hair bun.
The boy glanced timidly at the disciple standing not far away, his voice becoming dejected. "Master, that person said I was not well-behaved, and that I disturbed Master's peace. Master, did I do something wrong? That person was fierce to me just now."
"Master, I was so scared."
His childish voice, laced with a nasal tone, sounded as if he had suffered a great injustice.
The disciple's face turned pale. He wanted to retort, "Master... I didn't."
But Shen Yue clearly did not wish to hear his explanation. She made a gesture for him to withdraw, and the disciple could only leave with a look of unwillingness.
Shen Yue reached out and picked up the boy. The boy, startled, quickly reached out to hug her neck. The scent of her clean fragrance, sweet and alluring, wafted into his nose, seeming to emanate from the very depths of her bones. He unconsciously nuzzled against Shen Yue's face.
"You are very well-behaved; do not overthink it." Shen Yue's face was tense; she was still somewhat uncomfortable with such closeness from others.
Rong Hua's eyes lit up, and he became completely animated, his beautiful eyes crinkling into a smile. "Rong Hua will be obedient and not overthink. Shall I read to Master?"
Shen Yue hugged him and walked towards the front hall, softly humming her assent.
His childish voice read aloud, occasionally mispronouncing a word, and Shen Yue would correct him.
She lay half-reclined on the soft couch, one hand propping her head, a white cloth covering her eyes. Her alluringly pale face appeared cool and unattainable.
When the reading had progressed sufficiently, Shen Yue spoke, interrupting. "Go rest. There's no need to read any further."
Rong Hua reluctantly closed the book and tugged at her robe. "Master, I'll go then."
"Mm."
"Then Rong Hua is really leaving. Rong Hua is going to rest, and I'll read to Master again tomorrow."
"Alright."
The boy had no choice but to shuffle out with slumped shoulders.
Shen Yue propped her head with her hand, a faint incense scent wafting into her nostrils, very subtle, and very pleasant.
But—
She had never made a habit of lighting incense!
A cool hand gently and intimately caressed her face. Shen Yue reached out to grasp it but caught nothing.
Her vibrant red lips pursed slightly, her brows growing colder.
A chill wind brushed against her neck. Shen Yue cast a spell, and the disturbance ceased. However, the incense was so potent it gave her a headache.
She was suddenly startled, suddenly remembering the existence of Bi Lian!
Actually, in the book, it was not Rong Hua who broke the female lead's legs, but Bi Lian.
If one had to distinguish, then they were essentially the same person. Rong Hua was merely a wisp of Bi Lian's soul, or perhaps a demonic bone, while Bi Lian was another demonic bone.
In the original plot, Bi Lian was an extremely jealous and narrow-minded person. Unfortunately, Shen Yue remembered that Bi Lian's initial affection was not for the female lead, but for Xin Xi. However, influenced by Rong Hua, he later focused all his dark, dense, suffocating love onto the female lead.
So… who was the main villain?
System: [You don't need to be so serious. If you must be precise, then it's actually both of them. You can essentially treat them as the same person.]
Shen Yue: […Double the fun?]
System: [???]
Shen Yue ignored it, her expression becoming somewhat serious.
Hundreds of years ago, the Demonic Cult was particularly rampant, bringing ruin to all living beings. It was common for dozens to die each day.
The leader of the Demonic Cult, Bi Lian, was truly a perverted being. He had previously been the second disciple of Qingyun Sect, Xiyu's junior brother. Later, after failing to ascend and falling into demonic cultivation during a practice session, he had descended into the demonic path, causing endless suffering. It was Shen Yue who, single-handedly, sealed him in Wuyuan Dao. The various sects also began to eliminate demonic cult threats, thus now, apart from some demonic energy that couldn't cause significant waves, the world was relatively peaceful.
However, at the same time, Shen Yue had also suffered severe injuries, leading her to go into seclusion for over a hundred years.
The incense wafting into her nostrils was Bi Lian's favorite. His room was always scented with this incense daily, and even his clothes carried this scent, rich and intoxicating.
Shen Yue sat cross-legged, circulating her spiritual energy, and breathed a sigh of relief upon feeling that the seal was still firm.
Hopefully… she was just overthinking things.
"Master? Master." The boy, with two buns tied on his head, looked with wide eyes at the immortal cultivating on the bed.