The Sect Leader Raised a Fox to His Own Detriment - Chapter 2

Under the night sky, ripples circled the Mind-Nourishing Pond, shattering the reflection of a lonely moon.

A-Yin sat by the pond feeding the brocade koi. These koi were originally raised by Su Muzhi, the Master of the South Peak, for observation. Su Muzhi is Yue Xichen’s second senior brother. Contrary to their eldest senior brother Li Yan, the Master of the North Peak, who is fiercely competitive, Su Muzhi is a man of easygoing habits and leaves the koi to fend for themselves.

When A-Yin first arrived at Lingyun Mountain, these koi were so thin they were almost like loaches. Fortunately, in the ten years since he joined the sect, he had been caring for them. Now, every fish was plump and sturdy, more than enough to be stewed for a meal.

“A-Yin, feeding the koi again?”

Turning at the sound, A-Yin saw Zhan Ning walking toward him. Zhan Ning was Yue Xichen’s first disciple his Eldest Senior Brother. In all of Lingyun Mountain, he liked this senior brother the most.

Unlike A-Yin, whose cultivation remained stagnant, Zhan Ning’s talent was average compared to other disciples. Because of this, he didn’t look down on A-Yin with the disdainful eyes of the “prodigies.” Though his looks were ordinary, he smiled often and gave an impression of being approachable. Every time A-Yin saw Zhan Ning, he felt a sense of mutual sympathy, as if they were fellow sufferers. Thus, he was closest to Zhan Ning within the sect.

“Eldest Senior Brother…”

“Master told me to find you.” Zhan Ning patted A-Yin’s shoulder. Seeing A-Yin’s wary expression, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, Master won’t scold you. He probably wants you to come over so he can comfort you.”

“Mnh…” A-Yin nodded, though he didn’t think so in his heart.

Today was the first day of the North-South Martial Competition, but for him and Zhan Ning, it was already over. He had lost in the first round; Zhan Ning had lost in the second.

“Go on, don’t keep Master waiting.”

Since Zhan Ning said so, A-Yin had no choice but to brace himself and walk to Yue Xichen’s sleeping quarters. In the ten years since joining Lingyun Mountain, ten competitions had been held. Every single time, A-Yin lost in the first round. Every single time, Yue Xichen never offered guidance or comfort; he wouldn’t even spare him a glance.

Standing before the gates of the sleeping quarters, which bore no plaque, A-Yin took a deep breath. Back in Peach Blossom Village, he had looked forward to Yue Xichen’s visits because the man would bring him sweet peach blossom cakes. He had thought Yue Xichen liked him—that it was why he visited, gave him treats, and brought him to Lingyun Mountain. But since becoming Yue Xichen’s closed-door disciple, he felt more and more that it had all been his own wishful thinking.

Knock, knock!

A-Yin knocked on the doors of Yue Xichen’s quarters.

“Enter.”

The voice from within was as beautiful as celestial music, yet also like the unmelting ice atop a snowy mountain. It was so cold that A-Yin shivered. With a creak, he pushed the door open and walked in.

The quarters were classical and elegant, simple yet refined, with light gauze curtains and the scent of lingering incense. A-Yin took a deep breath; although he was nervous every time he entered, he truly loved the scent of peach blossoms that drifted through the room.

Walking into the deepest part of the quarters, A-Yin saw Yue Xichen meditating at the center of a Bagua formation. Yue Xichen’s eyes were closed, and his long eyelashes were like two light wings, casting small shadows on his jade-like face. Standing to the side, A-Yin watched the Bagua formation flicker between light and dark, Yin and Yang generating and overcoming each other. True qi rose, and a golden light pervaded the space. To A-Yin, Yue Xichen looked like a genuine immortal.

So beautiful…

Hiding his hands behind his back, A-Yin let out a light, involuntary chuckle. Suddenly, Yue Xichen opened his eyes.

“Dis, disciple pays respects to Master.” A-Yin was momentarily dazed and accidentally bit his tongue so hard his features contorted in pain.

The Bagua formation’s light faded. Yue Xichen stood up and walked to a red sandalwood desk. A-Yin noticed several bottles of spiritual liquid and elixirs on the desk. Was this why Master called him?

With a flick of his wide sleeve, Yue Xichen tossed something from the desk toward A-Yin. A-Yin caught it steadily, but looking down, the smile on his face froze instantly.

In his hand was no spiritual elixir, but a small plate containing an exquisite peach blossom cake.

Anger suddenly flared in A-Yin’s heart. Regarding cultivation, it wasn’t that he hadn’t worked hard or sought Yue Xichen’s help, but Yue Xichen simply didn’t care about his progress. The limited resources of the sect were never shared with him. Others rumored he was Yue Xichen’s illegitimate son, but to him, it felt more like he was the illegitimate son of Yue Xichen’s enemy.

If there was one thing Yue Xichen was most diligent about, it was calling him to the room at regular intervals to personally watch him eat peach blossom cake. Peach blossom cakes used to be A-Yin’s favorite food, but after ten years, they had become a psychological shadow.

“Master, can I… not eat this peach blossom cake?” A-Yin asked tentatively, his voice laced with resentment.

“No.” Yue Xichen stood with his back to A-Yin, dressed in plain white, cold as frost. “Go back and rest after eating!”

“I don’t want to eat it!” A-Yin suddenly raised the plate, threatening to smash the cake on the floor.

He didn’t know where he got the courage to resist Yue Xichen today. Perhaps it was because he had lost in the first round for the tenth year in a row, or because a table full of cultivation resources was right there, yet Yue Xichen only offered him a cake. Ten years had passed; A-Yin’s appearance hadn’t changed much, but his mind was no longer that of a ten-year-old child.

Back in the village, he was young and didn’t think it was odd that Yue Xichen always brought cakes. But after arriving at Lingyun Mountain, the man continued the habit, making it hard not to be suspicious. Even if his talent was poor, it shouldn’t be that after ten years of cultivation, he was still stuck at Level 1 of the Qi Refining stage! Moreover, Yue Xichen cared more about him eating the cake on time than his actual training.

A-Yin had reason to suspect that the cakes he ate on time might be suppressing his cultivation. As for why Yue Xichen would do such a thing, he couldn’t figure it out, nor did he dare to ask.

Before the plate and cake hit the ground, they were suddenly pulled up by a force. A-Yin watched helplessly as the plate returned to the desk, while the cake was sucked into Yue Xichen’s palm.

“Mas”

Just as he spoke, Yue Xichen’s snow-white figure flashed in front of him. The peach blossom cake, along with those distinct, slender, and fair fingers, was stuffed directly into his mouth.