I Don’T Want To Be This Master For A Day Anymore. Chapter 13
byI’m here. No one dares touch you.
Qiu Yin’an and Wan Qiongju returned to Qingxuan Peak.
The two ascended the stone steps slowly. When they reached a height where they could see half of the West Mountain Hall’s entrance, Qiu Yin’an also saw Bai Chengying pacing back and forth at the doorway. He quickened his pace up the steps.
Seeing Qiu Yin’an approaching quickly, Bai Chengying descended a few steps to meet him.
“I heard from your spirit fox that you brought someone back from Wanzong Mountain.” Bai Chengying’s gaze fell upon Wan Qiongju, who was behind Qiu Yin’an. He scanned him repeatedly, then said in a tone of sudden realization, “No wonder you refused to cultivate with me.”
“What does he have to do with it?”
Climbing a hundred stone steps had not tired Qiu Yin’an, but the moment he heard Bai Chengying’s words, he felt utterly drained.
He had rejected Bai Chengying countless times, both overtly and subtly, yet Bai Chengying always found a suitable reason to comfort himself. Bai Chengying blamed everything else, never blaming Qiu Yin’an for not loving him.
Qiu Yin’an let out a low sigh and explained, “Brother Chengying, my refusal to cultivate with you isn’t because of who I brought back from where. I’ve already made the reason very clear to you: I have always respected you deeply, which is why I cannot wrong you. No matter who is in this world or who isn’t, we can only ever be friends.”
“Yin’an, you are so important to me. For your sake, I defied my master, damaged my heart meridian, and ruined my path of cultivation. Is this the fate I deserve?” Bai Chengying’s eyelids trembled uncontrollably. “Are you going to ignore everything I’ve done for you?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to help me reinforce the seal. I put you in a difficult position,” Qiu Yin’an replied. “I have found a way to repair your meridians. Wait a little longer. Once I help you recover, you won’t need to help me anymore. Chen Liang is your master; you should follow him.”
“Yin’an, that’s not what I meant.” Bai Chengying grabbed Qiu Yin’an’s hand, hastily explaining, “Your importance in my heart is no less than his.”
“That’s not important. What’s important is that I can’t give you anything. Stop helping me. I don’t want to keep owing you,” Qiu Yin’an yanked his hand, trying to pull free, but Bai Chengying gripped him tighter. Qiu Yin’an winced in pain, letting out a hiss.
Wan Qiongju pulled a nail from nowhere and stabbed it toward Bai Chengying’s hand. Bai Chengying was unprepared for this low-level technique from the young man. He couldn’t dodge in time, and the nail sliced his skin. Stung by the pain, he released the hand that was restraining Qiu Yin’an.
Bai Chengying raised his hand, looking at the cut on his knuckles. He slowly clenched his fist, and bright red blood dripped from his wrist onto the ground. He raised his eyes to Wan Qiongju, his gaze brimming with murderous intent.
Qiu Yin’an quickly shielded Wan Qiongju behind him. “Brother Chengying, your hand is injured. Go back to Wanyun Pavilion quickly and have Hai Di bandage it.”
A damaged heart meridian and a fractured spiritual core affect the ability to break through realms and cause insufficient Spiritual Energy supply during prolonged combat. However, taking Wan Qiongju’s life would not take long—just an instant would be enough.
Therefore, it would be effortless for Bai Chengying to kill Wan Qiongju right now.
Blood continued to flow down Bai Chengying’s wrist, but he paid it no mind. His gaze grew increasingly cold.
Qiu Yin’an watched Bai Chengying intently, daring not to relax, afraid that if Bai Chengying launched a killing blow, he wouldn’t be able to stop it, and Wan Qiongju would perish.
Bai Chengying slowly blinked and looked at Qiu Yin’an. He asked, “Yin’an, if I insist on taking his life, do you think you can stop me?”
The strength of Qiu Yin’an’s Spiritual Energy was largely due to the efficacy of those two pills; he hadn’t endured much hardship in his cultivation journey. Bai Chengying was different; he relied purely on diligent practice and hard work to break through realms, bit by bit. Describing Bai Chengying’s cultivation as profound wasn’t quite accurate; using the word ‘refined’ was more fitting.
In the past, if the two were to spar, the winner would certainly be Bai Chengying. But given the current situation, Qiu Yin’an was not without a way to win. He would just have to keep running and hiding, waiting until Bai Chengying’s Spiritual Energy was depleted, and then strike back. That would allow him to defeat Bai Chengying.
But he would never resort to such a tactic unless he had absolutely no other choice.
“Do you and I really have to fight?” Qiu Yin’an held Wan Qiongju’s wrist tightly with the hand behind his back, gripping hard, terrified that Wan Qiongju would rush out again and seek death.
“How could I bear to lay a hand on you?” Bai Chengying’s gaze softened gradually. He explained, “However, if I don’t make him suffer a little this time, what will happen if he keeps being so reckless in the future?”
“I will discipline him properly,” Qiu Yin’an replied. “I have already taken him as my disciple. It is my failure in teaching.”
Qiu Yin’an took the nail from Wan Qiongju’s hand and quickly drew a deep horizontal cut across his own knuckles. Instantly, bright red blood seeped out. Qiu Yin’an asked, “Brother Chengying, are you satisfied now?”
Qiu Yin’an tossed the nail to Bai Chengying. “If you are still not satisfied, then strike again.”
“Master.” Wan Qiongju immediately tore off the ribbon from his hair tie and bandaged Qiu Yin’an’s wound. His eyes were red and watery. He looked up, choking out, “I’m sorry.”
Qiu Yin’an raised his hand to wipe away the tears dripping down the boy’s face, then wrapped an arm around him, maintaining a posture of protecting him to the end.
Bai Chengying roared, “You treat him this well? And you still say he’s not the reason you won’t cultivate with me!”
Rage surged across Bai Chengying’s face. He condensed power in his palm, and the iron nail instantly turned to ash.
Bai Chengying’s chest heaved; he was on the brink of fury. Qiu Yin’an quickly explained, “I treat him well, just like you treat your own disciples.”
Hearing this, Bai Chengying’s lips twitched slightly.
Qiu Yin’an added, “Brother Chengying, as a master, shouldn’t I protect my own disciple?”
Bai Chengying: “Is it truly just the bond between master and disciple?”
“Yes,” Qiu Yin’an said the word decisively. “He lived a miserable life before, and I pity him greatly. The moment I brought him back, I promised to ensure he lives a life of ease and prosperity. I cannot break my word.”
Bai Chengying’s emotions gradually calmed. He pressed further, “He is so enchanting. If he clings to you every day, can you guarantee you won’t lose control of your emotions?”
“Brother Chengying, he is not the obstacle between us. The true obstacle is that my heart is not with you,” Qiu Yin’an advised. “If you keep trying to make things difficult for him, I’m afraid I will only distance myself further from you.”
“Please don’t say things that hurt me so much,” Bai Chengying’s voice sounded like a plea.
Seeing him calm down, Qiu Yin’an breathed a sigh of relief. He said, “Brother Chengying, you’ve also lost a lot of blood. Go back and get bandaged up.”
Bai Chengying gave a bitter smile. “Now, can I not even sit in your West Mountain Hall? I’ve been waiting here for you for a long time.”
Qiu Yin’an patted the boy who was still sniffling in his arms, then gave Wan Qiongju a look, signaling him to open the seal.
Wan Qiongju took out the jade pendant hanging around his neck and deactivated the seal. His gaze toward Bai Chengying was filled with disgust and vigilance, but he could not stop Bai Chengying from stepping into the West Mountain Hall.
Qiu Yin’an instructed Wan Qiongju to fetch a cloth, bandage Bai Chengying’s wound, and then sat down with Bai Chengying in the study.
“Yin’an, I didn’t come specifically to talk about that today. If you won’t agree to dual cultivation, I won’t pressure you anymore,” Bai Chengying’s expression looked much calmer. He continued, “I came to tell you about something important. The Venerable Lord invited the Witch Cultivation lineage over yesterday.”
“Witch Cultivators?” Qiu Yin’an thought he had misheard. “Why would he provoke the Witch Cultivators?”
Witch Cultivators, coexisting with heaven and earth, were originally the most powerful lineage in the world. But precisely because of their power, they could perceive the will of heaven and earth, which led to disrespect and brought down divine punishment, causing their decline. Fortunately, with the help of the Demon Race, they were not completely annihilated. The Witch Cultivators and the Demon Race share a deep bond, even leading to the legend of the Witch-Demon common origin. Since the Demon Race was sealed away, the Witch Cultivation lineage has spent the last century trying everything to help the Demon Race break the seal. Thus, Witch Cultivators are the common enemy of the entire Cultivation World.
Qiu Yin’an: “Witches and Demons are birds of a feather; everyone avoids them. What does Chen Liang mean by letting Witch Cultivators step onto the sacred ground of Qingxuan Peak? First, he injured you, and now he’s forming alliances with Witch Cultivators. I truly understand him less and less.”
Bai Chengying: “This matter is mostly because of my damaged heart meridian.”
Qiu Yin’an: “How so?”
Bai Chengying: “With my heart meridian damaged and my spiritual core fractured, I can no longer shoulder the great responsibility of sealing the Demon Race with you. Looking across the Cultivation World, there is still no one who can replace me in five years. So, the Venerable Lord wants to negotiate with the Witch Cultivators and jointly govern the Cultivation World with the Demons and Witches.”
Qiu Yin’an was instantly enraged, slamming his hand on the table as he stood up. “The Demon Race was punished by the gods precisely because they slaughtered tens of thousands of cultivators! The gods bestowed the Soul Protection Lamp to help us seal the Demon Race. After all these years, the Demon Race’s resentment must have only increased. If Chen Liang negotiates with them, isn’t he disregarding all our lives?”
“I don’t entirely agree with this method either,” Bai Chengying explained. “The Venerable Lord was forced to invite the Witch Cultivators to mediate.”
Qiu Yin’an: “He thinks that’s a beautiful idea? Will the Witch Clan’s mediation guarantee that everyone in the Cultivation World remains safe and unharmed? The Demon Race is brutal and kills without blinking. If the Demon Race truly breaks the boundary and emerges, the Cultivation World will surely see scenes of corpses covering the fields again. The retreat he imagines is forcing everyone onto a path of no return.”
“If we want the Venerable Lord to change his mind, the only way is for my meridians to recover,” Bai Chengying said. “Yin’an, you just said you had a lead on a method to repair the meridians. What is it?”
“I’m not entirely sure about this yet,” Qiu Yin’an said. “There is a flower called the Sitting Buddha’s Hand on Cold Ridge White Cliff that has miraculous effects on nourishing meridians. I plan to retrieve a branch for you to refine into a pill.”
“You would go to Cold Ridge White Cliff for me?” Bai Chengying’s spring-water eyes shone with a faint white light. He smiled slightly, a radiant color blooming on his cheeks. “Cold Ridge White Cliff is extremely dangerous. You would venture there for me, Yin’an. You are so good to me.”
“There aren’t many other good options,” Qiu Yin’an replied. “It’s better than dual cultivation.”
Bai Chengying’s heart instantly plummeted from a high platform, shattering into pieces. “What are your plans for Wan Qiongju, that young brat? You are so willing to sacrifice for him. Are you waiting for him to grow up a bit so you can cultivate with him?”
Qiu Yin’an said helplessly, “Why are you dragging this topic back again?”
Bai Chengying: “That little bastard definitely doesn’t just see you as a master. Trust my intuition. The spirit fox told me he is already fifteen. Don’t treat him like a child. At fifteen, the age of first love, you should know what’s going through his mind. We both went through that age.”
Bai Chengying grew more agitated, shifting forward in his seat. He continued, “You are so handsome and extraordinary. How could he not harbor improper thoughts when he looks at you? Think about it, Yu Jingyan was running off to the pleasure quarters every day at his age.”
Qiu Yin’an: “He is not Yu Jingyan. Don’t compare my direct disciple to that kind of person.”
Bai Chengying: “I’m just telling you to be careful. Don’t let things slide. Even as a close friend, I would still warn you like this today.”
“What do I need to be careful of?” Faced with Bai Chengying’s nonsensical remarks, Qiu Yin’an felt annoyed. He was tired of this meaningless entanglement with Bai Chengying. He answered almost self-destructively, “If he has any thoughts, I’ll satisfy him. I’ll just take his innocence. After all, a beauty is hard to come by. Stop worrying about ‘us’.”
Bai Chengying: “Us? You refer to yourself and him as ‘us’?”
Qiu Yin’an: “You are convinced that there is something improper between us. No matter how I explain it to you, it’s useless. Go back. More words are pointless.”
After Bai Chengying left, Qiu Yin’an felt relieved, but when he looked up, he saw Wan Qiongju standing at the door, holding a tea tray, turning in circles, looking lost.
Qiu Yin’an quickly replayed the words he had just spoken. He let out a soft groan, feeling that things were getting complicated. Wan Qiongju wasn’t afraid that he was going to do something to him, was he?