Once she passed Elder Lou’s inspection, Lu Xiangyu could be considered an outer disciple of the Haiqian Sect of Songshan Continent.
Elder Lou recorded Lu Xiangyu’s detailed information. Although most of it was fabricated, since Song Shenshi was present, most people chose to believe the story under the radiance of the female lead’s “genius” halo.
Now, her name was Lu Xiaoyu, the daughter of a woodcutter from Niba Village in Gray Wolf Town. Niba Village had been destroyed by demons, and Lu Xiaoyu had fled into the woods, where she was fortunately rescued by Senior Sister Song Shenshi.
Elder Lou personally carved the disciple token for Lu Xiangyu and activated the storage space within. The space inside the token wasn’t large; it could only be used to store “Haiqian Sand,” a special substance produced by the Haiqian Sect used as merit points that disciples received after completing missions.
Afterward, Lu Xiangyu received her outer disciple uniform and headed back to Blue Water Peak with Song Shenshi.
However, they were currently still climbing the mountain.
Clutching her clothes, Lu Xiangyu walked alone at the very back.
Song Shenshi and Li Wenran were a short distance ahead of her, standing side by side.
…This moment is true bliss, Lu Xiangyu thought.
Looking at their backs, Lu Xiangyu felt a bit giddy. Although neither of them was speaking, the ambiguous atmosphere was palpable—pink bubbles were practically blowing into her face.
Just as Lu Xiangyu thought the atmosphere had reached its peak and Senior Brother Li was about to say something, the blockhead suddenly paused and looked back at her.
Song Shenshi stopped as well.
“Junior Sister, are you tired?” Senior Brother Li asked with gentle concern.
“Ooh, I’m so moved,” Lu Xiangyu blurted out her true feelings. She wiped the corners of her eyes, though there wasn’t a single tear.
Song Shenshi glanced at her twice, her brow furrowing slightly, before looking back at Li Wenran.
“Senior Brother, you really don’t need to stay with us. If you have urgent matters, please go ahead.”
! Damn it, Song Shenshi, what are you doing? Don’t break up my CP!
Lu Xiangyu screamed internally, but fortunately, Senior Brother Li held his ground.
Li Wenran wore a gentle, shallow smile and said, “It’s fine. Since she is a Junior Sister of our Blue Water Peak, what’s the harm in accompanying her a little longer?”
“Naturally,” Song Shenshi replied, mimicking his fake smile.
…Wait, why is there a strange scent of gunpowder in the air?
Li Wenran sighed and said, “Junior Sister, you were afraid Elder Lou would make things difficult for you, so you hurriedly called me down. Now that the business is done, you want to drive me away immediately? Isn’t that a bit heartless?”
So that’s how it was? In Lu Xiangyu’s mind, she thought Song Shenshi had encountered an accident and Li Wenran had rushed over out of worry. But hearing this now, her heart felt like it was shattering.
Song Shenshi lowered her head in thought for a moment before admitting, “Senior Brother is right to lecture me. But then again, didn’t you fail to be of any help anyway?”
“…” Li Wenran’s smile froze awkwardly; he looked like he was about to laugh out of sheer exasperation.
At this moment, Lu Xiangyu clutched her clothes nervously, her eyes watery. She asked in a thin voice, “Senior Brother Li… you were worried about Senior Sister, right?”
Li Wenran shook his head calmly. Song Shenshi glanced at him, looking equally indifferent.
Only Lu Xiangyu stood there, stunned by his denial.
Seemingly noticing Lu Xiangyu’s “broken” state, Li Wenran coughed twice and walked toward her.
“Junior Sister, don’t worry. Your Senior Sister Song is very capable. In the future, whether within the sect or outside, if you encounter any trouble, Junior Sister Song will protect you.”
That’s not it… Lu Xiangyu thought. Buddy, that’s no excuse to give up on your wife.
“You really must be tired. Junior Sister, look around you,” Li Wenran added.
Lu Xiangyu turned her head blankly. They had already passed the mountain path under the Haiqian Sect plaque and were now halfway up the mountain. From here, she could see the square at the foot of the mountain—as large as a silver plate—and the four tall buildings.
Following Lu Xiangyu’s gaze, Li Wenran introduced them one by one: “The place we teleported to earlier is the Haiqian Sect’s Martial Arts Arena. The four surrounding buildings are the Recruitment Hall, the Internal Affairs Hall, the External Affairs Hall, and the Patrol Hall.”
“All four halls are managed by the Elder Lou you just met. They are places where many outer disciples frequent.”
“Our Haiqian Sect isn’t exactly a famous or grand sect. Our location isn’t particularly prestigious, and many spirit-rich lands or treasure springs have nothing to do with us. We aren’t like those sects that open branches in every continent, but…”
Lu Xiangyu nodded repeatedly as she listened. Li Wenran had a faint smile on his lips; his white robes fluttered in the wind, giving him an air of casual elegance.
“The people born on this soil all wish to join the Haiqian Sect. Junior Sister, I think you understand why.”
“I…” Lu Xiangyu was startled, unsure of what to say.
“The Haiqian Sect has only one core precept: To slay demons, eliminate monsters, and protect all living beings.”
As Li Wenran spoke, his smile widened, and his eyes looked directly into the bright sun. He was a seeker of the Dao, but even more so, he was a knight-errant.
“No matter how many times this Songshan is destroyed, it will rise again. There will always be those covered in scars who return to this place…” Realizing he might be saying too much, Li Wenran coughed twice. “Of course, you’ve just joined the sect, Junior Sister. You don’t need to feel such great pressure.”
He walked over and patted Lu Xiangyu on the shoulder.
Lu Xiangyu silently looked past him at Song Shenshi, who hadn’t said a word.
…This girl has an expression of utter boredom and exhaustion. She must have heard this a thousand times already.
Lu Xiangyu felt quite moved. She said to Li Wenran, “Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother.”
“You’re welcome,” Li Wenran’s smile grew even warmer. Then he asked, “By the way, Junior Sister, how is your talent/aptitude?”
“Ah, well…” Lu Xiangyu’s lip twitched as she recalled when the old man had grabbed her arm.
Elder Lou had said…
“Strange. This girl’s physical body is brimming with spiritual energy, clearly a physique suited for cultivation, yet her breath, dantian, and acupuncture points are completely empty. She seems to be ‘Spirit Rootless.’ Strange indeed.”
“…” The “brimming spiritual energy” was due to Song Shenshi’s binding curse, and the “Spirit Rootless” state was because Lu Xiangyu’s demonic soul was still sealed by the Spirit-Extinguishing Treasure. Otherwise, that old man would probably have been scared to death by her demonic soul. Hmph.
“She has no Spirit Root,” Song Shenshi added from behind.
“I see.” Senior Brother Li was momentarily stunned, but then he said, “Junior Sister, don’t worry. Having no Spirit Root is also quite good; it means you can learn anything.”
“…Yes, I will work hard, Senior Brother,” Lu Xiangyu replied.
“Look over there.” To distract Lu Xiangyu, Li Wenran spoke up somewhat stiffly. He gazed toward the heights, and Lu Xiangyu followed his lead.
Aside from this main peak, three other summits shrouded in mist were faintly visible among the swirling clouds, looking truly like a fairyland.
These were the three major lateral peaks of the Haiqian Sect: Blue Water Peak, Rainbow Ridge Peak, and Danheng Peak. They specialized in training inner disciples as sword cultivators, array masters, and medical cultivators, respectively. Because the sect lacked talents in artifact forging, alchemy, and talisman crafting, the Haiqian Sect recruited mortals extensively. Even outer disciples without the aptitude for cultivation could establish themselves in the sect by relying on a craft.
For instance, the flying ships powered by the array masters were built through the painstaking efforts of many carpenters.
…
“Huff… huff…”
Lu Xiangyu was panting from exhaustion.
“…Senior Brother, Senior Sister, why are we still climbing the mountain?”
She felt like she had been climbing for half an hour already; this small body of hers really couldn’t take it anymore.
“Junior Sister, hang in there a bit longer,” Li Wenran said, looking back. Song Shenshi, meanwhile, frowned at her.
Senior Brother Li explained, “To prevent foreign enemies, these teleportation arrays are all one-way. The arrays on all the peaks can only teleport to the Martial Arts Arena. If you don’t have a flying spiritual tool on you, you have no choice but to take the long road up from the foot of the mountain.”
“…”
Song Shenshi looked at her and said, “We can both fly on swords, but a sword cultivator’s spiritual energy is too sharp; we’re afraid it might hurt you. So, Senior Brother Li and I decided to head toward the area on the main peak’s summit that is closest to Blue Water Peak first.”
Li Wenran tilted his head in thought and suggested, “If Junior Sister Xiaoyu doesn’t mind the distinction between men and women, I could escort her first. My spiritual energy isn’t particularly harmful.”
“No.” “Absolutely not.”
The two voices were surprisingly unanimous. Lu Xiangyu refused because she was a die-hard shipper of the “Senior Brother Li x Senior Sister Song” pairing, but as for Song Shenshi… what was her reason?
Their gazes collided in the air, and Song Shenshi was the first to look away.
“…” Strange, could it be… that the female lead really does have feelings for Senior Brother Li?
“Hehe.” This realization made Lu Xiangyu ecstatic.
However, the two firm rejections had already made Senior Brother Li feel self-conscious. He hung his head and walked ahead alone; Li Wenran had never looked this pathetic before.
Song Shenshi tilted her chin up with an air of indifference, her usual skill of being considerate toward others having been switched off.
Still energized by the tiny “crumb” of romance she had unearthed, Lu Xiangyu hurried forward and grabbed both Li Wenran’s and Song Shenshi’s arms.
“Oh, Senior Brother and Senior Sister, don’t be sad,” Lu Xiangyu declared solemnly. “I, Lu Xiaoyu, am not here to break you apart—I’m here to join this big family.”
“…Junior Sister.” Li Wenran, clearly touched, wiped a stray tear from his eyelashes.
“…” Song Shenshi pulled her hand away and continued walking forward alone.
Lu Xiangyu’s pupils shook with shock, and she immediately let go of Senior Brother Li’s arm.
Oh no, the female lead is jealous! No, no, no… it’s all my fault! Don’t start ignoring Senior Brother Li too, female lead!
She quickly chased after her.
After wiping his tears, Li Wenran saw how much Junior Sister Xiaoyu and Junior Sister Song cared for one another, which moved him deeply.
“Junior Sister, you have gained a very precious bond of sect-mateship; you must cherish it well,” he said emotionally.