How fortunate.

Huo Junxiao silently looked up at the sky, his expression as if he were about to face a heavenly tribulation in the next moment.

He cursed the heavens for not giving any warning for five seconds in his mind, then lowered his arms, stood up straight, and looked down at Bai Ke with his usual calm and composed expression. He took the ancient book that Bai Ke had been holding disdainfully and said, “Let’s go. I’ll teach you word by word.”

He then put his arm around Bai Ke very naturally and strode into the house.

Outside, Lin Jie, who was crouching in front of the bamboo desk holding another ancient book, turned around with a ‘WTF’ expression and called out to Junxiao’s retreating figure, “Master! I don’t know either! Add me to the extra class! Unity is strength! Learning together is full of joy!”

The response was the sound of the door slamming shut with a “bang——.”

Lin Jie: “……” The master is quite determined to make that wooden door slam so sharply…

Then Junxiao’s cold, yet stern voice came through the patterned window: “Have you read ten years' worth of books into Peanut’s belly? If you don’t finish before sunset, there will be additional punishment tomorrow, no discussion.”

Peanut, who was napping in the afternoon under the cloud bamboo, silently lifted his majestic head, squinted at the closed door, snorted from his nose, and then dropped his big head back onto his crossed front paws with a thud, falling asleep again.

Lin Jie: “……Does your master know you’re so biased? Is it not heartless?”

Junxiao: “He knows.”

Lin Jie: “……Does your master know you’re so cruel?”

Junxiao: “He was even more cruel to me than I am to you.”

Lin Jie: “……”

Inside the house, Bai Ke looked subtly puzzled again: “……”

Yu Xian, who had returned from some corner of the secret realm with a wine jug, plunked it down on Lin Jie’s desk with a clang, then sat cross-legged with his hands in his sleeves and said, “Why are you staring at that little shabby house? Oh? The door has flowers? Slacking off is the worst. Come, let me watch you study! If you don’t finish this book before sunset, I’ll have Peanut chew you up as a snack, believe it or not?”

Lin Jie: “……” Cruelty really is inherited from one generation to the next! It seems that the love for this kind of thing is only found in books!

Inside the house, Junxiao waved his sleeve, and the original stone table and benches disappeared, replaced by a desk and two chairs in front of the flowered window.

As Bai Ke walked to the desk, he glanced back at the closed door and said, “Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to leave Lin Jie outside like this…”

Junxiao, with no change in expression and not looking back, said lightly, “It’s too distressing; out of sight, out of mind.” In his heart, he thought: Reading, such a refined activity, is best suited for just the two of us.

Clearly, to some extent, he also inherited his master’s true legacy of not putting on airs.

He placed the ancient book on the desk, pulled out a chair for Bai Ke to sit in, and took a seat next to him. His posture resembled a parent supervising a child’s studies.

Bai Ke shifted awkwardly. At his age, no one had ever taught him so closely. Even when Aunt Fatty gave him individual lessons, they were always across a table, face to face.

The desk in front of him was perhaps a bit low for Junxiao, but it was just right for Bai Ke. He wasn’t sure what kind of wood it was made of, but the dark brown surface was ancient and heavy, with a faint, calming fragrance that put his mind at ease.

Outside the window, adorned with patterns of cranes and bamboo leaves, were the swaying leaves of cloud bamboo. Further away was a tall, sturdy flower tree. Bai Ke didn’t recognize the type of flower, but clusters of white blossoms were partially hidden among the branches. As the gentle wind in the secret realm blew, occasional petals floated down, landing on the window frame, adding a touch of elegance.

Such scenery, even to Bai Ke, was serene and tranquil.

Even Bai Ke, who could barely read, found that under such an atmosphere, the ancient book on the desk seemed less intimidating. The strange characters now appeared much more beautiful.

Huo Junxiao, who had lived for over five thousand years, had probably never been so patient in teaching someone to read, yet he didn’t find it tiresome at all. On the contrary, he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

He watched Bai Ke’s slender side profile as he hunched over the desk, listened to the faint bird calls from the forest outside, and felt a gentle calm in his heart. Memories from a thousand years ago flooded back.

At that time, before he had entered the Yusheng Sect, he still lived in his own residence. His father, General Huo, personally chose a learned but not pedantic teacher for the two brothers. This teacher taught both literature and military strategy.

Huo Lingyun, who was five years younger, learned different things from the same teacher, and the teacher’s approach was different for each of them.

Huo Lingyun had always been well-behaved, composed, and had a demeanor reminiscent of his father from a young age, especially interested in military books. The teacher found it easy and effortless to teach him.

Junxiao, on the other hand, was a troublemaker from childhood. Unlike his gentle and virtuous mother or his upright father, he was mischievous, pulling tails, teasing animals, and causing chaos. The teacher would chase him around, dragging his frail body with a bamboo stick.

Fortunately, the teacher's lessons were not dull, or Junxiao would have become even more unruly.

Clearly, patience was something he had never possessed, even from birth.

Later, when he was kidnapped by the trafficker Yu Xian and taken to the Yusheng Sect, he was still unable to sit still. It wasn’t until he boldly provoked the sect leader, Bai Lingchen, that things changed.

If Bai Lingchen had been a teacher, he would surely have faced rebellion from his students. In retrospect, Junxiao thought Bai Lingchen was far worse than the teacher from the general’s residence. The only method Bai Lingchen knew was copying books.

At first, when Junxiao was thrown into the library with all those books, he felt like he could hardly breathe. Even sitting down to copy books was like being tormented, with constant fidgeting akin to the most restless monkey on the back mountain. He would copy a few lines, tug at his hair; copy a few more, yawn; finish a page, and gnaw at the bookshelf twice in frustration.

As the punishments increased, he grew more numb to them. His discipline improved over time, as did his once-scrappy handwriting.

But this self-discipline was probably limited to being forced to copy books under a deadline.

Later, when he became a disciple of the sect leader Bai Lingchen, he gradually discovered the true nature of his aloof master.

Bai Lingchen’s teaching method was outrageously irresponsible. He would always bring Junxiao and his junior disciples to the hall, hand each of them a scroll, and then, while casually flipping through his own book, would randomly comment on a couple of lines in his cool, detached voice. After a few pages, he’d comment again, and in the time it took for a pot of tea to brew, he’d finish discussing the scroll, leaving them with a curt “figure it out yourself” before disappearing for the entire day.

Poor junior brother Wunan, who clung to his book all day, wasted away trying to understand the words “figure it out,” ending up as a speechless lump after three days. Little junior sister Shen Han was even more miserable, crying over every page of the book she couldn’t understand, smearing it with tears and snot.

Junxiao was slightly better off, as his background in copying books made it easier to read the texts. As for the elusive words “figure it out,” he never took it seriously. Back then, he was still rather reckless and indifferent, lacking any real passion, and had a sort of carefree attitude.

When he began practicing swordsmanship, Bai Lingchen’s irresponsible nature became even more apparent.

While he had been somewhat negligent in his teaching of books, at least there were the books to rely on. The white pages with black characters were clear, and if something was missed, it could be re-read. If it wasn’t understood, it could be mulled over, and even if the book was worn out, there were always copies available. It was just a matter of time.

However, practicing swordsmanship was different. Bai Lingchen never even gave them a sword manual. Instead, he would bring them to the top of Yunfu Mountain, produce a long sword from somewhere, perform a single sword move once a month, and then hand each disciple a wooden stick. After a quick demonstration, he would disappear again, leaving them to practice with the sticks.

Every day, he would throw them up on the mountain at sunrise to practice with their wooden sticks against the backdrop of endless clouds, and pick them up again at sunset, dragging them down as a tangled mess.

He never cared how their practice turned out.

Only Yu Xian, when he returned to Yunfu Palace after a long time away, would occasionally show them a trick or two, helping them refine their skills.

However, Wunan, who preferred quiet to movement, found Yu Xian’s training less engaging, so his guidance focused mainly on talismans. Shen Han, who had poor natural aptitude, struggled with both talisman making and swordplay but was obsessively devoted to alchemy. Yu Xian thus spent much more time guiding her on rare herbs.

Junxiao, on the other hand, was active from a young age and couldn’t sit still on a bench. He eagerly enjoyed Yu Xian’s training. His style and skill improved greatly, and he often used training opportunities to place small bets, causing quite a stir in the Yusheng Sect,  turning the world upside down.

However, Yu Xian also got his aftermath.

Once, after a night of heavy drinking, Yu Xian was caught off guard by the three disciples, who had long been plotting to retaliate. Using a rope of celestial binding found in Bai Lingchen’s room, Junxiao, with his agility, tied up the dazed Yu Xian tightly. Shen Han, who had spent three days and nights guarding a mini alchemy furnace, stuffed a pill into Yu Xian’s mouth. Wunan, lifting both hands, used nine talismans to set up a strict barrier around Yu Xian.

That evening, when Bai Lingchen returned to Yunfu Palace, he found his usually careless master surrounded by a golden light, trapped within a barrier, and tied up like a cocoon. Yu Xian, looking like he had eaten something unpleasant, managed to wiggle his only free finger into a flower shape and, with a pouty expression, said, “Aren’t you going to untie me?”

Bai Lingchen: “…”

It was only then that Bai Lingchen, belatedly realizing, discovered that his three disciples had turned into troublemakers and, judging by the situation, would likely never return to normal.

Whenever Junxiao recalled Bai Lingchen’s and Yu Xian’s expressions at that time, he couldn’t help but smile.

This was the most carefree period of his life, yet he had never dared to remember it over the past thousand years.

But now, he could finally recall it with ease and a smile.

It was because part of that carefree life, after a thousand years, had been found again and returned to him.

How fortunate.

 

Translator : DarNan