"Teacher?"
"Big Sister, is this the Teacher Su you mentioned, the one with unparalleled beauty and immortal grace?"
"Why do I feel a terrifying aura emanating from him, not a hint of immortal aura at all? He's more like a God of Slaughter."
Su Ran, shrouded in a large black robe, returned to Peach Garden Academy with his disciples.
Zhu Zhuyu and Zhu Zhuyun had taken the pills given by Zhu Zhuqing, and their injuries were healing rapidly. In just a short while, they were no longer in serious condition.
After all, those were life-saving emergency pills the Teacher had left for them in Slaughter City, and their efficacy was excellent.
Following behind the Taoyuan disciples, Zhu Zhuyu seemed a bit socially anxious. Looking at Su Ran's back, she whispered to her sister, Zhu Zhuyun.
Zhu Zhuyun was also a bit confused. When Teacher Su had appeared during the Soul Master Competition, he was truly transcendent and incomparably graceful, stunning everyone.
Now, seeing Teacher Su again, his demeanor had completely changed. His dark, murderous aura was awe-inspiring, but Zhu Zhuyun still warned Zhu Zhuyu in a low voice:
"Don't criticize Teacher Su behind his back. Even if Teacher Su is a God of Slaughter, he's still the best-looking God of Slaughter."
"Alright… But is this Teacher Su really that good-looking? Even you, Big Sister, keep talking about him like that."
Zhu Zhuyu muttered, looking curiously at Su Ran. This Peach Garden Teacher's teaching ability must be excellent, having taught her second sister so well. But what did he truly look like to make her Big Sister change so much?
And… the rules of this Peach Garden Academy were surprisingly strict. Even after killing those pursuers, they still had to beg for forgiveness.
This was the first time she had seen an academy with such a rule.
Under the sprawling peach blossoms, Su Ran had already walked to the stone table in front of the lecture hall. As usual, even when the Teacher was not present, Wang Sheng and Dugu Yan would regularly place a pot of peach blossom tea at the Teacher's usual seat.
"Teacher Su, Second Sister was also trying to avenge me and Third Sister, and in her haste, she acted with such ferocity. If you want to blame anyone, blame us, please don't punish Second Sister."
Zhu Zhuyun pleaded for Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuyu also knelt down with her.
Pouring a cup of tea, Su Ran took a light sip and said faintly:
"Alright, get up. Since I didn't stop you from killing them, I won't punish you. If there's any fault, it's my fault as your Teacher."
Su Ran walked to the blooming peach tree in front of the lecture hall, took off his large black robe, and put on the peach blossom Teacher's robe hanging on the tree.
His murderous aura was now restrained, replaced by an ethereal, immortal aura, like the Peach Immortal of this place.
As he turned, his robe swirled, spreading a fragrant peach blossom breeze.
His handsome face emerged amidst the peach blossoms, standing in the vibrant peach forest, like a painting cut from the spring breeze.
His brow resembled distant mountains and starlight, a slight arch bringing a hint of casual detachment. The corners of his eyes curved slightly upwards, his pupils bright like they held crushed peach petals. When he smiled, a warm breeze flowed, as if containing a half-finished poem.
The Teacher simply stood there, as if gathering all the spiritual essence of heaven and earth onto himself, making people irresistibly want to approach him. To be able to stay with him for life would be the greatest fortune.
"Wow~"
As Su Ran shed his long robe and returned to his usual academy attire, Zhu Zhuyu's slightly immature eyes were lost in wonder, her round little mouth agape. Her small hands clutched Zhu Zhuyun's tightly.
Unexpectedly, Big Sister Zhu Zhuyun was even more nervous than her. Her dark pupils almost turned into heart shapes, and her fingers twisted as if stimulated into flight.
Indeed, Teacher Su was still so incomparably graceful, like someone who had stepped out of a poem or painting. Words seemed pale in comparison when trying to describe him.
"Teacher!"
"Teacher is back!"
"And the Senior Sisters are back too!"
"Teacher, we missed you so much!"
At this moment, the other students in the academy who were still training also learned of the Teacher's return. They all put down what they were doing and came to pay their respects to the Teacher.
There was a vast gathering.
Over a dozen young women in the prime of their youth—Mu Yunteng, Mu Yunzhu, Xue Wu, Shui Bing'er, Shui Yueer… They were like early spring buds, their youthful freshness and fragrance detectable even from dozens of meters away.
Seeing the Teacher's figure, the girls' blossoms fully opened, their pistils blooming, filling the entire Peach Garden with a vibrant and overflowing energy.
However, Su Ran waved his hand, sending out a peach breeze that calmed their enthusiasm. He said faintly:
"I will inspect your cultivation progress from this period later. Be quiet."
Though the girls' youthful energy was hard to suppress, they still sat down among the flowers, quietly awaiting the Teacher's picking… ah no, his guidance.
Zhu Zhuyun took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling dramatically. "Thank you for your understanding, Teacher Su!"
"Tell me, what exactly happened with you two? How did the Star Luo Royal Family's Spirit Masters pursue you all the way here from so far away?"
Su Ran looked at Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuyu and asked.
Zhu Zhuyun then came back to her senses, took a deep breath, glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, and replied:
"Teacher Su, this is what happened: In the Soul Master Competition, Zhuqing defeated us, and Dai Mubai lost to Tianshui Academy. After the competition, Dai Weisi dispatched his secret guards to capture Dai Mubai and bring him back to the Star Luo Empire. However, he didn't kill him; instead, he crippled one of Dai Mubai's hands, turning him into a disabled person with one eye and a broken arm."
"As a result, Dai Mubai has almost completely lost his right to contend for the throne. But they are, after all, brothers, and facing a brother with no competitiveness, Dai Weisi softened. I found out that Dai Mubai harbored resentment towards Zhuqing and made a condition to Dai Weisi."
"Dai Mubai swore that he would be willing to guard the frontier and never return to the imperial capital, on the condition that he immediately marry a direct descendant of the Zhu family to accompany him."
"Dai Weisi advised the Star Luo Emperor, and the Star Luo Emperor agreed."
"A date was set: Dai Weisi would be confirmed as Crown Prince and marry me, while Dai Mubai would marry my Third Sister, Zhuyu. The Zhu family was powerless to resist."
"I knew that Dai Mubai had been humiliated by Zhuqing, and his insistence on marrying my Third Sister must have been with ill intentions. I was afraid that Third Sister would have a miserable life after marrying him, and I myself…"
Zhu Zhuyun spoke, her voice catching. What she didn't say was that ever since she had seen Teacher Su and witnessed Zhuqing's performance during the Soul Master Competition, she herself had begun to waver about her fate. Should she truly marry Dai Weisi like this?
On one hand, there was her reawakened sisterly affection; on the other, the entanglement of her family's destined marriage. This led her to make the most astonishing decision of her life.
She would escape the Star Luo Empire with her Third Sister and come to Peach Garden Academy to seek refuge!
"Dai Mubai!"
After Zhu Zhuyun finished explaining the whole story, it turned out that all of this was Dai Mubai's doing, and it was caused by him!
Zhu Zhuqing's expression grew colder, her slender fingers tightly clenched. She had thought that after stating her position to Zhu Zhuyun during the Soul Master Competition, she would no longer have any ties with the Star Luo Royal Family.
But in the end, she couldn't escape.
Upon hearing this, Su Ran also sighed softly. This was the helplessness of being born into an imperial noble family; from birth, a woman was destined to be a sacrifice for her family.
"Teacher Su, we have already defected. We have nowhere to go. The Star Luo Royal Family won't let us go, and our family won't lightly disturb me and Third Sister. I know this request might be very difficult for Teacher Su, but we truly have nowhere to go."
"Teacher Su, can you take us in? Zhuyun doesn't ask to be your disciple. Even if it's just serving as a maid for Teacher Su here, pouring tea, fetching water, and cleaning, that would be fine. I believe only Teacher Su might be willing to shelter us."
Zhu Zhuyun's exquisite and dignified face was disheveled from the overnight journey, her dark hair curved like spider silk on her jade skin, and tears welled up in her eyes. She fiercely kowtowed several times to Su Ran, looking pitiful.
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