We're Just Master and Disciple

Sword qi sliced through the thunderclouds in the sky. Just as Shen Qingyuan was about to disperse the tribulation lightning, Qin Chuan and the others suddenly lost all five senses and could no longer see anything.

"Master, why can't I see anything?" Gu Xiran's groundhog-like shriek rang out again.

"Don't be afraid, Xiran. I'm right beside you," Yun Yao said, soothing Gu Xiran.

"Master..."

"Xiran..."

What followed was so sickening that, if Qin Chuan hadn't been worried about Shen Qingyuan and his cultivation hadn't been lower than Yun Yao's, he would have given Yun Yao and Gu Xiran each a big slap across the face to knock some sense into them and stop them from making everyone sick.

"Martial Uncle Qin, do you know what happened?" Jin Pang asked Qin Chuan quietly.

"I don't know either." Qin Chuan was more anxious than anyone, but he didn't dare act rashly. He knew full well that blundering about in an unknown situation like this would only cause more trouble. The best choice was to remain still and wait for a chance to act.

A short while later, the darkness faded and everyone could see again. From high above, Shen Qingyuan called to Qin Chuan, "Chuan'er, let's go home."

"Master, I still need to turn in the demonic beasts I killed in the first round." Qin Chuan was no longer in a hurry to forcefully kill Xie An. He was afraid the Heavenly Dao would be driven to desperate measures; killing the male supporting character was something he could plan and deal with gradually.

Besides, he had already gained something extremely important this time: he had an idea of how to take down the Heavenly Dao. He had struck it rich!

"Junior Brother Qin is Martial Aunt Shen's disciple, so by convention he can advance directly to the top-hundred competition in the inner sect martial tournament. He doesn't need to take the first-round written test," the second elder volunteered.

"Mm." Shen Qingyuan nodded, satisfied with the second elder's answer, and took Qin Chuan away at once.

"Farewell, Martial Aunt Shen." Yun Yao and the second elder bowed in the direction Shen Qingyuan had left.

Before Qin Chuan left, he sent Jin Pang a voice transmission. "Senior Brother Jin, we'll let Xie An off for now. We'll meet again at the inner sect martial tournament in three days. I have something important to tell you."

Jin Pang had no chance to reply and could only wave at Qin Chuan. Then he hurriedly asked Zhao Lin to take him away.

Yun Yao and Gu Xiran also left with Xie An, and the second elder naturally followed. Before leaving, he summoned all the disciples out, because without Shen Qingyuan maintaining the secret realm, it was about to collapse.

With her Late Tribulation Transcendence cultivation, Shen Qingyuan brought Qin Chuan back to Supreme Mystery Peak in the space of an instant.

The moment she entered the cave dwelling, she violently spat out a mouthful of blood. Qin Chuan's attention had been on her the whole time, and he rushed forward to catch her in his arms.

"Master! What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Qin Chuan was overwhelmed with guilt. He knew the Heavenly Dao had acted during that moment of darkness, and that it had acted because he wanted to kill Xie An. He had dragged his master into this.

"I'm fine. I'll be all right after resting for a while, so don't worry." Shen Qingyuan pulled free of Qin Chuan's embrace.

"Master, let me help you."

Qin Chuan tried to step forward and support Shen Qingyuan, but she raised a hand to stop him. "No need. I can manage."

Qin Chuan could only give up and follow closely behind Shen Qingyuan, terrified that something might happen to her.

"Chuan'er, do you know what you did wrong?" As soon as Shen Qingyuan sat down on a stone stool, she began questioning Qin Chuan, not even sparing time to tend to her injuries.

"Master, I know I was wrong." Qin Chuan immediately knelt and admitted his mistake.

"Get up and answer me. Do you know where you went wrong?" Shen Qingyuan raised a hand and helped Qin Chuan to his feet.

"I shouldn't have gone out and stirred up trouble. I shouldn't have attacked a fellow disciple, and I shouldn't have dragged you into it... Master, I'll go outside and kneel as punishment. Tending to your injuries comes first, so please don't get angry with me anymore." What concerned Qin Chuan most now was Shen Qingyuan's injury.

"My injury is nothing. That Heavenly Dao can't hurt me now."

"But..."

Qin Chuan wanted to say more, but Shen Qingyuan interrupted him. "Those aren't your mistakes. Your mistake was failing to cherish your own life."

"If you wanted to kill an Early Golden Core Stage pill cultivator, why go to so much trouble? What do the Xiao Family and Yun Yao amount to? If you wanted him dead, you only had to tell me. I could have wiped out the Xiao Family along with him."

"What angers me is that you put yourself in danger, landing yourself in peril twice. If I hadn't been by your side today, what would you have done!?"

Shen Qingyuan's voice grew louder as she spoke, but all Qin Chuan heard in her scolding was concern, and warmth filled his heart.

And since Shen Qingyuan knew he had been in danger twice, didn't that mean the intertwining of souls in the secret realm was also...

At that thought, Qin Chuan raised his head to look at Shen Qingyuan and carefully asked, "Was it you who saved me in the secret realm too, Master?"

"Yes. Borrowing the power of my soul to save you was the best way. You are my disciple, and we are only master and disciple." Qin Chuan's gaze made Shen Qingyuan's heart flutter, and she hurriedly emphasized that they were only master and disciple.

Hearing Shen Qingyuan emphasize that they were only master and disciple, Qin Chuan banked his fire for the time being. To keep her from noticing anything, he could only agree with her. "Yes, I'll be your disciple for the rest of my life, Master."

But who had only one identity their whole life? He was her disciple now, and he could become her Dao companion in the future. There was no problem with that at all.

Shen Qingyuan heard what she had wanted to hear, yet she wasn't as happy as she had imagined. Lowering her eyes, she chose to change the subject and scold Qin Chuan. "We're talking about you putting yourself in danger. Do you know you were wrong?"

"I know I was wrong. I won't dare do it again. From now on, I'll be sure to cherish my life for your sake, Master. My life belongs to you." Qin Chuan obediently admitted his mistake.

Shen Qingyuan had only been worried about Qin Chuan's safety to begin with, afraid that one careless move would send things spiraling out of his control.

Now, seeing him so well-behaved, Shen Qingyuan couldn't bear to blame him any further, even though she knew he was putting on an act. She called to him softly, "All right, let's put this matter behind us. Come here."

"Yes." Qin Chuan had always been an obedient little disciple before Shen Qingyuan, and now he obediently stepped forward. When he reached her, he half-crouched so they were at the same height.

Shen Qingyuan touched a finger to the spot between Qin Chuan's eyebrows, and a warm current flowed into his sea of consciousness.

"I've planted three sword strikes in your sea of consciousness. There's a limit to how much power it can withstand, so these three strikes can only slay Early Soul Formation Stage cultivators."

"When you encounter danger, you can use these three sword strikes with a thought."

Shen Qingyuan withdrew her hand, then gave Qin Chuan a symbolic tap on the forehead. "That is your punishment for doing wrong."

"Master, you're still injured." Qin Chuan tried to catch Shen Qingyuan's hand, but missed.

"I told you my injury is nothing. The Heavenly Dao and I fought to a draw. I suffered a minor injury, and the Heavenly Dao didn't come away unscathed either."

Then Shen Qingyuan frowned slightly and murmured, "That Heavenly Dao is very strange. I keep feeling that something isn't right with it."

"By the way, Chuan'er, don't make a move against that person for now. The Heavenly Dao is probably protecting him, and this isn't the time to clash with it. Once my cultivation breaks through, I'll personally help you deal with him."

"You don't need to do it for me, Master. I can deal with him myself, and I won't try to kill him again for the time being." Qin Chuan nodded in agreement, because he hadn't planned to forcefully kill the male and female leads or the male supporting characters anymore anyway.

Besides, he knew better than anyone that something was wrong with the Heavenly Dao. For now, he didn't want to involve Shen Qingyuan.

Of course, with a backer and fighter as powerful as his master, he would still make use of her when he should. It just wasn't time yet.

"Mm. If there's nothing else, you may leave. Just do your best in the competition three days from now." Qin Chuan's unabashed gaze made Shen Qingyuan's heart pound, so she directly told him to leave. She was afraid that if he kept looking at her like that, she wouldn't be able to restrain her feelings.

"Master, there's one more thing I wanted to ask." Qin Chuan also knew that the way he looked at Shen Qingyuan was too direct, so he toned it down a little.

"Ask."

"What was your promise to the sect master's master? Why did you say you no longer owed the Pure Void Sect anything?" Qin Chuan was very concerned about this question. He was going to deal with the sect master's faction, which Gu Xiran belonged to, and he didn't want to put his master in a difficult position.