Don't Pick Up Disciples Randomly by the Roadside - Chapter 1

A surge of resentment, twisting and turning, erupted from the opposite side with a thunderous roar: “How long have I been waiting already!”

Shen Chunyi looked up at the sound, wondering what could possibly stir someone to such agitation that even the tables and chairs seemed on the verge of being sent flying.

He had walked nearly the entire morning before spotting this modest tea station. Stepping inside, he chose an empty table and sat down, only to find himself right by the window.

Outside, pressed against the wall, stood a tree with bare, forked branches—perfect for children to climb. Beyond that, mountains and rivers stretched into the distance, with springs and rocks harmoniously arranged. Amid such scenery, one could almost forget half their worries and frustrations—if only no one were there to spoil the view. For a fleeting moment, it seemed possible.

Another person spat out a melon seed shell and remarked, “Getting worked up here won’t do you any good. The Taiwu Mountain Sect is in utter chaos right now. No matter how dissatisfied you are, you’ll just have to sit tight and wait.”

The first person grumbled indignantly, “What do I care if they’re in chaos? These days, who isn’t anxious? Since our area has been assigned to them, they ought to take responsibility, shouldn’t they?”

A bystander chimed in, “Exactly! How can a major sect like Taiwu Mountain fall into disarray so easily? Strange occurrences have been happening all over the place these past few years, each more bizarre than the last. It seems to me they’ve grown too accustomed to being pampered by the common folk and simply don’t want to get their hands dirty.”

The first person spat out two more melon seed shells, speaking with an air of worldly wisdom, “No, no. It’s truly a mess.”

“How so?”

Shen Chunyi sighed inwardly and turned back to gaze out the window.

The man continued, “Haven’t you heard? The leader of Taiwu Mountain’s current generation, surnamed Shen—the second-in-command of the entire sect—suddenly abandoned his post and ran off the day before yesterday. The sect hasn’t found a suitable replacement yet, which is why things have fallen into such disarray.”

“Ran off?” The other two were incredulous. Who in their right mind would give up such a prestigious position, blending the paths of immortality and chivalry? It seemed utterly shortsighted and wasteful.

Shen Chunyi wondered if he should make his presence known and inform them that the person they were discussing was none other than himself. But before he could decide, the man went on, “Of course! Rumor has it the sect leader had high hopes for him, even paving the way for his future. For him to suddenly abandon his duties is truly strange. But according to whispers in the streets, he didn’t just resign—he vanished…”

At this point, a chilling sense of dread crept into the conversation. Both listeners felt a slight shiver run down their spines and couldn’t help but ask, “Why?” The speaker stopped spitting melon seeds. Seeing their keen interest, he felt a sense of camaraderie and leaned in, lowering his voice. “According to rumors—just rumors, mind you—he succumbed to demonic cultivation, slaughtered all his disciples in a single night, and then took his own life! But I find that theory rather questionable. After all, it’s said there are several demons on Taiwu Mountain…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a streak of silver light shot through the air with a sharp, whistling sound, heading straight for the teacup in his hand! The man felt a sudden heat in his grasp, and the aged teacup he had used for countless years shattered with a crisp crack, sending shards scattering across the floor. The commotion drew the attention of nearby travelers, while lukewarm tea spilled messily across the table.

The three men didn’t even bother wiping their hands, springing to their feet and exchanging wide-eyed glances with those around them, all equally shocked: “What’s going on?”

Shen Chunyi unhurriedly withdrew his hand, his expression calm as he spoke: “Yes, I killed it. So what?”

For a moment, the leader of the three didn’t quite grasp what Shen Chunyi was saying.

But in the next instant, it dawned on him. He exclaimed in utter astonishment: “It was you—?”

Shen Chunyi replied with a gentle smile: “It was me.”

Setting aside the truth of his words for now, this man indeed had a sense of loyalty. Even while fleeing, he didn’t forget to drag the other two along with him—a paragon of righteousness. The onlookers exchanged puzzled glances, murmuring among themselves for a while.

They looked at Shen Chunyi, then at the shattered porcelain on the ground, finding the whole situation utterly baffling. After a few casual remarks, they went back to their own business.

Only the tea shop owner hurried over at the commotion, gazing at the pile of shards with deep regret: “It could still have been used…”

After lamenting for a while, he suddenly slapped his forehead, even more distressed: “They haven’t paid yet!”

Shen Chunyi said kindly, “It’s all right. I’ll pay for them.”

The tea shop owner was instantly overwhelmed with gratitude. Someone willing to clean up another’s mess was a rarity—either they had too much money to burn or they were a bit touched in the head. He considered himself lucky to have encountered one.

Shen Chunyi smiled faintly, about to say something more, but before he could speak, he felt the sunlight behind him dim, as if something had blocked the window.

Instinctively, he sensed this wasn’t a good sign.

After a moment of dazed silence, he slowly turned his head.

Only when he saw a figure hanging upside down outside the window did his heart leap into his throat.

A young man was suspended upside down from a tree branch outside the window, his upper body dangling as he stared unblinkingly at Shen Chunyi. He seemed to have impressive core strength, hanging leisurely from the branch and swaying gently, looking quite at ease.

Noticing Shen Chunyi finally turning his head, the young man smiled slightly and asked, “Really?”

His voice was bright and clear, yet his tone carried a chill. There seemed to be a hint of goodwill in it, but not much.

Shen Chunyi was indeed startled. It took him a moment to maintain his composure, barely managing to keep his expression as still as an ancient well, preventing his soul from escaping on the spot.

The young man wore a dark golden robe, his waist sash gleaming black. The collar of his inner garment was high, just covering his Adam’s apple.

He hooked his knees over the tree branch by the window, his robe and black hair hanging down. His hair crown remained perfectly in place, and upon closer inspection, a tightly wrapped black bow was strapped to his back, miraculously not falling off.

Only a window separated them, and they were extremely close. It was only up close that Shen Chunyi noticed three golden earrings pierced through each of the young man’s ears, engraved with intricate patterns resembling coiled snakes.

The gilded earrings shimmered brightly, reflecting the sunlight so dazzlingly that Shen Chunyi’s eyes stung slightly.

Piercing through the ear cartilage—he wondered if it hurt.

Seeing Shen Chunyi seemingly frozen in place, the young man playfully blinked, swaying gently with the breeze as a casual greeting.

Dazed by the glaring sunlight, Shen Chunyi remained silent for a moment before asking, “Who are you?”

The young man flipped over and landed steadily on his feet. Tall and long-legged, he stepped over the windowsill in his black boots and settled down in front of Shen Chunyi, a faint, ambiguous smile on his lips. “Why should you care who I am?”

One hand rested on the edge of the table, the other propping up his chin. He looked like a well-behaved boy from the neighborhood, yet there was a subtle hint of mischief hidden beneath the surface.

Shen Chunyi cast a cold glance at him and said, “You’re sitting at my table. Can’t I ask who you are?”

The young man smiled slightly, revealing a pair of sharp canine teeth, and argued slyly, “Is your name written on this table? Or does Senior make it a habit to interrogate anyone who shares a table with you about their name and address whenever you eat out?”

No matter what he said, his face always wore a bright, eye-crinkling smile, but his words were completely at odds with it, making that smile seem rather malicious—though he likely didn’t have much goodwill to begin with.

Shen Chunyi replied indifferently, “Where you live is none of my damn business.”

Hearing this, the young man stopped smiling, pursed his lips, leaned back slightly, and stretched one leg out to rest on the bench beside him. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Is it really none of your business?”

Shen Chunyi chuckled, “Should it be?”

The young man fell silent. After a long while, just as Shen Chunyi thought he wasn’t going to say anything more, the young man abruptly asked, “Really?”

Shen Chunyi feigned ignorance, “What do you mean, ‘really’?”

The young man pursed his lips, seemingly reluctant to speak.

Shen Chunyi half-jokingly replied, “Of course it’s true.”

He added, “I can be quite ruthless.”

The young man glanced Shen Chunyi up and down, laughed twice, and said, “Is that so?”

Shen Chunyi laughed along, “It’s common knowledge. Haven’t you heard?”

The young man gave him a light, dismissive look, “You look a lot like someone I used to know.”

Shen Chunyi had no desire to entertain this topic, “Oh?”

“Mhm.” The young man lazily rested one wrist on the edge of the table, his fingers tapping lightly on the surface in a somewhat erratic rhythm, as if he were forcing himself to show patience despite having none. “Like my master, and also like my wife.”

Shen Chunyi nearly choked on air.

He said coolly, “Your master and your wife must look quite alike then.”

The young man hummed in agreement, “My wife divorced me. I’m heartbroken.”

Shen Chunyi said gently, “I’m not a matchmaker.”

The young man hummed again, “My master abandoned me too. I’m also heartbroken.”

Shen Chunyi replied bluntly, “Don’t be sad. Maybe he’s dead.”

The young man paused for a moment, his expression turning strange, “Why would you say that?”

Shen Chunyi laughed twice, “What? Not happy to hear it?”

Seeing the other’s displeased expression, he stopped laughing and instead said softly, “I think it would’ve been better if he had died back then.”

The young man frowned, “You have a nasty way of speaking.”

“Likewise.”

Shen Chunyi fanned himself lightly, his tone cool, “If both your master and your wife left you, have you ever considered that it might be your own fault?”

The young man spun the brass ring on his right hand, his tone ambiguous and almost mocking, “That can’t be. I always listened to him.”

Noticing the singular “him” without a plural “them,” Shen Chunyi’s lips twitched, “That’s exactly why.”

He added, “No one in this world should spend their whole life obeying someone else.”

Hearing this, the young man stopped moving.

He stopped playing with the ring, leaned forward slightly, and aggressively closed the distance between them—far beyond what was appropriate for strangers.

Shen Chunyi instinctively wanted to lean back but forced himself to stay still.

The young man found his conflicted expression—wanting to flee yet forcing himself to stay—utterly amusing. He snorted with a smirk, “But he likes it just that way.”

“He likes it when I obey him, you know?”

Shen Chunyi suddenly turned sarcastic, “Why should I know?”

The young man leaned back into his slanted sitting position, laughing heartily. “He’s very beautiful and has a gentle temper—well, others think so, anyway. But in truth, he’s cold-hearted and ruthless, cutting ties without hesitation, capable of murder and arson without batting an eye. All that kindness is just an act, and he loves being treated like an emperor—”

His tone shifted maliciously, “Sounds like a tyrant, doesn’t it?”

Under the table, Shen Chunyi’s hand gripping the folding fan trembled with force, yet his expression remained as calm as still water. He replied coolly, “Then shouldn’t you wish for his death even more?”

“Nah,” the young man giggled, “I like it.”

He added, “He loves my absolute obedience, and it just so happens I enjoy obeying him.”

Then, with a teasing tone, he continued, “After all, an emperor is meant to be knelt before—and I’m happy to do it.”

Shen Chunyi truly wanted to punch him to death. Seeing he was about to provoke real anger, the young man quickly changed the subject. He turned, placed one foot on the long bench, leaned his back against the side wall, and swayed gently, arms crossed as he spoke leisurely, “But my wife does have many obedient moments.”

“She lets me touch, hug, and kiss her. I’ve trained her to be quite docile before, but I know she’s never truly been obedient. Still, I like her just the way she is—can’t help it.”

The innate mischief in his bones simply couldn’t be suppressed. These words were far too explicit. No normal person would boast to a passing stranger about how harmonious their marital intimacy was right off the bat. What man would be so generous as to share even the delights of his wife?

Shen Chunyi felt a headache coming on, his teeth aching and heart pounding. “You’re only in your teens, aren’t you? How can you be married before even growing any hair?”

The young man raised an eyebrow. “I’m twenty-one. At this age, most men already have a few children. Sadly, my wife can’t bear children, but it works out since I don’t like kids anyway. No children, no problem.”

Shen Chunyi sneered, “Your wife is truly fortunate.”

The young man blinked, pretending not to catch the sarcasm. “You think so too?”

After a pause, he suddenly adopted a well-behaved tone, “Then I’m truly honored.”

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