It’s Not Easy Being a Master, Chapter 72: Reunion

Due to his identity and many other previous preparations, Shen Zhixian’s transition into the Qingyun Sect Leader’s position was much smoother than Song Ming’s.

He disclosed Song Ming’s guilt to the sect members and sent many letters and gifts to make amends to the small sects that had been injured. He pushed all the mistakes, some half-truths and some half-lies, on to Song Ming’s shoulders.

Those small sect leaders received the heavy gifts but were still somewhat unwilling. However, the demons and monsters that had been raging recently had tossed them enough. Now that Qingyun Sect was putting on an attitude, they hesitated for a long time and found that they could endure.

No matter how bad it was, it would be like striking at a stone with eggs.

Time hastily passed by, and in a flash, a year was gone.

During that year, Shen Zhixian and Yan Jin were still in separate locations, both very busy with their own work. Often, Yan Jin would cast an illusion at night and the two of them would embrace briefly under the moon.

They deliberately didn’t announce the relationship between them. The sect disciples still thought that Yan Jin was out gaining practical experience. But, sometimes, they would wonder why the sect leader was in such a good mood that day–Naturally, it was because Yan Jin came to visit the previous night.

Fourth Elder guessed something, but Shen Zhixian didn’t mention it and so he didn’t say anything either. He thought that these were young people; he was just an elderly single man. It’s best not to embroil himself in it.

Fourth Elders met the other elders’ doubtful eyes and slowly revealed a calm and unpredictable smile.

No one knew that, in addition to a new sect leader, they also gained a new….uh…

Fourth Elder remembered Yan Jin’s cold and indifferent appearance, hesitated for a moment, but still resolutely chose to safeguard his young martial nephew’s dignity. He silently filled in the last half of the words in his heart.

…What about the new sect leader’s wife?

Yan Jin wasn’t idle either. Within a year, he’d completely subjugated the wasteland, including the demons and monsters inside and outside.

The fact that he’d become a devil could not be changed or reversed. The only thing he could do now was to try and get close to Shen Zhixian, to make himself strong, and to protect Shen Zhixian in the future.

The remaining demons and monsters in the wasteland didn’t have strong killing intent in their hearts to begin with and were gradually converted. After receiving the baptism of Yan Jin’s brutal beating, they expressed their surrender without hesitation.

So, not only must they abandon their life of drinking blood, they must also go out from time to time to slay those demons and monsters who had escaped to cause chaos.

The demons and monsters in the wasteland were nearly in tears. Anyway, they were also brothers who’d lived for thousands of years. Now that they could kill each other, this was really too…

Too good!

The demons used all the spirit stones earned from hunting other demons and monsters to buy human food. After surrounding the food in excitement, eating with tears in their eyes—

Oh!

Why didn’t they find this better than raw meat before?

It was a pity that they have too few spirit stones and too little food. Each demon only had a pitiful few and, after a few mouthfuls, it was all gone. Not to mention filling their stomach, it wasn’t even enough to fill their teeth.

A large group of demons came together to discuss the matter. Since Yan Jin no longer needed to curb them, they actively went out of the wasteland to find jobs to earn spirit stones.

It was just that they were demons and not human. Naturally, there were a lot of jokes at first. But, this narrative didn’t last long. They caused good results, which was worthy of praise.

After the people in charge of the larger cultivation sects got together and had a meeting, it was unanimously decided that since the wasteland now had a master and the demons and monsters looked like they’re trying to do better, it was better not to try to re-seal the wasteland. As a result, the two parties made an agreement to try and get along as friendly as possible.

Even if peace was just on the surface, as long as progress could be made, then it was a step in the right direction.

This was Shen Zhixian’s first time attending an inter-sect meeting as the Qingyun Sect Leader. Even when the agreement was being finalized, Yan Jin didn’t reveal his identity. He wore a half mask carved by Shen Zhixian himself.

So, everyone only knew that there was a “Supreme Lord” of the Wasteland, but they didn’t know that he was Yan Jin. Shen Zhixian sat calmly in front of a group of seniors, listening to the agreement being finalized, and was relieved.

His and Yan Jin’s efforts this year were not wasted.

However, even though the problem of the wasteland was temporarily resolved on the surface, there were still many demons and monsters that refused to succumb to the wasteland and escaped. These evils must continue to be hunted down.

As a result, a small gathering was secretly set up. When the message reporting the time and place was transmitted to Shen Zhixian’s hand through a secret method, it was midnight. Yan Jin happened to be there and frowned when he saw the message.

At the last gathering, Yan Jin could only look at Shen Zhixian and could not touch him. He couldn’t even say one sentence. At that time, he was wearing a mask and could only stand quietly in front of Shen Zhixian. After all, he was the Lord of the Wasteland and Shen Zhixian was the Qingyun Sect Leader. Naturally, they would “not know” each other.

After Shen Zhixian opened the message, he smiled and showed the message to Yan Jin without hesitation. In good spirits, he said, “I’ll go out in two days so you won’t have to cast illusions again.”

Casting an illusion to meet with Shen Zhixian was not easy. Regardless of whether it was the caster’s environment or the caster’s targeted environment, the spiritual fluctuation of both locations must remain steady. If the spiritual fluctuation should change, the caster would be easily injured.

Although Yan Jin was already very strong, Shen Zhixian didn’t want him to take too many risks.

Yan Jin’s lips pinched, not answering.

……

The reason why the gathering was considered a small gathering was because there were very few participants. Only those with strong and decisive power could participate in it. Regarding the annihilation of fiends, they must be cautious and prudent.

Shen Zhixian allowed Fourth Elders to stay behind and head the sect. Pretending to enter seclusion, he put on Sui Xian’s face and quietly went down the mountain.

The location of the small gathering was set in Xuanji Tower. Since Xuanji Tower could calculate hexagrams, it was best to carefully discuss matters there first.

When Shen Zhixian arrived in the small town near Xuanji Tower, it was still early. He wasn’t in a hurry to enter the sect so he wandered around town.

The town was very lively. As Shen Zhixian sat in a teahouse, he decided that he might as well try to find a bookstore.

That day, there was a young girl sitting in a bookstore. The suppression of women in the cultivation realm wasn’t too terrible and it was, in fact, quite common for many women to take power or to head their own business.

Sui Xian’s face and temperament wasn’t too overly outstanding nor handsome, but it could easily attract the attention of young girls.

When the young girl saw Shen Zhixian, her eyes brightened and her lazy sitting position suddenly straightened. She blinked enthusiastically. “Do you want to buy something? The latest item we have is this picture book made with top-quality pen, ink, paper. Everything!”

She pushed a picture book to the counter and looked at Shen Zhixian in anticipation.

Shen Zhixian originally wanted to say he was just looking around but the picture book’s cover caught his attention. “Beauty List?”

There was a small word underneath: Immortal.

The young girl saw him look and hurriedly pushed to book closer to him. “It’s a new beauty list! Immortal Edition! Every beauty is here! Men, women and children, they’re all here!”

Shen Zhixian raised an eyebrow and turned a page with some interest.

The young girl had apparently read this book many times already. When she saw him open to the first page, she said without thinking, “The first page is the top of the list. This is the current leader of the Qingyun Sect…”

Shen Zhixian wasn’t prepared to hear his name. He looked down and saw his own portrait. He couldn’t help but laugh and turned a few more pages.

In fact, there were many people who looked better than him in the cultivation realm. When Shen Zhixian asked, the young girl laughed and said, “This beauty list is voted by everyone. It depends not only on looks but also on temperament, strength, and more.…”

Who knew that people would have this much leisurely time? Shen Zhixian flipped a few more pages and, smiling, pushed the book back to her.

The young girl was disappointed, “You don’t want to buy the book?”

Shen Zhixian was about to shake his head when he caught a glance of the counter where she’d randomly placed another picture book. The cover was similar to this one. However, the only difference was… With his good eyesight, Shen Zhixian was able to see that the word immortal had been replaced with the character “Devil.”

“This is….?”

The young girl looked back and said dismissively, “Oh, that’s the monster’s picture book. Hey, let me tell you. It’s really unsuitable to have a beauty list for monsters. It should be the ugly list, instead. Except, the top of the list….”

She brought the picture book over and opened it in front of Shen Zhixian. “The top of the list is said to be the Lord of the Wasteland, who is the monsters’ Supreme Lord. He looks pretty pleasing to the eyes; otherwise… there’s not much to mention in this book.” She couldn’t help but complain at little. “The person who compiled the list printed a monster edition, but no one buys them at all! It’s a big loss!”

She pointed a finger at the corner, where a stack of books were piled precariously. The outside of the books were covered in dust.

Shen Zhixian raised his hand and gently brushed his fingers across the portrait on the front page of the album.

It’d captured Yan Jin’s physique and temperament. But, the upper half of his face was firmly shielded by a half mask, giving him an overall appearance of rugged strength. The uncovered portion revealed the stern lines of his chin and the firmness of his mouth.

Shen Zhixian’s fingertips rested on those lips for a moment. The corners of his mouth lifted, and he raised his hand to close the picture book. “I want this one.”

“Ah?” The young girl was surprised and asked in disbelief, “You want this monster book, or do you want the immortal book?”

“I want this.” Shen Zhixian nodded to Yan Jin’s picture book and generously put down a top-quality spirit stone.

The young girl did not pick up the spirit stone immediately. She first chose a newer picture book for him, neatly wrapped it in paper, and handed it to Shen Zhixian, wondering, “Why did the young master want to buy this? Almost no cultivators would buy this, so why?”

Smiling gently, Shen Zhixian took the picture book. “Because, the person at the top of the list is very handsome. I like it very much.”

Stunned, the young girl stared blindly at the bookstore’s door until it was nearly dark. Since the meeting was set for the next day, Shen Zhixian decided to stay one night alone and go to Xuanji Tower tomorrow.

He was very impressed by the people from Xuanji Tower. From sect’s top people down to the junior disciples, they all liked fortune-telling and had even calculated a fated romance for him. He really didn’t know how he could bear such enthusiasm.

After booking a room, Shen Zhixian was too lazy to go back out into the street so he simply went downstairs for dinner. Afterward, he headed back to his room to rest.

As soon as he opened the door, he noticed that something was wrong. He quickly evaded sideways, trying to avoid the approaching object. But, Yan Jin knew him too well and intercepted his escape. Yan Jin caught Shen Zhixian against his chest and reached behind him to firmly shut the door.

With a smile, Shen Zhixian greeted, “A’jin.” Then, he asked, “Why are you here?”

Although he’d asked the question, he wasn’t too terribly surprised. Yan Jin knew him, but he also knew Yan Jin. That night, Yan Jin didn’t answer him so he’d guessed that his little disciple would come to him.

Yan Jin hugged him and sat down on the bed, resting his chin on Shen Zhixian’s shoulder. He said unhappily, “If I don’t come, then I won’t see you for a long time.”

Shen Zhixian embraced him and said a few words to coax him. All of a sudden, he thought of something and enthusiastically brought the picture book for Yan Jin to look at. “I think this artist isn’t good enough. He really can’t capture A’jin’s excellent looks. Compared to the real person, this was just so-so.”

“And this pose couldn’t fully portray A’jin’s charm. There ought to be a few more paintings…Aiya, this artist couldn’t see A’jin’s true face, so he can’t do it justice.”

Yan Jin shot a quick glance at the picture, then stared attentively at Shen Zhixian with a burning gaze. “Sui Xian can paint.”

“Huh?”

“If you want to paint me, I can pose for you anytime.” With his low voice full of temptations, Yan Jin tilted his head, his lips nearly brushing Shen Zhixian’s earlobe. “If looking isn’t sufficient, Sui Xian can even touch…”

Shen Zhixian couldn’t withstand his husky words. His ears grew hot and his entire body turned soft. Unhappily, Shen Zhixian pinched his waist. Once his intellect returned, he said, “What if I want to see you with no clothes on? Will you also let me look?”

Distance only made the hearts grow longer, and separation only increased their longing. In the past year, their relationship had grown by leaps and bounds. The Sui Xian from the past had also returned and, from time to time, he liked to tease Yan Jin.

Later, it was unclear how they set each other aflame. Shen Zhixian couldn’t remember. He just knew that Yan Jin suddenly stopped at the last moment.

In any case, Shen Zhixian was a grown man and would naturally have a reaction. This time, they were both frantic with need. Shen Zhixian was enraptured. He wanted to give in to Yin Jin, wanted very much to indulge in his every movement.

The outcome was that Yan Jin suddenly pulled the brakes.

Shen Zhixian was so angry that he wanted to bite him. His face was flushed red. He was still panting, his chest violently undulating. He gritted his teeth and said, “You’re not going to give it to me?”

Yan Jin was evidently also suffering. His forehead was beaded with sweat. Propping his hands on the bed, he lifted himself up and shook his head, saying with difficulty, “Here’s not good. I’ll wrong you…”

Shen Zhixian was very, extremely dissatisfied. His voice was low and angry. “Again, I’m not an unmarried, virgin girl and won’t feel wronged…In the last life, you weren’t this particular!”

In the past year, they were just one person and one illusion. No matter how far they’d gone, they couldn’t take the final step. This time, they were finally reunited with each other. Both of them were physically present. Shen Zhixian couldn’t endure it.

Whether horizontal or vertical, they’d done many things in the last life. This kind of thing, Shen Zhixian wanted to do whatever he wanted.

As long as he was happy, as long as Yan Jin was happy, any way was fine.

However, he never expected that Yan Jin would stop first.

Shen Zhixian was burning with rage, itching to pull out his sword and cut him to pieces. In the end, he couldn’t endure it anymore and lifted his feet to kick Yan Jin out.

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