The spring breeze grew warmer, and the sunlight turned gentle.
Xie Lingyu softly swayed the teapot. Petals from the nearby branch were carried by the spring wind, drifting slowly onto the table. Xie Lingyu turned her gaze, gently picking one up.
"What color is it?" Chu Xingchen sat beside her, asking in a soft voice.
[A light pink.]
Xie Lingyu wrote as she held the petal, waving it gently before Chu Xingchen's eyes.
Chu Xingchen's gaze was calm as he quietly looked at Xie Lingyu. Lately he seemed able to catch glimpses through the illusion—Xie Lingyu was wearing a blue-white robe, her dark hair bound by a pure white ribbon that fluttered in the spring breeze.
He asked:
"How long have I been back?"
[Half a month.]
"Has it been that long?"
[Before, you'd lie there for half a year at a stretch. Now you think half a month is fast?]Xie Lingyu wrote with her hand, a smile hanging at the corner of her lips, murmuring softly:
"You're clearly a lazy bum—why pretend to be diligent?"
Chu Xingchen paused slightly—not because of what Xie Lingyu had written…
But because he seemed to have heard something.
He seemed to hear Xie Lingyu saying something about being diligent?
Was it a hallucination, or something the illusion Xie Lingyu had said?
Xie Lingyu noticed Chu Xingchen's strange reaction and reached out to write again:
[What's wrong?]
Chu Xingchen shook his head gently. "Perhaps I've been a bit too busy lately. Suddenly having some free time feels off. Or maybe knowing there's a pile of things to do but being unable to do anything right now—my heart feels a bit uneasy."
Xie Lingyu didn't rush to answer. She first placed the teacup before Chu Xingchen, then set the fallen petal beneath the cup.
After finishing all this, she reached out and wrote gently:
[Don't think so much. The world is full of talent like fish crossing a river—who's to say no one can do better than you?]
Chu Xingchen saw this reply and smiled, raising an eyebrow:
"That's true. Hearing you say that, I can immediately lie back down with even more peace of mind."
Xie Lingyu let out a soft laugh at this, not reaching to write, but instead steadying the teacup, watching Chu Xingchen's smug expression as she said gently:
"Such behavior. But it's good to slow down a bit—you're always rushing ahead, and I can hardly keep up."
Chu Xingchen did his best to keep his expression neutral. This time he had indeed caught something faintly—not the illusion Xie Lingyu speaking, but the real Xie Lingyu's voice.
And her expression, which the current Chu Xingchen could also dimly make out.
A gentle warmth, with a hint of girlish charm.
Hmm…
A very different kind of Xie Lingyu.
The conversation stopped abruptly, but no one found it strange.
Comfortable companionship meant even sudden silences felt natural.
Xie Lingyu cradled the teacup, waited a moment, then began humming a soft tune. Her voice was gentle, and the words weren't quite clear.
Only the melody's soft turns could be felt, which didn't match Xie Lingyu's usual temperament.
Chu Xingchen's expression didn't change, but he strained to listen. Though what he heard was hazy, only catching the faintest occasional sound…
He felt it was enough. Another chance would come, and he would hear the full version then.
Xie Lingyu's humming didn't last long—it stopped after a short while, and her gaze turned toward the corridor.
Li Yingling walked with Li Xingtian at her side. She herself seemed to be quietly scolding a wrong-looking Cui Hao, while Chen Baiqing followed behind, chatting with Lin Luoyu beside her.
Yun Li brought up the rear. He was a cultivation fanatic even more extreme than Li Xingtian.
During his time at Tianyan Sect, he spent at least ninety percent of it in bitter cultivation.
Li Yingling reached the corridor and stopped her lecture on her junior brother, turning her gaze toward their master.
The group gathered around, exchanged greetings, and took their seats.
Cui Hao, well-practiced, immediately claimed the seat closest to master.
Nowadays, Chu Xingchen's disciples, besides cultivating, spent their remaining time handling affairs—processing intelligence, making arrangements, or, under confirmed safe conditions, going on missions alongside Tianyan Sect disciples.
Without real-world experience, having cultivation alone sometimes wasn't enough to get things done.
This time, Li Yingling had taken Cui Hao on a mission. Clearly, Cui Hao's approach hadn't yet earned the approval of this eldest senior sister.
Once everyone was seated, Li Yingling didn't mention any dissatisfaction with Cui Hao. Instead, she naturally began recounting what she'd seen on the mission.
She didn't describe what Cui Hao had done to upset this eldest senior sister. On the contrary, she praised Cui Hao several times for handling things competently.
Lin Luoyu and Chen Baiqing had teamed up, and their dynamic was far less intense than Li Yingling and Cui Hao's.
Chen Baiqing's philosophy was simple—get the job done. As long as the process didn't cause major problems downstream, subordinates were free to approach things their own way.
Lin Luoyu had earned even more of Li Xingtian's approval—she worked diligently and reliably, never doing anything unnecessary.
The two of them handled matters smoothly, a stark contrast to the dramatic ups and downs of Li Yingling's experience.
Li Xingtian didn't have much to report.
Lately, he hadn't gone on any missions or done much cultivation. Most of his time had been spent with Lu Xuan, who was studying whether there was anything wrong with his spirit.
The findings weren't shared with Li Xingtian—they were sent directly to Chu Xingchen.
When Li Xingtian tried to ask, the answer was: go ask your own master.
The experience of being a lab rat was certainly novel, but it was nothing to boast about.
Yun Li held his hot tea, sipping slowly.
As a cultivation fanatic, he didn't have much to chat about. His progress was simply very fast.
The group conversed in an orderly fashion. Each person, when speaking, would also raise a hand to write—it was slightly odd, but they wanted their master to know what they were discussing.
In this small sect, without the master's voice, things would truly feel desolate.
Li Xingtian wore a smile, watching his gentle-looking third junior sister, watching his spirited eldest senior sister, watching Cui Hao who clung to master with flattery.
Watching fourth junior sister's calm, gentle smile.
As long as everyone could stay together like this, no amount of sacrifice was too much.
Li Yingling had only told half her story before Cui Hao took over.
Cui Hao opened his mouth and immediately praised eldest senior sister for her brilliant wisdom, weaving a tale of dramatic twists—but every turning point was a decision made by Li Yingling.
He himself was merely an insignificant side character who followed his senior sister's orders.
The flattery was thick, yet everyone listened with great enjoyment.
The tea in the cups reflected today's clear night sky, and reflected the joyful faces of everyone present.
A gentle breeze stirred the tea's surface into ripples.
Chu Xingchen's heart gradually settled into peace.
Indeed, compared to the illusion's obedient, flattering, false disciples…
The disciples before him now—who also cast their attention elsewhere—felt far more real.
Without realizing it, the voices in his ears grew clearer.
The fog in Chu Xingchen's eyes gradually dissipated, and his calm gaze fell upon Li Yingling, who was laughing freely.
A bead appeared silently in Chu Xingchen's hand.
Li Yingling looked at Chu Xingchen and asked with a bright laugh:
"Master, tell me—who's the best in the world to you? Is it me?"
She spoke aloud, making no move to write. Clearly, this question wasn't meant for him to answer.
Chu Xingchen's smile didn't fade, but he didn't answer.
He and everyone gathered here…
Were all the best in the world to him.
And he believed he was definitely theirs…
The best in the world.
[
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