Chapter 10

### Chapter 10: The Apprentice's Engagement is Broken (Seeking Favorites and Follows)

On the first day after Xu Yan left, Li Xuan woke up early and went out, but he didn't see the diligent figure who used to practice hard. No one made breakfast, and he had to feed the chickens and plant vegetables himself.

He felt uneasy all over.

On the second day after Xu Yan left, Li Xuan started to worry.

"Is my foolish apprentice dead in the Evil Forest?"

"He came twice and was fine both times, so he should be fine this time too, right?"

...

On the fifth day after Xu Yan left, Li Xuan went to the hill outside the village and looked in the direction Xu Yan had gone, but no one came.

He felt a bit relieved.

"Even if I'm exposed, it won't be so quick for them to catch me, the fraud."

"Will I be exposed?"

"Sigh, Xu Yan is a bit slow, but he comes from a good family, so there must be some smart people, right?"

"If I'm exposed, I'll be in trouble, won't I?"

Li Xuan's mind was in a mess, and he was quite worried.

...

On the tenth day after Xu Yan left, Li Xuan was on the hill, ready to hide and run if anything went wrong.

"Is my apprentice dead in the Evil Forest and hasn't returned home?"

"Or, is he under house arrest?"

The more he thought, the more confused he became. Li Xuan cursed under his breath, "Damn! It's not like I forced him to believe me. He's the one who's slow, so it's not my fault."

"I'm doing so poorly, it's embarrassing!"

Li Xuan sighed. He, a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "time traveler" or "transmigrator"), was doing so poorly that it was embarrassing!

...

On the eleventh day, Xu Yan finally returned.

"Master, your disciple has returned!"

Seeing Xu Yan bow respectfully, and seeing that he came alone without a group of people to tie him up as a fraud, Li Xuan felt relieved.

"Good, you're back!"

His expression was calm, as if he had known Xu Yan would return all along.

"Master, this is a small token of my gratitude."

Xu Yan placed two long boxes on the table.

"You have a heart!"

Li Xuan's expression remained calm as he opened one of the boxes.

Inside was a sword. The scabbard was entirely golden, with intricate carvings of auspicious clouds and mythical beasts, and it was inlaid with nine red, white, and blue gemstones.

A treasure!

Just looking at it, Li Xuan knew it was priceless. He was excited; this foolish apprentice had a richer background than he had expected.

His expression remained calm, as if he was unmoved.

He picked up the sword from the box, which was a bit heavy.

The scabbard had nine gemstones on each side, making a total of eighteen. These eighteen gemstones alone were very valuable.

The hilt was inlaid with two larger red gemstones.

Li Xuan drew the sword slightly, and a golden light appeared before his eyes. It was a sword made entirely of gold!

He sheathed the sword and put it back in the box.

Li Xuan's calm expression belied the excitement and trembling in his heart.

"Rich! This sword can be passed down as a family treasure. I won't have to worry if I escape to the Wu Kingdom in the future."

He showed a slight hint of approval and said, "I'm very pleased with your heart. Although this sword is ordinary, it's still a good plaything."

Xu Yan was immediately excited and said, "I'm glad you like it, Master!"

"Master is truly a reclusive master. Such a priceless sword, and he's not even moved, just thinking it's a good plaything."

His respect for his master grew even more.

Li Xuan opened the second box, and inside was a flawless jade ruyi. His eyes lit up; this jade ruyi was clearly a treasure!

"Good!"

He nodded, indicating his satisfaction.

"Master, I also brought some precious herbs."

Xu Yan took out a package and said.

Li Xuan raised an eyebrow, thinking, "Did he notice that eating these rare tonics improved his body and helped his cultivation?"

"These tonics, as usual, you decide how much to use."

Li Xuan glanced at them. There was no Nine-Leaf Yuanzhi or thousand-year-old ginseng, but there were two Five-Leaf Yuanzhi and three hundred-year-old ginseng, which were also rare herbs.

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Yan put the herbs away and started cleaning the house and preparing to cook.

Li Xuan was satisfied; this apprentice was thoughtful and knew what to do upon returning.

"Hmm? What's wrong? He looks so dejected. What happened?"

Suddenly, Li Xuan noticed that although Xu Yan was working, he looked quite dejected. His heart sank. Did someone at home remind him, making him doubt?

Or, did he feel discouraged because he hadn't sensed any qi and blood improvement and hadn't entered the skin tempering stage, leading to some setbacks at home?

"I can't let him stay dejected. We've come this far, and if we don't continue the deception, it could backfire."

"I need to boost his confidence!"

Thinking this, Li Xuan said, "Apprentice, why are you dejected? Is it about your cultivation?"

Xu Yan paused while wiping the table and said dejectedly, "Master, it's not about cultivation. It's that I... I was broken off my engagement when I went home!"

Huh?

Broken off?

Li Xuan was stunned, thinking, "Broken off? You're Xu Yan, not Xiao Yan, so there's no chance of a comeback. What a sad story!"

"What happened? Why was the engagement broken off?"

He asked with a concerned expression.

Xu Yan looked dejected and said, "She said I'm not smart and that being with me is embarrassing."

She's right, you're not very smart!

Li Xuan thought to himself.

He stood up and patted Xu Yan's shoulder. No matter what, he had to comfort his apprentice.

"You are my apprentice, and breaking off the engagement is her lack of discernment."

"Master is right, that's what I thought too."

"Did you shout, 'Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank, don't mock a poor young man'?"

Li Xuan coughed and asked.

Xu Yan looked at his master in confusion and said, "Master, I'm not poor!"

Damn!

Li Xuan's eyebrows twitched, feeling a sharp pain in his heart!

He immediately said seriously, "Apprentice, where are you not poor? Did I say you were poor in wealth? No! You're poor in cultivation, strength, and martial knowledge!"

Xu Yan immediately looked ashamed and said, "Master, you're right, I'm poor, very poor!"

Then he added, "But Master, don't worry. I haven't lost my spirit. Although I didn't shout 'don't mock a poor young man,' I did tell her that one day she will regret and be unable to reach me!"

As he spoke, Xu Yan lifted his head slightly, his eyes determined!

Li Xuan's mouth twitched, thinking, "This kid, why does he feel like a chosen one? It must be an illusion!"

"Good, your spirit is commendable."

Li Xuan saw that Xu Yan still looked somewhat dejected, so he added, "Breaking off the engagement might be a good thing for you. Remember, it's through setbacks that one becomes strong."

"Great heroes of the past all rose from setbacks."

"Cultivation is about enlightenment. A clear mind leads to clear understanding!"

He patted Xu Yan's shoulder and said seriously, "Apprentice, there's a saying, 'No women in the heart, cultivation is divine.' You've been broken off, so with no women on your mind, you will make great progress!"

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