Chapter 11: Recognition

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he openly reprimanded Tan Ye without mercy. At this point, it was basically like trampling all of Tan Ye’s dignity beneath his feet.

However, Dao Zhen still remembered that the crimes he had previously accused Tan Ye of were all fabricated. In front of the disciples, he didn’t bring up the previous accusations, but instead used a set of words that could be applied to any situation.

When the master reprimands a disciple, it must be because the disciple has done something wrong. If the disciple feels wronged, then it must be because the disciple is unruly and unmanageable.

After Dao Zhen scolded him, seeing Tan Ye quietly kneeling on the ground and accepting the reprimand, an inexplicable anger suddenly rose in his chest. He immediately left with a flick of his sleeve.

Ling Mao took a small step forward, about to approach Tan Ye who was still kneeling on the ground. However, Tan Ye stood up before him and said, “Senior Brother.”

“Junior Brother, don’t defy the master in the future. You need to take the master’s teachings to heart.” Ling Mao sighed slightly.

“…Respectfully sending off Master and Senior Brother.”

Tan Ye took a step back.

Ling Mao stared at him, turned around, and followed behind Dao Zhen.

Tan Ye stood there until Dao Zhen and Ling Mao had both left before he raised his head. The disciples around him either had cold expressions, were watching the show, or lowered their heads pretending not to see. In any case, no one came over.

Tan Ye didn’t care about this at all. He simply left alone, took the elixir himself, and then used the power of the elixir to remove the remaining poison from his body.

Su Heng had originally intended to watch the show, but she didn’t expect that Tan Ye would actually rely on that elixir and the little spiritual power left in his body to slowly remove the demonic poison from his body. In fact, removing the demonic poison was simple, as long as there was a person with profound cultivation to guide him. But Dao Zhen obviously didn’t want to use any effort on him, and the others didn’t want to get involved in trouble, so they just stood by and watched.

Tan Ye could only rely on himself. Su Heng had no intention of lending a helping hand at all. She had already saved enough people. Kindness and favors, once or twice, saving people from fire and water, that was true kindness. But if it was too much, it wasn’t worth it.

She wasn’t that kind-hearted. Not only was she not kind-hearted, she even wanted to watch the show. Not kicking someone when they’re down was her being kind.

But what she didn’t expect was that Tan Ye actually relied on those elixirs and himself to slowly remove the demonic poison from his body. The moment she sensed his spiritual power recover, she immediately retracted the red thread attached to his body and went to find someone else.

She borrowed other people’s eyes to look at Tan Ye and found that Tan Ye’s daily routine was so regular that it was shocking. What he did in the morning, what he did at noon, and after evening lessons, he would return to his cave abode.

He was so well-behaved that it was impossible to find fault with him. Except for fixed times, he would not appear in front of people.

He shut himself in his cave abode alone. No one went to find him, and he didn’t interact with others either. Like a lonely island, he was isolated from everyone else.

He had no interaction with others and completely isolated himself.

No wonder Dao Zhen punished him like that back then. After all, it was really too difficult to find his faults. Even if it was completely fabricated, Dao Zhen spoke as if it were true.

No wonder that thing found her. If he continued to be so self-righteous, how could he possibly be exposed?

She watched for a few days and could know his daily routine with her eyes closed. Tan Ye would only appear when he was supposed to and do what he was supposed to do. Other than that, he couldn’t be seen at all.

Su Heng watched and gradually felt it was boring. If she wanted him to be exposed, she had to find a breakthrough. He was so cautious and self-righteous, not forming close relationships with anyone. She felt that even if he was stabbed one day, he could accept it without any ripples.

He was really like a turtle hiding in its shell. It was hard to find a place to take a bite.

After watching for a few days, Su Heng lost interest in Tan Ye and simply wandered around Chaoyun Sect. Since she was here, she had to have fun, or else she would be sorry for herself.

She hid in those disciples and used their bodies to run around the sect.

Early in the morning, when the sky had just turned a shade of cyan, the bell signifying morning lessons in Chaoyun Sect rang loudly.

Tan Ye sat in the first seat among the disciples, second only to Ling Mao.

The sect master saw him and asked, “Are your injuries healed?”

The sect master valued this exceptionally talented disciple quite a bit and even placed certain expectations on him. He had heard a little about what Dao Zhen had done. He brought it up a little, but Dao Zhen said it was precisely because Tan Ye was exceptionally talented that he had to be stricter. If he indulged him because of his talent, that would be harming him instead.

Hearing this, the sect master had nothing to say. After all, this was someone else’s disciple. Although he was the sect master, he couldn’t interfere with how other elders disciplined their disciples.

Hearing this, Dao Zhen glanced at Tan Ye.

“Answering the sect master, this disciple has recovered a lot.”

Dao Zhen lightly exhaled through his nose, turned his eyes away, and didn’t look at him again.

Tan Ye had recovered well. Dao Zhen didn’t care about his injuries and naturally wouldn’t lend a helping hand. With his attitude, even if others knew, they wouldn’t help, so as not to offend him.

Dao Zhen also didn’t give him any chance to rest. He had to do what he was supposed to do every day and wasn’t given a chance to recuperate.

But even so, he still recovered, and his spiritual power was also restored. This made everyone feel surprised yet also find it reasonable.

The sect master nodded. “That’s good then.”

The sect master glanced at Dao Zhen. With the master here, he really couldn’t say too much.

After morning lessons ended, the disciples each went to do their own things.

Tan Ye stood up, intending to leave. When he passed by a slightly younger female disciple, his footsteps suddenly stopped.

The female disciple looked very young, thirteen or fourteen years old. She was wearing the skirt of female disciples and had her hair in buns. She was talking to a fellow disciple. “Did you bring the things I wanted?”

When she spoke, she was domineering, and her face was full of arrogance. It seemed like everything in front of her was beneath her notice.

The young male disciple in front of her looked about the same age. At this age, young boys actually had even stronger self-esteem, but he was willing to be ordered around by her.

“Of course I brought it.” The young male disciple took out a paper package with utmost eagerness and handed it to her with both hands. A strong fragrance leaked out from the oiled paper package.

“See if this suits your taste. I specially went down the mountain to buy it myself. When I went, it had just been made. When I hurried back, it was still hot.”

He watched as the girl took it, picky and charming. Even if she didn’t say anything nice, people still wanted to surround her.

Tan Ye quietly left.

After eating the snacks the young male disciple brought her, the girl told him to go to the side and not block her from playing. She wandered around by herself. There were more than a hundred immortal peaks in Chaoyun Sect, each with unique scenery. She shook off the disciple who wanted to follow her and looked at the scenery on top of the peak by herself.

“Sure enough, these people have occupied the places with the best scenery.” She clicked her tongue twice while looking at the surging clouds and mist.

Just as she was sighing, a slender and sinewy hand pressed on her shoulder.

She instantly grabbed the wrist of the hand on her shoulder and leaped into the air.

“Senior Brother, what are you trying to do?”

The girl landed two zhang away from Tan Ye. Her face was full of panic.

Tan Ye glanced at the purple marks on his wrist from her sudden restraint. He lowered his hand, and his robe sleeves covered the bruises on his wrist.

“You should still come out of her body. She’s young, and her primordial spirit might not be able to fully withstand you.”

“…What are you talking about? I don’t understand.” The girl’s face was instantly full of confusion and fear.

Tan Ye sighed. He was dressed in white, and the hem of his robe fluttered in the morning breeze.

“I know it’s you, Miss.”

“I don’t understand. You call me Miss, but I can’t accept that, Senior Brother.”

Tan Ye looked at her. “Miss, I know you can understand.”

“Miss, don’t you feel that possessing her body is truly a disservice to your beauty?”

The girl was stunned. She pondered for a moment, then became excited again. “You’re right!”