My apprentice is a little weird?

In Jinglan area, the setting sun is high in the sky, kingfishers are singing on the branches, and the breeze is swaying the willow branches. Fishes occasionally jump out of the lake, appearing and disappearing in the sparkling white light, with only a few splashes of water to show their presence. In the huge lake, there is only a small boat floating leisurely in it, swaying with the waves.

There is a person sitting at the bow and stern of the boat. The one in the front is a fishing girl with skin as white as cream and a face as rosy as a peach. Her eyes and brows carry an indelible smile, which makes people feel good about her at first sight.

She was standing at the bow, holding the rod in one hand and humming a little tune. It was not some elegant tune, but a fishing song that fishermen often hum. With such a leisurely and idle posture, she looked like an innocent little daughter of a fisherman.

In contrast, the man at the stern seemed to have lost his soul. He sat in silence, staring blankly at the rippling water.

His black hair hangs down on the side of his face and stubble has already appeared. This somewhat "degenerate" look is in stark contrast to his temperament from behind in white clothes.

The two were on the same boat, the former full of life while the latter lifeless. They seemed incompatible yet so harmonious. Just when this weird atmosphere was about to reach its end, a crisp sound broke the silence.

"Oh! I caught a golden carp, Master, we can have an extra meal today."

Shen Ming happily came to Jiang Yan carrying a golden carp, put it in front of her, moved it twice, and then put it into the fish cage.

Unlike ordinary fishermen, the fish in Shen Ming's hand did not struggle from the time it came ashore to the time it was put into the cage. It was as if it had fallen asleep, but its round eyes were still staring at Jiang Yan. The occasional swing of its tail also showed that it was not unconscious, but just watched itself being caught and was powerless to do anything...

Jiang Yan did not respond to this, he just kept his head down and stared at the lake, as if he didn't hear anything.

Shen Ming was not annoyed. He went to the cabin to get the knife, put it on the side and started sharpening the knife, humming a little tune while sharpening it.

Then he pressed the golden carp to the ground, placed the blade on its belly and gestured, as if considering where to cut.

The golden carp's eyes were still staring at Jiang Yan, almost bulging out. If it were a human, it would probably be able to see the strong resentment in it.

It was like realizing that my life was coming to an end. I had done nothing and had never hurt anyone, yet I had to endure this. I couldn't help but shed tears of grievance. However~

"stop"

pat...

The fish-killing knife fell to the ground, and the golden carp trembled in fear, but the expected feeling of the knife entering its stomach did not come, and the force that bound it and made the fish's heart palpitate also dissipated.

"Eh? You're not going to kill me?"

It had this thought in its mind, but it didn't dare to run away easily. After all, the scary girl who could control it at any time didn't ask it to leave. If it ran away and made her unhappy, it would be finished.

Shen Ming ignored the thoughts of a fish and appeared in front of Jiang Yan in an instant. His expression was no longer the same as before, and he looked at Jiang Yan with concern.

"Master..."

His voice was choked with worry and a broken feeling.

Jiang Yan closed his eyes and looked at Shen Ming. His gaze gradually focused as he met her sky-blue eyes. He forced a smile on his face and said,

"I'm sorry to have worried you during this period..."

Shen Ming couldn't hold on any longer, and threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, sobbing softly with tears in her eyes. Jiang Yan hugged her gently, as if he was holding a fragile object, and comforted her in a gentle voice.

"Alright, alright...it's alright..."

These words failed to make Shen Ming loosen his grip, but instead made him use even more force, as if he was going to hang on him... No, he was already hanging on him.

As a result, Jiang Yan, who should have been like a patient, had to constantly comfort the "sunny and cheerful" Shen Ming, and it took a long time of comforting her like coaxing a child before she recovered.

Jiang Yan sat cross-legged, still looking at the lake but his eyes were no longer dull, and he seemed to have regained his energy, but he still looked like a patient who had just recovered from a serious illness. Shen Ming hugged his arm closely.

"Hey……"

Jiang Yan sighed softly, and Shen Ming subconsciously tightened his arms and spoke to comfort him.

"Master... don't be sad anymore. Master didn't mean to drive you away. Maybe... he saw that you are not from this world, so he wants you to be less involved in karma and more decisive in killing people..."

Shen Ming couldn't help but fall silent at this point. After all, when it comes to karma... there's probably no one more deeply involved than her. At the same time, this also made her subconsciously recall the scene when she confronted the elders and the head of the Chengfeng Sword Sect...

"What on earth did Chi Xiaowen do to cause the already confirmed plan to be shelved or even...cancelled..."

Yes, she didn't have to go to the Nether Dust Realm, nor did she have to fetch the law fragments for them. She was sure that at the beginning, this plan had almost become unstoppable, even if she didn't want to. After all, if she didn't agree, Jiang Yan and this world would be in danger.

And this is also the destined "ending" that she realized after going through so much.

That sense of destiny had been with her since she was born, forcing her and chasing her, and even making her despair when facing the approaching abyss.

But now, it’s gone?

Chi Xiaowen expelled them from the sect and severed all ties with them. The Chengfeng Sword Sect also stopped asking about the agreement. They left the Lingxiang area smoothly in this way, and there were no unexpected twists and turns in the whole process.

Shen Ming's eyes were complicated, she actually had a vague guess.

"Could it be that... Master Chi Xiaowen... found a way to fight the abyss without me, but the cost was too high and the impact was too wide... so he expelled me and Master from the sect?"

She couldn't help but frown at the thought.

If this is really the only reason, there is no reason to expel them from the sect, because with Master's character, he would definitely not fail to think of this. Since he has thought of it, he will never allow the other party to do so, and at least he will discuss it together.

Just as her thoughts were flashing through her mind, Jiang Yan raised his hand and grabbed her tender ear.

Shen Ming suddenly felt his ears tighten, and his little head was lifted up and he cried out.

"Master, Master, it hurts! Shen Ming hasn't made any mistakes during this period!"

Jiang Yan gritted his teeth.

"You still have the nerve to call me 'Master'?"

Shen Ming's brain froze for a second, then he remembered that he had already cheated the master out of all his underwear, and even the person who bought it had to count the money and bargain for it, and he immediately grinned.

"Uh... hehe... this is... I can't help myself..."

"Humph!"

After letting Shen Ming go with a snort, Jiang Yan stood up and tidied his clothes. Shen Ming pulled his arm and stood up at the same time, and came to him diligently to help him tidy up.

After a while, Jiang Yan, dressed neatly, with black hair tied in a crown, stood tall with his hands behind his back. His robe fluttered in the wind, and his untidy beard added a sense of vicissitudes to his appearance.

"Ming'er, tell me what happened these days and where we are now..."

Shen Ming's lips curled slightly and he said softly:

"We are now in Jinglan Territory, the boat under our feet is drifting with the current, and I don't know where we are~"