My Master Has Me in His Heart!

The sun dipped below the western ridges, and another brief day drew to a close.

At least, that was how it appeared to Xu Jinghuai. Even for Xia Jin, the day spent immersed in cultivation felt as though no time had passed at all.

Before she knew it, her Shizun informed her that the sun was setting and it was time to rest and cook.

Cultivation was far more relaxing than she had imagined; the process of drawing in spiritual energy and transforming it left her body feeling light, filled with an indescribable sense of refreshment.

Even now, Xia Jin remained full of energy.

Taking the spirit chicken Xu Jinghuai had casually caught in the back mountain, Xia Jin began humming an unknown tune. She dragged the struggling bird into the kitchen, clearly in a fantastic mood.

“Cluck, cluck, cluck!” “Be good now~ stop making a fuss. I’m going to make you taste wonderful~ Shizun will surely be satisfied~” “CLUCK!! CLUCK CLUCK!!” “There now~ be a good bird and go to sleep~” Thud—

In the kitchen, the struggling shrieks of a certain spirit chicken came to a sudden halt.

Outside the pavilion, Xu Jinghuai shuddered. Why did he suddenly feel like his disciple was a bit terrifying? He quickly shook his head, tossing the thought aside.

Xia Jin usually behaved like a perfect, obedient girl; how could she be a closet sadist? Right, it was definitely the chicken’s fault.

Shifting his focus away from the kitchen, Xu Jinghuai sat cross-legged in mid-air.

An Yin-Yang Bagua disk manifested in his left palm as he closed his eyes to perform a divination.

Since the outside world was in flux, he naturally had to cast a hexagram for himself. However, as the deduction deepened, fine sweat appeared on his brow, and his fingers knotted. After a long while, he opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

“The hexagram is murky… am I part of the board as well?” Xu Jinghuai glanced at the disk in his hand. Lower Qian, Upper Kan—a medium-high hexagram: Waiting.

“Watching the tides and awaiting change…” He murmured, stowing the disk.

He already had a plan. The hexagram indicated that the major events about to unfold were related to him, and the solution was to observe quietly without forced intervention. It was, at least, relatively good news.

“Shizun, dinner is ready!” Xia Jin’s cheerful voice came from behind. Xu Jinghuai turned and replied with a smile, “Coming.” He drifted down from the air and walked toward the pavilion. At the door, Xia Jin looked at him curiously. “What was Shizun doing just now?” “Just thinking about some things, it’s nothing.” “Oh, okay…” Xia Jin tactfully didn’t press further. Since Shizun clearly didn’t want to explain, there was no need to pry.

Inside the kitchen, after a hearty meal. Yunlai Xia sprawled in her chair, patting her slightly rounded tummy and letting out a happy groan.

“Jin’er, your cooking is simply amazing! I feel like I can’t live without you now. If there’s a day I can’t eat your food, I’ll just die!” “Big Sister Yunlai Xia, you’re being a bit dramatic…” Xia Jin, who was washing the dishes, laughed helplessly.

During the meal, Xu Jinghuai had officially re-introduced Yunlai Xia to Xia Jin and explained the plan for her to teach the introductory martial skills.

Consequently, Yunlai Xia was practically Xia Jin’s second teacher now. However, Xia Jin couldn’t help but be startled when she heard Xu Jinghuai mention that Yunlai Xia was several thousand years old.

After all, the girl was shorter than her and showed no signs of having undergone thousands of years of physical development. At first sight, Xia Jin had assumed she was a child Shizun had picked up from somewhere.

Calling her “Little Sister” earlier was a subjective judgment based on her appearance, but knowing her true age, Xia Jin didn’t know how to address her. Grandmother? Ancestor? Both sounded incredibly strange.

Fortunately, Yunlai Xia waved it off, saying she didn’t care and told her to just call her “Big Sister Yunlai Xia” before going back to shoveling rice. She truly didn’t care about titles; Xu Jinghuai had already called her a dog—could any address be worse than that?

Xu Jinghuai channeled his immortal power, making a cloth wipe the remnants from the table before it flew into the sink where Xia Jin was working. He stood up and said, “Jin’er, there’s something I need to tell you.” “What is it, Shizun?” Xia Jin paused her work and turned to look at him.

“The Martial Uncle He and Sect Master Uncle you met yesterday will be coming to Youyun Peak to drink tonight. We might also discuss some major matters, so it’s inconvenient to drink outside. Since this pavilion is the best and most solid place on our peak, I’ve decided to bring them here.” “Tonight, just stay in your room and sleep early, alright?”

Xu Jinghuai spoke with a bit of a thick skin. After all, he had always lived alone on Youyun Peak and wasn’t part of the official establishment; aside from his own hut, there were no guest rooms.

Major matters were usually handled by the Sect Master dragging him to the Main Peak.

Since the Sect Master was coming to him this time, it clearly wasn’t suitable to crawl into his bachelor’s den or talk in the open air.

He could only think of using the pavilion as a makeshift guest hall. Luckily, Xia Jin was sensible and nodded, promising not to leave her room tonight.

‘Usurping my disciple’s room to drink… I feel like a bit of a scumbag master…’ ‘Wait, no, I paid for this pavilion anyway…’ He shook his head, clearing the tangled thoughts. Xia Jin went to her room to sleep, while Yunlai Xia remained by his side. Although she could be unreliable at times, she was a genuine Immortal Artifact; keeping her close facilitated handling any sudden situations.

Time drifted by, and the appointed hour approached.

Xu Jinghuai sensed a familiar, scorching aura flying toward Youyun Peak. It was Old He! It seemed he had finished his work early and hurried over.

Xu Jinghuai smiled slightly and pulled out a perfectly sealed wine jar from his spatial ring, two bags of peanuts, and four bowls from the cabinet.

He didn’t miscount. Exactly four people: Old He, the Sect Master, himself, and Yunlai Xia.

Well, even though he’d called her a dog in a fit of pique earlier, he still treated her as a person. “Immortal’s Drunk” was a rare vintage; this little glutton would surely be hovering by the table with puppy eyes, begging for a bowl.

Yunlai Xia’s eyes lit up the moment he brought out the jar.

She knew exactly what it was. Immortal’s Drunk! What moved her even more was that Xu Jinghuai had taken out a fourth bowl specifically for her! Saliva practically leaked from the corner of her mouth.

‘Sniff sniff…’ ‘Master has me in his heart!’ ‘He really does! I’m going to cry!’