Chapter 35: Shizun never taught you to start something and then abandon it

“What are the little Sect Masters’ names? I’ll go back and register them.” Zhongli Yun looked at the adorable little cubs and felt he had the strength and methods to keep managing things.

They were identical twins. Surely one of them would be given to Hengxue Sect, right?

He was truly afraid that their cowardly Sect Master would anger the great demon, and then they would not get even one.

Zhongli Yun hoped to quickly register at least one young master in the records and announce it to the world.

Meng Baixu said, “They don’t have formal names yet.”

Meng Wowo said, “Uncle Zhongli, I’m Wowo!”

Meng Nangnang habitually followed, “Baby is Nangnang!”

“Wowo Nangnang…?” Zhongli Yun only spent one second understanding the meaning behind the names.

As expected of a demon!

He only dared use the topic to make a jab, but Meng Baixu had made everyone who called Wowo and Nangnang’s names scold Wen Tingshu once.

“Wowo, Nangnang,” Zhongli Yun deliberately called when he saw Wen Tingshu coming from the corner of his eye.

Meng Wowo and Meng Nangnang: “Oh!”

“Wowo Nangnang!”

“Wu!”

“Wowo Nangnang!”

“Ao!”

One called, and the other answered.

Poor Wowo and Nangnang had no idea they were scolding their dad.

Wen Tingshu: “…”

Meng Baixu frowned. Why was he calling so many times? Was he taking the chance to insult his Shizun?

“Acting Sect Master Zhongli, do you need something?”

Zhongli Yun gloated, “Oh, nothing.”

Meng Baixu said, “If there is nothing, please address them as the Holy Sons of the Demon Sect. Only I can call their nicknames.”

Zhongli Yun was already delighted inside. “Next time, certainly. Farewell.”

After Zhongli Yun left, Wen Tingshu looked at Meng Baixu and said, “Thank you.”

Meng Baixu said, “What are you thanking me for? It’s time to teach your sons cultivation.”

Wen Tingshu said, “All right.”

He planned to talk with Lanshe once Wowo and Nangnang slept tonight. Zhongli Yun had awakened him. He was the older party. He should be the one taking the lead.

Wen Tingshu officially began teaching his two sons. However, teaching two sons was harder than teaching one.

When Meng Nangnang alone followed Wen Tingshu, he was relatively cautious and awake.

But whenever Wowo-gege was present, Meng Nangnang would always sleep without restraint.

The tiny cub closed his eyes, bathed in a layer of brilliant sunlight. Whoever saw him would not have the heart to wake him.

Wen Tingshu gently reminded him, “Nangnang, wake up.”

Meng Wowo used the same old trick. “I’m Nangnang. I’m not sleeping.”

Wen Tingshu: “…”

He was not that old and blurry-eyed yet.

“All right, then Nangnang will listen carefully, and Wowo can learn next time.” Teaching it one more time was no trouble.

Meng Wowo said, “Okay.”

Meng Wowo learned well and quickly, just like how Meng Baixu had always taken first place in Hengxue Sect.

Meng Baixu leisurely came over, leading the two green oxen. When he saw Meng Nangnang sleeping, he deliberately found fault. “Wen Tingshu, are you intentionally trying to raise my demon sect’s Holy Son into a useless child?”

Wen Tingshu said, “No.”

Meng Baixu said, “If not, then why are you letting him sleep during class?”

Wen Tingshu said, “I’ll wake him.”

Meng Baixu watched Wen Tingshu’s so-called gentle waking. It could not wake him at all. A loving father truly raised spoiled sons. If he left Wowo with Wen Tingshu, sooner or later he would also be spoiled rotten!

His plan had succeeded.

“Nangnang! Get up and ride the ox!” Meng Baixu raised his voice and woke Meng Nangnang, who had been lingering in dreamland.

Hengxue Mountain truly was an ascetic place. These two oxen had clearly received enlightenment from an immortal, yet in these three years, they had not given birth to even one calf. Their coats and horns had been raised until they were glossy and smooth, carrying a little of the air of an immortal’s mount.

It was also his fault. Back then, not a single bit of the aphrodisiac pill Lin Yao refined had been given to the oxen. All of it had been eaten by him and Wen Tingshu.

Meng Wowo and Meng Nangnang were lifted up, each riding one ox. Sitting on the broad, steady ox backs felt especially secure. The milky little shepherd boys hugged the green oxen’s necks, excited but not daring to move.

Meng Baixu said, “Help me call Lin Yao up here.”

Since he was here, he wanted to ask Lin Yao to make another aphrodisiac pill, just in case.

But now, would Lin Yao still be willing to assist evil?

Wen Tingshu felt some heartache for his disciple. He had once been the admired da-shixiong of everyone. Because of their different identities and positions, he had no choice but to cut off his classmate friendships.

He said firmly, “The friends you made here are still your friends.”

Meng Baixu deliberately said, “Heh, I am now a great demon feared by everyone! They’ll be terrified when they see me!”

Wen Tingshu said, “They won’t.”

Meng Baixu said, “Doesn’t your righteous path hate evil as if it were an enemy?”

There were indeed some Hengxue Sect disciples who hated evil as if it were an enemy, and for a while, could not accept that their Sect Master had a lover from Fuguang Sect.

However, those cultivators were currently already on the road for outside training.

Wen Tingshu said decisively, “The righteous path also values affection.”

“I have already had Zhongli announce that you are the same as you were three years ago. You may come and go in Hengxue Sect as you please. The disciples will not disrespect you, but they cannot call you da-shixiong anymore.”

Since the cultivation conference was happening, Zhongli Yun would also communicate Wen Tingshu’s intentions.

Hengxue Sect was the weathervane of the righteous path. Since Wen Tingshu had chosen to reconcile with Fuguang Sect, the righteous path would no longer deliberately make things difficult for Fuguang Sect.

Except for the Xie family.

The hatred between the Xies and the Mengs was unsolvable. Wen Tingshu could only hope that Xie-xiong and Meng Fuguang were safe together in the secret realm, so this grudge could one day be resolved.

Meng Baixu said, “Then who is da-shixiong now? Situ Nanchun?”

He suddenly recalled Zhongli Yun’s advice. Zhongli Yun, that old fox, must have given him a clever plan.

“Since I can walk around as I please, I’ll go find Situ Nanchun and catch up with him.”

Meng Baixu gritted his teeth, painfully deciding to play hard to get. “You stay home and watch the children. I won’t come back for lunch.”

This sect leader was sacrificing one whole lunch!

Wen Tingshu, if you still don’t react, then he would—he would not come back for dinner either!

A faint blue vein appeared at Wen Tingshu’s forehead. “What are you looking for him for?”

Meng Baixu said, “To apologize. I shouldn’t have exposed my identity while he was team leader and caused him to fail his mission.”

Wen Tingshu lied with his eyes open. “You did nothing wrong. There is no need to apologize.”

Meng Baixu said, “Then I’ll go thank him. Thank him for mediating the conflict between me and Xie Jing. I gave him trouble.”

Wen Tingshu said, “He acted out of consideration for my authority and the Xie family’s power. It was only a weighing of benefits. You do not need to take it to heart.”

Meng Baixu naturally had not taken it to heart, but he had to do something to make it seem as if Wen Tingshu and the other old acquaintances of Hengxue Sect were the same in his eyes.

“I’m leaving first.”

After saying that, he immediately went down the mountain without letting Wen Tingshu send him off.

Wen Tingshu and the two cubs on the ox backs looked at each other.

If only he had not said Lanshe could casually wander around Hengxue Sect.

Was he truly so eager to find Situ Nanchun?

The first person Meng Baixu looked for was Lin Yao.

Lin Yao was refining pills. When he sensed someone approaching behind him, Meng Baixu had already flashed in front of him.

“Da-shixiong!”

Meng Baixu emphasized, “I have already severed my master-disciple relationship with Wen Tingshu!”

Lin Yao said, “In my heart, da-shixiong will always be da-shixiong.”

“Is that so?” Meng Baixu had a belly full of bad water with nowhere to pour it. He provoked him, saying, “Then help me make another aphrodisiac pill. This time, it isn’t for the oxen. It’s for the Sect Master.”

Lin Yao: “…”

Even if he had one hundred and eighty guts, he would not dare make it.

Meng Baixu said, “Look at you—”

Lin Yao said, “Quickly say it’s for the oxen.”

Meng Baixu said, “Hm?”

Lin Yao hinted, “If it’s for the oxen, I can make it.”

Meng Baixu: “…”

You brat, as long as the process is righteous, you don’t care whether the Sect Master lives or dies, do you?

“Fine, fine. It’s for the oxen.”

Lin Yao said, “I’ll make it right away.”

Da-shixiong was truly a good person. He would not make things difficult for him.

Meng Baixu began trying to poach him. “…Why don’t you come with me to Fuguang Sect?”

Lin Yao shook his head while preparing ingredients. “No. Hengxue Sect has shown me kindness. I cannot betray Hengxue Sect.”

Meng Baixu said, “Then what you’re doing now isn’t—”

Lin Yao’s hand shook, and he added too much again. He guiltily stirred a few times. This was not betraying Hengxue Sect. He was just making some aphrodisiac pills for oxen.

Since the Sect Master allowed Meng Baixu to wander freely around Hengxue Sect, he must have already foreseen all consequences.

The Sect Master was omnipotent.

Meng Baixu watched Lin Yao finish making it. This time was faster than last time. It only took three hours to refine an aphrodisiac pill even bigger than the previous one.

Meng Baixu put it away. “Don’t worry. I won’t sell you out.”

Lin Yao said, “Thank you, da-shixiong. Da-shixiong, after the green ox ate it last time, did it give birth to calves?”

Meng Baixu said, “No.”

“Oh.” Lin Yao looked thoughtful. That should not be. Such a large pill should at least produce one calf. Did the green ox not eat it? Then who did?

It truly did not bear thinking about.

Meng Baixu’s confidence swelled after visiting Lin Yao, and he openly strutted around Hengxue Sect.

He met Qi Feng, Shen Luoyan, and Chu Bingyu. When the three saw him, their eyes reddened slightly, and their cultivation had improved a lot compared to before. It seemed they had cultivated properly over these three years.

Fuguang Sect was good at recruiting people, but when it came to cultivating people, Hengxue Sect was still more skilled. Meng Baixu took the opportunity to invite them to take high positions at Fuguang Sect. None of them went.

Were they sick? Then why were they getting teary-eyed?

He had originally wanted to take advantage of Wen Tingshu watching the children to ruthlessly dig at his walls, but after working for half a day in Hengxue Sect, every single one of them failed to live up to this sect leader’s expectations.

His undercover plan had three steps. First, turn the cultivators against their sect. Second, drive a wedge into the righteous path. Third, become pregnant with Wen Tingshu’s little wastrel.

The first two steps had somewhat failed. Meng Baixu returned to Hengxue Mountain puffed up with anger. What a waste of effort!

When he returned, it was already dark. More than ten night pearls hung from the qionghua tree, illuminating the courtyard between the East and West Halls brightly.

Wen Tingshu was sitting beneath the tree with the children. He taught the children to read while waiting for him. In front of them was a small stove, warming four dishes and one soup.

“You’re back?”

Meng Baixu lifted the lid and first grabbed a roujiamo. He had not eaten lunch and was hungry. “Mn.”

He took a bite and noticed Wen Tingshu’s expression seemed somewhat dark. He did not know if it was because the night was too dark.

Wen Tingshu said, “Did you have that much to say with Situ Nanchun?”

Meng Baixu answered without thinking, “I didn’t see him.”

Wen Tingshu frowned. He did not see him, so he came back depressed?

Wen Tingshu stared fixedly at Lanshe as he wolfed down food. Had he been so busy looking for someone that he had not even had time to eat? It was as if a messy clump of dry grass had piled up in his heart, and he wished he could set it on fire and burn it clean.

Once Meng Baixu was full, he touched his stomach and happened to touch the aphrodisiac pill Lin Yao had given him. He immediately wanted to drug him.

Zhongli Yun’s words drifted through his mind.

No. He had to endure. He had to play hard to get. He would endure for one day.

He cleared his throat. “Tonight, go back to your own room to sleep. I’ll take the children.”

Wowo and Nangnang naturally had no objections. They had not seen Daddy all day and wanted to sleep with Daddy.

Wen Tingshu handed over the sons with a dark expression.

Meng Baixu took the children back to the room alone without even looking back.

Wowo and Nangnang still remembered to turn back and politely say, “Good night, Immortal Venerable Daddy.”

Wen Tingshu said, “Good night.”

In the middle of the night.

Meng Baixu was sleeping while rolled up in the blanket when he suddenly felt something cold. He sat up abruptly. When he turned his head, he saw a cold, clear figure standing beside the bed in the darkness, white hair shining with countless rays.

“Shizun never taught you to start something and then abandon it,” Wen Tingshu said, his voice low.

Meng Baixu’s body trembled.

For some reason, he thought of that sentence, “Then Shizun will teach you this once,” and then… pain.

Wen Tingshu usually treated his disciple equally and rarely emphasized his identity.

The moment he emphasized it, Meng Baixu reflexively heard Wen Tingshu’s warning and punishment.

His fingers trembled as they gripped the blanket. Meng Baixu gritted his teeth and glared at him. He was no longer Wen Tingshu’s disciple. What right did he have to control him?