After Forgetting Two Exes - Chapter 16

“Knock, knock.”

The door to the room was knocked on once again.

Ji Xun Yue was startled awake from her sleep. She was so drowsy she could not open her eyes, so she shouted toward the door, “Junior Sister, let me sleep a little longer.”

However, she heard Xuan Huai’s voice from outside: “Jinyue, it is me.”

Ji Xun Yue finally remembered that her junior sister was in solitary confinement. She must have overslept, not only missing the morning class but also failing to show up for cultivation. She woke up instantly, hurriedly got up to throw on an outer robe, and opened a crack in the door, revealing half of her face.

“Master, I seem to have overslept.”

Xuan Huai looked at her bleary-eyed appearance, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes. “You were exhausted all day yesterday; it is only right to sleep more. I was just worried since I had not seen you, so I came to check.”

Ji Xun Yue glanced at the sky. “Thank you for your concern, Master. I am fine.”

She had slept until evening again, but today it was not her junior sister who woke her, which made her feel a bit melancholic.

Xuan Huai asked: “Shi Yuan is here. Do you want to see him?”

Ji Xun Yue wanted to sleep more and was about to refuse when she heard Shi Yuan’s voice from not far away.

“Xuan Huai, why do you make me sound like someone who shouldn’t be seen?”

Xuan Huai said plainly: “Did I not tell you not to come over?”

Shi Yuan said righteously: “I didn’t come over. Can I not just stand here and talk?”

Ji Xun Yue asked: “Does Martial Uncle have some business here today?”

Shi Yuan said crossly: “What do you think? Something this big happened to Zhong Ling and you didn’t tell me. Do you treat me like an outsider?”

Ji Xun Yue did not know how to answer for a moment. Xuan Huai glanced in Shi Yuan’s direction and said coldly: “Is running over here and making a scene your idea of concern?”

“Jinyue and Zhong Ling have such a good relationship; I was afraid she couldn’t take the blow, so I came to see her.”

Ji Xun Yue was completely robbed of her sleepiness by Shi Yuan’s loud voice. She said helplessly: “Martial Uncle, Junior Sister is only in solitary confinement for a month. I have no reason to be unable to take it.”

There was silence from Shi Yuan’s side for a moment before he said: “You’ve slept for almost the whole day; it is time to get up and eat something.”

Ji Xun Yue felt even more annoyed hearing this. It was almost dawn when she returned to the Immortal Realm; she hadn’t slept for long at all. “Junior Sister is not here; who else can cook for me?”

She couldn’t help but sigh. Without her junior sister to wake her up or cook her meals, her days felt bleak and miserable.

Then she heard Xuan Huai say: “I will do it.”

Ji Xun Yue met his gaze and froze. “I won’t trouble Master. I can just cook something simple for myself.”

Shi Yuan interjected: “I advise you not to refuse. Imperial Princess Yu Qian Chan asked Xuan Huai for help with refining medicine this afternoon. Once he goes into seclusion, you’ll have to deal with the food yourself.”

Yu Qian Chan certainly moved fast. Xuan Huai looked at him and said calmly: “Now that you have visited, you can go back.”

Shi Yuan said urgently: “You’re driving me away again? I’ve already apologized to you several times for the last time. I said I would go clarify everything but you didn’t agree. What do you want me to do to earn your forgiveness?”

Xuan Huai did not respond. Ji Xun Yue looked at his profile; his handsome brows were slightly knit, and his gaze was cold. It was the first time she had seen Xuan Huai show such an expression to Shi Yuan, one of inexplicable hostility and anger within that coldness.

Did the “last time” Shi Yuan mentioned refer to the first day of cultivation? She remembered that while she and her junior sister were preparing dinner, Xuan Huai had come over to inform them that Shi Yuan had left. It turned out they had an argument.

Ji Xun Yue blinked. She couldn’t see Shi Yuan from where she was, but she could feel the tension between the two men outside.

“Master,” she called out softly.

Xuan Huai composed himself and looked at her. “My apologies.”

Ji Xun Yue thought for a moment and decided to let the two of them talk properly. “Then I will trouble Master to cook. I will help you as an assistant. Also, Martial Uncle, why don’t you stay and have dinner with us?”

Xuan Huai answered very quickly: “Good.”

Shi Yuan’s voice finally relaxed a bit. “Jinyue is the sensible one after all.”

Ji Xun Yue smiled helplessly. “Master, go ahead first. I will be there as soon as I get ready.”

Xuan Huai nodded.

Upon entering the kitchen, Xuan Huai was already busy. Ji Xun Yue looked at him, finding the scene somewhat heartwarming and inexplicably familiar. Was it because it reminded her of her junior sister?

“Let me do it, Master.” Ji Xun Yue steadied her mind and walked over.

Xuan Huai handed the task of washing vegetables to her and turned to chop the vegetables that were already washed.

Ji Xun Yue hesitated but spoke up anyway: “I wonder what kind of conflict Master and Martial Uncle had last time?”

Xuan Huai was not as resistant as she imagined; instead, he gave a faint smile. “Do you want to help mediate our conflict?”

“Master is so angry; I am afraid a few words from me won’t be enough to persuade you.”

Xuan Huai paused and said plainly: “I am no longer angry.”

Ji Xun Yue gave a hesitant reply. Xuan Huai said: “I expect to be in seclusion for eight days. Take good care of yourself. You can come to me anytime if anything happens.”

Eight days? Wouldn’t that be until the thirtieth day of the third month? The flowers of Shen Yuan bloomed on the twenty-ninth; did he not know, or did he set it aside to prioritize Yu Qian Chan’s task?

“Don’t worry, Master. I will work hard at my cultivation.”

Ji Xun Yue spoke and suddenly laughed. By the time Xuan Huai ended his seclusion, she would already be a genius cultivator of the Second Realm.

Ji Xun Yue drained the vegetables and placed the basket in front of Xuan Huai. He familiarized himself with the basket and grabbed a handful of vegetables, their coordination flowing perfectly. His wide sleeves were tied back, revealing the well-proportioned lines of his forearms. Ji Xun Yue stared blankly at his movements.

“What is it?” Xuan Huai asked.

Ji Xun Yue shook her head. “Is there anything else I can help with?”

Xuan Huai smiled: “Leave it all to me.”

His smile held more warmth than usual, as if they were very close. Ji Xun Yue froze, but she couldn’t find anything wrong with it. Oil was poured into the heated pot, crackling and emitting a faint aroma. Ji Xun Yue had watched her junior sister cook for many days and had learned a lot; now she was also learning with an open mind.

Seeing Xuan Huai stir-fry the same ingredients but only add one spoonful of salt, Ji Xun Yue couldn’t help but say: “Junior Sister likes to add two spoonfuls.”

Xuan Huai smiled faintly but added a spoonful of vinegar and another of sugar.

“Sweet and sour?”

“Taste it later and see how this method is,” Xuan Huai said, his eyes downcast and a smile remaining on his lips.

Ji Xun Yue stared at his face. Every move he made truly attracted her attention. He was handsome, could cook, and could refine medicine; he was incredibly versatile. Why had she thought of Xuan Huai during her conversation with Fu Jingchuan yesterday? Had she really developed some feelings?

Ji Xun Yue shook her head helplessly, advising herself not to be temporarily captivated by beauty. After all, she still didn’t understand Xuan Huai at all.

In the small courtyard of Xuan Huai’s residence, Shi Yuan sat on a towering spiritual tree, staring into the distance in a daze. When he was quiet, his features also carried a sense of detachment. Hearing their footsteps, Shi Yuan looked over and then leaped down, his sleeves fluttering.

The three sat down. The usually talkative Shi Yuan was uncharacteristically silent. Although the tension had eased, someone needed to be the first to lower their head. Ji Xun Yue felt completely uncomfortable in the awkward atmosphere between them. She sighed inwardly; after being the Demon Sovereign for so long, she couldn’t change her habit of worrying everywhere she went.

Then, she let out a heavy sigh. It successfully caught the attention of both men.

Shi Yuan naturally wanted a way out: “Why are you sighing like that?”

Ji Xun Yue said in a muffled voice: “What if Junior Sister ruins her health by not eating or drinking for a month?”

Shi Yuan also looked worried and comforted her: “Don’t worry. The barrier can maintain her life functions.”

Ji Xun Yue sighed again: “We’ve made an enemy of the Yanming Sect this time. Who knows how they will target me and Junior Sister.”

Shi Yuan gave a disdainful snort. “That Yanming Sect, not a single one of them is good from top to bottom!”

Ji Xun Yue grew interested; it seemed the Yanming Sect had made many enemies. “Is Martial Uncle willing to tell me more?”

Sensing Xuan Huai’s gaze, Ji Xun Yue pushed a plate of stir-fry toward Shi Yuan. “Martial Uncle, don’t just talk. Eat first.”

Shi Yuan was a guest, and she knew the etiquette of hosting. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xuan Huai lower his eyes, his expression appearing much colder. She truly could not be biased. She also pushed a small dish toward Xuan Huai. She understood the art of balancing.

Ji Xun Yue rested her hand on the table, her gaze switching back and forth between the two men. Stared at until they were uncomfortable, Shi Yuan and Xuan Huai finally picked up their chopsticks. Using both soft and hard tactics, and being polite before getting firm, was very effective for managing subordinates. She had sacrificed too much for this sect.

Shi Yuan took a bite, his expression relaxing. The praise was about to come out but became blunt instead: “Xuan Huai, this is the first time I’ve known your cooking was this good.”

Xuan Huai gave a plain response. Shi Yuan’s face froze, so he switched the target of conversation: “Jinyue, didn’t you ask me about the Yanming Sect?”

Ji Xun Yue nodded. Just as Shi Yuan was about to speak, Xuan Huai interrupted him and asked Ji Xun Yue:

“Is this not to your taste?”

Ji Xun Yue cast a bewildered glance at him, only then realizing she had been so preoccupied with the etiquette of a junior that she hadn’t touched her chopsticks.

She took a bite of each dish. The stir-fry was crisp and non-greasy, the soup fragrant and fresh, and the cold dish refreshingly crunchy. While her junior sister’s cooking followed a home-style approach simple and quick Xuan Huai focused on matching the ingredients with the technique, highlighting their original flavors.

It truly suited her palate. It almost felt as if, he knew her tastes.

Take the stir-fry, for instance: her junior sister’s version had a saltiness that brought out the natural bitterness of the ingredients, whereas Xuan Huai’s sweet and sour seasoning perfectly neutralized it. She undeniably preferred his way.

Ji Xun Yue smiled. “Master, your culinary skills are indeed excellent.”

A mental image suddenly flickered in her mind—a little fox busy cooking and refining medicine, hiding at home for years without stepping out. Her smile turned a bit mischievous.

Xuan Huai seemed momentarily dazed before replying, “I studied it in the past.”

Shi Yuan listened to their exchange with a dark expression, looking as if he were sitting on pins and needles. Xuan Huai glanced at him and asked plainly, “Do you have a grudge against the Yanming Sect?”

Shi Yuan looked at him with some surprise. “Back when I was only at the Fourth Realm, I went to the Northern Border to gather medicinal herbs. On my way back, I was robbed by their disciples who wanted something for nothing.”

Ji Xun Yue’s brow furrowed. “In a situation like that, I imagine it’s hard to find anyone to uphold justice.”

Shi Yuan remained silent for a moment, then shook his head. “There was someone.”

“And the result?”

Even if someone stood up for him, wouldn’t the elders have just smoothed things over?

“Those disciples were expelled from the sect because their past misdeeds were exposed at the same time.”

Ji Xun Yue’s brow finally relaxed. “That is truly satisfying. Who was so capable?”

Shi Yuan’s features turned cold, yet there seemed to be a trace of tenderness. “An old friend.”

Just a name, why keep it so hidden?

She wanted to press further, but Shi Yuan warned her with earnest gravity, “Not just the Yanming Sect, the six major immortal sects have long upheld the ideology of ranking people based on their cultivation level. Many disciples are obsessed with their power, some even to the point of madness. You should avoid dealing with people from those sects in your daily life.”

What a coincidence, she thought. I’m actually desperate to get involved with them.

The six major sects were massive, and they were indeed a mixed bag. Shen Zhi Yao, Ji Xiuwen, and Zhou Yu each represented a different type.

Ji Xun Yue asked, “Then aren’t the low-level disciples quite miserable?”

Shi Yuan spoke as if it were a matter of course. “Even if someone has extraordinary talent, resources won’t necessarily lean toward them. A master’s status, the degree of favor other disciples receive… ascending to immortality isn’t something achieved solely through silent, hard cultivation.”

Ji Xun Yue understood now. These people had turned a simple path of cultivation into something incredibly complex. It didn’t just affect their own disciples; other sects were dragged into it as well. They were a true blight.

She asked casually, “By the way, I still don’t know which immortal was your master?”

Shi Yuan stopped his chopsticks and said coldly, “Dead.”

Ji Xun Yue was startled. Just as she was about to speak, he continued, “Died in the War of Gods and Demons.”

Another one with a grudge against the Demon Realm? Is there not a single person in this place friendly toward demons?

Ji Xun Yue said sheepishly, “So they sacrificed themselves…”

Shi Yuan gave a disdainful snort. “Sacrifice? They were merely colluding with the Demon Realm. They got what they deserved.”

Ji Xun Yue’s face stiffened. “Could it be they joined the current faction?”

If that’s true, then doesn’t Shi Yuan hate me to the core?

Xuan Huai had also stopped moving, watching the two of them with indifference. Ji Xun Yue felt completely uncomfortable, as if her identity had been exposed.

Shi Yuan’s expression darkened. “The current one?”

Ji Xun Yue’s heart tightened. Shi Yuan’s gaze was deep as if he were contemplating something. After a pause, he said, “Not that one. Otherwise, things wouldn’t be this peaceful now.”

Ji Xun Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, looking at Shi Yuan, he clearly harbored much dissatisfaction toward the Demon Realm. She was used to it, though; it no longer mattered. With different stances, she couldn’t force others to understand or be tolerant. As long as they didn’t plot against their own people, it was enough.

Wearing the identity of Ye Jinyue, her intersection with Xuan Huai and Shi Yuan would only exist in the present.

She suddenly realized something: “Did you never take another master?”

Shi Yuan shook his head. “My master was a traitor, and my aptitude is mediocre. Who would be willing to take me in?”

Without a guide, wouldn’t the path of cultivation be rugged and treacherous? No wonder Shi Yuan said he cultivated slowly; his past was filled with bitterness.

Seeing her sympathetic expression, Shi Yuan smiled. “Don’t think of me as so pathetic. I may be unlucky, but I have had help from a benefactor.”

Ji Xun Yue was about to ask who, but Xuan Huai suddenly stood up and said coldly, “You two chat. I am going into seclusion.”

She stood up as well, wanting to say goodbye, but seeing his eyes as still as an ancient well and his icy expression, she was silenced by his distant posture. Even though she had once thought Xuan Huai was as cold as ice, he had never felt as unreachable as he did today.

Xuan Huai did not dare look at Ji Xun Yue’s bewildered expression as he turned to leave. She must think I am incredibly moody and strange.

Now that the engagement was broken and Ji Xun Yue had forgotten Shi Yuan, he still could not bring himself to calmly tell Shi Yuan about their past. How could he not have selfish motives? He hadn’t clarified things because he was afraid she would remember her past with Shi Yuan and rekindle their relationship. Yet, he still couldn’t stop her from getting close to him. He clearly felt he had moved a step closer to her, only to be pushed back to the starting point over and over again.

“Master…”

Xuan Huai’s figure had already vanished into the distance before Ji Xun Yue hesitantly called out. Did he think she and Shi Yuan were too noisy? But he was always a man of few words; if no one else talked, she would be bored to death.

Xuan Huai’s unpredictable attitude left her feeling unexplainably restless. But why was she worrying about these things?