The Daily Task of Preventing My Disciple from Turning to the Dark Side Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Seeing Mu Chen’s agreement, Gu Yunjue happily wrapped his arms around Mu Chen’s neck, pointing towards the distant trial peak covered by dark clouds, “Do I not need to participate in the trial? The older brothers said that only by climbing this mountain can I find an immortal.”

Never before had anyone been this close to him. Mu Chen felt a little awkward, turning his face slightly. He made a light sound of agreement, his tone calm but domineering, not allowing any objections, “As my disciple, why would you need to climb a mountain like a mud monkey?” The little one in his arms was so thin that he could hardly feel any weight. The priority now was to take good care of him.

Gu Yunjue was amused by this analogy, squinting his eyes as he looked at Mu Chen’s handsome face up close. He extended a tiny finger and gently poked Mu Chen’s skin. Master’s skin was so fair, almost translucent. Had Master already absorbed the Nine Yang Netherfire? Are you already suffering from the fire poison? And inside Master’s body, there’s a force that is familiar to me, attracting me to get closer. That force is… located at the chest.

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Tkp zkvvzl byde xshle qasx Yw Ubld’p qynl vs bkp nblpv, alpvkdt sd vbl prsv oblal Yw Ubld’p blyav clyv, yde bl tldvzu ralpple kv.

Yw Ubld zssjle esod, bkp lmralppksd wdnbydtle, yp bl tygle yv vbl rlapsd kd bkp yaxp, bkp lulp qyzzkdt sd vbl pxyzz ryo sd bkp nblpv. Tl qwaasole bkp caso pzktbvzu, osdelakdt obyv oyp oasdt okvb vbkp zkvvzl twu obs fwpv vswnble bkp qynl yde dso bkp nblpv.

“Yypvla?”

“…”

Hearing this address of “Master,” Mu Chen suddenly felt a sense of being transported to another world. Temporarily setting aside the little paw on his chest, he looked at Gu Yunjue with gentle eyes, not knowing what to say. But in the depths of his heart, the person he held was equally complex.

“Master is warm, it’s nice.” Gu Yunjue hugged Mu Chen’s neck, his little face pressed against it, affectionately rubbing against Mu Chen’s cheek. In a place Mu Chen couldn’t see, a dark red glimmer flashed in his ink-black eyes.

The warm and beating heart of his Master was not that cold, lifeless body in his arms. Gu Yunjue felt no guilt about destroying the Three Realms, the only regret being involving his Master, who desired nothing from him. Although he knew that time would rewind, he never expected it to go back so far. If it rewinded five more years, his own existence would be erased.

Looking at his small hand, Gu Yunjue lowered his gaze. Everything had to start over from scratch.

He controlled everything, except that Mu Chen appeared ten years earlier than expected. This was something he needed to explore carefully. However, what could not be doubted was that a living person stood before him once again, so close to him.

His Master was the only redemption in his previous life.

In this rebirth, it became his obsession.

Though his soul had become extremely fragile from enduring so much suffering, and he could easily be provoked to cruelty, Gu Yunjue felt Mu Chen’s gentle pat on his back, quickly adjusting to a more comfortable position. He attempted to communicate with his little disciple in a more normal manner, “Only dead people are cold. Your Master is naturally warm.”

“Master?”

“Yes?”

“Master.”

“Yes.”

Thinking that his little disciple was afraid of heights, Mu Chen’s face softened. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he gently stroked Gu Yunjue’s head. The child seemed malnourished with poor hair quality. Countless scenes flashed through Mu Chen’s mind, all of them depicting Gu Yunjue being bullied and forced to work without being given food. Mu Chen’s heart ached, and he made up his mind to satisfy whatever his little disciple liked from now on.

Once again, Mu Chen ruffled Gu Yunjue’s hair, intending to replace his disciple’s wooden hairpin with a protective spiritual tool. This child was particularly fond of treasures, which was probably because his needs weren’t met during his early years, leading to his tendency to snatch things from others when he grew up.

If others were aware of Mu Chen’s thoughts, they would surely think he had gone mad. Weapons in the cultivation world were also classified into different grades: magical instruments, spiritual tools, and divine artifacts. They were further categorized based on offense, defense, or support, and also ranked as low, medium, high, and peak quality. Crafting spiritual tools or magical pills was a rare skill, and most cultivators who possessed such talents were arrogant and aloof. Who would bother to craft a spiritual hairpin for a child?

Leaving aside whether anyone would be willing to craft it, even if there were, it would be considered extravagant. No one would spoil an apprentice to such an extent, not even their own child.

Feeling the unique tenderness of Mu Chen, Gu Yunjue’s lips curved into a satisfied line, and his beautiful peach blossom eyes formed crescent moons, making him appear like a healing little fairy.

Mu Chen’s expression softened further. His little disciple was indeed very innocent. With proper guidance now, he was sure the child wouldn’t go astray.

———-

Mu Chen, who was known for his pride and cold demeanor, someone who cared only about alchemy except when he was in seclusion, the most handsome senior in the Chongyun Sect, held a small, frail figure in his arms like holding a treasure. He appeared personally at the registration office for inner disciples, causing an uproar.

After putting Gu Yunjue on the table, Mu Chen announced, “This is my direct disciple, Gu Yunjue.”

“Direct disciple…” Already overwhelmed by Mu Chen’s presence, the registrar was further astounded by the term “direct disciple.” With a trembling hand, he brought out a jade token. His wrinkled face was full of a fake smile, resembling a wild chrysanthemum after being ravaged by autumn winds. “Congratulations, Elder Mu!”

Mu Chen frowned disapprovingly and slightly shifted his body to dodge the gesture – the smile was too fake, he’d rather not see it.

The registrar also felt awkward and turned to bow to Gu Yunjue, speaking fawningly, “Young Master, you are so fortunate!”

Gu Yunjue tilted his small body and squinted his eyes slightly, showing the same disapproval. “Young Master?” He thought, “He’s blocking Shifu’s pretty eyes. How about I get rid of him?”

The registrar wanted to say more but suddenly felt a chill creeping up from his heart. He felt as if a sharp blade was hanging over him when he noticed the child in front of him, staring at him expressionlessly with unfathomable eyes. It startled him so much that his hairs stood on end. He quickly shut his mouth and handed the jade token to Mu Chen.

Mu Chen took it and looked at the palm-sized jade token intricately engraved with patterns. He then grasped Gu Yunjue’s little hand, extracting a drop of blood that fell into a small hole on the token. As the blood was absorbed, the token emitted a dazzling light. Looking inside, the patterns had transformed into a blood-red design, and when exposed to sunlight, the blood seemed to be flowing, appearing exceptionally beautiful.

This jade token represented his identity as a direct disciple, allowing him access to most areas within the sect. The most important feature was that he could freely read all the cultivation methods in the sect’s library. For Mu Chen, who loved to raise his disciples freely, this was particularly important.

Meanwhile, on the high shelf where disciples’ soul jade tokens were displayed in Chongyun Sect, a soul lamp quietly lit up on the fifth position, which had remained vacant for quite some time.

Satisfied, Mu Chen tucked the jade token into Gu Yunjue’s arms. From now on, his little disciple had a master, and no one would dare to bully him.

Once Mu Chen left, the registrar finally heaved a sigh of relief. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at his trembling hands, feeling at a loss. It required the Sect Master’s approval to accept a direct disciple, and the way Mu Chen acted clearly disregarded the Sect Master’s authority. Under the Sect Master’s ignorance, he had registered a five-year-old junior disciple. If the Sect Master discovered this, how would he explain himself?

Adding to the embarrassment was the unique ranking system of the Six Palaces and Twelve Halls. Mu Chen was ranked fifth, and his direct disciple would also be placed in the fifth position. The sixth-ranked elder had disciples much older than Gu Yunjue and would have to address him as “Fifth shixiong.” The registrar shuddered at the thought of how terrifying this shixiong could be, even patting his own neck, as if frightened by the idea.

Upon receiving the news, the Sect Master, Yue Mingze, was equally surprised. Direct disciples were not casually taken on. First, their background had to be immaculate, and their conduct needed examination. How could a five-year-old child be taken as a direct disciple without any knowledge of his comprehension ability or foundation establishment?

Although there were indeed a few disciples among the new batch with outstanding aptitude, Gu Yunjue wasn’t the best of them. Moreover, he was too young, so Yue Mingze ordered him to be closely monitored. Knowing Mu Chen’s cold and taciturn nature, he couldn’t imagine him taking care of others. Placing such a young child beside Mu Chen, Yue Mingze’s past experiences told him that Mu Chen would likely spoil him, leading to the question of whether Gu Yunjue could grow up safely.

Mu Chen hadn’t considered the issue of raising a child. As for nurturing disciples, he believed in giving them the best resources to grow.

Bringing Gu Yunjue back to Yan Yang Palace, Mu Chen caused countless disciples to fall off their flying artifacts in shock. He kept touching Gu Yunjue’s back along the way, frowning frequently. The child was too thin; he must have suffered a lot of grievances before. Once they returned, Mu Chen planned to refine some pills to nourish him, and he was confident that the child would recover in a few days.

“Do you have any family?” In Mu Chen’s consciousness, Gu Yunjue was still very young. Such a small child couldn’t have come to Chongyun Sect alone. Regardless of who was still at home, Mu Chen didn’t mind taking in more people, as it would provide Gu Yunjue with the care of loved ones.

He had never experienced what family affection was like, but he knew that children as young as Gu Yunjue needed their parents. Leaving home at a young age might be one of the reasons for his twisted personality.

Gu Yunjue shook his head with a smile. “Only two old servants brought me here, but they have already left.”

“What about your parents?”

“My mother was killed by my father. He has more than a dozen sons, and I’m the most useless one.” Gu Yunjue’s mouth slightly curved, seemingly talking about someone else’s story, without a trace of anger. He didn’t want to lie to his shifu, and since his master cared enough to ask about these trivial matters, he answered honestly. Moreover, appearing as a child now allowed him to act a bit coquettish in front of his shifu.

Mu Chen’s heart sank, hesitating for a moment. He patted Gu Yunjue’s small head and comforted him, “You still have your shifu, so don’t be afraid.”

Gu Yunjue grasped Mu Chen’s hand, feeling the warmth of his palm, and smiled contentedly. No matter what he had experienced, his little shifu’s temperament remained unchanged. He always wore a calm expression, rarely spoke or smiled, acted decisively, and showed no mercy towards enemies. This made people think he was cold, heartless, and difficult to approach.

In reality, his little shifu was a gentle person.

Unfortunately, from now on, he was the only one who would understand that.

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Author’s Note: 

Irresponsible little theater:

Mu Chen’s expression was serious as he said, “The best food is for my little disciple, the most beautiful things are for my little disciple, the most useful things are for my little disciple… Anything he likes, I’ll give him. This way, my cute little disciple will surely grow up well-behaved!”

Gu Yunjue smiled meaningfully, “Shifu, your disciple is very well-behaved. Ever since I saw you, I’ve been very… obedient.”

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