Since the last known location of the missing Elder Wu was near Wu City, in the past few days several teams from Yun Tian Sect had gradually gathered there, conducting a thorough search in hopes of finding any trace.
Xiao Lingyu was not optimistic about their search—he remembered the previous life all too well. Back then, Yun Tian Sect had scoured the area for an entire month, even going so far as to use “soul summoning” in an attempt to locate Elder Wu’s residual soul. But despite all efforts, nothing was found, and they returned to the sect in defeat.
At that time, Xiao Lingyu was still very young and didn’t understand much. He only vaguely heard that Elder Wu’s disappearance might have been connected to an ancient cave. It was said that while traveling, Elder Wu had discovered clues to an ancient immortal’s cave. Excited, he reported it to the sect, but before a response arrived, he ventured alone to seek the cave—and never returned.
The sect leader, Ling Xiaozi, had spent ten years calculating with the utmost care and deduced that Elder Wu was likely long gone. The reason this case involved the Yan You Sect of the demonic path was that someone had seen Elder Wu argue with a disciple from that sect. According to information Xiao Lingyu heard in the demonic sect, the cave had been discovered simultaneously by Elder Wu and a Yan You disciple, and both disappeared. Compared to Yun Tian Sect’s vigorous search, the Yan You Sect paid little attention to their missing disciple. As for the ancient cave, Xiao Lingyu had never heard any external news about it, even up until his death in the previous life.
Thinking of this, Xiao Lingyu’s mind stirred. Didn’t he still have the so-called ancient immortal, the old ghost head, by his side? That ghost loved to boast about the old days—surely he must have a treasure cave left behind.
The moment Xiao Lingyu asked, the ghost head beamed, “Of course I do! Back then, my fortune ranked among the top three in the cultivation world. How could such vast wealth not include a cave? With my formations, those treasures should still be intact after all these years.”
Xiao Lingyu’s face lit up at the words, but the ghost’s tone suddenly drooped. “But you can forget about the treasure. When I was trapped in the Nether Ring, my enemies must have seized the cave. Though they disdain my wealth, they certainly set up formations there. I’ll never go back.”
Xiao Lingyu rolled his eyes at the ghost’s usual antics but knew that, unreliable as he was, he always followed through on his word. Thinking about the lost fortune, Xiao Lingyu soon let it go—men must earn their own wealth. With the foresight of his past life, he could achieve even more this time.
The ghost, seeing Xiao Lingyu let the matter go in just a few breaths, praised him exuberantly. Poor Xiao Lingyu, already accustomed to the ghost’s sarcastic remarks for past mistakes, blushed furiously from the unaccustomed direct praise. When a waiter noticed and assumed Xiao Lingyu was ill, shouting for the immortal master, the ghost finally stopped gushing.
The waiter’s call coincidentally summoned Master Wu Yunzi, who had left early that morning with another child. Xiao Lingyu, seeing Wu Yunzi, forced a sweet smile, but when his gaze fell on the child beside Wu Yunzi, his smile froze.
Xu Xuan? How could it be Xu Xuan? Xiao Lingyu remembered that in the previous life, he had only met Xu Xuan six years after joining the sect. Why had Xu Xuan appeared so early this time?
Xiao Lingyu’s stunned expression drew Wu Yunzi’s attention. Following Xiao Lingyu’s gaze, he saw the child and smiled knowingly. Sure enough, his young disciple still had a child’s heart, and seeing another child immediately sparked visible excitement. Noticing the intense reaction, Wu An’guo had been right—Yuer, being so young and with no suitable peers in the sect, would be lonely. A companion would cheer him up.
Feeling like a considerate master, Wu Yunzi briefly explained the child’s background. The child’s name was Xu Xuan, youngest son of Xu Shilin, the city lord of Wu City. He had been weak since birth due to cold poison. Because of some acquaintance with Xu Xuan’s ancestors, Wu Yunzi was invited to treat him. Seeing that his young disciple would be lonely, and having been convinced by Wu An’guo about the risks of solitary children developing introverted personalities, he decided to bring Xu Xuan along as a playmate for Xiao Lingyu.
After Wu Yunzi finished explaining, Xiao Lingyu forced an awkward smile and gritted his teeth, “Thank you, Master.”
Wu Yunzi’s heart swelled with satisfaction, seeing his young disciple’s delighted expression.
Damn it! I’m not lonely.
Damn it! I’m not feeling joy.
In fact, Xiao Lingyu, with a smiling face, was cursing Wu An’guo in his mind. The ghost head, ever eager to stir trouble, added fuel: “So this little one is your previous love’s true beloved? Tsk tsk, indeed a frail white lotus. Look at him—just six or seven, fragile and obedient, brow slightly furrowed, a stifled cough… Xiao Yuer, no offense, but your imitation last night was… pathetic.”
Xiao Lingyu’s smile stiffened as he looked at the obedient little boy standing quietly behind Master Wu. Memories surged—Xu Xuan had always been this way: gentle, fragile, and pitied by everyone. His kind-hearted nature even made him plead for others’ mistakes, earning universal affection.
And himself? Obsessed with that person, he had ignored everyone else. Naturally, he was not well-liked. Plus, his harsh actions in sect competitions to clear obstacles for that person earned him a reputation for ruthlessness. In contrast, Xu Xuan was loved and favored.
The person he liked also obviously liked Xu Xuan. Compared to him, the sect naturally leaned toward Xu Xuan. At gatherings, senior disciples deliberately placed him apart from that person and positioned Xu Xuan by their side. Enraged, he secretly punished the scheming seniors, only to have the evidence reach Master Wu, resulting in a severe scolding.
Though Xiao Lingyu disliked Xu Xuan, he had never intentionally harmed him. Yet every time Xu Xuan faced him, he looked ready to cry. Witnessed by other disciples, everyone assumed Xiao Lingyu was bullying him. And that person always refused to believe him, comforting Xu Xuan instead. Gifts Xiao Lingyu had risked his life to obtain for that person were often handed to Xu Xuan.
Now, Xu Xuan had appeared again. Whether early or late, what did it have to do with him? According to his master, Xu Xuan was merely a playmate. In the previous life, Xu Xuan had risen to a senior disciple. This time, he was just a playmate—whether the person he liked would even notice Xu Xuan was irrelevant.
Perhaps Xiao Lingyu had been silent too long. The small child timidly stepped forward, “Brother Xiao, you don’t like Xuan’er? Xuan’er will be very obedient. Don’t dislike Xuan’er.”
The familiar words made Xiao Lingyu furious. “Dislike you? I haven’t said that yet!” Was the child doing this on purpose? He instinctively glanced at Wu Yunzi, whose usually smiling eyes flashed annoyance. Xiao Lingyu felt a pang of sadness. Every time, compared to the person he liked, he was always the less-favored one—even his master thought so.
Anger surged. Plus, Xu Xuan’s cunning words provoked him. Xiao Lingyu straightened his expression and said stubbornly, “I don’t like you.”
Xu Xuan froze in surprise. That wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Back at the manor, whenever he said such things, the other party would quickly reply that they liked him. Why was this boy different? Thinking of his father’s warnings—he had to make the boy like him to stay and gain the honor of being a disciple—Xu Xuan hastily added, “Don’t worry. I’m weak and cannot cultivate; it won’t affect your position.”
Xiao Lingyu’s face darkened. What was that supposed to mean? That he didn’t like him because he feared it would affect his master’s favor? Too much! Wu Yunzi also frowned.
Originally, Wu Yunzi had brought Xu Xuan along to be a companion. But this seemingly gentle child was cunning, full of hidden intentions. His pure disciple could not match him. Deciding, Wu Yunzi said, “Yuer, Xu Xuan is your playmate. If you don’t like him, Master will send him back to his father’s house.”
Xiao Lingyu froze at the words, astonished. Wu Yunzi immediately understood the misunderstanding and, amused and slightly apologetic, called the other disciples to escort Xu Xuan back. Holding the dazed child, Wu Yunzi gently patted his twin bun and said, “Yuer, you are Master’s disciple. In Master’s eyes, no one compares to you.”
Xiao Lingyu, recalling Master Wu’s care from the previous life, his death from heartbreak upon hearing of Xiao Lingyu’s fall to the demonic path, and the past few days of indulgent care, felt a rush of emotions. He couldn’t hold back tears.
The ghost, usually delighted by Xiao Lingyu’s suffering, surprisingly remained silent this time. Wu Yunzi, amused by the child’s tears, patted and comforted him, while nobody noticed the fleeting resentment on Xu Xuan’s face as he was led away.
Young Xu Xuan had no idea what he had done wrong. In the manor, he had learned that showing gentle, weak behavior earned favor from his father and others. He had been instructed by his aunt to be obedient and soft, so the immortal master would like him too.
Thinking of his elder brothers’ jealousy and his father’s delight, Xu Xuan could not imagine his father’s reaction when he returned. All of it, he blamed on Xiao Lingyu. If not for him, Xu Xuan would also have become a disciple, gained the master’s favor, and never been bullied.
Xiao Lingyu, oblivious to Xu Xuan’s resentment, focused instead on following the ghost’s advice to lean against Master Wu, acting sweet and cute to strengthen their master-disciple bond this life.