Chapter 14

Tan Ye raised his eyes slightly and immediately understood the meaning behind Ling Yang’s words.

He found it somewhat amusing, but he didn’t care what others thought.

Moreover, he and this junior brother had only exchanged a few words, so he cared even less.

“Thank you.” Tan Ye didn’t offer any explanation.

Ling Yang’s expression became even more peculiar due to his words. A trace of indignation appeared on Ling Yang’s handsome face. “What happened to junior brother?”

Ling Yang opened his mouth, and the conflict in his eyes intensified.

He shook his head, avoiding Tan Ye’s gaze. “I’m fine.”

As Ling Yang spoke, his brows furrowed even more. Tan Ye smiled faintly, “It’s good if you’re fine. I still need to go to the Sect Master’s place. I’ll take my leave first.”

The Sect Master had asked him to come over to inform him that Mei Luo, the Valley Master of Dan Xun Valley, was visiting Chao Yun Sect.

Dan Xun Valley was a cultivation clan with a long history of producing talented individuals. Dan Xun Valley was not much inferior to Chao Yun Sect. In terms of seniority, Mei Luo could be considered a senior. Back then, it was Mei Luo who personally brought Tan Ye to Chao Yun Sect. Every time Mei Luo visited Chao Yun Sect, he would definitely meet with Tan Ye. So this time, the Sect Master mentioned it to him, allowing him to make preparations.

After leaving the Sect Master’s place, Tan Ye was invited by the disciples outside to Dao Zhen’s location.

“Master, did you have any instructions for this disciple?”

Tan Ye asked respectfully as he stepped in front of Dao Zhen.

Dao Zhen looked at this disciple. Tan Ye had a slender and tall figure, the appearance a young man should have, with exceptionally handsome features.

No matter how one looked at him, there was nothing to criticize.

Dao Zhen indeed liked this disciple at the beginning, but as time passed, this disciple’s sharpness gradually emerged, completely overshadowing him. Outsiders only recognized this disciple, believing that Tan Ye would have a limitless future, while he and his personally accepted senior disciple were almost completely forgotten.

This feeling was not something he hadn’t experienced before. After all, there were hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the cultivation world, and there were too many people stronger than him. But that person was his disciple, so he couldn’t remain as indifferent as before.

He used to like this disciple, but afterwards, everything turned into his disgust. This child, no matter how much he tried to subdue him, refused to truly lower his head. This unyielding spirit made him increasingly abhor him.

In the end, what was he pretending to be? Even if he had a bit of talent, if it weren’t for the favor of Dao Jun Xuan Jing back then and the recommendation of the Valley Master of Dan Xun Valley, no matter how much talent he had, he would just be an ordinary person.

Where did he get so much pride from?

“The Sect Master asked you to go because the Valley Master of Dan Xun Valley is coming?”

“Yes, the Sect Master said that this disciple should go over then.”

Listening, Dao Zhen raised his eyelids and looked at Tan Ye standing there. He took the tea beside him and took a sip, frowning involuntarily at the slightly bitter taste of the tea.

Dao Zhen became even more displeased in his heart. “It’s only natural for the Sect Master to ask you to go. After all, it was Mei Luo who recommended you back then. If it weren’t for him, you probably wouldn’t be here.”

Dao Zhen’s words were full of sarcasm. Tan Ye remained unchanged, only nodding slightly. “Yes.”

Seeing his appearance, Dao Zhen got angry. “Last time, when you abandoned your fellow disciples, I privately punished you instead of reporting it to the Sect Master. I have already been benevolent and righteous. You should conduct yourself properly. Don’t do such things again in the future. Otherwise, it won’t be so simple next time. It’s not just about you alone.”

Young people were the most proud and arrogant, thinking that everything relied on themselves, and when mentioning others, they couldn’t help but become furious.

He deliberately targeted the young man’s strongest sense of self-esteem.

“The pure are self-purifying, and the muddy are self-muddying.” Tan Ye still maintained his original calm appearance, without the slightest resentment. “For the sake of Master’s reputation, this disciple believes it would be better to report this matter to the Sect Master and have him order a thorough investigation.”

Dao Zhen raised his eyes to look at Tan Ye. The young man stood there, and although his eyebrows were gentle and graceful, there was an unyielding stubbornness in his respect.

His words were calm, completely infuriating Dao Zhen. The charge he used to vent on Tan Ye was just a trumped-up one. If it were left to the Sect Master to decide, he might not be able to maintain his dignity.

He swept the teacup beside his hand. The teacup was knocked over by him and instantly smashed towards Tan Ye. The teacup shattered on Tan Ye’s forehead, drenching him from head to face. Tea mixed with tea leaves fell along his face, and the sharp fragments cut across his skin, leaving him motionless.

“Get out!” Dao Zhen flew into a rage.

Suddenly, a light chuckle was heard beside his ear, as gentle as a feather brushing against the earlobe.

Tan Ye gently raised his eyes and saw that apart from himself and Dao Zhen, there was no one else around.

Tan Ye said he would obey the order, neither servile nor overbearing, and left. The disciples outside saw his disheveled appearance, stunned at first, and then lowered their eyes, pretending they hadn’t seen anything.

Tan Ye walked to a secluded place. “You came here?”

After he finished speaking, there was no sound in response for a while.

“There’s no one here now. You can speak without any problem.”

“I was just curious, so I came to play with your master.”

Tan Ye smiled warmly. “So did you find anything fun?”

“No. Your master is really boring.”

Tan Ye took a few steps forward. “Since you didn’t find anything fun, go back and rest well. I brought two delicious sweet tangerines today.”

“Aren’t those only available in autumn?”

The girl’s voice was very puzzled.

“There’s a four-season forest in Chao Yun Sect, so it’s not strange to have them.”

Tan Ye’s words were gentle. “Let’s go.”

When they arrived at his cave residence, Su Heng revealed her figure. Tan Ye handed her the sweet tangerines.

Su Heng took the sweet tangerines. They were all coated with fruit wax on the outside, looking glossy.

“By the way, your master was really harsh on you.”

Tan Ye remained unmoved. He went to get some spring water and put it into the teapot, placing it on a small red clay stove.

“It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” Su Heng put the fruit segments into her mouth. “From his appearance, it’s not just strictness towards you. He has quite a bit of malice towards you.”

As she spoke, she pounced in front of him, her pretty eyes meeting Tan Ye’s, her words containing temptation. “He treats you like this, not at all like a master. Sooner or later, he will deal with you. It’s better to strike first. Why don’t you take care of him first?”

Tan Ye glanced at her. “No need.”

He saw that the copper pot on the small red clay stove was already steaming. He took it down. “It’s normal for Master to be like this. He has no reason to be good to me. There’s no need to go against morality and make a killing move over such a small matter.”

After he finished speaking, he heard that demon laugh.

Tan Ye looked at her. She was laughing so hard that her shoulders were shaking.

“I heard that the relationship between master and disciple is like that of father and son. Have you ever heard of a father treating his son like this? That’s not called being a matter of course. That’s called being narrow-minded. Do you know how a father treats his son?”

Tan Ye’s hand holding the copper pot paused, and the boiling water quickly overflowed from the teacup.

“You really don’t know?” Su Heng was full of curiosity. “Could it be that you have never interacted with your parents?”

“Oh, the water spilled.”

Tan Ye’s eyelashes lowered. He withdrew his hand and tidied up the table. “In a couple of days, I have some matters to attend to outside. Don’t run around.”

Su Heng stared straight at him. Tan Ye looked over. “What are you looking at?”

He usually didn’t care about her staring at him. Even if she stared a hole through him, he never cared.

Interesting.

She licked the tea stains on her lips. She smiled at Tan Ye. “Looking at a man.”

Her teasing words made Tan Ye turn his head.

“What, did I say something that made you unhappy?”

Su Heng pretended to be puzzled.

“No.” Tan Ye avoided her gaze.

Su Heng rested her chin on her hand, watching him drink tea. By now, he no longer had the composure of the past.

These days, Su Heng saw him like a turtle retracting its neck, with no place to start. Now it seemed different?