No need to thank me

Sect master Xie felt that there was something wrong with his sect recently.

His sect used to be regarded as an abode of aloof geniuses who were feared for their ruthlessness and respected for their dedication towards cultivation.

But oddly enough, nowadays he could no longer see anyone in the training areas, and what was even more strange was that the cultivation manuals which used to be borrowed out like hot pancakes were left untouched as if they were some sort of decoration.

Initially, he thought that the disciples had gone out do some hidden missions when he was in closed cultivation, but as time passed, he realized that he had been mistaken, deeply mistaken.

*sigh*. He sighed for the Nth time as he gazed at the scene before his eyes.

Delicate fairy maidens were carrying some wooden figurines and pillows with a crazed look in their face, while male cultivators in Daoist robes were surrounding zitherist maidens with deep reverence and chanting 'love fairy XX'.

*sigh*. Whether it was because the scene was too pitiful to watch or for other reasons, sect master Xie could not help but sigh again. Compared to the past, the scene before his eyes were simply too tragic.

Where were the disciples respected for their dedication? Had their dedication been converted into love chants.

Where were the disciples feared for their ruthlessness? Had they diverted their ruthlessness to support their idols in 'fan fights'.

And how the hell is a frickin pillow even needed by cultivators??

Sect master Xie felt like times were changing too fast.

If it was only this, then perhaps he could accept it, albeit reluctantly. After all, cultivators have a calm and adaptable mindset. But what made him almost cough a mouthful of blood was a rumor which circulated throughout the sect when he was in closed cultivation.

'Old Qie and Sect master are lovers'. The hell was going in their mind.

Throughout the cultivation realm, who didn't know that he and Qie xing from the Demonic Origin Sect were eternal enemies that were given titles such as the 'eternal enemies of the era', 'the destined enemies of a lifetime', etc. to highlight their animosity. Besides, both were male. How could they be lovers? But now, these 'enlightened' disciples of his sect had started giving them the title of 'the lovers separated by fate', or the 'the pure love which transcends gender' in the martial world.

He finally understood the weird behavior of his martial brothers and disciples a few days ago after he had just walked out from his closed cultivation. Initially, he thought they were disappointed due to his failure to breakthrough.

But every time he met their gaze, they had more pity rather than disappointment. Back then, he never understood the reason. But now, he finally understood why. This discovery made him even more depressed.

Even though he fiercely denied all rumors after getting the gist of it, it seemed like his fate was sealed. No matter what sort of explanation he gave, people still had a sad yet 'we will support you' look in their face when they looked at him.

For the first time in his long life, sect master Xie felt that he was alone in this cold world.

"They say brothers protect each other's back and disciples look at their master like their own parent. What a load of bullshit. They can't even be bothered to believe the words of their own master and brother."

The graceful and otherworldly sect master Xie could not help but speak vulgarly like a ruffian after all the events which transpired after his seclusion.

He angrily looked at the object in his hand and said, "It is all the fault of this damn book".

The object in his hand was a newly printed book titled 'Unfortunate lovers of the era'. From the way these books could be encountered in almost all literary stalls in the sect, it could be easily inferred that it was a best seller.

But what made him even more angry and helpless was that the author of this book was his martial uncle's only disciple– Xia Junling.

This situation put him in a dilemma.

What could he do?

Punish her?

If he dared to do that, forget about his martial uncle who doted on her like his own daughter, even the disciples of the sect would come to bite at him.

Leave her alone?

He would not be able to live with himself if he left her unaccounted.

At any rate, he felt that there was a need to have a good 'one to one' talk with her.

After making his decision, he paced towards the sect disciplinary hall and ordered Xia Junling to meet him immediately using his communication crystal which was connected to all the elders in the sect.

He sat on the highest seat of the disciplinary hall with a solemn expression and waited for her to come in.

An hour passed…

Two hours passed…

Three….

Four….

After waiting for more than five hours, sect master Xie could finally not control his patience any longer.

"XIA JUNLING! Come here immediately or I will cut all your funds for ten years".

"W-wait, I am coming."

Almost as if those words had a summoning effect, a petite figure dressed in female Daoist robes entered the hall. The figure had fair complexion, and a face which could put top idols of earth to shame. But if one looked closely, one could see that her face was currently painted with anxiousness and a deep sense of emergency.

If one did not know better, they might even think that the frail maiden was chased by some bad thugs or faced a grave danger to come here.

Nonetheless, as someone who was familiar with her antics and had practically raised her alongside her master, sect master Xie remained completely unfazed to this scene.

After reaching towards the center of the hall, the figure greeted the sect master.

"Xia Junling greets sect master."

"Hm." Sect master Xie snorted lightly to show his dissatisfaction at her for being late. Although he wanted to deride her for her tardiness, he knew from his past experiences that it was going to be a useless endeavor. Thus, he decided to reach to the main point without wasting more time.

"Do you know why I called you today?"

?? Xia Junling was stupefied. How was she supposed to know about why she was called here without any explanation? She took a moment to recollect herself and looked at her surroundings. She cutely tilted her head and answered her conclusion. "Because you were lonely."

Sect master Xie felt a steep rise in his blood pressure after hearing her answer.

Despite his best efforts to calm his emotions, multiple veins could be seen popping in his handsome middle-aged face.

"What do you have to explain for yourself regarding the current change in the sect".

Sect master Xie questioned in an authoritative tone to intimidate and make her feel guilty. But contrary to sect master Xie's expectation, it seemed like fairy Xia failed to take the cue. Her cute expression quickly changed into a smug one.

"Right, isn't the sect livelier nowadays. It no longer has gloomy atmosphere and people don't go around causing noise pollution and mental distress".

Sect master Xie was dumbfounded with her answer.

The hell! Why the heck are you acting like you did something praiseworthy.

Fairy Xia, who was oblivious toward her sect master's state kept on blabbering.

"It was really hard asking male cultivators to pose for paintings. I even had to go to nearby sects to ask for female zitherists".

After hearing her gloating speech for more than ten minutes, sect master Xie could no longer able to stand it, so he immediately changed the question.

"What about the rumors you spread about me and old Qie."

"Oh, you don't need to thank me. I just did my duty as your junior."

"Thank?" Sect master felt like something was wrong with his ears.

"You want me to be grateful?"

"Eh, you guys are not lovers yet?"

"…"

"No need to feel so conflicted. Everyone understands. I mean it is already quite suspicious when you guys have 58 death matches with no death. Besides, you guys always speak cheesy lines like 'Take my Sword' (In fairy Xia's mind, this suggests the speaker is Uke, aka 'top'), or 'We cannot live under the same sky' (In fairy Xia's mind, this suggests marriage separation or in extreme cases- a divorce). It feels more like a lover's quarrel than an actual death match"

"…" (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻