Published: February 25, 2025
When Tan Yun arrived outside the Meritorious Immortal Valley, he noticed that Shen Subing had not activated the valley's prohibitions, so he stepped inside.
As he inhaled the refreshing fragrance of flowers, he arrived in the depths of the Immortal Valley and used the primordial divine step to flash upward towards the sky, soaring high into the air.
After a long moment with no response, Shen Subing was not present.
"Where has she gone?" Tan Yun chuckled and took a seat in the hall, quietly waiting for Shen Subing to return...
As the sun set and night fell.
"Whoosh!"
Shen Subing, wearing a golden long dress, flew down from the sky, her skirt fluttering as she gracefully landed outside the palace.
With a solemn expression and an angry look, she stepped into the palace, not noticing Tan Yun, who was clad in the Turtle Breathing Cold Veil, sitting on the jade chair.
"Disciple, who has made you angry this time?"
The familiar voice reached Shen Subing’s ears, causing her delicate figure to tremble. She turned her head to see Tan Yun rising from the jade chair on the left side of the hall, and immediately, the joy on her face dispersed her previous anger.
"Master!" Shen Subing vanished from her spot and, in the next moment, pounced into Tan Yun's embrace, holding onto him tightly.
The fragrance of her black hair mixed with the faint scent of purity emanating from her, intertwining and drifting into Tan Yun's nostrils.
Tan Yun was slightly taken aback, feeling a light touch on his shoulder, which turned out to be Shen Subing's aggrieved tears falling onto his right shoulder.
"Master, Subing hates you! It's been so long since you came to see me; have you forgotten Subing?" Shen Subing clung to Tan Yun, her beautiful eyes filled with tears, speaking in a resentful tone.
"My good disciple, how could I forget you?" Tan Yun gently patted her jade back and said softly, "In the past three years, I have been through a lot and indeed have been too busy to visit. Now that I have finally finished my work, I came to see my precious disciple."
Shen Subing released Tan Yun from her embrace, her tear-filled eyes staring at him, "Really? You must not lie to me."
"Of course it's true." Tan Yun said, reaching out his right hand towards Shen Subing's cheek.
When he touched her delicate and fragrant face, Shen Subing did not evade, allowing Tan Yun to wipe away her tears.
As the tears were wiped away, a hint of shyness appeared on Shen Subing’s exceptionally beautiful face.
Looking at Shen Subing’s enchanting demeanor, Tan Yun felt a moment of distraction. He took a deep breath to calm the ripples in his heart and teased, "My precious disciple, tell me, who has made you angry this time?"
Upon hearing this, the usually icy and elegant Shen Subing revealed her true feelings in front of Tan Yun.
She huffed angrily, "Master, aside from Chief Tang and Elder Five, the other elders of the Immortal Sect Danmai are bullying me."
"Five hours ago, Chief Tang summoned all the elders to discuss the alchemical refinement grand competition."
"Considering I am a low-tier sovereign alchemist, she allowed us elders in the alchemical arts competition to decide for ourselves the grade of the elixirs we refine."
"Master, think about it, if I refine a low-grade sovereign elixir, wouldn’t I still have some face left?"
"However, except for Elder Five who agreed, the other elders opposed unanimously, saying that the elixirs must be at least middle-grade sovereign elixirs!"
Shen Subing grew more agitated as she spoke, "They are clearly targeting me, trying to make me, as a meritorious elder, lose all my face and force me to give up on the alchemical arts competition, becoming the laughingstock of the entire Danmai!"
"Master, you don't know, out of the nearly four thousand disciples under me, only Tan Yun is a saint level grand alchemist. I wanted him to stand out among the talented alchemists to regain some face for myself."
"But Elder Four Lu Yi and a few elders' closed-door disciples have quietly advanced to low-tier sovereign alchemists. This means Tan Yun has no hope of winning, and I would lose all my last bit of dignity!"