As the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky was painted with strokes of golden carp scales, resembling a colossal, gilded koi swimming across the celestial canvas, its full form forever hidden from mortal eyes.

A senior Dragon Gate cultivator, the overseer of the Fishing Pavilion on Green Gorge Isle, personally escorted a timid young man off the boat and onto the shore, heading towards the mountain gate.

The Qi Refining cultivators of the Green Gorge Isle Fishing Pavilion were akin to the “sticky pole” agents of the Great Li Dynasty. The elder cultivator, named Zhang Ye, possessed an oddly feminine moniker, yet he was the true confidant of True Lord Interception Liu Zhimao. Zhang Ye was among the earliest followers of Liu Zhimao, if not the very first. Back then, Liu Zhimao was merely a rogue cultivator in the Sea Observation realm, while Zhang Ye was a bona fide immortal master with a lineage and already at the Sea Observation stage. The stories surrounding this were enough to fill several pots of wine among the older generation of Green Gorge Isle.

The young man, named Zeng Ye, was a promising talent recently discovered on Mao Yue Isle, naturally suited for ghost cultivation. However, good aptitude didn’t guarantee a bright future in the Shujian Lake region. Had the Green Gorge Isle Fishing Pavilion not intervened, the island lord would have used Zeng Ye to nurture gu spirits and cultivate ghost fetuses. Zeng Ye’s early cultivation would have progressed rapidly, appearing as if Mao Yue Isle was wholeheartedly grooming a chosen one. In truth, the moment Zeng Ye reached the Middle Five Realms, he would have been dissected, his soul torn apart. Then, the young man would have learned the true meaning of unexpected misfortune.

Zhang Ye was a reticent cultivator, not fond of idle chatter. Even with Liu Zhimao, he kept his words to a minimum. However, due to the gravity of the matter, he felt compelled to reiterate, “Zeng Ye, you’ve likely heard tales of our patron, Mister Chen. He’s a very capable figure. He currently resides near the mountain gate. When you meet Mister Chen later, don’t try to curry favor on behalf of me or Green Gorge Isle. Just speak the truth. On Mao Yue Isle, you personally witnessed your master and grandmaster confess their plans to me. So, ultimately, your life was saved by Mister Chen. Furthermore, I know what you’re worried about – escaping one danger only to fall into another. Let me be frank, Mister Chen will certainly not harm you. On Mao Yue Isle, you would have met a tragic end. On Green Gorge Isle, you’ll have a true opportunity to cultivate. Frankly, even I envy you. In an immortal cave abode, even the direct disciples of the ancestral halls wouldn’t have such good fortune as you.”

Zeng Ye, timid by nature, was thoroughly frightened and heartbroken on Mao Yue Isle. He was still somewhat lost, but nodded continuously, thinking that things couldn’t possibly be worse than on Mao Yue Isle.

Zhang Ye paused for a moment, then slowly said, “Just don’t forget your roots once you’ve achieved prominence. After all, it was Green Gorge Isle that pulled you out of the fire. Wherever you end up enjoying the blessings with Mister Chen, remember the life-saving kindness of Green Gorge Isle. Zeng Ye, do you understand?”

Zeng Ye swallowed hard, “I understand. I will never forget your immortal benevolence.”

Zhang Ye smiled, “I’ll only hear you say these words once. Keep them in your heart. Don’t always keep them on your lips. If you do, they’ll be like a jar of wine. A sip today, a mouthful tomorrow, and soon it’ll be empty, and you won’t take it seriously.”

Zeng Ye was merely an orphan that his master had brought back to Mao Yue Isle from the marketplace of Stone Haugh Kingdom. His master was short-sighted and only saw a hint of potential. However, the Dragon Gate grandmaster of Mao Yue Isle possessed keen eyes and recognized Zeng Ye’s rare physique at a glance. He intended to drain Zeng Ye’s essence and vitality with wicked ghost cultivation techniques, nurturing two or three mid-Five Realms ghostly apparitions. The Mao Yue Isle patriarch had previously confessed to Zeng Ye that if they possessed the foundation of Green Gorge Isle, they wouldn’t resort to such a destructive approach. Perhaps Zeng Ye could have become Mao Yue Isle’s first Golden Core Earth Immortal, but they simply didn’t have enough immortal money to squander.

Naturally, Zeng Ye felt a chill run down his spine, a coldness that penetrated his very core.

Having said and done all that was necessary, Zhang Ye led Zeng Ye to a door and gently knocked, “Mister Chen, I’ve brought you the suitable candidate.”

A surge of immense fear flooded Zeng Ye’s heart, overwhelming him like a tidal wave, making his legs weak.

Just as the old immortal had said, how could he not fear jumping from one fire pit into another boiling cauldron?

Then, for the first time in his life, the young man Zeng Ye met the man named Chen Ping An.

The door opened.

Although only fourteen years old, Zeng Ye was tall and already rivaled grown men in stature. Therefore, he didn’t need to look up to see the man’s face clearly.

The man wore a thick, azure cotton robe and had a white jade hairpin in his hair. He was slender and had a gaunt face.

He was neither like the old immortal Zhang Ye nor like the noble young masters Lu Caisang and Yuan Yuan.

Then the man smiled, “Hello, my name is Chen Ping An. What’s yours?”

Zeng Ye wanted to speak, but his whole body was tense, his limbs stiff. His lips moved slightly, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

Zhang Ye was somewhat helpless and had to answer the accountant’s question for the dimwit, “Mister Chen, his name is Zeng Ye, Ye as in the women’s quarters. He’s a poor wretch I pulled out of Mao Yue Isle, fulfilling Mister Chen’s requirements. His aptitude and physique are naturally suited for ghost cultivation, making him a prime vessel for possession by Yin creatures and habitation by ghosts. Walking the mortal realm together won’t deplete the boy’s original essence. Instead, it can aid his cultivation.”

Chen Ping An nodded and then smiled at Zeng Ye, “I have some knowledge of a side technique of weighing by the catty. I just need you to stand still, and I’ll see how heavy your courage is.”

Zeng Ye remained in place, unresponsive.

Chen Ping An didn’t make a move.

Zhang Ye gently patted Zeng Ye, laughing, “You’re already speechless? Can’t even nod your head now?”

Zhang Ye’s pat on the shoulder finally brought Zeng Ye back to his senses, and he nodded vigorously.

Chen Ping An grabbed the boy’s shoulder, lifted him gently, and Zeng Ye’s toes lifted, but didn’t leave the ground.

After Chen Ping An let go, he nodded, “Not particularly heavy. I’ll be sure to pay attention to the signs of your soul from now on. If there’s anything wrong, I won’t let you push yourself.”

Zeng Ye still didn’t speak. He didn’t dare to, and he didn’t know what to say.

It was as if he had lost his soul again.

After all, on that gloomy Mao Yue Isle, before the patriarch noticed his potential, he was often bullied by the disciples of the sect. For a lofty old immortal like Zhang Ye of Green Gorge Isle, and a young immortal who seemed even more remarkable than the old immortal, just not needing to be supported was already Zeng Ye’s greatest effort.
Zhang Ye sighed, “Mr. Chen, isn’t this young man’s temperament a bit… off? Should I search around Shujian Lake again?”

Chen Pingan, who had been observing Zhang Ye’s expression and eyes, shook his head and smiled, “It’s alright, I think he’s quite good.”

Zhang Ye breathed a sigh of relief, considering the task complete.

Maoyue Island hadn’t dared to be greedy, but they wouldn’t give him away for free either. This was the unspoken rule of Shujian Lake: either Qingxia Island attacked and seized the person, annexing Maoyue Island in the process, in which case not just Zeng Ye, but all the people and possessions of Maoyue Island could be taken without cost. But since Qingxia Island had chosen a peaceful approach, they had to act like they were doing business. So, after Zhang Ye offered a fair price, Maoyue Island accepted without haggling, and the immortal money was handed over.

Chen Pingan, familiar with such dealings, asked, “What price did Maoyue Island ask for?”

Zhang Ye hesitated before slowly saying, “According to Maoyue Island’s founder, conservatively speaking, Zeng Ye could eventually nurture one ghost fetus and one yin spirit. Within twenty years, he’d be worth at least two cave realm cultivators. Factoring in the cost of cultivating Zeng Ye to the middle fifth realm, Maoyue Island asked for ten Valley Rain coins.”

Chen Pingan considered it. “Adding Elder Zhang’s efforts and the labor costs of Qingxia Island’s fishing lodge, let’s call it fifteen Valley Rain coins. Put it on Qingxia Island’s tab for now, and I’ll settle it later with the other expenses.”

Zhang Ye nodded. “No problem.”

Whether it was the troublemaker Gu Can, or the outstanding younger generation like Lü Caisang from Guming Island and Yuan Yuan from Huangli Island, they were all very different from the older generation of Shujian Lake rogue cultivators. They all enjoyed breaking old rules, using it to gather support and build their reputation.

Zhang Ye wouldn’t dare say they were definitely wrong, after all, he had to greet these young devils with a smile. But deep down, Zhang Ye felt uncomfortable.

It seemed that the young people who disregarded all rules were thriving, which made Zhang Ye, an old-timer of Shujian Lake, feel helpless.

Therefore, Chen Pingan’s actions gave Zhang Ye a glimmer of goodwill.

Otherwise, with the prestige he’d built up in Shujian Lake, he could have taken Zeng Ye without spending a single snowflake coin, and Zhang Ye and Qingxia Island would have had to accept it.

However, this bit of goodwill was insignificant.

Thinking about these things, Zhang Ye felt even more troubled, sensing something was wrong but unable to pinpoint it.

This was just how Shujian Lake was.

He, a dragon gate realm cultivator with no hope of attaining the Grand Dao, could completely forget about forming a golden core. Liu Zhimao had secretly done everything he could, fulfilling his duty. In the energetic Shujian Lake, Zhang Ye was like a withered old man in the marketplace. However, compared to the latter, a cultivator had a more acute sense of their body’s decay and soul’s decline. That feeling of being slowly buried in the earth, inch by inch, was a form of slow demise. If Zhang Ye wasn’t relatively broad-minded and of a non-extreme temperament, he would have done something depraved. In the Shujian Lake where evil was without limit and good was tantamount to seeking death, there were plenty of ways to vent.

The young Zeng Ye settled down on Qingxia Island.

In the room next to Chen Pingan.

As the Maoyue Island youth closed the door, he felt as if he was in another world.

He didn’t sleep soundly that night, dozing off and waking up only when the sun was high in the sky the next day. Opening his eyes, Zeng Ye looked at the unfamiliar place with a blank expression. It took him a while to remember that he was no longer a Maoyue Island cultivator. After thinking it over, he kept encouraging himself. But as soon as he walked out of the room, he saw a guy in a dark green python robe sitting at the next door, cracking melon seeds on a small bamboo chair and looking at him.

Zeng Ye almost turned around and ran back into his room to hide under the covers.

Gu Can asked, “You’re Zeng Ye? The one from Maoyue Island?”

Sweat had already broken out on Zeng Ye’s forehead.

This little devil had stirred up one bloody storm after another in Shujian Lake. Although Zeng Ye had never seen him in person, he had seen Gu Can’s face in the Liuxu Island gazettes. The content of those gazettes, as well as the expressions and tones of the Maoyue Island cultivators when they mentioned Gu Can, were etched in Zeng Ye’s memory. He had thought he would never have the chance to see Gu Can in this lifetime, and he didn’t want to see him, or most likely it would be the day Gu Can leveled Maoyue Island with that big loach.

Gu Can said unhappily, “Turns out he’s a fool.”

Zeng Ye didn’t dare to retort.

Gu Can hadn’t even smashed his head with a palm strike, and Zeng Ye almost wanted to kneel down and thank him.

The heavy atmosphere that almost suffocated Zeng Ye suddenly vanished.

It turned out that the man in the azure cotton robe had walked to the doorway.

He said to Gu Can, “Your body is weak now, you’re at the peak of decline, and you’re more susceptible to the penetration of yin cold and baleful energy than ordinary people. Hurry back to Spring Court Manor to recuperate.”

Gu Can nodded, looked at the small pile of melon seeds left in his hand, and handed them to Chen Pingan. “Then I’m leaving.”

Chen Pingan took the melon seeds, picked one up, and cracked it open. “When Tan Xue can return to shore, have her come to me. I have something for her.”

Gu Can smiled brightly. “Alright!”

After Gu Can left, Chen Pingan offered the melon seeds in his hand to Zeng Ye, who quickly shook his head.

Chen Pingan turned around, brought out a chair from his room, handed it to Zeng Ye, and sat on the bamboo chair Gu Can had been sitting on.

Zeng Ye cautiously placed his buttocks on the chair, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.

Chen Pingan cracked melon seeds, smiling.

“You may need to stay by my side for two or three years, or even seven or eight years. You can call me Mr. Chen. It’s not that my name is too precious to be called, it’s just that it’s inappropriate if you call it. Everyone on Qingxia Island is watching this place. You can just stay the same, look more and say less. As for doing things, except for what I tell you to do, you don’t need to do much for now, and it’s best not to do too much. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand now.”

Zeng Ye nodded silently.

Chen Pingan suddenly asked, “Are you afraid of ghosts?”

Zeng Ye hesitated.

Chen Pingan said, “Zeng Ye, then I’ll tell you one more thing. Here with me, you don’t have to be afraid of saying the wrong thing. Say whatever you’re thinking.”

Only then did Zeng Ye say, “I’m not afraid of ghosts. I’ve been able to see dirty things since I was a child. When I followed my master to Maoyue Island, many of the masters, senior brothers, and senior sisters there raised ghosts.”

Chen Pingan casually asked, “Do you hate your master?”
Zeng Ye pursed his lips, falling silent once more. The honest youth carried a hint of sadness on his face, mingled with a stubborn streak.

Chen Ping’an nodded, “So there’s some resentment, but even more heartache, right? And when you think about it, your master wasn’t a bad person at heart. If it weren’t for him, you might have died long ago. So, whether it’s your master, or Mao Yue Island, you’re willing to treat them as family, a true home.”

Zeng Ye lowered his head, humming in agreement, his eyes misty with tears. He mumbled, “I know I’m slow-witted. I’m sorry, Mr. Chen. I probably won’t be of much help to you in the future, and I’ll probably make mistakes often. You can hit me or scold me when that happens, I’ll take it.”

Chen Ping’an cracked a melon seed, gazing into the distance, and said softly, “Is that what you call being slow-witted? I don’t think so.”

Zeng Ye was preoccupied with his sadness and didn’t hear clearly. Only now did he remember that he was sitting next to an enshrined guest of Qingxia Island, and he should be listening to every word like golden rules. This made Zeng Ye feel even more inadequate and deserving of suffering.

Chen Ping’an continued, “But if I may say so, Zeng Ye, you’re too timid, that’s for sure. When I was your age, I was already holding my own. I never felt intimidated or nervous when meeting so-called important figures.”

Chen Ping’an finished cracking the melon seeds and stroked the stubble on his chin, chuckling self-deprecatingly, “Talking like this is a bit shameless. Hmm, I might as well go to Purple Bamboo Island again and ask for another bamboo stalk to make myself a bamboo saber. Add that large imitation Qu Huang sword I bought from Ape’s Cry Street, and learn from my first disciple. A mix of sword and saber skills should be enough to scare some people.”

Zeng Ye, always a bit slow on the uptake, finally spoke, “There’s no way I can compare to Mr. Chen.”

Chen Ping’an smiled, stood up, “Can you read? If you can, I’ll impart two secret techniques to you first. They’re not of very high grade, but with proper cultivation, they’ll be no worse than what you had on Mao Yue Island.”

Zeng Ye quickly followed suit, “I can read, but my master always called me stupid.”

Chen Ping’an picked up the chair, saying, “It doesn’t matter. If you encounter anything you don’t understand, just ask me.”

Chen Ping’an stepped over the threshold, turning his head to see Zeng Ye cautiously following behind, empty-handed.

Chen Ping’an sighed helplessly, “Your master called you stupid, and I see he wasn’t wrong. At least carry the bamboo chair.”

Zeng Ye suddenly realized and immediately turned around to pick up the bamboo chair.

Chen Ping’an smiled knowingly.

Finally, there was a normal child by his side.

“This is good,” he thought.

As he thought this, the accountant didn’t realize that he was only three years older than the young Zeng Ye.

In the following days, except for sleeping, Zeng Ye stayed with Mr. Chen, repeatedly studying those few pages covered with neat, tiny characters. As a lower-five-realm cultivator, Zeng Ye could read, but the ghost cultivation secret technique that Mr. Chen said was “not of very high grade” seemed to have no intention of being understood.

Almost every two or three sentences, Zeng Ye would encounter an obstacle, a question popping up. At first, Zeng Ye tried to grit his teeth and skip a few sections, hoping to browse through the entire secret technique before asking questions. However, the more he read, the more his head ached, and he began to sweat profusely, even showing signs of his soul leaving his body. Zeng Ye was immediately horrified. He had heard some talk about the rules and taboos of cultivating immortal secret techniques. The more profound the secret technique, the less one should immerse oneself in it carelessly. Once one was unable to extricate oneself, and had no protector, it would damage the foundation of one’s great path.

Mr. Chen had been sitting beside him the whole time, not deliberately reminding Zeng Ye at first. It wasn’t until Zeng Ye hurriedly put down the few pages that felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, gasping for breath, that Chen Ping’an nodded to himself. A lack of talent wasn’t the most frightening thing. If one’s temperament was too superficial, that would be the greatest obstacle to Zeng Ye’s cultivation of this ghost cultivation secret technique.

If Zeng Ye didn’t even have this bit of composure, doing that task with him would only push Zeng Ye step by step toward demonic deviation.

Chen Ping’an wouldn’t chase him away, but he would never allow Zeng Ye to continue cultivating. He would just treat him as another neighbor, similar to the old cultivator who guarded the mountain gate.

Chen Ping’an would rather let those fifteen Grain Rain coins go down the drain than have Zhang Ye and the Qingxia Island Fishing Division find someone else suitable.

After suffering, Zeng Ye stopped pretending to be capable and asked Mr. Chen questions whenever he had doubts.

Chen Ping’an would then explain everything to him in detail.

Firstly, Wei Bo had made detailed annotations at the time. Secondly, Chen Ping’an had sparred with Ma Yuanzhi of Zhu Xian Prefecture, the earth immortal Yu Gui, and a great cultivator of the Yin-Yang school, gaining some insights of his own.

As for why he didn’t directly give Zeng Ye an “annotated version” of the secret technique, or pour out all the subtleties and precautions in one go…

This involved the young man’s great path of cultivation.

Meeting was fate, and Chen Ping’an hoped that Zeng Ye could truly benefit from this deal, finding a foundation for his future advancement to the middle five realms, and even for his great path of cultivation.

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

That was what Ah Liang had told him back then, and Chen Ping’an was willing to treat a fourteen-year-old Shujian Lake youth in the same way, because Zeng Ye was a simple youth who had not yet been fully immersed and altered by the great dyeing vat of Shujian Lake.

Wei Bo’s secret technique was definitely not of low grade.

Then Chen Ping’an took it out, and Zeng Ye reached out to take it. Whether he could hold onto it after that was not as simple as just learning it.

How did Zeng Ye learn it? How much effort and perseverance did he put in? If he obtained it too easily, such a great fortune would not be truly cherished. Nor would he constantly ask himself in his future long cultivation journey, questioning his original intention, and reminding himself of the “hard-earned” nature of his accomplishments?

Chen Ping’an didn’t care about the methods and purposes used by any other sect, immortal cave, or school to teach disciples. As long as it was with him, it could be slow, but it had to be steady.

However, Chen Ping’an soon had a headache.

Because Zeng Ye… was simply too obtuse!
Chen Ping’an had always felt his aptitude was mediocre. This was because Ning Yao taught him to read the *Mountain-Shaking Fist Manual*; when it came to studies, he traveled with Li Baoping, the little girl in the red cotton-padded jacket, during his long journey to the Sui Dynasty, learning by analogy and understanding things at a glance. When it came to cultivation, there was Lin Shouyi; when it came to martial arts, his instructor was the “Invincible Before Battle” Old Man Cui. Later, at the Great Wall of Sword Qi, he met Cao Ci, a contemporary of astonishing talent, from whom Chen Ping’an suffered three consecutive defeats. Finally, he had Pei Qian by his side, a dark charcoal girl who seemed to master the Sword Qi Eighteen Stops as easily as playing, and who was even considered his first disciple. As for romantic charm, there were figures like Lu Tai and Liu Qingshan…

Even after Chen Ping’an began to introspect, and after experiencing the blessings of the Lotus Root Paradise, he stopped being unduly self-deprecating. Yet, it was difficult to change ingrained habits, and some aftereffects were inevitable.

But then he met the blockhead, Zeng Ye, and Chen Ping’an almost began to think of himself as a cultivation genius… He nearly exclaimed, “No wonder the Old Sword Immortal leaked the secret back then, saying that if I hadn’t shattered my natal porcelain and broken my bridge of longevity, I would have originally possessed the aptitude of an Earth Immortal!”

Because Zeng Ye was simply too slow-witted.

Often, it was just a single incantation, repeated over and over, scrutinized in detail, with Chen Ping’an explaining it for half a day, and Zeng Ye only moved from being completely lost to having a vague understanding.

Back in the Mud Bottle Alley ancestral home, when Ning Yao imparted the quintessential principles of the Mountain-Shaking Fist, Chen Ping’an felt he understood them well enough. It was just that when he actually attempted the six-step stance, he wobbled and stumbled, making a bit of a fool of himself. However, he quickly gained some insights. He was just unaware of his own blessings at the time, not realizing that the “fist intent” so eagerly sought by pure martial artists had already permeated his entire body. Although the fist intent hadn’t yet manifested with vigor, the very transition from nothing to something meant he had crossed the first great threshold of martial arts, equivalent to a leap to the heavens for a Qi Refiner, a rare and remarkable feat.

Fortunately, Chen Ping’an wasn’t an impatient person. If Zeng Ye learned slowly, then he would teach even more slowly, even more meticulously.

Three pages of text, and Zeng Ye struggled to learn one page per day.

So, the young man felt guilty every day, feeling he was letting down Mr. Chen.

Chen Ping’an said nothing, offered no comfort to the young man, and certainly didn’t utter any empty praise like “Zeng Ye, you actually have quite good aptitude.”

The world is complex, and a sincere heart…

These two were inherently contradictory, destined to clash, and more often than not, the latter lost.

The more Zeng Ye experienced and steeled himself today, the firmer his foundation would become, ensuring that when he encountered truly significant events in the future, he wouldn’t be defeated before battle, or surrender after just a few exchanges.

Now on Green Gorge Island in Book Brief Lake, Chen Ping’an had plenty of time to reflect on the past, and unknowingly he extracted many aftertastes that he hadn’t had time to contemplate deeply before. For instance, the barefooted old man on the second floor of the Bamboo Building in Fallen Phoenix Mountain once said that the purity of a pure martial artist wasn’t about fist techniques or stances. Learning ten thousand types of fists wouldn’t detract from that purity. True purity lies in the intent of one’s fists, and even more so in one’s heart. Simply put, Chen Ping’an, when you first practiced your fists, as an ant in the second or third realm, when you faced martial artists of the fourth, fifth, eighth, ninth, or even tenth realms, you knew deep down that you would undoubtedly lose. But once you were in a desperate situation, a matter of life and death, would you still dare to deliver a punch? Could you maintain your fist intent without the slightest reduction? Instead, would it become even purer, even more indomitable?

When facing a strong opponent, you must first establish yourself as invincible in your heart, and only then will you have a chance to win, even if it’s only a one in ten thousand chance.

If your fist intent wavers even slightly, you won’t even have that one in ten thousand chance! You might as well just accept death! What’s the point of practicing fists, of enduring hardship?

Three days later, Zeng Ye finally managed to barely understand this secret technique, and then began to officially cultivate.

Only then did Chen Ping’an remind Zeng Ye not to be greedy for speed, saying that as long as Zeng Ye was slow but without mistakes, he, Chen Ping’an, could wait. Otherwise, making mistakes and then correcting them would truly be a waste of time and immortal money. To make Zeng Ye feel this more deeply, Chen Ping’an’s method was simple: if Zeng Ye made a mistake because he was rushing to cultivate, causing damage to his spirit and requiring immortal pills to repair his body, he would pay for the pills. However, the cost of each pill, even if it was only a single Snowflake Coin, would be recorded in Zeng Ye’s debt ledger.

Finally, Chen Ping’an revealed a serious expression for the first time, standing at the door of Zeng Ye’s room, which was about to become his “seclusion,” and said, “The relationship between you and me is a business transaction. I will try my best to ensure that we both benefit, so that we can part ways amicably one day. But don’t forget, I am not your master, nor am I your protector. You must remember this at all times.”

Zeng Ye was somewhat fearful of Mr. Chen’s demeanor, and quickly nodded.

If not for this, after three days of being together morning and night with a Mr. Chen who was approachable and kind, the young man had almost forgotten the sight of Mr. Chen when they first met, almost forgetting his own embarrassment and fear at the time.

On the contrary, Gu Can, whom he had only met once, remained vividly imprinted in Zeng Ye’s memory. One night he even had a nightmare, dreaming of the little devil wearing a dark cyan python robe, splitting open his chest with one hand, carving out his heart and liver, and swallowing them down. Gu Can smiled and said, “Truly delicious.” Zeng Ye stared blankly down…