Immortal Shuiyue was walking toward him, her face dark with anger.
Beside her were Su Ru, Tian Linger, and Wen Min.
The moment Shuiyue laid eyes on him, her expression grew even colder
She noticed Lu Xueqi standing nearby, looking uncharacteristically soft and calm....and instantly sensed something was wrong.
"Zhang Xiaofan!" she shouted. "Why are you on the Moon-Watching Platform with my disciple? Speak! What are your intentions?"
She stormed toward him, her robes billowing with fury.
Zhang Xiaofan panicked.
Master's wife, save me!" he shouted toward Su Ru.
Then, without hesitation, he summoned his firestick, leapt onto it, and shot off toward Big Bamboo Peak like a streak of light.
Su Ru stepped forward to calm her furious sister.
"Sister, please. Don't be angry.
Xiaofan was just sightseeing—he didn't come here for Lu Xueqi."
That only made Shuiyue angrier. Her voice rose.
"Don't stop me! Today I must teach that brat a lesson!"
"Back then, Tian Buyi stole you away… now this kid wants to steal my disciple?"
Lu Xueqi stepped forward quickly, trying to calm her master down.
"Master, didn't you say Zhang Xiaofan is kind and honest? After meeting him today, I think he's also very talented. He was only being helpful."
"Why are you so angry just because he came to this platform?"
Shuiyue froze. Her disciple's words hit her like lightning.
She stared at Lu Xueqi in disbelief and murmured, "It's over… she's even calling him Xiaofan now…"
A streak of rainbow light shot across the sky and landed swiftly in the square of Dazhu Peak.
Zhang Xiaofan had just returned. The moment he landed, he glanced back nervously.
He was worried that Master Shuiyue might be chasing after him.
She was a highly skilled cultivator, and if she wanted to punish him, he stood no chance.
Without wasting time, he hurried toward the Shoujing Hall.
Just then, his master, Tian Buyi, stepped out of the hall.
Seeing Xiaofan rushing back alone, he asked with a puzzled expression,
"Xiaofan? Weren't you at Xiaozhu Peak with Master's Wife? Why are you back so soon? And why do you look so nervous?"
Zhang Xiaofan replied in a hurry,
"Master Shuiyue wanted to hit me, so I ran away!"
Tian Buyi blinked in surprise. "Why would Senior Sister Shuiyue hit you?"
Before Xiaofan could answer, two more lights descended from the sky....it was Su Ru and Tian Ling'er.
As soon as they landed, Su Ru glared at Zhang Xiaofan and turned to Tian Buyi, saying with a cold tone,
"Senior Sister Shuiyue tried to hit him because the first thing this boy said when he saw her was to compliment her appearance.....calling her beautiful and... well-endowed."
"Tell me, is it appropriate for a young junior to speak to his elder like that?"
She then added angrily,
"That's not all! He left Wen Min behind and went to the Moon-Watching Terrace to chat alone with Lu Xueqi.
The two of them got along a little too well if you ask me."
Tian Buyi's reaction was unexpected—he didn't get angry. In fact, he burst into laughter.
Su Ru glared at him. "What are you laughing at?"
Stroking his beard, Tian Buyi said,
"When I was chasing you, your senior sister Shuiyue kept mocking me.
She said I wasn't as good-looking or talented as Senior Brother Wan Jianyi.
She said I was short and fat, and tried to stop you from marrying me."
"I wanted to talk back, but she was your senior sister, and I didn't want to worsen things between us. I've been holding back all these years."
"Now, my disciple actually managed to make her angry. It feels great!"
Su Ru was speechless.
Tian Buyi patted Zhang Xiaofan's shoulder and said with a grin,
"Good job, Seventh Disciple. This time, not only were you bold, but you made me proud."
Su Ru rolled her eyes and scolded,
"Don't go teaching your bad habits to a good kid. I always thought Xiaofan was such an honest boy.....who knew he could be so daring? So it was your influence after all!"
Then she added coldly,
"You'll be sleeping in the guest room tonight."
She grabbed Tian Ling'er by the hand and walked off.
Zhang Xiaofan scratched his head and said awkwardly,
"Master, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to get you kicked out of your own room."
Tian Buyi waved it off with a chuckle.
"Don't worry about it. It's a good time anyway...I was planning to teach you one of the four great arts of our Qingyun Sect: the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder True Art."
He continued seriously,
"I haven't taught it to you until now because it's extremely powerful.
A cultivator normally needs to reach the Upper Qing Realm to barely use it. But you… your spiritual power is far beyond most people."
"If you ever find yourself in a life-or-death situation, you might be able to use this technique....though it will cause a backlash if your cultivation isn't high enough."
Tian Buyi turned toward the inner hall and called out,
"Seventh Disciple, follow me to the secret room."
"Yes, Master!" Zhang Xiaofan quickly followed.
Inside the quiet and dim secret chamber, Tian Buyi began teaching the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder True Art.
The technique was complex, weaving together sword control and elemental lightning, but Zhang Xiaofan listened carefully and absorbed every word.
An hour passed.
Tian Buyi looked at him with a stern face.
"Xiaofan, this technique is very difficult, but with your talent, it's not impossible to learn."
"But listen carefully...I'm teaching you this to protect yourself, not to show off. Before you reach the Upper Qing Realm, never use it recklessly. Understood?"
"Yes, Master. I understand."
"Remember!" Tian Buyi emphasized again, repeating it three times. His tone was deadly serious.
Zhang Xiaofan nodded solemnly, but deep inside, he thought:
I've cultivated the supreme scripture of the Tianyin Temple...the Great Brahma Prajna Sutra...which perfectly complements the Tai Chi Xuanqing Dao. I can handle the backlash others can't.
The restrictions that hold others back don't apply to me.
As he recalled the moment Lu Xueqi had used the same technique on the Moon-Watching Terrace, he felt a wave of excitement rise in his chest.
He bowed respectfully and said,
"Master, I'll take my leave now."
"Go," Tian Buyi replied.
Zhang Xiaofan exited the secret room, and without hesitation, flew toward the valley behind Dazhu Peak....the same place where he once obtained the Fire Stick.
He was eager to try out the Divine Sword Controlling Thunder Technique for himself.
Not long after, Tian Buyi stepped out of the hall and saw Xiaofan flying away.
"Hmph, heading to the back mountain already? He's clearly going to test the technique." Tian Buyi frowned and followed him secretly.