Chapter 53
Zhou Xuanzhi was bedridden for a full month before he could get out of bed. During that month, he relied entirely on Shi Wanqing's care. Although she still appeared stern, her actions revealed that she was very worried about her disciple.
She would rush over at the slightest sound at night. Every day, she would personally prepare medicine for Zhou Xuanzhi, clear his meridians, and even use some of the finest elixirs.
"Master, I'm sorry."
After Shi Wanqing finished clearing his meridians, Zhou Xuanzhi saw his master covered in sweat and thought about her health. Her spiritual palace was ruptured, so it was best not to use her spiritual power.
"You..." Shi Wanqing still looked serious, but couldn't say anything. She sighed and her expression softened. "You shouldn't apologize to me. Your body is your own, and you should take responsibility for yourself now."
These words still seemed a bit harsh, so Shi Wanqing thought for a moment and then said, "I am your master, and I should also be responsible for you. You can already sense spiritual energy and allow it to enter your body, but I didn't notice. I am an unqualified master. I should also apologize to you. I'm sorry, I neglected you as your master."
"Master..."
"Can you forgive your master?"
Zhou Xuanzhi recalled his years in the Zhou family; he had a difficult time, and very few people truly cared about him. He could see that his master was gradually becoming more competent in his role, from not knowing how to handle relationships to now feeling he could manage, even though it had taken a long time.
"Master, you are not wrong."
Shi Wanqing smiled, and stroked Zhou Xuanzhi's head, saying, "I'll take that as your forgiveness. Take good care of your injuries, and when you're healed, your master will take you down the mountain for a trip."
Going out? This temptation was quite great for Zhou Xuanzhi. Back in the Zhou family, he rarely went out, and even when he did, it was only to travel by sedan chair from the Zhou family to the Liu family. The outside world was very unfamiliar to him, and also very alluring.
He smiled and nodded: "I will definitely take good care of my injury."
A year had passed, a long time, so long that Zhou Xuanzhi had almost forgotten his promise to his master. Until Shi Wanqing said to him, "Go pack your things, we're going down the mountain."
"real?"
"Did your master lie to you?" Shi Wanqing found it amusing.
Zhou Xuanzhi shook his head.
"Then hurry up and pack your things? Or do you not want to go down the mountain?"
"No." Before the words were even finished, Zhou Xuanzhi had already disappeared.
The outside world was different from what I had imagined. There were all kinds of people on the street, and not everyone was dressed in fine clothes. The streets were mostly filled with peddlers carrying loads, vendors on both sides, and ragged beggars in the corners.
Somewhat bewildered, he grabbed Shi Wanqing's sleeve.
"There are many kinds of people in this world. Some are like your family, born into good families, with no worries about food and clothing, and are well-regarded; some are starving, and even have to sell their children to survive; and some work hard every day from dawn till dusk to earn a little bit of money. What do you think of these people?"
Shi Wanqing took Zhou Xuanzhi's hand and led him along the street in Yunzhou City.
He looked at the hand held by his master and felt that he was not afraid of anything, because no matter what was in front of him, there would be someone standing in front of him.
"My senior brother said that these people are all people we should help. When we go down the mountain to gain experience in the future, we should not classify them according to their wealth and power. They are all equal."
Shi Wanqing turned to look at her apprentice and laughed. She reached out and flicked her apprentice's nose, saying, "Although everyone says that, it's not the truth. Besides that, there's something else in this world called human relationships."
“You might not understand yet, so let me give you an example. Tianyu Mountain recruits disciples every ten years. They select some disciples from the outer sect who have enough talent, and this is only one selection. They will become inner sect disciples. Becoming an inner sect disciple means that you are qualified to become the disciple of the peak masters and elders of each peak.” She pulled Zhou Xuanzhi forward and said, “In other words, the Tianyu Mountain disciple recruitment process is that outer sect disciples are promoted to inner sect disciples, and then inner sect disciples are selected by the peak masters and elders.”
Zhou Xuanzhi looked at his master and said, "So I got in through connections?"
"Yes, but you don't need to feel bad about it. You can consider it a kind of luck. There may be people who don't like you. Don't think of those who don't like you as hateful. After all, they all worked their way up little by little. Apart from these people, no one else has the right to mock you."
"What connection does the Liu family have with Tianyu Mountain?" Zhou Xuanzhi asked.
Shi Wanqing shook her head and said, "It's alright. The Liu family sent you to the Exorcism Division, and the Exorcism Division then sent you to Tianyu Mountain. The Exorcism Division owes the Liu family a huge favor. As for your coming to Tianyu Mountain, it's just that we know the head of the Exorcism Division; we trained together when we were young and have a friendship. I also owe him a favor."
"What kind of favor must Master have done for you to accept me as your disciple?" Zhou Xuanzhi suddenly missed his maternal grandmother. He hadn't seen her for four years and wondered how she was doing.
"...It's alright." Shi Wanqing suddenly became a little hesitant, and then she changed the subject, "You can ask the Liu family what the Exorcism Bureau owes them."
"Go back to the Liu family?" That means going back to the capital. Isn't Master afraid?
Seeing her little apprentice's expression, Shi Wanqing pointed at him and said, "I mean when you grow up. Of course, it's not possible now. We'll have to wait at least ten years!"
This place is different from the cultivation world in Xiao Mu's novels. To have the ability to contend with those monsters that have lived for hundreds or thousands of years, one would need to cultivate on the mountain for at least several hundred years. But that's not what he wanted to say. He looked up at Shi Wanqing and was about to speak when he said, "Master, I..."
"Don't be afraid, your senior brothers and sisters are here to help you. If things get really bad, I'll go down the mountain."
"This isn't good!" There were disciples going down the mountain for training, accompanied by their masters.
Shi Wanqing didn't care about any of that. "My spiritual palace is shattered, and you're my only disciple. Of course, I have to take good care of you. What would I do if something happened to you?"
"Master..." This sounded very similar to what the old woman had said, but, "Master, the sect leader said that there is an inner disciple named Lin Jichen. She has excellent aptitude and admires you very much. After we return to the mountain, we want you to take her as your disciple."
"Lin Jichen?"
Zhou Xuanzhi nodded: "Junior Sister Lin is a very kind person. Senior Uncle Master said that your health is not good and wants Lin Jichen to take care of you."
Shi Wanqing looked at Zhou Xuanzhi and asked, "Are you willing to stay on the mountain forever?"
Staying on the mountain all the time? It doesn't sound like a bad thing, and there's a rule that disciples must go down the mountain to train. Thinking of this, Zhou Xuanzhi nodded: "Sure, there's nothing wrong with staying on the mountain to learn skills, and I can always stay with Master."
Shi Wanqing stroked Zhou Xuanzhi's head, her face full of loving yet somewhat reluctant eyes, which puzzled Zhou Xuanzhi. However, that reluctant look only appeared for a moment.
"Then tell me, what kind of person is Lin Jichen?"
"Junior Sister Lin admires you very much. She always talks about how you blocked a path of demons with a single sword strike, and she also says that you have the best swordsmanship in the Path of Ruthlessness, comparable to a sword cultivator."
Shi Wanqing listened and nodded, then asked, "Are you tired? Let's find a place to rest!"
"good."
Zhou Xuanzhi witnessed firsthand just how powerful a cultivator with a shattered spiritual palace truly was. He also understood why Lin Jichen looked at his master with such adoration.
Outside Yunzhou City, a demonic beast emerged from the sea, killing many fishermen. The beast was enormous and incredibly powerful; even the young cultivators who arrived were no match for it.
When Shi Wanqing arrived with Zhou Xuanzhi, some cultivators had already perished. Yet, even so, these young cultivators still fought with all their might. Seeing those lying on the ground, Zhou Xuanzhi felt a sudden surge of emotion; he longed to go forward and help them.
"Stay here and don't move." Shi Wanqing summoned her twin swords and said to Zhou Xuanzhi, "Today you'll see how your master slays this demonic beast."
Before he could finish speaking, his master vanished. When she reappeared, she was already in front of the magical beast, her twin swords striking its back. The moment the beast turned, she disappeared again, her speed astounding. Even before formally beginning his cultivation, Zhou Xuanzhi knew that this method was extremely taxing on spiritual energy.
The master's spirit palace shattered; this method was burning away his own life.
Before Zhou Xuanzhi could say anything, Shi Wanqing had already appeared in front of the demonic beast, her twin swords piercing its eyes in an instant. The beast, thinking it had lost its sight due to pain, became enraged and attacked wildly. At that moment, Shi Wanqing was already above the beast, her twin swords combined, one piercing the top of its skull. The beast's power was restricted; even its agitation was a sign of its exhaustion. By the time her master returned to her, the demonic beast was already lying on the ground.
The time was very short; it seemed to Zhou Xuanzhi only take a blink of an eye.
“Master…” Zhou Xuan stepped forward, wanting to support his master, but Shi Wanqing did not appear to be injured.
Seeing her little apprentice's worried look, Shi Wanqing patted his head and said, "It's just a magical beast, it can't do anything to me."
The young cultivators around them all came to thank their master, and some of the female cultivators were particularly excited, their eyes practically sparkling. This was also how Lin Jichen looked when he mentioned his master.
"Master..."
After Shi Wanqing finished greeting the young cultivators, Zhou Xuanzhi finally couldn't hold back any longer. He helped Shi Wanqing up and asked, "Are you really alright?"
She laughed and said, "It's really nothing. A single magical beast isn't enough to make me use my full strength."
"But they..." Some of them were seriously injured, but they only managed to damage the beast's pelt.
"They are very young, and their cultivation time is very short. I am already over a thousand years old. If I can't even defeat a small magical beast, wouldn't I have lived in vain?"
"real?"
"Otherwise what? If it were a fake sect leader, would my senior brother have let me go down the mountain?"
Zhou Xuanzhi thought of how worried his master seemed, and his master was his master's own junior sister. He nodded and said, "Master, let's go back! Let's go back and rest, otherwise we'll keep worrying."
"Alright, let's listen to my apprentice and go back to Yunzhou."
I meant back to Tianyu Mountain...
Master had already headed towards Yunzhou City. Zhou Xuanzhi knew he couldn't stop him, so he had no choice but to obediently follow in his master's footsteps.
When we returned to Yunzhou City, it began to snow.
Does it snow in Yunzhou, which is by the sea?
Looking at the sky, Shi Wanqing replied, "Originally, it wouldn't snow, and there were only two seasons each year. Later, the Ten Directions Barrier rose from the sea, sealing the demons in the Illusionary Sea. Influenced by demonic and immortal energy, the seasons here are like those in the Central Plains, with four seasons."
"So, Tianyu Mountain is close to the Ten Directions Barrier in order to protect the barrier?"
"Yes, you should have heard the saying, 'When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven.' The Tianyu Mountain sect was established here, which is similar to this idea."
It didn't seem to mean that, but not wanting to contradict his master, Zhou Xuanzhi said, "I know, I will try my best."
Snowy days are not a good thing for beggars on the roadside. Their bodies are frostbitten and turn blue, and their broken bowls contain only a few coins or a cold bun.
Zhou Xuanzhi looked at a boy of about eight or nine years old. His hair was unkempt and his features were completely obscured. However, because he had a cotton coat given to him by a kind person, he was surrounded by several older children. They were not beggars, but rather children from nearby families, around twelve or thirteen years old.
"Where did you steal this from?" the leader of the children asked, grabbing the worn-out cotton coat.
"It's none of your business." The little beggar stood up and tried to grab the cotton coat, but was pushed down by the other children.
"So you stole it."
"I didn't." The little beggar's eyes were very firm, and he did not back down in the slightest when facing a group of people who were older and bigger than him.
"Still being stubborn? Beat him until he tells you where he stole it from."
The little beggar lying on the ground had no chance to fight back after being beaten; he could only curl up in a ball, protecting his head.
Looking at the little beggar, Zhou Xuanzhi was reminded of his time in the Zhou family in the capital. Although he had no worries about food and clothing, his life was in the hands of others. This little beggar was very similar to himself back then.
He grabbed Shi Wanqing's hand and said with reluctance, "Master, please save him."
Seeing the little beggar being beaten, Shi Wanqing said, "If I help him today, he will be beaten even worse tomorrow."
"How about taking him with you?" Just like me, you can take him as your apprentice.
"Then what?"
And then? Seeing that his master had no intention of helping the little beggar, Zhou Xuanzhi pleaded, "Please take him as your disciple, I can take care of him and not trouble you, Master."
"But Senior Brother Sect Leader wants me to become Lin Jichen's disciple. You and Lin Jichen are also good friends. How will you face Lin Jichen when you go back?"
Zhou Xuanzhi looked at the little beggar who was still being beaten, and felt as if all the fists were landing on him: "Junior Sister Lin is very outstanding. She wants to become a sword cultivator. She can be taken as a disciple by Senior Uncle Rong, and Senior Uncle Mu also likes her very much."
"But she wants to become my disciple."
“…Junior Sister Lin has many opportunities. Master, you can take on another disciple, or you can choose not to take him as a disciple,” Zhou Xuanzhi said, pointing to the little beggar. “He can come back to Tianyu Mountain with us. I can take care of him. You don’t need to take him as a disciple.”
Looking at the beaten child, Shi Wanqing seemed to sense something. She lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then looked at her disciple and remained silent for a long time. "I can take him back to Tianyu Mountain and accept him as my disciple. You owe Lin Jichen a huge favor. How you will repay this favor is up to you."
With a wave of her hand, Shi Wanqing froze the hands and feet of the children who were hitting her in mid-air, no matter how hard they tried, they could not fall down.
"Hitting people is not good." As Lin Jichen said this, his clothes instantly transformed into the school uniform worn by the elders of Tianyu Mountain. People from several surrounding cities recognized the appearance of these clothes.
Shi Wanqing snapped her fingers, and the children were able to move again. But they remained where they were, glaring fiercely at the little beggar who had been beaten and was unable to move.
"Aren't you leaving yet?" As soon as Shi Wanqing's voice came out, the leader of the children turned around and ran. He was still very loyal and called back to the others, "Run!" The children ran away from there.
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