The Transmigrated Male Lead Confessed to Me - Chapter 23 (Part 1)

Xiao Yu’s expression softened slightly, but he still did not appear pleased, only looking at him with a half-smile.

“I said what I had to say.”

Xiao Yu replied indifferently, “Now it’s time to show some action. Where is your apology?”

Su Zhen watched him with interest, “What do you want?”

Yuchen Xianzun spoke in a low voice, “Martial Uncle Xiao—”

But as soon as he had spoken three words, he suddenly jolted, his body frozen in place.

“Can’t you see we’re talking? Who do you think you are to interrupt?”

Xiao Yu said irritably, then turned back to Su Zhen, “Is there anything you want?”

Su Zhen thought about it and realized there was nothing she particularly wanted.

Xiao Yu seemed to catch onto this, “How about we take his spirit stones?”

…Are you robbing him?

“It doesn’t matter, do whatever makes you happy, Senior.”

At first, she was a bit annoyed, but it seemed that Xiao Yu was even more upset than she was.

Su Zhen’s anger had entirely dissipated, and she even felt an urge to laugh. “By the way, Senior, please tell him not to seek me out for the time being, and not to use his spiritual sense to probe into what I’m doing.”

Xiao Yu glanced over at the man in white under the tree. “Makes sense. Better to avoid him troubling you.”

With that, his eyes hardened.

He cast a spell with remarkable speed; in a mere instant, he turned and said, “Let’s go, unless you want to say a few more words to him.”

Yuchen Xianzun took a few steps back, holding his forehead, and sat down by the stone table, as if he didn’t notice the other two people in the courtyard.

This was a side effect of being affected by a mental technique, but the higher one’s cultivation, the faster they recovered.

Su Zhen quickly moved out of the courtyard.

Xiao Yu appeared at her side, handing her a small rune stone, “There are quite a few spirit stones stored in here.”

Su Zhen: “…I don’t want his money, you keep it.”

Xiao Yu stashed it away casually, “Money is the last thing I lack. I just find him irritating.”

They stepped out of the courtyard and walked down the mountain steps, following a winding stone path.

At the edge of the night, a deep blue began to emerge, heralding the dawn. A faint crescent moon hung on the horizon, gradually fading into the clouds and melting away in the first light of morning.

Su Zhen paused and quietly gazed forward.

The mountain ranges rose and fell in the distance as the sun began to rise. Golden rays broke through clouds and mist, illuminating the vast sea of trees covering Weiyun Peak.

After watching the sunrise for a while, Su Zhen turned and smiled, “Thank you, Senior.”

“You’re welcome.”

Xiao Yu replied earnestly, “I mean it when I say you don’t have to be polite with me.”

Su Zhen nodded, “I’ll try.”

“Yes, I imagine it’s hard for you, but no problem; take your time.”

Su Zhen nodded silently, “The disgrace of my sect…”

“That’s nothing.”

Xiao Yu interrupted her, “Not to speak well of him, as I dislike that person immensely, but I’ve seen far worse cultivators than him. And the two of you had a bond for five or six decades, right? There must have been good times as well. Your junior sister entered about thirty years ago?”

Su Zhen shook her head again, “She’s been here for less than twenty years. Besides, my relationship with my master was never very good. It was just passable.”

She had been young when she joined the sect, and although her senior brother taught her a few things, Jiang Wang’s aloof nature kept him distant, so they were never close.

Instead, several disciples of the Weiyun Peak elders had become close with her, treating her like a sister or even a daughter.

Some of them were like childhood friends, and they often talked about their experiences with their own masters.

The personalities of the elders varied.

Some were gentle and meticulous, caring for their disciples in every matter.

Others spent years in closed-door cultivation, and their disciples might not see their master for two or three decades.

Some masters were stern and rigid, with nine out of ten of their words to their disciples being reprimands, holding extremely high standards. When evaluating their disciples’ progress, if they found even the slightest dissatisfaction, it would result in severe punishment.

Others paid no attention to their disciples at all, throwing them a few books to study independently. The disciples did not dare ask questions for fear of disturbing or displeasing their master.

Some situations were so absurd that she wondered how such individuals could even become elders and take on so many disciples. But she quickly understood that becoming an elder wasn’t about being good at teaching, but about having power and a high cultivation level.

New disciples rarely had a say in choosing their masters. Those with average talent went to the outer sect; those with better talent entered the inner sect; and those with outstanding talent were assigned to an elder. Some were assigned by the peak’s head to a particular elder, while others were randomly selected by an elder.

“Back then, I thought that while my master wasn’t particularly good, he wasn’t bad either. He did teach me a lot.”

Su Zhen sighed. “Though some people feel that finding a master with a poor temperament but great strength isn’t as good as finding one with average skill but patience and kindness.”

“Oh? Did you ever feel that way?”

“No. From a young age, my mother told me that being guided by an expert was invaluable. Sometimes, even a single word or two could help you avoid a century of detours…”

That century could mean the difference between life and death, between the end of one’s life and advancing to extend it.

Though she hadn’t faced such extremes, she had benefited greatly from it.

Su Zhen muttered again, “Of course, if someone’s character is truly vile and they treat their disciples as mere tools or sacrifices, that’s different. But if a master is truly powerful, as long as they don’t threaten my life and are willing to teach me—even if it’s just a few words—it’s bearable. Of course, having someone who is patient and meticulous would be better, but that’s rare and not something you can count on.”

“Indeed.”

Xiao Yu spoke softly, “…If it weren’t for my master, I might have long since become a pile of bones—either slain due to lack of strength or dead from being trapped at a bottleneck with no way forward. Though my master was somewhat reticent, she was very attentive to us, acting as both teacher and mother. I suppose I am exceedingly fortunate.”

Su Zhen smiled, “How wonderful.”

“Though that’s true, I’ve also encountered many sad things. For instance, I had a fellow disciple who once chased down a demon cultivator, and her sword aura destroyed a house by the road, killing an entire family of five. Not even their bones were left intact.”

Xiao Yu opened his hands. “She was a cultivator of the Upper Seven Realms, fully capable of controlling her spiritual energy. Had she exercised even a bit of care, that attack wouldn’t have killed them all. But she simply didn’t care.”

Su Zhen suddenly thought of something her master had told her. “What happened to her?”

“She died.”

Xiao Yu said calmly, “I watched as she was eaten alive by demons. Since she believed the weak deserved to die, it ultimately applied to her as well. Nothing strange about that.”

Su Zhen thought to herself, This must be Lingxiao Peak’s Zhou Ziheng.

“That’s common. There are many such cultivators, as there are among mortals. I had a senior sister whose family were simple, kind-hearted farmers. One day, they found a treasure in the mountains. Before long, the rich man in the village sent thugs to beat her entire family to death just to steal it. In the eyes of that rich man, their lives were worth nothing.”

“Your senior sister?”

“Yes, my mother’s disciple.”

Her senior sister was visiting her cousins at the time. When she returned home and saw what had happened, she was devastated. She took a knife, snuck over the wall of the rich man’s house that night, and killed several people, although she was gravely wounded herself.

“…She later met my mother, who took her on as a disciple. But she was ultimately killed by a demon cultivator. My mother avenged her, pursuing her killer into the Demon Realm and killing many others. The rest of the story isn’t of much interest.”

Su Zhen sighed softly.

Xiao Yu looked at her thoughtfully, “I am curious about one thing.”

“What?”

“Is it true that cultivation methods of the great clans cannot be shared at will, and can only be passed down to one’s Dao partner, and must be accompanied by an oath?”

“You truly don’t know, Senior?”

“I don’t, no. I don’t know many people, and I don’t discuss these matters with them.”

“Well, every family has different rules. In my family, it’s possible to take on disciples, but there are two situations. The first is just to guide the disciple in cultivation without teaching the family’s secret arts. We simply let them choose a foundational technique or cultivation method from the library to practice. Even if the master and disciple practice different techniques, having guidance is vastly different from having none. The second type requires an oath. They vow to keep what they learn secret, and any betrayal means death, much like the vows we take after graduating from master’s tutelage here.”

Xiao Yu nodded in understanding. “I see, then I must thank you for educating me on this.”

Su Zhen was skeptical, feeling he couldn’t possibly be unaware of such things. “…I should be the one thanking you, Senior, for taking the time over such a trivial matter.”

Xiao Yu frowned. “No.”

“?”

“That was no trivial matter!”

He said with a solemn tone, “Don’t think that was something minor. You did exactly the right thing today! Please, if something like this happens again, let me be the one to clarify it.”

Su Zhen responded, “…What do you mean if something like this happens again? Who else would even dare to boss me around? Besides, I won’t have to see his face for much longer.”

“Right.”

Xiao Yu said seriously, “But if this matter wasn’t cleared up, every time you thought about how your master claimed you admired me, even though the truth is entirely the opposite, wouldn’t you feel stifled? Over time, you’d undoubtedly think less of me.”

Su Zhen looked at him in confusion.

Even though she hadn’t fully understood his words, she could grasp his meaning.

She bowed her head slightly. “It’s true that I’ve long heard of Senior’s achievements, so it wouldn’t be wrong to say I admire you. Who among the disciples here doesn’t? But my master’s insinuation made it sound as though I…”

Xiao Yu froze at the word “admire.”

Then he raised his hand, covering his mouth in a way that barely concealed his reaction. “Ahem, I understand. It was as though you were the one pursuing me, but in reality, it’s quite the opposite. He’s a fool for saying that. Let’s leave it at that.”

Su Zhen couldn’t shake the feeling that he seemed a bit nervous.

Xiao Yu asked, “Are you planning to go out?”

Su Zhen nodded. “I’m leaving today.”

“To the Demon Realm?”

Su Zhen froze.

“…If you don’t want to say, that’s fine. Just pretend I didn’t ask.”

Su Zhen thought to herself that if he intended to track her, she wouldn’t be able to hide it anyway. She decided to be direct. “Yes, I’m going to the Demon Realm.”

After saying this, she watched for his reaction.

For cultivators of the Lower Seven Realms, moving around in the Demon Realm was extremely dangerous. Many demonic creatures were beyond their ability to handle, not to mention the demon clans and demon cultivators.

Yuchen Xianzun was also aware that she often traveled to the Demon Realm, though he never approved of it. Over time, he had stopped trying to prevent her, realizing it was futile.

Xiao Yu gave her a small smile. “Very well. I wish you success.”

His words were spoken with sincerity; even though he didn’t know her purpose, he didn’t say a single word of opposition.

Su Zhen’s lips curved slightly.

Although this man had once slain a Demon God and spilled rivers of blood in the Demon Realm, based on their prior discussions, she felt he wasn’t as hostile toward demon cultivators and demonkind as he seemed.

His earlier comments about demons deserving death were clearly spoken on purpose.

“…Thank you, Senior.”

Su Zhen took a few steps but then paused, looking back at the person on the steps.

The young man in black stood on the raised ground, not following her, only watching her quietly.