After chatting and eating, Shen Long and Luo Qingben both headed back to their residences. Now that Luo Qingben was mentally stable again, Shen Long was definitely not going to allow him to sleep with him. Shen Long cultivated his Qi after returning to his tiny room. After reaching Demigod Realm, he could now cultivate his Qi twice a day.
Shortly after, Shen Long went to take a shower as he prepared himself to sleep at 8:30 AM. He usually went to bed at 10 or 11, but today he was determined to sleep early. This was, of course, because of Chen Mei. As Shen Long didn't want to sacrifice his sleep for his "relationship", he chose to go to bed earlier.
Plus, Shen Long barely slept the night before, so he was mentally quite exhausted. Upon lying on his bed, he fell unconscious. His bed was too comfortable, and it magically shut down his brain and body. Actually, Shen Long's bed wasn't comfortable at all. There wasn't a cushion, so Shen Long was basically lying on a wooden plank. However, Shen Long had an innate unique skill: he could sleep anywhere and everywhere.
It wasn't long until it was 5 AM in the morning. However, Shen Long still showed no sign of movements, except his nose twitching up and down as he snorted loudly. Since there wasn't an alarm in the Cultivator World, Shen Long had basically no control over when he would wake up. Although there were a few tricks that could do the job, Shen Long hadn't had the chance to learn any.
Without surprise, Shen Long missed the jogging "date" with Chen Mei. However, Chen Mei wasn't the only one who was disappointed at his absence. The male disciples who were setting up another ambush were also crying in tears after waiting for another hour. They had painstakingly stayed up all night to set up the prank, but Shen Long somehow "juked" them again.
"Fuc* you, Shen Long. How the heck did you manage to evade all our pranks and traps!? This is the third time already! Do you somehow know our plans!? What bullshi* luck! I curse you... and your whole family... May you never get a wife in the future." The male disciples all cursed as they couldn't believe how lucky Shen Long was.
If Shen Long heard their merciless curses, Shen Long would have probably coughed a mouthful of blood. After all, Shen Long didn't offend them intentionally. It was pure luck, and Shen Long wasn't even aware of Chen Mei's godly status in the palace. Shen Long only knew that she was pretty and shy, but that was all he knew.
Approximately two hours later, Shen Long woke up. He quickly checked the time, and he immediately realized that he f**ked up. Didn't know what to do, Shen Long quickly tidied his appearance as he rushed to the Apothecary Department. It seemed like apologizing was the only solution to this problem.
As he ran there, he tried to think of an excuse and her possible reactions. He calmed down a little as he stood in front of the gate. Wiping his sweat off, he walked inside. Since it was still 7 AM, there weren't many disciples in the hall. He walked around the palace a few times, but he still struggled to find her. Shen Long was worried that she was deliberately hiding from him because she was angry, so he decided to ask one of the Staff there.
"Hello, do you know when Junior Sister Chen Mei is? I... I... scheduled an appointment to pick up some spiritual herbs, but I don't see her here. Is she by any chance... hiding in the hall? Please tell me where she is, and I will definitely repay your magnificence in the future." Shen Long earnestly asked, while making up an excuse as he didn't want others to know about their relationship.
Well, at this point, Chen Mei and Shen Long were merely friends. They had only properly talked for one day, so it was too soon to talk about proper relationships. Plus, even if Shen Long liked her, Chen Mei may not necessarily like Shen Long neither. Shen Long could still get friend-zoned by Chen Mei.
"Senior Sister Chen? She told you to get the f**k out. Stop bothering her and the Apothecary Department!" The staff gave an extremely short response, and her attitude was beyond terrible. Typically, Shen Long would be mad if he was treated like this by another disciple, but Shen Long only felt regret and disappointment at the moment. Shen Long nodded lightly as he dejectedly walked out.
However, coincidentally, Chen Mei was just coming into the Apothecary Hall! Shen Long noticed her as the two locked gazes for a brief moment. Feeling shameful and embarrassment, Shen Long decided to lower his head as he hastily walked out of the room. Shen Long was hesitating, whether to apologize or not as he continued to walk.
Shen Long decided to properly apologize, like a man. Instead of being a coward, he chose to admit his mistakes and just apologize. He turned back as he rushed towards Chen Mei. Bowing down like a gentleman, Shen Long loudly said "Sorry!" while he used his hands to cover up his face. He peeked through the gaps between his fingers, to see her reaction.
Unexpectedly, she just chuckled lightly as she gently stroked Shen Long's head. "It's alright, Senior Brother Long. I will forgive you, just this once!"
After hearing Chen Mei's response, Shen Long felt even more confused. Shen Long's emotions changed like a roller coaster. At first, he was terrified as he thought Chen Mei would be mad; after asking the Staff, he was disappointed and dejected; his disappointment became embarrassment as he apologized; then now, he was just extremely confused.
Even though Shen Long was glad that Chen Mei wasn't mad at all, the difference between the Staff's response and hers was way too different. One told him to fu** off, while Chen Mei gladly accepted his apology. Shen Long couldn't help but confirm if Chen Mei was actually not mad at him for missing their jog.
"I wasn't mad, but I was disappointed when you didn't show up this morning. Maybe you don't want to see me? If that's the case, I am sorry for bothering you..." Chen Mei jokingly replied in her gentle voice.
Shen Long couldn't help but glance at the Staff who told him to f*** off. The Staff was totally flabbergasted upon seeing how nice Chen Mei treated Shen Long. Her jaw almost dropped, and her face whitened as if she just witnessed a ghost. She quickly ran over towards Shen Long and Chen Mei as she apologized.
"Sorry about my words just now. I thought you're one of those shameless disciples who is just finding an excuse to meet Senior Sister Chen. We always tell those people to leave because they always come and annoy us. I'm really sorry about what happened just now!" The Staff spoke with sincerity and formality. If the staff knew who Shen Long was, she would probably be even more terrified.
Telling a personal disciple of Daoist Fireblade to f*** off? Good luck with that.