Chapter 216: Could They Be More Overbearing Than Master?
Lin Luoyu pushed open the door and lifted her head to glance at the sun, which had just begun to show a faint red glow on the horizon.
She let out a soft sigh, closed the door behind her, and headed toward the deep pool.
Recently, the sect had been lively in many senses, and full of farewells in many senses as well.
First came the departures of Xie Lingyu and Qing He, followed by Second Senior Brother setting off for Central State once again.
Second Senior Brother had originally seemed to want to leave quietly on his own, but he was apparently caught by Master, who insisted on holding a farewell gathering.
At the same time, Second Senior Brother was made to go on stage and give a speech about his outlook on the future, which seemed to count as punishment for his attempt to sneak away.
Second Senior Brother had no choice but to stand on stage and begin speaking. At first, he did reasonably well, at least speaking with logic and structure.
Later, however, Master expressed a single demand—say a few more words.
Those few more words, under Master's insistence, became far too many.
In the end, Second Senior Brother stepped off the stage covering his face.
After all, his later remarks could barely be considered coherent speech, and even he himself likely had no idea what he had been saying.
Still, Master did not continue to make things difficult for him afterward.
The farewell gathering itself did not last long.
In the end, Master handed Second Senior Brother an exquisitely crafted token and instructed him carefully.
"Do not be polite. Master has already paid for it. If anything comes up, use it. If you see people from the Heavenly Derivation Sect, take out this token and greet them. From now on, whenever something happens, first check whether there are disciples of the Heavenly Derivation Sect nearby."
"Even if you run into disciples of the Heavenly Derivation Sect while eating, holding this token will get you a meal."
Second Senior Brother responded that he had already entered fasting cultivation and no longer ate meals.
Master continued, "You blockhead. Even if you are injured, you can still ask to have bandages applied first."
Second Senior Brother looked as if he wanted to speak but stopped himself, then nodded heavily to show that he understood.
In short, Second Senior Brother set off.
As a member of the sect, Lin Luoyu naturally had dealings with him.
In truth, Second Senior Brother was someone who seemed cold by nature, but was actually very warm toward his own people.
At the very least, he would proactively ask whether anyone needed help.
Thus, regarding Second Senior Brother's temporary departure, Lin Luoyu truly felt a sense of separation, like a gentle elder brother leaving.
Lin Luoyu walked toward the deep pool. That place was not only Chen Baiqing's usual spot, but was also, more or less, her own.
When she had nothing to do and wanted to rest for a while, she would go there.
The same was true when she felt troubled.
Today, Lin Luoyu arrived the earliest.
Chen Baiqing had not yet come, so she did not receive Chen Baiqing's daily preserved sweets.
By the edge of the deep pool, Lin Luoyu glanced sideways at the fish swimming near the water.
After letting her mind go blank for a long moment, she suddenly felt that the ordinary fish in the water seemed fewer in number, and far more alert.
"Senior Sister, why are you up so early today?"
Cui Hao's voice sounded from behind. Lin Luoyu came back to herself slightly, lifted her head, and looked at him with a hint of puzzlement in her tone.
"Why are you also up so early today?"
Cui Hao sat down opposite Lin Luoyu, picked up the teapot, and began preparing tea.
"Senior Sister has seemed absent-minded for some time. I only got up early today, but Senior Sister, have you been getting up early often recently?"
"When have I been absent-minded?"
"Master recently told me to keep an eye on you when I have nothing to do."
"Why did he ask you?"
Lin Luoyu looked over suspiciously. This fellow had a history of drawing improper artwork and was hardly a moral exemplar.
If those words had come from Second Senior Brother or Master himself, she could consider it concern.
But coming from Cui Hao, the tone felt more than a little off.
Faced with Lin Luoyu's suspicious gaze, Cui Hao wanted to retort, but lacked the confidence to do so.
He placed the brewed tea in front of her.
"It was not just me. Has Third Senior Sister not often asked whether you were unhappy recently? Eldest Senior Sister also asked whether you had run into any problems."
"I recall that Second Senior Brother also asked whether there was anything you needed help with."
Hearing this, Lin Luoyu's memories surfaced at once. It seemed that she really had been somewhat muddled lately.
Cui Hao took a small sip of the tea he had brewed.
"Master wanted to ask you himself, but after thinking it over, he felt that if you truly needed him, you would go and tell him on your own."
Lin Luoyu silently lifted the teacup in front of her, took a sip, and then set it back down.
Although she did not understand tea, she could still taste the difference between Cui Hao's tea and Chen Baiqing's.
Lin Luoyu gently shook her head. "I am fine."
"I am not here to hear you say you are fine," Cui Hao said, looking at her. The smile he usually wore disappeared, and his tone was rare in its seriousness.
"I once thought that a sect was merely a larger school, where teachers taught and students repaid them after learning."
"I also learned about other sects and understood that immortal sects are not necessarily peaceful places. Scheming and intrigue may even be worse than in the mortal world."
"Before coming here, I had already prepared myself for the worst, but fate gave me the best arrangement."
"The sect is good. Master is good. Everyone is good. This place feels more like home than home itself."
"So what about you, Senior Sister? What do you think?"
Looking at Cui Hao's serious expression, Lin Luoyu felt somewhat unaccustomed to it. After listening to his words, she took a deep breath.
"Everyone really is very good."
A smile returned to Cui Hao's face. "Then should Senior Sister not be so distant? Mutual help is a sect tradition, personally endorsed by Master."
Lin Luoyu turned her gaze toward the deep pool.
"It is not about being distant. I just have not even figured this matter out myself yet."
Hearing this, Cui Hao did not continue pressing the issue and simply took another sip of tea.
The atmosphere grew quiet.
After a moment, Lin Luoyu took out a heavily creased letter from her spatial ring.
She had opened this letter countless times, and could already recite its contents from memory.
She handed the letter to Cui Hao.
Cui Hao reached out to take it, but did not open it immediately, instead asking softly.
"May I read it?"
Lin Luoyu was instantly speechless. Had Cui Hao left his brain at home today? What kind of question was that?
"No! Give it back!" Lin Luoyu did not indulge him and reached out directly for the letter.
"My mistake, my mistake!" Cui Hao quickly twisted his body away and then opened the letter.
His eyes swept over its contents.
The handwriting was somewhat sloppy, as if it had been written without much patience, merely as a formality.
The content itself was extremely concise, almost like compressing a paragraph into a single sentence.
It looked like it had been written by someone illiterate who had hired a scribe.
Still, the meaning was clear enough.
It roughly asked how Fourth Senior Sister's cultivation was progressing, whether she got along well with her fellow disciples.
If she had time recently, could she return to the village for a visit? It was said that demonic creatures had appeared nearby, and if she had achieved cultivation, could she come back once.
Cui Hao looked it over several times, but still did not see what was so troubling about it.
"Is it not just subduing demons and eliminating evils? No matter how strong they are, could they be more overbearing than Master?"
Lin Luoyu let out a cold laugh.
"What if there are no demons for you to subdue?"
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