After finishing his task, Lin Chen returned straight to his residence.
The moment he pushed open the door, he paused.
In the main hall, Lan Yaoye was already seated at the table, leisurely eating the snacks he had left in the kitchen as if this was her own courtyard.
Lin Chen walked in, closed the door behind him, and sat down across from her with a familiar calm.
"Master," he said, looking at the half-empty plate, "you're really making yourself at home."
Lan Yaoye didn't show the slightest embarrassment. She picked up another piece of snack and replied casually, "What is yours as a disciple is also your master's."
"…Whatever," Lin Chen muttered, clearly used to this logic by now.
Lan Yaoye finally stopped eating and looked at him properly. The moment her spiritual sense brushed over him, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You broke through," she said.
Her gaze lingered on his aura for a brief moment before she leaned back with a satisfied expression.
"Good. As expected of my disciple."
Her tone was full of pride, even though she had not personally guided this breakthrough at all.
Lin Chen didn't bother arguing and simply stayed silent.
Lan Yaoye then placed the snack down and straightened slightly, her usual lazy demeanor turning more serious.
"Lin Chen," she said, "I came here to inform you of something. The sect has assigned a major mission."
She briefly explained the Demon Extermination Alliance, the five-year cycle, and the outbreaks of demons emerging from the Dead Lands of the Southern Region, along with the sect's decision to send their top disciples to participate.
Lin Chen listened quietly the entire time.
When she finished, he rested his chin on his hand and let out a small breath.
"Oh… so I'm going there?" he asked.
His tone was calm, but inwardly he already felt it would be troublesome.
A large-scale alliance, demons, frontier zones, and sect reputation.
None of that sounded like something simple.
And more importantly, it sounded like a lot of work.
"No, I'm not going there," Lin Chen said flatly without even thinking.
He had a faint premonition that if he went to a place where all sect geniuses gathered, he would inevitably run into troublesome people again.
Just the thought of Li Zhen or other similar types appearing was already enough to make him feel annoyed.
Lan Yaoye blinked once, then nodded as if she had heard exactly what she expected to hear.
"Mm, I expected this answer," she said calmly, completely ignoring the meaning of his refusal. "I know you're excited."
Lin Chen's expression stiffened slightly.
"That is clearly not what I said."
Lan Yaoye waved her hand dismissively, her tone brimming with confidence. "No need to hide it. This kind of grand mission, real combat, fame across the Eastern Region… which young cultivator wouldn't be eager?"
"I'm not," Lin Chen replied without hesitation.
Lan Yaoye paused, clearly not expecting such a blunt answer. She narrowed her eyes slightly and tilted her head.
"You really don't want to go?" she asked, her voice lowering a little as if confirming whether she heard correctly.
"Yeah," Lin Chen said plainly.
A brief silence followed.
Lan Yaoye slowly stood up from her seat and stepped closer, the hem of her robes swaying as she leaned forward and looked straight at him, as though trying to read his thoughts from his expression alone.
She had originally assumed he would at least show some excitement after hearing about a region-wide extermination mission.
"Why?" she asked at last, her brows knitting faintly. "Most disciples would beg for such an opportunity. Reputation, merit, real combat experience… all of it is beneficial to cultivation."
Lin Chen looked at her for a moment, then answered honestly instead of making excuses.
"Because it sounds troublesome," he said calmly. "Too many sects, too many geniuses, too much attention."
He rested his chin on his hand and continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
"And wherever there are many geniuses, there are always people with inflated egos, unnecessary conflicts, and people who like picking fights for no reason. I just came back from one secret realm and already made enough enemies to last a while."
Lan Yaoye's lips twitched slightly.
"That is your reason?"
"Yes."
"But I already told the Sect Master that I would send my disciple," Lan Yaoye said as she stepped closer and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him once as if trying to knock some sense into him. "So you have to go."
Lin Chen's body swayed slightly from the force, yet his face remained completely calm.
"No matter how much you shake me, I'm still not going," he said, his voice steady and unmoved.
"But…"
"There is only one way you could make me go," he added, unhurried.
Those words made Lan Yaoye's hands freeze mid-motion.
"What way?" she asked, her brows knitting slightly as she looked at him.
Lin Chen did not answer immediately.
Instead, he slowly rose to his feet and turned toward her.
For some reason, Lan Yaoye felt a faint sense of danger and subconsciously took a step back.
Then another.
Her back touched the wall behind her before she even realized it.
"Umm… disciple," she said, forcing her voice to remain steady, though her heartbeat had already begun to quicken, "take a step back."
Lin Chen stepped forward instead.
His hand pressed lightly against the wall beside her.
"You avoided the question last week," he said, a faint smile forming as he looked directly at her. "When I asked something important."
Lan Yaoye's lashes trembled slightly.
"You suddenly disappeared before answering," Lin Chen continued, his voice calm but firm.
"So now…"
He leaned in just enough to block any escape route, his gaze steady and unyielding.
"Answer me properly, Master."
His smile deepened a little.
"When you said I'm yours… what exactly did you mean?"
"U-umm… it's… you see… disciple…"
Lan Yaoye's mind seemed to short-circuit on the spot. Her eyes darted everywhere—left, right, even upward—anywhere except his face, as if looking at him directly would make her combust on the spot.
"That… is because… you are my… disciple…" she said, her voice growing softer with each word, the explanation coming out disjointed and completely unconvincing. "Like that."
The answer was so weak that even she seemed to realize it the moment it left her mouth.
Lin Chen stared at her in silence.
'Wow, Aiva,' he thought inwardly, almost impressed. 'What you said earlier might actually be true. She really lacks in the romance department.'
[Not only that,] Aiva replied calmly. [She is also clearly flustered and avoiding direct eye contact. Statistically, that behavior indicates emotional embarrassment.]
[And she is, most likely, head over heels for you.]
Lin Chen's eyebrow twitched slightly.
Meanwhile, Lan Yaoye was still staring at the wall beside his shoulder as if it contained the profound truths of the Dao.
"I-it's normal," she added quickly, as if trying to patch up her own explanation. "A master claiming her disciple is perfectly normal in the cultivation world."
Her hands clenched slightly behind her back.
"So when I said you are mine," she continued, nodding to herself as if convincing her own heart, "I meant… you are my disciple. My personal disciple. That's all."
She finally dared to glance at him for a split second.
Then immediately looked away again, ears faintly red.
A very poor explanation.
And an even poorer attempt at acting composed.
"Ohhhh," Lin Chen dragged the sound slightly as if he had suddenly understood something profound.
He slowly removed the hand that had been braced against the wall beside her, and Lan Yaoye let out a quiet breath of relief, her shoulders loosening as the oppressive closeness finally seemed to ease.
But before that relief could properly settle—
Lin Chen's hands suddenly moved and gently cupped her cheeks.
Soft. Warm. Completely unexpected.
Lan Yaoye's mind froze.
"D-disciple… what are you doing…?" she asked, her voice losing all its usual confidence as her eyes widened, her body going stiff like a startled spirit deer.
"Nothing," Lin Chen replied calmly, his tone far too steady for the situation.
He leaned in slightly.
Closer.
Close enough that she could feel his breath.
Lan Yaoye's pupils trembled, her heartbeat drumming loudly in her chest.
Her eyes slowly closed, lashes quivering, lips parting just a little as she stood there stiffly, as if she had already accepted what was about to happen.
A breath passed.
Then another.
But nothing touched her.
The air remained still.
"…?"
Her brows knit faintly. Confusion flickered across her face as she hesitated before opening her eyes.
Lin Chen was still standing in front of her, unmoving, simply watching her with a calm, faintly amused gaze.
"Hm," he murmured, his voice low and steady, "that reaction tells a different story, Master. It is far more honest than anything your lips are willing to admit."
Lan Yaoye's eyes widened.
"You… you… naughty disciple…" she muttered, her voice trembling between embarrassment and indignation as realization finally hit her—she had been completely led by the nose.
The next instant, she moved.
Without warning, she leapt onto him from behind, arms hooking around his shoulders as she clung to his back like a furious spirit beast, and sank her teeth lightly into the side of his neck.
"Ah—! Master, get down! Are you a vampire or something?" Lin Chen exclaimed, trying to pry her off, but she stubbornly refused to let go, her chin resting against his shoulder as she stayed latched onto him like a koala.
"I thought you would get too embarrassed and run away again," he added helplessly. "So I took the first step."
Lan Yaoye remained silent for a moment, her grip tightening slightly.
Then, in a much softer voice than usual, she asked near his ear.
"…So you like me?"
Lin Chen paused briefly before answering, his tone losing its teasing edge.
"Yeah," he said honestly. "At first, you annoyed me a lot. You're unpredictable, shameless, and you keep barging into my place like it's your own."
He shifted slightly, still carrying her on his back.
"But now…" he continued, voice quieter, "if you're suddenly not around, it actually feels a bit lonely."
Lan Yaoye froze.
Her bite loosened.
Her arms, however, did not.
She buried her face deeper into his shoulder, concealing her expression as her usual bold, carefree aura gave way to a rare, flustered silence.
*****
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