Seeing that Master’s martial brothers had all stopped talking, Kong Hou didn’t know if she had said something wrong. She could only smile sweetly at the Peak Masters.
Heng Yan’s heart inexplicably trembled. He reached out to grab the fruits from the table beside him, wanting to stuff them into Kong Hou’s hands. The cool sensation transmitted from the fruit plate made him calm down. Yunhua Sect had too few children these years, and these old fellows had no experience coaxing little children.
After thinking about it, he took out several bottles of medicinal pills from his bosom and gave them to Kong Hou as a meeting gift. “This martial uncle didn’t know you were coming and didn’t prepare any meeting gift. Keep these medicinal pills for emergencies. But you must remember, after stepping onto the cultivation path, you cultivate the body and cultivate the heart. Relying on external objects ultimately won’t take you to the highest point.”
“Thank you for martial uncle’s guidance.” Kong Hou held the medicine bottles, and her uneasy heart gradually settled down.
Wang Tong sat in his chair as steady as Mount Tai. Only after all the Peak Masters had given Kong Hou meeting gifts did he say, “I just calculated the days by counting on my fingers. Three days from now is an auspicious day, suitable for all five elements. Let’s set that day to hold the disciple acceptance ceremony.”
Heng Yan knew that although Wang Tong was unreliable in his actions, he had a stubborn personality. Once he decided on something, as long as it didn’t involve sect interests, he wouldn’t change it even if beaten to death. He looked at the well-behaved and adorable little girl and nodded. “Fine.”
Hearing the Sect Master agree, Wang Tong turned his head and said to Cheng Yi, “Cheng Yi, go notify the Five Elements Hall now to prepare for the disciple acceptance ceremony.”
“What’s your hurry? Could I still go back on my word?” Seeing his impatient appearance, Heng Yan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “This child just arrived at the sect. Take her to rest properly.” Now that everything was finished, if he didn’t send them away, in a moment Wang Tong and Qingyuan would start quarreling.
“Thank you, Senior Martial Brother Sect Master.” Wang Tong stood up, glanced at Qingyuan, and said lightly, “Today I’ll give Senior Martial Brother face and won’t quibble with certain people.”
“You!” Qingyuan slapped the armrest of his chair and suddenly stood up. “Wang Tong, don’t go too far. I’ve been tolerating you for a long time.”
“Forget it, forget it.” Pei Huai and the other two Peak Masters hurriedly restrained him. “Wang Tong just returned. Don’t cause trouble.”
“What do you mean I’m causing trouble? He’s clearly deliberately provoking me.” Qingyuan was restrained by his three martial brothers and couldn’t move. He was so angry his beard bristled and his eyes glared. If not for considering there was still a child here, he would have started cursing long ago.
As a Peak Master, impulsive as he was, he still knew not to speak dirty words in front of children.
“Hehe.” Wang Tong laughed mockingly and took Kong Hou’s hand. “Disciple, let’s go back.”
Kong Hou obediently nodded, pretending not to see the grievances between Master and this martial uncle.
“Good disciple, you just arrived at the sect. Remember to stay far away from certain petty people.”
Kong Hou: “…”
“Do you know what petty people are?”
Kong Hou listened to the sound of objects falling to the ground behind her and silently shook her head.
“Those who like to laugh at others behind their backs—the most sinister and crafty kind.”
Behind them came the sound of a stool being kicked over.
Kong Hou looked at her slightly proud Master, feeling something was vaguely strange in her heart.
The cultivation world… was it really like this?
The Five Elements Hall was the branch hall responsible for miscellaneous affairs and reception at Yunhua Sect. Kong Hou watched everyone in the hall handle matters in an unhurried manner, took a deep breath, and also suppressed the anxiety and worry in her heart.
After following Master out of the main hall, Master returned to Qiyue Peak to consolidate his mental state. The one accompanying her was Eldest Senior Martial Brother. The steward of the Five Elements Hall was very polite to Cheng Yi, and his slow movements finally sped up a bit.
After registering Kong Hou’s name, the steward asked, “What is this young lady’s seniority ranking?”
“This is my junior martial sister. Three days from now, Master will accept her as his final disciple.” Cheng Yi answered. “For the disciple acceptance ceremony, I’ll have to trouble everyone to take care of it.”
The steward’s movements paused slightly. He looked at Kong Hou, who was only a bit more than half a head taller than the table, and said with a smile, “Master Uncle Cheng Yi, you’re too polite. Please have this young martial uncle extend her hand. This martial nephew needs to take a drop of your heart’s blood to light up your life tablet.”
Every Yunhua Sect disciple had a life tablet placed within the sect. If one day the life tablet shattered, it meant that disciple had fallen.
Kong Hou secretly touched her chest. Would taking blood hurt a lot?
“Give me your left hand.” Cheng Yi spoke.
Kong Hou extended her hand in confusion, then saw Eldest Senior Martial Brother quickly tap her fingertip. A drop of fresh blood fell onto the jade tablet. The jade tablet made a very light buzzing sound and emitted brilliant light, then cut through the sky and flew toward the main hall.
“Behind the main hall is Liyang Hall. All disciples’ life tablets in the sect are inside.” Cheng Yi took out a medicine bottle and rubbed wound medicine on Kong Hou’s fingertip. “Does it hurt?”
Kong Hou shook her head. “It doesn’t hurt.”
Cheng Yi smiled and rubbed the top of Kong Hou’s head. “Come, I’ll take you to Qiyue Peak to choose a cave dwelling.”
“Master Uncle Cheng Yi.” The steward called out to Cheng Yi. “Martial Uncle Kong Hou hasn’t tested…”
Kong Hou thought the other person had forgotten something important. She turned back to look at the steward and found his expression somewhat awkward as he smiled dryly at her. “It’s nothing.”
“Mm.” Cheng Yi nodded, picked up Kong Hou, and jumped onto his flying sword. “I’ll take you for a tour around Yunhua Sect.”
The scenery looked extraordinarily different when viewed from high places. Occasionally, fellow sect members also appeared in the air, stepping on flying swords or other weapons. Kong Hou envied their ability to fly freely. “Senior martial brother, once I start cultivating, will I be able to fly?”
“When you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, you’ll be able to fly like them.”
“Foundation Establishment?” Kong Hou widened her eyes. “How long does it take for cultivators to establish their foundation?”
“In the Lingyou Realm, those who can step onto the great path of cultivation are one in a thousand. Many cultivators spend their entire lives merely stepping over the threshold of cultivation—the Qi Refining stage.” Looking at his junior martial sister’s eyes full of curiosity, Cheng Yi still told her the truth about how difficult the cultivation path was.
“Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Heart Motion, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Out-of-Body, Divine Transformation, Void Transformation, Great Vehicle, and Tribulation Crossing—these ten stages are each piled high with countless white bones.” Cheng Yi pointed in the direction of Liyang Hall. “Do you see the wooden building behind Liyang Hall?”
Following the direction Cheng Yi pointed, Kong Hou saw the solitary wooden building behind Liyang Hall. For some reason, from this wooden building, she sensed a few portions of cold bleakness.
“In that building are placed countless jade tablets that have lost their light. The one with the highest cultivation was a Great Vehicle stage ancestor; the one with the lowest cultivation was a Qi Refining stage disciple.” Cheng Yi looked at Kong Hou seriously. “Junior martial sister, you must remember, the cultivation path is obstructed and long. Are you afraid?”
Kong Hou stared blankly at that wooden building. Only when snowflakes fell into her eyes did she come back to her senses and shake her head. “I’m not afraid.”
“Really not afraid?”
Kong Hou shook her head. “My mother empress told me that only by bravely walking forward continuously can there be a way to survive.”
Cheng Yi laughed softly. “Yes, on the cultivation path, only by bravely walking forward is there a way to survive.”
Being able to understand this principle meant one could walk farther, longer, and more enduringly on the cultivation path.
On Qiyue Peak, every night when the moon rose, one could see the most beautiful moonlight and the most beautiful night sky, which was why it was named Qiyue Peak. However, even though it had a nice-sounding name, it couldn’t conceal the shabby reality of the cave dwellings on the mountain peak.
A jade bed, red gauze curtains, green carpet, and an earth-colored flower vase obtained from who-knows-where, with a few small yellow flowers stuck in it—it really couldn’t be called attractive.
When Cheng Yi brought Kong Hou over and saw the furnishings in the cave dwelling, he almost couldn’t control the expression on his face. Master had come back early to arrange the cave dwelling for junior martial sister, and this was the result?
“Is this cave for me to live in alone?” Kong Hou was full of curiosity about this living environment. She had read in storybooks that many cultivators lived in cave dwellings, but she hadn’t expected caves to be this big!
“Thank you, Master! Thank you, senior martial brother!” Kong Hou looked at Cheng Yi and Wang Tong with bright, sparkling eyes. “I like it here.”
Wang Tong was very proud. He had said little girls definitely liked bright red and green things. That unfilial disciple Tan Feng had said it didn’t look good, but wasn’t Kong Hou quite fond of it?
Cheng Yi looked at his proud Master and happy junior martial sister, and sighed heavily in his heart. He was really worried Master would ruin junior martial sister’s taste.
“As long as you like it. This master is going back to my cave dwelling to meditate for two days to consolidate my mental state. If you have any questions these two days, just ask your two senior martial brothers.” Wang Tong was in an excellent mood. When he left stroking his beard, the smile on his face hadn’t dispersed.
Thick, soft cushions were spread on the jade bed. Kong Hou touched the jade bed and turned to look at Cheng Yi. “Senior martial brother, can jade beds help us increase our cultivation?”
“Although it cannot increase cultivation, jade stone has the effect of accumulating spiritual energy, which can help our bodies absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth even while we’re resting.” Cheng Yi was somewhat surprised. How did junior martial sister, who hadn’t been exposed to cultivation before, know these things?
“Junior martial sister is really clever to even know about this.”
“Before Master brought me to the cultivation realm, I read a very magical cultivation storybook. It described many magical things about the cultivation world.” Kong Hou said, “The protagonist in it was very powerful.”
“Junior martial sister, storybooks can’t be taken as truth…”
“I’ve always felt that like the protagonist in storybooks, I would have magical encounters.” At this moment, Kong Hou’s eyes were as brilliant as stars. “Then I met Master and senior martial brothers, so my premonition wasn’t wrong.”
Cheng Yi swallowed the words that followed. He wanted to say that storybooks from the mortal realm were all imagined by people, and the cultivation world was completely different from storybooks. It was also impossible for anyone to be like protagonists in storybooks, full of magical encounters and blood feuds. The cultivation world had had no one ascend for nearly a thousand years.
But facing Kong Hou’s eyes, he couldn’t say it.
Children holding beautiful expectations for the future didn’t seem wrong at all.
“Then,” Cheng Yi bent down and touched Kong Hou’s head, “junior martial sister must work hard.”
“Mm.” Kong Hou stood on tiptoe and patted Cheng Yi’s shoulder in return. “Don’t worry, when I ascend, I’ll bring you all along.” At this moment, Kong Hou felt the responsibility on her shoulders was heavier than a thousand catties.
“Thank you.” Cheng Yi almost couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“You’re welcome.” Kong Hou thought about it, then added with feigned maturity, “We’re siblings from the same family. We don’t stand on such ceremony.”
Cheng Yi finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Who said children were all annoying? They were clearly very cute.
—
Author’s Note: A generation of children ruined by cultivation storybooks—Kong Hou!