Chapter 132: The Aftermath

Chapter 132: Chapter 132: The Aftermath

For the next few days, the Wenjian Sect was abuzz with gossip about the incident on Medicine Peak. Although the elders who had witnessed the events had tried to keep the matter under control, their efforts were ultimately futile. With so many disciples present that day, it was impossible to keep everyone quiet.

Before long, the story had spread throughout the sect, becoming the favorite topic of conversation whenever disciples gathered together.

"Hey, have you heard? Is it really true?" A disciple leaned toward his companion, lowering his voice as he glanced around to make sure no one else was listening.

"Of course! I heard it from someone who was there. Elder Shan Li really did take in a personal disciple!"

"Seriously?" His companion’s eyes widened. "Elder Shan Li? The same Elder Shan Li who barely speaks to anyone and spends most of his time shut away in his courtyard?"

"Who else could it be?" The first disciple shook his head in disbelief. "He’s always been so aloof. I never imagined he’d be willing to take on a personal disciple."

"That’s not even the most unbelievable part." Another disciple, who had been listening nearby, suddenly squeezed into their conversation. He lowered his voice conspiratorially before continuing, "Do you know who he accepted? Bai Sui Sui! The infamous little fool who used to follow Senior Brother Yizhou around everywhere!"

"Wait, Bai Sui Sui?" The other two stared at him in disbelief. "That Bai Sui Sui?"

"Who else? How many people named Bai Sui Sui are there in this sect?"

"But I heard he isn’t a fool anymore." One of them frowned thoughtfully. "Apparently, he’s even started cultivating." ℴℴ𝘮

"Really?" His companion looked surprised, then let out a sigh of admiration. "Well, whatever the truth is, he’s certainly lucky. To think that someone like him would end up becoming Elder Shan Li’s personal disciple!"

"Lucky?" The disciple who had brought up the news scoffed softly. "That’s an understatement. Do you know how many people would kill for an opportunity like that? Elder Shan Li is one of the sect’s top alchemists! If Bai Sui Sui can learn even a fraction of his skills, his future will be set."

"That’s true." The others nodded, their earlier disbelief gradually giving way to envy. "I wonder what Elder Shan Li sees in him."

Their conversation continued, with some disciples expressing amazement while others remained skeptical. However, as more people joined in, the gossip gradually shifted toward another part of the story.

"By the way, have you heard what actually caused all that commotion on Medicine Peak?"

A nearby disciple immediately perked up. He glanced around before pulling his stool closer, clearly unwilling to miss out on any new gossip.

"What happened? I only heard that Elder Shan Li took Bai Sui Sui in as his disciple."

"Apparently, it all started because another disciple did something wrong." The speaker leaned forward and lowered his voice. "I heard Elder Shan Li only took Bai Sui Sui in after the incident was resolved, supposedly to clear his name."

"Huh?" Someone frowned. "Which disciple? And what did they do?"

"I’m not entirely sure about the details, but I heard it was Chu Ran from Medicine Peak and another disciple surnamed Leng. Apparently, they did something they shouldn’t have and ended up causing trouble for Elder Shan Li."

"Chu Ran?" One of the listeners exchanged a surprised look with his companion. "What could she possibly have done?"

"Who knows?" The speaker shrugged. "The elders haven’t said anything publicly, so everyone’s just guessing. But if Elder Shan Li personally stepped in, it must have been a serious matter."

The disciples exchanged curious glances, their interest growing with every new rumor. Unfortunately, no one seemed to know the full story, and the more they speculated, the more exaggerated the rumors became.

Still, there was one question that many disciples couldn’t help wondering about.

"Actually, I’m more curious about Bai Sui Sui’s situation." A disciple rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Does becoming Elder Shan Li’s personal disciple mean he’s automatically promoted to an inner disciple? Or is he still considered a probationary disciple?"

"That’s a good question." His companion paused, then leaned closer as though sharing an important discovery. "It’s already been several days since the incident, but I haven’t heard anything about his status changing."

"I asked someone from the probationary disciples’ dormitory about it yesterday." He lowered his voice "Apparently, Bai Sui Sui is still living in his old dormitory and have not changed yet."

"What?" The others stared at him. "He’s still staying in the probationary dormitory? Why hasn’t he moved into Elder Shan Li’s residence?"

"Exactly!" another disciple whispered, glancing around before continuing. "If Elder Shan Li has already accepted him as a personal disciple, shouldn’t he be living with his master?"

"Could it be that Elder Shan Li is already regretting his decision?"

"Don’t talk nonsense!" someone immediately hissed, giving the speaker a cautious look. "Do you want that rumor reaching Elder Shan Li’s ears?"

The disciple shrank back slightly, but another quickly chimed in. "Then what other explanation is there? It doesn’t make sense for a personal disciple to keep living in the probationary dormitory."

"I don’t know." The first disciple scratched his head, looking just as puzzled as the others. "Maybe there’s a reason for it."

The group fell into thought for a moment before inevitably returning to their speculation. Some believed Elder Shan Li was deliberately keeping Bai Sui Sui’s status low, while others thought the elder simply hadn’t made the necessary arrangements yet.

Whatever the truth was, one thing was certain: Bai Sui Sui had become the center of attention throughout the Wenjian Sect.

Meanwhile, the protagonist of all these rumors was once again tending to the herbs in Elder Shan Li’s garden. Contrary to many people’s expectations, becoming Elder Shan Li’s personal disciple had not changed Sui Sui’s daily life much. And yes, the rumors were indeed true: he was still living in the probationary disciples’ dormitory. However, the reason had nothing to do with what the others were speculating about. In fact, it was Sui Sui himself who had requested to remain there.

Although moving into Elder Shan Li’s residence would certainly make his life more convenient, Sui Sui hadn’t forgotten about the things he still needed to do. For one, staying in his master’s courtyard would make it difficult for him to enter his private dimension freely. After all, Elder Shan Li could sense almost everything within the area surrounding his residence. If Sui Sui happened to enter his dimension and his master came looking for him, how would he explain his sudden disappearance?

That alone was enough to make Sui Sui hesitate.

However, there was another, more important reason Sui Sui preferred to remain in the probationary disciples’ dormitory: his arrangement with Yizhou.

This was because If he moved into Elder Shan Li’s residence, when Yizhou comes back, keeping their regular sessions a secret would become much more difficult, although lowkey he could use this to renege on his agreement, but Sui Sui was sure that if he tried, Yizhou would just find another way for him to pay so he chose to just go through with this.

However, his Shizun wasn’t particularly welcoming toward outsiders, and given how closely he guarded his private courtyard, Sui Sui doubted he would take kindly to someone coming and going without a proper explanation. If Yizhou showed up too frequently, it would only be a matter of time before Elder Shan Li grew suspicious. And if his Shizun happened to discover what the two of them were doing during those sessions, Sui Sui would have no idea how to explain himself.

So after weighing his options, Sui Sui decided it was safer to remain in his current dormitory. At least there, he could meet Yizhou without having to worry about his Shizun noticing every little thing he did.

Of course, he hadn’t told Elder Shan Li any of this. Instead, he had come up with a different excuse for wanting to stay where he was. Fortunately, his Shizun hadn’t questioned him too closely, allowing Sui Sui to escape without having to invent even more lies.

If there was one thing that had changed, however, it was Elder Shan Li’s attitude toward teaching him. Compared to before, the elder had become noticeably more proactive, often taking the initiative to explain new techniques and guiding Sui Sui through the finer details of alchemy. Sui Sui had also noticed another subtle difference. Although Elder Shan Li still wore his usual poker face most of the time, he seemed to smile a little more often than before, as though he had been in a better mood lately.

Just like now.

"Did you understand everything I just explained?" Elder Shan Li asked, looking at Sui Sui.

"Yes, Shizun," Sui Sui replied with a nod.

"Good Disciple. Then practice it for a while. Show me your progress in a few days." After giving his instructions, Elder Shan Li reached out and patted Sui Sui’s head before turning to leave.

Sui Sui watched him walk away, his expression thoughtful.

See? Hadn’t his Shizun changed a little?

Perhaps it was because Elder Shan Li had finally stood up for himself and refused to let Madam Jiang push him around. Or perhaps the novels Sui Sui had recommended to him really had worked wonders on his mood. Whatever the reason, Sui Sui wasn’t about to complain. If anything, he was quite happy to see this side of his Shizun which was more expressive than usual.

Apart from learning new alchemical techniques from Elder Shan Li, Sui Sui had also been busy tending to his own herb fields inside his private dimension. Fortunately, the spiritual herbs he had planted earlier were growing well, and after several weeks of careful cultivation, they had finally reached maturity. Seeing the rows of ready-to-harvest herbs, Sui Sui was naturally delighted. He immediately harvested them and put them to good use, refining another batch of medicinal pills.

Whenever he had some free time, he would also contact his parents to tell them about his recent life in the sect. He occasionally exchanged messages with Bai Suichen as well, and, of course, he hadn’t forgotten about Yizhou. The two still kept in touch from time to time, maintaining their usual arrangement.

With his days filled with cultivation, alchemy, and tending to his herbs, time passed quickly. Days turned into weeks, and weeks gradually stretched into a month. Fortunately, nothing particularly troublesome happened during this period.

Soon after, the gossip surrounding Sui Sui’s new status as Elder Shan Li’s personal disciple slowly died down, and although some disciples still couldn’t resist sneaking curious glances at him whenever he passed by, he had long since grown accustomed to it. More importantly, the most fortunate thing is he hadn’t run into Chu Ran or her group in quite some time, which made his days considerably more peaceful.

Anyways, with his cultivation steadily improving and another batch of pills ready to be sold, Sui Sui decided it was time to head down the mountain again. It had been nearly two months since his last trip, and he was beginning to run low on some of the supplies he needed. After making up his mind, he went to ask Elder Shan Li for permission. Once his Shizun agreed, Sui Sui happily gathered his things and set off.