Chapter Fifty-Six: A Short Rest Under the Moon

There was still some time before the Lingshan Sword Tournament, a considerable gap. Having just experienced a trip to the Sea Palace, Ye Chi felt utterly exhausted, so he simply asked Ya Feiyu for a few days' leave to rest in the disciples' quarters. He spent his time quite comfortably, wandering around whenever he didn't have classes, climbing trees, catching fish, and teasing birds. Occasionally, when he passed by the school, he would receive envious and jealous glances from everyone, as well as a sudden, angry chalk throw from the teacher, sending Ye Chi scurrying away with his head in his hands. Sitting under a tree with his legs crossed, he couldn't help but sigh, "Modern people and ancient people are really exactly the same; even the gesture for throwing chalk is exactly the same."

This earned him an eye roll from Shi Bai, who was also on vacation due to undergoing treatment: "Why did you go and provoke them if you had nothing better to do?"

Ye Chi hadn't even noticed when he arrived. He suddenly jolted, his body swaying, and he almost fell over: "If it wasn't you, then when did you get here?!"

"While you were halfway through your self-talk," Shi Bai said expressionlessly, "your master is looking for you."

Ye Chi paused, then spat out the tasteless grass roots he had chewed: "Master is looking for me? What happened?"

Shi Bai simply shook his head and said "I don't know." Ye Chi raised an eyebrow. Lately, Ya Feiyu hadn't come to see him like this often. He couldn't come in person, so he asked Shi Bai to come instead, without even telling Shi Bai the reason. Although the old man didn't need a reason to find someone, it just didn't seem like Ya Feiyu's style.

He suppressed his confusion and got up. "Where is Master?"

"Master is on the back mountain of the main peak."

...The back mountain of the main peak?

It's rare, really rare. Ya Feiyu doesn't usually come to the main peak. Apart from the occasional teaching or duty shift, he only comes when summoned. The back of the main peak is also in a remote location, so it's really hard to explain why he invited him.

...Never mind, there's no point in thinking about it too much. Ye Chi casually said goodbye to Shi Bai and headed towards the back of the mountain.

This place is so remote, even the path is hard to find. Ye Chi wandered around the mountain for quite a while before finally finding it. As he followed the path, the air around him gradually grew colder, and mist began to rise, bringing with it a vague sense of unease. Ye Chi hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should turn back now. Just then, he turned his head and saw a white figure in the woods.

—Holy crap! Holy ...

I've encountered a ghost!

Ye Chi subconsciously stepped back, stepping on a withered branch by the roadside with a cracking sound, seemingly drawing the "female ghost's" attention. He slightly turned his head, and a voice came from behind him, eerie and sinister: "What are you doing?"

The female ghost's voice is quite delicate.

This was Ye Chi's first reaction, then he froze for a moment, his whole body stiffening.

...Isn't that his master's voice?

Upon closer inspection, the white figure hidden behind the light mist slowly approached him, revealing a handsome face and silver eyes. Apart from his extremely aloof and cold-faced villainous master, there was probably no one else like him in the entire cultivation world.

Thank goodness, it wasn't a female ghost, it was Master.

Ye Chi silently wiped away a bead of cold sweat. Ya Feiyu couldn't understand what this kid was thinking, and only felt a little confused, but didn't think too much about it.

"Since you're here, come on over," he said calmly.

Ye Chi snapped out of his daze and asked obediently, "Master, why did you summon me here?"

"This place is remote and undisturbed, yet it is rich in spiritual energy, making it a good place for recuperation."

Ye Chi blinked: "Master, you mean..."

Ya Feiyu patted his shoulder, the mist blurring his face, making his usually cold and stern features appear exceptionally gentle, and his voice seemed to be immersed in the mist: "During this time, you should cultivate here properly. I have already set up a barrier around here, and no one will disturb you."

Ye Chi was delighted to have such a perfect cultivation environment. He thought to himself that it was like a pillow being delivered to him when he was sleepy. He scratched the back of his head, frowned slightly, and pretended to be troubled, saying, "Master, is this in preparation for the Spirit Mountain Sword Tournament?"

Ya Feiyu glanced at him, as if to say, "Isn't this obvious enough?", and nodded sparingly, "Yes."

"But what if my disciple's aptitude is not good..."

“If you don’t have the talent, then work hard.” Ya Feiyu sat to the side. Although the back mountain was remote, it was not completely desolate. There was a small pavilion with a stone table in the middle. It looked quite old and dilapidated, but it was still usable. He took a sip of tea from somewhere and said, “If hard work doesn’t work, then use elixirs and medicines to boost your cultivation.”

That's quite a statement... and it's made with such confidence.

Ye Chi's lips twitched. As expected of Ya Feiyu, his thought process was just different from ordinary people. "Won't such opportunistic tricks make his basic skills weak?"

Ya Feiyu said calmly, "I didn't tell you to only use medicine. Medicine is just an auxiliary tool. The most important thing is to rely on yourself. If your foundation is solid, what's wrong with using medicine to help you break through the bottleneck?"

Ye Chi: "Did Master ever use pills to improve his cultivation?"

Ya Feiyu glanced at him: "No."

Ye Chi: "...?"

Ya Feiyu said matter-of-factly, "I only told you to use the medicine if you're not qualified, I never said I'm not qualified."

Ye Chi: "..."

Ya Feiyu's words were indeed offensive.

To supervise his cultivation, Ya Feiyu set up a barrier not only to prevent outsiders from intruding, but also to prevent Ye Chi from sneaking down the mountain to slack off when he wasn't looking. He euphemistically called it "cultivators must learn to endure hardship," and even brought Ye Chi's blankets and pillows so he could sleep in the pavilion. However, Ya Feiyu wasn't truly heartless; whenever he had free time, he could spend almost the entire day with Ye Chi. The abundant spiritual energy in this place was also beneficial to his currently frail body.

The initial training was incredibly boring. Ya Feiyu wasn't in a hurry to teach him those cool spells that could make him fly to the sky or dive into the earth. Instead, he started with the most basic tasks like chopping wood and carrying water. Later, he trained him to pick up a bamboo stick with a bucket filled with water tied to each end and stand on one leg for a period of time. At first, it was an hour, and the duration gradually increased.

Ya Feiyu's training was also considered devilish. No matter the wind, rain, or sun, Ye Chi would only be allowed to rest if he broke his limbs or caught a cold or fever.

Unfortunately, in such an environment rich in spiritual energy, Ye Chi, who was trained to be exceptionally healthy, rarely fell ill.

After being tormented by Ya Feiyu for several months, the back mountain finally welcomed a few "newcomers".

When Ye Chi woke up, he saw several familiar faces gathered in front of the pavilion, and he almost felt terrible.

"Junior Brother Ye, please give me your guidance." A soft female voice came from his side. Ye Chi looked in the direction of the voice and was speechless: "Xu Miaomiao, weren't you possessed by a demon? Even under these circumstances, Master still sent you here for training?" You could report this to the sect leader for child abuse now.

Xu Miaomiao's smile remained flawless. After a period of recuperation, most of her inner demons had been driven out. She no longer deliberately worried about Cen Dao, and the influence of the inner demons on her gradually decreased. Although some still lingered, she believed that one day, the inner demons would completely dissipate as her state of mind changed.

This is all thanks to Ya Feiyu. If he hadn't awakened her from her dream and then forced out the inner demons within her, she probably wouldn't be standing here unharmed now.

Ya Feiyu's voice came softly from the side: "This is the sect leader's decree, and also Xu Miaomiao's own personal choice. She is going to the next Lingshan Sword Tournament."

Ye Chi was taken aback, and subconsciously looked at Xu Miaomiao—this frail woman with poor health was described in the original story as a decorative figure beside the male lead, and naturally, she wasn't even considered for the Lingshan Sword Tournament. Now that the male lead was gone, Xu Miaomiao was standing on the Lingshan Sword Tournament's arena... Could this be considered that the male lead's presence was affecting her performance? Ye Chi thought, his lips twitching.

He didn't believe Xu Miaomiao's existence was simply to fill the male lead's vacancy. If that were the case, then there must be many people in the Qinglian Sect whose strength was no less than the male lead's. If it were merely to replace the male lead, then this vacancy shouldn't have fallen to Xu Miaomiao at all. Unless this girl displayed extraordinary talent, talent sufficient to allow her to stand on the martial arts stage.

Ye Chi actually admired such a person.

So he looked at the next person.

Shen Rong.

After the male lead disappeared, Shen Rong's reaction was not as heartbreaking as Xu Miaomiao's. At most, she would occasionally show a sad expression. It makes sense, as one of the ice queen type of female leads, even if she misses someone, she wouldn't show it on her face.

It's been a while since I've seen her.

At this moment, Shen Rong, holding a sword in her arms, was talking to Ya Feiyu. Noticing Ye Chi's gaze, she nodded slightly before quickly looking away. Her behavior seemed normal, so Ye Chi turned his attention to the last person.

This guy, well, he wasn't surprised at all.

He twitched the corners of his mouth, forcing a smile, and said, "Shi Bai, welcome to hell."

Shi Bai returned a fake smile: "I'll be even better than you, just you wait and see."

Ye Chi snorted coldly and turned his head away.

Three more people joined the duo practice, making the pavilion a bit crowded. Out of respect for the women, Ye Chi and Shi Bai didn't try to take a spot. However, Shen Rong, using "cultivation" as an excuse, didn't sleep on the bench but instead went to the edge of the cliff and sat down to enter a meditative state. That night, Ye Chi couldn't sleep, so he let Shi Bai take the bench. He stood in front of the pavilion for a long time without moving an inch. Ya Feiyu had disappeared as soon as night fell; where was he?

Unable to fall asleep, he decided to go find Ya Feiyu. He had only taken a few steps forward when he seemed to sense something and turned around. The moon was high in the sky, and on a large tree behind the pavilion, among the interlacing leaves, Ye Chi keenly caught sight of a figure bathed in the moonlight.