After the Demon Lord was Reborn, She Switched to a Master-Disciple Romance Script - Chapter 37

Xun Juexue asked, “Didn’t you already know?”

Zhu Jiyun knew she would say that.

She pouted, glancing at her Master with a hint of reproach. “What Martial Aunt said is what Martial Aunt said. I wanted to hear it from you directly.”

So that’s what this is about, Xun Juexue thought.

As she looked at her disciple, who was staring at her intently, waiting for an answer, a sudden, unsettling feeling washed over her, as if she were being watched by a predator.

But how could that be?

Ignoring the feeling, she explained the matter of the Demonic Qi in detail.

Zhu Jiyun listened, her brow furrowing slowly.

Like everyone else, she had always believed that Immortal Venerable Qingwu had achieved a complete victory in that legendary battle, securing her immortal fame. She had never imagined that Wu Hongye, in his final moments, had managed to strike a blow against her Master.

Yet she also knew that her Master had retained this Demonic Qi for a reason.

Forcing herself to sound calm, she said, “I understand.”

Seeing that Zhu Jiyun understood, Xun Juexue said, “So don’t listen to your Martial Aunt’s nonsense.”

Zhu Jiyun protested, “Martial Aunt wasn’t talking nonsense. You really are neglecting your health. There’s precedent for this. How can your loved ones not worry?”

Zhu Jiyun looked up and asked, “Master, is Wu Hongye not truly dead? Is Kangtuo’s Malignant Qi also connected to him?”

Xun Juexue was startled by her disciple’s keen insight.

Zhu Jiyun smiled at her, lowered her lashes, and said softly, “Master, there’s no need to be so surprised. By connecting the clues from the past few days, it’s easy to reach this conclusion.”

“Most importantly, I understand you, Master. You wouldn’t completely eliminate the Demonic Qi without a good reason. You must have discovered something.”

Xun Juexue pressed her lips together and gently wiped away the lingering tear streaks on Zhu Jiyun’s face.

“Don’t cry like this again.”

Zhu Jiyun tilted her head.

Xun Juexue gazed into her eyes, which seemed even clearer after being washed by tears, reflecting only herself. She withdrew her tear-stained hand. “Crying too much makes your eyes look less beautiful.”

And it would make her feel distressed.

Zhu Jiyun grasped the hand before it could be fully withdrawn, tilted her head, and rubbed her cheek against it. “As long as you don’t keep secrets from me, Master, I won’t cry.”

“Especially secrets about your health,” Zhu Jiyun emphasized.

Xun Juexue put a little more strength into her grip, withdrew her hand, and clasped it behind her back. She lowered her gaze and said, “I won’t hide anything from you.”

Zhu Jiyun immediately smiled.

But as she continued to smile, her expression suddenly changed.

Zhu Jiyun placed a hand on her dantian, her voice unsteady as she said, “Master, I think I’m about to break through.”

Xun Juexue was startled.

She knew Zhu Jiyun’s Golden Core had been nearing completion these past few days, but she hadn’t expected it to form so quickly.

With the Golden Core now formed, Zhu Jiyun would soon begin her Tribulation Crossing.

Instinctively, she reassured her disciple, who was facing her first Tribulation Crossing, “It’s alright. The Thunder Tribulation at the Golden Core Stage isn’t too severe. I’ll be outside acting as protector for you.”

Zhu Jiyun forced a smile. Instead of saying she wasn’t afraid, she obediently nodded. “I know, Master. I’ll go find a quiet place first.”

Xun Juexue instinctively followed her, unable to shake off her worry.

Zhu Jiyun stopped and said, “Master, please let me do this alone.”

Seeing the concern in her Master’s eyes, she curled her lips into a smile. “It’s just the Golden Core Stage. If you’re this worried about my Golden Core Thunder Tribulation, how will I ever grow up? How will I ever be someone you can rely on?”

Xun Juexue wanted to say, No, Master doesn’t need you to rely on me. You just need to grow freely and healthily under my protection.

But she stopped herself.

Seeing the unwavering determination in Zhu Jiyun’s eyes, she froze.

A gentle smile bloomed on Xun Juexue’s lips. “Alright, Master will wait for you outside.”

Zhu Jiyun smiled back. “Thank you, Master.”

After bidding farewell to her master, Zhu Jiyun found a secluded spot far from the Hall of Unforgettable Solitude. She sat cross-legged, channeled her spiritual power, and prepared to face the approaching Thunder Tribulation.

An ordinary Golden Core Thunder Tribulation wouldn’t have worried her, but Zhu Jiyun’s body contained both Spirit and Demon energies. She harbored a deep concern: Would the Thunder Tribulation be different for someone like me?

It was this worry that had made her insist her master stay behind.

If Master were to sense something amiss… Zhu Jiyun pressed her lips into a thin line, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

That must never happen!

She had to eliminate that risk entirely.

If the Thunder Tribulation hadn’t been imminent, making her sudden departure from Forgotten Solitude Peak seem suspicious, Zhu Jiyun would never have chosen to undergo her Tribulation Crossing here.

She closed her eyes tightly, raising her hands to circulate the Spiritual Power around her.

Boom!

Xun Juexue stood where Zhu Jiyun had just been, her hands clasped behind her back. She tilted her head, gazing at the dense dark clouds gathering in the northwest.

How could a Golden Core Stage Thunder Tribulation look like it was for the Nascent Soul Stage?

Frowning deeply, she watched the faint purple lightning flash between the thunderbolts, her heart clenching with worry.

Even when she herself had faced the Thunder Tribulation of the Tribulation Crossing Stage, Xun Juexue hadn’t felt this anxious.

Boom! Rumble…

The dark clouds descended, and bolts of lightning, intertwined with golden and pale purple light, mercilessly struck down from the sky.

Xun Juexue craned her slender neck, involuntarily counting each strike in her mind.

One, two, three… seven, eight!

After the eighth terrifying bolt of lightning struck, the dense, lightless dark clouds abruptly dispersed, slowly vanishing until the sky returned to its original state.

Moments later, Zhu Jiyun’s figure appeared before her.

Seeing that Zhu Jiyun was only slightly pale and otherwise unharmed, Xun Juexue finally relaxed.

Zhu Jiyun allowed her Master’s gaze to sweep over her. Once Xun Juexue had finished her assessment, Zhu Jiyun smiled faintly and said, “Master, I’ve now reached the Golden Core Stage.”

Reaching the Golden Core Stage in just five years, advancing from Spirit Void to Golden Core, was a rare feat in this era.

Ji Chengyu had achieved the same in her previous life.

Zhu Jiyun recalled the fading flashes of lightning she had seen after her Thunder Tribulation ended, and a glint of light flickered in her eyes.

Seeing her eager expression, Xun Juexue relaxed her tense posture and said, “Very good.”

It was a restrained compliment, but Zhu Jiyun still cherished it.

Yet she remained unsatisfied, pressing further, “Master, it would make me so happy if you smiled at me more often.”

Xun Juexue looked puzzled. “Hmm?”

Zhu Jiyun reached up and tugged at the corners of her pale lips, demonstrating a smile. “When I was undergoing the Tribulation Crossing just now, your smile was so beautiful. It instantly filled me with strength. So, Master, how about smiling at me more often?”

Zhu Jiyun spoke with a playful tone.

Xun Juexue shook her head earnestly. “I’m not naturally inclined to smile.”

Zhu Jiyun’s disappointment showed. “Alright.”

But this was her Master, after all.

Precisely because her Master was usually so detached, with little desire or emotion, that any rare display of warmth felt especially precious and captivating.

Zhu Jiyun, settling for second best, said, “Then don’t smile at anyone else either.”

She wanted to monopolize that unique tenderness.

What an absurd request!

Xun Juexue earnestly explained, “Why would I smile at others for no reason?”

Seeing that her Master wasn’t displeased by this outrageous demand but instead answered her seriously, Zhu Jiyun couldn’t resist pressing further, seeking a promise. “Then promise me.”

Xun Juexue remained silent.

Zhu Jiyun continued to chatter incessantly around her.

Finally, Xun Juexue couldn’t take it anymore. Noticing how unusually energetic Zhu Jiyun was despite having just survived the Thunder Tribulation, a hint of suspicion flashed through her eyes. “Why are you so insistent on getting me to promise you this?”

Zhu Jiyun’s babbling stopped abruptly.

The momentary liveliness finally quieted down. Zhu Jiyun gazed at Xun Juexue, her eyes curving into a smile that concealed thoughts her Master couldn’t comprehend. She confessed, “Because I want Master’s exclusive favor.”

Only that unique favor, reserved solely for her, could satiate the abyss of greed that had been gradually widening in her heart, cracked open by tenderness.

Not enough, not enough, this still isn’t enough.

The cage in her heart was about to shatter. The red-eyed Vicious Beast of greed urged her to demand more and more.

Zhu Jiyun stopped, gazing at the restless Vicious Beast locked in its dark cage. She murmured to herself, What’s still not enough?

Was it the constant touches, the soft embrace that always opened for her, the gentle smiles reserved only for her?

Zhu Jiyun smiled sweetly, as if she were merely asking for a fruit from her Master’s hand, not for all her affection.

Xun Juexue paused, surprised.

Her first reaction wasn’t to scold Zhu Jiyun for her delusional fantasies of controlling her Master, but to ask, “What’s wrong? Have I been neglecting you lately?”

Zhu Jiyun shook her head, stepped closer, and skillfully wrapped her arms around Xun Juexue’s slender waist.

She buried her fluffy hair in Xun Juexue’s embrace, hiding her face twisted in pain.

Zhu Jiyun endured the pain threatening to overwhelm her. The Thunder Tribulation’s attempt to forcibly strip the Demonic Qi from her body was excruciating. During her Tribulation Crossing, she had endured unprecedented agony, drenched in cold sweat. Yet, as soon as the Thunder Tribulation ended, she hadn’t even bothered to circulate her Spiritual Power to recover. She had rushed to find her Master, knowing she would be waiting patiently.

She had always been able to endure pain. Enduring this little pain to be with her Master was nothing.

Zhu Jiyun took a deep breath, filling her lungs with her Master’s delicate fragrance. It was intoxicating, soothing the restless blood coursing through her veins.

Xun Juexue’s waist ached from Zhu Jiyun’s tightening embrace, but she paid it no mind. Her beautiful eyes, tinged with sorrow, gently patted Zhu Jiyun’s slender back as she murmured, “What’s wrong?”

Zhu Jiyun’s teeth chattered. Knowing her Master couldn’t see her, she abandoned all pretense of composure and blurted out, “I just want Master to always dote on me.”

Always dote on me, and only me.

A person who had been the enemy of the entire world, when faced with the warmth that could heal her soul, didn’t think of salvation. Instead, her first instinct was: Give it to me! All of it! Give me everything!

She yearned for her Master’s heart and eyes to be filled with nothing but her, for her reflection to be forever mirrored in those eyes, for her to be etched into her Master’s very being.

But her Master could never do that.

Zhu Jiyun knew this all too well. Her Master’s heart held a greater purpose, her eyes saw the world’s suffering. For this, she would gladly sacrifice her own life.

The moment Zhu Jiyun fully grasped this truth, her insatiable heart’s first reaction was to seize her Master’s eternally soft and welcoming embrace.

Like someone suffering from skin hunger, Zhu Jiyun clung fiercely to her Master, burying herself deep within her arms.

The ruthless Thunder Tribulation, attempting to strip away her innate Demonic Qi, seemed to have ignited all the darkness and greed within Zhu Jiyun’s heart.

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