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Ch139 - The World-Honored One Presides




Deathly silence.
Su Xuanlin stared coldly at Chongjue, waiting for him to call him Father.
Chongjue and Su Xuanlin locked eyes for a long time before he suddenly smiled, saying methodically, “As it should be.”
Su Xuanlin: “…”
Su Xuanlin’s wish came true, yet he was taken aback.
They’d both held high positions for so long that Su Xuanlin had almost forgotten that before becoming the World-Honored One, this man had also been someone who appeared gentle as jade but was actually full of scheming.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been friends for so long.
This bastard would never say anything nice.
Sure enough, Chongjue, displaying the dignified grace of Mount Sumeru’s World-Honored One, full of Buddhist aura as if about to achieve enlightenment, said calmly, “…I can change how I address you, but will the Immortal Lord then permit me to register with Yuanqiu and not interfere further?”
Su Xuanlin: “…”
Damn your…
Nonsense!
“Call me first, then I’ll consider your matter with Xiaoxiao,” Su Xuanlin refused to be led by the nose, saying coldly. “If you can’t even show this sincerity, you dare covet Xiaoxiao?”
Chongjue was immovable, refusing to be manipulated. “If the Immortal Lord promises, I’ll naturally change my address.”
Su Xuanlin: “You…!”
Su Xuanlin’s anger flared up again. Seeing Chongjue standing there inscrutable, he held back and held back, but finally couldn’t bear it, suddenly reaching out to strike him viciously.
Chongjue didn’t dodge, taking the blow head-on.
Su Xuanlin, the Immortal Lord, showed no mercy. Chongjue used no protective seals, staggering back several steps, his face immediately paling.
Su Xuanlin hadn’t expected him not to dodge. After a moment’s shock, he feigned composure, saying coldly, “Drop dead.”
With that, he left with a flick of his sleeves.
Chongjue pressed his chest, coughing dully a few times, sighing helplessly.
He turned to go back when he saw Hanmang Garden’s door open. Su Hansheng walked out sleepily, barefoot, saying unclearly, “Are you stupid? Just standing there letting him hit you?”
Chongjue smiled slightly, not answering that question. “How did you wake up?”
Su Hansheng shook his head, unclear what he meant. “I’ll talk to him from now on. Don’t deal with this anymore.”
Chongjue stepped forward, brushing Su Hansheng’s stray hair from his forehead, noticing it was covered in sweat. Looking closer, his face was also pale.
Probably stepping on a stone, Su Hansheng stood on his right foot, pulling Chongjue’s hand toward the house.
Chongjue sensed something was wrong with him. He stepped forward and scooped Su Hansheng up, carrying him back to bed.
Su Hansheng was extremely drowsy. As soon as he lay down, he nearly passed out. He struggled to grab Chongjue’s sleeve, his eyelids fighting as he murmured, “Don’t wander off.”
Chongjue nodded. “I’ll stay right here.”
Assured, Su Hansheng finally relaxed, rolling over and falling into deep sleep.
Looking at him, it didn’t seem like he’d wake from a small noise.
Chongjue sat by the bed waiting for a while. Seeing Su Hansheng already talking in his sleep from exhaustion, he simply sat cross-legged at the bed’s edge to meditate.
Sleepless through the night.
The next day, Su Xuanlin, having rested overnight, returned with renewed vigor. At dawn, he kicked open Hanmang Garden’s door, demanding Su Hansheng practice swordplay.
Su Hansheng was exhausted but didn’t dare stay in bed. Drowsily, he dressed, washed up, and practiced sword forms with Su Xuanlin’s sword.
Su Xuanlin, as if catching adulterers, searched every corner of Hanmang Garden but found no trace of the “paramour.”
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Su Hansheng handed over the tea with both hands, nodding. “Sure.”
Su Xuanlin breathed a sigh of relief, tentatively asking, “Why wait for another day when today will do? Should we leave now?”
Su Hansheng was surprised. “So soon?”
“Yes.”
Su Hansheng wanted to mention Chongjue but feared irritating his father, so he just nodded. “Alright, should I pack?”
“Pack what?” Su Xuanlin, seeing his agreement, was overjoyed. He drank the scalding tea in one gulp. “Now we… hiss, so hot! Cough cough, now we leave.”
Su Hansheng: “…”
Su Xuanlin changed tactics, planning to separate the two for a while first.
The Immortal Lord’s spirit boat was much more beautiful than Ying Jianhua’s. From its appearance alone, one could tell Su Xuanlin was a peacock. Su Hansheng was pulled onto the spirit boat in a daze. Before he could react, they shot into the clouds toward Wendao Academy.
Halfway there, Su Hansheng wanted to take out his disciple token to contact Chongjue, but Su Xuanlin kept watching him closely, following wherever he went, preventing him from being intimate with Chongjue under his father’s nose.
They endured all the way to Wendao Academy.
The academy students were probably in class. The vast academy was empty with few people around.
Su Xuanlin put the spirit boat back in his sleeve, saying lazily, “Where do you live? I’ll take you to your residence.”
Su Hansheng hesitated for a long time before timidly pointing in a direction.
The back mountain.
Su Xuanlin said “mm,” not thinking much, stepping through the mountains. His mood, which had been terrible for days, improved slightly. “I’m taking over as Dean of Wendao Academy. Focus hard in your last year, and you’ll definitely graduate next year.”
This was blatantly giving his son special treatment.
Su Hansheng’s eyes lit up, blurting out, “Then after I graduate, can I register together?”
Su Xuanlin: “…”
Su Xuanlin’s lips twitched. He’d planned to have the Discipline Hall go easy on his son, but now instantly changed his mind, anger rising from his heart and evil growing at his side!
“Fine.”
If you have the ability to graduate, you can naturally register together.
Su Hansheng didn’t know his father’s predatory ambitions. Overjoyed, thinking Su Xuanlin had finally accepted Chongjue, he eagerly pulled him toward the back mountain Buddhist hall.
Su Xuanlin was mentally brewing various “evil deeds” to prevent his son from graduating successfully when he saw the Buddhist hall in the distance, frowning deeply.
“You live here?”
That was clearly a place for Buddhist cultivators.
Su Hansheng nodded. “Because I got too many demerits causing trouble, the Discipline Hall confiscated my Falling Parasol Lodge. If I didn’t live here, I’d be sleeping on the streets.”
Su Xuanlin was incredulous.
Back when he was at Wendao Academy, even if he had dozens of negative points, even if he burned the Dean’s hair, no one confiscated his residence!
What was wrong with today’s Wendao Academy, being so harsh?!
In just two sentences, Su Hansheng had already pulled Su Xuanlin up the steps. The faint scent of incense from the Buddhist hall was already perceptible.
Before Su Xuanlin could react, the Buddhist hall door suddenly opened.
He looked closely, his face turning green.
Chongjue had returned at some point. Seeing the two outside, he raised an eyebrow slightly, saying to Su Hansheng, “You’re back.”
Su Hansheng stepped forward familiarly. “Did you help me take leave? What did Senior Brother Chu say?”
“He said it’s fine,” Chongjue said. “After you return, just submit a leave slip.”
Su Hansheng nodded happily.
Chongjue was much more reliable than Zhuang Lingxiu.
Su Xuanlin: “Ahem.”
Only then did Su Hansheng realize his father was still there, turning awkwardly. “Father, we’re discussing business. No flirting.”
Su Xuanlin smiled without warmth.
He wasn’t flirting, but that bastard Chongjue’s gaze was practically glued to his son.
Ptui, disgraceful old lecher.
Chongjue glanced at Su Xuanlin. “Come in.”
Su Hansheng was about to enter when Su Xuanlin grabbed his wrist and pulled him back, saying with a fake smile, “For a Wendao Academy student to live with the World-Honored One—what propriety is that? As the academy’s Dean, I’ll naturally arrange new accommodations for Xiaoxiao.”
Su Hansheng said hesitantly, “Actually, it’s not that much trouble… mm.”
Before he finished, Chongjue grabbed his other hand and pulled, maintaining a calm, gentle smile while his words were unforgiving.
“The Dean jests. Now that new students have enrolled, the vast academy has no spare residences. Xiaoxiao has lived in the residence behind the Buddhist hall for so long, he’s used to it—right?”
Su Hansheng: “Uh, right?”
Su Xuanlin continued smiling with narrowed eyes. “How can we impose on the World-Honored One?”
Chongjue was unmoved, smiling faintly. “How can Xiaoxiao’s matters be an imposition? The Dean is too polite.”
Su Hansheng: “…”
Su Xuanlin: “World-Honored One, World-Honored One…”
Chongjue: “Dean, Dean…”
The two engaged in verbal warfare, each passive-aggressive sentence containing honorifics, pulling Su Hansheng with each statement.
Su Hansheng’s arms hurt, and his head was splitting from their bickering. He finally couldn’t help but angrily say, “Let me go! Just keep fighting!”
Both paused.
Su Xuanlin smiled. “The World-Honored One should let go first.”
Chongjue was also polite. “The Dean should let go first.”
Su Hansheng: “…”
Just die!
Finally, Su Hansheng, furious beyond measure, boldly punched each of them, saving his poor hands.
The three sat in the spotlessly clean Buddhist hall, each with different thoughts.
After lighting the incense, Chongjue began brewing tea elegantly, sitting upright like an exquisite painting.
Su Xuanlin’s gaze was cold.
No wonder he’d charmed the inexperienced Su Hansheng so thoroughly.
Sly fox.
The “sly fox” Chongjue finished brewing tea and instinctively poured a cup for Su Hansheng first.
Su Xuanlin sneered repeatedly.
Actually fawning—how obsequious!
The obsequious fox lifted his eyelids slightly, glancing at Su Xuanlin and pouring him a cup indifferently. “Dean, please enjoy.”
Su Xuanlin smiled falsely. “Much obliged, World-Hon…”
Su Hansheng slammed his teacup on the table with a “bang,” saying irritably, “Are you done yet?!”
Su Xuanlin and Chongjue both looked at him.
Su Hansheng immediately cowered, guiltily picking up his teacup and saying very quietly, “…This doesn’t solve anything and just hurts me in the process.”
Chongjue looked at Su Xuanlin. “What do you want to do?”
Su Xuanlin said coldly, “Stop thinking about my son. Whatever you want, I’ll give you everything.”
Chongjue smiled. “Then don’t interfere with Xiaoxiao and me. Whatever you want, I can give you everything too.”
Su Xuanlin scoffed. “What if I want you to give up your position as Mount Sumeru’s World-Honored One?”
Chongjue froze.
Seeing his hesitation, Su Xuanlin immediately gave Su Hansheng a meaningful look, trying to sow discord.
See? This fox still cares about his World-Honored One position. What’s the point of being with such a Buddhist cultivator?
Chongjue frowned. “If I enter worldly life and register together, I naturally won’t keep the World-Honored One position. Isn’t that obvious? Why has it become a condition with you?”
Su Xuanlin: “…”
Su Xuanlin had never known this man could speak sweet words. Su Hansheng beside him was completely charmed by this light comment, his eyes practically glowing.
For the first time, Su Xuanlin had a clear understanding.
Chongjue was serious, determined to be with Su Hansheng.
Su Xuanlin held his teacup in silence for a long time, thinking about something.
After a while, he suddenly splashed out the tea, took out over a dozen jars of fine wine from his storage ring, and arranged them around like setting up a maze.
“Let’s drink.”
The topic changed too abruptly. Before Chongjue could react, a jar of wine was thrust at him.
He had poor alcohol tolerance and hesitated slightly.
Su Xuanlin raised an eyebrow. “What, no courage?”
Chongjue looked at Su Hansheng.
He’d gotten drunk twice, both times losing face in front of Su Hansheng. If he got drunk again today with Su Xuanlin present, who knew how embarrassing it would be…
Su Xuanlin said meaningfully, “As long as you drink with me to my heart’s content today, I won’t interfere with you two from now on.”
As soon as he finished, Chongjue slapped open the wine jar’s seal. “Let’s go.”
Su Xuanlin: “…”
***