After Accidentally Entering the Forbidden Land and Forming a Bond with the Grandmaster - Chapter 7

Nearly an hour passed in silence without any movement. Xie Zhuo turned around and stared intently at Chu Lanci’s back. He observed how narrow the man’s shoulders were. He had touched them before and knew the feel of them; it was the frame of a man, yet it possessed an exquisite curvature reminiscent of a delicate crescent moon.

Xie Zhuo felt a distinct change in his own physiological state. Feeling frustrated, he raised his hand and tapped his own forehead. He could make Chu Lanci lose his memory, and he could certainly do the same to himself. However, his divine sense was too powerful, and the effect of the self-erasure was negligible.

It was irritating. No one had ever told him that being too powerful could be a disadvantage. He truly envied these mortals and their carefree lives. He lightly tapped Chu Lanci on the back and asked, “Are you asleep?”

Chu Lanci was on the verge of drifting off when he was suddenly startled awake. He turned around quickly and said, “Immortal.” His voice was soft, sounding as though he had just been jolted from a dream.

“How can you fall asleep in a place like this?” Xie Zhuo asked. Did he not have the cold affliction? The seal should still be active.

Chu Lanci remained silent for a moment. He was exhausted. Besides, why wouldn’t he be able to sleep? He was not some pampered young noble who required luxury. “What is wrong?” he asked gently. His voice was as clear as jade striking stone, carrying the youthful energy unique to the young. It rippled through the dead silence of the night, sounding exceptionally pleasant.

Xie Zhuo’s voice was equally magnetic, though he currently sounded like he was in a foul mood. “Keep me company and talk to me.”

His attitude was polite, yet it carried an air of condescending pressure. However, the simple-minded Chu Lanci did not perceive it. “What do you want to talk about?” he asked. Previously, whenever he asked anything, Xie Zhuo had been tight-lipped. He certainly would not share anything about his background now.

If the conversation was to be about Chu Lanci himself, there was not much to tell. His life was so simple it could be summarized in a single sentence. As expected, Xie Zhuo did not want to talk about himself; he wanted to talk about Chu Lanci.

“If one day you slept with a man, what would you do?” Xie Zhuo asked. Since they were not well-acquainted, this was the only topic on his mind. He was curious if those forty-nine days had left any lasting impression on Chu Lanci.

Perhaps Xie Zhuo, who had isolated himself for a century, had become a bored individual who could find interest in the smallest things. Since Chu Lanci was the only other living person here, he was currently Xie Zhuo’s greatest source of curiosity.

Chu Lanci was stunned. Was the conversation really starting with something so explosive?

Xie Zhuo stared at him. He could see that the tips of Chu Lanci’s ears had turned red. Did the man have feelings after all? He suspected that those memories were affecting him in another form. It suggested that this straight man might not be so straight. “Well?” Xie Zhuo prodded.

“Why would I sleep with a man?” Chu Lanci asked, unable to comprehend the scenario.

“It just happens,” Xie Zhuo replied.

“Then there would be no helping it,” Chu Lanci said. Fragments of himself and Xie Zhuo entwined in passion flashed repeatedly through his mind, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and dreams. “I do not place much importance on such things.”

“What do you mean by that?” Xie Zhuo asked.

“I mean that staying alive is the first priority,” Chu Lanci explained. “The cultivation world is dangerous, and I cannot afford to consider many other things. If there were truly no other way, then if it happened, it happened.” For a man, he wondered if he might even be the one coming out ahead in such a deal.

Xie Zhuo understood. It seemed he had been overthinking it. Chu Lanci’s point was that survival came first, while chastity was secondary. This aligned with his stereotype of mortals or low-level cultivators who would do anything to survive. He had not expected Chu Lanci to be that type of person.

He had thought the man was different.

If that was the case, why did he cry when Xie Zhuo took him? It was likely because it was his first time and he was afraid, but upon reflection, he found it acceptable. Following that logic, if Xie Zhuo offered to take him as a disciple, the man would likely be overjoyed. The simple ideal of most mortals was to find a powerful benefactor to rely on.

Looking at how respectful Chu Lanci was toward him, everything seemed to fall into place. Once he had worked out the man’s logic, Xie Zhuo spoke again.

“Even without a spiritual root, there are many ways to practice cultivation. For example, one could undergo a celestial bone transplant, take heaven-defying pills if the physical body can endure them, or engage in spiritual energy sharing. There are many methods.” He was finally answering the question Chu Lanci had raised during the day.

Chu Lanci was enlightened. “There are so many? Which path is the easiest to take?”

“None of them are easy,” Xie Zhuo replied. “Where would you find a celestial bone? High-quality pills must be fought for. As for spiritual energy sharing…” He paused. “A suitable partner is hard to find.”

Chu Lanci nodded in total agreement. “Cultivation truly is difficult.”

“Going against the heavens is naturally difficult. But why do you want to cultivate?”

Chu Lanci hesitated. “I did not have anything specific in mind. I just wanted to become a bit stronger.” He had other motives, of course, but there was no need to disclose them yet.

“I see,” Xie Zhuo said flatly. “Before we leave the Forbidden Grounds, we can be master and disciple for a few days. You should take me as your master. Do you know who I am?”

Chu Lanci shook his head. “I do not.”

“Do you know of the Immortal Rankings?” Xie Zhuo asked.

Chu Lanci nodded.

“I am in the top three,” Xie Zhuo stated. He spoke of being in the top three as if he were discussing a casual meal. In truth, he rarely mentioned it because there were always plenty of people to remind him of how powerful he was. Only those who had practiced cultivation understood what it meant to be in the top three. It did not matter; Chu Lanci would eventually find out.

“Then who is number one?” Chu Lanci asked.

“That would be me,” Xie Zhuo replied. He had left the second-place holder, Fu Jingye, far behind him, and his position had remained unshakable for a century. “In any case, I am more than qualified to teach you.”

“But I do not know anything,” Chu Lanci said.

“As long as I am willing to teach, it is enough. Will you learn?” Xie Zhuo asked. He was bored to death anyway.

Chu Lanci took a breath and nodded. “I will learn! But I am a bit slow, so please be patient with me.” He was truly quite slow and hoped his master would not find him annoying.

“Very well,” Xie Zhuo said.

“Do I need to perform a formal ceremony?” Chu Lanci asked.

“There is no need. This is only for while we are in the Forbidden Grounds. Once we leave, you will go back to your Tingfeng Village.”

“I understand.”

“Call me Master,” Xie Zhuo commanded.

Chu Lanci obeyed immediately. “Master.”

Hearing the title, Xie Zhuo felt a strange sensation in his heart. A mortal disciple. It was fine; he would take a disciple just to pass the time. It would only be for one winter. “Go to sleep. Starting tomorrow, I will teach you a few things.”

“Will we start with catching snakes again?” Chu Lanci asked.

“Are you no longer afraid?”

“I am still afraid, but if Master says it is good practice, I will try.”

“We shall see. For now, go to sleep.” After talking for a while, Xie Zhuo no longer felt so distracted by his wandering thoughts.

The next day, Chu Lanci woke up to find that Xie Zhuo was already gone. He got up quickly, remembering the commitment they had made the previous night to become master and disciple. In the past, he would never have dared to dream of such a thing. If the Immortal was in a good mood, he had truly hit the jackpot.

Venison had already been placed on the table, but Chu Lanci felt nauseated and had no appetite. He had never been fond of heavy meat, likely because he rarely ate it. In the end, he only ate a few fruits to satisfy his hunger. Just as he finished, he saw Xie Zhuo return.

As the Immortal entered, his tall silhouette blocked the sunlight at the cave entrance. Standing against the light, his outline seemed to be rimmed with gold.

Chu Lanci stood up. “Master.”

Xie Zhuo glanced at him and gave a soft grunt of acknowledgment.

“What are we doing today?” Chu Lanci asked.

“What do you want to do?” Xie Zhuo asked in return.

Chu Lanci had not expected to be asked. “Well, perhaps we could go for a walk outside?” Yesterday, they had only picked fruit. “Or does Master have other ideas?”

“I have no preference,” Xie Zhuo said. His talk of being master and disciple had been somewhat spontaneous. He did not actually know what to teach Chu Lanci, so he decided he would just teach whatever came to mind. However, teaching him from the very beginning was unrealistic because there was not enough time and Chu Lanci lacked a spiritual root.

“Great!” Chu Lanci said. He then knelt on the ground to pay his respects to Xie Zhuo.

Xie Zhuo raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

Chu Lanci looked confused. “The formal greeting for a master.”

Xie Zhuo said indifferently, “There is no need for that. We are only master and disciple for a few days, so why perform such a grand gesture?” Despite his words, he did not tell Chu Lanci to stand up, as he was clearly accustomed to being worshipped.

Chu Lanci still kowtowed three times to complete the ceremony. Then he stood up and smiled. “It is fine. Master can teach me as much as he is able.” As long as he showed his sincerity, he was satisfied.

Xie Zhuo was left speechless by the constant use of the title “Master.”

He had decided to take Chu Lanci as a disciple on a whim and had not intended for it to be so formal. But with this bow, the relationship was solidified. It was not that he could not teach the man, but they had already engaged in Dual Cultivation, and now they were playing at being master and disciple. If the Frost Affliction returned, would they still perform Dual Cultivation?

He decided not to overthink it. It was only a relationship that would last a few days. “Let us go.”

The two of them stepped outside and saw the stones on the ground. Xie Zhuo noticed Chu Lanci looked as though he wanted to pick one up but did not dare. “You may pick them up,” Xie Zhuo said.

Chu Lanci waved his hand. “I have already picked up many. I will not take any more. Oh, that reminds me. I saw a very cute stone yesterday and decorated it. I want to give it to Master as a greeting gift.” As he spoke, he pulled a stone from his wide sleeve.

Xie Zhuo looked down at the gift and saw a very cute fish with a large head. The rounded head of the fish took up most of the stone’s surface, and its mouth was stretched into an exaggerated “O” shape.

“Is this intended to be a gift?” Xie Zhuo asked.

“I saw some colorful flowers by the lava pool and used them to dye the stone,” Chu Lanci explained.

Xie Zhuo understood the concept of color coordination, but Chu Lanci had clearly never studied it. The colors were not well-matched. However, it was full of sincerity. The man must have searched for many different flowers to dye it bit by bit.

“This is for me?” Xie Zhuo asked.

Chu Lanci smiled. “Please do not dislike it, Master. Once we leave the Forbidden Grounds, I will prepare a more proper gift.”

Xie Zhuo thought to himself, Dislike it? He would not dare. He had never received such a gift in his entire life. He tucked the stone away.

After that brief interlude, they once again crossed the long river of lava and entered the forest, arriving at the tree they had first climbed. They happened to see the green snake napping again, though this time, the snake turned and fled the moment it saw them.

Further ahead was a green pond with water so clear the bottom was visible. Beside the pond grew a large beech tree. Chu Lanci turned back and said, “Master, let us make a table.”

“Why make a table?” Xie Zhuo asked.

“You are going to teach me magic, but we should have a proper place to live first,” Chu Lanci said. He still had the mindset of a mortal and felt the need for a proper shelter. Furthermore, every time he saw Xie Zhuo meditating, the Immortal sat directly on the ground. He wanted to make a table for his master.

“We are leaving eventually,” Xie Zhuo argued, feeling it was unnecessary. Once a cultivator reached the Nascent Soul stage, they were supposed to sever their worldly attachments.

“Yes, but we do not know when we will be able to leave. We can make one, and I know how to do it.”

Xie Zhuo found this novel. “Oh? You know how?”

Chu Lanci laughed and said, “I actually made most of the furniture in our village.”

Xie Zhuo’s expression remained indifferent. He supposed that made sense; the man did know how to craft lanterns, after all. “Do as you wish. Once you have finished, I will teach you your first spell,” he said, taking a seat.

He realized he could not spend the entire day teaching magic anyway. Explaining a spell usually took only a few sentences.

With his master’s permission, Chu Lanci felt a surge of motivation. He was determined to contribute his fair share of work. However, he immediately encountered a problem: he lacked the proper tools. Had he been at home, he would have had everything he needed. But here in the Forbidden Grounds, he had nothing to cut down the tree.

Deciding his first step was to find a suitable tool, he looked around until his gaze landed on Xie Zhuo’s sword. He hurried over to Xie Zhuo once more. “Master, may I borrow your sword for a moment?”

Xie Zhuo raised an eyebrow. “If you can pick it up, you may use it.”

Chu Lanci thought to himself that a sword could not possibly be that heavy. Yet, the moment he touched it, he realized he could not even lift the edge of the blade, let alone the whole thing. “I will… find another way,” he stammered.

Watching Chu Lanci run back and forth was beginning to tire Xie Zhuo out. He reached out his hand, intending to cast a spell to finish the job.

To his surprise, Chu Lanci saw the movement and quickly grabbed his hand to stop him. Xie Zhuo’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He noticed that Chu Lanci’s palm was warm and soft; it felt quite pleasant, so he did not immediately pull away. It was Chu Lanci who let go first, looking flustered. “Master, let me find a way myself. Please, do not use magic yet.”

Xie Zhuo had more spiritual energy than he knew what to do with. Since there was no one to fight, the energy was just sitting idle; however, he did not like to force people. He decided to wait and see if Chu Lanci could actually build a table on his own.

He watched as the man returned to his work.

After a while, Xie Zhuo concluded that there was a reason some people were born without spiritual roots. He had expected Chu Lanci to come up with a clever solution, but the man had simply found a sharp piece of flint and used vines to lash it to a wooden stick. He had created a crude stone axe and intended to chip away at the wood bit by bit.

“…” Xie Zhuo thought. It truly would have been faster if he had just used a spell.

The spell required was not difficult; Chu Lanci could have learned it directly. Xie Zhuo had intended to let him do it, but the progress was agonizingly slow. At this rate, the man would only finish one task per day—though for a mortal, such a pace was perfectly normal.

Eventually, Xie Zhuo could no longer stand to watch. He channeled his spiritual energy and sliced through the towering giant tree. The entire process took less than a blink of an eye. As the tree crashed to the ground, Chu Lanci proved he was not entirely foolish; he did not pretend his stone axe had done the job. Instead, he looked up at Xie Zhuo and gave him a brilliant, radiant smile. “Wow, Master! You are amazing!”

“…” Xie Zhuo was silent. This was what he considered amazing? He was capable of far more impressive feats than this.

He realized that teaching Chu Lanci to cast this spell directly might be too difficult, but he could provide him with talismans and teach him how to use them. That was the fastest shortcut available.

Chu Lanci said, “I am troubling you again. I do not know how to thank you.”

“What use do I have for your thanks?” Xie Zhuo replied. If he truly wanted gratitude, he would not have taken him as a disciple. He had only intervened because he couldn’t bear the inefficiency.

“These past few days, you have looked after me and even taken me as your student. I really feel…”

Xie Zhuo cut him off. “Just get back to work.”

Chu Lanci nodded with a smile. “Yes, of course. Let me handle the rest. I might be slow, but I will do it eventually. Master, please just sit and rest.”

“If you say so,” Xie Zhuo said.

“I mean it,” Chu Lanci replied, turning back to the wood.

Xie Zhuo sat down again. He found it difficult to keep his hands to himself. The man had told him not to help, so why did he feel the urge to intervene? Seeing Chu Lanci work so slowly made him want to finish the whole project in an instant. Still, he quite liked Chu Lanci’s soft-spoken praise. It made him feel like an incredible hero.

Even though he was powerful, being admired by a mortal in such a sincere way felt surprisingly good.

Chu Lanci continued at his own pace. He debarked the wood, shaved it down, and cut it into sections. Every step took a significant amount of time, and sweat began to bead on his forehead. He wasn’t actually stupid; it was just that the contrast was too sharp. He wasn’t failing; Xie Zhuo was just so powerful that it made him appear useless by comparison.

When left to his own devices, Chu Lanci was quite capable. He had his own rhythm.

By noon, Chu Lanci wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to look for Xie Zhuo. The Immortal was gone, but he returned a moment later carrying two snow-white rabbits.

“Master, are we having these for lunch?” Chu Lanci asked.

“The venison went bad. We are eating rabbit instead,” Xie Zhuo replied.

“It is fine. I brought some fruit,” Chu Lanci said, pulling a few pieces of fruit from his sleeve. It wasn’t that he couldn’t eat rabbit; he just felt that a master should not have to provide food for his disciple.

“Eat the rabbit,” Xie Zhuo said, his tone both gentle and firm.

Chu Lanci did not argue. He watched as Xie Zhuo prepared the rabbits, and soon, the scent of roasting meat filled the air. Xie Zhuo tore off a leg and handed it to Chu Lanci. Chu Lanci accepted it eagerly and praised him between bites. “This is delicious!”

“…” Xie Zhuo thought. This little disciple was certainly easy to please.

“Master, aren’t you eating?” Chu Lanci asked curiously.

“…” Xie Zhuo was silent. He remembered telling the man exactly why he did not need to eat.

Chu Lanci, whose reactions were a bit slow, saw that Xie Zhuo didn’t answer and let out an “oh.” “I am sorry, I am sorry, Master. I forgot.”

Xie Zhuo asked flatly, “How can you forget such a thing?” Shouldn’t a disciple treat his master as the center of his universe?

Chu Lanci followed his lead. “Yes, yes, you are right.”

Seeing that Chu Lanci had a good attitude and a gentle temper, Xie Zhuo took a stack of talismans from his spiritual ring. “If you need to cut down more trees in the future, use these.”

Chu Lanci immediately stopped eating and took them with both hands. “How do I use them?”

“Just stick the talisman onto the tree and shout ‘Release.’ I have already imbued them with spiritual techniques, so you can use them directly,” Xie Zhuo explained.

Chu Lanci listened intently. “I see! Master, I understand.”

Seeing how quickly Chu Lanci agreed, Xie Zhuo frowned. “Oh? You understand?”

“Yes,” Chu Lanci nodded obediently, like a chick pecking at grain.

Xie Zhuo became even more curious. “You say you understand? Fine, then demonstrate it for me.” He was baffled by how quickly the man claimed to have mastered it. In his experience, when someone agreed that fast, they usually didn’t understand a thing—not even the basic premise of what was being said. It was merely the illusion of understanding. Although the steps looked simple, the process still required a soul imprint.

Chu Lanci blinked, then nodded. “Okay!”

He took a talisman and walked over to a giant tree. He pressed the talisman against the bark, but the moment he let go, it fell off. He tried three more times, and each time, it fell to the ground. Utterly confused, he turned back to look at Xie Zhuo.

Xie Zhuo tilted his chin up, a trace of a smile playing on his lips. “I thought you said you understood.”

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