Luo Chen had no idea how he made it back to Zixiao Peak. It was only after returning that he remembered he hadn’t dealt with the necklace, which still lay in his storage bag.

What was he going to say to his junior sister?

He returned to his room, and after being scolded by Bai Feng, his mind was in a jumble, leaving him feeling somewhat lost.

If it had been an ordinary disciple saying those things, he might not have taken it to heart.

But this was Bai Feng, a genius in formations, and also recognized by Bai Yu Mo as a brother. In Luo Chen’s eyes, Bai Feng was on the same level as him, making it impossible to simply brush off his words.

“Could I have been wrong?”

He pondered this but couldn’t come to a conclusion.

“I was just taking care of my junior sister. What could possibly be wrong with that?”

He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

However, he wasn’t one to dwell on things. Since he couldn’t figure it out, he decided to let it go.

Yet, his thoughts remained chaotic, and he had no desire to practice. So, he took out the book Bai Feng had given him.

He had expected it to be a novel or a play, but when he opened the first page, his face instantly turned crimson.

“What… how can the women in this book be so indecent! What kind of decorum is this! This is simply…”

He quickly shut the book, his face as red as a ripe tomato.

As a straightforward disciple raised in the sect, he had never encountered anything so provocative. In fact, upon seeing the book, he had initially planned to burn it.

But then he remembered it was a gift from Bai Feng, and he hesitated.

Although Bai Feng was blunt and unyielding, he wouldn’t give him something so trivial, would he? Could it have been a mistake?

Or was there some deeper meaning behind it?

Despite the poor reputation Bai Feng had outside, as the eldest disciple of Zixiao Peak, Luo Chen wouldn’t just listen to rumors, true or false.

When he interacted with disciples from Qingzhu Peak, he was clearly told that Bai Feng was not only talented but also incredibly hardworking, mastering a multitude of formations in just a month.

How could someone so diligent and earnest in seeking the Dao possibly collect such books? Bai Feng must have intended to convey something with this gift!

In Luo Chen’s barren worldview, there seemed to be no concept of entertainment. He lacked a clear understanding of leisure activities, believing they were for those who lacked ambition. Disciples like him and Bai Feng, who were dedicated to their studies, clearly had no intersection with entertainment.

With this thought, Luo Chen gathered his focus and opened the book "Spring and Autumn" again, reading it earnestly.

---

**Chapter 32: I Will Protect Bai Shidi!**

Unbeknownst to Luo Chen, he had already flipped to the last few pages. From initially feeling embarrassed and forcing himself to read on, he soon became adept at turning the pages. In such a short time, he had grown.

He even felt a sense of indifference.

Though it was visually appealing, it was merely a series of illustrations.

These images could only affect his body, but they couldn’t shake his spirit.

“But what does Bai Shidi really mean?”

Luo Chen still couldn’t make sense of it. He couldn’t understand the significance of Bai Feng giving him such a book. Was it really a mistake?

With lingering doubts, he turned to the last page of "Spring and Autumn."

Unlike the previous pages filled with exposed skin, the final page was different.

Instead of women posing, it depicted a few little figures separated by grids, engaged in conversation.

At first, he didn’t think much of it, but as he glanced at it, he suddenly froze, as if time had stopped.

The story was simple, yet he couldn’t stop thinking. The points he had struggled to understand suddenly clicked into place…

If Bai Feng were here, he would realize that the last page was a little comic he had drawn out of boredom, based on memories from his past life, and it had been localized. Later, thinking it was a waste to leave it unused, he tucked it into the last few pages as a bonus, not expecting it to be quite popular.

In fact, among his fanbase, there had always been a small group urging him to draw comics.

Luo Chen gently turned his neck and read each word with great care:

The illustration showed a man and a woman. The man, looking exhausted, placed a pill on the table, while the girl stood in front of him, mocking, “Brother, your skills are still lacking? You can’t even refine a decent pill? After all this time, you’re still stuck making low-level pills. Aren’t you ashamed to stay in the sect?”

The man didn’t respond, merely sitting with his head down, accepting the girl’s ridicule.

After a thorough mocking, the girl suddenly had an idea. She decided to go to the place where her brother refined pills the next day and find an opportunity to mock him even more.

The scene shifted to the next day, where the girl hid behind a wall, witnessing a fierce-looking elder reprimanding her brother:

“Why didn’t you refine the Gathering Qi Pill today?”

Her brother weakly defended himself, “Yesterday… Elder, you said we didn’t need to refine that pill anymore.”

But as soon as he finished explaining, the elder grew angrier. “Do you have a brain? Yesterday was yesterday, today is today! If you delay the order, are you going to pay me back? Listen carefully, if you come to me to refine pills, think things through! Don’t think everyone will coddle you like your parents!”

Her brother trembled slightly, quickly nodding and apologizing, “I’m very sorry, I’ll go refine the pills right away!”

“You’re useless! If you don’t get it right today, get lost!”

“Yes, yes.”

Her brother hurriedly got back to work, while the girl hiding behind the wall trembled all over, her expression almost in tears: “So… so scary!”

The final image was no longer of the girl mocking her brother, but rather her reaching out to hug him as he apologized: “I’m sorry, brother, you’re doing great.”

Luo Chen’s gaze froze on that last scene, feeling something inside him shatter.

It was just a simple comic with a few lines, yet it ignited the emotions he had been holding back.

He lifted his head, straining to widen his eyes.

Though the man in the comic was a disciple with poor talent, his experiences mirrored Luo Chen’s so closely, yet were entirely different.

After being scolded by Bai Feng and going through self-doubt, he was finally awakened by a simple comic. He realized what had been wrong, where he had erred.

Just then, his door was pushed open without even a knock.

Luo Chen quickly closed the book and turned to face the unexpected intruder—his junior sister.

If this had been before, he might have felt a bit flustered, but now he felt strangely at ease.

“Brother, have you sent the gift yet?”

His junior sister’s inquiry was exactly what he expected, as if to her, he was merely a tool.

Even regarding the accusations against him, she would rather believe a newly initiated disciple than trust him, someone she had known for years.

Seeing Luo Chen remain silent, his junior sister frowned and shouted, “Are you deaf? I’m talking to you!”

Looking at her impatient expression, he suddenly felt like laughing.

Bai Feng had hit the nail on the head; he had indeed been like a dog that wouldn’t bark, one that anyone could kick around!

Luo Chen stood up, looking down at his junior sister, and replied in a calm tone, “I’ve sent it. Bai Feng has already accepted it. If there’s nothing else, please leave. I need to rest.”

“You…” His junior sister’s eyes widened, seemingly unable to believe he spoke to her like that.

“Please leave, junior sister. Remember to knock next time.”

Luo Chen waved his hand, a force pushing her out of the room, and he shut the door firmly behind her, leaving her standing outside, bewildered.

“Brother, what’s wrong with you?” Her voice came from outside the door, but Luo Chen didn’t respond. Eventually, she stomped her foot, “Even if you kneel before me in the future, I won’t forgive you!”

Listening to her footsteps fade away, Luo Chen couldn’t help but laugh, though tears streamed down his face, dripping onto the floor.

Was this all his efforts had amounted to?

It was truly laughable…

Luo Chen looked at the book on the floor, carefully picking it up and gently brushing off the dust.

Thanks to Bai Feng, he realized he might never have understood how ridiculous his actions were.

He thought of the rumors about Bai Feng in the sect. If he had any doubts before, now he was more convinced than ever… Bai Feng was not that kind of person!

Moreover, those rumors were quite off. He remembered Bai Feng had been studying formations at Qingzhu Peak, rarely even leaving his room, yet the rumors only intensified, which was clearly abnormal.

Someone was likely targeting Bai Feng from behind.