When Had Her Little Disciple Grown So Tall?

Cultivators had exceptionally keen hearing, and unless they were discussing important secrets, no one deliberately cast soundproofing spells.

So just how much had these people heard of what she had said just now, sounding like some brainless Xie Lingchuan fangirl???

Zhu Lianqing reached a miserable conclusion.

Mm, they had already made their way upstairs. Apparently, they had heard every word.

Zhu Lianqing instantly felt she could no longer save face.

It seemed people really should not casually show off.

Fortunately, the Luoyu Sword Sect's disciples were all well-mannered. Everyone acted as though they had heard nothing, and several disciples walked past Zhu Lianqing as if nothing had happened.

Zhu Lianqing closed her eyes.

Forget it. So what if she was a brainless fangirl? She could just pretend she knew nothing and recognized no one.

Acting as though no one else were there, Zhu Lianqing swept past someone so conspicuously tall that she could be fairly certain he was her disciple, Xie Lingchuan.

Caught off guard by this reunion with her little disciple, Zhu Lianqing was actually a little flustered, beyond the embarrassment of her earlier wild pronouncements.

Since she had already decided to fake her death and disappear, she did not want to have anything more to do with her former sect.

It was not that she was heartless. On the contrary, Zhu Lianqing was still very fond of her sect.

It was just that her profession was a mission taker, and getting entangled with the people and affairs of a mission world after completing a mission was the greatest taboo.

But her panic lasted only a moment. Having weathered great winds and waves, Zhu Lianqing quickly regained her composure.

Her current body, speech, and behavior differed vastly from those of Immortal Master Zhu, the cultivation world's former industry benchmark. She would not be easily recognized.

As Zhu Lianqing passed Xie Lingchuan, all her thoughts scattered, leaving only one-

This little disciple of hers...

When had he grown so tall?

Hadn't she only been dead for two years?

If Zhu Lianqing remembered correctly, at sixteen, Xie Lingchuan had still been a little shorter than him. Only in the spring of his seventeenth year had he shot up, becoming a harmless little bit taller than her.

Now, as she walked past Xie Lingchuan and looked straight ahead through the thin veil, all she could see was his... chest?

Did that not mean Xie Lingchuan was now a whole head taller than her?

Sigh.

Good thing she wasn't his master anymore.

Otherwise, how embarrassing would it be to tilt her head back to lecture him?

Zhu Lianqing rounded the turn in the stairs and headed straight outside, wondering why she had encountered disciples of the Luoyu Sword Sect here.

From their footsteps earlier, she had been able to tell that there were five disciples in total, all young people. Judging by their voices as they spoke, they were probably even younger than her disciple.

Perhaps they were out gaining experience, while Xie Lingchuan was venturing into the world for the first time, so they had come together to look out for one another.

As she pondered this, Zhu Lianqing had already reached the street below the restaurant, directly opposite the window by her earlier seat.

Zhu Lianqing was wondering where to go next to enjoy herself when she happened to look up, her gaze passing through the thin gauze of her veiled hat and into the latticed window.

Xie Lingchuan was sitting by the window. Though she could not make out where his gaze rested, his face was clearly turned outside.

Zhu Lianqing's heart lurched, and she turned her face away without betraying anything.

After the young Sword Sect disciples on the second floor took their seats, they noticed Xie Lingchuan frowning and asked, "Senior Brother Xie, are you feeling unwell?"

Xie Lingchuan gave a slight shake of his head. "It's nothing."

"Are you looking at that female cultivator who placed the bet just now, Senior Brother?" Jiang Tingxue, the round-faced female disciple sitting across from Xie Lingchuan, had excellent eyesight and spotted the smoke-gray figure downstairs at once.

Young people were naturally curious. Having held their tongues earlier already showed remarkable restraint, and now that someone had broached the subject, they eagerly began discussing it.

"Hey, why do you think she was so certain Senior Brother would win?" Jiang Tingxue immediately started gossiping.

Song Wensheng, beside her, promptly picked up the conversation, his tone brimming with admiration for their sect and Xie Lingchuan.

"Does that even need asking? Who is our Senior Brother Xie? Just being from the Luoyu Sword Sect means half the battle's won. I heard that when Senior Brother's talent was discovered back then, all the sects fought to recruit him!"

Looking as though Song Wensheng's booming voice had deafened her, Jiang Tingxue raised a finger and shushed him.

"Keep your voice down. She hasn't gone far. How awkward would it be if she heard you? We shouldn't discuss people behind their backs."

Song Wensheng was plainly unconvinced. "It's something to be proud of, so I'm going to say it loudly."

The disciple sitting beside Xie Lingchuan said gently, "I've already cast a silencing spell. She can't hear us. Although we shouldn't discuss people behind their backs, Little Song hasn't said anything bad."

"Eldest Senior Brother is the reliable one after all." Jiang Tingxue glared at Song Wensheng.

Song Wensheng glared straight back without the slightest hesitation.

Shen Ji, whom they called Eldest Senior Brother, shook his head helplessly.

This junior brother and junior sister of his had been arguing since their very first day in the sect.

Simply because they had taken their master on the same day, one considered herself the senior sister while the other considered himself the senior brother. Neither would yield, and there was never a moment's peace.

It had been all right back at the sect. Their master was good-tempered and never said much about it.

Now that they were out and spending every day with Xie Lingchuan, he was terrified that their squabbling would disturb the peace-loving Xie Lingchuan.

But after observing him throughout the journey, Shen Ji found that Xie Lingchuan seemed fairly tolerant of it.

This had changed his impression of the senior brother whom rumors had once painted as icy and unapproachable.

"What about you, Yan Qing? What do you think?" Jiang Tingxue nudged Yan Qing, who was engrossed in wolfing down his food, with her elbow.

He raised his head from his bowl and shook it. "Huh? Me? I don't really have any thoughts."

Jiang Tingxue was used to their youngest junior brother having no answers to anything, but regardless of his ignorance, she still asked him every time.

"Senior Brother Xie, what about you? Have you met before? Is that why she supports you so much?" Jiang Tingxue asked curiously.

Watching the smoke-gray figure disappear into the crowd and recede into the distance, Xie Lingchuan withdrew his gaze and shook his head slightly, his tone utterly calm.

"We've never met. She probably only supports me because of my master's far-reaching reputation."

The two across from him nodded in agreement.

"True. Who in the cultivation world doesn't admire Martial Aunt Zhu? If Martial Aunt Zhu were still here, another huge batch of people would come for Immortal Master Zhu when the sect recruits this year... Ow!!!"

Before Song Wensheng could finish, an elbow from Jiang Tingxue made him let out a strange yelp.

Song Wensheng turned furiously, only to see Jiang Tingxue signaling him with a fierce look.

Wensheng, whose mouth ran faster than his brain, understood at once and wished he could slap himself twice.

Sitting across from him was Martial Aunt Zhu's only direct disciple.

Although everyone in the sect knew that Martial Aunt Zhu was reserved and that this master and disciple were neither close nor distant, talking about someone's master being gone right to his face was still utterly brainless.

Wensheng immediately fell silent and gave Jiang Tingxue a grateful look.

Beside them, Shen Ji discreetly observed Xie Lingchuan's expression upon hearing the words "if Martial Aunt Zhu were still here."

Unfortunately, Xie Lingchuan had not so much as furrowed his brow, and Shen Ji could discern nothing.

Honestly, as someone whose own branch of the sect was harmonious and affectionate, Shen Ji could not imagine how Martial Aunt Zhu and Xie Lingchuan had gotten along.

Both were so cool and reserved. Did they even exchange ten sentences in a day?

Could Senior Brother Xie have learned from Martial Aunt Zhu entirely through eye contact?

Shen Ji lifted his tea and took a sip, recalling the day two years ago when Martial Aunt Zhu had perished in an inner demon illusion.

When the news arrived, not a single person in the sect believed it.

That was Martial Aunt Zhu, the pillar of the sect's fighting strength and the foremost sword cultivator in the cultivation world. How could she have fallen to an inner demon illusion?

But several hours later, Martial Aunt Zhu's body was brought back to the sect.

That day, weeping reverberated through the Luoyu Sword Sect.

Even the outer disciples who admired Martial Aunt Zhu but had never met her cried. People from other sects and ordinary folk who had come to pay their respects formed a dense, dark mass at the foot of the sect's mountain.

Yet from beginning to end, Shen Ji never saw Senior Brother Xie cry.

Back then, as her sole direct disciple, Xie Lingchuan had carried Martial Aunt Zhu's sword as he walked beside her coffin, and not even his eyes had reddened.

Shen Ji did not consider himself sentimental. He could take things up and let them go.

But only when he saw Xie Lingchuan that day did he understand what it meant to be truly detached at heart.

This master and disciple had seemed less like master and disciple and more like gentlemen whose friendship was as light as water, the complete opposite of his own branch.

Shen Ji imagined it for a moment. If his own master died, he would probably cry until tears and snot streamed down his face.