Chapter: Chapter 296
Chapter 52: The Eve of Departure
The news that an Immortal Master had personally come to take on a disciple spread like wildfire.
For a time, the entire Guanping City was abuzz, and the crowd exploded.
When people looked at the usually scorned white-haired girl, their eyes were filled with intense envy and regret.
If they had known she would have such a day of soaring success, they should have tried to befriend her earlier.
As the saying goes, when one person attains the Tao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Perhaps they could have benefited too.
But then, an even more explosive piece of news detonated.
Luo Cong’an…
She refused.
…
…
“Have you thought it through?”
In the small courtyard, Miaozhen Shangren, who claimed to be from the Heavenly Evolution Sect, slowly uttered these words.
She was indeed very surprised.
She had asked this question more than once before. Some had been ecstatic, some had looked lost, and some had immediately knelt and bowed.
But this was the first time Miaozhen had encountered someone who directly refused.
The girl’s fair and tender face showed a hint of apology and nervousness.
She fiddled with the hem of her clothes, then looked back at her teacher, and still shook her head.
“Immortal Master, please forgive my ignorance…”
Miaozhen followed her gaze and scanned the man on the bamboo chair. She understood a bit and was also slightly surprised.
She thought to herself, what a handsome and refined man.
It was no wonder girls liked him, to the point of giving up the opportunity to seek immortality and attain the Great Tao.
She then comforted her with a smile, “Are you worried that after cultivating with me, you’ll have to sever ties with the mortal world, no longer interact with secular people, and be unable to see your family and friends?”
Her words were significant.
“Our Heavenly Evolution Sect is not like those monks who sever worldly ties and eliminate emotions. You can rest assured of this.”
“Even if you go to the sect with me, you can still return to visit every year.”
Upon hearing this, the girl’s eyes brightened.
She admitted that she had truly been tempted just now.
Yes, this was a chance to truly transcend the mortal world and seek immortality. It was impossible to say that Luo Cong’an’s heart was not stirred at all.
She hesitated and asked, “Immortal Master, then, can my teacher come with me?”
Luo Cong’an was clearly pushing her luck.
If it had been in the past, Miaozhen would have flicked her sleeve and left.
As a dignified Golden Core true person and an elder of a sect, could she lack a disciple like you?
But this time, Miaozhen was unusually patient.
After all, she had been searching for this Spiritual Rhyme Dao Body for decades, and during this time, she had traveled through countless cities.
She had already given up hope, but unexpectedly, she encountered it at the last moment before her deadline.
Miaozhen explained kindly, “Your teacher’s meridians are blocked, and he has no spiritual root, so he cannot cultivate. Naturally, he cannot go to the Heavenly Evolution Sect.”
Luo Cong’an’s eyes dimmed again.
But Miaozhen’s tone shifted, “However, cultivation is to defy the heavens and turn the impossible into the possible. If you achieve success in your cultivation in the future, who knows if you’ll find a way to solve this.”
Seeing the girl still hesitant, Miaozhen understood the principle of “too much is as bad as too little.”
She chuckled, and a jade talisman appeared in Luo Cong’an’s hand.
“Don’t rush to refuse. I will stay here for some time. If you are willing, you can crush the jade talisman anytime, and I will know and come to take you away.”
The voice came from all directions.
Luo Cong’an suddenly looked up, only to see that the front was already empty. Her eyes widened, thinking that this person’s coming and going without a trace was truly the method of an immortal.
The girl stood silently in place, many thoughts flashing through her mind.
Her gaze then fixed on the words “seek immortality.”
If she could, as the immortal said, achieve success in her cultivation in the future, could she then take her teacher to seek immortality together?
The lifespan of mortals is ultimately limited.
But immortals are different. They live for hundreds of years, and there are even legends of them having the same lifespan as heaven.
Decades are too short; she wanted more.
Luo Cong’an thought greedily.
…
…
For the next few days, the atmosphere in the small courtyard was somewhat strange.
This strangeness came from the interactions between Chen An and Luo Cong’an.
Ever since the Immortal Master had visited, whether it was their usual interactions or their conversations during meals, there was a strange aftertaste.
It was as if they were both holding something back, neither willing to bring it up first.
Chen An was waiting for Luo Cong’an to speak, and Luo Cong’an was waiting for her teacher to ask.
It was as if they had reached some consensus and existed in this strange atmosphere for three full days.
During these three days, the girl wanted to say something several times, but each time, the words reached her lips, only to be swallowed back forcefully.
It wasn’t until the evening of the third day that Chen An knocked on Luo Cong’an’s door.
In the darkness, he held a wine jar, his eyes clear.
“Have a drink with me.”
Luo Cong’an would naturally not refuse.
As long as it was her teacher’s request, she never thought she had any need to refuse.
She hesitated for a moment, then went back to her room to put on a coat, covering her graceful figure beneath the thin inner lining.
The two of them came to the courtyard and sat down by the stone table.
The night was clear with a bright moon, and a cool breeze occasionally blew, carrying a refreshing chill.
Luo Cong’an took a closer look and found that her teacher was wearing thick clothes, which eased her mind.
She proactively picked up the small wine jar and poured a cup for her teacher and herself.
After doing so, just as Luo Cong’an was about to speak, she saw Chen An already pick up his wine cup and signal to her.
So, she had no choice but to raise her wine cup and drink a cup with her teacher.
After a cup of wine, a faint blush quickly appeared on the girl’s delicate and fair face.
The wine was pungent, slid down her throat, and into her stomach, dispelling some of the chill.
“Cong’an, this seems to be our first time drinking, right?”
In the moonlight, Luo Cong’an could vaguely see the outline of her teacher’s face. He leaned on the table, supporting his head with one hand, while the other gently twirled his wine cup, drawing meaningless arcs in the air.
For some reason, Luo Cong’an felt that her teacher looked incredibly beautiful at this moment, making her heart beat slightly faster.
Like a magnificent ascent, like drunken jade falling.
She softly replied, “Yes, teacher. I thought you disliked drinking.”
Chen An smiled, “Dislike it… I wouldn’t say so, but I wouldn’t say I like it either. It’s probably somewhere in between. I can drink it, or I don’t have to.”
He put down his wine cup, his slender fingers tapping rhythmically on the stone table.
Luo Cong’an’s gaze unintentionally fell upon them, and she found it hard to look away.
After a while, she heard her teacher say, “Actually, many things in the world are like this. They are not as extreme as you think. Just like you want to cultivate immortality. Didn’t that Immortal Master say that you can come back to visit every year…”
Luo Cong’an couldn’t help but interrupt her teacher, “Teacher, I never said I wanted to go.”
“Really?”
Chen An’s tapping finger suddenly stopped. He looked at the girl before him.
Her snow-white long hair, under the moonlight, was as beautiful as fireflies.
Luo Cong’an’s expression faltered. Being looked at like this by her teacher made her inexplicably uneasy.
The next moment, she avoided the topic and changed the subject, asking, “So, teacher, what advice do you have?”
Chen An lowered his eyes.
But he quickly smiled again.
“Actually, when you’re in this world, you don’t need much advice from others.”
(End of this chapter)
