When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

Chu Xianlan had no desire to serve her rebellious son. She used the Heart-Cleansing Mantra to forcefully suppress him, and while waiting for her body to recover, she wished she could dig a hole and bury herself.

Even after he was fully dressed, he still couldn't believe it. He... had not only been seen in front of his master... but also... Ah, never mind, let's not talk about it.

After the shame soared to a certain peak, the mind became unusually calm.

The three consecutive precognitive dreams all seemed to be related to the Master being coveted by others, but the content of them was clearly a mixture of truth and falsehood.

Based on her previous two experiences, Chu Xianlan was convinced that there must be some truth to what she saw in her dreams:

Ji Cheng'an did want to become Yi Chen's disciple, but he did not relentlessly pursue Yi Chen. In fact, he eventually chose to leave Taiyi Sect on his own initiative.

Xie Qingying also took out the Drunken Spring Smoke, but little did she expect that this thing would end up being used on herself.

...What about Ming Si?

Recalling the shattered scene in his dream, Chu Xianlan felt a chill run through his body. It wasn't that he was scaring himself; this time was completely different from before, and he dared not harbor any illusions.

On the first two occasions, his deliberate interference did indeed alter part of the course of his precognitive dreams.

But this time the target is the Demon King Ming Si. Putting aside the huge gap between his cultivation and the Demon King's, just looking at the Demon King's behavior, one can tell that the Demon King is a madman who does not play by the rules.

Chu Xianlan scratched her hair in frustration.

Just then, a sound interrupted my thoughts.

"Xianlan, are you ready yet? Someone outside is looking for you!"

Chu Xianlan never expected that the visitors would be Ji Fuyao and Ji Cheng'an.

Ji Fuyao had changed back into her usual meticulous Xuan Yang Sect attire, while Ji Cheng'an was dressed in a luxurious casual outfit, his brows furrowed tightly.

After Chu Xianlan took her seat, Ji Fuyao nodded slightly, looked at the Heavenly Grade Nine-Turn Nascent Soul Pill on the table, and said with her head bowed, "When my fourth brother was in the Taiyi Sect, he offended Fellow Daoist Chu in many ways. Today, I have come to apologize and also hope to take this opportunity to let bygones be bygones."

As she spoke, she glanced sideways at Ji Cheng'an, who was standing stiffly beside her, and the latter shuddered.

After hearing their purpose, Chu Xianlan was slightly taken aback, thinking to herself, "The senior sister of Xuan Yang Sect is truly a respectable person."

The royal family values ​​appearances, so she didn't need to make a trip so early in the morning for this matter.

Ji Cheng'an, his face grim, held back for a long while, but under the pressure of his elder sister's tyranny, he squeezed out four hard words through gritted teeth, "Please forgive me."

Chu Xianlan raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Okay."

He responded with nonchalance, which left Ji Cheng'an speechless and feeling uncomfortable all over, staring at him with wide eyes.

Compared to Xie Qingying's treacherous smile, Chu Xianlan now sees Ji Cheng'an as nothing more than a casual appetizer.

In fact, apart from being arrogant for a few hours when he first arrived at the Taiyi Sect, this guy spent almost all his remaining time in the Hundred Herbs Hall.

He was either beaten or humiliated, either wronged or bewitched by a half-demon, and in the end he accomplished nothing and returned to the palace in disgrace.

To be honest, Chu Xianlan felt that the fourth prince... well, his life was full of misfortunes.

Afterwards, Ji Cheng'an made an excuse to go out for some fresh air, leaving only Ji Fuyao and Chu Xianlan inside.

"Cheng'an wasn't like this when he was little," Ji Fuyao sighed softly, looking towards the door. "Perhaps it's because I've been busy with sect affairs these past few years and neglected to pay attention to him, which has made him unwilling to be close to me and his temperament has become increasingly unrestrained."

Chu Xianlan smiled but didn't reply. As an outsider, it wasn't appropriate for him to interfere in other people's family affairs.

"Does Fellow Daoist Ji have anything else to say?"

Ji Fuyao hesitated slightly, as if making a great decision, before speaking: "Fellow Daoist Chu, if I may ask, where were you born? And when did you begin your cultivation at the Taiyi Sect?"

Chu Xianlan was quite surprised that she would suddenly ask this question, and answered truthfully, "I should have entered the Taiyi Sect when I was about six years old. As for my birthplace, I don't really know."

Ji Fuyao was taken aback. "Then your family..."

Chu Xianlan smiled and said frankly, "No, I don't have that either."

"I'm sorry." Ji Fuyao lowered her gaze slightly and apologized softly.

Given her upbringing, she wouldn't pry into other people's private affairs for no reason; it was just that an inexplicable suspicion lingered in her mind.

That speculation was too absurd, enough to overturn her previous understanding, and she dared not think about it any further.

"Don't worry, I didn't take it to heart." Chu Xianlan shook her head.

Cultivators have long lifespans, so it's common for them to have weak family ties. This isn't a taboo topic. Not only him, but Xiao Huandu also has no relatives or friends, yet he's still lively and happy every day.

He pushed the Nine-Turn Nascent Soul Pill back onto the table.

"This Nine-Turn Nascent Soul Pill is extremely precious. I appreciate your kind offer, but please take it back with you, Fellow Daoist Ji."

Ji Fuyao felt inexplicably disappointed, but she didn't insist. She nodded, got up, and took her leave.

Hua Ling eavesdropped by the window, "Good heavens... Could it be that Xianlan is quite the catch? Pretty ladies are sending him gifts and inquiring about his family... The situation isn't looking good..."

"Yi Chen, you don't have the advantage of age, yet you're so fast. You don't usually have much to talk about with your disciple, I'm afraid you'll be outdone!"

Hua Ling quickly turned around, but there was no one behind her. Yi Chen had already left at some point.

After seeing Ji Fuyao off, Chu Xianlan reconsidered the matter of the precognitive dream. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Rather than waiting to be killed, she decided to take the initiative and find an excuse to delay her master, and simply not attend tonight's banquet.

Even the person you're toasting isn't here, so what can you use to attract the Demon King's attention?

Strangely, Chu Xianlan searched the entire immortal mansion inside and out, but could not find Yi Chen anywhere.

"Where did Master go?" he asked Hua Ling, who was perched on the windowsill.

Hua Ling shrugged and spread her little hands. "I don't know either. They disappeared in the blink of an eye."

The banquet was held as scheduled that evening.

The Crown Prince seemed intent on erasing the unpleasant memory of last night. The banquet tonight was even more lavish and magnificent than the one last night, with the melodious and clear music played by court musicians. Even the spirit wine and spirit fruit had been upgraded to a higher grade.

Chu Xianlan glanced at the high platform with a flustered expression.

As expected, Master was already at the table.

Yi Chen's gaze was elsewhere; he didn't look at him.

Chu Xianlan sighed inwardly. She could only take it one step at a time and play it by ear. If all else failed, she might as well just carry on the identity of the traitorous disciple to the very end!

Honestly, if she hadn't still had some reason left, Chu Xianlan would have really considered rushing up to the platform, grabbing her master's wrist, and leaving this place of trouble.

"What are you daydreaming about? Come and listen to the royal secrets!" Xiao Huandu leaned close to his good brother's ear and gave him an elbow strike.

Chu Xianlan clutched her waist and turned around to see Xiao Huandu, He Jingxuan, and Ni Die whispering in a corner.

He Jingxuan looked on in astonishment: "Fellow Daoist Ni, is everything you just said true?"

Reverse Butterfly nodded gently, "Mm."

"What did he say?" Chu Xianlan asked.

He Jingxuan pulled him down to squat down, "Wow, this is absolutely amazing... Shh, we can't say this out loud, come closer..."

Chu Xianlan had no choice but to squat down and listen attentively.

The boy's attention had just shifted when a gaze descended from the platform.

Yi Chen pursed his lips slightly as he watched his disciple and the other young cultivators laughing and chatting together.

He has been subconsciously avoiding confronting his disciples' feelings all along.

They worried that the other party might impulsively break the unspoken understanding, causing the master-disciple relationship that had lasted for more than ten years to go down a path of no return.

But he seems to have overlooked one problem.

The boy grew up in the Jade Capital Pavilion, where he had only seen a small part of the world and knew very few people. In that simple environment, it was understandable that he regarded his master as his only source of support.

Will Chu Xianlan's affection... truly remain unchanged forever?

What will happen when he enters the wider world of cultivation?

Even though she considers herself family, she can deny it so naturally in front of Ji Fuyao. In the future, will she also easily say "I have no one I love" to another person?

He didn't know when it started, but Yi Chen's heart began to feel restless.