Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 153 - 152: Chen Tiansheng Wants Ji Xichan to Lodge at the Cold Palace Sword Mansion

WHOOSH—

A gentle breeze swept past, and the entire bamboo forest shivered. Pei Yuhang sensed something and looked up.

A figure in a Black Gold Daoist Robe came into view.

"Hey, Pei Yuhang, you still haven't answered me!"

Completely oblivious, Ji Xichan stepped in front of Pei Yuhang. She reached out and grabbed the corner of his robes, refusing to let him leave.

"Fellow Daoist Pei, let my disciple rest for a while. There is something I wish to discuss with you regarding Ji Xichan."

The Sound of Divine Sense had entered Pei Yuhang's Sea of Consciousness. Although Pei Yuhang didn't understand why Chen Tiansheng hadn't stepped in to take his disciple back himself, he didn't ask. He simply and swiftly flicked Ji Xichan on the forehead.

HUM—

"Pei Yuhang... you?!"

Ji Xichan's eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe Pei Yuhang had suddenly struck her. An irresistible drowsiness washed over her. The young woman's eyelids grew heavy, and at last, she fell into a deep sleep.

Pei Yuhang caught Ji Xichan's falling body, then watched as her "guardian" emerged from the bamboo forest.

The simple yet dignified Black Gold Daoist Robe belonged, without a doubt, to the current Saint Son of the Xuanyuan Dao Sect—the Void Refining Realm expert, Chen Tiansheng.

Pei Yuhang didn't know when Chen Tiansheng had arrived, but he had most likely followed Ji Xichan over... 'So,' he realized, 'he's seen and heard the entire process of me shamelessly disciplining her, from start to finish.'

'He must have heard Ji Xichan's muffled groans, her tearful protests, and her defiant retorts as clear as day.'

'Because of this, Pei Yuhang found it hard to understand. Why hadn't Chen Tiansheng come out and stopped it? Could it be that he was happy to see someone else discipline his personal disciple right in front of him?'

'Searching his own heart, Pei Yuhang knew he could never be as calm as Chen Tiansheng, hiding in the shadows while another Cultivator... disciplined his own disciple in such a shameful way.'

'In fact, if anyone dared to meddle with a disciple of his Cold Palace Sword Mansion, he would have drawn his sword and struck them down in an instant.'

"Fellow Daoist Pei, I appreciate your efforts."

"..."

Pei Yuhang's fingers, which were wrapped around Ji Xichan's slender waist, stiffened. If he didn't know Chen Tiansheng's personality, he might have actually thought the man was being passive-aggressive.

He looked at Chen Tiansheng and directly voiced the question on his mind.

"Dust Saint Son, since you knew Ji Xichan came to the Cold Palace Sword Mansion looking for me, why didn't you come out and stop her?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Tiansheng shook his head slightly.

"Please, Fellow Daoist Pei, just call me Fellow Daoist Chen as you always have. I've never been fond of the title 'Saint Son'."

"As for Xichan's situation... that's precisely what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Fellow Daoist Pei, I would like to ask a favor of you."

"For the next three years, could you let Xichan live here, in your Cold Palace Sword Mansion?"

Hearing this, Pei Yuhang glanced down at the unconscious young woman in his arms.

Pale Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, casting a glow on the young woman's face. The sight was breathtaking.

"Why?"

Pei Yuhang looked up, his voice laced with confusion.

"Fellow Daoist Pei, after your recent interactions, you must have some understanding of Xichan's personality by now."

"She has a competitive drive that far surpasses that of ordinary people. This tenacity, which borders on obsession, is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it will make Xichan a resolute Seeker. No matter what setbacks she might encounter on her path, they won't affect her Dao Heart.

But on the other hand, as her Cultivation Realm advances, the probability of her Dao Heart giving rise to a Heart Demon is also far greater than it is for an ordinary Cultivator."

"She cultivates the Soul Spirit Dao. If a Heart Demon were to form in her Dao Heart, the price she'd pay would be much greater than that of a normal Cultivator... She could even fall into a state of eternal damnation, a fate more terrible than having her body and soul utterly destroyed."

"A Heart Demon?"

Pei Yuhang muttered, then looked at Chen Tiansheng with incredulity in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you're not trying to say that her Heart Demon... would be me, are you?"

Chen Tiansheng nodded.

"Fellow Daoist Pei, back when you descended from the mountain to travel the world, you were the one who rescued Xichan from an altar in the Blood Yama Hall. After discovering her aptitude for cultivation, you brought her into the Sect... You probably don't even realize how important of a place you hold in her heart."

"Unfortunately, in your eyes, Xichan was just a stranger you happened to save. You certainly had no obligation to become her guide for the rest of her life.

So, after realizing that Xichan was not suited to inherit your mantle, you firmly rejected her request to become your disciple. Even after she knelt in the snow for three days, your heart did not soften."

As he spoke, Chen Tiansheng's voice gradually grew heavier.

"After you refused to take her as your disciple, Xichan never forgot you. She has been chasing your shadow ever since..."

"Her greatest motivation to become stronger is the desire to make you regret your decision... but at the end of the day, all she really wants is for you to acknowledge her."

Pei Yuhang's gaze fell, and he remained silent.

'He understood the young woman's feelings, of course... but he was incapable of returning them. They were simply not fated to be, whether as master and disciple or... anything more.'

Meanwhile, Chen Tiansheng continued speaking.

"Ever since she saw you at the Sect's grand tournament... I can see that Xichan's Dao Heart has become more and more unstable. If this continues, she will absolutely form a dangerous Heart Demon when she breaks through to the Divinity Transformation Realm."

"I cannot just stand by and watch my own disciple fall into ruin... 'The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it.' That is why I can only ask you, Fellow Daoist Pei, to take Xichan in for three years and help her resolve this knot in her heart.

In return, I, the Saint Son of the Xuanyuan Dao Sect, will owe you a massive favor. In the future, so long as it doesn't cross any of my lines or harm the fundamental interests of the Dao Sect, I will do everything in my power to assist you."

Chen Tiansheng's voice was sincere. From his words, Pei Yuhang could sense the earnest hope a master held for his disciple. This made Pei Yuhang, a master himself, feel ashamed of his own shortcomings by comparison.

'After all, his relationships with his own disciples... were far from being as pure as Chen Tiansheng's.'

"For these next three years, what do you want me to do?"

Moved by Chen Tiansheng's sincerity, Pei Yuhang had essentially accepted his old rival's request.

"Just let nature take its course, Fellow Daoist Pei. I want Xichan to figure out her own feelings for herself."

Chen Tiansheng turned and began walking deeper into the bamboo forest, saying over his shoulder:

"If the two of you end up becoming Dao Companions, I will naturally offer my sincerest blessings. I trust your character, Fellow Daoist Pei."

Pei Yuhang frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"I already have a Dao Companion. Why would I make a move on your disciple...? Fellow Daoist Chen, are you questioning my character?"

Chen Tiansheng paused and looked back over his shoulder, a smile gracing his lips for the first time.

"As I said, I trust your character, Fellow Daoist Pei. However, I don't trust my disciple to be able to restrain herself. So, I must ask you to conduct yourself with dignity in the future, Fellow Daoist Pei."

"As for Dao Companions... the road to eternal life is long and arduous. Having a few more is just a way to find mutual comfort on the lonely path of cultivation. Why must you be so rigid, Fellow Daoist Pei?"

Pei Yuhang shook his head.

"Liyuan and I have already sworn an oath, witnessed by heaven and earth, to stay together forever and never betray one another. I cannot agree with your views, Fellow Daoist Chen."

But perhaps it was a guilty conscience, or perhaps he knew he had no right to say such a thing. After speaking, the White-clothed Sword Immortal did not raise his head to meet Chen Tiansheng's gaze.

Chen Tiansheng gave a meaningful smile. With a wave of his hand, he began to dissolve into mist. As he departed, his voice lingered in the bamboo forest long after he was gone.

"Is that so~? Well then, I'll be watching."

"I hope you can stay true to your path of pure love, Fellow Daoist Pei."