Chapter 200: Relieving Worries

Wen Qing froze, finally noticing the two people standing nearby. His face lit up with sheer joy.

“Little junior niece! Wonderful! I’m back at last — I finally get to see you again!”

Tears of pent-up frustration welled up as he scrambled to his feet and started toward them. “Little—”

He didn’t finish before the two of them simultaneously covered their noses and stepped back in perfect synchronization.

The smell of winter melon was overpowering.

Wen Qing: “…”

So much for family affection!

“Uncle, how did you end up inside a winter melon?” Yun Jiao asked solemnly — not a hint of expression leaking through her disgust. “Weren’t you supposed to be with Senior Brother Han in the Underworld?”

“Don’t even mention it!” Wen Qing fumed, brushing several Dust-Dispelling Charms over himself until he looked halfway like an immortal again. “I just thought, since my eldest brother was busy, I’d sneak— er, take the chance to come check on you. But right after I crossed the boundary gate, I sensed some strange surge of life force behind your mountain. Before I could investigate, I got sealed inside that damned melon! I tried everything to get out — but whoever set that sealing spell outside was a real piece of work. I couldn’t break it from the inside. Nearly suffocated in there!”

Yun Jiao: “…”

Old Man Bai: “…”

They exchanged a look and understood instantly. He must have arrived right when Ying Lun was casting a growth spell over his crops. Ying Lun’s power came from the Underworld — and Wen Qing, coming straight from the same realm, had been caught by the pull. As for the sealing spell that kept him trapped? That was their own doing: after Ying Lun’s exploding watermelon incident, they’d told him to reinforce every future melon with protective wards — just in case.

Those wards could only be opened from the outside.

“I have to check the back mountain,” Wen Qing huffed, sleeves rolling up. “Whoever that was, he’s no ordinary person — maybe even a threat to Qingyang! I’ll go teach him a lesson myself!”

“Wait!” Yun Jiao grabbed his sleeve just in time. No way — you’ll lose that fight. She sighed and said, “He’s… an acquaintance of Ancestor’s.”

Wen Qing froze like a punctured balloon, all his fight evaporating. “Why does Master keep befriending people who torture his disciples…”

Yun Jiao quickly explained Ying Lun’s identity as the “vegetable-farmer-King-of-the-Dead,” that trapping Wen Qing had been an accident, and that Yi Zheng had already apologized. Only then did Wen Qing’s temper subside a little.

“Eh? Where’s Second Brother?” he asked, looking around. “I don’t sense Yuan Jiang anywhere in the temple.”

Yun Jiao hesitated, then said, “He had something urgent — went back to the Upper Realm.”

“Back?” Wen Qing frowned. Then his expression changed. “So it really is something serious in the Eastern Heaven Court. In that case, I’d better return too.”

“Uncle Wen, you’re not going back to Senior Brother Han?” the old man asked without thinking.

Wen Qing’s face paled immediately, his body trembling slightly as though recalling something traumatic. He shook his head furiously. “No, no! I finally mana— I mean, Han Shu is a responsible sort; he doesn’t need me worrying over him. Eldest Brother’s still there too — he’ll keep an eye on him, ha-ha-ha…” He wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

Yun Jiao: “…”

Now she was really curious. What kind of terrifying person was this Eldest Senior Uncle that made even the dignified immortals act like scolded children?

“Cough. Well then… little niece,” Wen Qing said, tugging his beard guiltily, “if Second Brother rushed back, something big must indeed be happening in the Upper Realm. I shouldn’t linger here either. It’s already late, so I won’t disturb Master’s rest. Please apologize to him on my behalf.”

“Alright.” Yun Jiao nodded, eyeing him up and down. “Take care, Uncle.”

“Then I’ll be off! Until next time, both of you!”

He waved, shot into the air, and vanished into the clouds.

Yun Jiao watched him go, her gaze thoughtful. It was probably best to let Second Uncle explain matters himself. With a sigh, she told the old man and Yi Zheng to move the vegetables to the kitchen, then turned toward her study.

The new term was about to begin — and the unified entrance exam papers still weren’t finished.

---

High above the mortal realm.

Wen Qing hurried through the clouds, mind racing. Second Brother would never have left Qingyang lightly; it had to be an emergency involving the Eastern Heaven Court.

He pushed his sword faster, approaching the boundary gate—when a familiar figure appeared ahead, hovering in mid-air, white robes flowing, face flawless yet cold as frost.

Wen Qing nearly lost control and toppled off his sword. “M-m-m… Master?!”

Night Yuan looked down at him, voice calm. “From the Underworld?”

“Y-yes!” Wen Qing steadied himself and bowed deeply.

“Have you seen Long Chang?”

Wen Qing’s mouth twitched. He forced a smile. “Yes, Master. Eldest Brother is doing quite well — his cultivation has advanced greatly!”

Night Yuan gave a faint nod. “And now you’re returning to the Upper Realm.”

“Yes…” Wen Qing hesitated. Could it be that Master didn’t want him to leave? His heart lifted hopefully. “Master, I—”

“Good.”

“…Ah?”

Night Yuan’s tone didn’t waver. “From now on, there’s no need for any of you to return here.”

Before Wen Qing could react, a sweep of wind brushed past him. Something inside his mind shifted — he could no longer sense the presence of Qingyang at all. The link to his Master’s domain had been erased.

“Master…” he whispered, stunned. Why?

“Go.”

And with that, Night Yuan’s figure dissolved into the night sky.

Wen Qing stood there, speechless.

---

Back at Qingyang Temple.

A pale figure descended quietly before a window.

Inside, the girl writing furiously looked up, sensing him. “Ancestor?”

He met her gaze, answering with a soft, “Mm.” His voice was calm, yet his eyes lingered on her without a word.

Neither spoke. They simply looked at each other through the open window for a long, silent while.

At last Yun Jiao sighed, set down her brush, and went to him.

Night Yuan turned slightly as she reached out, pulling him down to sit beside her on the stone steps.

“Ancestor, are you in a bad mood?”

He frowned faintly, considering. “Not exactly.”

“Can’t sleep?”

“No.” His voice was low. “I don’t want to.”

“Then…” She propped her chin on one hand and looked at him. “Is there something you’d like to talk about?”

His brow furrowed again, and after a long pause, he said simply, “I don’t know.”

“Alright.” She nodded gently. “Then I’ll just sit here with you.”

So they sat together in silence, side by side beneath the moonlight. The garden below shimmered with blossoms, glowing softly in the night air — an image so serene it seemed painted.

Eventually, the tension eased from Night Yuan’s face; the restless weight in the air melted away. But another, subtler mood rose between them — something warm, unfamiliar. He glanced toward his little grand-disciple and, to his own surprise, felt a strange heat stir beneath his calm surface. Part of him wanted to keep sitting there… and part of him wanted not to just sit.

Sensing the awkward stillness, Yun Jiao finally spoke. “Ancestor.”

“Mm?”

“Sitting like this is kind of boring. I know a great way to relieve worries — want to try it?”

“…Alright.”

She turned abruptly, whipping out a stack of papers from who-knows-where. “Here! Let’s do an exam together. There’s no trouble in life that one full set of test papers can’t fix — and if there is, I’ve got a second set ready!”

Night Yuan: “…”

(End of Chapter)