Nan Wuyue’s expression froze on his face before he lowered his head. “I—”

“Don’t talk,” Mo Yixuan interrupted. If he was going to hear shizun, shizun ad infinitum today, then it was better to nip it in the bud.

Obediently, Nan Wuyue fell silent, but he didn’t stop stealing pitiful looks at his master. Beneath it all, resentment burned in his chest. It was common for his master to issue commands like these, forcing him into obedience by the strength of his will. Stronger cultivators could pressure weaker ones to do their bidding, and Mo Yixuan had delighted in flaunting his dominance over his disciple this way.

Don’t talk, and he’d be left mute for the rest of the day.

Don’t listen, and he’d turn deaf.

Don’t look, don’t touch, don’t taste.

Don’t breathe.

A cultivator had ways to survive without stretches of oxygen, but the young Nan Wuyue had simply been too weak to resist the absolute instructions of his master. He would lose consciousness from lack of air, thus breaking the hold of the command, only to wake to his master’s smiling face as he repeated the exact same order over and over again.

Nan Wuyue had desperately tried to figure out what he’d done wrong before he realized it was only his master toying with him as always. He had always been the mouse and Mo Yixuan a particularly sick and leisurely cat, batting him about to wit’s end before pulling him from the brink. Perhaps their game could have gone on forever if he hadn’t died first.

This time would be different. He’d tear off Mo Yixuan’s tongue, gouge out his eyes, and cut the tips off his fingers and toes. For every slight and humiliation suffered, he’d force his dear master to pay back in spades and crawl at his feet. One by one, step by step…

“Mo Yixuan…” Nan Wuyue muttered under his breath, and suddenly realized that he could talk.

Master hadn’t forced his will on him this time?

Why not?

But Mo Yixuan had already heard him with and looked back silently. It seemed that there was more to the little disciple who called him “shizun” in public and “Mo Yixuan” behind his back.

“Do you have the right to use that name?” Mo Yixuan asked. For a cultivation sect that thrived on hierarchy, Nan Wuyue’s attitude was awfully lax.

Immediately, the teen fell to his knees. “May shizun mete punishment for this disciple!”

Inside, his mind was racing. It was a trap! His master had relied on his assumption of the usual commands to catch him off guard. All of Mo Yixuan’s actions had been strange today—from ignoring his provocations, to jumping off the cliff, and now openly confronting his words. His master had never been so direct, so what had changed?

Was he just that poor at reading Mo Yixuan’s thoughts? Or had the man gotten craftier? Did he truly soak himself in the qi refining pool and gain something from its waters?

“I said it already, I’m not your shizun.” The clear, cool tones of his master’s voice rang out in Nan Wuyue’s ears.

—

Mo Yixuan folded his hands behind his back and gazed out into the distance. Even if he wasn’t going to admit that he’d taken over this body, he had no desire to automatically assume its duties and burdens. Who would for a stranger, if given the choice? “Whatever conflicts you have with him has nothing to do with me.”

Absolving responsibility? Nan Wuyue was filled with disdain. But he simply kowtowed and rested his forehead against the ground.

“From the moment shizun took me in as your disciple, I’ve known no other master. Shizun, we even combined drops of blood on the jade slip hung in the Hall of Disciples. Unless shizun breaks the slip, we’ll remain as teacher and student!”

So there was something like that. Mo Yixuan filed the information away in his mind even as he looked askance at the teen.

While thin, he wasn’t lanky, and possessed good strength for someone of his age. His features were strong yet fine, the brows arching smoothly over a broad forehead. His hair was tied up in a high ponytail, his robes ripped from fighting, but still carefully sewn and patched in places. Tears in the fabric seemed to happen often.

“Do you still want to cultivate?” Mo Yixuan asked suddenly.

Nan Wuyue’s head whipped up. “Yes!”

“I’m not the only master in this sect.” Mo Yixuan finished. It was obvious that Nan Wuyue was having a hard time with him. If given the chance, would he choose differently too?

“Shizun means to say…” Nan Wuyue didn’t manage to finish the sentence, so Mo Yixuan did it for him.

“Choose someone you want.”

Nan Wuyue bowed his head as his lips curled up in mocking. Choose? Could any disciple simply choose the master they wanted? That was going against the very hierarchy of taking a disciple! Barring that, who else in the sect would accept a hopeless case like him? He was no waste, but he might have been with how Mo Yixuan had ruined him in everyone else’s eyes.

What else could he say to the question? He wasn’t strong enough to strike out on his own yet, so the only choice was to refuse.

“Shizun, a master for a day is equal to a father for a lifetime. I won’t change!”

The younger they are, the more stubborn they come. Mo Yixuan exhaled and turned away. Although it was only to collect his thoughts, in Nan Wuyue’s eyes it looked like his master was putting on appearances again. His scorn grew. Let’s see how long you can keep acting confident!

—

Once again, Mo Yixuan’s gaze swept over the valley and its peaks, the lazy river below them, and the endless skies stretched above. The tiny people dotting the landscape were like him and this disciple, inconsequential specks in the canvas of the world. It made him feel alone and exposed, as if a giant hand could scoop him up from this cliff and squash him between its fingers on a whim.

“Take us—” he faltered, unsure of what to call the place where the other Mo Yixuan had his residence. “—home.”

Without a word, Nan Wuyue pulled out his sword and prepared for flight when Mo Yixuan spoke up again.

“On foot.” He wasn’t ready to start flying again when he’d hardly figured out things out the first time. Cultivators had hardier bodies than normal humans, so a little extra hike wouldn’t tire them out.

Nan Wuyue looked back at his master doubtfully. Jingting Peak (敬亭山), where Mo Yixuan dwelled, was at least a half day’s walk away. Was Mo Yixuan really planning to go back on foot? They would have to scale past Peak Lord Mu’s Luojia Peak (珞珈山) to reach there, thus putting them in sight of all of Star Pavilion Sect’s female disciples…

But of course, Nan Wuyue suddenly realized with a sneer. What better way to earn sympathy for his situation than parade his useless disciple in front of his junior sister and her charges?

Mu Yelian (穆夜蓮) was the youngest of the current peak lords and the sole female disciple of the previous sect leader. She too, doted on Mo Yixuan like his senior brothers, at first because he was cute, and later on because she secretly liked him. The Mo Yixuan of the past had used this to his advantage multiple times until she died as a willing sacrifice to protect him. It was Nan Wuyue himself who had struck the killing blow. He hadn’t particularly hated her—she’d simply gotten in his way.  

But because of her interference, he had failed to kill Mo Yixuan before the latter got back at him, sending him to his death and then back to the past. If he could get closer to Mu Yelian in this life or better, trick her over to his side...Nan Wuyue’s thoughts began to wander even as Mo Yixuan grew impatient.

This child…

Nan Wuyue had hardly reacted after the instructions. Perhaps he’d be better off asking someone else, even if it’d make him look the fool. With that thought, Mo Yixuan began walking down the path himself, only to hear—

“Shizun!” Nan Wuyue called him back. “It’s closer the other way.” He was almost seething. As if walking on foot wasn’t hard enough, Mo Yixuan wanted to take the longer way too? It’d be easy enough to push Nan Wuyue “accidentally” off the cliff on that narrow mountainside trail.

Mo Yixuan stopped, turned around, and headed towards the forest path. He was almost to the trees when he realized Nan Wuyue was still behind him, and looked back with a questioning glance. “Aren’t you leading?”

Most likely, bandages and other first aid materials would be available in the residence too. The faster they get back, the quicker they could fix Nan Wuyue. Didn’t this child understand the logic there?

Nan Wuyue only scrambled to run in front of his master, mentally hurling curses the whole way. Not his shizun? Mo Yixuan was dangling the threat of disowning him in front of the sect over his head! Making him lead the way on a path he knew himself? He was obviously watching for any tricks that Nan Wuyue might play on him!

Although he’d grown more sly since reliving his past, it looked like his master was just as crafty. He’d have to keep on his toes to beat the bastard at his own game. For now, he led a hasty trek through the forest, eager to get back to the peak. There were too many variables in the sect grounds for him to feel comfortable here alone with Mo Yixuan. He didn’t even bother checking to see if his master kept pace, preferring to judge his speed by the sound of his footsteps and rustling robes behind him.

For his part, Mo Yixuan simply took his time to take in the views. The forest paths were less steep, but still rocky in places. He took care to step over the tougher patches, marveling at how the boy in front of him was picking out his path with ease. Birds twittered in the branches above him, where scattered sunlight fell in patterned patches on the ground. It was approaching midday, so the shade was a welcome relief from the heat. Slowly, Mo Yixuan felt his thoughts still, then gradually turn blank until they blended in with the birdsong. As a result, he narrowly avoided bumping into Nan Wuyue when the latter came to a stop.

Mo Yixuan looked up and beyond the teen to see a splendid white stone pathway leading to a clearing dotted with delicately furnished buildings at the base of another peak. They’d successfully descended the first mountain to arrive at another area of the sect. Most notably, Mo Yixuan noticed that the few disciples milling about were all females.

“Shizun, it’s Mt. Luojia,” Nan Wuyue announced.

This obviously wasn’t his quarters, but here was a good place to stop as any. Mo Yixuan looked over and saw that the welt on Nan Wuyue’s head seemed to have worsened; it’d be better to treat it soon.

“Alright, let’s rest here a bit,” he nodded and led the way in.

Nan Wuyue glared daggers into his back. As expected, he’s here to fish for sympathy!

—

Mo Yixuan’s sudden appearance sent a ripple in the crowd. As he looked around the clearing, all of the disciples hastened to pay their greetings.

“Peak Lord Mo, it’s an honor!”

“Greetings, Peak Lord Mo!”

“Peak Lord Mo, we’ll tell Peak Lord Mu that you’ve come right this instant! She’ll be so happy to see you!l

Mo Yixuan zeroed in on the final speaker and waved his hand. “No need, just take me to her instead.”

Naturally, a Peak Lord like himself would hold the highest authority in this crowd and be the best equipped to help him and his disciple. The girl he called out looked positively delighted before she nodded quickly. “Yes, please come right this way!”

Mo Yixuan only paused to glance back at his disciple and add, “Follow me.”

Nan Wuyue could only trail along with gritted teeth. So even the common disciples weren’t enough? Was Mo Yixuan going to put on a personal play for Mu Yelian too?

The young female disciple led them past a stretch of gardens, through a covered walkway, and up a stretch of incensed halls before stopping at an impressive door carved with crouching qilins and lotus flowers. There she politely told Mo Yixuan to wait while she went to announce them both.

Finally, Nan Wuyue found a chance to speak up. “Shizun...has matters to discuss with Peak Lord Mu?”

Did asking to borrow some bandages count as discussion? Maybe in a large sect like this.

“Mm,” Mo Yixuan affirmed with a nod.

Nan Wuyue only smiled. “It must be very important for shizun to take a detour here in person.”

If it involved “Mo Yixuan’s” own disciple, then that conclusion wasn’t wrong, either.

“Mm,” Mo Yixuan said again, and Nan Wuyue’s smile widened. The expression didn’t reach his eyes, but Mo Yixuan was too preoccupied with staring at the door to notice.

The next second, he ran out of time to pay Nan Wuyue any attention, because a flying figure had launched herself from the depths of the building.

“Big Brother Xuan, you came to see me?”  a girlish voice exclaimed.

Mo Yixuan’s instincts allowed him to sidestep the incoming human missile, while Nan Wuyue’s reflexes had him dodging well out of the way. As a result, the young Peak Lord Mu Yelian went crashing spectacularly into thin air. She caught herself as she fell forward, spun on her toes, and launched herself right back to Mo Yixuan’s side.

“Big Brother Xuan!” she cried again, this time with a pout.

Mo Yixuan only knitted his brows. Shizun here, big brother there. Had he run into another broken record?