Never having expected such a turn of events, Cong Jingyue couldn’t help but freeze.
Having failed to break through the illusion, she originally had no hope of entering the sect, and with her spiritual root potential still unknown, why was this person willing to accept her as a disciple at the very first meeting?
What was more, the person before her had a remarkably gorgeous appearance, rode the wind as fast as lightning, and held a giant tiger in one hand as effortlessly as plucking a flower, every detail clearly signaled her profound cultivation and transcendent status.
Cong Jingyue’s shock quickly turned into suspicion. She did not answer immediately, harboring caution due to the memories from the illusion, she carefully observed the person’s expression.
Yet, in those eyes gradually tinged with a flush of crimson, she could not see the slightest hint of mockery or deceit.
In them, there was only a deep affection she couldn’t comprehend and an unshakeable certainty.
The cloud of suspicion in Cong Jingyue’s heart did not dissipate, instead, it grew somewhat stronger. Nevertheless, amidst this silent exchange of gazes, an unexpected sense of joy still welled up inside her bit by bit.
To join this person’s lineage and receive her guidance would surely be far more stable and secure than venturing out into the world alone.
Could she trust her?
Cong Jingyue stared at that exquisitely beautiful face, unconsciously rubbing the fabric of her lower hem.
The set of clothes she was wearing had been given to her by that lead senior disciple.
She was essentially penniless, with nothing that this person could possibly covet. If this stranger harbored ill intentions toward her, there would be no need to bow down like this in front of a giant crowd.
Reasoning thus, Cong Jingyue’s vigilance eased slightly. Choosing to take a gamble, she reached out her hand in acceptance: “Immortal, I am willing…”
However, an upright and stern greeting interrupted her: “A face like a celestial immortal of Mount Gushai, accompanied by a spiritual tiger, may I ask if you are Daoist Master Wangshu, Jiang Xingxuan?”
A person with tightly furrowed brows approached with quick strides, like a fierce sword that would rather break than bend, thrusting straight toward them.
Wherever she passed, the fine grass beside her shoes yielded to the wind.
Walking up to the two of them, she suddenly summoned a two-finger-thick manual out of thin air, leafing through it with a rapid rustle-rustle. After a quick scan, she declared with righteous severity:
“Sect Regulation Fifteen: those who fail to break through the illusion cannot enter the sect. I hope the Daoist Master will think twice.”
Before Jiang Xingxuan could react, the feline in her hand, its eyes rolling so far back that mostly the whites showed, suddenly bared its teeth and hissed fiercely at the objector.
“Mantou, do not be rude.”
Jiang Xingxuan gave the feline a small shake. Instead of turning around right away, she reached her hand forward, pursuing and catching Cong Jingyue’s hand that had frozen in mid-air as she tried to pull it back. Aligning their tiger-mouth webbing, she pulled her up steadily from the grass.
“I am indeed.”
Holding the feline in one hand and holding Cong Jingyue’s hand in the other, she finally turned her head to look at the stern-faced disciple, her gaze falling on her cuffs:
“Are you a disciple under Elder Yu?”
The disciple shut her booklet and bowed in an impeccable, formal gesture: “He Sihai, lead disciple of the Fuyu Pavilion, greets the Daoist Master. This year, I am responsible for supervising all affairs regarding the entrance trial.”
Although maintaining the posture of a junior, she offered her counsel without the slightest detour: “Daoist Master, sect rules cannot be defied. Please do not make things difficult for your junior.”
“Sect rules indeed cannot be defied.”
Being addressed directly by her full name and publicly opposed by a junior did not anger Jiang Xingxuan. Instead, she offered a warm smile and said unhurriedly:
“But do you know that beneath Sect Regulation Fifteen, there is a footnote stating that even if one fails the illusion, if they possess a Heavenly Spiritual Root, they may still enter the sect as a disciple upon selection by a sect elder?”
He Sihai opened her eyes wide, flipping through the manual again, and said in disbelief: “May I ask the Daoist Master when this footnote was added? I did not find it.”
“Not long ago.”
Jiang Xingxuan lifted Mantou to her waist. The tiger’s tail, sharing a tacit understanding with her, consciously nudged the white jade sword token hanging from her belt to show everyone:
“Ten breaths ago, drawn up by me in my capacity as Acting Sect Master.”
As these words landed, low gasps broke out around them, and Cong Jingyue could not help but be surprised.
This exception was made by Jiang Xingxuan specifically for her.
Though murmurs filled the air, Jiang Xingxuan remained unmoved. She simply instructed the tongue-tied junior: “To enter the sect, one must still possess a Heavenly Spiritual Root. One test with the Spirit-Sensing Stone will tell.”
He Sihai’s brows remained furrowed, but she lightly tossed an object over as bidden: “Then please allow the candidate to try.”
With one hand still held by Jiang Xingxuan, Cong Jingyue caught it with her free hand and looked down.
Lying in her palm was a stone with a lustrous outer shell. At first, it reflected the fine spring sunlight, but as her body warmth climbed onto it, it actually began to emit a bright, green radiance that grew increasingly dazzling.
Within it, vast expanses of flora implicitly grew against the wind, becoming lush and verdant in the blink of an eye, only to wither into decaying grass and dead wood a moment later, before new sprouts peeked out from the dead ashes once again, repeating in a cycle as if it were a miniature world unto itself.
“W-Wood Heavenly Spiritual Root!”
He Sihai had been staring intently at the stone. Seeing this scene, her long-furrowed brows smoothed out instantly in shock: “The candidate truly possesses a Heavenly Spiritual Root!”
“How…” Another low murmur sounded at the same time.
Clearly, this result should have aligned with Jiang Xingxuan’s wishes, yet she suddenly let go of Mantou and summoned the stone from Cong Jingyue’s hand, muttering, “How could it be wood…”
As she spoke softly, the stone shed its lush greenness and abruptly turned extremely dark and heavy, as though all light had been swallowed into it, forming a dim, bottomless abyss.
“Water that surges without flowing is called an abyss, an abyss that is deep and bottomless is dark.”
Having witnessed the manifestations of two Heavenly Spiritual Roots in a row, He Sihai practically forgot to breathe: “The Daoist Master’s Water Heavenly Spiritual Root is truly pure and flawless.”
“There is no error with the Spirit-Sensing Stone.”
Jiang Xingxuan sent the stone floating back into Cong Jingyue’s hands. As it sparkled with bright green radiance once more, the look in her eyes turned deeper and heavier than the dark undertows that had just manifested.
Cong Jingyue felt her heart chill.
Jiang Xingxuan had initially intended to take her as a disciple, even insisting on breaking the rules in full view of everyone, yet upon learning she possessed a Wood Heavenly Spiritual Root, she seemed to hesitate and struggle, as if she were about to revoke her command at any moment.
Was it because the attribute of the spiritual root did not suit Jiang Xingxuan’s taste?
Could the one she wanted be a Water Heavenly Spiritual Root?
However, Cong Jingyue’s mind was now set, the news of her possessing a Heavenly Spiritual Root was known to all. If she failed to join the Guiyuan Sect now and went down the mountain alone to survive, it would be no different from a child carrying gold through a busy market, it would be far too conspicuous, bringing disaster rather than fortune.
Things having come to this point, she had to hold fast to the opportunity before her and not let it crumble and vanish in front of her eyes.
As for whether this path ahead was a blessing or a curse, she would brave it herself.
Cong Jingyue decisively lifted her skirts, took a step forward, and made a gesture to kneel and formally accept her as a master. However, Jiang Xingxuan snapped back to reality and supported her body up, leaving Cong Jingyue to speak with utmost sincerity: “Disciple Cong Jingyue, for this life and this world, am willing to follow the Daoist Master!”
Jiang Xingxuan’s gaze shifted, landing squarely on her brow, as though trying to pierce through her physical shell to carefully discern her soul.
After just a moment of silence, the gorgeous Daoist Master’s lips curled slightly: “For this life and this world?”
The broken ice in her eyes thawed, giving rise to another spring where all things revived.
“With Heaven and Earth as witness, and the Sun and Moon as proof.”
Cong Jingyue joined her fingers and swore an oath, her tone full of resolute determination: “I, Cong Jingyue, if I ever repay kindness with enmity and betray the Daoist Master, it shall be a sin of deceiving Heaven and Earth, shielding the Sun and Moon, and my soul will instantly…”
Jiang Xingxuan had originally been smiling, as if waiting for her to finish this harsh oath, but lost her smile when only three words remained, pressing her fingertip against Cong Jingyue’s lips: “You won’t. I won’t allow it.”
A faint cool touch lingered on her lips, and Cong Jingyue unconsciously pursed them, suddenly losing her center of gravity from below.
Mantou, who had regained her freedom to return to tiger form, had at some point transformed back into her original size, as tall as two people. Her whip-like tail flexibly wrapped around Cong Jingyue’s waist, lifting her up to sit securely on the furry tiger back.
After confirming she wouldn’t fall, Mantou stomped her four paws on the spot and let out a sorrowful howl.
Even though Mantou couldn’t speak human tongue, everyone present, looking at this remarkably expressive tiger head and face, instantly understood her meaning,
I want to go home!
Jiang Xingxuan patted Mantou’s broad forehead, looked at the worried He Sihai, and comforted her with a smile:
“Sihai, there is no need to worry. Heavenly Spiritual Roots are hard to find in this world, one in a million. The elders have very high standards and will not accept disciples easily. Thus, although this exception was made today, it will likely remain the only instance from now on and will not disrupt the sect’s rules.”
Before He Sihai could even respond, in the turn of a moment, the Golden Core Daoist Master, rumored to have been in secluded cultivation for twenty years, was already nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, the white tiger galloped away carrying her lucky new disciple, gradually turning into a small white dot as fast as thunder, floating like stardust, disappearing into the distant green mountains.
Wind blew from beneath the tiger’s paws, as if scratching open a fissure between Heaven and Earth.
Her soul felt on the verge of being blown apart by the fierce wind, and even breathing became difficult. Cong Jingyue clutched the tiger’s fur tightly, burying her face into its back, allowing Mantou to carry her through this fissure, rushing toward an unknown future.
Leaping across clear streams reflecting the sunlight, and stepping through moss-covered stone forests, Cong Jingyue finally landed in a courtyard along with Mantou.
Inside the courtyard, a winding stream encircled a pavilion, outside the courtyard, magnolias grew in abundance.
Jiang Xingxuan had already returned to this place. Standing in front of the house, she turned back and smiled at them, causing the spring flowers across the mountain to instantly lose their luster: “A-Yue, come inside.”
Cong Jingyue slid down from Mantou’s back. Due to the high speed of the journey, she still felt a bit lightheaded. Just as her footing faltered, a hand supported her waist to help steady her frame, then naturally took her hand and pulled her into the room.
That movement was exceedingly adept, as if it had been done thousands of times before.
The main room was simply arranged, containing only a bed, a table with chairs, and a cabinet shelf. The windows were bright, the counters clean, and not a speck of dust could be seen, showing that the room’s owner led a simple life, one could say chaste and free of desires, which stood in stark contrast to her gorgeous appearance.
As soon as Cong Jingyue entered the room, the door behind her was swiftly shut. Jiang Xingxuan formed a hand seal with one hand, and several small flags floated out and scattered into the air.
In a single breath, a tightly woven curtain seemed to have been crafted and cast down over them.
Even Mantou was locked outside, left with no choice but to scratch at the door anxiously with her paws and let out two sorrowful howls.
“Mantou, stay calm.”
After comforting the white tiger, Jiang Xingxuan finally turned to look at Cong Jingyue, still not letting go of her held hand, in fact, the force in her fingertips tightened slightly.
Her eyelashes drooped slightly, her voice sounding as precarious as when they first met, looking like a completely different person from the Acting Sect Master who had insistently broken the rules amidst the crowd below the mountain gate:
“A-Yue… do you have anything you want to say to me?”
The west window was not closed, and a beam of daylight passed through it, spilling onto her face. Following her beautiful facial structure, it illuminated her lovely face in half-light and half-shadow.
One half appeared even more brilliant, while the other half merely added to her loneliness.
Cong Jingyue was bewildered, but the doubts in her heart prompted her to ask directly: “Daoist Master, may I ask why you were willing to take me as your disciple?”
To take a disciple who failed to break the illusion and originally had no qualification to enter the sect.
“Daoist Master?” Hearing this, Jiang Xingxuan’s eyebrows raised slightly, as if surprised by every single word in that sentence, “Why?”
She drew a bit closer to her, but there was no smile in her eyes, even the light in her gaze turned a bit colder: “Why does A-Yue think it is?”
Cong Jingyue did not dodge those captivating eyes, meeting her gaze to confirm: “Is it because of the spiritual root?”
“Spiritual root? Of course not.”
Jiang Xingxuan softly denied it, her gaze shifting inch by inch across her cheeks, as if wanting to take every part of her into view, carefully comparing it with a certain outline deep within her memory:
“Does A-Yue truly not know?”
Unable to solve this riddle, Cong Jingyue had to answer honestly: “I truly do not know.”
Jiang Xingxuan lowered her eyes and stayed silent for a breath, then casually fiddled with the blue earring beneath her ear, seemingly out of a long-formed habit.
Crisp bell chimes and a gentle smile sounded one after another. When she raised her eyes again, the force in her hand increased by another notch, almost pulling Cong Jingyue into her arms.
Leaning close to Cong Jingyue’s ear, she spoke in a soft and gentle whisper, as though filled with utmost treasure and deep affection:
“Of course it is because… I feel an instant familiarity with A-Yue. Seeing you is like seeing an old friend.”