Early in the morning, Mu Chen waked up and looked at the youngster in the soft couch, feeling puzzled when they exchanged places. Gu Yuejue was growing up day by day so that the couch was not big enough to contain him. It was ok to have a nap but wouldn't be comfortable to sleep in.
Mu Chen sat up, took the blanket off his body to cover Gu's without saying a word and then went out quietly.
His eyes closing and the corner of his mouth curved, Gu Yunjue held tighter the blanket with Mu Chen's smell and fell asleep again.
Mu Chen released little Fu An's soul from the Soul Suppression Stone. Maybe it was because he had been imprisoned so long that his divine soul had become hyaline. To help him reincarnate could finally pay their master-and-servant relationship.
When Mu Chen was back, Gu Yunjue was still in sleep. Mu Chen hadn't taken part in the Pills Concocting Competition in his last life but somehow had defeated and replaced the original first in order to get a top pill.
Now, there were many good herbs available for pill alchemists prepared for the competition. Therefore, Mu Chen also felt itchy to try and wanted to arrive early. However, because little disciple hadn't recovered from injuries and Mu Chen felt unsafe to leave Gu alone, he hesitated for a while and pocked slightly with his finger at his disciple's chest, "Get up!"
The youngster just remained unmoved.
Formerly, Mu Chen would definitely take off the quilt and wake little disciple gently. But now he just kicked Gu Yunjue off the soft bed with his long leg and said in a cold voice, "Lazy bug!"
Gu Yunjue turned over in the air and fell on the bed with one hand holding his head, looking at Mu Chen drowsily with grievance, "Master has never treated me like that!"
Mu Chen snorted, thinking to himself, 'It's just because I'm always too good to you evil disciple so you are spoiled to conceive licentious thoughts.'
When they reached the assembly square there had been many people standing in a long queue. As the grand competition was a valuable opportunity, numerous people expected to come to the fore through this contest and certainly the big families wanted to pick out some excellent pill alchemists to serve themselves.
There were even some formally dressed people sitting behind the tables around the square for recruitment, with clan or sect flags fluttering beside them.
Mu Chen looked about indifferently and found a tiny black house set before each queue, thinking to himself that they must be the spots for preliminary contest. Seeing that many people queuing before the houses and wouldn't come out before a long time once getting inside, Mu Chen couldn't help frowning his brows, 'When will it be my turn at such speed?'
Seeing Mu Chen and Gu Yunjue come over, others seemed unavoidably defensive. People only heard that Mu Chen was the Grand Elder in Lofty Cloudy Sect, ranking the highest position among the six palaces; usually he didn't care too much about secular affairs but loved traveling around freely like an idle immortal belonging to no sect. However, he should come to participate in the competition together with his disciple, which even confused most disciples in Lofty Cloudy Sect. No matter why he came over, Mu Chen was absolutely the front-runner in this competition.
However senior he was, Mu Chen had to queue fairly as others did!
Secretly pleased at Mu Chen's situation, people stood closer to Mu Chen on purpose, 'Although you sit up high in a lofty position with snowy robe fluttering in the air, you have to obey the rules like us.'
Right at this moment, a scholar in white came over, with a pair of sweet dimples in his smiling cheek. Everyone seeing him was struck dumb with amazement and made way for him only due to the black sword-like jade pedant hanging at his waist, on which inscribed three words, Gazing Chen Pavilion.
Most people of Gazing Chen Pavilion were usually hermits in the earthly world without any signs along them to be identified, while the rest few people in power wore the jade pedant. This person was clearly the head of the branch in Pill City.
He walked over and extended respects to Mu Chen, "This is Bai Yi, greetings to Elder Mu!"
Mu Chen sized the other up and ascertained that he didn't know this person, alienation appearing in his eyes. Whatever the other's status might be, Mu Chen kept defensive toward whoever came over for a talk.
This person seemingly hadn't seen Mu Chen's cold eyesight and directly took out a jade badge, continuing politely, "Pavilion Master always keeps in mind that Elder Mu once saved his life but never finds a chance to repay your help. But today he sent me here to give you this identification badge so that you don't have to wait here anymore and can enter the finals directly."
Mu Chen didn't accept but asked with vigilance, "Who is your Pavilion Master?"
The dimples appeared again as Bai Yi smiled just like a bashful scholar, "It's inconvenient to divulge my Pavilion Master's identity to others yet. I shall beg Elder Mu's pardon!" His polite and humble manner was inclined to relax others' vigilance, but Mu Chen suddenly hit on something, 'This person, I have seen him before.'
"I swear, every word from my mouth is real. Elder Mu can rest assured!"
"Don't waste the chance! We can save a lot of time." Gu Yunjue stretched out and took it over. Mu Chen glared at him as if scolding, "You just dare to receive anyone's kindness. Don't forget it's hard to bite the hands that feed you!"
"He has sworn being honest. Master is just unclear how many people you have cured on earth. Since the other owes Master a life, he naturally will seek a chance to repay your favor. Where there is reek, there is heat. Not accepting their appreciation is detrimental to them in turn." Gu Yunjue refuted with assurance, seemingly quite reasonable.
Mu Chen frowned but resignedly accepted it.
"Please extend my thanks to your Pavilion Master." Mu Chen appreciated it earnestly.
"No, no, no! The pleasure is mine." Bai Yi responded in a hurry, seemingly overwhelmed by unexpected favors.
Mu Chen was wondering the whole thing when there came a familiar voice aloft, "Mu Chen!"
His eyelids twitching, Mu Chen looked up only to find a big 'red lantern' swinging in the air. The person stared at him in surprise as if this man finally found him with unremitting efforts.
The nuisance was coming for debt!
Mu Chen only had one feeling in his mind. He just held little disciple's hand and made off at once without leaving a word!
Bo Jinyu blinked his eyes before he finally reacted from the situation and chased after the two by his red blanket, while yelling, "Why do you run away? I'm not asking you to take the responsibility! It's just my father who wants to see you!"
With so much information, people below started to picture in their mind what had happened. Mu Chen himself just felt guilty to break Bo's furnace but hadn't found a way to compensate it. Moreover, the gift from Bo's father was quite meaningful. Even if he found a same one, he couldn't make up for the elder's love contained in the furnace. He was clear about his clumsiness of speech and didn't know how to explain to Bo Jinyu, so he simply ran away first.
"…Master, we'd better stop to make it clear." Gu Yunjue lifted his brows and grabbed Mu Chen, with faint jealousy hidden in his words.
At the moment Mu Chen was held back, Bo Jinyu just caught up and stood in their way before him with discontent, "Why do you run? I'm not asking you to reimburse my furnace."
"Furnace?" Gu Yunjue had already known what had happened that day but asked master deliberately. Just as Gu expected, a faint crimson appeared at the tips of Mu Chen's ears. His embarrassment of breaking the other's furnace would better be kept secret from little disciple, otherwise it would spoil his majestic image as a master.
Gu Yunjue was amused by Mu Chen's reaction but zipped his mouth sensibly seeing master's cold face because the instinct told him that master would definitely kick him off if he dared to laugh out. Then Mu Chen just awkwardly changed the discourse and spoke to Bo, "Why does your father want to see me?"
Gu Yunjue narrowed his eyes, 'After Mu Chen's accident in his last life, Bo Yuntian claimed to the public that he would try his best to protect Mu Chen. At that time, Chen Mo became head of Chen's but couldn't protect Mu Chen due to restrictions from the elders. Bo Yuntian, master of the little Pill City, should bear no fear of various forces in the immortal world, which was confusing anyway.'
Bo Jinyu sized Mu Chen up, "Last time my mother mentioned that you look similar to a friend of my father. So he has been longing to see you." After ascertaining none of father's friends was like Mu Chen, Bo Jinyu began to realize it must be the matter of the old generation.
A hint of understanding flashed beneath Gu's eyes.
Mu Chen's face went dim at once. Actually, he looked quite different with his mother in his memories. If he was alleged to be similar with someone, that must be his so-called father. As a trace of chilling taunt flitted through his eyes, Mu Chen said indifferently, "Not necessary. I don't know what friend my mother has."
"Hey!" Seeing Mu Chen left with determination, Bo Jinyu hastened to run after him, "Is your father named Mu Luosheng?"
Mu Chen suddenly froze, responding coldly, "No idea."
Bo Jinyu opened his mouth but felt choked by the two words. Mu Chen said no idea rather than no. Seeing Mu Chen walking far away, Bo Jinyu hesitated whether to chase this person with a privileged badge for finals held in his hand. Faced with that attitude, he just didn't know how to approach Mu Chen.
Father was a quite unfamiliar term for Mu Chen. Since his mother died, every day of his childhood in Chen's had been a torment. His former illusion and expectation finally faded into despair.
He knew how much his mother loved that man and cherished the crystallization of their love. Her body was ruined like being cursed and couldn't recover at all by virtue of any kind of pill. But the silly woman gladly endured the hardships. If the man did care about him and his mother, why wouldn't he come to find them?
It had been more than a hundred years in this life, but the man had never shown up.
Currently, he didn't need pity from the man anymore. Neither did he want to know any information relevant.
Indulging himself in the glum memories, Mu Chen suddenly felt his hand was dragged by someone. He turned around coldly, only to see Gu Yunjue looking at him smilingly with the other hand holding a luxuriant chair. The flamboyant phoenix of gilding was shining brightly under the sun. Gu Yunjue said excitedly with his eyes glistening, "Master, come and sit down! I'll push it for you!"
Mu Chen shivered slightly, 'Who will sit on such a chair?!'
Before Mu Chen had a minute to refuse, Gu Yunjue pressed him by the shoulders onto the white blanket of snow fox fur, set a wind-shielding boundary and pushed him forward so that the two just flew in the air, "From now on, we can travel all over the three realms."
Noticing that passersby stopped and looked at him like a rare animal, Mu Chen blushed abruptly with all upset forgotten in an instant. 'This evil disciple, how come he makes me so embarrassed?'
At this time, Chen Mo standing in the distance looked at his back worriedly. Mu Chen just couldn't see clearly the truth with himself involved, since Gu Yunjue was the one he brought up personally and the most intimate to him consequentially. No matter what happened, Mu Chen wouldn't suspect anything abnormal with Gu Yunjue.
Such a teenage wouldn't be able to establish Gazing Chen Pavilion without someone influential behind his back. What was the purpose of the person behind him? Would he hurt Mu Chen? Thinking that, Chen Mo became even more worried.
From Mu Chen's distress that night, it could be seen that this disciple weighed too much for him. Then when should he tell Mu Chen the truth. His younger brother had suffered a lot. Worse, he just apprenticed a disciple with evil intentions. Thinking that, Chen Mo became solemn with some killing intent appearing in his eyes.
Suddenly, a sweet aroma rose around him, Chen Mo felt dazzled for a moment and lost senses of his limbs before he could send out the summoning talisman. A scholar in white showed up quietly, tapped Chen Mo's shoulders and smiled with enthusiasm, "Congratulations! Our Pavilion Master invites you for dinner!"
Before Chen Mo fell asleep, he just faintly saw a pair of dimples…