BTTH : The Fallen Genius

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Chapter 56: The Young Man in His Prime

"Are you tired of living?!" In Xiao Yan's bedroom, Yao Chen glared angrily at Xiao Yan, who was floating in mid-air. She roared, "You dare to resist that whip?! If that girl Ruo Lin had put in just a little more effort, you'd be dead by now!!!"

After returning from the admissions courtyard, Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Mei had applied medicine to Xiao Yan's arm and put it in a cast, then sent him back to his room to rest.

Just as the two had bid Xiao Yan farewell and left the room, Yao Chen had suddenly burst out of the ring, furious, and started scolding her disciple.

He had already suffered a loss the last time he fought with Jia Lie Bi. And now, Xiao Yan still dared to act recklessly?! Does he have a death wish?!!

So reckless! Her disciple was simply reckless beyond measure!

If she didn't scold him thoroughly this time, Xiao Yan would definitely do it again next time!!!

"Teacher, please calm down. At that time, in order to win against Instructor Ruo Lin, I had no choice but to use that method. Please understand."

Xiao Yan said seriously, but Yao Chen's anger didn't fade in the least. In fact, it flared even more.

"This is your reason for a Dou Practitioner to take on a Da Dou Shi's whip?!"

Yao Chen was truly furious! She never imagined that Xiao Yan would dare to take such a life-risking action!

Last time, when he fought with Jia Lie Bi, Yao Chen could still react in time to protect Xiao Yan, but this time, Yao Chen was caught off guard! Who knew that Xiao Yan's courage would be this reckless!!

Faced with Yao Chen's furious expression, Xiao Yan didn't say a word, silently lowering his head, humbly accepting her scolding.

Seeing Xiao Yan like this, Yao Chen's anger inexplicably began to dissipate a little. She snorted and then said with a deep tone.

"That girl Ruo Lin only asked you to last for twenty rounds. With our help, getting through it would have been easy. Why did you have to be so reckless?"

Hearing Yao Chen's words, Xiao Yan didn't answer, still lowering his head in silence.

After a long while, Xiao Yan slowly raised his head and looked at Yao Chen seriously.

"Teacher, the road ahead of me is extremely difficult."

"Ha?"

Yao Chen was stunned for a moment, not immediately understanding what Xiao Yan meant by these words.

Weren't I just scolding you about the competition? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?

Just as Yao Chen was confused, Xiao Yan continued.

"Whether it's cultivating the Flame Mantra to forge a body for you, or pursuing the righteous path and spreading it, these will be countless times more difficult than I had anticipated."

Xiao Yan lowered his gaze to his arm, now in a cast, his brow furrowing tightly.

"The dangers I'll face in the future will definitely be more perilous than the challenges of this competition. There's no doubt about that."

"You can't always be there to protect me. Most of the dangers will have to be faced by me alone."

"If I can't even overcome this small competition with my own strength, how will I solve the greater difficulties I will face in the future?"

Xiao Yan raised his head, his expression extremely serious as he looked into Yao Chen's beautiful red eyes, speaking firmly.

"I don't want to be a weak person who always relies on my teacher!"

"One day, if I meet someone you once knew, I want to be able to stand proudly and say with a clear conscience that I am the disciple who can make you proud from the bottom of your heart!"

"I don't want to bring shame upon you!"

Yao Chen stared at Xiao Yan, each word he said was like a heavy hammer striking her heart.

In her view, it was only natural for a teacher to sacrifice for their disciple!

But Xiao Yan didn't think that way.

A disciple should honor their teacher, but a teacher should also take pride in their disciple!

Xiao Yan was determined to prove with actions that those who spoke ill of him were wrong. He didn't want to be the joke that others used to mock Yao Chen's judgment in choosing disciples!

Looking into Xiao Yan's clear, dark eyes, Yao Chen couldn't even bring herself to scold him anymore.

Her already high opinion of him had risen even further.

This new disciple of hers was truly outstanding, so much so that Yao Chen almost thought she was dreaming.

Compared to that child, this excellence was truly dazzling!

"Do as you wish."

Yao Chen thought of a thousand things to say, but in the end, all she could do was sigh helplessly. A smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.

At that moment, she had a sudden realization: even if she could never regain her physical body, it didn't matter. Even the regrets from the past had been filled by Xiao Yan.

Without exaggeration, Xiao Yan was probably the most perfect disciple in the eyes of every teacher in the world.

"Thank you for understanding, Teacher."

Seeing that Yao Chen had finally calmed down, Xiao Yan's sunny smile appeared once again.

But Yao Chen's expression suddenly changed. Her stunning face was now close to Xiao Yan's, causing his cheek to instantly turn red. She glared at him fiercely.

"If you want to risk your life in the future, I won't stop you. But before you do, you must warn me first! Understand?"

"Yes! I will remember, Teacher!"

Xiao Yan immediately lowered his head and responded, seemingly avoiding something.

Seeing Xiao Yan's red ears, Yao Chen recalled how he blushed when she approached him earlier. She couldn't help but smile mischievously.

"Little Yan, let me ask you something~"

"Please go ahead, Teacher!"

Xiao Yan replied loudly, but still kept his head lowered, not daring to look up. This made Yao Chen's beautiful face show signs of dissatisfaction.

"Raise your head. I'm talking to you, and you're not looking at me. Is this how you treat your teacher?"

"…"

Xiao Yan remained silent for a long time, his body tense, before finally raising his head slowly.

But his gaze didn't dare to meet Yao Chen's. His eyes kept shifting to the side.

Seeing Xiao Yan so awkward, Yao Chen secretly laughed, clearing her throat, and then deliberately softening her voice to an unusually gentle tone, which was completely different from her usual bright voice.

"Little Yan, do you think I'm beautiful?"

"…"

Xiao Yan still remained silent, his face growing even redder, to the point it could be called blood red.

Seeing that Xiao Yan didn't respond, Yao Chen pretended to be displeased and scolded.

"Speak!"

Hearing Yao Chen's prompt, Xiao Yan's embarrassment deepened, and after much difficulty, he finally spoke in a very soft voice.

"I… I think Teacher is… very…"

Xiao Yan stammered, his voice so faint that Yao Chen leaned in closer, asking.

"Very what?"

"Very… very beautiful."

Xiao Yan covered half of his face with his right hand and finally gave this answer. Upon hearing it, Yao Chen couldn't contain her laughter.

It was truly strange. Why had she never found it so fun when others complimented her beauty before?

In the past, when others called Yao Chen beautiful, she always felt it was expected and never paid it much thought.

But now, hearing her shy disciple praise her, a sense of indescribable pride swelled in her heart.

"Remember this~ In the future, when you get married, look for someone with my standard. If you get used to me, you probably won't like anyone else~" Yao Chen chuckled, then playfully pinched her delicate chin, muttering, "Well, it's true that beauty at my level is hard to find."

Then, Yao Chen leaned in closer to Xiao Yan's face and giggled.

"If you can't find a wife because your standards are too high, don't blame me~"

"… I need to rest now."

Xiao Yan felt his face was burning hot and couldn't stand it anymore. He quickly turned to lie on his bed, burying his head deep into the pillow.

"Don't go~ I still have a lot to say to you~~~"

Yao Chen was relentless, her soft voice whispering in Xiao Yan's ear. Xiao Yan, struggling to suppress his feelings, could only silently pray in his heart for Yao Chen to stop teasing him.

After all, Xiao Yan was still just a young man in his prime…

(End of Chapter)

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