Chapter 68: CLUCK

Words : 1206 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 68: CLUCK Mu Qianxue clapped her hands lazily, swaying slightly as she took one last gulp from her wine gourd and wiped her mouth with her sleeve: "Alright, that’s enough bloodshed. Time for the last part of today’s lesson." The disciples looked over. "I want each of you to spend some time with your beast. Get to know them. Learn their habits, pet peeves, quirks, whatever. The bond between beast and master is essential, so don’t just use them like tools. Today’s session will end in a bit, so use this time well." With that, they began fanning out across the field, giving space for privacy. "I swear I’m not going insane," Lin Fan muttered as he crouched in front of his beast, trying to maintain eye contact: "I know there’s more to you than meets the eye. Deep inside you lies the soul of a mighty dragon, sealed away by fate! You’re just waiting for the right moment to awaken, right?" The chicken stared back. Then turned around. And pooped. "...You did that on purpose, didn’t you!?" Lin Fan growled. He lunged, trying to grab the chicken. It darted under his arms, flapped once, and ended up on his head. "GAH! No! Get off—!" The chicken began pecking at his hair, mistaking it for worms. Nearby outer disciples who were passing by glanced over and immediately burst out laughing: "Is that guy losing to a chicken?" "I think it’s eating his scalp!" "It’s so loyal... to chaos." Lin Fan, arms flailing, eventually stumbled, tripped on his own robes, and faceplanted into the dirt. The chicken landed on his back like a champion, letting out a proud "CLUCK!" From a distance-- Mu Qianxue watched and muttered, "If that chicken gains intelligence from him, I’m disbanding the entire sect." A little ways off-- Hei Long sat cross-legged beneath a tree. His Sky Lizard lay curled beside him, head resting in his lap like a loyal dog, its tongue flicking out every now and then. He gently scratched behind its horned frill, eliciting a pleased growling-purr. "You really are something else," Hei Long murmured. "Fast learner. Loyal. Smart. Guess I got lucky." The lizard’s eyes blinked slowly, content. He pulled out a small dried fruit from his storage pouch: "Here, try this." The lizard sniffed it once—then snapped it out of his hand with practiced delicacy. Hei Long gave a small chuckle. "So you like the sweet stuff..." He leaned back, letting his head rest against the tree, watching the sky as the breeze carried drifting petals through the field. The moment was calm. Peaceful. So rare. That’s when Mu Qianxue dropped down next to him, gourd in hand, flopping lazily into a sit with her knees up: "Yo." Hei Long blinked, glancing at her. "You look surprisingly sober." She gave him a sideways look. "I’m not." "...Figures," Hei Long smiled. She took another swig. "So... Saint of the Sect, huh? Everyone’s talking." "I noticed," Hei Long said dryly. "Not that," Mu Qianxue clarified, leaning toward him with a half-drunken smirk: "I mean the other thing. You. The Sect Leader. Dating?" Hei Long raised a brow. "Excuse me?" Mu Qianxue elbowed him lightly: "Oh, come on. Rumors are flyin’. Elders are gossiping like old hens. ’Did you see the way she looked at him?’ ’I heard he was seen leaving her quarters at dusk!’ You get the idea." Hei Long let out a short breath: "For the record, I’ve never been in her quarters. Or anywhere remotely near them." "Shame," Mu Qianxue snorted, swirling the wine in her gourd: "I’d root for you two." Hei Long gave her a skeptical glance: "That so?" Mu Qianxue shrugged: "The Sect Leader has been single her entire life. You’re handsome, competent, freakishly composed. It’d be good for her. Besides..." She leaned in conspiratorially, "you’re the only disciple I’ve ever had who hasn’t annoyed me." Hei Long blinked. "...I’ll take that as a compliment." "Please do," Mu Qianxue said, flopping back onto the grass: "Just don’t break her heart or seduce the whole sect while you’re at it. Though... looks like it’s too late for the second part." Hei Long looked around—the way female disciples stole glances at him, the whispers, the admiring looks—and sighed. "I’m not trying to build a harem," Hei Long lied through his teeth. "I didn’t say you were," Mu Qianxue grinned: "But reality doesn’t care what you’re trying." Silence... "You know..." Mu Qianxue said, swirling her gourd lazily: "If you did decide to start a harem... I might just throw my name in the hat." Hei Long’s head turned slightly, one brow arching upward: "...What?" Mu Qianxue grinned without looking at him, eyes still on the clouds: "Just saying. If a guy like you decided to collect a few beauties—smart, strong, devoted—how could I not at least consider signing up?" Hei Long leaned back against the tree, folding his arms: "You’re drunk." "I’ve been drunk since I was fifteen," Mu Qianxue said matter-of-factly, lifting the gourd and taking another sip: "Doesn’t mean I’m wrong." Hei Long gave her a sideways look: "You’re one of the strongest cultivators in the sect, my master, and you’re flirting with your disciple like a street girl with wine in her veins." Mu Qianxue turned her head toward him at last, eyes gleaming mischievously beneath her long lashes: "Oh, don’t flatter yourself. I flirt because you’re fun to rattle. But..." She tapped her chin with one finger: "...If I ever did have to pick someone to tie myself to, I could do worse than a handsome, mysterious, overpowered brat who makes women fall over fainting and beasts beg to serve him." Hei Long narrowed his eyes: "...That sounds like full seriousness." Mu Qianxue gave a shrug, rolling onto her side to face him properly, her cheek resting in her palm: "Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t." Hei Long looked at her evenly. Mu Qianxue looked back, smirking. They both chuckled softly. Then Hei Long shifted his gaze forward, where Lin Fan was currently being dragged by his chicken across the dirt like a sack of potatoes, his robes torn, and his dignity in shambles. CLUCK! "I think he’s trying to ride it," Hei Long muttered. Mu Qianxue giggled, leaning her head onto his shoulder for a moment—either forgetting her position as his master or not caring: "Let the boy dream." Hei Long didn’t move. The Sky Lizard curled around his legs protectively, resting its chin on his boot. Mu Qianxue yawned: "Y’know, if you really did start a harem, it’d be less of a romance thing and more of a cult. With the way girls look at you, they’d slit each other’s throats to bring you tea." Hei Long gave a mock-shiver. "I’ll make sure to write ’no cults’ in my will." Mu Qianxue laughed. A comfortable silence settled between them again, broken only by Lin Fan’s distant screaming: "STOP BITING ME! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY BEAST!" CLUCK!! Mu Qianxue gave a tired sigh: "Maybe I should’ve just made you the main disciple..." Hei Long gave her a look: "You’re the one who picked him." "I was drunk." "You’re always drunk." Mu Qianxue closed her eyes. "Exactly."

Chapter 68: CLUCK

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