The two disciples in front of him were animatedly chatting, and before Yu Sheng could figure out the underlying meaning, the topic had already turned back to himself.
Yu Sheng vaguely felt something was off, but when he thought back carefully, every word from Wen Jiu and Yin Wangzhi seemed quite normal. It was the kind of dialogue one might expect between two people who were at odds yet sharply opposing. Even the conclusion was rather harmonious; misunderstandings were easily resolved. Perhaps it was because Wen Jiu had a good temper and was more reasonable?
But what exactly was wrong?
When it came to his own matters, Yu Sheng could easily be blinded by the details; however, he was sometimes quite perceptive regarding his disciples’ situations.
For instance, right now, he couldn’t quite discern anything odd in their words, yet he felt that the emotions of his two disciples were strange. Wen Jiu seemed fine, his emotions under control, and Yu Sheng could sense that he was genuinely in a good mood. However, Yin Wangzhi’s state was somewhat off; if he said he wasn’t happy… that didn’t seem quite right, but if he claimed to be happy, his frown could squash a mosquito.
It felt more like...
Before he could figure it out, Wen Jiu’s voice brought him back to reality.
“Master?”
“Ah, um? It’s nothing,” Yu Sheng replied, his breath tinged with the scent of alcohol. He responded a beat too slowly and then naturally asked, “Why did you send your avatar back first? Is everything fine over there?”
Wen Jiu, unusually silent for a moment, nodded, “It’s all good now. We’ve rescued all the spirits we could, and they’re being returned to the Spirit Realm one by one.”
Yu Sheng felt he wasn’t sharing the full situation.
“What exactly happened? Did the spirits clash with the ghosts here? Was there a fight?”
Beside him, Yin Wangzhi glanced at Yu Sheng with mild concern before turning his gaze to Wen Jiu, who also looked at him with an expression no less worried than the Ghost King.
“Why is Master suddenly concerned about this?” Wen Jiu smiled, and, in a tacit understanding with Yin Wangzhi, they flanked Yu Sheng, one holding his hand while the other hooked his arm as they walked toward the hall. “Even though we’re here in the Three Realms, Master can completely choose to ignore outside matters, just like when you were in seclusion, living your life as usual.”
“Are we not waiting for Xiaotian to return?” Yu Sheng hesitated slightly. As he walked alongside them, he tried to twist his head back to look behind, and though his mind was a bit slow, he still pondered hard and replied earnestly, “I do want to continue ignoring worldly affairs and live as if I don’t exist, but haven’t I become the ‘Chosen One’? Many people are waiting for me to show up and save the Three Realms, right?”
Since the task had to be completed, that meant saving the Three Realms and the protagonists. Yu Sheng believed his previous attitude was indeed inappropriate; he needed to understand what was happening now.
After all, only he knew that saving the world could be achieved through the merging of the protagonists, but no one else knew that. If he were to say such a thing openly, no one would believe him. Not only would they not believe it, but they would also give up hope, thinking, “If even the Chosen One is this unreliable, let’s all just wait for death together.” That would be disastrous.
Wen Jiu’s footsteps paused for a moment before quickly resuming their normal pace as he continued to walk slowly. “Is this really Master’s true opinion? Or is it because those people suddenly called you the ‘Chosen One’ that you’re feeling pressured?”
Yin Wangzhi seemed unconvinced. “Even without this prophecy, there wouldn’t be an apocalypse in the Three Realms. Would that mean the world’s misfortunes would somehow lessen? If Master doesn’t want to get involved, you can completely ignore those nonsensical claims.”
Yu Sheng was left with a head full of question marks. What was wrong with these two disciples? They had gone to great lengths to pull him back from the edge of the cliff, yet now they hoped he would continue his previous style of handling things and not want him to save the world?
However, he had looked into it himself, and according to the prophecy about the ‘Chosen One,’ he was indeed the most fitting person for the title. The system’s task was the clearest proof of that.
As long as he saved the world, the Three Realms wouldn’t need to be divided. If the Three Realms could remain together, his disciples wouldn’t have to compete for support; they could become a harmonious family again. Then the conflicts between them would be resolved. Although he had concealed the fact that the three of them would merge, finding a good opportunity to explain it… but isn’t it a good thing that the Three Realms don’t need to be divided?
“I… don’t mind.” Yu Sheng pondered how to phrase his thoughts in his mind, striving to clarify his stance. “When I was in seclusion at the Three Realms Cliff, I truly didn’t want to deal with outside matters, but I don’t dislike this world at all. I don’t want to see it become worse. I have no reason to hold the title of ‘Chosen One’ and only care about myself, sitting back and waiting for doom.”
That should be fine to say...
The earlier suggestion to wander through all three realms before deciding where to retire was merely an excuse to procrastinate and avoid making a decision. Originally, Yu Sheng's plan was to quickly help the three return to the main plotline and save the world. Now, this statement just brought his hidden intentions to the surface.
Wen Jiu remained silent. His body seemed to flicker like a faulty power supply, intermittently bright and dim, with the transparency constantly changing upon closer inspection.
“What’s wrong, Wen Jiu?” Yu Sheng raised his hand and touched his shoulder. The next moment, Wen Jiu transformed into a small white ball, bouncing twice before sitting atop Yu Sheng’s head and remaining unresponsive.
“It’s probably that something else has come up over there, requiring him to concentrate his energy, so he recalled his avatar,” Yin Wangzhi explained, unfazed. He smirked and added, “At times like this, he still insists on leaving a pair of eyes behind. It seems the issue isn’t serious enough for him to be overwhelmed.”
Yu Sheng patted the soft little thing on his head, softly exclaiming, “You really understand him well! Seeing your relationship so good makes me very happy.”
“…?” Yin Wangzhi nearly choked on his own words. Fortunately, ghosts didn’t have saliva; he frowned slightly. “I don’t understand. We just run into each other once or twice a year at the edge of the Three Realms Cliff and occasionally cooperate.”
Yu Sheng: …
Ah, my little fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and little tenth... Your sacrifices have meaning and value, as they have allowed my disciples to interact further.
Noticing Yu Sheng suddenly fall silent, Yin Wangzhi led him into the main hall, found a spot to sit down, and arranged various cold dishes and pastries on the table. Most were pastries since it was difficult to preserve hot food in the ghost realm.
“Master.” After a while, seeing that the food hadn’t brought Yu Sheng back to his senses, Yin Wangzhi finally couldn’t help but call out again.
“Hmm?”
“Master, are you feeling drunk?” Yin Wangzhi leaned against the armrest of Yu Sheng's chair, softly inquiring.
Yu Sheng looked up, and a small ball with four eyes stared back at him, both displaying a similarly dazed expression—one due to insufficient energy and an inability to synchronize his mind, the other... genuinely drunk.
Then Yu Sheng waved his hand, saying, “Drunk people always say they’re not drunk.”
Yin Wangzhi stifled a laugh. “So?”
“So I’m drunk.”
Yes, just like that—perfect logic, no flaws.
Yu Sheng felt his answer was perfect, chuckling as he raised a hand to ruffle Yin Wangzhi’s hair. “Good disciple, you prepared so much wine for me; you just wanted me to get drunk once, right? Be good, I’ll go along with you.”
Due to their positions, it was difficult for him to reach the top of Yin Wangzhi’s head, so he settled for patting the hair at the side, making it look like he was stroking his cheek, the action intimate.
Yin Wangzhi's breath hitched, nearly causing him to act impulsively. He caught Yu Sheng’s wandering hand and placed it back down. “Master, if you keep this up, I might not be able to tell whether you’re pretending to be foolish or if you really don’t understand.”
Yu Sheng looked at him, the clarity in his eyes gradually returning. His expression subtly shifted, causing Yin Wangzhi to suddenly straighten up and pull away.
In that moment, he thought Master was about to get angry or was finally ready to settle the score with him.
“Yin Wangzhi, I don’t understand why you and Wen Jiu don’t want me to get involved in this matter of the Three Realms, but it was you three who brought me back from the cliff.” Yu Sheng suddenly changed his tone, speaking earnestly, his tone and manner reminiscent of a hundred years ago when he pretended to be a white-haired elder guiding Yin Wangzhi in his cultivation and movement techniques.
“Tell the spirits in the ghost realm that the Three Realms can be saved. They should no longer stir up trouble and refrain from responding negatively.”
So this is what Master wanted to say...
Yin Wangzhi’s shoulders sank slightly; he didn’t know whether to feel relieved or more disappointed.
Though Wen Jiu and Zhan Xiaotian hadn’t detailed what they encountered, it still allowed Master to guess the gist of it. Hearing that the Three Realms were about to be divided, those lower-tier ghosts were the most likely to fall into an even more reckless frenzy, seizing the opportunity to indulge themselves before the end.
“Yes, Master.”
Seeing him so obedient, Yu Sheng suddenly laughed, resting his chin on his hands propped on the table full of food. “We haven’t sparred yet; maybe you’re already stronger than I am. There’s really no need for you to be so respectful and obedient.”
Yin Wangzhi raised his eyes to look at him, his gaze deep and filled with inscrutable emotions.
Yu Sheng felt the lingering effects of the alcohol growing stronger. At first, the aroma of the wine was intoxicating, but now it felt like it was gradually seeping into his bones, making him feel warm and comfortable all over, light as if he could drift away with the wind.
“Wangzhi, I admit I’m drunk now. Are you drunk?”
Yin Wangzhi shook his head. How could he easily get drunk?
“Oh.” Yu Sheng nodded and slapped the table. A large wine jar jumped up in response and flew toward Yin Wangzhi. “Then let’s drink until we’re drunk.”
Yin Wangzhi: “…”
What does Master mean by this? Does he want them to drink until they can't return? If both of them are drunk, how will they do anything else?
Yu Sheng grinned and opened a jar of wine beside him, sniffing it. “Is this also ‘Drunken Time’? If not, let’s switch to ‘Drunken Time,’ then?”
Yin Wangzhi was already feeling a bit helpless. “No need to switch; they’re all the same.”
He had prepared for this for a long, long time.
Yu Sheng continued, “That’s good. Hmm… By the way, what were you going to say earlier?”
“Earlier?”
“Just... the time you were interrupted by Zhan Xiaotian,” Yu Sheng tried to remind him. “When I was napping, what did you want to say that was interrupted by the buzzing of the sword spirit?”
Yin Wangzhi nodded, indicating he remembered.
“Actually, those words were meant for you from the very beginning. Even if you’re unwilling to admit this identity, I still intended to say them,” Yin Wangzhi said, his fingers tracing the edge of the wine jar. “What you heard was my desire to have a proper spar with you, hoping to one day surpass you. What you didn’t hear was what I wanted to prove through this.
“Master, why not change now and spar with me? You’ll naturally understand what I want to prove.”
With a whoosh, Yin Wangzhi unsheathed his sword without saying a word. The tall, ornate hall doors, intricately carved with various patterns, slammed shut with a loud bang.
Yu Sheng: ...??
Did I ask something I shouldn’t have? The plot is developing too quickly for me to keep up.
“Master, how about we make a promise?” Seeing him still unmoving, Yin Wangzhi added with a smile, “If you can’t defeat me today, then let this broken Three Realms... be divided or united as it pleases, and you won’t need to care anymore.”
“A promise?”
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