Chapter 64: Chapter 64

Niu Zizhao stood outside the arena, watching as the senior sister from Medicine King Peak fed Jian Huan a spirit pill. He saw her hand Jian Huan over to Shen Jizhi, who had swiftly arrived, and the group hurried off to the Medicine King Peak infirmary.

Several acquaintances came over to console him, but Niu Zizhao only offered a perfunctory smile in return. He was visibly disheartened.

Suddenly, the surrounding chatter ceased, and everyone bowed respectfully, greeting, "Greetings, Peak Master Yue!"

Niu Zizhao quickly looked up.

Peak Master Yue stood a few steps away, gesturing for him to approach. "Niu Zizhao, come here."

Niu Zizhao mounted his sword and hurriedly followed.

Peak Master Yue stood with his hands behind his back, glancing at the young man. "I came here today specifically for you."

Niu Zizhao's face flushed with shame, and he lowered his head, murmuring, "I'm sorry, Peak Master. I’ve disappointed you."

"You’ve been learning my Yue Mountain Sword and have even developed a nascent Golden Core. You shouldn’t have lost this match." Peak Master Yue shook his head, brushing his sleeves as he spoke earnestly. "Don’t rush. The victory will be yours in the end. Go back and reflect on today’s match. If Jian Huan can gain insight from it, but you learn nothing, then you’ll have lost even more thoroughly."

Niu Zizhao kept his head down, his voice strained and filled with self-reproach. "Yes, Peak Master."

Peak Master Yue gave him a disapproving look. "Still calling me 'Peak Master'?"

Niu Zizhao instinctively looked up. "Peak Master, what do you mean…?"

Peak Master Yue chuckled. "If I weren’t planning to take you as my personal disciple, why would I have said all this to you?"

Niu Zizhao was stunned. "But I thought, since I lost, you wouldn’t…"

Peak Master Yue laughed heartily. "Kid, the path of cultivation is long! What does a single loss matter?"

Niu Zizhao, though still lacking in maturity, was after all just a teenager. But his sword technique was remarkably pure—a rare quality.

Niu Zizhao’s expression grew serious, and a glimmer of joy appeared in his eyes. "Yes, Master!"

After this event, Jian Huan officially became an inner sect disciple and received a reward of 100,000 spirit coins.

She also had the opportunity to become a personal disciple. During her recovery at Medicine King Peak, senior disciples from various peaks often visited, relaying invitations from their respective peak masters, asking if she was interested in joining their peaks.

Jian Huan didn’t hesitate much and politely declined each one.

On the Nine Provinces Continent, disciples were generally divided into outer sect disciples, inner sect disciples, and personal disciples.

Outer sect disciples were usually mentored by less experienced elders, like Elder Yu Qing, who had only recently been promoted to elder.

Inner sect disciples received instruction from all the sect’s elders, and occasionally, a peak master might feel inclined to teach them some techniques.

Personal disciples were taken under the wing of a peak master, receiving their true teachings.

Everyone dreamed of becoming a personal disciple, but Jian Huan didn’t.

For one, she already had Fang Quan as her master.

Secondly, becoming a disciple on the Nine Provinces Continent was a solemn matter, akin to acknowledging someone as a father. From then on, one’s life would be dedicated to serving the master and the sect.

What if she ended up like Shen Jizhi, with a master like Peak Lord Gu? Wouldn’t that ruin her life?

"Shen Jizhi, don’t you think so?"

In the small room at the end of the third floor of the Medicine King Peak infirmary, Jian Huan leaned against the pillow, her left leg dangling off the bed, swinging idly.

Shen Jizhi sat nearby.

His Mustard Seed Pouch was filled with various crafting materials, and no matter where he was, he could always pull out what he needed and work on his artifacts without a care for his surroundings.

At the moment, he was holding a mask, carefully polishing it, the sound of the work filling the room.

A breeze blew in through the open window, lifting the hem of Jian Huan’s skirt and revealing her bare, jade-like feet.

Her feet swayed lightly in the air.

Shen Jizhi’s gaze flickered toward them, and his hands paused for a moment, his fingers unconsciously twitching.

A rather inappropriate thought crossed his mind.

He felt as though he could completely envelop her foot with just one hand.

Shen Jizhi stared for a while before averting his eyes, lowering his head to conceal the dark glint in his gaze.

His Adam’s apple, hidden beneath the high collar of his robe, bobbed slightly. After a moment of composure, he replied in a calm voice, "Not necessarily."

Jian Huan had asked her question a while ago but hadn’t received a response from Shen Jizhi. She was used to this; conversations with him often went like this.

By now, her attention had already drifted from the earlier topic. She was rummaging through her Mustard Seed Pouch for the bag of fruit Shen Jizhi had given her earlier. Hearing his reply, she casually asked, "What’s not necessarily?"

Shen Jizhi continued polishing the mask, answering, "It’s not necessarily a life ruined."

Jian Huan had been saving the fruit Shen Jizhi had given her, and now only a few apples remained.

"But you’re constantly helping your master pay off his debts. Doesn’t that count as being ruined?" She took out one apple, thought for a moment, and then took out another, offering it to Shen Jizhi. "Do you want one?"

"No," Shen Jizhi declined, his gaze lingering on her face. He explained, his tone calm but carrying a depth Jian Huan didn’t quite grasp at the moment, "I won’t have to keep paying forever. Once the current two million is settled, that’s it."

Jian Huan put the rejected apple back into her pouch, keeping one in her hand and tossing it lightly. She analyzed the situation seriously, "But what if, after you’ve paid off those two million, your master returns from his travels and racks up another two million in debt? What will you do then? You know, where I come from, there’s a saying: whether you’re marrying or being married, don’t choose someone with unreliable elders, or you’ll be dragged down for life."

She was indeed worried about this.

Shen Jizhi remained composed. He stood up and walked to the window, holding the black mask up to examine its shape. He revealed something he had never shared with anyone before, "Before I agreed to help my master pay off his debts, I already had him write a letter of release."

Jian Huan sat up straight, leaning toward the window, looking up at his back with curiosity. "A letter of release?"

"Yes, stating that he no longer wishes to be my master, allowing me to leave his tutelage," Shen Jizhi explained as he turned around.

The afternoon sunlight streamed in from behind him, enveloping him in a soft glow. The golden light highlighted the edges of his figure, his black hair shimmering softly. However, his features were somewhat obscured by the backlight.

A few rays of sunlight slipped past him, falling on Jian Huan’s face as she sat on the bed.

She squinted, feeling the light was a bit too bright.

Her mind, however, was still processing Shen Jizhi’s words.

Jian Huan pondered, realizing that the letter of release he mentioned was similar to a divorce agreement.

If his master continued to drink and accumulate debts, Shen Jizhi could use the letter to leave the master-disciple relationship.

As she was thinking, the bright light on her face disappeared, replaced by a shadow falling over her.

Shen Jizhi suddenly leaned down, closing the distance between them.

Jian Huan was momentarily stunned.

In her previous life, after starting her job, Jian Huan had drawn many character illustrations. She had drawn countless male characters—modern, ancient, and fantasy.

She considered herself quite skilled, but none of her drawings could compare to the face before her now.

Jian Huan unconsciously held her breath, her blinking becoming more frequent.

"So, you don’t need to worry about me. My future wife," Shen Jizhi paused, tilting his head slightly. His tone was like early spring—cool, yet with a hint of warmth, "won’t be burdened for life. I’ll ensure she lives in prosperity, with no worries about food or clothing."

During her time at Medicine King Peak, Jian Huan had regained some of her vitality.

Her lips were a soft pink.

But now, they were pressed together.

She looked at him, unable to hold back a scoff, her tone laced with sarcasm, "You still owe me 100,000 spirit coins for breaking off the engagement, and you’re already thinking about your future wife?"

"Is it wrong to think about it?" Shen Jizhi gazed at the slightly irritated girl before him, a faint smile playing on his lips. He straightened up slightly, fiddling with the mask in his hands.

Jian Huan gritted her teeth, feeling inexplicably annoyed.

Hmph, men.

At the very least, he should settle the matter of their engagement before thinking about the future, shouldn’t he?

And—

She shot him a glance, "Didn’t you say you were devoted to the Dao and had no intention of marrying?"

Shen Jizhi lowered his eyes, his expression unreadable. "Didn’t you encourage me to? Back at Fang Quan’s hall."

Jian Huan thought back and finally remembered.

Alright, she had indeed suggested that he could consider finding a Dao companion in the future.

Shen Jizhi stood up and returned to his seat. "Instead of worrying about me, why don’t you focus on yourself? Have you prepared for your seclusion?"

"I’m not worried about you," Jian Huan denied immediately, pulling the blanket on the bed into a messy heap. "And I called you here precisely for this matter! You’re the one who keeps derailing the conversation!"

Shen Jizhi: "??"

Shen Jizhi looked up, reminding her, “As soon as I came in, you started telling me how many Peak Masters wanted to take you as their personal disciple, how Niu Zizhao came to visit you, bringing you a Spirit Recovery Pill, and even made plans to spar with you again once you reached the Golden Core Stage… Hmph, am I interrupting?”

Niu Zizhao, who had been defeated by her—how could he have the nerve to show up?

He didn’t understand.

“I said all that just to motivate you. To show you what it’s like when a good Peak Master wants to take you as their disciple, and what benefits they might offer. And what it feels like to have one foot already in the Golden Core Stage, so you’ll push yourself to reach it too,” Jian Huan explained matter-of-factly.

“Oh, noted. Thanks,” Shen Jizhi replied with a forced smile. “So, what’s the matter?”

When it came to the main topic, Jian Huan sat cross-legged on the bed, dropping the banter.

She pulled out the 100,000 spirit note, holding it between her fingers.

The 100,000 spirit note was just an ordinary piece of paper with the words “100,000: For use within the Jade Clarity Sect only” written on it, stamped with the Sect Leader’s seal.

“Elder Yu came to see me this morning. He’s arranged a secluded cultivation chamber for me and told me to start my closed-door cultivation first thing tomorrow,” Jian Huan said. During the previous competition, she had indeed gained some insight into her Dao, but it was still shallow and needed further refinement. She handed the 100,000 spirit note to him, speaking earnestly, “I don’t know how long this cultivation will take. So, as we agreed earlier, I’m leaving the matter of building the house to you.”

After all, she knew nothing about construction, and Shen Jizhi was someone she could trust—he kept meticulous records of every transaction and wouldn’t embezzle her 100,000 spirit note.

Jian Huan didn’t want to come out of her cultivation and still be stuck in that cramped little wooden hut.

Sensing the seriousness in her tone, Shen Jizhi took the thin piece of paper without hesitation. “Alright,” he said.