"...Speaking of the Demon Lord Luan Hua, just as he was about to ascend, he discovered that the final test of the Heavenly Dao was to kill his wife. So, without hesitation, he plunged his sword into the heart of the woman beside him. Poor Half-Seeing Fairy, who was originally the fiancée of Immortal Venerable Jinyun, was cruelly abandoned after her fiancé took three drops of her heart's blood. She thought that after marrying the Demon Lord, her suffering would finally end, but she never expected to end up like this..."
In a small teahouse, a storyteller, well past fifty, was speaking eloquently on stage, while everyone in the audience listened intently, holding their breath, afraid of missing a single word.
Finally, the gavel slammed down on the table with a "thud," and the storyteller stroked his beard, saying nothing more.
The once quiet teahouse instantly became lively again.
"Old Zhang, aren't you afraid the Demon Lord will kill you if you talk about him like that?" someone joked with a grin.
"Hmph! The Demon Lord doesn't believe he would mess with a nobody like me, especially since everything I said is true!" The storyteller was clearly unafraid.
The people inside the room burst into laughter.
The boy sitting in the corner toyed with the small teacup in his hand, his fingers as white as jade, listening silently.
"Brother, it's getting late, we should head back." The speaker was a girl next to the boy, shorter than him, dressed in a light green outfit, with a long spear on her back, and a serene face.
“Very well.” The young man’s voice was like pearls falling on a jade plate. “Let’s go, Moon.”
It was already sunset outside, the sky was a fiery red, gradually turning pink and purple, and occasionally a bird or two would fly by and disappear in the blink of an eye.
People on the street were busy. Vendors were packing up their stalls, people who had worked all day were hurrying along, and children had finished school and were eager to go home for dinner.
Only this young boy and girl walked slowly down the street, like fish swimming against the current of a school of fish.
But some people are amazed at first glance in a hurry.
The young man was exceptionally handsome, with a slender yet upright figure, a jade pendant hanging from his waist, a beautiful face, and exquisite features. He was clearly a pampered young man raised in a wealthy family.
The girl beside him had an indifferent expression and looked straight ahead. Although she was beautiful, she was not someone you dared to look directly at. Moreover, she carried a long spear on her back and looked at the boy with concern, making her seem like his bodyguard.
A few quarters of an hour later, the two arrived in front of the magnificent mansion. The two golden characters "Li Mansion" on the plaque showed its extraordinary status.
Upon entering the inner hall, a beautiful woman hurried over and grabbed the boy's hand.
"Mingke, tomorrow is the inner sect assessment. Why are you out playing so late again today?" Although the tone was scolding, one could feel the concern in it.
"Just listening to a few stories," the young man smiled slightly.
The young man was Li Mingke, the young master of the Li family, one of the major aristocratic families. The woman with a pained expression was his mother, Li Zengqing, the head of the Li family. The girl beside him was his younger sister, Li Pinyue.
"Mingke, I've asked your cousin Jingyuan to accompany you for tomorrow's inner sect assessment," his mother, Li Zengqing, said.
“He’s busy too, why would I ask him to come and keep me company? I can manage on my own. Besides, I’ve been cultivating in the outer sect for so many years, so I have a certain understanding of the immortal sects.” Mingke disagreed with her mother’s words.
"I'm still worried about you," the lady said, a hint of concern in her eyes.
“Didn’t Mother say that everything was taken care of? The Immortal Sect has already accepted the gifts sent, so there won’t be any major problems. Don’t worry,” Mingke said.
"It's a pity I don't cultivate in the immortal sect, otherwise I could stay with my brother," Li Pinyue said.
Li Pinyue and Li Mingke took different paths; she learned the family's secret techniques. Many large families have been able to stand for hundreds or even thousands of years because they have secret techniques that can support their lineage.
"You say that... Alas!" The woman sighed again.
She went to see her 17-year-old daughter.
Yes, my daughter.
Li Mingke is not a man; she is actually a girl.
Li Mingke noticed at a very young age that he was different from his sister and other girls.
"Why do I have to dress as a boy even though I'm a girl?"
"I want to wear those pretty dresses too."
But the only answers she received were her mother's tears as she held her and her father's sighs.
As she grew older, her face became more beautiful, and her feminine features gradually became apparent. Her mother specially asked for a bead for her to wear in order to weaken her feminine features.
At the age of 12, she entered the Immortal Sect to study. Originally, she was supposed to become a disciple of Immortal Venerable Jinyun as soon as she entered the sect, but Immortal Venerable Jinyun remained in seclusion until 5 years later when he emerged.
Her test tomorrow is so that she can successfully become an apprentice of Immortal Venerable Jinyun.
Before her departure the next day, Li Zengqing carefully checked her luggage again, then tidied her hair. "Just do your best in everything, don't force it. If you encounter any problems, write home or go directly to your cousin Jingyuan."
Then he took the bead around her neck out of her collar. "You must remember to wear this bead at all times and not lose it. Immortal Venerable Jinyun is very powerful, and we can't guarantee that he won't notice. So let's keep it a secret for as long as we can!"
"Yes, Mother." Li Mingke nodded in agreement.
She left just like that.
“Everything will be alright, Mother,” Li Pinyue comforted her mother.
"I hope so..."
Hopefully, Immortal Venerable Jinyun won't discover anything. Hopefully, this time, out of consideration for their master-disciple relationship, he can protect Mingke when that man finds her.
After Li Mingke arrived at the Immortal Sect, he inevitably ran into his former classmates from the outer sect.
"Young Master Li is also participating in today's inner sect assessment, huh? Tsk tsk tsk."
"Those who have absolutely no talent for cultivation should just give up!"
"You've spent five years in the outer sect and haven't learned anything, yet you still dream of entering the inner sect?"
She was surrounded by sarcastic remarks, but she said nothing. She pushed through the crowd and walked toward the assessment area.
In fact, what those people said was not wrong. Li Mingke really didn't have any talent for cultivation. She stayed in the Li family until she was 12 years old, but she didn't learn any of the family's secret techniques. Her younger sister, Li Pinyue, who was a year younger than her, had already learned almost everything.
She felt that this might be the reason why her mother sent her to the Immortal Sect, although she found that she still couldn't learn anything related to cultivation there.
She had also told her mother about the situation in frustration, but her mother still insisted that she stay in the Immortal Sect and that she must become a disciple of Immortal Venerable Jinyun, even though she did not know why her mother was so obsessed with Immortal Venerable Jinyun.
How could the Immortal Venerable Jinyun accept me as a disciple when I am so useless!
Li Mingke was kicking a pebble when he heard a cry of "Ouch!"
"Who's the blind fool who threw a rock at me?"
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