Reputation Damage

Regarding his master’s suggestion to boil the egg, Li Xingtian naturally felt it was a bit wasteful. After all, this thing clearly wasn’t ordinary—at the very least, selling it would be better than eating it.

Li Xingtian first glanced at his senior sister, only to find her nodding in agreement.

Hmm…

After a moment of thought, Li Xingtian decided that boiling it wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Lin Luoyu turned the corner of the corridor and entered the main hall, where she saw her master, senior sister, and second senior brother gathered around a large, intricately patterned egg.

Judging by their expressions, it seemed like they were holding a serious meeting about this egg.

Was this… a bad time?

Well, it wasn’t like she was in a hurry about that copy of [Righteous Sword]. Given how obscure the text was at first glance, Lin Luoyu figured she’d need at least half a month of her senior sister’s help anyway. There was no need to rush.

But seeing the three of them huddled around a giant egg…

Individually, whether it was her master or senior sister, Lin Luoyu found them both utterly reliable.

She hadn’t interacted much with her second senior brother, but during their occasional private conversations, he also seemed dependable, offering precise solutions to her questions.

Most importantly, her second senior brother had ventured alone into the Central Continent and survived.

But when these three gathered together…

Lin Luoyu couldn’t shake the feeling that something was… off.

It was as if they all switched modes—from their usual reliable selves to something closer to Cui Hao’s chaotic energy.

As her master would say, they were "starting to mess around."

Especially her senior sister, who transformed from her usual aloof demeanor into something more like a girl-next-door.

For some reason, watching the three of them gathered around the egg, Lin Luoyu had a gut feeling.

Her master and the others were definitely not discussing anything sensible.

Just as Lin Luoyu was about to quietly leave to avoid disturbing them, her master’s voice called out from behind.

“Why leave as soon as you arrive? Do you need help with something?”

Hearing this, Lin Luoyu turned back and cupped her hands respectfully. “I thought Master was busy…”

“Perfect timing, then. We just finished.” Chu Xingchen smiled and motioned for her to come in.

Lin Luoyu nodded lightly and stepped into the hall, greeting Li Yingling and Li Xingtian before taking a seat.

“I’m having trouble understanding the [Righteous Sword] manual Master gave me, so I wanted to ask Senior Sister for guidance.”

Chu Xingchen nodded knowingly and teased, “Senior disciple, she’s calling for you.”

Li Yingling gently stroked the egg and sighed softly. Researching materials wasn’t difficult, but teaching her juniors was another matter entirely.

Still, as the senior sister, guiding her juniors was part of her duty.

She turned to her not-exactly-brilliant junior sister. “Alright, what don’t you understand?”

Lin Luoyu pulled out the [Righteous Sword] manual from her spatial ring. She didn’t dare look up at her senior sister, instead keeping her eyes fixed on the book’s cover as she spoke in a small voice:

“Everything after the first few pages… is a bit unclear.”

Li Yingling’s outstretched hand froze for a moment, but she still took the book. Instead of opening it, she turned her gaze to her master.

“As the master, you can’t always leave the teaching to me, can you? This time, you’re joining in too.”

Chu Xingchen stored the egg in his system space and, in one smooth motion, hooked an arm around Li Xingtian, who had been trying to sneak away.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Isn’t it because Luoyu feels closer to you that she comes to you? This time, the three of us will teach her together.”

Li Xingtian had initially planned to make a quick exit. After all, he still remembered vividly how Li Yingling had taught Chen Baiqing—her genius-level intellect sometimes led to frustration, and he didn’t want to be collateral damage.

Unfortunately, Chu Xingchen was quicker, pulling him back before he could escape.

Though he and his master were the best of friends, being dragged into this against his will…

Li Xingtian could only shoot his master a resigned look.

Chu Xingchen ignored it completely, dragging Li Xingtian over to Lin Luoyu.

Lin Luoyu was momentarily stunned. The top three experts of her sect were personally going to teach her the [Righteous Sword]?

For a moment, she couldn’t tell if this was a blessing or a curse.

Chu Xingchen, of course, had his confidence. After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, his comprehension of the Dao granted him insight into the essence of all things.

Moreover, Li Yingling’s divine abilities also fed back to him, so he had some grasp of sword techniques by extension.

At the very least, he should be better than Li Xingtian!

Li Yingling nodded in satisfaction, ignoring Lin Luoyu’s nervous expression, and flipped open the [Righteous Sword].

Chu Xingchen, still holding onto Li Xingtian, squeezed in to take a look as well.

Before they could finish reading the manual, Ning Qianqian’s voice echoed from outside the hall:

“Sect Leader, the little monk from Zen Forest Temple is here.”

Chu Xingchen’s face immediately fell with disappointment, but his body moved swiftly as he straightened up, ready to leave.

“You guys handle the teaching. I’ll go see what urgent matter Yuan Kong has come for.”

Li Xingtian grabbed his master’s shoulder in retaliation. “Master, I’ll go with you!”

Chu Xingchen shoved his rebellious disciple’s hand away.

“You stay here with your senior sister—”

Li Yingling snapped the [Righteous Sword] shut and seized Chu Xingchen’s other shoulder, narrowing her eyes.

“No need! The four of us will go together!”

Lin Luoyu glanced between the three of them, pondering the “four” her senior sister mentioned.

At that moment, Ning Qianqian led Yuan Kong into the hall.

The atmosphere inside was… peculiar.

The Sect Leader was glaring sideways at Li Xingtian, who remained expressionless, one hand still gripping his master’s shoulder.

Li Yingling, meanwhile, held Chu Xingchen’s other shoulder, her gaze sharp as she scrutinized both him and Li Xingtian.

Lin Luoyu sat quietly in her chair, cautiously observing the trio.

Ning Qianqian, sensing the tension, immediately gestured for Yuan Kong to enter before swiftly retreating—she’d check back later to see how things unfolded.

Yuan Kong stood frozen at the entrance, speechless at the scene before him.

Having experienced Chu Xingchen’s antics before, he hesitated to step inside.

As he watched Ning Qianqian’s retreating figure, he considered making an excuse to leave as well—

But before he could, Chu Xingchen’s voice rang out from the hall:

“Ah, if it isn’t little Yuan Kong? You’ve grown so much! Come in and tell us what brings you here.”

Yuan Kong, now resembling the adorable little monk he once was—though noticeably a year or two older—faced Chu Xingchen’s invitation with panic.

He spun around and blurted out, “It’s nothing—”

Before he could finish, an immense force yanked him straight into the hall.

By the time Yuan Kong regained his bearings, he was already seated, staring into the intense gazes of Chu Xingchen, Li Yingling, and Li Xingtian.

Regret instantly flooded his heart.

Damn it!

He should’ve prayed for the Buddha’s protection before leaving today. Next time, he’d consult a street fortune-teller before deciding whether to come here!

Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow, frowning slightly.

“You came all this way just to say ‘it’s nothing’?”

"Um... there's also something I need to tell you."

Chu Xingchen casually patted Yuan Kong's adorably small head again, his tone carrying a hint of playful menace:

"You little troublemaker, Yuan Kong! Spit it out—what’s the matter?"

Yuan Kong rubbed his forehead, pouting:

"Li Zi woke up..."

"Li Zi?" Chu Xingchen paused, confused. "Who’s that?"

Li Yingling caught on immediately and shot a teasing glance at the second disciple:

"Master, it’s Second Brother’s unconscious sweetheart!"

Lin Luoyu’s eyes widened in surprise as she turned to Li Xingtian.

Wait, seriously? Second Brother has a sweetheart too?

Li Xingtian: "..."

What nonsense was this? He and Li Zi weren’t even friends, let alone involved like that!

Li Xingtian could already feel his reputation crumbling.