It's not easy being a Master

12

With the truth about the Hidden Sword Pavilion temporarily out of grasp, the days gradually returned to peace.

On the surface, the master and disciple seemed to be in perfect harmony, but Shen Zhixian knew that the little hedgehog was just hiding his thorns and waiting for the perfect opportunity to poke him.

As they waited for Yan Jin to return from his morning classes, Shen Zhixian and Xiao Caoya lounged in bed together. With a sigh, Shen Zhixian lazily rolled over.

Xiao Caoya, who failed to understand why Yan Jin had to go to classes, also heaved a sigh that echoed Shen Zhixian's.

Shen Zhixian played with it’s tiny leaves as he murmured, “A’jin is so hard to coax…”

Xiao Caoya understood his sentiment and immediately shook its leaves in agreement. Super hard to coax. It’d been behaving so coquettishly, all in exchange for the rare opportunity to cling on to Yan Jin’s sleeves.

One person and one grass bud looked at each other for a long time and then sighed in unison.

Xiao Caoya spread out on the bed for a moment, then went out to bask in the sun. Shen Zhixian sat up, hugging the comforter to his chest, and couldn’t help recalling the situation that day.

He clearly saw that Yan Jin’s eyes were red, though it did shortly returned to normal

That cold and beautiful color felt exactly the same as his swordplay, ruthless and indifferent.

At that time, Shen Zhixian was too worried and didn’t think much about it. Later, once he calmed down, he remembered that, in the book, Yan Jin's eyes would always turned red whenever he became a devil.

In the book, because Yan Jin's spirit root was severed and he could no longer cultivate into an immortal, he sought out a different path and became a devil. But, now that his spirit root was safe, why were there suddenly signs of the devil in him?　　

Shen Zhixian was deeply apprehensive, worried that the little hedgehog would perform a show for him by single-handedly killing him, the master.

After a while, he stood up suddenly and grabbed his sword to practice.

He’d recently turned the original owner’s storage space inside out and found a sword manual that the original owner himself had written. As a result, he’d been practicing hard at improving his swordsmanship.

Since he bore the name of a master, he must be proficient enough to be able to teach. Just in case...Yan Jin might see his dedication and decide to forgive him.

The more he practiced, the more he realized how innately talented the original owner was. It was no wonder that the former sect leader would value him so much, and why he was named the best sword cultivator in the sect. Long before his constitution had weakened, he was able to create a rare and insightful set of sword manuals.

Every time Shen Zhixian practiced his swordplay, he felt completely integrated with the sword. It was probably the body’s muscle memory at play.

After completing a set of sword moves, Shen Zhixian stood at the edge of a cliff. He let out a sigh, and the gloominess at the bottom of his heart dissipated, leaving behind only a sense of comfort and satisfaction. It even made him want to take in his fill of the world, to carry his sword and travel the distant landscapes. 　　

The original owner must have been a spirited young man. Unfortunately, after he received his heart injury, all his dreams turned into dust.

The wind was strong near the cliff, blowing the skirt of his robe all about him. Shen Zhixian stood for a while, long enough for his hot blood to cool. At last, he glanced down at the bottomless cliff, took a step back, and turned to go back to the house. He stopped short when he saw Yan Jin. He hadn’t noticed when Yan Jin had returned or how long he’d been standing there watching him.