No, even if it was out of annoyance, he couldn't remain indifferent!
Last night, he sat in the courtyard all night, doused in cold water.
His heart was still burning hot, even showing signs of blazing fiercer than ever!
When he couldn't help but get close to her, she didn't seem as resistant as he had imagined, did she?
Junior Sister Yuan actually liked him deep down too, right?
Shen Qi's eyes trembled slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
He hadn't expected Shu Linyuan to come to Wansong Cliff as well.
Ever since their youngest junior sister, Su Lingxi, came up the mountain, this guy had frequently left Yuan Shu out in the cold. Don't think he didn't know!
What kind of deep affection was he pretending to show by coming here now?
Shen Qi's hands clenched slightly inside his long sleeves. His cold, stern gaze swept through the crowd and landed on Shu Linyuan.
The look left Shu Linyuan completely baffled.
Wait, he had completed all the tasks his eldest senior brother assigned him recently right on time!
Why was his eldest senior brother glaring at him?
What did he do wrong?
Someone followed the direction the two men were looking and saw Yuan Shu resting in a tree with her eyes closed.
"Hey, isn't that the seventh senior sister from Qingyun Peak, the direct disciple who's still in the Qi Condensation stage? I heard her youngest junior sister is already at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, while she's still stuck at the fifth level!"
"Her junior sister has only been on the mountain for half a year, but she's been here for many years, right?"
"Exactly! Pfft, to become a direct disciple like that, her family must be loaded!"
"I heard she and Senior Brother Shu have been engaged since childhood. Seriously, she's useless herself and still drags Senior Brother Shu down."
"Yeah, exactly!"
"..."
The discussions in the crowd grew louder, causing Shu Linyuan to frown. "Shut up! Gossiping about your senior brothers and sisters behind their backs, do you want to be punished?"
As soon as he spoke, the expressions of those whispering complaints about Yuan Shu changed, and they all fell silent.
Not far away, Shen Qi heard the voice and looked up in slight surprise, casting a glance at Shu Linyuan.
In the past, when people said such things, Shu Linyuan would at most ignore them. Now, he was actually taking the initiative to defend Yuan Shu?
Could it be that he had a change of heart and wanted to win Yuan Shu back?
At this thought, Shen Qi's heart tightened slightly.
If it had been before yesterday, hearing such news would have left him as calm as still water.
But now...
Shen Qi pursed his lips, his gaze unable to resist taking another look at Yuan Shu.
He could no longer remain indifferent.
"Silence! Silence! Those who are not enrolled in today's elective class must leave Wansong Cliff immediately, or you will have your academic credits deducted!"
An elderly voice, carrying an intense sense of pressure, echoed from not far away.
Following closely behind was a surge of cyan spiritual energy.
The spiritual energy swept through the crowd, sweeping all the countless disciples who had come just to watch the spectacle right off Wansong Cliff, leaving only those who had registered to attend today's lecture.
Only then did the entirety of Wansong Cliff become much more spacious.
Afterward, an old man in cyan robes, possessing the ethereal demeanor of a transcendent immortal, floated lightly down onto the stone platform at the front.
All the Luoxian Sect disciples present bowed to him in succession.
"Greetings, Ninth Elder!"
No one present dared to show anything but respect for this high-level cultivator who had long ago stepped into the Void Refinement Realm.
Including Yuan Shu.
Although she had reached the Body Integration Realm in her past life, that was a matter of the past.
Now, she was merely a weak Qi Condensation disciple of the Luoxian Sect.
The moment that cyan spiritual energy swept over, Yuan Shu had woken up, slid down the tree trunk, and stood at the very back of the attending disciples.
The Luoxian Sect had its own rules for lectures.
There were large-scale collective lectures taught by elders, as well as small-scale collective lectures taught by direct disciples.
Some were electives, some were mandatory, and some were flexible in timing.
The academic credits from these classes affected the monthly quota of sect supplies.
Unless you advanced extremely fast and possessed formidable strength.
Able to exceptionally earn the appreciation of an elder, a peak master, or the sect leader, thereby breaking free from the rules.
Otherwise, one could only obediently attend classes and complete tasks to earn credits.
Although Yuan Shu looked down on those rewards, if her academic credits were too low, she would be kicked out of the Luoxian Sect prematurely.
For now, she couldn't leave the Luoxian Sect!
The Ninth Elder also saw Shen Qi and Shu Linyuan sitting upright and respectfully below. A hint of surprise flashed across his eyes, and he smiled warmly at the two of them.
After all, they were famous and outstanding disciples of Qingyun Peak; they were given face wherever they went.
He didn't even bother to ask why the two of them were here.
Shen Qi originally wanted to sit next to Yuan Shu, but she was positioned quite far back, and many disciples had their eyes on him.
If he went over like that, he feared it would cause a commotion and bring trouble to Yuan Shu.
Shu Linyuan, on the other hand, was originally standing further back.
He cupped his hands in a polite gesture to a few disciples who invited him to sit, took a couple of casual steps, and sat down right next to Yuan Shu.
Shen Qi's gaze turned cold. In a corner where others couldn't see, he gritted his teeth. Although his eyes were on the podium, his peripheral vision remained fixed on Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu originally just wanted to be an invisible student who wouldn't attract the teacher's attention.
But when her eyes caught Shu Linyuan walking in her direction, she knew being invisible was completely out of the question!
A Golden Core stage disciple still needed to attend classes meant for those below the Foundation Establishment stage?
A question mark slowly popped up in Yuan Shu's mind as she cast a cold glance at the thick-skinned Shu Linyuan who took a seat.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Never seen me before?"
Stared at so intensely, Shu Linyuan's cheeks flushed slightly. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and muttered in a low voice.
Yuan Shu let out a soft chuckle. "Indeed, I haven't. I've never seen a Golden Core stage senior brother come to Wansong Cliff to attend a lecture."
"If I remember correctly, this covers foundational knowledge for those below the Foundation Establishment stage. Sixth Senior Brother, you must have walked into the wrong classroom, right?"
Yuan Shu unceremoniously exposed Shu Linyuan's pretense, her gaze clear, cold, and entirely devoid of warmth.
Shu Linyuan's face grew hot. He pressed his thin lips tightly together, his expression turning somewhat ugly.
"Junior Sister Yuan!"
"What? Did Sixth Senior Brother not make himself clear enough that day? Are you afraid I'll pester you, so you came over specially today to make it even clearer?"
Yuan Shu's expression was indifferent, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Resting one hand against her temple, she leaned lazily on the desk, her gaze landing carelessly on Shu Linyuan's face as she watched his ugly expression and emotional struggle.
Suddenly, she felt that teasing Shu Linyuan like this made the class seem less boring.
Flustered by Yuan Shu's words, Shu Linyuan's face turned red, and the hand he had placed on the desk clenched slightly.
"Junior Sister Yuan, are you blaming me for the things I said to you that day?"
"How could I?" Yuan Shu shook her head in denial. "Everything Sixth Senior Brother said was right. Why would I blame you?"
"Then why must you speak with such hidden barbs? You know perfectly well that's not what I meant..."
"I don't know, Sixth Senior Brother. Haven't we already made things clear between us? You won't follow me down the mountain to get married."
"Things between us are already over."
"Yuan Shu!"
Shu Linyuan was so angry that his face turned livid. His beautiful, gentle eyes were now filled with rage as he gritted his teeth and glared at Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu, however, looked completely unbothered. She lazily curled her lips and raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Sixth Senior Brother, you seem angry?"
Shu Linyuan gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe Yuan Shu would speak of that day's events with such a careless attitude, every word intentionally provoking him.
Didn't the fact that he sought her out on his own initiative already prove that he couldn't let go, that he was admitting his mistake, and that he wanted to reconcile?
How could she pierce his heart like this?
Didn't she like him?
