Chapter 245: An Existence to Look Up To |
Although he harbored doubts about Li Qingqiu, Shen Yue’s words made sense. This was the Clear Sky Sect; no one would openly target disciples in broad daylight.
Thus, Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan followed Li Qingqiu and the other up the mountain.
Li Qingqiu asked about the relationship between the two of them. Hu Yan answered truthfully, while Duan Xiaojuan appeared innocent and lively, thinking that she had hidden her girlish thoughts well. In reality, in the eyes of Li Qingqiu and the other, the flaws were obvious everywhere.
“Youth is truly wonderful.”
Li Qingqiu sighed inwardly. He suddenly realized that in this lifetime, he had yet to experience a romance.
However, he had already tasted such feelings in his previous life, so he was not in any hurry.
The four continued up the mountain. Unknowingly, they arrived before the martial arena at the mountainside midway. Zhu Qingling and the others were watching a match, and Ye Nan had not yet left.
Ye Nan was chatting with other disciples. His gaze suddenly caught sight of Li Qingqiu, and his pupils involuntarily dilated. After hesitating for a moment, he did not rush over, lest he appear too vulgar.
Zhu Qingling also noticed Hu Yan, and her gaze followed, landing on Li Qingqiu and Shen Yue.
Li Qingqiu did not stop. He merely swept a glance over them before continuing onward.
Since he had come to Ziyang Peak, he naturally had to see Xu Ning.
Zhu Qingling watched the four figures leave, while the Zhu Clan disciples around her followed her line of sight.
“Eh? Isn’t that person the Sect Master?”
A Zhu Clan female disciple exclaimed, then quickly covered her mouth, afraid that her voice had been too loud.
The Sect Master?
Zhu Qingling looked at her in surprise. The girl then lowered her voice and replied, “When I previously went to the Heavenly Works Hall to visit an elder, I happened to see him. He is our Clear Sky Sect’s Sect Master, Li Qingqiu.”
Li Qingqiu!
Zhu Qingling was extremely familiar with this name. To be precise, to the Zhu Clan, the name Li Qingqiu was thunderous to the ears.
Because of Li Qingqiu, the Zhu Clan had become the most powerful aristocratic family across the Nine Provinces, standing above the secular world. Zhu Yan had thus become the highest-ranking member of the clan. Every Zhu Clan disciple sent to the Clear Sky Sect was warned beforehand: once at the Clear Sky Sect, they must not violate sect rules nor rely on power to bully others.
All members of the Zhu Clan understood that Li Qingqiu held their lives and deaths in his hands. Though the Zhu Clan appeared powerful, if Li Qingqiu were displeased, they could fall from the heights of the Nine Provinces into the mortal dust within a single day.
Confusion filled Zhu Qingling’s eyes.
Why was Hu Yan following the Sect Master up the mountain?
The other Zhu Clan members were all exhilarated. They deeply admired Li Qingqiu, and being able to see him naturally made them excited.
Following the mountain path upward, one would eventually encounter people who recognized Li Qingqiu. If he were alone, disciples would surely approach, but with Shen Yue beside him, it was obvious that he had business. Thus, those disciples only dared to stand at a distance and salute, not daring to come closer.
Even though those disciples did not approach, Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan could still see their behavior. This secretly astonished them. Just what kind of identities did these two possess?
Even a branch hall master of the Free Spirit Hall did not command such presence.
Hu Yan was delighted. Being able to take such a great figure as his master was truly a blessing.
Duan Xiaojuan was equally happy for him. She harbored no improper thoughts, only boundless curiosity.
After about half an hour, Li Qingqiu led the three to Xu Ning’s cave dwelling. Upon reaching this area, everything suddenly became quiet. None of the halls dared to build buildings or courtyards nearby, for fear of disturbing Xu Ning’s cultivation.
As soon as they arrived before the cave dwelling, the stone door opened, and Xu Ning stepped out, walking up to Li Qingqiu and bowing in greeting. “Master, why have you come?”
If there were no outsiders, she would not have come out to receive him. But with outsiders present, she had to observe proper etiquette.
Li Qingqiu smiled. “I came to see you. May I go in?”
“Of course.”
Xu Ning nodded and turned to lead the way.
Li Qingqiu stepped into the cave dwelling, Shen Yue followed closely, and Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan exchanged a glance before following them inside.
Hu Yan sized up the tunnel, his eyes bright as he thought inwardly, could this be the cave dwelling that other disciples spoke of?
Duan Xiaojuan was even more obvious. Her eyes widened, and faint exclamations escaped her lips.
The group entered the cave chamber. Xu Ning had Li Qingqiu and Shen Yue sit, while she began boiling tea. She looked at Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan and asked curiously, “These two disciples are…?”
“This lad is a disciple I just accepted, your sixth junior brother, Hu Yan. The girl beside him is his friend, Duan Xiaojuan.”
Li Qingqiu introduced them with a smile. Hearing this, Xu Ning’s eyes lit up. Under her gaze, Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan were visibly nervous.
Xu Ning’s presence was simply too overwhelming. If Zhu Qingling was a fairy from the heavens, then Xu Ning was like the foremost of female immortals. In terms of beauty, she did not lose to Zhu Qingling; in terms of presence, the two could not be mentioned in the same breath.
Sixth junior brother?
So I have five senior brothers and sisters?
Hu Yan could not help but feel nervous, unsure how those seniors would view him.
Xu Ning looked at Hu Yan and smiled. “You needn’t be nervous. I am your senior sister. If you have any matters regarding cultivation in the future, you may come find me at any time.”
Hu Yan hurriedly responded, “Thank you, Senior Sister…”
Shen Yue sat on a stool, observing Hu Yan. He felt that Hu Yan was somewhat introverted, lacking the spirited confidence of Zhao Zhen and Sword Solitary, less steady than Yuan Li, and without Ji Ya’s visibly apparent talent.
It really did seem like he had been chosen purely by eye affinity.
Yet Shen Yue had to admit that he found Hu Yan rather pleasing to the eye.
“Senior Sister, what exactly is Hu Yan’s master’s identity?” Duan Xiaojuan could not help but ask.
This made Xu Ning look at Li Qingqiu in surprise. She had not expected him to have yet revealed his identity.
Li Qingqiu smiled. “Since she asked, you may answer her.”
Xu Ning understood and looked at Duan Xiaojuan, asking, “Take a guess. Who do you think he is?”
“A hall master, or an elder?” Duan Xiaojuan asked curiously, not feeling intimidated at all.
“Too low.”
“Too low? What identity is greater than a hall master?”
“Who is the most powerful person within the sect?”
“Of course it’s the Sect Master, the Number One Hero Under Heaven, Li Qingqiu!”
Duan Xiaojuan clenched her fist and said excitedly. It was obvious that she also admired Li Qingqiu.
Xu Ning merely smiled without speaking, which made Duan Xiaojuan freeze.
Hu Yan was likewise stunned, as if struck by lightning, staring blankly at Li Qingqiu.
Li Qingqiu smiled. “Tomorrow, someone will come to receive you. You will move to Clear Sky Mountain.”
Hearing this, Hu Yan was instantly overwhelmed with excitement and hurriedly bowed in thanks to Li Qingqiu.
The Sect Master was actually going to accept him as a disciple!
Was he dreaming?
Hu Yan raised his eyes to look at Li Qingqiu and asked carefully, “Why me?”
From childhood to adulthood, he had never experienced kindness without reason, so it felt unreal to him. Fortunately, he did not sense any malice from the three before him, which steadied his heart somewhat.
“I was in a good mood today and wanted to take in a disciple, so I wandered around. The moment I saw you, I felt a sense of affinity. It makes little sense, but that is the truth. I took a liking to you at first sight.”
Li Qingqiu accepted the teacup Xu Ning handed over and said softly with a smile.
Cultivators really did boil tea quickly.
Shen Yue nodded and said, “I can testify. That was indeed his intention. I originally thought he had set his sights on some peerless genius.”
Hu Yan naturally knew that he was not a peerless genius; otherwise, he would not have been merely a registered disciple.
His emotions surged violently. He had many things he wanted to say, yet he did not know how to express them.
Suddenly, he caught sight of Duan Xiaojuan beside him, whose smile had faded, replaced by a clear sense of disappointment. This caused his excitement to quickly subside.
If he went to Clear Sky Mountain, he would inevitably grow distant from Duan Xiaojuan. They had only known each other for two days; their relationship was not solid, let alone the fact that they were about to part.
Hu Yan quite liked Duan Xiaojuan—not in a romantic sense, but as a friend. Duan Xiaojuan was the first friend he had made since arriving at the Clear Sky Sect.
The changes in the expressions of the two youths were all seen by Li Qingqiu and the other two. They exchanged glances and all found it amusing.
The feelings of youths were truly pure and hard to conceal.
“Duan Xiaojuan, in the future I will guide your cultivation. Although I cannot accept you as a disciple, you will have plenty of opportunities to see Hu Yan. You wouldn’t hope to cling to him every day, would you? If that were the case, he would not be qualified to become the Sect Master’s disciple. Every Sect Master’s disciple must become a genius acknowledged by the entire sect.”
Xu Ning stared at Duan Xiaojuan as she spoke. Hearing this, Duan Xiaojuan was instantly overjoyed and hurriedly bowed in thanks.
“I wouldn’t cling to him. Having opportunities to see him in the future will be enough.”
Duan Xiaojuan replied immediately.
Hearing that Duan Xiaojuan would receive guidance from Senior Sister, Hu Yan revealed a smile.
Li Qingqiu praised, “This is what a Clear Sky Sect disciple should be like. Not only Hu Yan, you too must work hard in cultivation. Perhaps one day, you will be able to fight alongside him.”
These words made Duan Xiaojuan’s blood boil with passion, and she nodded heavily.
Afterward, Li Qingqiu and the other two began chatting about other matters. Hu Yan and Duan Xiaojuan listened attentively, their hearts filled with excitement and anticipation.
Even if it was merely casual conversation, the cultivation world within their words filled the two youths with longing.
……
That evening, Li Qingqiu, Shen Yue, and Xu Ning returned to Lingxiao Courtyard to celebrate the festival. Hu Yan’s name also quickly spread among the higher ranks.
They silently noted this name. Hearing from Shen Yue that Hu Yan was merely a registered disciple without outstanding talent, the higher-ups were perplexed.
They simply could not believe that Li Qingqiu had truly chosen a disciple based solely on eye affinity.
But regardless, Hu Yan had already become Li Qingqiu’s sixth disciple. This was an indisputable fact.
Hu Yan was destined to become famous within the Clear Sky Sect and would also become an object they sought to befriend.
They believed in Li Qingqiu’s judgment and in his methods. Even an average talent could be molded into success by Li Qingqiu.
The lively Spring Festival night passed.
Early the next morning, Hu Yan was taken to Clear Sky Mountain. This caused quite a stir in the registered disciples’ courtyard where he lived, as the other disciples had no idea why he was able to go to Clear Sky Mountain.
Clear Sky Mountain, within the Heavenly Works Hall.
Zhu Qingling led a group of Zhu Clan disciples to a courtyard. They stood in a row, nervously and expectantly waiting.
Soon, Zhu Yan arrived. The Zhu Clan disciples hurriedly bowed to her.
Zhu Yan swept her gaze over these relatively talented juniors, then personally explained the sect rules to them.
She did not wish for Zhu Clan disciples to become arrogant. She laid down harsh words in advance: if anyone violated sect rules, she would personally expel them from the sect.
At the same time, she hoped these disciples would bring honor to the Zhu Clan.
“Yesterday, the Sect Master accepted a disciple named Hu Yan. He is of the same generation as you. He will become an existence you look up to. If you encounter Hu Yan in the future, do your best to befriend him, but do not be overly deliberate.”
When Zhu Yan spoke Hu Yan’s name, Zhu Qingling’s beautiful eyes widened. Her expression turned stunned, suspecting that she had heard wrong.