Watching the Mountain

’Great. Now that he’s seen me come back with Senior Sister Yue, he’ll probably figure out who arranged my new identity without even having to inherit the position of Chief Disciple.’

This left Xu Ran feeling rather helpless.

’If I’d known this would happen, I shouldn’t have been so cryptic when Li Daoyi asked before. It would have been so much better to just tell him directly.’

"Greetings, Senior. Greetings, Moon Fairy."

When he saw Xu Ran and Yue Qingyu return together, a flicker of surprise clearly showed in Li Daoyi’s eyes, but he quickly concealed it before bowing respectfully to the pair.

Xu Ran nodded slightly in response, then slowly asked, "Here for another match of Swordsmanship?"

Li Daoyi nodded. After seeing Yue Qingyu, he tactfully cupped his hands in a salute and said, "Senior, you must be busy. I’ll come back another day."

Without waiting for Xu Ran to ask him to stay, he quickly turned and left.

Seeing this, Xu Ran didn’t say anything more. He opened the gate to his Cave Mansion, invited Yue Qingyu to take a seat, and then went to get some Spirit Rice and Spirit Beast Flesh and began to busy himself.

"Your cooking is as good as ever, Junior Brother."

Yue Qingyu complimented him with a beaming smile as she ate the Spiritual Cuisine Xu Ran had served.

Seeing her reaction, Xu Ran also broke into a happy smile. "If you like it, Senior Sister, please have some more."

A moment later, Yue Qingyu looked at Xu Ran and asked, "The past few times Nephew Li was mentioned, your mood seemed a bit off, Junior Brother. Did something happen between you two?"

Xu Ran wasn’t embarrassed about it in the slightest and truthfully recounted how Li Daoyi had inquired about his identity.

After hearing Xu Ran’s story, a peculiar look appeared on Yue Qingyu’s face. She chuckled lightly and said:

"Junior Brother, you’re always so mature and steady. I never imagined you had such a mischievous side to you."

Xu Ran chuckled, his expression calm as he replied, "As you know, Senior Sister, my own talent and aptitude are rather poor. When I meet a talented junior, I can’t help but want to tease them a little. A peaceful life is nice, but people will always seek out a little fun for themselves."

Yue Qingyu lowered her eyes and smiled. "For someone with such outstanding talent, giving them a target can indeed accelerate their growth.

If this is your plan, Junior Brother, then when I get back, I’ll completely hide your file. That way, even if Nephew Li becomes the Chief Disciple, he won’t be able to view it. He’ll only find out when you decide to tell him yourself."

Xu Ran glanced at her, stunned. He hadn’t expected her to say that.

After a moment of thought, he waved his hand and said, "Please don’t spoil me so much, Senior Sister. As for this matter, let me and Nephew Li resolve it ourselves."

Yue Qingyu smiled slightly at his words, nodding gently. "Very well. Since Nephew Li enjoys seeking you out, then you’ll have to put in some effort, Junior Brother. Help him mature as quickly as possible."

Xu Ran nodded and chuckled. "You think too highly of me, Senior Sister. He’s Junior Brother Zhang’s disciple, so his growth should naturally be guided by Junior Brother Zhang. I can only do what little I can."

Yue Qingyu gently shook her head. "You’ve always done very well, Junior Brother. Whether it’s with Junior Brother Zhang or your student, Wuchen True Monarch, both the Sect and I have taken note of everything you’ve done."

Oftentimes, what people fear isn’t a lack of effort on their part, but that their efforts go completely unnoticed—that nobody cares at all.

Xu Ran considered himself lucky. In truth, he hadn’t done all that much to contribute to the growth of Zhang Zhentian and Shen Wuchen, yet Senior Sister Yue and the Sect attributed a large part of the credit to him.

The fact that they acknowledged every disciple’s contribution was one of the reasons he wanted to stay in the Profound Pure Sect forever.

*

*

*

The next day, when Li Daoyi came again, he bowed very solemnly to Xu Ran. His serious attitude left Xu Ran baffled, unable to figure out what had come over him so suddenly.

In response to Xu Ran’s confusion, Li Daoyi took the initiative to explain. "Yesterday, I saw you walking with the Moon Fairy, Senior. I surmise that the one who arranged your identity must be the Moon Fairy, correct? In the entire Sect, aside from the Sect Leader, only she, as the Chief Disciple, would have such authority."

Xu Ran wasn’t surprised that Li Daoyi had guessed this—he had already considered the possibility yesterday—so he simply admitted it.

Seeing this, Li Daoyi said with a sincere tone, "I apologize for ever having doubted you, Senior."

Xu Ran said, slightly surprised, "Oh? Just because it was Senior Sister Yue who arranged my identity, you’ve completely dropped your suspicion that I was just a freeloader living off the Sect through connections?"

Li Daoyi replied very seriously, "Of course. If it were anyone else, even my own master, I would still harbor some suspicion. I would think you might be the kind of person I despise—someone who leeches off the Sect."

"However, since it’s the Moon Fairy, that’s clearly not possible."

He gave Xu Ran an apologetic look, then continued speaking.

"Please forgive my rudeness, Senior. It’s not that I look down on you. I just don’t believe a person like the Moon Fairy would have some sort of secret, special relationship with you. Besides... someone like you doesn’t quite look right standing next to the Moon Fairy. That basically rules out the possibility that you got in through her connections."

"What’s more, given the Moon Fairy’s character, if she was willing to make these arrangements for you, it must be because your contributions to the Sect made you worthy of her doing so."

The corner of Xu Ran’s mouth twitched upon hearing this. ’Even though what Li Daoyi said was true, it was still incredibly vexing.’