A Sect Leader's Daily Life - Chapter 3

I turned slightly aside, and the blood I’d been holding back trickled from the corner of my mouth. As I raised my hand to wipe it away, I saw Meng Xun approaching in his flowing white robes.

He saw his disciple holding the Demon Lord and wiping away tears, and his master carelessly wiping blood on her sleeve. Finally, he frowned and walked over to me.

“How many times have I told you? Use a handkerchief.”

He drew a square, snow-white handkerchief from inside his robes. I was just reaching to take it when he pressed it straight against my face.

Meng Xun was much taller than me. Standing this close, all I could see was his slender neck and lean chin. I felt there was something inappropriate about the atmosphere, so I hurried to speak.

“Just because you’re a clean freak doesn’t mean you can force your master to be one too. What kind of disciple behaves like this?”

Cool and aloof as ever, Meng Xun ignored me. He carefully wiped me clean with the handkerchief.

I reached out again, intending to take the dirty cloth back and wash it. Meng Xun glanced at my hand and ignored it outright.

When I saw that he seemed about to put it away himself, I hurried to snatch it.

Nice try. You might have protagonist privilege, but you weren’t stronger than me now!

“I’ll wash it before I give it back.”

Everyone in the sect knew that Meng Xun’s obsession with cleanliness had reached insane proportions.

Anyone visiting his territory could only sit on the designated chairs. If more people came than there were chairs, sorry: the extras had to stand. The last time my clueless second senior brother planted his backside in Meng Xun’s own chair, Meng Xun nearly threw him out, chair and all.

And when he fought monsters, even a single drop of blood on his clothes meant that garment was done for.

Meng Xun caught my wrist in his left hand, then used two fingers of his right to take the handkerchief back. “Even washed, it can’t be used again. Just throw it away.” His face remained expressionless.

Having dealt with the handkerchief, he looked down at the pair on the ground.

After watching them for a few moments, he suddenly conjured his longsword. Without warning, he set its tip against Chong Yan’s chest. He didn’t actually pierce him, of course.

“Is he dying?” Meng Xun lifted his handsome brows slightly. His tone was calm.

He kept looking at Chong Yan, who was playing dead. It almost sounded as if he was asking Chong Yan himself.

This frightened Qin Wan again. The poor girl was frightened into hiccups in the middle of crying, yet still had to hold them back and plead with Meng Xun.

Meng Xun had never got along with Chong Yan. Perhaps it was because they were destined rivals in love: every meeting seemed particularly hostile. At any rate, according to Meng Xun, everything about Chong Yan offended his eyes. It was as if the man had been built to embody everything he found ugly.

Heaven was my witness—would a romance novel’s second male lead be ugly? He was so far from ugly that his good looks were practically criminal!

Meng Xun was the cool, untouchable type of immortal. Chong Yan was a handsome young man with sharply defined brows, bright eyes, and striking features. Between them, they set this world’s ceiling for beauty. But if I had to say which one was better-looking, of course I’d favor my darling disciple.

Favoritism aside, I was still loyal to my friends. I’d accepted a job, and I meant to do it. In front of Qin Wan, I had to cover for Chong Yan a little.

“Xun, he’s already badly injured. Let him be.”

To my surprise, Meng Xun curved his lips. “Is that so? Then let me finish him off with one more thrust.”

I saw Chong Yan stiffen noticeably. He even pretended to shift back unconsciously, edging away from the sword tip.

Poor thing.

Even under these circumstances, he had to keep acting for love.

A pitiful man of ruthless determination.

That ruthlessly determined man sent another message into my mind, through gritted teeth. “Get your damned disciple away from me!”

Thinking of the lovely things in Chong Yan’s private treasury, I realized they might slip away if I kept enjoying the show. So I could only give a thoroughly unconvincing cough.

“Taking advantage of someone’s helplessness isn’t the way of us immortals. Xun?”

Only then did Meng Xun withdraw his sword, looking rather regretful.

As if he’d only just noticed Qin Wan defending Chong Yan, he frowned at her. “You know him?”

The girl was really suffering today. She blinked her watery eyes and nodded blankly. “Before I met you, Master, Yan saved me. He’s very good to me. He’s a good person. Uh… a good demon.”

I saw the good demon’s mouth twitch.

Meng Xun looked cold. He certainly had the bearing of a master—like the most desirable character in an otome game, just begging to be romanced.

Ah. What was I thinking?

I shook those messy thoughts out of my head. A wave of exhaustion hit me. Time to retreat.

Meng Xun was still intimidating his little disciple. “Whatever he is, I don’t care. Don’t let me see him on Qingwu Peak again. You’ve joined the Xuanxiao Sect. Keep your distance from him.”

Then he turned his head slightly and looked at me, a cold gleam in his eyes. “You too.”

“…”

Which of us was the master here, and which the disciple?

It was one thing to boss his own disciple around. Now he was bossing his master around too.

I was about to lose my temper when I saw that godlike face. Who could bear to scold such a handsome boy?

“Oh.” Spinelessly, I obeyed my disciple’s instructions.

Meng Xun finally left. I breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to leave too.

In that tiny moment of delay, the thing still playing dead sent another message. “Go away!”

Seriously? This was my territory!

Fine. I’d accepted his bribe. I’d squeeze a little more out of him later.

I left.