Chapter 29: Farewell To Senior Sister

As a Peak Master, vanishing from the sect without notifying the Sect Master was a surefire way to have my senior sister unleash another Glacial Strike upon my return.

"Yes, Master! Disciple will prepare immediately!" Shen Qingxue bowed with a radiant, blooming smile, practically bounding toward her quarters.

Whistling softly, I stepped onto my flying sword and rocketed across the sky toward Heavenly Sovereign Peak.

Touching down quietly in the white jade courtyard in front of Wan’er’s grand residence, I was greeted not by the clash of sparring disciples, but by the sweet, haunting melody of a zither.

I paused by the courtyard moon-gate, holding my breath.

Sitting beneath an ancient weeping willow was Su Wan’er, dressed in a flowing, pale-azure gown that pooled around her feet like mountain water. Her slender, porcelain fingers danced across the strings with breathtaking elegance, each plucked note carrying a tranquil, melancholic rhythm that rippled across the morning mist.

My Senior Sister truly was blessed by the heavens with boundless talent, she could cleave mountains with her sword, command a grand sect with absolute authority, and play an instrument well enough to move spirits. It really was an absurd miracle of fate that an ordinary, lazy transmigrator like me had ended up befriending such a peerless goddess so early in life.

I stood there quietly for a few minutes, leaning against the wooden pillar until the final, lingering note faded into the breeze.

Only then did I step out onto the terrace.

Su Wan’er didn’t jump or reach for her frost blades. She had clearly sensed my presence the moment my boots touched her peak. Slowly lifting her head, her sharp phoenix eyes softened into a warm, familiar smile as she rested her hands over the quiet strings.

I sauntered over, casually dropping onto the stone bench right beside her instrument, breathing in the delicate jasmine fragrance that always clung to her skin.

"What a masterpiece." I grinned, resting my chin in my hand. "Listening to Senior Sister play makes me feel like years of cultivation was well worth the trouble."

Su Wan’er turned her head, letting out a soft, amused snort as she looked at me with arched brows. "Save your silver tongue, Lu Chen. What trouble did you cause this time that brings you crawling to my courtyard so early in the morning?"

I rolled my eyes, clutching my chest with feigned offense. "Senior Sister, is that truly how you view me? Nothing more than a shameless troublemaker?"

"Yes," she replied flatly, without a single millisecond of hesitation.

My lips twitched. "You wound me deeply, Senior Sister. For your information, I came here as an upright, responsible Peak Master to formally report my itinerary to the Sect Master. I am leaving the sect for a brief period. I’m taking Qingxue down the mountain to let her travel and experience the mortal world."

Su Wan’er raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over my face with genuine surprise.

"Taking your disciple out to travel?" she murmured, resting her chin on her palm. "That girl has truly changed you, hasn’t she? In the past, if I wanted you to step outside the sect gates for even an afternoon, I had to physically drag you by your collar, and you would still whine and demand spiritual herbs as compensation."

I choked on my breath, utterly speechless.

I opened my mouth to fire back an excuse, but closed it just as quickly. Damn it all, she wasn’t wrong. In my past three decades of living here, avoiding unnecessary danger had practically been my sacred religion. If there were no benefits, why would any sane man leave a safe, formation-protected peak just to run into arrogant wandering cultivators looking for a fight?

Still, I wasn’t about to admit to being a cowardly turtle to her face.

I put on a solemn, philosophical expression and let out a deep, dramatic sigh. "Aiya, Senior Sister, you shouldn’t hold onto old impressions. A man cannot remain a sheltered boy forever. Everyone must eventually grow up, take responsibility, and embrace the storms of the world. It is simply my time."

Wan’er stared at me in complete silence. Her eyes narrowed into two razor-thin slits as she studied my deadpan, righteous expression

"I have to say, Lu Chen," she remarked dryly, a faint, teasing smirk playing at the corner of her lips. "Your acting skills have improved remarkably over the past month. If I didn’t know you down to your very bones, I might have actually been moved to tears by that nonsense."

Hearing her see right through my act, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter, scratching my cheek with an unrepentant grin.

No matter how high my cultivation rose or how many system cheats I held, when it came to this sharp-tongued Senior Sister of mine, trying to deceive her was an entirely lost cause.

She really knew me all too well.

Whenever I was around Su Wan’er, a familiar, comfortable warmth settled into my chest. In this vast, cutthroat cultivation world where everyone wore a mask and calculated every move, our casual banter was one of the few things that genuinely brought peace to my heart.

Without warning, I leaned over and let my head drop right onto her lap.

Su Wan’er stiffened, her breath hitching in surprise. Her hands hovered awkwardly over the zither strings for a brief second, clearly caught off guard by my sudden lack of boundaries. But she didn’t shove me away, nor did she conjure a frost blade.

Slowly, her shoulders relaxed, and her slender, porcelain fingers gently reached into my hair, lightly combing through the loose strands with a familiar tenderness.

"I’m going to miss you, Senior Sister," I murmured, closing my eyes and breathing in the soft jasmine scent of her robes.

Wan’er let out a soft, amused chuckle, her fingers tracing the contour of my temple. "Look at you, being an idiot again. We are immortal cultivators, Lu Chen. What does a brief journey down the mountain amount to in the grand scheme of things? Before you even realize it, you’ll be back on my peak complaining about the cold tea."