Chapter 58: I am willing, and Liao Chen is willing.
Liao Chen looked at Ming Zelin for the seventh time. Yan Jingyu finally twisted him.
His gaze swept over Ming Zelin, who wished he could stuff his head into his collar, his heart filled with some surprise.
It was also after Ming Zelin had spoken, and in Liao Chen’s rapidly darkening face, that he realized that the other not only wanted him to take Qi Mufang, but had also taken Ming Zelin himself.
He was clearly trying to deliberately tease Yan Jingyu again, but unfortunately, Qi Mufang was slow to react, while Ming Zelin had already called him Grandmaster first, making him a little unhappy.
“Why the sudden desire to take on apprentices?” Yan Jingyu was a little baffled. He felt that Liao Chen didn’t look like someone who would teach an apprentice, and Ming Zelin and Qi Mufang also didn’t seem to be people who met his standards.
“I’m afraid you’ll find someone else behind my back in the future.” As soon as Liao Chen opened his mouth, it was full of displeasure. “I’ll use two children to tie you down.”
“…” Yan Jingyu twisted him again. Liao Chen dodged, then was pulled back by him. “Did you force them to become your apprentices?”
Liao Chen frowned. “Which eye of yours saw it?”
“Both my eyes saw it.”
Although Ming Zelin looked very attentive and had even taken the initiative to call Yan Jingyu Grandmaster, his face was clearly one of fear and apprehension. If it weren’t for Liao Chen’s coercion, he would probably have run as far as he could by now.
Liao Chen immediately looked back. Ming Zelin’s two corners of his mouth immediately lifted at the same time, squeezing out an exaggerated and magical smile.
“He said that this Lord forced you to become his apprentice, is that right?” Along with this overt statement, Ming Zelin’s mind simultaneously received a cold sound transmission: “One, you are willing. Two, you go die immediately.”
“I am willing!” Ming Zelin chose the former without hesitation. Yan Jingyu looked at his increasingly terrified expression, frowned, and slightly paused his steps. “If he is forcing you, you can tell me.”
Ming Zelin restrained his trembling body, looked at Liao Chen’s cold and contemptuous expression, and shook his head. “No, I am willing.”
Qi Mufang looked at his friend and reflexively wanted to open his mouth. The next instant, his mind suddenly felt as if it had been fiercely pierced by something. Liao Chen’s eyes stared at him without blinking, and his divine sense instantly drilled into his spiritual platform, turning it upside down. He instantly heard countless voices: “This Lord is your Grandmaster, this Lord is your Grandmaster, this Lord is your Grandmaster, this Lord is your Grandmaster…”
Qi Mufang swayed, his face pale as he glanced at him. He couldn’t spit out a single word.
“It seems we really need to buy a better set of tea sets.” Liao Chen took Yan Jingyu’s hand. “We’ll need them for the apprenticeship ceremony later.”
Yan Jingyu still felt that something was wrong. Liao Chen had already pulled him back again, his face close to his. “Or do you not want to take him as your apprentice?”
Qi Mufang’s eyes widened, and he subconsciously took two steps forward.
Although he felt that there was something wrong with this matter, and although he found it difficult to accept that Liao Chen would actually get together with Yan Jingyu, when Liao Chen said this, he still felt a strong sense of unease…
He wanted, wanted to become the Immortal Lord’s apprentice, wanted to learn the Flowing Clouds and Flying Catkins, the Four Directions Formation from him, wanted to hear his gentle teachings with his own ears. He wanted, wanted, wanted…
At this moment, what Liao Chen said seemed to be no longer important. His heart was full of the Immortal Lord Dufang, the person he had admired since he was a child. He knew very well that if he gave up this opportunity, he would never be able to touch the other again in the future. He didn’t know if what Liao Chen said about saving him was true or false, nor did he know if that matter was reliable…
Before Yan Jingyu could speak, Qi Mufang had suddenly taken a few steps forward. “If the Immortal Lord is unwilling to accept me, I can also understand. My aptitude is dull, and I have only just entered the Huiyang Realm after more than a hundred years… It’s just, it’s just that I have admired the Immortal Lord for a long time. I hope the Immortal Lord can let me stay by your side. Even if, even if it’s just as a servant…”
He was tall and strong, but as he spoke, he was about to cry.
Yan Jingyu couldn’t for the life of him compare him to the baby he had held back then. Liao Chen had already said with a cold laugh, “There are so many cattle and horses in this world. Why should I choose you?”
Yan Jingyu kicked him again. Qi Mufang’s eyes were already full of tears. He looked at Yan Jingyu, his lips trembling. “I, of course I hope the Immortal Lord will accept me as his apprentice, but…”
“But what but? If you want to become his apprentice, then show the sincerity of becoming his apprentice. If you are self-abased, then get lost as soon as possible. His time is short, and he has no time to listen to your roundabout words.”
Hearing the words “his time is short,” Qi Mufang’s expression was once again filled with great sorrow. He suddenly knelt down on both knees. Yan Jingyu, caught off guard, wanted to retreat, but was held firmly by the waist by Liao Chen, and was forced to accept this great ceremony.
He heard him choke, “Please, Immortal Lord, accept me as your apprentice! From now on, this disciple is willing to bow down as a straw dog, and respect the master’s orders as the will of heaven. At the Immortal Lord’s word, this disciple will act. At the Immortal Lord’s thought, this disciple will surely follow. I dare not disobey any of the Immortal Lord’s orders, and I will protect whatever the Immortal Lord protects with my life. In this life, I will only follow the Immortal Lord’s lead, only follow the Immortal Lord’s path. I will have no regrets even in death, and I will never betray!”
On the bustling street, Yan Jingyu’s retreating steps were firmly pressed in front of him. He gazed at the adult man in front of him, and in a daze, he once again remembered the baby on the city tower of Hengyang City, who had been thrown high by Liao Chen and had fallen steadily into his arms amidst loud wails.
The child had fallen into his arms, his wet eyes like black pearls. Upon touching his face, he had strangely stopped crying. There were still tear stains in his eyes, but he was already looking at him with a muddle-headed expression, his mouth splitting into a grin.
That was the first time Yan Jingyu had held such a small child.
The small hands had reached out to him amidst the baby’s cooing. A hundred years later, he was at the side of the crowd, and from the astonished or confused gazes, he gradually stood firm, as if he had taken root in the ground, and his breathing also became calm.
He smiled.
He gently bent down and reached out his hand to Qi Mufang on the ground.
Qi Mufang looked up, at the face that was so familiar he couldn’t be more familiar with it. He had seen the shadow-recording pearl countless times, had seen himself being thrown high countless times, and then being firmly caught by the white-clothed Immortal Lord.
But he had never thought that one day, that pair of hands would once again reach out to him, and once again catch him in their hands.
It was just that this time, what he caught was his sense of belonging.
In the future, he would no longer be a wandering rogue cultivator, but would truly have his own roots, his own sect and inheritance.
“I didn’t expect,” Yan Jingyu was a little emotional, “that I would still have the chance to leave a legacy in the world.”
Qi Mufang realized his meaning, his heart a mixture of sourness and joy. He subconsciously said, “Master…”
“Don’t be in a hurry to call me that.” Liao Chen directly interrupted him. “We’ll talk about it after we’ve had the tea.”
“…” Qi Mufang’s words were forcefully swallowed back. He quickly nodded. “Yes, we’ll have tea when we get back, we’ll have tea!”
Qi Mufang seemed a little eager. He had never expected that Yan Jingyu would really be willing to accept him. For a moment, his mind was a blank from the pleasant surprise. He didn’t even read the several looks Liao Chen gave him. So he was kicked to the side by him, and he walked forward with Yan Jingyu.
At the same time, a voice sounded again in Qi Mufang’s spiritual platform: “It was your Grandmaster who helped you become his apprentice. It was your Grandmaster who gave you the chance. If it weren’t for your Grandmaster, you wouldn’t be worthy of being his disciple even if you were reincarnated a hundred times…”
Qi Mufang forcefully shook his head, looking at the black-clothed demon lord walking together with his prospective master in front of him, a wave of unwillingness once again rising in his heart. This time, there was also a hint of doubt.
Why does Liao Chen keep emphasizing this point? Is it to make him remember his kindness… If that were the case, he wouldn’t have hit me.
Just as he finished thinking, Yan Jingyu had turned around and handed him a bottle of pills. Looking at the wounds on his face, he instructed, “If it’s not necessary, don’t fight with others easily.”
Liao Chen in front suddenly laughed out loud. Yan Jingyu’s face turned red. After stuffing the medicine back, he glared at Liao Chen. Liao Chen held him. “Don’t fight with others easily?” he said in a low voice.
“…I have a grudge against you.” Yan Jingyu retorted, and said, “Besides, what’s wrong with me fighting you? You’re a demon lord, you should be killed.”
“Mm, mm.” Liao Chen nodded. “I should be killed.”
Although he said that, Yan Jingyu himself was also a little amused. He didn’t know how other people were as masters, but he himself was really a little strange as a master. The moment he instructed Qi Mufang, he couldn’t help but reflect on himself…
“Stop criticizing me in your heart.” Yan Jingyu said, “I don’t know what you’ll be like when you take on an apprentice.”
Liao Chen let out a light laugh. “This Lord, to his apprentice, will naturally pour out his heart and liver.”
Their conversation was intermittent, and not all of it could be heard. But this sentence entered Ming Zelin’s ears. He subconsciously pressed his own heart and liver… he always felt that there was probably a missing “please” after his “want”…
Yan Jingyu had always been very meticulous when picking out tea sets in the past. This time, he picked for an endless amount of time. He always felt that every one was good, but every one was also a little bit lacking.
It was also the first time Qi Mufang had seen such a domestic side of him. He heard Liao Chen say in an annoyed tone over there, “Great Immortal Lord, can you not be so nitpicky?”
Before Yan Jingyu could speak, Qi Mufang had already said in a low voice, “He is pursuing perfection…”
Liao Chen glanced at him. Qi Mufang lowered his head.
“Yan Qi, that’s about enough. The sky is about to get dark.”
“Even if the sky gets dark, I can still protect him until he gets home…”
Liao Chen glanced at him again.
Qi Mufang always kept his head down.
Liao Chen frowned. Finding that Yan Jingyu had entered a state of choosing between two, he immediately walked over and made the decision. “This one!”
Yan Jingyu said, “But I feel…”
Qi Mufang directly placed the money on the counter. In Liao Chen’s gaze, which had been cast over again, he lowered his head and said in a small voice, “You can have both.”
Yan Jingyu couldn’t help but laugh. He said to Liao Chen, “Your judgment of people is indeed not bad. My apprentice is indeed considerate.”
Liao Chen heard the sarcasm in his tone and suddenly looked at Ming Zelin, his gaze cold. Ming Zelin quickly came forward and stood in front of him, dazed, his head lowered in grievance and fear.
Liao Chen smiled very faintly.
In the end, Yan Jingyu still took both. On the way, Ming Zelin always kept his head down, occasionally looking ahead with a dazed expression, as if his worldview were being refreshed.
Qi Mufang always held the new tea set Yan Jingyu had bought carefully, completely unwilling to put it in his storage bag. He had to carry it with his own hands to feel as if he were really being ordered around by the immortal lord he admired.
The only thing that made him a little annoyed was the voice that would occasionally sound in his spiritual platform: “It was your Grandmaster who helped you become his apprentice. It was your Grandmaster who gave you the chance. If it weren’t for your Grandmaster, you wouldn’t be worthy of being his disciple even if you were reincarnated a hundred times…”
Although the words were not wrong… but why did it have to be repeated all the time!
“Every time you call him ‘Master,’ you have to think of your Grandmaster. Every time you think of your Master, you also have to think of your Grandmaster…”
Qi Mufang had originally wanted to immediately become his apprentice after they returned, but Liao Chen had ordered that the night was usually for paying respects to the dead. With the fact that Yan Jingyu’s life was not long before his eyes, he immediately slapped himself twice and obediently retreated from the small house.
Yan Jingyu had Liao Chen take out a small house from his Qiankun Pouch and placed it next to theirs for them to use as a side room.
At night, he even considerately brought them a quilt. “It’s getting cold. I don’t know if you’re used to sleeping here. If you need anything, remember to call.”
“Thank you, Master… Immortal Lord!” Qi Mufang remembered that he hadn’t had the tea yet. Yan Jingyu smiled. Just as he was about to say it was fine, he heard Ming Zelin follow up, “Thank you, Mistress!”
Qi Mufang immediately looked at him, as if he were going to eat him.
Yan Jingyu was a little wooden, forced a smile, and put the quilt down. Just as he was about to leave, Qi Mufang suddenly blocked his path. “If the Immortal Lord has any orders, this disciple will definitely go through fire and water, and will not decline!!”
His expression was grave. Yan Jingyu coughed lightly. “It’s not that serious.”
Qi Mufang looked at him. Although he felt it was inappropriate, he still couldn’t help but say, “If the Immortal Lord has been wronged, I will definitely…”
“No, no.” Yan Jingyu waved his hand, becoming even more embarrassed. He paused for a moment, then said seriously, “The matter between me and Liao Chen, it was consensual.”
He could see that Qi Mufang was doing it for his own good, but this misunderstanding could be big or small. He didn’t want Qi Mufang to be thinking of how to kill Liao Chen on one side while having just become his disciple on the other…
After he left, Qi Mufang directly sat down as if he were a wooden chicken.
Ming Zelin could see that the blow he had received was clearly even greater.
Although he had already seen the two of them being intimate with his own eyes before, he probably thought in his heart that Immortal Lord Dufang was just being insincere and was forced to do so…
Ming Zelin raised his hand, but the hand that was about to comfort him ultimately returned to his own shoulder.
He felt that he was even more miserable than Qi Mufang.
As soon as Yan Jingyu went back, he grabbed a pillow and threw it at Liao Chen on the bed. Liao Chen caught it and directly pulled him into his arms. “You still have the face to be angry?”
“What do you mean…” Yan Jingyu hadn’t expected him to turn the tables on him. “…how do I not have face?!”
“Qi Mufang was so disrespectful to you today, and you didn’t even punish him?”
“Didn’t you say that we’ll have the tea tomorrow? He’s not my apprentice yet. How can you say he’s being disrespectful?”
“…” Liao Chen lowered his head and bumped his forehead against his, gently. “If Ming Zelin dared to do that to you, I would have definitely chopped him up.”
“Look at how scared he is of you. If you didn’t say anything, how would he dare to do it?” Yan Jingyu moved his hips and changed to a comfortable position. “If you really want to take him as your apprentice, you shouldn’t always intimidate him. What were you transmitting to him all the way today?”
“…” Liao Chen subconsciously began to review. “What, did this Lord neglect you on the way?”
“No.” Yan Jingyu said, “But he suddenly called me that. It must have been your instruction. It seems that besides teaching him this, you also said something else?”
Liao Chen directly grabbed the quilt and covered him. “Stop asking about unnecessary things.”
Even if he didn’t say it, Yan Jingyu quickly understood. The next day, when it was time to serve tea, Qi Mufang knelt down crisply and shouted with a resounding voice, “Master, have some tea!”
On that side, Liao Chen’s expression was contemptuous. He looked at Ming Zelin kneeling in front of him with a gentle gaze. The latter, while thinking of his lines, said seriously, “Lord Demon, I offer you this cup of tea with a heart full of piety and gratitude. In the past, I was just a weak blade of grass swaying in the wind and rain, at the mercy of fate, without any power to fight back. When I was struggling in the abyss of despair, your legend was like a ray of light that cut through the darkness, illuminating my sinking heart…”
Yan Jingyu, who had already taken the tea, had a strange look on his face. Liao Chen, on the other hand, had a look of satisfaction and enjoyment, his gaze becoming more and more gentle.
Ming Zelin held the tea and continued, “Your strength, your freedom, made me firmly believe that as long as I can follow you, I can also have the courage to fight against fate. I know that this path of following you may be full of thorns, but I am not afraid. Because compared to the endless pain and confusion of the past, being by your side is the greatest happiness.”
Liao Chen nodded repeatedly. Yan Jingyu slowly took a sip of the tea in his hand, looking at him with a faint smile.
“I am willing to place all my trust in you and tie my future tightly to yours. This cup of tea is my silent vow. I will use a lifetime of loyalty and companionship to prove my respect and following for you, and I will never betray you!”
The corners of Liao Chen’s lips lifted. He finally raised his hand and took the cup of tea, taking a slow sip, and then looked at Yan Jingyu. “Your apprentice is not as talented as my apprentice.”
Yan Jingyu glanced at Ming Zelin, who was relieved, and then at Liao Chen, who had completely disregarded everyone else.
He could only smile. “You are absolutely right.”
