Early the next morning, a light tapping sounded at the door. Lu Qing rolled over, pulling the quilt up to cover his head and ignoring it.
The light taps sounded three times, separated by the space of a breath. Annoyed to the point where he couldn’t continue sleeping, Lu Qing had no choice but to get up. He sat on the bed, his hair a complete mess and his clothes in disarray, revealing a small expanse of fair, smooth chest.
Tap, tap. The person knocking was very patient, showing no signs of anger whatsoever, maintaining a steady and forceful rhythm.
The hall doors opened to reveal a figure standing straight outside, their gaze bright as stars. Upon seeing the person who was yawning while struggling to keep his eyes open, the corners of the visitor’s lips curved slightly upward.
“Lu Qing.” Yeqing’s tone was light, low, and unhurried as he stated calmly, “It’s time to get up and cultivate.”
“Good morning, Master.” Lu Qing blinked, his face carrying a trace of sleepiness. “So early? I haven’t even gotten out of bed yet.”
Yunchuan lowered his gaze, refusing to look at him, and laid out the schedule for the days ahead: “From now on, wake up at the Hour of Mao to cultivate, head to the dining hall at the Hour of Wu, cultivate at the Hour of Shen, and rest at the Hour of Xu. You may arrange the remaining time as you please; do whatever you wish.”
Lu Qing calculated this in his head and widened his eyes in disbelief, all sleepiness instantly vanishing. “Master, are you serious about this schedule?”
Yeqing fell silent for a moment before taking a detour around the words on the tip of his tongue: “When your cultivation reaches the Kongming stage, Master won’t be this strict anymore.”
Lu Qing’s lips parted slightly, surging with fighting spirit as he clenched a fist and declared, “Alright, you said it yourself, Master! You can’t go back on your word in the future.”
Mere Kongming stage wasn’t that something he could easily grasp in the palm of his hand?
Seeing him so full of vitality, a scattering of smiles rippled across the depths of Yeqing’s eyes. “Mhm, I said it.”
“Then for now, I’ll give you half a quarter of an hour to dress properly and come to my room.” Leaving behind these instructions, Yeqing turned and left.
Lu Qing returned to his room to wash up and get dressed, arriving at Yeqing’s quarters right on schedule.
“Master, I’m here.” Seeing no one in the hall, Lu Qing hesitated before biting the bullet and walking into the inner chamber.
Sure enough, Yeqing was inside the inner chamber. He sat on the daybed by the window, supporting his chin with one hand while holding a book in the other. His dark hair cascaded down, his drooping eyelashes long and curled, casting delicate shadows across the bridge of his nose while his entire person was bathed in a soft layer of light.
A beauty basking in the light it was as picturesque as a painting, and Lu Qing was terrified that the slightest sound might disturb him.
Yunchuan raised his head, his gaze cold and clear. “You’re late.”
Lu Qing’s breathing hitched. Stopping himself from holding his breath any longer, he averted his gaze elsewhere. “Master, how do you plan to teach me?”
“You?” Yeqing’s volume rose slightly, as if questioning him or perhaps mocking himself. “In your eyes, am I that old?”
“Aren’t you?” Lu Qing asked uncertainly, his tone hesitant. “I heard people say Master is over five hundred years old, while I am only twenty-four this year. To me, Master really is quite…”
He offered an apologetic chuckle, hurriedly changing the subject under that chilling gaze. “Of course, those who cultivate don’t care about age! Master, this disciple was wrong.”
“Forget it, what you said is right too.” Yeqing brushed his sleeve, placed the book down on the daybed, leaned back against it, and said calmly, “Today, Master will teach you how to cultivate. Sit down cross-legged, close your eyes, and carefully sense the spiritual energy surging around you.”
Lu Qing did not beat about the bush, sitting down right where he was and following instructions.
“Mortals belong to the mortal dust mediocre beings. But you possess a wood spiritual root, and that alone sets you apart from others.”
“For mortals cultivating, you must draw spiritual energy into your body, clear the meridians throughout your entire frame, and guide the spiritual energy to travel along the Governor Vessel. From the Changqiang acupoint, ascend straight up the center of the spine, passing the Mingmen, Dazhui, and Baihui acupoints, and finally flow back down to converge in the dantian.” Fearing that Lu Qing wouldn’t understand, Yunchuan considerately pointed out the locations one by one: beneath the tailbone, moving up to the lower back, the neck, the top of the head, and finally resting his palm lightly against the Guanyuan acupoint three inches below the navel.
“Let the breath settle into your dantian and continue absorbing spiritual energy.” Yunchuan withdrew his hand, straightened up, and tilted his head slightly to observe the massive influx of spiritual energy gathering around.
The spiritual energy circulated all over Lu Qing’s body, ultimately converging at various acupoints to enter his physical form, causing a rare transformation to occur within Lu Qing himself.
His skin grew smoother, his complexion fairer, and his overall aura clearer.
Transcending the mortal vessel to enter the Qi Condensation stage, Yeqing continued his instruction: “Condensing Qi is the root of cultivation; circulating Qi into the meridians to flow through the entire body is a cyclical, endless process.”
Seeing that Lu Qing had entered a state of self-forgetfulness, Yunchuan re-seated himself on the daybed, supporting his chin as he stared at him.
Shen Zhixing’s words echoed in his ears; he frowned slightly and simply stood up to leave the place.
The moment Yeqing departed, Lu Qing opened his eyes.
He looked down at the ribbon on his wrist, which was still hot from absorbing the energy, a flicker of understanding flashing through his eyes as he conversed with the system: “The fact that I reached the Qi Condensation stage so quickly was it because of the Qingmu demon’s demonic power?”
The system had stated that the demonic power devoured by the ribbon could be converted into spiritual energy. When he closed his eyes to begin cultivation, he had ‘seen’ the surrounding spiritual energy; related to his spiritual root, it was a lush, vibrant green.
Abandoning its previous silence, the system replied: [Yes, Host. The ribbon is the Host’s magical artifact, and the demonic power it devours will be converted into spiritual energy to feed back into the Host.]
Lu Qing curved the corners of his lips. The reason he had agreed so readily to Yeqing’s words was precisely because he possessed a cheat.
With a cheat in hand, there was zero need to panic.
“I haven’t had the chance to look at my other magical artifact yet take it out and let me have a look.” Interest piqued, Lu Qing couldn’t help feeling a surge of anticipation.
The moment his voice fell, the magical artifact Yuhua Fan (Jade Painting Fan) materialized and hovered in midair. It was deep blue with a brown handle and a jade bead dangling from the tip. The fan surface was carved with white butterflies, feeling very light and agile when held in the hand.
Lu Qing turned it over and over, his eyes filled with doubt. “Can this fan really resurrect or control things? Can it resurrect anything that has life?”
[Yes,] the system explained. [Anything with life can be resurrected, and they can also be controlled.]
“I kind of want to try it.” Lu Qing tapped his chin with the tip of the fan, a spark of mischief flashing through his eyes.
Wasn’t there a patch of withered peach trees right outside the main hall? Perhaps he could run a little experiment first.
[This system advises the Host not to court death.] Pouring a bucket of cold water over him, the system warned: [Given the Host’s current cultivation at the Qi Condensation stage, resurrecting either trees or people will drain the spiritual energy right out of the Host’s body.]
Given the system’s warning, Lu Qing had no choice but to dismiss the notion, hanging the fan at his waist instead. “You should have said so earlier; if you’d said that earlier, I wouldn’t have thought about it.”
Jokes aside, compared to anything else, his own little life was naturally what mattered most. This spiritual energy was something he had cultivated with great difficulty; he couldn’t waste it on useless pursuits.
There was still plenty of time before the scheduled rest period, and since his temporary master had left, Lu Qing had no choice but to continue cultivating.
“Master, how am I supposed to get to the dining hall?” Lu Qing asked with a slightly troubled expression. “I don’t know how to fly on a sword yet.”
He looked pitiful and hesitant, every single thought plain to see.
Yeqing set down his scroll and looked at him, his expression rather complex. “Even if you can’t fly on a sword, there are cranes. You can feed a crane, and before you learn sword flight, it can take you to the dining hall.”
“Fine.” Lu Qing dropped his head in disappointment. “I thought Master would take me to the dining hall myself; I guess this disciple thought too much.”
He grumbled to the system: ‘I can’t keep acting out this script playing the obedient cutie is so hard. Looking at his mild, sluggish demeanor, how long is this (romance/conquest) going to take?’
He suspected aloud: “Can you see the romance progress score on your end?”
System: [Yes, the romance score is 0. Please continue striving, Host.]
Lu Qing’s face turned green, and he clenched his fists, mustering every ounce of strength in his body to keep from swinging them as he gritted his teeth: “Fine, fine! ‘Striving’ it is, then!”
He threw a tiny, instantaneous tantrum.
Lu Qing turned and walked away, exuding an aura of powerlessness and exhaustion.
Yeqing frowned slightly, seemingly unable to understand why his mood had suddenly shifted so drastically.
“Forget it. I’ll make an exception for you today.” Yeqing’s gaze remained clear and shallow. The moment his words fell, Lu Qing predictably stopped in his tracks, turning around with a genuine smile lighting up his face.
“Master, you’re so good to me! Master, what do you like? When I became your disciple, I didn’t even prepare a gift.” Lu Qing took three steps in two, his bright eyes fixed on Yeqing with a trace of caution.
The young man was clean-cut and sharp in his cyan robes, exuding a free-spirited air, his bright eyes carrying a flattering warmth.
Those eyes were bright and pretty, and when focused upon intently, it felt as though his whole heart and soul were filled with nothing else but him.
Yeqing averted his gaze, extending his right hand to channel a streak of spiritual energy. Shortly after, something came fluttering over on beating wings. A crane flew down from the clouds, landing inside the room to stand by Yeqing’s side and rub its head affectionately against his slender hand.
“This is the crane I raise; it will take you to the dining hall.” Yeqing produced a spiritual fruit and fed it to the crane, which caught it in its beak and swallowed it into its belly with a single toss of its head.
Yeqing patted the crane’s head, raising his eyes to look at the dumbfounded Lu Qing with a gentle voice: “Go on.”
The crane waddled on its feet to Lu Qing’s side, nudging his foot with its wing while its eyes held a silent invitation.
Lu Qing loved cute, pretty small animals. In real life, he kept a ragdoll cat; whenever he stayed home alone, he loved hugging the cat and curling up on a soft cushion, petting the cat while playing on the computer.
Now, seeing this anthropomorphic crane, his heart softened instantly. “Let’s go. My stomach is growling trouble you, Crane Brother.”
Man and crane stepped out of the hall doors, vanishing from Wangxu Hall shortly after, leaving Yeqing with no further inclination to read.
The dining hall was vast, filled with a constant stream of people coming and going, some flying in on swords while others arrived seated on cranes.
Lu Qing stood firm, patted the crane’s head, and smiled warmly. “Crane Brother, sorry to trouble you to come pick me up later.”
“Lu Qing?” Gao Qiu had just finished eating and was heading back when he spotted Lu Qing talking to the crane.
“Gao Qiu.” Lu Qing turned around and smiled at him. “You’re done eating? Heading back now?”
“Yeah, I was planning to head back.” Gao Qiu looked him up and down with a laugh. “You’ve changed into disciple robes, I almost didn’t recognize you. You’re still unfamiliar with this place, and since I don’t have anything pressing right now, I’ll show you around to get acquainted.”
“Alright, sorry to trouble you then.” Lu Qing welcomed the offer; having an acquaintance around was far better than being alone.
The two walked toward the dining hall, drawing many curious and malicious gazes along the way.
“Is that Lu Qing? He doesn’t look all that pretty either how did Immortal Yunchuan ever take him as a disciple?”
“Shh, have you got a death wish? Senior Brother Zhou was punished just the other day because of this. Hurry up, better not invite unnecessary trouble.”
“Hmph, relying on a face to enter Wangxu Hall sooner or later, he’ll be cast aside because of that exact same face.”
“Hurry, walk faster.”
Even though the surrounding people lowered their voices, cultivators could still hear them clearly.
Gao Qiu glanced sideways at Lu Qing, who remained completely oblivious, feeling a complex mix of emotions. Clearly, even he hadn’t expected Lu Qing to actually manage to enter Wangxu Hall as a disciple.
Wangxu Hall was rarely mentioned within the sect, and very few people even knew of its existence.
Yet now, because of Lu Qing, everyone in the sect knew of Wangxu Hall, as well as that mysterious and formidable Immortal Yunchuan.
Anyone would find it unacceptable that Lu Qing was taken in as a disciple by Immortal Yunchuan the moment he arrived at the sect. After all, there were countless prodigies within the sect, far outclassing levels they couldn’t even touch.
“Now that you’ve entered Wangxu Hall, I’ll even have to call you Senior Brother.” Gao Qiu broke the silence with a complex tone.
“What’s the big deal? I don’t know many people in the sect anyway. Counting it up, you’re my friend, so talking like that makes you a stranger.” Lu Qing tilted his head and smiled at him. “Back on the flying boat, you wanted to save me too.”
“At the time, seeing Senior Brother Bai fall down, I was just more worried about him.” Gao Qiu felt a bit awkward and spoke the honest truth.
“You were still plenty worried about me anyway, thanks.” Lu Qing raised a hand to pat his shoulder, stepping through the main gates of the dining hall.
It was very spacious inside, packed with people dining and humming with noise.
Many people lowered their heads to eat without noticing Lu Qing, while others recognized him at a glance as the one taken in by Immortal Yunchuan at the ascending platform that day, causing the atmosphere to turn somewhat strange in an instant.
Gao Qiu brought Lu Qing to get his food, introducing things while keeping a wary eye on the surroundings.
To be honest, the dining hall primarily catered to outer disciples. Inner disciples possessed the qualifications to enter the inner sect, boasting exceptional aptitudes alongside their contributions.
If a real conflict broke out, relying solely on the two of them, they might not necessarily escape unscathed.
“Lu Qing.” A surprised voice rang out beside them. The two followed the sound to see Gong Ya standing behind them.
“Gong Ya.” Lu Qing nodded at him, glancing around without spotting Wu Shuangxue.
Gong Ya stepped forward with a beaming smile. “Didn’t expect to run into you here. I became a disciple earlier than you, and my master and your master are considered peers—you’ll have to call me Senior Brother.”
“What’s the big deal? Senior Brother it is, then.” Lu Qing didn’t care about such titles in the slightest. “So, Senior Brother Gong Ya, care to share a table?”
“Of course.” Gong Ya agreed cheerfully, taking his spot to Lu Qing’s right. “This is stir-fried meat with spiritual chestnuts; the taste isn’t bad, give it a try.”
Gong Ya shared the delicious dishes, and Lu Qing picked out his favorites, selecting his meal in no time.
Seeing that Lu Qing had company, Gao Qiu offered his farewells: “Senior Brother Lu, let’s catch up when we have time; I’ll head back first.”
Lu Qing waved a hand, agreeing instantly. “Alright, take care, Junior Brother.”
“You and him get along pretty well?” Gong Ya withdrew his gaze from the doorway, lowering his head to eat. “He looks a bit hard to get along with.”
He had seen Gao Qiu back on the flying boat. Gao Qiu had seemed somewhat hot-tempered and spoiled, wearing every emotion plainly on his face and letting his disdain show in every word.
He despised people coming from impoverished, rural backgrounds, and that attitude made Gong Ya very unhappy.
Lu Qing didn’t even raise his head. “Didn’t you just say it yourself? He just looks hot-tempered and a bit spoiled, with all his emotions written on his face. I was brought here together with him and Junior Brother Bai, and I think he’s not bad.”
“I feel like being with Gao Qiu requires someone to humor him and take care of him.” Gong Ya shook his head, expressing his dislike for dealing with such people.
“You aren’t even close with him why bring that up?” Lu Qing’s expression turned odd as he raised his head. “How come I haven’t seen Wu Shuangxue?”
Gong Ya thought for a moment, shaking his head to indicate he didn’t know. “Haven’t seen him at all.”
“By the way, how is Wangxu Hall? Is your master strict?” Gong Ya sighed with a weary expression. “My master is extremely strict with me—cultivation is practically unbearable.”
“Hmm.” Lu Qing chewed his chopsticks, nodding under the expectant gaze. “Pretty decent, I suppose quite nice to get along with. Aside from forgetting about me on the day he took me in, providing disciple robes, healing medicine, and teaching me cultivation… it’s not bad at all.”
He offered his genuine praise.
“I entered the body-refining lineage, and my master is rough-around-the-edges. I have to get up at the Hour of Yin to run a lap around Yinglong Mountain. Running is one thing, but there are spiritual swords chasing behind you, and if you slack off, you get poked a few times—plus, one of the paths is a chain bridge.” Gong Ya’s gaze turned gloomy as he recounted this.
Lu Qing caught both envy and resignation in his eyes, laughing uncharitably. “Never would I have imagined you’d end up in such a miserable state. You said your master is rough and crude will you turn out like that in the future too?”
“Lu Qing!” Gong Ya gnashed his teeth, grinding them as if he wanted to smash the bowl across Lu Qing’s face. “You’re gloating, aren’t you? Aren’t you?!”
“Hmph hmph.” Lu Qing let out a couple of soft huffs, raising an eyebrow. “It’s an obvious matter; asking so bluntly doesn’t that make you look like a clown?”
Seeing that Gong Ya was thoroughly enraged, Lu Qing lowered his head to quickly finish the rice in his bowl, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and bolted away on the run.
His actions were so swift that Gong Ya was left stunned for a moment; abandoning his meal entirely, Gong Ya rushed out after him.
Emerging from the dining hall, Lu Qing was already seated atop the crane’s back, wearing a leisurely expression. “Thanks, brother. Without you, those people probably would have come over to ‘greet’ me.”
Gong Ya smiled with his eyes crinkling, waving a hand. “Don’t mention it; we did come to the Lingyao Sect together after all. Even without me, wouldn’t there still be Gao Qiu?”
If he hadn’t worried that Lu Qing might provoke public outrage, neither he nor Gao Qiu would have pulled Lu Qing along with them.
With someone by your side, even if something happened, there would be a witness.
Fortunately, the Sect Master had delivered a warning these past two days, so those people didn’t dare show up too blatantly.
Thinking of this, Gong Ya (withdrew) his smile. “Be careful on your way back don’t let anyone catch you unawares.”
Lu Qing offered a gentle, knowing smile, taking it completely in stride. “Rest assured, the dining hall isn’t very far from Wangxu Hall.”
Even if they ran into trouble, it didn’t matter; with no one else around, there was no telling who would end up on the losing end.
“Alright, then I’ll head back too.” Gong Ya mounted another crane, flying off toward the opposite side and disappearing from view shortly after.
Lu Qing glanced back. On the chain bridge leading to Wangxu Hall, someone had already been waiting for quite a long time.
He patted the crane’s head, a flash of shrewd sharpness crossing his eyes. “Let’s go, time for us to head back too. I wonder which Immortal Monarch’s disciple this one belongs to?”