The Disciple Was Jilted (Please Bookmark and Follow)

On the first day after Xu Yan left, Li Xuan rose early and went outside. He did not see that figure diligently training, and no one cooked for him either. He had to feed the chickens and plant the vegetables himself.

He felt uncomfortable all over.

On the second day after Xu Yan left, Li Xuan began worrying again.

"Would my foolish disciple die in Evil Fiend Forest?"

"He went there twice and returned safely. This time should be fine too, right?"

On the fifth day after Xu Yan left, Li Xuan came to the hillside outside the village and gazed in the direction Xu Yan had departed. He saw no one coming.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Even if I've been exposed and they're coming to seize this swindler, they couldn't get here this quickly."

"Will I really be found out?"

"Alas, Xu Yan is a foolish lad whose brain doesn't work well. Given his distinguished background, there must be people around him whose brains do work, right?"

"If I get exposed, wouldn't I be finished?"

Li Xuan's thoughts were a tangled mess, and he was deeply worried.

On the tenth day after Xu Yan left, Li Xuan kept watch from the hillside. The moment he noticed anything amiss, he would hide and flee.

"Could that disciple of mine have died in Evil Fiend Forest and never made it home?"

"Or perhaps he was confined?"

The more he thought about it, the more chaotic his mind became. Li Xuan cursed inwardly, Damn it! It wasn't as though I insisted on deceiving him. His own brain doesn't work right, so how could he blame me?

I'm doing far too miserably. What a disgrace!

Li Xuan sighed. As a transmigrator, he was doing far too disgracefully!

On the eleventh day, Xu Yan finally returned.

"Master, your disciple has returned!"

Seeing Xu Yan respectfully offer his greetings, and seeing that he had come alone rather than with a crowd who would tie up this swindler, Li Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mm, it is good that you have returned!"

His expression remained calm, as it had always been, as though he had long known Xu Yan would return.

"Master, this is a small token of your disciple's respect."

Xu Yan placed two long boxes on the table.

"You are thoughtful!"

Li Xuan's expression remained tranquil as he raised a hand and opened one of the boxes.

Inside was a sword. Its scabbard was entirely golden, carved with auspicious clouds and mythical beasts, and set with nine jewels in red, white, and blue.

A treasure!

One look told him it was worth a fortune. Li Xuan was thrilled inside. This foolish disciple's background was even wealthier than he had imagined.

Yet his face remained calm and unruffled, as though he were unmoved.

He reached out and picked up the Precious Sword from the box. It was somewhat heavy.

Nine more jewels were embedded on each side of the scabbard, making eighteen jewels in total. Those eighteen jewels alone were worth a considerable fortune.

Two larger red jewels were embedded in the hilt.

Li Xuan slightly drew the sword from its sheath, and a sheet of golden radiance appeared before his eyes. This Precious Sword had been forged entirely from gold!

He sheathed the sword and returned it to its box.

Beneath Li Xuan's seemingly calm face, his heart was already trembling with excitement.

I've struck it rich. This sword can be passed down as a family heirloom. If I flee to the Wu Kingdom someday, I won't have to worry anymore.

A faint trace of approval appeared on his face as he said, "I am pleased that you have such thoughtfulness. Though this sword is of the mortal world, it is not bad for handling and admiring from time to time."

Xu Yan immediately grew excited and hurriedly said, "As long as Master likes it!"

Master truly is a Reclusive Master. Such an incomparably valuable Precious Sword did not move him in the slightest. He merely thought it was fit to handle and admire from time to time.

His reverence for his master rose once more.

Li Xuan opened the second box. Inside was a flawless Jade Ruyi. His eyes brightened slightly; one look told him this Jade Ruyi was a treasure!

"Not bad!"

Li Xuan nodded, expressing his satisfaction.

"Master, I also brought some precious medicinal herbs."

Xu Yan removed his bundle as he spoke.

Li Xuan raised a brow and thought, Has he noticed that eating these rare tonics has improved his body? Does he think they will benefit his cultivation?

"As usual, use these tonics as you see fit."

Li Xuan glanced over them. There was no Nine-Leaf Spirit Ganoderma or Thousand-Year Ginseng, but there were two Five-Leaf Spirit Ganoderma and three Hundred-Year Ginseng roots. They were still rare medicinal herbs.

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Yan put away the medicinal herbs, then began tidying the house and preparing to cook.

Li Xuan was pleased. This disciple was sensible; the moment he returned, he knew to get the work done.

"Hmm? What is going on? He looks so dejected. Did something happen?"

Suddenly, Li Xuan noticed that although Xu Yan was working, he looked rather downcast. Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that someone had reminded him of something during this visit home, making him suspicious?

Or perhaps he had failed to sense his qi and blood or enter Skin Tempering after so long, suffered some setback upon returning home, and felt dejected as a result?

"I cannot let him stay depressed. Things have come this far; if I do not continue deceiving him, it will be easy to stumble."

"I must restore his confidence!"

With that thought, Li Xuan said, "Disciple, what are you so dejected about? Is it something related to cultivation?"

Xu Yan paused while wiping the table and said listlessly, "Master, it is not related to cultivation. It is... it is that when your disciple returned home this time, my engagement was broken off!"

Hmm?

The engagement was broken?

Li Xuan froze and muttered inwardly, An engagement broken off? Your name is Xu Yan, not Xiao Yan. Then it's fine. There's no way you'll make a comeback. What a sad story!

"What happened? Why was the engagement broken?"

He assumed the expression of a master concerned for his disciple and asked.

Xu Yan looked utterly dejected, his head hanging low. "She said my brain does not work well, and being with me would be too embarrassing."

She was not wrong. Your brain really does not work very well!

Li Xuan muttered inwardly.

He rose to his feet and patted Xu Yan on the shoulder. No matter what, he still had to comfort his disciple.

"You are my disciple. She broke off the engagement because she has eyes but fails to see."

"Master is right. That is what I thought too."

"Then did you shout, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—do not bully a poor young man'?"

Li Xuan cleared his throat and asked.

Xu Yan gave his master a puzzled look. "Master, I am not poor!"

Damn it!

Li Xuan's brow twitched as though his heart had been stabbed!

His face immediately turned stern. "Disciple, how are you not poor? Did your master say you were poor in wealth? No! You are poor in cultivation, poor in strength, poor in knowledge of the martial path!"

Xu Yan instantly looked ashamed. "Master's lesson is correct. I am poor. I am very poor!"

Then he added, "But rest assured, Master, I did not lose my ambition. Though I did not shout 'do not bully a poor young man,' I still told her: Today, you mock me, humiliate me, and abandon me. One day, I will make you regret it beyond measure, until you are beyond reach!"

By the end, Xu Yan had raised his head slightly, his gaze resolute!

Li Xuan's mouth twitched. Why does this lad feel like some child of destiny? It must be an illusion!

"Mm, it is very good that you possess such ambition."

Seeing that Xu Yan's eyes still held some dejection, Li Xuan continued, "Having your engagement broken off may not necessarily be a bad thing for you. You must know that only through setbacks can one surge forward with courage."

"Not a single Ancient Prodigy failed to rise from setbacks."

"The path of cultivation emphasizes enlightenment. When the mind is clear as still water, understanding will naturally reveal itself!"

Li Xuan patted Xu Yan on the shoulder and said solemnly, "Disciple, there is a saying: 'With no woman in one's heart, cultivation proceeds as though aided by the gods.' Your engagement has been broken off. With no woman in your heart and no lingering thoughts, you will surely make great progress!"

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