Zhang Jingmo felt his chest tighten upon hearing the cry of "Master". He said, "Guijiu?"

The blood-soaked Lu Guijiu had already reached his limit. He hoarsely called out "Master" once more, and after taking two steps forward, he collapsed straight onto the ground.

Only then did Zhang Jingmo hurry over. Disregarding the filth, he lifted the fallen Lu Guijiu into his arms.

The pungent smell of blood surrounded Ji Jinglun who was beside Zhang Jingmo. Like Zhang Jingmo, he didn't mind the dirt. He bent down, picked up a piece of flesh lying nearby, sniffed it, and then let out a sigh of relief, "It's not human flesh."

Zhang Jingmo let out a low "Mm". When he first saw Lu Guijiu, his immediate reaction was that Lu Guijiu was covered in human blood from head to toe, and the flesh in his mouth was also human. But that thought only lasted a moment. Zhang Jingmo quickly distinguished from the smell that although the blood and flesh had an extremely strong odor, it did not belong to humans.

The blood on Lu Guijiu's face had already scabbed over, layer upon layer. Who knows how long it had been since he last washed. No wonder from a distance, he hardly looked human.

Zhang Jingmo carried Lu Guijiu straight to the spiritual spring and placed the filthy Lu Guijiu into the pool.

Ji Jinglun had been following Zhang Jingmo. He took a small bite of the flesh with his teeth, swallowed it, and then exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of spirit beast's flesh is this? The spiritual energy is so rich."

Zhang Jingmo said, "How would I know."

Lu Guijiu's upper body was bare, and he wore a pair of tattered pants on his lower body. Those pants were defensive magical tools that Zhang Jingmo had given him. Who knows how they ended up in such a tattered state.

After Lu Guijiu entered the water, the entire small pool was instantly covered by the dissolving fresh blood. Zhang Jingmo had no intention of helping Lu Guijiu bathe. After checking that there were no fatal wounds on Lu Guijiu's body, he just let him soak. After all, this was spiritual spring water, the best for healing wounds.

As the layers of blood scabs soaked off, Lu Guijiu's skin finally became visible. His upper body was covered in scars of various sizes. Some looked like bite marks, some like sword wounds, and others were indistinguishable as to how the injuries occurred.

Seeing Lu Guijiu in this state, Ji Jinglun sighed, "Junior Brother must have suffered during this journey."

Zhang Jingmo listened without saying anything, thinking inwardly that this was very normal. If one went out traveling without getting a single injury, that would be strange.

Injuries were sustained, but the Lu Guijiu before them had obviously benefited greatly. In just a dozen or so years, his cultivation had soared from the fifth level of Qi Refining to the eighth level, almost on par with Ji Jinglun from a dozen years ago.

This was the first time Ji Jinglun had seen such rapid cultivation progress. He couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder. He sighed, "No wonder Master values Junior Brother the most. Such a genius, this is the first time I've seen one."

Although Zhang Jingmo didn't say anything, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

The wounds on Lu Guijiu's body looked severe but were all superficial. As the soaking time lengthened, these wounds gradually healed.

Seeing that it would take some more time for Lu Guijiu's wounds to heal, Zhang Jingmo said, "Jinglun, you go attend to your own matters first. I'll watch over your Junior Brother."

Ji Jinglun glanced at Lu Guijiu and said, "Yes, Master." He was straightforward. After saying this, he took off, going to prepare for the outing.

Lu Guijiu slept for a full dozen or so days. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time. Only after seeing Zhang Jingmo again did his taut nerves finally relax. His body had already reached its limit. With this relaxation, he had collapsed to the ground, falling into a deep slumber.

The spiritual spring water nourished his body. Who knows how long had passed before his consciousness awakened from that endless darkness.

The sound of clear water echoed in his ears. Lu Guijiu opened his eyes and saw Zhang Jingmo meditating beside him.

After more than a decade apart, his Master's appearance had not changed, except for a hint of weariness between his brows and a slightly pale complexion.

Lu Guijiu stared intently, feeling that he couldn't bear to blink at the sight before him.

Zhang Jingmo sensed Lu Guijiu's gaze and also opened his eyes. He said, "Awake?"

Lu Guijiu said, "Awake." His voice was much deeper than it had been a dozen years ago, completely devoid of the coolness of youth, fully transformed into that of a mature man.

Zhang Jingmo said, "It's good that you're awake. Do you feel unwell anywhere?"

Lu Guijiu surveyed his body and found that all the wounds on his body had disappeared. Previously, he had been trapped among those fierce spirit beasts. Not only had his spiritual power been exhausted, but all the items he carried to replenish his spiritual power had been used up. In the end, he could only gnaw on spirit beast flesh while advancing.

Unfortunately, he ultimately failed to obtain what he wanted and had no choice but to burn the talisman his Senior Brother Ji Jinglun had given him before he left, returning to Lingxu Sect in a wretched state.

According to Lu Guijiu's plan, he was supposed to return in glory. He wanted to give his Master a surprise, but in the end, there seemed to be no surprise, only plenty of shock.

Zhang Jingmo's gaze swept over Lu Guijiu's body. After a dozen years of tempering, Lu Guijiu's physique had become even more perfect. Every muscle, every inch of skin, was like sculpted marble, without an ounce of excess. The tattered pants couldn't conceal his sturdy legs and that conspicuous bulge...

Zhang Jingmo only glanced before averting his gaze. He said, "Why didn't you send word back during your decade away?"

Lu Guijiu said matter-of-factly, "Master wasn't in the sect. Even if I had sent a message, no one would have read it."

Zhang Jingmo said, "Then how did you know I had left Kuchan Valley?"

A hint of gloom flashed through Lu Guijiu's eyes, but he laughed and said, "Master, you don't know since you've been out and about. The news of you leaving Kuchan Valley, consuming the Luo'e Pill, and then meditating with Elder Cen at the Cold Mirror Wall has already spread throughout the cultivation world."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingmo showed a half-smiling expression. This brat Lu Guijiu was definitely lying. How long had he been back at Lingxu Sect? The cultivation world was so vast. How could news possibly spread so quickly? But he didn't continue to ask about the source of Lu Guijiu's information, only saying, "Did you gain anything from this journey?"

Lu Guijiu's eyes darkened slightly as he directly climbed out of the water and stood on the shore. Only when he stood up did Zhang Jingmo realize that this kid Lu Guijiu was actually a full head taller than him. Now looking down at him from above, Zhang Jingmo inexplicably felt a strange sense of nervousness.

Fortunately, this feeling was only fleeting. Zhang Jingmo quickly adjusted his state and returned to his indifferent appearance.

With Lu Guijiu's height, he was even taller than in the first life. Perhaps it was due to his appearance, but he seemed to possess an extra measure of steadiness compared to Zhang Jingmo. Who knows how old Lu Guijiu was when he took the anti-aging elixir.

Lu Guijiu did not answer Zhang Jingmo's question, only saying, "Master, I miss you so much."

Zhang Jingmo said, "A good man has ambitions in all directions. You and I, as master and disciple, will inevitably part ways sooner or later..." He paused here because Lu Guijiu directly reached out and embraced him. Those arms held Zhang Jingmo tightly as if unwilling to let go again.

Caught off guard, Zhang Jingmo quickly reacted and pushed Lu Guijiu away. He frowned, "What is this improper behavior?"

Lu Guijiu was not angry at Zhang Jingmo's rejection. He said softly, "Master, I really missed you so much." As he spoke, his eyes actually began to fill with tears. Those tears stunned Zhang Jingmo, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Seeing Zhang Jingmo silent, Lu Guijiu then said, "Did Master miss me?"

Zhang Jingmo felt that the conversation between them was extremely awkward, less like that of a master and disciple and more like that of a pair of separated lovers. Although he had long been prepared, deep down in his heart, he was still unwilling to let what happened in the first life repeat itself. So he deliberately changed the subject and said, "I heard that during your travels, you were together with Su Yu, the disciple of the Sect Leader..."

Hearing the name Su Yu, a gentle smile bloomed between Lu Guijiu's brows. He said, "That's right, Master, there's something I haven't told you."

Zhang Jingmo said, "What is it?"

Lu Guijiu said, "I want to become dao companions with Su Yu."

Zhang Jingmo: "..." He didn't say a word, rarely showing an expression as if he had been struck by lightning.

Seeing this, Lu Guijiu asked in puzzlement, "Master, what's wrong?"

Zhang Jingmo said, "Are you sure... it's Su Yu?" Although he had heard clearly before, this news was a bit too sudden for him, making it momentarily impossible for him to accept.

Lu Guijiu laughed, "Yes."

Zhang Jingmo fell silent. After a long time, he actually gave Lu Guijiu an unexpected answer. Zhang Jingmo said, "No."

Lu Guijiu said, "Why not?"

Zhang Jingmo pursed his lips but was unable to answer Lu Guijiu's question. He certainly couldn't tell Lu Guijiu that he despised Su Yu so much that if it weren't for some considerations, he would want to directly kill this woman.

On this matter, Zhang Jingmo would not yield a single step. Lu Guijiu could find anyone to be his dao companion except Su Yu.