At the Tianyan Sect.
Chen Baiqing sat calmly in the courtyard, her brows slightly lowered as she watched the teacup before her.
Lu Xuan sat opposite Chen Baiqing, his expression unconsciously somewhat tense.
To be honest, Lu Xuan couldn't remember how many years it had been since he'd felt this way.
A feeling of being silently cornered. The last time he'd felt this way was when his own master had tricked him.
This young girl spoke with great propriety, and her behavior made people unconsciously feel she was endearing.
She didn't ask questions she shouldn't ask.
For instance, whether the faint spiritual energy of Chu Xingchen in the room was fake.
Or why Chu Xingchen was in closed-door cultivation at the Tianyan Sect instead of at his own sect.
Lu Xuan understood that the Chen Baiqing before him already knew that his master had gone off somewhere to handle business, without revealing it to his own disciple.
This kind of undisclosed matter usually meant one very serious thing—it was extremely dangerous.
Chen Baiqing knew everything, didn't press for answers, and simply sat silently in the courtyard where Chu Xingchen was nominally in closed-door cultivation.
After all, this kind of closed-door cultivation using spiritual stones was, in essence, extremely unreliable—the equivalent of drawing a tiger to scare a cat.
Lu Xuan had thought Chen Baiqing would sit for a few days... perhaps then leave on her own.
But in reality, that wasn't the case. Chen Baiqing had already sat there for a full half month.
She went nowhere, simply sitting silently in the courtyard, neither speaking nor making demands.
Lu Xuan had never seen such a posture before. If Yan Yun could treat him this way...
Never mind, such things that could only happen in dreams were not worth fantasizing about.
But sitting like this wasn't a solution either. As the Tianyan Sect's Sect Master, Lu Xuan naturally should take responsibility for this matter.
Lu Xuan's first plan wasn't to persuade her himself, but to find Li Yingling, to see if this eldest senior sister could take Chen Baiqing back.
Li Yingling didn't come in person, but sent a letter.
However...
Chen Baiqing didn't even read the letter. She directly stored the letter Li Yingling had sent in her spatial ring.
An attitude of having received a letter but not necessarily needing to read it.
Seeing this, Lu Xuan chose to directly ask Li Yingling if she could personally come to the Tianyan Sect to properly persuade her junior sister.
But after Li Yingling heard of Chen Baiqing's choice, she quietly refused Lu Xuan's invitation.
The reason was straightforward—Chen Baiqing wasn't a child anymore. She could have her own choices.
Perhaps Li Yingling still remembered Chu Xingchen's teaching—on matters that weren't principles, elders should be the final support, not binding ropes.
Li Yingling didn't know if this statement was correct, but her master had indeed done so.
When she wanted to go alone to the Dongsheng Divine Continent, her master didn't stop her, but prepared everything he could for her.
The sect was a home, a destination, not a cage.
So when Lu Xuan received Li Yingling's reply, even he was stunned for a moment.
[Third Junior Sister has caused much trouble at the Tianyan Sect. I hope Senior Lu will protect my third junior sister's safety, so Master can be at ease.]
What was this?
Leaving the disciple in the Tianyan Sect's care?
Regardless, Chu Xingchen had already gone to the Xiniu He Continent, and Lu Xuan had promised Chu Xingchen to protect his sect and disciple.
This was something Lu Xuan naturally couldn't go back on. So after all his indirect approaches failed, Lu Xuan had to come personally.
He asked Chen Baiqing what she wanted to do, or what she wanted to know that he could tell her.
The opening pleasantries actually felt quite good. Chen Baiqing spoke gently and skillfully, somewhat like delivering silent flattery.
For a moment, Lu Xuan had the illusion that this girl might be very easy to talk to.
But once it came to serious matters, if Chen Baiqing couldn't make her words sound pleasant, then silence was her answer.
"Little Baiqing, when do you plan to return to your own sect?"
"I'll go back when Master's closed-door cultivation ends, together with Master."
"Your master won't be that fast. Fusion-stage cultivators' closed-door cultivation is usually measured in years. Your master's branch sect has just been established, and many things still need you to go back and help. Besides, staying here is of no use, and sitting here easily delays your cultivation."
After this sentence, what followed was Chen Baiqing's silence.
Lu Xuan knew this wasn't because Chen Baiqing didn't know how to refute his words.
It was very likely that not answering this question would give her more room to maneuver, or rather—she didn't want to make her master completely angry.
Perhaps Chen Baiqing knew this was wrong, but right now she just wanted to do it this way.
Within this scope, Chen Baiqing wanted to avoid angering her master as much as possible.
The scene fell silent for a moment.
Lu Xuan sighed softly. "Young age, many thoughts. I'm old, and I can't go in circles with you youngsters anymore."
Chen Baiqing raised her head slightly, her gaze falling on Lu Xuan, but she still didn't speak.
"Your master said you've always been very well-behaved, and very obedient." Lu Xuan picked up his teacup and continued, "Your master said you would understand him. Some things aren't that he doesn't want to be together with you, but that it's not suitable to bring you along."
This was Lu Xuan's carefully considered wording. This set of words naturally wasn't taught by Chu Xingchen.
It was just that Chu Xingchen carried great weight in Chen Baiqing's heart. Using Chu Xingchen's name to say such things would be more easily accepted by Chen Baiqing.
"Master wouldn't say such things."
Chen Baiqing's gaze fixed directly on Lu Xuan. The gentle, easy-to-approach expression she'd been wearing suddenly faded away.
Lu Xuan watched as Chen Baiqing's expression completely disappeared, suddenly sensing an intangible aura rising from her—an attitude of standing apart from the world, slightly cold.
"What Master does most is understand us. He never seriously issues commands to anyone about what they must do."
"The most serious command he gives, the one he speaks most often, is—be yourself."
Chen Baiqing stood up, no longer paying attention to the stone transmitting her master's spiritual energy fluctuations in the courtyard, and turned to walk out.
She had no thoughts of seeing things and thinking of people. That was a useless notion of mediocrity deceiving themselves.
After a moment of stunned silence, Lu Xuan watched Chen Baiqing's departing figure and hurriedly asked:
"Where are you going?"
"To cultivate."
Chen Baiqing looked back, her eyes no longer holding the gentle expression of the past.
Her cultivation talent couldn't compare to Eldest Senior Sister's, and her experiences weren't as many as Second Senior Brother's.
Before, when Master was there, she only wanted to stay by his side.
But now that Master wasn't here, Chen Baiqing didn't want to make things difficult for him either.
Eldest Senior Sister could go to the Dongsheng Divine Continent for training in the past, so she could too.
At this moment, Chen Baiqing had some enlightenment.
She could indeed always stay behind Master. He would shield her from everything, giving her a dream-like sect.
But she shouldn't only want to stay behind Master.
She should stand beside Master when he needed her, sharing his burdens.
Not silently waiting for Master to return.
The world outside was so big, yet she had only learned about it from books. Chen Baiqing felt she should go out and walk around, understanding what needed to be understood.
Only with experience would Master feel at ease entrusting matters to her.
Not always doing things that may or may not matter.
Lu Xuan watched Chen Baiqing's departing figure without any reluctance.
He sighed softly, took out a white jade pendant, gently injected spiritual energy into it, and then spoke:
"Dispatch four squads of Jia character teams from the Academy to watch over Chen Baiqing. Don't stop her from doing whatever she wants—just protect her safety by any means necessary."
The jade pendant flickered with light, then went dark.
Lu Xuan looked down at the completely cooled tea.
Indeed, neither this master nor the disciples were easy to deal with.
But...
At this moment, Lu Xuan thought very highly of Chen Baiqing.
This was the posture a prodigy should have.
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