After taking a moment to recall the sect rules, Yuan opened his eyes and spoke in a nervous voice, "According to the sect rules, male and female disciples are forbidden to share the same living quarters unless they are married or have a high-ranking sect elder's permission, and the punishment is at most 3 months of confinement in the Disciplinary Cave..."
Fei Yuyan was speechless. Albeit subtly, did Yuan really just refuse her company in his house? What kind of man would refuse to let a beautiful girl stay in their house even if they might receive punishment? If it were any other men that were in Yuan's shoes right now, they would definitely let Fei Yuyan stay in their living quarters without hesitation even if they were to get kicked out of the sect the following day!
Fei Yuyuan then spoke with a slight frown on her face, "That rulebook is outdated— it was created thousands of years ago and nobody except a few really even follows it anymore, especially the Inner Court disciples. Furthermore, as a Core Disciple, I have more leeway in the sect. In other words, I can do almost whatever I want without restrictions if it doesn't affect the sect."
"And I highly doubt that living in a house with a male disciple will affect the sect in any way. Therefore, you can just ignore it."
"Even if you say that, I think it'd be for the best if we received permission from one of the sect elders, as you can never be too safe or you might regret it in the future. I know a few of them, so I can ask them." Yuan suddenly retrieved Elder Xuan's jade slip and activated it using his spiritual energy.
"Uhhh… Senior Xuan, can you hear me?" Yuan spoke to the jade slip.
Meanwhile, sitting behind his desk inside his living quarters, Elder Xuan felt the jade slip in his robes tremble, causing him to stop working and look at it.
'Hm? Disciple Yuan? Did something happen to him?' Elder Xuan frowned with a worried look on his face, wondering what Yuan had done this time.
"Senior Xuan, can you hear me? I hope I am not bothering you," Yuan's voice resounded from the jade slip a moment later.
"Yes, I can hear you. What happened?" Elder Xuan asked him.
"Well…" Yuan proceeded to explain the situation to Elder Xuan, dumbfounding him greatly.
'What the heck? Core Disciple Fei? What's she doing at his house? And why are they staying together? Don't tell me that they're...' Elder Xuan stared at the jade slip with wide eyes filled with shock.
"Anyway, do you think she can stay here? It'll only be for a week at most," Yuan asked him again afterward.
"A-Ahem! I don't see the problem." Elder Xuan said in a stiff voice after clearing his throat, and he continued, "Whatever you do inside, just try to keep it contained within the house."
"Eh? I understand…?" Yuan said, sounding a little confused by Elder Xuan's words.
Once Yuan ended the communication, Elder Xuan slumped back in his seat and sighed, "I told him to remain lowkey for a while, and he ends up bringing a female disciple into his home, even wanting to let her stay there for an entire week, and this disciple is even a Core Disciple…"
"Well, I cannot blame the guy. Talented people like him will attract women as easily as breathing."
After a moment of silence, Elder Xuan retrieved another jade slip before activating it and speaking to it, "My granddaughter, can you hear me?"
A few moments later, Xuan Wuhan's sleepy voice resounded, "What's the matter, grandpa? I don't plan on returning to the sect until next week even if you beg me."
Elder Xuan sighed and said, "This is about Disciple Yuan…"
"Oh? Yuan?! How's he doing in the sect? Nobody's bullying him, right?" Xuan Wuhan's voice immediately sounded much more energetic after hearing Yuan's name.
"Yeah, he's doing great. In fact, he's doing so great that he'd managed to woo a Core Disciple to stay at his house for an entire week! If you continue to laze around at home, someone will definitely take Yuan before you can do anything, and with his otherworldly talents, there will be some very powerful contenders."
"W-WHAT?!" Xuan Wuhan's voice resounded in a shocked manner after, almost like she'd just heard something impossible.
"I-Is that true, grandpa?! Who's this Core Disciple!" Xuan Wuhan's obviously panicked voice resounded from the jade slip, causing it to tremble.
"I don't know. I only know that he'd asked me for permission to allow a female Core Disciple to stay in his living quarters for a week. As for the reason, I have no clue since I didn't bother to ask." Elder Xuan lied with a straight face, as he knew very well it was Fei Yuyan that was at Yuan's house.
"And you agreed?! Why did you do something like that, grandpa?!" Xuan Wuhan exclaimed.
"What else was I supposed to do? Refuse? This is a Core Disciple and Disciple Yuan that we're talking about. I may be a Grand Elder, but there are some things even I have no control over, especially when Disciple Yuan is involved."
After a moment of silence, Elder Xuan asked, "Well? Do you feel like coming back to the sect now?"
"I...I will be back in three days!" Xuan Wuhan responded a moment later in a resolute voice.
"Three days, huh? A lot can happen in a single night, much less three days, my granddaughter." Elder Xuan said, trying his best to not burst out laughing from teasing Xuan Wuhan.
"Fine! I'll come back now, okay?! Anyway, I'm leaving!"
The jade slip turned lifeless after Xuan Wuhan ended the communication with Elder Xuan.
"Silly little girl…" Elder Xuan shook his head as he placed the jade slip back into his robes.
Meanwhile, Yuan said to Fei Yuyan with an innocent smile on his face, "Now that we have permission, you can stay here without breaking any sect rules!"
"You are really… I don't even know what to say..." Fei Yuyan rubbed her eyes like she was exhausted.