[Yuan’er, you are finally out of seclusion. I thought you would stay with Ling’er and Qingyu forever.]
Shen Yuan smiled helplessly, hearing her accusing tone. “Cough, are you jealous of your disciples, Big Sis?”
[Hmph! Anyways, a letter came from someone named Fang Lian, but you were oh so busy with your new wives.]
Shen Yuan face-palmed, but he soon thought of something and asked, “Big Sis, are you free? Can you please deliver that letter to me? It’s important.”
[Haaa… wait a minute.]
The link disconnected as Shen Yuan heaved a sigh.
[Haha, looks like you are in quite a bit of trouble this time, eh.]
Yue Lan said in amusement.
Shen Yuan closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair while placing the wine gourd back in his storage ring. “Heh, just wait and see.”
…
A light breeze stirred the courtyard’s grass as Shen Yuan enjoyed the peace beneath the cherry tree. The tree’s charred trunk bore subtle signs of rejuvenation, a few more small buds and tender shoots from the blackened bark—clear signs of the tree’s recovery or rather rebirth.
He slowly opened his eyes as he heard footsteps approaching from the courtyard’s gate before he saw Bing Rong enter the garden.
She gracefully entered the garden, wearing her usual sky-blue robes, her icy blue hair falling down to her waist. Although her expression remained just as calm as usual, Shen Yuan could see the faint hint of annoyance on her face.
“Yuan’er,” she softly greeted, stopping a few steps away from him. In her hand was a sealed scroll.
Shen Yuan stood up from his chair, smiling gently. “Big Sis Bing Rong. You look lovely as ever.”
She gave a soft huff, not quite meeting his eyes. “Hmph. Easy for you to say. You’ve been busy in ‘seclusion’ with Wan Ling—and Qingyu before her—while your poor sister was working in the sect.”
Shen Yuan sighed and moved forward. “Want to have a drink?” he said, taking her hand and guiding her to the chair beside his.
She sat down beside him, still not satisfied with his absence. Shen Yuan smiled and took out his wine gourd again, pouring the wine into two cups before giving one to her.
Bing Rong took the cup, looking at the wine inside. She quietly asked, “So you finally found time to spend with me.”
“Haha, what are you talking about? I always have time to spend with you. I was just a little busy due to some…circumstances.” He laughed as he spoke.
Bing Rong narrowed her eyes. “Circumstances, or you just wanted to spend time with your new wives?”
He chuckled softly, raising his hands and patting her head. “Are you jealous of your own disciples? Haha, you know how much I love you.”
She silently looked down for a while before softly saying, “I know… it’s just… I also miss you. I also want to spend some time with you.”
Shen Yuan grabbed both of her hands and seriously said, “I spent so much time with them not only to indulge the two of them but also to train them. I helped Qingyu become an Earth Grade alchemist, and Ling’er reached the 6th level of the Extreme Origin Core Realm.”
Her eyes flashed with surprise as she heard how much the two of them had improved in this time, but she soon stopped thinking about it and asked, “So, do you now have time, or will you vanish again?”
Shen Yuan shook his head softly, looking directly into Bing Rong’s eyes. “I’m here, aren’t I? And I plan to stay in the sect for a while—prepare for the Aurora Competition and take care of some other matters.”
He lowered his voice and warmly said, “And, of course, to spend some time with my dear family.”
She glanced away, her cheeks faintly reddening. “…I hope you aren’t lying.”
He gave her a reassuring smile. “I won’t. Promise.” He extended his hand. “Now, about that letter from Fang Lian?”
With a small sigh, she placed the scroll in his palm. “Here. It arrived a few days ago. Since it was for you, I didn’t open the letter. I was going to deliver it sooner, but you were busy in the Dual Cultivation Chambers and were unreachable.”
Shen Yuan nodded, carefully breaking the seal and scanning the contents. His eyes scanned the text, flashing with amusement. “So, some idiot finally took the bait. I was waiting for this.”
Bing Rong looked at his expression in confusion. “What were you waiting for?”
He folded the letter, throwing it into his storage ring. “For some idiots to take the bait.”
Bing Rong speechlessly looked at him. “Yes, I know. You already said that. I meant, what specifically were you waiting for?”
Shen Yuan laughed but didn’t reply. “It’s a surprise. Hmm, do you want to come with me someplace?”
Bing Rong’s eyes lit up. “Yes, where are we going?”
Shen Yuan laughed and stood up. “Let’s go right away. They won’t wait for us.”
She looked at him in confusion for a second before rising up and following after him. “But will we be able to return in time for the Aurora Competition? I don’t want you to be late for it.”
Shen Yuan smiled and reassured her. “Worry not, we will return by evening.”
Bing Rong shook her head and followed after him as they left the sect through the Spatial Portal.
Enjoy new adventures from empire
…
The two of them came out of the sect before moving some distance away from it. Shen Yuan looked at the spacious place before turning back to Bing Rong. “Let’s go, it’s been a while since we’ve flown together.”
He looked at his inventory before taking out the Flying Ship that Yuxin had gifted to him before. “We will take it to reach the place sooner. We don’t have much time.”
She nodded and flew to the top of the ship. Shen Yuan followed close and moved towards the top.
“This ship is really something. We can control it with our consciousness alone.” Shen Yuan clicked his tongue, remembering when Yuxin taught him how to drive the ship.
Bing Rong nodded her head. “Yes, this ship is a lot more advanced than most of the flying artifacts available in the Aurora Zone, and it’s a sign of Master wherever she goes.”
They continued chatting for a bit before Shen Yuan asked, “Big Sis, do you know that I got the Ancestral Pagoda?”
She nodded her head gently. “Yes, I still remember the time when you told me how you reached the top of the tower, defeating all the trials.”
“Yes, and now I was able to access it finally and have gotten full control over the tower to change the levels and give access to others as I wish,” he smilingly informed her.
Her eyes shot open as she turned her head away from the rolling clouds to his face. “Really? You can let other disciples inside the Pagoda to train them?”
He nodded his head. “Yes. And not only that, you know about the Silver Fox Sect…”
…
Shen Yuan soon finished informing her of all the causes and events related to the Silver Fox Sect.
Bing Rong speechlessly looked at Shen Yuan. “You really forged your own elite squad. And one that will be stronger than most sects.”
Shen Yuan laughed. “Of course, they are under me. Mediocrity is unacceptable.”