“Master! I’m back! Ahhh! Liu Rutang, I’ll fight you! You actually stole the meat Master left for me!”
Gu Jin puffed up like a pufferfish, his little face round and flushed, the corners of his eyes red.
Liu Rutang hopped like a rabbit, bouncing behind Xie Lingjun in a few leaps.
“Master! Save me! The little fatty is trying to murder his senior sister!”
Xie Lingjun quickly tucked the hair ribbon into his chest. Glancing at the greasy handprint on his sleeve, he plucked Liu Rutang from behind like a chick.
“Liu Rutang, don’t get filth on me! You get sick easily from eating spicy food, so why steal his? Why don’t you just die from craving it?”
“Junior brother’s spicy flavor is delicious, I just wanted a taste. I didn’t finish it all—I know my limits.”
Gu Jin hugged the pot, tears falling in grievance: “You already ate one leg, and you still didn’t finish it? If you can handle spicy food, just ask Master to make yours spicy. Stealing mine all the time—next time I give you a painkiller pill, I’m a dog!”
The two circled around Xie Lingjun, arguing and following him wherever he went.
It wasn’t until Xie Lingjun tore off one of the Spirit Beast legs from Liu Rutang’s portion and tossed it into Gu Jin’s pot that they finally settled down.
“Liu Rutang, if you don’t practice that lousy pipa properly, you’ll obediently learn the sword with me. Gu Jin, eat less. Look at you—where’s the bearing of a cultivator? If you keep eating like this, walking might become a problem.”
“Understood, Master,” they replied in unison.
Only after Xie Lingjun was out of sight did they huddle together again, whispering.
“My pipa isn’t lousy at all—there’s no enemy it can’t repel. It’s just not as pleasant to the ear as other music cultivators’ instruments.”
“Exactly! Being unpleasant is a talent too. Who does he think he’s looking down on? Forget walking—I can run without even panting. By the way, Senior Sister, the task of changing Jiang Daoist’s medicine is yours. Even though healers see no gender, I’m afraid she might be shy.”
“Fine, but first give me the Beauty-Preserving Pill you promised…”
They spoke so earnestly that neither noticed their master, who had left and returned, until each received a knock on the head. They clutched their heads in pain, crying out in unison.
“Tonight, both of you will add two extra hours of body tempering training.”
“No, Master! We won’t speak ill of you ever again.”
Xie Lingjun crossed his arms, looking down at his two wayward disciples who acknowledged their mistakes but never corrected them.
“Let’s talk when the two of you can actually follow through on your words.”
Their moods shifted quickly—anger faded fast, and soon they were lively again.
“Master, could you prepare a bit more Spirit Beast Meat for Jiang Daoist next time? She’s so pitiful—she looked like she wanted to eat the plate too. She probably never ate her fill back at the Qingyun Sect.”
Xie Lingjun paused slightly. “Understood. I’ll go check on her.”
The next day.
Just as Jiang Yishu opened her eyes, a knock sounded at the door.
“Please come in.”
“I’ve prepared a few changes of clothes for you. Is there anywhere on your body that still feels uncomfortable?”
Jiang Yishu stared at the pile of dresses stacked on the table. For the first time, she directly experienced another’s kindness, and her first reaction was to refuse.
“Thank you, Sect Leader, but I can’t wear this many. Don’t waste them. How many Spirit Stones are they? Maybe I can pay you.”
Aside from a few magical garments, she had always worn disciple robes year-round. Such colorful dresses were only something Jiang Yijun would wear.
The Spirit Stones she earned were only enough to cover basic expenses.
Xie Lingjun reached out and placed his fingers on Jiang Yishu’s wrist to check her pulse. Feeling the familiar rhythm, his pupils trembled briefly before quickly returning to normal.
“The Xiaoyao Sect can certainly afford to raise a girl. Keep the spirit stones for yourself.”
“Indeed worthy of being the genius who broke through to the Golden Core Stage earliest among the younger generation. Your body is recovering quickly. I estimate it won’t be long before you can cultivate normally. Do you have any favorite spirit beasts to eat? I’ll have Rutang catch them.”
“No need to trouble yourself. I can eat anything. If necessary, I can even take fasting pills.”
Xie Lingjun ignored her polite refusal and continued on his own: “If you have no dietary restrictions, then you can eat the same as us.”
“Alright. By the way, I forgot to thank the Sect Master earlier for saving my life. If there’s anything I can do in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask. Jiang Yishu will do her utmost.”
Xie Lingjun looked at the child’s earnest expression and couldn’t help but let out a faint smile.
“There actually is one thing I’d like to trouble you with, though it might be a bit presumptuous. May I ask if you know Jiang Cheng?”
Xie Lingjun didn’t believe there could be so many coincidences surrounding one person.
“I don’t know him, but I can try to inquire. Does Senior have a grudge or a debt of gratitude with him?”
Whether in her past life or this one, Jiang Yishu had never heard the name Jiang Cheng. But if it came from the mouth of the Xiaoyao Sect Master, it certainly couldn’t be an insignificant person.
Xie Lingjun gazed into the distance, lost in memories: “He was kind to me. He was a very, very good person, and also my junior brother. I’m looking for his descendants. If you have any clues, Miss Jiang, please be sure to inform me.”
“Alright! I’ll do my best to keep an eye out. Could Senior tell me more about him?”
Suddenly, an image of Jiang Cheng covered in blood, pleading for help, flashed through Xie Lingjun’s mind. His face paled almost instantly.
“Apologies, but I can only tell you that he was once the Young Marquis of Nanzhao Kingdom. As for the rest, I’ll tell you when your cultivation is higher, to avoid bringing disaster upon you.”
“Whether you need medicinal herbs or spiritual pills, you can tell Gu Jin. Our Xiaoyao Sect may not have much else, but we have plenty of medicinal herbs.”
Xie Lingjun didn’t believe there was no connection between Jiang Yishu and his junior sister and brother.
There must still be some details he didn’t know. He would have to find time to visit Nanzhao Kingdom again.
“Farewell. Focus on recovering from your injuries. Although your cultivation has regressed this time, it might be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps you can condense an even better Golden Core.”
“Then I’ll take Senior’s auspicious words to heart.”
For some reason, Jiang Yishu suddenly sensed an almost suffocating despair emanating from Xie Lingjun and couldn’t help but speak up.
“Senior Xie, may I ask if I can become your disciple?”
Xie Lingjun paused mid-turn, the bloody aura that had nearly overwhelmed him vanishing instantly from his mind.
“You want to become my disciple?”
Xie Lingjun’s expression was a mix of tears and laughter, tinged with confusion.
Jiang Yishu nodded firmly: “I have an irreconcilable grudge with the Qingyun Sect. I dare not gamble on whether other sects would accept me as a disciple, let alone risk offending the Qingyun Sect.”
“How are you so sure I would dare to oppose the Qingyun Sect?”
Jiang Yishu’s gaze was resolute as she spoke calmly: “Just by the fact that Senior knew I descended from the Thousand-Step Spike Stairs and still dared to take me in. If Senior is worried about trouble, I can become an anonymous disciple.”
Xie Lingjun often unconsciously revealed his disdain for the Qingyun Sect. Jiang Yishu didn’t believe Xie Lingjun was merely the Sect Master of the Xiaoyao Sect. His aura felt even deeper than that of the Hehuan Sect’s founder.
Xie Lingjun laughed out loud, his hearty laughter echoing far and wide.
“A mere Qingyun Sect poses no threat. Aside from myself, this is the first time I’ve heard of a disciple surviving the Thousand-Step Spike Stairs.”
Calling herself “master”—she had agreed!
Jiang Yishu visibly brightened, but then, as if remembering something, she hesitantly asked, “Master, were you once a disciple of Qingyun Sect too? And you’ve walked the Thousand-Step Spike Stairs?”
Xie Lingjun’s gaze grew complex, a surge of incomprehensible sorrow welling in her eyes: “The current Qingyun Sect leader, Xiao Yan, was once my junior apprentice-nephew. If not for that incident back then, the position of sect leader would never have fallen to him.”
Jiang Yishu sensed that Xie Lingjun’s departure from Qingyun Sect must have involved hidden circumstances, but she also knew that some matters were not for her to learn about yet.
Jiang Yishu feigned cheerfulness: “Then by seniority, wouldn’t Xiao Yan be of the same generation as me?”