My apprentice is a little weird?

Chapter 437 Make a Bet

Jiang Yan had a smile on his face.

"Well, this is a long story. I wonder if you have the patience."

Shen Zhixue was slightly stunned, and after a moment of thought, he raised his hand and waved his sleeves. A rather extraordinary chair appeared, and then he sat down casually and looked at him calmly.

Jiang Yan did not comment on this, but quietly returned to Zhiwei and gently held her in his arms, giving her confidence, and told the story in a light tone.

"Speaking of this, we have to go back to Huayin Pavilion in Yunxia City and Lin Wanyue."

"What a coincidence! Originally, I had no ties with Huayinfang, but Lin Wanyue wanted to use my friend to hatch and cultivate demon larvae, so she implicated me."

"From Lin Wanyue, I got a lot of news about Huayinfang, some true, some false. But one of them has always puzzled me."

"Lin Wanyue, although she holds the position of an elder within Huayinfang, her specific position within the organization is unclear. In reality, she is merely a peripheral figure within the organization, her true responsibility being the cultivation of demon larvae. How was she able to comprehend the divine stone?"

"Shen He, is he just a disciple with decent aptitude from the outskirts of Huayinfang? How could he comprehend the divine stone?"

“You are clearly an elder of Huayinfang, and you are clearly in a force that is obviously hidden in the dark, yet you chose to name the place where you collect the demon larvae as ‘Huayin Pavilion’, a name that is blatantly similar to an outpost.

So the question is, how do we hand in the demon larvae? And can we get the permission of the owner to name this Huayin Pavilion?"

"I originally thought that the master who controlled the sacred stone was too self-important to hide it, and because he wanted to use the Seven Emotions Path cultivated by many disciples to fill the missing sacred stone, he cast a wide net. Even later, I still believed this."

"Although it does lower the standard of the owner of Huayinfang, it feels like I'm begging others for favors."

Jiang Yan chuckled, while Shen Zhixue did not express her opinion and just listened quietly.

"At the time, I just suppressed this doubt in my heart and didn't elaborate. Although I had some thoughts about Huayinfang, I didn't think of investigating it myself. After all, I didn't know where Huayinfang was."

"And at this moment, the second doubt came again."

"Although Lin Wanyue and that independent elder weren't core members of Huayinfang, they were a bit slow to respond to their deaths. It took them nearly half a month to send someone to investigate."

"This is totally unlike what a sect hiding in the dark would do. Moreover, Lin Wanyue has a demon larva in her body, so it's impossible to just leave it alone."

“That’s the second doubt.”

"Third, half a month later, just when I thought I'd run out of people from Huayinfang, Yin Li showed up. Why did she come at this time? It's been a full half month. Whatever happened back then, after more than half a month, the clues have long been blurred."

"What is she doing here at this hour?"

"What's even more puzzling to me is that Yin Li doesn't seem like someone who should be sent out by a force hidden in the shadows. Furthermore, even though she's supposed to be investigating, she doesn't even know what a 'demon seed' larva is."

"What is she investigating? Is it just relying on her passive talent? Don't the forces behind her understand that with her personality, she'll gain nothing by coming here, and won't be able to investigate anything other than a trip?"

This is the third doubt.

"The fourth doubt...is about Yin Li. Her personality is obviously cheerful, optimistic, and sincere. But when I saw her true self, the timidity, fear, and the desire to find a place to hide that momentarily didn't seem fake."

"These completely opposite personalities are intertwined in one person. I have observed this more than once and even thought that the other person was schizophrenic.

But… that’s the strange thing. Yin Li’s schizophrenia is the kind that people still take for granted even after it’s pointed out.”

"I didn't think much of this situation at the time, but in this realm of seven emotions, I now know what that state resembles. It's the manifestation of forced cognition modification!"

"The core of the character is clearly fearful and panicky, but it was forcibly modified to appear optimistic, cheerful, and straightforward."

"To be fooled by a few words from a stranger into taking out a top-grade magical instrument to mortgage the loss of mortal property is not called sincerity, it is called stupidity."

"What does being stupid mean? Stupid means being easy to manipulate. I don't think about anything, and I don't know how to do anything. I just do whatever my 'Master' tells me to do, without asking why or how. Naturally, I don't need to know what a 'demon seed' is."

Zhiwei's fingers trembled slightly when she heard this. She silently held the baby in her arms and lowered her head to protect the other person.

Jiang Yan continued without changing his expression.

"If that's the case, then Yin Li's purpose for going to Yunxia City becomes intriguing."

"After Yin Li left, I was in danger and faced many dangers. I should have returned home, but to my surprise, Yin Li, despite all the discomfort in her body, brought the "disaster" to me and finally brought me to Jingming Mansion."

"This is inconsistent with her sincere character. She shouldn't and won't bring crisis to those who are already friendly with her..."

"The above four points are not exhaustive. There are also other questions such as why does the Qin Mansion have that strange courtyard? Where did the pillow book go? How did Yin Li sneak away?

And so on.

But I didn’t really take it to heart at the time.”

"Haha... Honestly, if you don't personally enter this realm of the seven emotions and patiently endure until the end, who can connect all those clues? And the final result is truly incredible, beyond my comprehension."

Shen Zhixue was silent, and then spoke softly.

"After all this talk, you still haven't explained why you knew of my existence. Are you showing off, or stalling for time?"

Jiang Yanxu narrowed his eyes slightly, a smile playing on the corner of his mouth.

"Both. Don't you want to know how much of your calculations, your plans, everything about you I've seen through?"

"Oh? That actually piques my interest. What else did you see through?"

"Haha... Don't worry, I'm already trapped. Although I have some resistance, can you really make me turn the tables with your plan?

Or perhaps... Your Majesty the Great Lan Dynasty, the true master behind the Huayinfang, would he take a mere wandering cultivator seriously?"

Shen Zhixue didn't feel uncomfortable at all because Jiang Yan had discovered her identity. Instead, she spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Even a lion will use all its might to fight a rabbit, and you're not a rabbit either. You're the chief disciple of the Ancient Immortal Sect, and your reputation is so great that it almost covers all realms. This is what you call a 'wild wandering cultivator.'"

Jiang Yan shook his head in denial: "I was the former Chief Disciple. As for now? What's wrong with me calling myself a wandering cultivator?"

Shen Zhixue was slightly stunned. He didn't expect Jiang Yan to be so open-minded. Judging from his appearance and listening to his words, he could tell that they came from the bottom of his heart without any affectation.

This frankness was indeed good, but it only made him look twice.

"Okay, enough small talk. If you have anything else to say, hurry up. It will be too late if you wait any longer~"

Jiang Yan chuckled. This time, the two of them had revealed each other's secrets, which was considered half-open and honest. It also indirectly demonstrated that both sides had absolute confidence in themselves and could easily deal with each other.

Otherwise, he would never be in such a relaxed state listening to me chattering.

Of course, how much of this confidence and relaxation is real or fake is a matter of opinion.

Jiang Yan continued speaking with a smile in his eyes.

“I have just elaborated on the above four doubts, so let’s put them aside for now.

I would like to make a bet with you, would you dare?"

"explain."

"Guess how many times I've been awake now?"

"If you win, I'll stay. If you lose, you'll give Yin Li to me."

Shen Zhixue's originally relaxed expression suddenly turned cold as she stared at him.

Jiang Yan did not wait for the other party to agree and said:

"When I woke up for the first time, I realized that Yin Li and even I were being silently influenced and changed by this world."

"The second time I woke up, I summarized the three rules of the Seven Emotions Realm."

Shen Zhixue looked indifferent.

"What rules."

Jiang Yan slowly stood up, put one hand behind his back as if pondering, and paced back and said:

"After waking up for the second time, I deduced that I was in a huge strange circle. I called it a 'stage,' and the creatures within it were the actors. They acted according to the script of the play, forming this authentic realm of seven emotions."

"Rule One: The stage was built based on the Jinxiufang from decades ago. All traces of its past have been imprinted into the objective world by the Roots of the Seven Emotions."

“Rule Two: A play can only be “performed” if it involves the participation of living beings; otherwise, it will be a castle in the air.

Rule three: The "costume" will find a suitable actor, usually yourself who is still living in Jinxiufang decades later.

"Based on these three rules, we can deduce that everything within the Seven Emotions Domain, visible or invisible, as long as he existed before, must have left a mark, and therefore someone must be found to 'play' him."

Jiang Yan had arrived in front of Shen Zhixue without knowing when, and his eyes fell on her.

"Every one of us has a role to play, no one is exempt, not even a stone or a tree."

"So... Xiao Zhixue, who came in with me, who is she playing?"

"Shen Zhixue" remained silent, just staring at Jiang Yan quietly.

"Ha ha……"

"Later, I had this question, so I searched my mind and recalled the scene when I first woke up."

"At that time, my cognition was altered, as was Yin Li's. I was unaware of Zhiwei's influence on us. Even if I racked my brains and tried my best, it would be impossible to recover. Only the interference of a force outside the realm of seven emotions could awaken it."

"But at that moment, Zhiwei's exclamation suddenly woke me up."

"And it was Shen Zhixue who caused Zhiwei to speak out."

Jiang Yan walked to Zhiwei's side, glanced at her and then continued talking.

"After waking up for the second time and summing up the two rules, recalling this incident was too horrifying. So I didn't dare to jump to conclusions at the time."

"After all, judging by common sense, he went to great lengths to separate me from my disciple and trap me in the realm of the seven emotions, and then went so far as to expose himself to awaken me. There's no way he was just playing with me. He must be trying to get something from me..."

"But after waking me up, Shen Zhixue mysteriously disappeared? If we use common sense to speculate, Shen Zhixue should be lurking beside me like a shadow, influencing me bit by bit and silently.

In the process of "uncovering the truth", I unknowingly revealed the "thing" that "Shen Zhixue" wanted.

"But he didn't. Instead, he chose to disappear, the easiest way to expose himself. This is not in line with common sense."

Jiang Yan reasoned, and then burst out laughing.

"Haha, this is not a common sense scene. Apart from the fact that an accident forced you to leave, I really can't think of any other more reasonable explanation."

"As for the unexpected situation that would force you to leave and resolve, I think... apart from my slightly 'naughty' disciple, there should be no one else."

It was not until this time that "Shen Zhixue" spoke again, clapping her hands gently.

"Yes, very good. Your reasoning is flawless, so accurate that it makes me think you are right next to me."

"Your apprentice..."

Shen Zhixue was unusually silent for a moment, but soon returned to normal.

"Your apprentice did cause some minor trouble, forcing me to put in more effort to suppress it."

"But... I'm really curious now. How did you know I would show up at this time? And aren't you afraid that I'll attack you right after we meet?"

Shen Zhixue spoke and smiled, looking kind and harmless, but her words concealed a cold murderous intent.

"Of course I'm afraid. You can't gamble on things like probability. You're bound to lose. So I naturally have the confidence to flip the table, so I can get you to sit down and talk to me in a friendly manner~"

Jiang Yan gave a waiter-like smile and quietly released the aura of the material that constituted his "clone".

This is barely on the same level as the realm of the seven emotions. Although the power is vastly different, the aura is quite similar. If you don't hold it in your hand and taste it carefully, it is really difficult to tell which one is higher and which one is lower.

Therefore, Jiang Yan used it to scare people.

It doesn’t matter whether you can bluff someone or not. What matters is that you don’t lose in momentum and whether you dare to gamble.

The confrontation between the two was fleeting, and they soon subsided.

The place suddenly became quiet...

In the end, it was Shen Zhixue who spoke first to break the awkward silence.

"You bet on how many times you woke up, so I guess you woke up three times. This was the third time. My arrival triggered your consciousness, and then you woke up to confront me."

"What did I guess? You lose~"

Jiang Yan smiled and nodded without answering.

"Haha, this third time I'm awake... I've gained something new..."

"It was also here that I learned your identity and... the location of the sacred stone~"

Shen Zhixue slowly put away her smile, and a hint of coldness began to spread around her.

This time he really wanted to take action.

But Jiang Yan still looked fearless. He returned to Zhiwei and put his arms around her, hugging her into his broad chest.

"The divine stone is Zhiwei, but Zhiwei is not the divine stone."

Shen Zhixue slowly stood up and looked at him indifferently.

"How can I see it?"

Jiang Yan stroked Zhiwei's trembling hair with his fingers. Even the gentlest comfort could not calm her down. "Trembling like a sieve" was not enough to describe Zhiwei at the moment.

"Don't be afraid...don't be afraid...be good~everything is over..."

He tilted his head with a teasing look on his face.

"You've already sent the demon seed to my face. If I don't figure out something, then I, the chief immortal scholar of the Ancient Immortal Sect, will just be sitting there doing nothing."

"A demon species with such distinct characteristics still requires a lot of catalysis. They even use mortals to stimulate its birth without even trying. This shows how many people have been harmed and how many demon species have been bred in the past."

"And yet, despite cultivating so many demon seeds, the entire Jinglan Territory's immortal cultivation forces and other forces in the outer realms haven't heard a single word about them? They've either been used, or they're accumulating strength to plan other major events!"

"And that divine stone is the manifestation of the Great Dao of the Seven Emotions. It must have been condensed from the death of a certain Seven Emotions True Immortal. Mortals cannot use it, and can only comprehend it."

"Because of the Yunxia Sect's defeat, it has been damaged, making it even more useless. Even if we try to comprehend it, we can only obtain fragments."

"But everything has its pros and cons. Although the incomplete avenue cannot be comprehended, it has value in being utilized."

As he spoke, Jiang Yan glanced at the newborn baby in Zhiwei's arms.

His face showed no sadness or joy.

"At the moment when the infant's innate Qi has not yet been disconnected from the objective world, magical tools and principles that are compatible with it are injected into it. With the help of the "momentum" of the objective world, the two are forced to connect and form a symbiotic state."

"In this way, after a baby is successfully born, it will have a 'companion treasure'. Although this 'magic treasure' will not be able to be activated even if the baby grows up."

"But as long as it's handled properly, there are a lot of possibilities..."

"but……"