Chapter 163: A Promise to Protect

"Shiyuan, I’m just a bit timid. I hope someone can protect me... protect Baize Peak. I treat you well... Of course, that’s part of the reason too."

He spoke plainly while lowering his head.

He looked both a little pitiful and a little awkward.

"Protect you?"

"Mm."

It was so embarrassing.

To actually say something like asking his own disciple to protect him, Bai He himself looked down on himself for it.

"If you don’t want to, you can leave anytime. Anyway, I can’t really teach you much." Bai He’s voice choked slightly.

And Mo Zhu whose fluttered beside him and couldn’t help but speak up.

"Host, do you want to act even more disgustingly?"

"I’m not acting."

"I think it would be more normal if you just hugged the protagonist’s leg and begged him to stay."

What did Mo Zhu know?

At a time like this, of course he had to appear pitifulz mixing seven parts truth with three parts lies so the protagonist would naturally believe him.

Hugging his leg and begging him to stay?

That kind of scene would definitely be even more humiliating than this.

Since both options were embarrassing, Bai He would rather choose the slightly less humiliating one.

"I know someone like you would never willingly stay in a place like mine. And with your talent, Shiyuan, your future achievements might even surpass my Master. I really shouldn’t bind you here because of my own selfishness."

See?

He sounded so pitiful and so sincere.

And the protagonist liked him too.

There was no reason for him to stay angry now, right?

"In the future, Shiyuan, you’ll meet many people. I might be the most insignificant one among them. But no matter where you go, I will remember you."

Ye Shiyuan looked at his face.

Every word Bai He said made him feel like he had done something wrong.

He shouldn’t have compared him to those people.

Even though they had both grown up in the Lingguang Sect, Bai He was different from the others.

Ye Shiyuan reached out and pulled him into his embrace.

Bai He’s expression stiffened as he leaned against his chest and hearing the steady beat of his heart.

Wait, what was going on?

What did this even mean?

"Master, the world is vast. But a person’s heart is very small, perhaps it can only hold one place, one person. If Master wants me to protect you, then I promise. But Master, no matter what happens, you must never abandon me."

This...

Was this some kind of heartfelt confession?

Bai He was completely stunned and at a loss for what to do.

Was he really going to confess to him right now?

Before, everything had been vague and ambiguous.

He could still pretend not to understand, after all, he was currently just a 15 years old boy; he could feign innocence.

But if Ye Shiyuan said it outright, then he wouldn’t be able to pretend anymore.

At that point, would he accept him... or not?

"Master, do you understand?" Ye Shiyuan said as he released him from his embrace.

He then placing both hands on his shoulders and looked straight into his eyes as he asked seriously.

"I understand?"

Ye Shiyuan looked at him for a moment, then finally let go of his hands and sighed faintly. "Master, I’ll accompany you to practice swordsmanship."

"Alright."

Ten days was really a bit short.

If someone like Ye Shiyuan, a master of swordsmanship, practiced together with him, wouldn’t he learn much faster?

Late at night, Bai He couldn’t fall asleep.

At this hour, he would normally have already been resting.

"Host, you’re going to Li Changshou’s hometown with Ye Shiyuan tomorrow. I suggest you go to sleep immediately."

Bai He didn’t feel sleepy at all.

His mind was filled with what Ye Shiyuan had said to him during the day.

"How do you think I should interpret what he said?"

"Host, you’re too dense. The protagonist obviously means he’s willing to be someone you can rely on. And you’re not happy about that?"

If that were really the case, Bai He would of course be very happy.

"Then what did he mean by saying his heart is very small, that it can only hold one person and one place? He shouldn’t be thinking like that."

Bai He sat up.

"Host, isn’t it a good thing that the protagonist’s heart only has you and only has Bai Ze Peak?"

"Of course it’s not good. He’s meant to accomplish great things, how can he be tied down by romantic feelings? What I said before was just joking. Did he actually take it seriously?"

Mo Zhu naturally knew what Bai He had said at the time. "But Host, you said it like that. It’s normal for the protagonist to take it seriously! Who told you not to tell the truth back then?"

Tell the truth? If the protagonist held a grudge against him, what benefit would that bring?

Bai He was clear headed about that.

"You make it sound so easy. Do you have something like a Forgetting Love Pill?"

"Host, such a thing does exist. But you want the protagonist to take it? If he forgets you, what benefit would that bring you?"

The Forgetting Love Pill didn’t just erase romantic feelings, it made a person completely forget someone.

When Bai He heard that it had such an effect, he was utterly disappointed.

Forget it, he might as well just go to sleep.

...

Li Changshou’s hometown was in Changyuan Town.

Bai He disguised himself a bit before going with them.

Mixed in among the three of them, he really looked like a child.

Bai He looked around curiously, but Dan Zhu reminded him, "Stop looking around. Do you even know what you’re here for?"

Bai He frowned. "Second Senior Brother, do you know where Li Changshou’s home is? We’ve been searching for quite a while."

They had gone to the address Li Changshou had left when he first joined the sect, but that place had long since been vacated and there was no one there anymore.