"Yuzhen, what exactly happened to you that time? You looked like you're in a daze."
"I don't know what exactly happened to me that time after seeing that person. My mind went blank, I couldn't resist myself from looking at him…"
"The person you were staring at is your master, Chen Zoe, the next heir of Chen Long sect.
He's famous for his tyrant behavior, and some people even say he is pure evil in human form. Also, I heard he doesn't hesitate to kill, if he's offended."
"Why are you unnecessarily scaring him? Maybe his master is not as cruel as the rumors say, at least not as the one I got, Master Ming, he is called as the devil instructor.
I'm not sure if I'll come back alive from that tiger's den."
"Comparing to you both, mine is quite easy-going. Master Xi Shen is not only great but also an inspiration. He came from a humble background and achieved great things. Not everyone can succeed in life like this."Long Yuzhen, Xian Ren, and Ying Yue, the three friends, had a conversation before heading to their assigned dorms. But in the middle of the discussion, Yuzhen's mind got lost in thoughts about the earlier incident.He still couldn't figure out what exactly happened to him at that time. He surely had the feeling of Zoya was around, but why did his racing heart calm down after seeing Chen Zoe from a distance? He felt a relief, no… it's more like he was happy to saw him, even its his first-time meeting Zoe.
'How can my mind confuse Zoya with that man?' Cluelessly, Yuzhen asked himself that question.
Even after ten years, the memories of Zoya were still alive in his mind. She was the first person who showed a little amount of concern towards an orphan like him who wandered around on the streets.
Having no one to depend on, he lived a hard life, struggling to stay alive, even if it meant stealing or begging to fill his empty stomach.
The day when he was captured by the store owner for stealing a steamed bun, he was punished harshly, and not a single person came to save him. The disgusted looks of everyone gathered there to watch the show were still clear in his mind. But different from them all, she came.
She speaks for him, her gaze wasn't filled with disgust, but more like it showed concern. The flowers, he brought to show his gratitude, she accepted without any hesitation.
When the young lady called her Zoya, the name captured his heart. It may be the first time he wished to speak, at least her name.
Being kidnapped and sold as a girl to some bad guys, he thought it was the end. But she came to save him, like the shiny moon in the starry sky, she stayed by his side. The blue flames that she created not only illuminated the place but also calmed his heart in a warm way.
Calling out her name for the first time felt like a blessing from that fairy who came into his life. He wanted to speak more, but there was the only word that came out of his mouth again and again, that's her name, 'Zoya'.
The dream of an orphan, longing for someone to protect and care for him, had been fulfilled by her. However, when the price of that yearning turned out to be her life, he learned firsthand what it meant to experience the pain of losing someone.
After the incident, when he regained consciousness, the struggle he went through to find her wasn't small; it was as if the whole world was conspiring against him to keep them apart. Even then, he only got a chance to see her from a distance. She looked weak that time, but she was surrounded by many people who cherished her.
Maybe for her, Yuzhen was a side character in her story, but for him, she was the light that brightened up his dark life.
After ten years, he began a journey to find her, and it took him to Chen Long sect. But he never expected that meeting Chen Zoe would shake his world just by his presence. One thing was sure for Yuzhen, the strange feeling he felt wasn't fear; instead, it smoothed his racing heartbeat, captured his mind, and left him utterly defenseless.
"Zhen, Yuzhen…" Rui's voice brought Long Yuzhen back from his thoughts.
"We've been watching you for some time, what's going on? You are acting strangely…"
"Nothing…" Yuzhen hid the cause of his disturbed mind.
"Is it about that girl? Then don't worry, we will help you to find her." Yue said comfortingly, and Ren supported the words.
A smile appeared on Yuzhen's face, seeing his bright face again, and the atmosphere also brightened. But they couldn't spend more time; they had to go their separate ways to reach their dorms before the assigned time.
...
Long Yuzhen went to Chen Zoe's place, because he was his master's one and only student, so his stay was in Zoe's residence. The maid working there took him to an abandoned room, which was a total mess.
"Is it my room?" In a confused way, Yuzhen asked.
"Yes." In an arrogant way, she replied.
"How am I going to stay here? It's too dusty and unclean..." Before he could finish, she handed him some cleaning tools and left immediately.
"Do I have to clean it alone?" Yuzhen wondered.
Having no choice left, Long Yuzhen began to clean his room, while from a distance, Zoe had been secretly watching all this.
"Senior…" A low voice near his ears surprised Chen Zoe.
"Rui… What are you doing here?" Keeping his voice low, Chen Zoe anxiously asked and tried to cover Rui's view from seeing Yuzhen.
"Don't try to hide; I already saw it. Why are you being so hard on him on the first day? Can't you give him the original room that you prepared for your disciple?" Rui curiously asked.
From the start, Chen Zoe couldn't digest the fact that Long Yuzhen became his disciple out of nowhere. Thinking about teaching his own enemy and dying at his hands one day drained his blood from his veins.
To escape from Long Yuzhen's hands, he decided to resign from the post, but his request was heartlessly denied by his father. Then he tried to exchange disciples with Xi Shen; he not only coldly declined but also reported it to leader Zeng. After getting an earful of scolding, he finally decided to get rid of Long Yuzhen by using his own methods.
And the current situation is one of the parts of his evil plan, so at the end, Long Yuzhen willfully leave the place.
"Just winning the competition can't make him my disciple. He has to pass my tests." Unable to say the truth, Zoe made a believable lie.
"So, it is a test?"
"Y-Yeah, to check his patience and adaptation ability. It's just the beginning; let's see if he can win over his master or not."