In the end, Ye Ruyue still went with the Grand Elder to Luoshuang Peak.
Ahem… for no other reason than this: deep down, she was a hot-blooded girl who loved to explore and had an adventurous spirit. Right now she very much wanted to figure out just what relationship the original Ye Ruyue’s identity had with Grand Elder Liao Huang.
Besides, even though Xuanyun Sect’s ending was pretty tragic, Ye Ruyue remembered that among the ten or twenty percent who survived, the Grand Elder and his disciples had fared slightly better than the rest.
It was probably because Liao Huang was the strongest in the sect, at the Great Perfection of the Spirit Transformation stage, a figure with a very good chance of ascending to the upper cultivation world.
And then there was Hua Sijin, who had great charisma, was liked by the elders, and was adored in every way by her senior brothers.
But she, Ye Ruyue, was no slouch either. Wasn’t there still an Elder Liao Huang who doted on her and cherished her like this?
Come to think of it, among the sect’s several direct disciples, Hua Sijin was the only female disciple. Maybe it was precisely because she was the youngest among the direct disciples and a girl that she was so favored.
But now that she had entered the sect, things were different. The youngest of the direct disciples was her, Ye Ruyue, only five years old. She, Ye Ruyue, was now the very, very youngest little junior sister among the direct disciples.
Wasn’t this just a contest for favor?
White lotuses, green tea bitches, or sniveling, delicate little things… She’d seen all of that in modern times. She didn’t believe she couldn’t win against this Hua Sijin.
Even if, by some fluke, the rarest fluke of all, the plot didn’t reverse, she could still pack up and leave before that happened…
For many reasons, Ye Ruyue finally decided to stay, and to do her utmost, vowing to save the sect from disaster.
Mm… Ye Ruyue would absolutely never admit it!
Never admit that it was because the Grand Elder had simply given too much…
“Little junior sister, from now on you’ll live here.”
“I live across from you. Master lives in the cave above. If anything comes up, you can come find me anytime.”
After the apprenticeship ceremony, the Grand Elder led Ji Juqian and Ye Ruyue back to Luoshuang Peak and then left. The remaining trivial matters were all left for the eldest senior brother, Ji Juqian, to arrange.
Ye Ruyue raised her eyes and looked ahead. It was a very clean and tidy little courtyard, with quite a few green plants and fresh flowers planted in it. Though no one lived there, it was clear someone had been tending it all along.
Not bad, not bad. A little courtyard all to herself. For Ye Ruyue, who had come out of a modern coffin-like apartment, this was extremely satisfying.
And this place was on high ground, with immortal mist curling around the peak. She hadn’t even started cultivating yet, and she could already feel that the spiritual qi here was abundant, far richer than the outside world.
“Little junior sister, do you know how to read?” Ji Juqian asked, his brows slightly furrowed.
Lowering his head to look at the tiny figure before him, with two little tufts of hair tied on her head and a face like a finely carved porcelain doll, he felt a bit at a loss as to how to handle her.
Fortunately, Ye Ruyue nodded. “I can.”
“That’s good, then.”
“Originally, new disciples who’ve just joined need to first get familiar with the sect rules down the mountain, learn the most basic cultivation methods and how to draw qi into the body. Only after being promoted to direct disciple can they enter the main peak to study techniques and other things. But you’ve become a direct disciple right away.”
“Like this, I’ll give you a few simple beginner cultivation methods. Take a look at them yourself first. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can come ask me directly.”
Seeing that his little junior sister didn’t seem to talk much, the reserved Ji Juqian, uncharacteristically, said a couple of extra sentences, and also took out a few beginner cultivation manuals for Ye Ruyue.
“This is your disciple token, and the sect uniform as well.” He was in charge of part of the sect’s internal affairs, so these things were easy for him to get.
Only then did Ye Ruyue turn back and begin to seriously size up the person before her.
A blue outer robe over a white inner layer, with Xuanyun embroidery on both shoulders and small ornaments at the waist. The overall effect was a very simple, fresh sect uniform, yet on Ji Juqian it carried a uniquely reserved air.
His features were distinct and deep, his figure tall and powerfully built, his bearing imposing. This eldest senior brother was undoubtedly a man with both style and strength, yet very low-key and steady.
That was right. In the original novel, among those seven direct-disciple senior brothers, this eldest senior brother before her was the only one who, though he also cared for Hua Sijin, never did anything too outrageous.
He was clearly the strongest, yet his presence was very low.
The plot that left the deepest impression on Ye Ruyue was when the story had already developed into its middle-to-late stages. Ji Juqian went to the Demon Realm to save Hua Sijin, but in the end was toyed with by the Demon Venerable, and on the road back after escaping, he was run through the heart by a single sword strike from the Demon Venerable!
For now, though, there was still quite a long time before that happened.
At this point, Hua Sijin had only been in the sect for three years! And right now she was out on a training journey!
“Eldest senior brother, is this the welcoming gift you’re giving me? Even though it’s just a few cultivation methods, I feel this is a token of your sincerity, eldest senior brother. I’ll read them carefully.”
“Thank you, eldest senior brother!”
Ye Ruyue took the jade token and the rest from Ji Juqian’s hand, tucked them into her Sumeru Ring, and then said, meaningfully.
Sure enough, the moment the little baby opened her mouth, Ji Juqian realized something was off.
How could these few cultivation methods count as a welcoming gift?
These were things any disciple who entered the sect, even menial chore disciples, could receive. Of course they couldn’t count as a welcoming gift.
It was just that!
Just now he’d thought that what Master had given was already plenty! Those things were enough for his little junior sister to use for many years!
Instinctively, he hadn’t given it any more thought.
But by common sense, as the eldest senior brother, he ought to have prepared a welcoming gift for his little junior sister.
Especially now, seeing his little junior sister looking so innocent and cute, seemingly not knowing what a welcoming gift was, and smiling at him with a face full of gratitude, a trace of guilt suddenly rose in Ji Juqian’s heart.
What Master gave was Master’s. How could he, just because Master had given a lot, want to take the easy way out and not give anything himself?
For the first time, because of his little junior sister, guilt welled up in him. Ji Juqian immediately pulled a pouch out of his spatial ring.
“Little junior sister, inside this are 10 bottles of pills, 100 spirit fruits, 200 talisman papers, and 10,000 spirit stones.”
“These are what your eldest senior brother is giving you as a welcoming gift.”
The moment the things were pulled out, even the reserved Ji Juqian clenched his jaw, his heart aching.
There was no help for it. To him, this was already considered giving far too much.
But because of the guilt, and on top of that, because Master had given so much, if he gave too little it would truly look bad.
Ji Juqian thought to himself, giving a bit more is fine. It’s not like it’s for someone else; it’s for his own little junior sister anyway.
But Ye Ruyue had no intention of letting it go. She didn’t reach out to take it, only tilted her head and asked curiously, “Eldest senior brother, when our senior sister first joined, what did you give her?”
Hua Sijin?
Ji Juqian seemed not to have expected that Ye Ruyue, having just joined, would already know about Junior Sister Sijin.
Still, at the time, the sect master had given Junior Sister Sijin a slightly bigger apprenticeship gift than usual, so what he’d given then wasn’t much either.
“Just two spirit fruits, 10 talisman papers, and 200 spirit stones,” Ji Juqian answered instinctively.
Far less than now.
Yet unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Ye Ruyue nodded in satisfaction and took the pouch from his hand, saying joyfully, “Eldest senior brother is so good. You actually gave me so many nice things. As expected, we’re the ones who share the same Master and the same father. Eldest senior brother and I are the closest.”
“But eldest senior brother, you’ve also given Senior Sister Sijin quite a few nice things. Oh, my heart aches for you, eldest senior brother. As the head of the direct disciples, you always have to give the newly joined junior brothers and sisters so many things. That way, doesn’t that leave you with not much?”
“Eldest senior brother, from now on you should keep more for yourself! Don’t always think about giving to your junior brothers and sisters.”
“Come to think of it, is Senior Sister Sijin different from us? After all, her Master is the sect master, not our Master.”
“We’re the closest, eldest senior brother. Tell me, am I right?”
First a round of lavish praise, then a little sowing of division.
Ye Ruyue stared straight at Ji Juqian with a pair of big, seemingly innocent eyes, wanting to see how this eldest senior brother would react to her first little test.
A crack appeared in Ji Juqian’s expression. He hadn’t expected his tiny little junior sister to ask such a thing.
Actually, even when he’d given welcoming gifts to junior brothers and sisters before, the things were never much, so he’d never cared about it.
He hadn’t expected that his little junior sister, so young, would actually feel sorry for him for giving away the most as the eldest.
Come to think of it, as the eldest senior brother who also helped manage the entire sect, he’d really never thought before that other junior sisters were any different…
The same Master and the same father, that was the first time he’d heard such a saying.
Still, looking at his little junior sister’s somewhat familiar brows and eyes, and thinking of how extremely partial Master was toward her…
Ji Juqian paused, then slowly nodded. “Little junior sister, you’re right!”
Though they were all direct disciples, only his little junior sister and he shared the same Master. The meaning was naturally different.
And his little junior sister was younger, and needed more resources to grow.
Seeing this, Ye Ruyue quietly let out a breath of relief.
Good!
There was still time!
That was right. Hua Sijin had only joined the sect three years ago. In one day she drew qi into her body, in one month she reached the 5th layer of Qi Refining, then was spotted by the sect master and taken in as a direct disciple, and then in half a year she succeeded in Foundation Establishment.
And the sect’s rules stated that after Foundation Establishment, one could go down the mountain to train, seek opportunities, and obtain resources. So over these three years, Hua Sijin had spent more than half her time training outside.
Although two or three senior brothers accompanied her out each time, the days she actually spent in the sect weren’t that many. Even if some senior brothers liked her, those feelings were probably still in the budding stage, or else not yet very deep!
There was still a chance to set things right!
Especially the eldest senior brother before her. His strength was the greatest among the disciples, so unless there was something especially important, he rarely went out. The sect master had arranged for him to manage the sect’s internal affairs, so he’d actually spent the least time with Hua Sijin, who frequently went out to train.
And the second senior brother, Gui Chao’an, was the same. Precisely because the second senior brother also handled part of the internal affairs, in the end, it gave him the chance to rob the sect from within for Hua Sijin’s sake!
Just thinking about it made Ye Ruyue quite speechless at this second senior brother. What a blockhead, and he’d ruined the whole sect because of it!
Just as she was thinking this, the next moment, the second senior brother Gui Chao’an, the third senior brother Xing Xi, and the fifth senior brother Bi Yue all arrived together at Luoshuang Peak.
She had already seen these three at the apprenticeship ceremony just now, but earlier it had been the sect elders’ turn in the spotlight, and Ye Ruyue hadn’t had the chance to look them over much.
Now, looking more closely, combined with what the original novel described, Ye Ruyue could basically recognize each of the three accurately.
Though each of them was very good-looking, each had his own characteristics.
The second senior brother had thick brows and heavy eyes, the brooding type, used to putting on the airs of a senior brother. At this moment, as he sized her up, he pursed his lips and knitted his brows, giving off an unfathomable feeling.
The third senior brother had delicate features, elegant and refined, gentle and cultured. The corners of his mouth always held a faint smile, gentle and magnanimous. He was even generous enough to hand over the True Fire he’d obtained by risking his life.
The fifth senior brother was the vainest of all the senior brothers, and his looks were also exceptionally outstanding, of the bewitching, gorgeous type.
Bi Yue. “Please yourself and please others” was his life’s creed. Yet this man, who loved himself so much, upon learning that Hua Sijin’s spiritual root had been damaged, bluntly offered to dig out his own!
You should know, the fifth senior brother had a rare variant spiritual root, a wind spiritual root, and he said he’d dig it out just like that…
As for the other senior brothers who hadn’t come, they were probably still out training and hadn’t returned yet.
“Good afternoon, senior brothers!”
“Are you all here to give me welcoming gifts? Just now, eldest senior brother gave me so, so many welcoming gifts.”
“Second senior brother, third senior brother, fifth senior brother, I didn’t expect you all to remember. You’re all so good to me!”
The three senior brothers halted their steps and looked up in unison, the corners of their mouths twitching wildly!
They were only thinking, had the Grand Elder not given enough?
Why did they need to give welcoming gifts too?
No, wait, they’d just come to take a look. They really had no such intention…