After the Demon Lord was Reborn, She Switched to a Master-Disciple Romance Script - Chapter 28

When Zhu Jiyun returned to the inn, she found two corpses in the room.

One was the familiar, bloodstained body of Xiang Shao.

The other was unrecognizable, having long since decayed into a skeleton draped with tattered clothing.

Seeing Xia Lianjiao and Han Banmeng’s pale faces, Zhu Jiyun asked, “Is this Senior Sister Huang’s?”

Xia Lianjiao nodded heavily and produced a jade pendant.

It was half of a flower-shaped pendant, which she had specifically retrieved from Senior Sister Huang’s room before leaving.

Han Banmeng clutched the other half of the mottled jade pendant, her voice thick with sorrow. “We found this on the body.”

They had discovered it by chance while bringing Senior Brother Xiang Shao’s corpse back. At first, they didn’t know whose body it was, but Han Banmeng’s sharp eyes spotted the pendant hidden beneath the tattered clothing and immediately recognized it.

Xia Lianjiao’s eyes were rimmed with red as she turned to Zhu Jiyun. “Where’s Zhao Qianfan?”

“I ran into Master,” Zhu Jiyun replied. “She’s already taken him back to Qingmiao Sect in chains.”

Han Banmeng’s grip tightened on the jade pendant. “So… my senior brother… he was extracting people’s Spirit Bones?”

She hadn’t understood the significance of Xiang Shao’s gruesome death until Xia Lianjiao guessed the truth and told her. Only then did the realization dawn on her.

Understanding dawned, and Han Banmeng trembled violently.

The thought of spending five years with a Senior Brother whose heart was as venomous as a snake filled her with horror.

“It wasn’t him,” Zhu Jiyun said, watching Han Banmeng’s eyes flicker slightly. She spoke slowly, each word deliberate. “The one who extracted the Spirit Bone was your Master, Elder Yue Changqiu.”

Han Banmeng’s face drained of color.

Xia Lianjiao’s eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle a scream.

“Then… then… then what about the other two Senior Sisters Han Banmeng never met?!” she blurted out, dropping her hand.

Han Banmeng opened her mouth, but no words came.

After a long moment, she finally found her voice. “How could this be?”

She recalled her Master’s kind face, his gentle eyes. Though he hadn’t paid her much attention, every time they met, he had always been so warm and approachable.

But Zhu Jiyun had spoken these words, and the Immortal Venerable had appeared to take Senior Brother away.

What did this mean? Han Banmeng’s lips trembled.

Zhu Jiyun, seeing Han Banmeng’s shock, said, “As Yue Changqiu’s disciple, you should be grateful your talent is ordinary. Otherwise, you might have become another victim in this tragedy.”

She had spoken these very words in her previous life.

Now, facing the same person, she repeated them.

Yet, having been reborn, she uttered these words decades earlier than before.

“Alright, now’s not the time for shock,” Zhu Jiyun said. “We need to take these bodies back immediately and let the Sect Leader decide what to do.”

When Zhu Jiyun, Xia Lianjiao, and Han Banmeng returned to see the Sect Leader, Ning Huaizhu had already heard the shocking news from her Senior Sister.

After seeing the condition of the two disciples’ bodies with her own eyes, the usual smile in Ning Huaizhu’s eyes vanished, replaced by a grave expression.

She turned to Xia Lianjiao and Han Banmeng. “I know everything that happened. For your safety, you’ll stay at the Profound Cloud Courtyard for now. You can return to your peaks after this is resolved.”

Xia Lianjiao and Han Banmeng exchanged glances, understanding the gravity of the situation. They nodded in agreement.

After ordering someone to escort Xia Lianjiao and Han Banmeng away, Ning Huaizhu turned to Zhu Jiyun, a hint of relief appearing on her weary face. “You did well. Senior Sister is waiting for you at Forgotten Solitude Peak. Go back now.”

Knowing Ning Huaizhu had already made her decision, Zhu Jiyun nodded, cupped her hands in farewell, and withdrew.

Ning Huaizhu watched her retreating figure, then recalled how her Senior Sister had immediately confirmed that Yue Changqiu was indeed at Jade Horizon Peak and had expended Spiritual Power to erect an impenetrable barrier. A flicker of worry crossed her eyes.

With a flick of her sleeve, she turned and entered the inner chambers.

Upon returning to Forgotten Solitude Peak, Zhu Jiyun found her Master waiting for her as expected.

As Zhu Jiyun drew closer, she finally saw her Master’s face clearly. She froze in place, unable to move.

She had always known her Master’s beauty was like flowing wind and swirling snow, an unparalleled radiance. Her unusual frost-white hair only enhanced her ethereal, icy aura, making her seem even more like an immortal.

But now, for the first time, Zhu Jiyun found that silver hair jarringly out of place.

Her Master sat beneath the tree with her eyes closed. Her hair was white, her face was white, her lips were white. Even the crimson beauty mark on her forehead, usually so vibrant, seemed to have lost all color, now dull and lifeless.

This Master, fragile as a snowdrift that would scatter at the slightest touch, made Zhu Jiyun hesitate to approach.

Xun Juexue slowly opened her eyes. Seeing her little disciple standing at a distance, she smiled faintly. “Why aren’t you coming closer?”

Zhu Jiyun finally moved again.

She walked slowly forward and sat on the ground as close to her Master as she dared. “I was afraid of disturbing you,” she murmured.

Xun Juexue shook her head gently. “You wouldn’t.”

She looked down at her disciple beside her, stroking her long hair. “Why aren’t you sitting on the chair?”

Zhu Jiyun shook her head. “I haven’t seen you in so long. I want to be close to you.”

Xun Juexue chuckled. “Even if you’re trying to sweet-talk me, I still have a few words of reprimand for you.”

Xun Juexue thought Zhu Jiyun was acting like she used to, being cute and silly just to avoid extra training. Now, she figured Zhu Jiyun was trying to avoid a scolding the same way.

But then Zhu Jiyun looked up at her, her eyes serious. “Master,” she said, “tell me what you want to say. I’ll remember it.”

Xun Juexue’s hand, which had been smoothing her hair, froze.

Looking down at Zhu Jiyun like that, she suddenly couldn’t bring herself to say all the carefully prepared, heartfelt advice she’d been planning.

After a long moment, she sighed softly and began talking about herself.

“When I first started cultivating, I believed my sword should be wielded for justice and the sake of the world. Because I had my own path to follow, I wasn’t afraid of any hardship or danger. No matter how difficult or dangerous the situation, I would rush in without fear.”

“When I was young, your Martial Ancestor told me that my nature would make those close to me both proud and worried, their feelings a mix of joy and anxiety, hard to untangle. Back then, I understood what he meant, but I believed everyone had their own path, and as long as I was true to myself, that was enough.”

“Later, your Martial Aunt tried to persuade me otherwise, but I held firm to my beliefs. Even if it meant dying for my path, I would die knowing I had lived according to my principles.”

“But now that I have a disciple, I realize how deeply emotion and reason can clash.”

Xun Juexue recalled the moment she arrived at the scene of Zhu Jiyun’s battle, watching her charge forward without fear of death. Her own heart had been filled with terror.

She gazed at Zhu Jiyun. “Ji Yun, I am both proud of your courage and heartbroken by your recklessness.”

“Now that it has come to this, seeing someone I care for throw their life away so carelessly, I feel such overwhelming regret.”

Xun Juexue truly regretted her actions. Had she been too strict in teaching by example? Had she inadvertently taught her disciple to embrace this dangerous flaw?

Zhu Jiyun met her gaze, seeing the undisguised complexity in her eyes. Her heart stirred.

She desperately wanted to say she hadn’t been reckless, that Zhao Qianfan wasn’t worth risking her life for. But the words wouldn’t come.

She knew she wasn’t as noble or selfless as her Master believed.

Her Master felt regret, but she must also feel pride.

Zhu Jiyun saw it clearly.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be this tangled conflict of emotions.

Compared to her Master, who was as radiant as the moon and as clear as the wind, she felt like a rat or sparrow hiding in a dark, filthy gutter, never seeing the light of day.

To survive, she would stop at nothing, even if it meant falling into Demonhood. But her Master would never do such a thing. She was sworn enemies with the Demonic Race, and even if it meant certain death, she would never betray the principles in her heart for the sake of living.

To achieve her goals, she could feign compassion and indifference, coldly watching innocent people die horribly. But her Master would never do that. She would never stand by and watch someone suffer without intervening. Her morality was lofty, her heart encompassing both the world and the smallest of creatures.

But she hadn’t wanted to become a disciple in the first place!

She hadn’t wanted to!

Since her Master had taken her in and taught her with such care and devotion, how could she not be moved? After five years, even the coldest heart would soften.

What was wrong with wanting to be a good disciple to her Master now?

She had already steeled herself for the heart-wrenching pain of death, like a pill furnace exploding, when she could no longer resist her predetermined fate. What more could she do?

If people don’t provoke me, I won’t provoke them. But if they do, I’ll repay them tenfold!

I’ve done nothing wrong!

Zhu Jiyun rested her head on Xun Juexue’s lap, her hair falling sideways to cover most of her face. She murmured, “Master, you don’t need to regret it. As your disciple, I’m already overjoyed to possess even a fraction of your integrity.”

“But I promise, Master, next time something like this happens, I’ll remember that you’re waiting for me in the Hall of Unforgettable Solitude. I won’t act so impulsively and recklessly again.”

Xun Juexue reached out to brush the hair from Zhu Jiyun’s face, her voice gentle as she said, “It’s enough that you’ll remember.”

Zhu Jiyun sat up, lifting her head to meet her master’s gaze without flinching. She spoke each word with earnest sincerity: “Of course I’ll remember. The thought of never seeing you again, Master, makes my heart ache unbearably.”

Her gaze was so earnest that it held Xun Juexue’s eyes captive, unable to look away.

An unfamiliar emotion swelled in Xun Juexue’s chest, something she couldn’t quite define as relief or something else.

Unconsciously, Xun Juexue raised her hand, her thumb gently brushing against Zhu Jiyun’s curled lashes, which fluttered like butterfly wings. Beneath her fingertip, the lashes trembled, and her heart seemed to tremble in response, as if stirred by the delicate wings.

“I’ll remember your words,” the Master said.

Zhu Jiyun pouted, pulling away the hand that had been teasing her. The temperature felt even colder than before she’d left, and she felt a pang of displeasure.

“But Master, you demand so much of me, yet you neglect yourself entirely.”

“Hmm?” Xun Juexue replied.

Zhu Jiyun gazed at her Master’s paper-white face, her hand still clasped in hers. With her other hand, she reached out to touch Xun Juexue’s bloodless lips, her brow furrowing with concern. “Master, have you even looked in a mirror since you returned? Did you take all the spirit medicines? Why are your lips still so pale?”

The warmth of another’s touch on her lips was impossible to ignore. Xun Juexue initially wanted to pull away, but seeing the genuine worry in her disciple’s eyes, she found herself inexplicably allowing this improper intimacy.

*****

My disciple is just overly concerned and momentarily forgot the rules. It’s fine. I’ll remind her next time not to do this.

Master: Teaching proper etiquette isn’t urgent right now.

Support After the Demon Lord was Reborn, She Switched to a Master-Disciple Romance Script