Chapter 301: I Have It
So she's following me all the way because she's hungry?
The child looked as if he found out the reason, and only now did he open the gate, the closing or opening of which didn't seem to make a difference. "Come inside!"
Shen Ying readily walked inside, and looked around this rather tidy, albeit dilapidated house. She then turned to look at the little kid who had already started working, and who had become a child of around ten years old within the duration that she beat the Godfiend, possibly due to the time difference in the Divine Realm.
"Please wait here for a moment." He turned back into a room and got two salted fish. "These was given by Mother Wang in the village, and they are all I have."
Shen Ying looked at the salted fish in his hands and said nothing. "You don't know how to cook?" Seeing that she did not take them, the child had to ask.
"No." She shook her head firmly.
He looked at the salted fish with some embarrassment, then looked at the half-collapsed house on the side. After a long while he said, as if he has made some decision, "Wait for a moment."
As he said that, he walked inside. Only now did Shen Ying realize that that was originally a kitchen, and a kitchen table could be vaguely seen.
He stood on his toes to put the fish on the kitchen table, before he ran back to the yard and got a bucket of water. Then he moved over a shabby chair and started to clean the wok. As he did that, he said to Shen Ying, who did not show even the slightest intention of helping, "I've never cooked before. I don't know if I can do it."
As he said that, the speed of cleaning became faster, as if by the instinct of his body. And for the salted fish which he initially had no idea what to do with, more than a dozen methods of treatment had come to his mind in an instant. He said instinctively, "A pity that there is no rice."
"I have it!" Shen Ying said suddenly.
The child who was cleaning was shocked. He turned to look at Shen Ying, who suddenly approached him. Before he could react, Shen Ying dug and pulled from the bag at her size, and from the bag which was only the size of a purse, a sack larger than his body was pulled out. The sack was filled with white rice, each crystal clear and full, with faint white air on top.
"There you go," Shen Ying put the sack directly beside his feet.
The child jumped out of the shabby chair and looked at the especially pretty rice grains with curiosity. Somehow another idea came to his mind, and he said it out loud directly, "It would go well with the meat of red spirit beast, a pity that we don't…"
"I have it!" Before he finished the sentence, the person in front of him took out a piece of red and bright meat from that sack. His eyes opened even wider. "Red spirit beast and ordinary chicken…"
"I have it!" she took out a piece of chicken.
"Eh? Then fairy sheep…"
"I have it!" It was taken out.
"Water beast…"
"I have it!" She kept digging.
"Fresh vanilla…"
"I have it!" She was still digging.
"Onion, ginger, and other ingredients…" "I have them!" She kept digging.
"Oil, salt, sauce and vinegar…"
"I have them!" She was digging happily.
"Pots and pans…"
"I have them…"
Ten minutes later, the floor of the kitchen, along with a large part of the yard, was filled with all types of ingredients.
The child was shocked at the beginning, but became completely calm in the end. He turned, climbed back onto the shabby chair, and started to cook. As he did it, he felt ever more confused. He clearly had never cooked before, but once he got hold of the ingredients, his body instinctively knew what to do with them. An hour later.
Dishes with amazing fragrances filled a whole table. Without a need for an invitation, Shen Ying was already sitting in front of the table, and started eating.
The child at the side had confusion written all over his face, as if he did not know what had happened at all. Yet as he looked at the person who was clearly enjoying the meal, he felt no strangeness in the heart, as if… this was the way it should be.
He turned and saw the remaining ingredients which piled up all over the floor, and only now pushed the person sitting beside him, "Should these be put back?"
Shen Ying paused in her eating, pulled down the storage bag on the side of her body and handed it over.
The child was stunned, took it subconsciously, and only now understood that she meant for him to collect the things. He slid down from the chair and started putting the ingredients over the floor into the storage bag one by one. As he did it, surprise rose in his heart: he had never seen such a magical bag. Despite so many things being put inside, it was not heavy at all, as if it could never be filled.
He couldn't help but looked all over it several times. After a long while, he walked back and handed it back to the older sister who suddenly appeared at his doorstep.
Yet she did not take it. As she ate, she vaguely raised her chin at him and said, "It's yours!" It belonged to the chef from the start, she just brought it over.
"Huh?" he was shocked, and his little eyes widened. "You… are giving it to me?"
"Yes."
He hesitated, and after thinking for a long while he put it back to Shen Ying's side. "I can't take it."
"Ah?" Shen Ying's hand paused, and she replied subconsciously, "Then how are you going to cook afterwards?"
"Do I still have to do it?" He was stunned.
"Are you not going to?" she asked.
"Oh." He took the bag back. His little shoulders dropped slightly. He seemed… to have been tied up by this strange older sister.
He squeezed the bag in his hand. He was a kid after all. His eyes shone with curiosity and excitement, as he looked at Shen Ying as if he wanted to ask something, but was unsure how to ask.
Shen Ying felt a bit awkward being stared at. She pointed to the bowls of dishes. "Eat first! We can talk afterwards."
He lowered his head, took a look and shook his head. "I don't actually have to eat." "Hmm?" Shen Ying looked up.
As if afraid of her misunderstanding, he went on to explain hurriedly, "I… I mean, I never got hungry since young. I'm also not sure why?" After he finished, he seemed to have remembered something, and he added, "This is my secret, can you please don't tell others?" Although he was only ten, he still vaguely understood that not having to eat like him must be abnormal. He's never told this secret to anyone, but somehow he just blurted it out today, as if by instinct he knew that it was alright to tell her.
"Oh." Shen Ying replied, looking as if she just remembered something, as she continued eating.
Shen Ying ate fast, but there were just too many dishes on the table that after half an hour, she had not even finished half of them. She kept eating, and the child kept watching at the side and trying hard to contain the questions in his heart. Until she finally looked like she was finishing.
His little face lit up as he prepared to speak. But just at that moment, a somewhat childish male voice sounded out of the house. "Hey! Wild kid, are you here?" A small head squeezed into the side of the yard's gate. He looked around the yard, and a light which didn't belong to his age shone in his eyes.
Shen Ying's hand stopped.
… Oh.
Chapter 302: Free-Loading for a Meal is Forbidden
The child frowned and looked a bit unhappy, as he jumped down from the chair and walked out through the door.
"Dog, why are you here?" Just like him, the child at the gate was an orphan who suddenly appeared in this village and lived in dilapidated houses at the periphery of the village. Both of them had lived here for five or six years, relying on occasional assistance from the kind villagers.
Yet despite their similar experiences, the two did not have much association, possibly due to incompatibility of character.
"I've told you to stop calling me Dog, my name is Jing Qi!" He frowned. He then remembered something and shook the sweet potato in his hand. "Mother Wang gave me a sweet potato, shall we share it?"
"I don't need it." The child shook his head. Yet Jing Qi did not listen to his words and pressed the sweet potato into his hand. He had to take it.
"Eat it, eat it!" Jing Qi urged him, as he took a bite himself, and looked at him as he talked. "Our lives are connected. It is only normal that we help each other." He chuckled, with a generous look on his face. He then rolled his eyes, thought of something and said with a cold "Hmph, this village is full of unkind people. Despite all the talk about protection from immortal families, their yearly good harvests and rich life, they hardly take care of both of us. Where is the grace of immortal families in that? Aren't they just bullying us because of our young age?"
"…" The child was stunned. He took a look at the sweet potato in his hand and frowned subconsciously. He felt that there was something wrong with this talk, but couldn't say exactly what.
Yet Jing Qi was becoming angrier as he talked. As if anxious for recognition, he patted his shoulder. "Wild kid, don't you believe that one day I will be an extraordinary man, and then I will no longer need to rely on anyone. I will tread underfoot all these guys who have their noses in the air." The child was stunned, yet after a while he nodded, only hoping for him to leave soon.
"I knew that you are the only one who can understand me!" His expression was happy, as he laughed like a grown-up, "For your good faith, your brother I will take care of you in the future! Would you like to go out for an adventure with me?"
"Out of the village?" The child shook his head immediately. "Everyone says that it is dangerous out there, we shouldn't go out of the village."
"And you actually believe in this?" Jing Qi rolled his eyes, snorted and said, "Soon, it will be the inside of the village that would be dangerous. If you… eh, what is that smell?" He sniffed suddenly, and his eyes brightened as if he remembered something. "Oh yeah, I heard Mother Wang say that she gave you two salted fish, you must not know how to cook them? Let me help you."
And without waiting for a response, he pushed the door open and walked straight in. "Wait…" the child went chasing hurriedly.
Yet the other boy had already seen Shen Ying sitting inside, the unfinished feast in front of her.
He was completely stunned, apparently never expecting a sight like this. He looked straight at the table full of dishes and made some swallowing sounds.
The child chased over hurriedly, and his little face wrinkled in displeasure as he looked at the one who just burst in.
That child called Jing Qi struggled to control his longing look towards the food. He smiled at Shen Ying in a way that he thought to be polite, and said in an innocent voice, "Big sister… are you eating?" After that, his tummy made some grumbling sounds cooperatively.
Shen Ying's eyes narrowed, as she replied, "Yeah!" And then, as if she had not seen his longing look, she continued to consume the dishes, making much louder noises than before. There wasn't much food on the table to begin with, and it was disappearing at an extremely fast speed right now, and only half a plate of sliced meat was left. Anxiety shone in Jing Qi's eyes, but he was too shy to ask for it. He gave it a thought, turned to the child at the side and said with a smile, "Wild kid, who is this pretty big sister? Your lost family?"
The child looked up at Shen Ying, and then at the person speaking, before realizing that he had never asked who she was, and for a moment he did not know how to answer.
Yet Jing Qi thought the silence was an agreement and smiled even wider. "I'm happy for you for finding family. But aren't you a bit lacking in generosity? I didn't know that you are eating so well, and have come to send you sweet potato, worrying that you'd starve!" He laughed and patted his shoulder. "We are brothers, and I will not be excessively courteous with you."
After that, without waiting for a response, he took a pair of chopsticks and went for the plate of sliced meat, as if he was finally unable to bear the hunger.
"Wait," the child grew anxious and looked at Shen Ying instinctively. Shen Ying didn't move at first, yet as the chopsticks almost reached the dish, she suddenly moved to draw the bowl towards her. And then, she sucked all the food into her mouth right in front of him, not even leaving the gravy.
Only then did she put down the bowl, stroke her stomach and say, "I'm full!"
The child was speechless.
And so was Jing Qi.
In fact, his body was completely stiff, like he did not expect at all that she would be so shameless as to fight for food with a child. And she didn't even leave the gravy. His face turned white, disbelief written all over it.
But the child at the side actually remembered something. He ran back to the kitchen, took something and handed it over to him. "Dog, you can take this." Unsurprisingly, those were the two salted fish. Jing Qi was stunned for a moment. An unprecedented sense of shame rose from the bottom of his heart, and with a rush of anger he slapped his hand away. "What do you mean by this? Are you treating me like a beggar?" Perhaps out of anger, his whole face was red, and his whole body trembled. "Wild kid, I did not think that you are just as selfish as those in the village. Did you think I care about your dishes?"
The child touched his own hand, which was growing red. He was not angry at first, yet he frowned now, and said in a serious manner, "All these belong to the big sister, and I can't give them to you on her behalf. But the salted fish belongs to me." After that, he gave over the fish once more.
"You…" The other child grew even angrier, as he looked at Shen Ying, as if he wanted to get angry at her but was somewhat fearful. He could only turn back again to stare at the child beside him, "So much for me thinking that you are different from others and wanting to help you! I did not expect that… Hmph, you will pay for your stupidity!" He seemed to have remembered something, blurted, turned around and went right out. Looking at him, you may have thought that he indeed had some great kindness going unappreciated. And the child's face was full of confusion, as if he did not know what just happened at all: he wasn't wrong, the dishes were brought by the big sister and he only did the cooking. If Dog wanted to eat, of course he would have to ask the big sister for permission.
Just as he was thinking, a big hand fell on top of his head. The big sister who could magically produce a lot of ingredients suddenly reached out and smothered his hair, and her eyes looked straight into the depth of his eyes. He felt a warmth in the bottom of his heart, and a joy rose within him. Was the big sister comforting him? He subconsciously moved closer, hoping for the warmth to last longer.
Yet the big sister suddenly bowed down, smiled at him extremely beautifully, and the sweet voice sounded in his ears in the next instant. "Time to do the dishes!"
"…"
Chapter 303: Night Attack by Evil Demons
When the child finally finished clearing up, the sky had already darkened. The village houses were starting to have their lights on. His house had no light, and they had to see by the faint moonlight. The child opened, yet he found the big sister leaning on the table, as if going to fall asleep.
He climbed onto a chair, pushed her hand, and asked curiously, "Big sister, it's already dark, aren't you going home?"
Shen Ying inclined her head lazily and gave him a look, before she nodded and said, "Yeah, I am."
"Then…"
"I'm waiting for my parent!"
The child was stunned, seeming unable to understand her words. Just as he was about to ask, a gust of wind entered through the door, and he subconsciously closed his eyes. At the next instant, a calm voice suddenly sounded.
"I'm back, Shen Ying, have you settled your business?"
He looked up and realized that there was one more person in the room. He had black hair, dressed in white, and was surrounded by a faint layer of white air. In his hand was a jade flute. He didn't look like a Perfected One, and somehow he looked a bit familiar. He took a step back in caution.
And the big sister who was still leaning on the table suddenly inclined her head, "Father Niu, how did it take you so long?" He didn't even come in time for dinner.
"I lodged for a stay at the immortal sect on my way." Lonemoon sat straight down on the chair at the side and looked up at the cold-faced child. "We can't stay in this small mountain village forever, its Spirit Qi is too thin for cultivation. I've found a suitable sect. We will leave again tomorrow morning."
"Okay," Shen Ying replied. "On the Godfiend's side, he hasn't found an answer yet." He frowned slightly. "We can't be sure yet what happened to the plane. The karma suddenly started to tilt and he couldn't adjust it in any manner. He was almost jumping in frustration. We could only find out that the direction of inclination is within these few lower realms."
"Oh."
"Karma is a most troublesome matter. And you can't even retrieve it forcefully. Only gradual consumption works."
"Oh."
"Stop saying 'oh'! At any rate, YOU are the Manager. Why can't you give it more concern?" Lonemoon rolled his eyes at her. "At least investigate who it is tilted towards?"
"I know who it is."
"What?!" He stood up suddenly. "You know it?!" "Yeah, I saw him just now." She nodded, then added, "Two hours ago."
"Holy shit! The man is in the Three Azure Realms. Where is he?"
"Gone."
"…"
This must be a fake Manager. Lonemoon breathed in deeply to resist the urge to tear her apart. "Where did he go? Which direction?"
"East… West… Or is it South? Or North?"
"…" For heaven's sake, he couldn't expect her to know her directions. "That means the man had stayed in this village." Lonemoon frowned and turned to look out of the door. "No wonder when we came to this village during the day it was all calm and peaceful, yet right now it is full of demonic aura. It seems that this evening won't be a peaceful one."
His voice fell, and there was a loud bang from the distance, as if something was broken. A white light seemed to flash across the sky. In the next instant, a series of roars was heard. It was a mixture of many types of sounds, and it sounded like tigers and foxes. The village which was originally quiet suddenly erupted into chaos, with incessant shouts, cries, and many exclamations of "Monster!". Apparently, something had appeared.
"Big sister…" The child standing at the side was frightened. He moved towards Shen Ying in fear.
"You can actually be scared too?" There was a glimpse of amazement in the eyes of Lonemoon. "That's a rare sight. What you are now is much cuter than the fake child in the Divine World last time."
The child was stunned. Although he did not understand his words, he looked like he was angered by his mocking tone. He took a deep breath, walked outside, and sat back onto the chair in all seriousness. His small hands clenched tightly, and he sat very straight.
"…" Such an unlovable child.
"Not going to help?" Shen Ying looked outside and gestured.
"There is a protective formation in this village. What was broken just now was just the outer layer." Lonemoon did not show a hint of moving. "Although the formation inside was not very strong, it shouldn't have a problem protecting several dozen villagers for a night, so long as they don't come out to seek their own death! Besides, there is an immortal sect right nearby. They will naturally realize that so many demons have broken through, and they should be sending someone latest by dawn."
Shen Ying took a look at him and said nothing.
"And the Godfiend had said that," Lonemoon continued, a serious expression on his face, "The fate of mortals are determined by their own destiny. It is better that we don't intervene easily."
"Oh," Shen Ying's eyes narrowed, and she suddenly said, "You are listening to him?"
"…"
Lonemoon's whole body stiffened, and as if he remembered something, he secretly swore, "F*ck!" He almost got into the trap of Godfiend again.
He stood up right away and said to the child opposite him, "Keep an eye on her!"
In the next instant, his body shape flashed and he rushed out straight away.
The child stunned, not understanding his meaning. Nevertheless, he turned to watch the person next to him closely. In a short while, the horrible shouts outside died down much, and there were even a few cheers in between. Shen Ying continued to lean on the table like a dead person, and the expression of the child grew much more relieved.
Until a bang sounded in the right rear, as if something had collapsed. It was accompanied by a tiger's roar.
His face turned white, as he stood up suddenly, and exclaimed, "Mother Wang!" After that, he immediately turned and rushed out.
"Che-" Before Shen Ying could finish, the child had already disappeared. She could only sigh and say, "So troublesome!" Why don't all of them sleep in the middle of the night!
Only then did she stand up lazily, supported by the table.
The child did not run far, only to another house a few tens of meters away. Shen Ying finally found him after circling two laps. Yet he was already caught by a tiger demon. That was a fifth-level tiger demon who hadn't even evolved into human shape completely. On top of the human body was a huge tiger's head. Its mouth was open, sporting a mouthful of sharp teeth. It had stepped a man underfoot - an old man by the look of it - and its two hands clasped one child each. One was Yi Qing, who was kicking and hitting hard, and the other was a little girl of five or six years old.
"Let go, let me go!" He struggled with all his strength, but his small thin arms posed no threat to the tiger demon at all.
"Hahahaha… Such fresh human meat is my favorite." The tiger demon's eyes shone, and he looked as if his saliva was almost dripping. "At first, I thought this old woman's meat would be too tough to taste good, and the small one was barely enough for a meal. I didn't expect another small one to come running to me. Now I can finally have a filling meal."
"Let go of Mother Wang and Niu Niu!" The child was using all the strength in his body, yet it had no results, and instead his face turned purple from the tiger demon's grasp.
"Since you are so eager, I will start with eating you." The tiger demon raised the kid straightaway, opened his huge, bloody mouth and looked as if he was going to bite.
"Hey!" Shen Ying, who had finally reached, suddenly sounded. "Isn't it not so good to bully kids?"
Chapter 304: Taken as Disciple Once Again
The tiger demon was stunned as it turned its head rapidly, and its eyes actually suddenly brightened as if some delicacy was in front of it- its saliva dripped. "A woman! Hahaha, how lucky I am today that all the good food has come right to me. The meat of young women is my favorite."
After that, he immediately dropped the two children in his hands and walked towards Shen Ying. The boy coughed loudly, not yet able to breathe properly. He hurried to cry out loudly towards Shen Ying, "Big sister, run! It's a demon, run!"
Yet Shen Ying did not move, and the tiger demon was reaching right towards her.
The child grew anxious, rushed forward and hugged a leg of the tiger demon tightly.
The tiger demon's steps slowed. It looked at the person on its leg, and its brows tightened. "You are seeking your own death!" A flash of light appeared in his hands, which turned into sharp claws, reaching for the back of the boy."
"Hey…" Shen Ying suddenly stepped forward, "Doesn't the Demon Monarch care that all of you come out and eat people?"
The tiger demon stopped short, turned his head and grinned at her. "The Demon Monarch? Hahaha… Our Demon Monarch would only tell us to eat a few more mortals to increase our cultivation."
"Oh," Shen Ying stunned for a moment, "Isn't the Demon Monarch a rabbit?"
"What rabbit?" The tiger demon laughed. "Little girl, if you stay obedient and let me eat you, I will give you a quick death!" As he talked, he turned, and his hand reached towards her heart.
"Big sister!" The child cried out loud.
"Oh, I am relieved then." Shen Ying only murmured. Yet just before the sharp claws were going to penetrate her chest, she suddenly inclined her body to the side, her one hand reached out to the back of the tiger demon's head, and pressed forcefully.
At the next instant, there was a loud bang. The tiger demon, who was arrogant but a moment ago was pressed into the ground, sank and stopped drawing breath. The ground was also affected, and with a snapping sound, it showed a crack as wide as a person and extended into the village.
"…"
(⊙_⊙)
The child looked dumbfounded. He looked up blankly at Shen Ying, unsure how to react for a long while. "Big… sister?" That was… great!
"Do you want to learn it?" Shen Ying inclined her head. He stunned for a moment, before his eyes brightened immensely, and his little head nodded hard. "Yes."
(?′?`?)
"Good." Shen Ying clapped her hands and stood up. "My name is Shen Ying. From now on, I am your Master."
The child was confused for a moment, but after that, his eyes were even brighter, and a sense of fulfillment he had never felt before filled his heart.
A while later…
He tightened his hand for support and stood up. He patted the dust over his body, knelt known in front of her in all seriousness, gave her three kowtows, before he clenched his fist and said, "Master!"
"Well, since you are my disciple now…" Shen Ying nodded with satisfaction, before she pointed to the tiger demon on the ground, who had already changed back to its original tiger shape. "Do you know how to cook tiger meat?"
The child was speechless.
And so was Lonemoon, who had just reached.
——————
It didn't take Lonemoon too long to take care of those demons. Although they came in large numbers, all of them were small demons of fifth or sixth level. Defeating them was a piece of cake for him. The sky had already started to brighten, and the immortal sects nearby would be sending someone over soon. He was too lazy to explain. Besides the shock, the villagers suffered no real harm, except for Mother Wang who lived in the periphery - the exact person who gave salted fish to Chef.
That was an old woman of more than 60 years old. She lived alone with her granddaughter of five or six years old. Probably due to the proximity, she sometimes helped Chef, who completely lost his memory. That was why he rushed out so anxiously just now.
The injury was not serious, though. Lonemoon cured her with a simple hand seal, gave her a Longevity Extending Pill, and left with Shen Ying and Chef. Before he left, he made another protective array formation in the village, apparently much more effective than the previous one. No demons would be able to enter and eat people after this, unless an immortal demon comes down.
"Why do you set the center of the array formation at Mother Wang's house?" Shen Ying couldn't help asking.
"And you actually dare ask about this!" Lonemoon turned and stared at her. "Why would I ever need to do that, if not for that huge crack you made over there!"
He was angry every time he thought of this. He was doing well dealing with the demons, before a crack suddenly appeared from behind him, dividing the whole village into two, and he almost fell inside. If not for this, why would they have to run away early in the morning? "Oh." She didn't use a lot of strength, though.
"Stop saying 'oh'!" Lonemoon was out of temper. "Can't you please take care next time? Did you know that…"
Just when he was doing his scolding, the child who was standing at the side the whole time suddenly placed himself before him, his small arms spread in a protective way in front of Shen Ying. He looked Lonemoon and said, somewhat angrily, "I… I will not let you scold my Master, she did that trying to save me."
Lonemoon stopped short, looked and the little kid in front him, and instantly rolled his eyes. "Ho, how are you still a Master-flatterer after losing memory." Without paying him any heed, he looked up at Shen Ying, "You took him back as disciple?"
"Yup." Shen Ying nodded, smothered the hair of the little kid and said, "Come, call him Father Niu!"
"…" "Go away!" Lonemoon gave her an angry look. He looked at the confused child and said, "It's good that we have him back now. Oh yeah, kid, what are you called now?"
The child shook his head. "I have no name." Since he remembered anything, he had been living in the broken house in that little village, without anyone around him to give him a name.
"That's just nice." Lonemoon felt relieved, indeed fearing that it would be awkward to use any new name of his. He nudged Shen Ying, "You are the Master. Tell him, what's his name?"
The child's eyes brightened immediately, as he looked towards Shen Ying. "Master, you are naming me?"
"Ah?" Shen Ying stunned, looked down at the person in front of her, before she sighed and said, "Oh, you will be called Che-"
"Yi Qing!" Before she was able to finish, Lonemoon intercepted her words forcefully, caught the child and said slowly and clearly, "Your Dao name is called Yi Qing, do you understand?"
What Chef! It is okay that you call him Chef in daily life, but you can't go that far as to change his name.
Shen Ying, "…" Didn't I just get used to it?
"Yi Qing…" The child said the name aloud happily, and somehow a sense of familiarity rose in the bottom of his heart. He turned to Shen Ying and said happily, "Thank you, Master."
Lonemoon, "…" What the hell! He was the one who said it.
"Father Niu, where are we in fact going?" Shen Ying looked at the clouds which had been passing by them for more than ten minutes. "I'm so hungry!"
Lonemoon grinned. Didn't you just finish dinner?
He looked back at her angrily, looked in front again, before replying, "We are going to the Upper Azure World, Honesty Sect."
"What?" Where the hell is that?
Chapter 305: Lodging at Honesty Sect
"That's a middle-level immortal cultivator sect in the Upper Azure World," Lonemoon explained casually, "When I first got back, I already went to get their information. Most of Honesty Sect practices the cultivation of swords, and as he needs to start practicing as soon as possible, that's a good fit for Che- Yi Qing. So I've already went there and signed up with them with the names of both of us."
"Oh." Which was to say that, he went out and found them a free cafeteria. Father Niu was the caretaker indeed.
(⊙ o ⊙)
"Before Yi Qing has achieved a certain level in his practice, we will stay there." Lonemoon looked down at Chef. The demon attack at the village gave him a reminder, that it was indeed too dangerous for him right now as he had no ability to defend at all. He was not sure when his body would recover to the point fit to receive the assistant seal, but apparently, the higher his cultivation, the better it is for him. Thus, before he becomes a real assistant, he must have his cultivation improved as soon as possible. As he thought about this, the fan underneath his feet flew even faster, and he didn't stop until more than ten minutes later.
"We're here!" He pointed at a series of mountain tops in front of him, looking abundant of Spirit Qi. He made a hand seal for himself and the faint whiteness around his body disappeared, suppressing his cultivation directly to the level of Soul Formation. He turned to look at Shen Ying beside him, the corner of his mouth moved, and he said, "That won't be necessary for you." People won't see the difference even if she disguises herself as a Soul Formation.
"Huh?" Shen Ying was confused.
He had already brought them and flown inside.
——————
Lou Hong thought that he might have been very lucky recently. As the sect master of Honesty Sect, he had tried to every method to make Honesty Sect flourish over hundreds of years. However, as his sect had always focused on sword cultivation, which had always been more difficult than other cultivators, there were very few disciples who had considerable achievement. Even those whose cultivation reached the level of Nascent Soul numbered less than five.
Sword cultivation required simplicity of heart, and the sect had always been harmonious and largely free from internal conflicts. The disciples were rather hardworking in their cultivation too. However, as they were in the Upper Azure World, they paled in comparison to the other sects around them. Although it was possible to challenge someone at a higher level in sword cultivation, the larger numbers in other sects gave them superiority. Besides, all the other sects had Soul Formation cultivators.
Not considering the top sects, even the ordinary sects who are similar in strength to them generally have one or two Soul Formation cultivators. Only Honesty Sect… Its foundation was shallow in the first place, and besides the original Master who achieved Immortal Ascension, there were no more Soul Formation cultivators. Especially after an elder was defeated by a Soul Formation cultivator and died, things became even more difficult for their sect.
He could even imagine that Honesty Sect would drop from mid-tier sect to lower-tier sect after the next sect tournament. Every time he thought about this, he became immensely anxious, and even his cultivation seemed to be blocked by it, without any further improvement.
Yet perhaps due to the original Master's blessing, just as he was about to accept his fate, he was hit by a sudden fortune. A Soul Formation cultivator called Lonemoon suddenly came to the sect and asked to join Honesty Sect.
He thought that he was dreaming - that was the Soul Formation cultivator that his sect had tried and failed to get over hundreds of years, and so easily one came to his doorstep? Besides, he was a sword cultivator. For Soul Formation sword cultivators, they can be defeated by none at the same level, and have a chance even with those of a higher level. That meant that he wouldn't have any opponent throughout the Three Azure Realms. And a cultivator so strong actually hopes to join this sect which is almost falling into the lower-tier!
Lou Hong thought he must be dreaming, exactly! Yet as he asked about it again, the person didn't look like he regretted it at all. He even left his divine perception on his own accord, sealed it into the name card of the sect, and gave it to him. It was only now that Lou Hong could confirm that he was not joking. He was immediately overjoyed, and in an excited mood, he asked carefully if he had any other requirement for the sect. His mind was full of determination to make him stay, at any cost.
Yet he only thought about it for a moment and said that he might bring a friend here to join together on the morrow.
That's it?
"May I know what is the cultivation of Supremacy's friend?" He asked subconsciously.
The man's face seemed to move slightly in convulsion, and after a long while he said, "You can take it as… Soul Formation!" With that said, he expressed that he was going to fetch the person first, and left Honesty Sect.
Soul Formation! Another Soul Formation cultivator! Lou Hong couldn't believe his eyes. He couldn't imagine that within an instant, his sect, which was just becoming an insignificant lower-tier sect, was welcoming two Soul Formation cultivators, and they actually sent themselves to their doorsteps.
He was too excited to stay calm for meditation and gathered the Elders over the night to inform them of this pie that dropped from the sky. The whole sect reacted just like him - so excited that they wanted to go to the other sects and do a bit of bragging. Over night, they gathered all the disciples in front of the audience hall, and waited for them to return with bright eyes. They were to express, with their actual behavior, their welcome of the pies… uh no, the Soul Formation cultivators.
Yet they ended up waiting through the whole night, without the excitement in the heart dying down. It wasn't until the sun was well up in the sky, when they saw the coming of two pies… Uh, no, Soul Formation cultivators.
Therefore, when Lonemoon came with Shen Ying, they saw Lou Hong and thousands of disciples in front of the audience hall, with hungry looks in their eyes as all of them stared at them. Even as one who had been in two planes, Lonemoon was shocked.
What was it with these guys?
o(╯□╰)o
"Lou Hong, along with Honesty Sect disciples, welcome the return of Supremacy." Lou Hong walked up, and with reverence, saluted him with cupped fists.
And the masses behind him saluted together. "Welcome Supremacy!"
How loud was the voice! How strong was the momentum!
And the three who had just touched the ground got completely confused. Shen Ying couldn't help but poked Father Niu with her elbow. "All these are mass actors that you hired?"
"Bah!" Lonemoon rolled his eyes at her. "I only registered my name. I have no idea why this happened." This was a bit too warm of a welcome.
His face darkened slightly, and he had to walk up to steady the person in front. "Sect Master Lou, such courtesy is not necessary."
"It is, it is!" Lou Hong smiled even wider, and the side of his mouth almost reached his ears. He was genuinely happy: Who dares belittle Honesty Sect for not producing Soul Formation cultivators any more? They didn't need producing, they only needed to collect.
"It is lucky for our sect that Supremacy joins us. This is why we take this opportunity to let our disciples admire the elegance of Supremacy." As he said that, he went sideways and welcomed the three inside. "Please come with me!" The three followed into the audience hall. Outside, the thousands of disciples had already dispersed, and they could only feel several curious looks to their side from time to time. Inside the audience hall, only Lou Hong and another Nascent Soul cultivator remained.
Lonemoon started with some routine mutual flattering with the sect master, and after a while, he looked at the two and said, "Oh yeah, we have just come and are not familiar with the sect. May I know if the Soul Formation cultivator of the sect is in now?" In any case, they had to stay here for a long time, and it was necessary to greet the head of the place.
Chapter 306: Making Wealth at Honesty Sect
Lou Hong was stunned, a flash of surprise went across his face. Perhaps he doesn't know that they don't have Soul Formation cultivators? He felt nervous immediately, afraid that he would take back his word. He exchanged a glance with the Junior Brother beside him, before he started carefully, "About this… I am quite regretful to say that, before Supremacy came, our sect has not had a Soul Formation cultivator at the moment.
"…"
Lonemoon did not expect this sect to be so weak, yet in any case, it was a mid-tier sect, so he didn't care much.
"What about Nascent Soul cultivators?"
"There are… three?"
"Three?" So few? Is Upper Azure World so difficult to live in now? "Yes. One of them is me, the other my Junior Brother Lou Rui."
"Oh. What about the other?" Didn't he say three?
"The other, he was unfortunately defeated by a Soul Formation cultivator one month ago, and passed away!"
Lonemoon, "…"
Shen Ying, "…"
Yi Xiao, "…"
Isn't this TWO instead!
No wonder they would be so eager as to let the whole sect stand in line to greet them! With only two Nascent Soul cultivators in the whole sect, how do they dare calling themselves a mid-tier sect! In the past, even the ordinary sects in Middle Azure World fared better than this!
"Never mind!" Lonemoon sighed. In any case, they were only staying in the lower realm temporarily for Chef's sake. "We are rather tired after traveling, and would have to bother the sect master to arrange a place for us to rest."
"Of course, of course." Seeing that they did not leave straight away, the sect master was relieved. He immediately led the party out of the audience hall and said, "May Supremacy and…" He looked at Shen Ying, who had already finished half a plate of fruits at the side, only now remembering that this must be the friend that Supremacy Lonemoon mentioned, and he actually forgot to ask about her the whole time.
"She's called Shen Ying," Lonemoon made an introduction casually, "the child beside her is her disciple, Yi Qing."
Lou Hong subconsciously looked at Shen Ying's cultivation, yet did not find a trace of fluctuation of spiritual power around her. His heart sank: being a Soul Formation Supremacy, she could hide even her spiritual power so well. He hurried and made a salute. "Supremacy Shen." Then he looked at Chef at the side, "Young friend Yi Qing."
After all this, he led the three out of the audience hall, and walked towards the back. After a few transportation arrays, they soon reached the top of an island. Within sight was a lot of pink- this was a cherry wood, where the flowers bloomed without seasonal changes. It looked beautiful, and some low- level spiritual herbs could be faintly seen at the side. There was a small building within the woods. It was very elegant.
"This?" Lonemoon was somewhat confused. The scenery was nice, but isn't the Spirit Qi a bit too thin here? By right, mortal plants do not easily grow on immortal mountains. This cherry wood was apparently not planted by people, but grew themselves due to the thinness of Spirit Qi. Speaking lightly, for one who practices at such a place, it would be fortunate to even complete Core Formation.
"This is the place with the richest Spirit Qi in our sect." Lou Hong introduced, his expression was actually excited, and a hint of envy showed in his eyes. "This is the place that our original Master practiced, and by rumor, the place where the spirit vein passes." "Spirit vein?" He must be joking. "Are you sure that there is a spirit vein here?"
Lou Hong stiffened, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "After the Ancestral Master achieved his Immortal Ascension, the Spirit Qi was not comparable to before. But… as compared to the other peaks, it was indeed much richer."
"…" Lonemoon turned to look at the other spiritual peaks. He didn't notice it just now, but upon close inspection now, their Spirit Qi was indeed all thin. He immediately had the impulse to turn around and leave. Such level of Spirit Qi is definitely not enough for Yi Qing's practice.
Yet Shen Ying turned, poked Lou Hong and asked, "Sect master, do you provide meals?"
Lou Hong was stunned, thought that she was afraid that the disciple who had not yet gained Grain Liberation would be starved, and nodded immediately, "yes, yes, while our sect lacks in other things, we have many low-level disciples, so we have quite a few cafeterias!" "Good, we are staying!" Shen Ying's eyes brightened.
"That's enough from you." The corner of Lonemoon's mouth moved. Can you not become unable to walk every time you hear about food? And for the sect master whose surname is Lou, what's the pride in having many low-level disciples who hadn't even achieved Grain Liberation?
( ̄_, ̄)
Lonemoon felt mentally tired. He took a deep breath before saying, "Forget it, stay if you want to. Sect master Lou, may I trouble you to bring me some higher-level Dharma artifacts? I'll borrow those and make a Soul Gathering Array. With time, it might be that the spirit vein underneath can be revived."
To revive the spirit vein! That would benefit the whole sect!
Lou Hong's eyes brightened immediately, as he took out his storage bag. "Okay, the Dharma treasures of our sect are all here. I'm not sure Dharma artifacts of what level do Supremacy require." "The higher, the better."
Lou Hong thought about it, took a spiritual sword from the bag and handed it over, his face full of excitement. "This is the highest-level Dharma artifact of our sect, Dharma treasure of ours, Spirit Severing Sword! Supremacy may see if it can be of use to you."
Lonemoon looked at the sword he presented extremely carefully and grinned.You must be joking? The Dharma treasure of your sect is just a spiritual sword of the sixth level? One with a broken edge besides?
"Is there… nothing else?"
"Is that not enough?" Lou Hong thought about it, and produced from the bag the following: fifth level broken fan, fourth level broken zither, and third level broken bells… He handed them over with all sincerity.
Lonemoon's face had become as dark as the bottom of a wok.
What a poor and destitute sect he had just entered! And the man's expression was actually completely sincere. With a casual usage of Divine Perception, he knew that the broken things in his hands were actually the best items of the sect. Instantly, it was as if the whole sect smelled of poverty.
Lonemoon took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to break those items. "Never mind!" He turned, produced a hand seal and opened the little movable mystic realm in which he stored items. He directly took out from there a white band which kept twisting like some living thing.
In a moment, the Spirit Qi of the surroundings increased immensely, and became amazingly thick, as if it was changing into a physical being, and rushed into the body without any need for guidance. Lou Hong's spirit came alive immediately, and even his cultivation which had stagnated for a long time saw slight changes. He couldn't help but stared at the white thing in Lonemoon's hands, his eyes widened.
"This… Can't this be a spiritual vein!" He exclaimed.
"It's an immortal…" Lonemoon stopped his sentence halfway, sighed and said, "Never mind, you may just treat it as a spiritual vein!" He still had half of the immortal vein that Little Birdie gave him.
He took two steps forward, produced a hand seal and planted half of the immortal veins down. In an instant, there was something spreading across the whole peak. Spirit Qi which was so thin at the start had become saturated and immediately filled every corner of the sect.
The ground started to shake, too. With the protection of Spirit Qi, Honesty Sect which originally floated only a dozen meters in the air started to rise straight upwards, and in an instant it already floated above the clouds.
The more saturated the Spirit Qi in a spiritual mountain, the higher they floated. This is common knowledge in the Three Azure Realms, yet floating up into the sky directly was something nobody had ever seen.
Lou Hong was so surprised that the Dharma artifacts dropped from his hands. His mouth opened wide, and his face was full of disbelief. "Come with me!" Lonemoon dragged Lou Hong, who was stunned in awe.
"Supremacy, where… are we going?" Lou Hong was still confused.
"To check the accounts!"
"Ah! Ah?"
"I just can't stand the look of your poverty."
Lou Hong, "..."
Shen Ying, "…"
Yi Qing: "…" Father Niu remains the Father!
╮(╯_╰)╭
Chapter 307: Directing Qi into the Body
The party stayed at Honesty Sect. Due to the immortal vein, Honesty Sect which was at first falling into the lower tier leaped to become the sect with the thickest spiritual qi in the Upper Azure World. Immortal qi was the thicker version of spiritual qi, and even a small broken part of the vein was a hundred times stronger than ordinary spiritual veins. The cherry blossoms over the mountain, being mortal plants, could not stand the thickness of spiritual qi, and died visibly. Spiritual plants instead flourished all around.
Perhaps a coincidence, the peak that they lived on was called Flute-less Peak, and for convenience's sake, Lonemoon just changed it to Invincible Peak. [flute-less is a homophone of Invincible in Chinese] Perhaps Lonemoon felt that his esteem as a leader was hurt by joining a poor sect by mistake, he didn't return for days after dragging Lou Hong off to check accounts the other day. The whole sect suddenly became busy, too. Lower-level disciples who rushed around could often be seen.
The most free of all was the master and disciple on top of Invincible Peak. Shen Ying started to live a good life of eating and sleeping and eating again, releasing herself completely. Until Father Niu finally remembered his reason for coming to the lower realm and returned. "In these few days, I have been gathering information around this area," Lonemoon said with a dark expression, "The Azure World is different now from the past. It has become much thinner." No wonder that despite Spirit Qi was being depleted at Honesty Sect, it still had thousands of disciples. "Since we left last time, millions of years had already past. The Four Great Clans have also long ceased to exist." He sighed with a feeling of vicissitudes.
"Oh," answered Shen Ying, not having as much feelings as him. She had known it since she saw the long worm.
"I think the decrease of Spirit Qi should be due to Azure World becoming a world on its own." Lonemoon guessed. This used to be a secret immortal space, and one nurtured by the immortal veins, that's why it produced so many Soul Formation cultivators and itinerant cultivators. Yet since Azure World became one of the 3,000 realms, all the Spirit Qi relied on natural nurturing of heaven and earth, and it was only natural that it thinned down. You win some and you lose some! It seemed that for those from Azure World to achieve Immortal Ascension, it would become more than a hundred times more difficult afterwards.
"Oh." Shen Ying kept chewing on a piece of pastry. "The half of the immortal veins that I planted just now are likely to start getting assimilated slowly, so it won't last long." Lonemoon said seriously. "That's why we have to let Chef cultiva- eh? How is he still a mortal!" Before he finished, his glance fell on Yi Qing who was holding a plate at the side. He burst out in anger instantly.
"Ah?" Shen Ying stopped short.
"What 'ah'!" Lonemoon grabbed the pastry, "Didn't I pass to you the jade slip of basic cultivation and let you teach him? What have you been doing all these days? Shouldn't you teach him to direct qi into the body at least! It has been almost half a month and he doesn't even have Qi Refinement."
"That's so troublesome…"
"What troublesome!" You are just lazy, that's all.
"Father Niu!" Shen Ying suddenly asked, with a serious look on her face, "Are you sure you want me to teach?" "Dang…" He stopped halfway through the sentence, and the image of a row of metallic Barbies appeared in his head. His mouth twitched.
"I will teach!" He gnashed his teeth.
For heaven's sake, if Yi Qing really became a body cultivator, he would disband Invincible Sect after he goes back!
"Chef, sit down cross-legged!" He turned to look at Yi Qing.
Yi Qing was stunned and subconsciously looked towards Shen Ying. Only after seeing that she did not oppose, did he put down the pastry in his hand and turn to sit down at the side.
Very good, task reassignment completed!
~(≧▽≦)/~
"After you've felt the Spirit Qi, direct it in this way." Lonemoon pointed to the center of his forehead, and a hint of Spirit Qi flowed through his meridians for one round. Just as he was about to pull it back, a great amount of Spirit Qi suddenly rushed into Yi Qing's body, directly squeezing out the Spirit Qi that he had not had time to pull pack. And his cultivation went right up, from Qi Refinement first level, second level, all the way until Qi Refinement third level before it stopped.
"Holy shit!" Lonemoon was shocked. Qi Refinement had always been fast, but this was a bit too fast: the ordinary man takes if not one or two years, then at least one or two months to reach the third level. Yet he had been doing it for less than ten seconds. "What happened?" He looked up at the person beside him.
"He's Chef." said Shen Ying. She looked as if what happened was only natural.
"Of course I know that…" He stopped short and widened his eyes. "Are you not going to say that besides his body, even his cultivation remained the same?" Chef belonged to the divine race whose original cultivation level was the divine level. His body was special and could not bear too much cultivation. And he looked like a mortal previously because of the lack of Spirit Qi, which means that… once the he had the Spirit Qi, he could rise back to his original level without any practice at all.
"That's right!"
"…" Motherf*cker!
These hateful privileged people!
Yi Qing looked at his own little hands with a sense of curiosity and his eyes brightened. A kid after all, he turned to look at Shen Ying, and his face full of an expression of "I've learned it! Please praise me! Please reward me!"
Shen Ying stopped short, casually took a piece of pastry from the table and handed it over. "There you go!" That was the reward.
Yi Qing looked happy, stood up immediately and took that piece of pastry. So the master and the disciple started to… happily eat pastry together. Lonemoon: "…" F*cking retards.
Just as he was going to talk, a person rushed over from the distance.
"Greetings, Supremacy." The person saluted towards Lonemoon.
"What's the matter?" Lonemoon recognized the young disciple of Lou Hong.
"Supremacy, the sect master would like to invite Supremacy to discuss urgent matters at the audience hall."
Lonemoon frowned. Since he finished checking the accounts, Lou Hong had tried hard to avoid seeing him yet he took the initiative to invite him this time.
"I get it, I will be right there." Lonemoon replied. He looked down at Yi Qing, his mouth twitched and he couldn't help adding, "Steady your cultivation first. Your sword dharma is self-invented so I can't teach you that. You would have to fathom it yourself slowly."
"Okay." Yi Qing's little head nodded, his little face remained a little cold.
Only now did Lonemoon follow the disciple towards the main peak.
Once their figures disappeared, Yi Qing instantly changed his cold look. He was a child after all, however calm his disposition, he couldn't suppress the excitement of practicing for the first time. He grabbed Shen Ying and started asking.
"Master, Master, was that practicing just now? I saw a lot of colorful lights around me."
"Master, Master, were those just Spirit Qi? Now have those lights in my body too.
"Master, Master, after I get all those Spirit Qi inside my body, will I become as powerful as Master?"
"Master, Master, what's the sword dharma that Supremacy told me to fathom just now? How do I fathom it?"
"Master, Master, is it.."
He was asking more and more rapidly, as if he didn't need to get an answer, but only needed to pour out all the questions in his heart.
Shen Ying, "…"
The Chef this time seemed… a little talkative!
Chapter 308: Registering Name Card
Shen Ying looked at the person in front of her whose eyes shone in excitement and who kept asking questions. There were several times when Shen Ying wanted to answer him, but she couldn't interject, and her ears were full of his non-stop talking. After several dozens of questions, he finally seemed tired, as his voice slowed down and his eyelids drooped sleepily. He was a kid to begin with, and having cooked two meals since the morning and had just learned to direct qi into the body, it was only normal that he would be tired.
"Master, Master, what you both talk about I often… can't understand. Have I… forgotten something?"
"Master, Master, I can make many… many delicious food! So… you will always stay with me, right?"
"Master, Master, Yi Qing likes you… even more than… Mother Wang."
After he said that, he looked like he finally couldn't bear the sleepiness any more. His little body swayed and his face was going to touch the ground. Shen Ying casually dragged him up again. Her eyes darkened slightly, and she sighed, before she turned and walked into the house.
Hmm, I hope he won't sleep too long. After all… there's still dinner!
Besides… who is this Mother Wang?
——————
Luckily, Chef only slept for two hours before he woke up.
Yi Qing sat up, rubbing his eyes, and he stopped short when he saw Shen Ying beside the bed. His little eyes brightened instantly, and somehow he felt a warmth in his heart.
Back in the little village, he had always been alone. So he envied the other kids in the village, who had parents beside them sending them to sleep. Even Niu Niu had Mother Wang. Yet he did not have anyone. Every day, he slept and woke by himself. Although he had long gotten used to it, he always felt an emptiness.
Yet now, he had it too- he had Master!
"Master," he turned to hug the person beside him, his small head buried inside her arms.
Shen Ying wasn't paying attention, and she almost fell off the bed. She hurried to put aside a foot to steady herself, yet it happened to kick the bamboo basket at the side, and immediately, a basket-full of fruit core was poured all over the ground.
Yi Qing, who was still in her arms, stunned for a moment, looked at the fruit cores, and then at Shen Ying. He suddenly understood something and his small brows tangled in disapproval.
Shen Ying subconsciously looked up at the sky, pretending that she had not seen anything. "Master, didn't we say that these fruits are not yet ripe, and can't be eaten yet?"
"Uh… actually, Father Niu ate these!" Hmm, absolutely.
"Ma-ster!"
"Alright, I just casually ate a few because it was too boring sitting waiting for you to wake up."
"You've eaten them all."
"…" Chef had changed indeed, he's never blamed her before.
He must have been taught badly by Father Niu!
"Master…" Yi Qing sighed, sat up straight in the manner of an adult. His expression was serious and he looked like he was going to say something. Suddenly, a childish voice came from the door, and cautiously said, "Disciple Lou Tao begs to see Supremacy Shen and Uncle- Master Yi Qing."
Lou Tao? Who is that?
Shen Ying paused for a moment.
The person outside, hearing no response ventured to ask again, "Supremacy, Uncle-Master, are you in?"
"Yes!" Yi Qing answered, as he jumped down from the bed, smoothed the wrinkled sides of his clothes, and took a look at Shen Ying, before he said, "Come in."
Then came the sound of the door opening, and to their surprise, the person who entered was a child around the same age as Yi Qing. He had a round face and small eyes, curiosity written all over his face. His body shape was surprisingly… round. Very round, actually. This was a chubby boy. Even that blue and white disciple's clothes, which was supposedly sage-like, looked slightly amusing on him.
He first looked at Yi Qing and then looked at Shen Ying behind him. He made a salute slowly, perhaps because obesity had hindered his movement. "Greetings, Supremacy, young Uncle-Master."
"What's the matter?" asked Shen Ying.
"Supremacy, my father… I mean, the sect master," He seemed to have said it habitually, and changed it upon thinking. "The sect master ordered me to come and bring young Uncle-Master to the Hall of Disciples and make a disciple name card."
Yi Qing stunned for a moment, before remembering that Lonemoon mentioned something like this, so he nodded, "Okay!"
"Besides…" Lonemoon continued, looking at Shen Ying, "Supremacy Lonemoon also told me to invite Supremacy Shen over to the audience hall."
"Ah?" Shen Ying leaned at the head of the bed lazily. What was Father Niu asking for her for? "So troublesome…"
"Supremacy, young Uncle-Master, please follow me!" Lou Tao hurried to take a side-step, and made an inviting gesture.
"Master, let's go!" Seeing that Shen Ying didn't move at all, Yi Qing had to turn back and grab her hand.
Only now did Shen Ying stand up and follow the chubby boy towards the transportation array in front of the house.
Lou Tao wanted to bring Yi Qing to make a name card first, yet Yi Qing was unwilling. He had to send Shen Ying all the way to the front of the audience hall, see that she went in, before he turned and went towards the direction of Disciples' Hall.
Lou Tao looked confused. They had reached once they came out of the transportation array, why trouble himself unnecessarily? Yet as he thought about the words of his father the sect master, he seemed to understand something immediately.
"Young Uncle-Master, you are so good to your Master." No wonder he got to be the disciple of Supremacy.
Yi Qing's footsteps stopped momentarily, as he recalled in an instant, someone's history of getting lost five to six times a day at the peak of only a few hundred meters. He stayed silent.
Yet the chubby boy was somewhat excited. He was the son of the sect master. Among the younger disciples of the sect, he was the youngest, yet he had a high seniority ranking, with a number of Junior Brothers, Junior Sisters, and Disciple- Nephews. Therefore, everybody added a "young" in front when addressing him.
Lou Tao, who happened to be in the rebellious phase of youth, was naturally quite unhappy about it. Surprisingly, now he suddenly had an Uncle-Master, the disciple of Soul Formation Supremacies, whose seniority was even higher than him. He felt happy immediately, so even before the disciple had officially registered, he had started calling him "young Uncle-Master", with great enthusiasm.
As if he had prior knowledge of Yi Qing not talking much, when he brought him through several transportation arrays, he talked tirelessly about all kinds of affairs, from the good-looking new disciples who came from other sects to Elders taking a liking to which female cultivators, he said it all, and all the while gesticulating enthusiastically.
He was almost a moving Encyclopedia. Yi Qing listened the whole way through without stopping him, yet inside he was thinking, what to cook for Master tonight?
The one talking and the one absent-minded walked on rather harmoniously. Yet as they approached Disciples' Hall, noises could be heard coming from the front.
Lou Tao's footsteps stopped, as he saw that Disciples' Hall had been surrounded by kids around ten years old, some were in the same blue and white clothes just like him, but others were in green robes. The two sides stood separately and looked like they were arguing about something. "Are these people from the Green Robes Sect?" Lou Tao was stunned. He wrinkled his brows at Yi Qing and explained casually, "I heard father say that their sect had been eliminated by demons. My father and Uncle-Master took great trouble to save some of their disciples. Why are they surrounding the area? Young Uncle-Master, shall we go and take a look?"
"Okay."
Chapter 309: Seeing Dog Again
Yi Qing nodded, as he walked forward rapidly.
Before the two came near, a small body suddenly flew out from the crowd, and dropped in front of the two with a bang.
Lou Tao was stunned, and his eyes widened instantly. "Young Junior Brother!" They apparently knew each other. He hurried to help the boy up.
"It's young Uncle-Master Lou Tao!" Somebody cried, and the crowd started rushing towards them.
Lou Tao held the person who had already fainted, and his fat face swelled even more with anger. "Who was it who hurt young Junior Brother?"
"It was me!" Before the crowd could answer, a male voice sounded from the other side, and the crowd made way for a thin child dressed in green, who walked over with his eyes full of disdain. He snorted and said, "Because he had his nose in the air!"
"Who are you?" Lou Tao's little fat face squeezed.
"I am…"
Before the person answered, Yi Qing burst out, "Dog!"
He was actually that same parentless child back in the small village.
Only now did the youth in green see Yi Qing at the side. "Wild kid, you are actually still alive!" The child was shocked, and as if remembering something, he glanced at Lou Tao beside him, his eyes full of disdain. "I didn't imagine that you actually joined Honesty Sect, and… I'm called Jing Qi, and I'm a disciple of Green Robes Sect. You had better remember that."
"Oh," Yi Qing looked like he didn't care about it at all, as he added, "I'm called Yi Qing!" Some anger somehow appeared on Jing Qi's expression.
Lou Tao fed the disciple in his arms an elixir, before he stared up at Jing QI and said, "Why did you hurt my younger Junior Brother?"
"He stopped us from entering Disciples' Hall first," Jing Qi said angrily, "His abilities were inferior, and we can't be blamed for that!"
"Nonsense!" Once he finished, another disciple at the side argued, "Apparently Senior Brother only stopped you here because your people had stole spirit herbs of our sect. You thieves!"
"Who stole your spirit herbs? Do not make slanderous charges!" Jing Qi said angrily.
"And you say you didn't," That disciple pointed to a little girl behind him, "those that she wears on her head are ours!" Everyone turned to look at the little girl behind Jing Qi, and she was indeed wearing a garland on her head, and its colorful flowers had faint Spirit Qi on it.
"Those are the spirit herbs that sect master told us to plant, and young Senior Brother had led us to take care of them for more than a month. But once they came, they plucked all of them!"
Once this was said, everyone turned to look at that little girl. Everyone was of a young age, and anger came faster and directly. Even among the disciples of Green Robes Sect, many wore a darkened expression.
The girl was so scared that she stepped back and hid behind Jing Qi. Her eyes reddened immediately, as she grabbed the corner of his clothes, and said with an anxious, crying voice, "I… I didn't know. I only thought those flowers looked nice, Big Brother Jing Qi.."
Jing Qi immediately changed into a distressed expression. While he was a kid himself, he actually turned to hug the little girl who was even taller than him in his arms and started to comfort her. The scene looked indeed queer. "Little Junior Sister, don't cry, I will be hurt!" With that said, he turned and stared at the other children, "Isn't it just some worthless grass? And you actually bully people like this for its sake!"
After understanding the whole matter, Lou Tao was very angry: they stole the spirit herbs first, and then injured people, and they could actually speak as if they were on the right side. "Stealing spirit herbs of a sect is a serious offense. Since she stole it, she should be punished."
The little girl cried even more sadly.
"Are you deaf?" Jing Qi stared at him. "My little Junior Sister had said that she did not do it on purpose. She didn't even know that those are spirit herbs. It is said that no blame attaches to the unconscious wrongdoer. She can't be blamed for this matter. In any case, I can return them to you in the future."
"Regardless of whether she knew about it, the spirit herbs are with her right now," Lou Tao said seriously, "so she should be punished, and so should you, because you injured my Junior Brother just now." "You…" Jing Qi grew even angrier, as if he was immensely wronged, and as if he suddenly thought of something, he turned to Yi Qing at the side, "Wild kid, do you think so too?"
"What?" Yi Qing stunned, a hint of confusion showed on his face. He was just thinking about the tenth dish to cook for Master tonight.
"My Junior Sister is still a child, are all of you really going to be so aggressive?"
He talked as if others were not children.
Yi Qing took a look at the frightened little girl behind him, just remembering what he was asking about. His little face darkened slightly, and after a long while he said, "Wrong is wrong."
"You…" Jing Qi's face was full of disbelief, as if he had been betrayed. "You are such an ungrateful person too! Did you know that Junior Sister is the daughter of sect master of Green Robes Sect!" Yi Qing stunned, and his expression didn't change at all. "So?" Is that related to the matter on hand?
"Without the protection of Green Robes Sect, the people in our village would all be devoured by demons. I didn't imagine that once you've joined Honesty Sect, you are helping others to deal with the daughter of a benefactor," He said with a look of righteousness, "You are so cold-blooded."
Yi Qing frowned. The villagers were apparently saved by Master and Supremacy Lonemoon, what's that got to do with Green Robes Sect?
"Stop talking nonsense." Lou Tao couldn't listen to it any more. He looked at the disciples around him and said directly, "Catch these two thieves who stole the spiritual herbs and hurt people."
The disciples surrounded them immediately.
Jing Qi kept the little girl behind him, as he drew his sword and looked at the crowd fiercely. Yet the other disciples of Green Robes Sect who followed him at first looked at one another and hesitated.
"Hmph, you are only taking advantage of your numbers." Jing Qi sneered, and something flashed in his eyes. He looked at the children, still arrogantly, "I didn't imagine that Honesty Sect was actually just a crowd of shameless cowards who wants to bully those who they can't beat with large numbers."
"How dare you say we can't beat you," Lou Tao stared at him angrily.
"Didn't that Junior Brother of yours get defeated by me just now? And you are actually sword cultivators. So easily beaten."
"I will not permit you to speak ill of Honesty Sect!" Lou Tao was anxious, and pointed at him in anger, "My Junior Brother had joined the sect recently, and was only at the second level of Qi Refinement. You are at the third level, of course he can't defeat you. Fight with me if you dare!"
"Okay, we will fight!" A hint of joy flashed in Jing Qi's eyes. "If you lose, you've got to let us inside Disciple's Hall, and apologize to my little Junior Sister!"
"Okay!" Lou Tao nodded. "If you lose, you've got to apologize to my Junior Brother too."
"Alright!"
Yi Qing frowned. He felt as if the other party said it on purpose, and he was about to speak.
Yet Lou Tao had already taken out his spirit sword, not imagining he would lose at all. In any case, he was already at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, and it was not possible for him to be defeated by someone at the third level of Qi Refinement.
Seeing that the two had gotten ready, the disciples had retreated the side, and so did Yi Qing.
Chapter 310: Complete Destruction of Green Robes Sect
Disciples of Qi Refinement had not learned any spells yet. Although they talked about a fight, it was simply a contest on sword dharma. Although Lou Tao had a round body shape, it didn't hinder his movement at all, evidently he had practiced hard on ordinary days.
What surprised everyone was that Jing Qi actually moved in a speed comparable to Lou Tao, and he not only blocked all Lou Tao's attacks, he could even counter-attack from time to time. Even Yi Qing couldn't help but feel surprised, too. Jing Qi had joined Green Robes Sect for a mere few months, and he didn't imagine that his sword dharma had already become so strong. It didn't look like third level of Qi Refinement at all.
Yet his cultivation was lower than Lou Tao after all. While he had some advantages at the start, Lou Tao's cultivation did not grow for no reason. After a while, Jing Qi's Spiritual Power was visibly insufficient, and he started to dwindle.
Seeing this, Lou Tao sped up his attack, and went on from the front, trying to finish up this fight soon. He even purposely inclined the sword for half an inch to prevent injury. The sword was falling towards the neck of the opponent.
Jing Qi's face suddenly darkened, as his hands turned, and in an instant, a red flame went straight towards Lou Tao, knocking him out.
At the next moment, Lou Tao fell a couple dozen feet away. Fortunately, he was wearing Dharma clothing, which absorbed the flames. Besides a little pain from hitting the ground, he didn't suffer injuries from the fire.
Yet Jing Qi's sword was already on his neck. He looked at him with sarcasm, and said coldly, "Fatty, you lost!"
Lou Tao was stunned, looking at the sword which fell not far away. He couldn't react for a moment.
Others around them actually started to gasp in surprise.
"It was the fire spell just now? He could use fire at only the third level of Qi Refinement!" "That's awesome, that spell was for only the Foundation Establishment level."
"He actually defeated young Uncle-Master Lou Tao. Young Uncle-Master is at the fifth level!"
"Yeah, I didn't know that Green Robes Sect had such powerful people too."
"I heard that he has the celestial spirit root too!"
At once, there was excitement in the look that everyone gave Jing Qi, and even the hostility from just now became much weaker.
Jing Qi snorted, as if he did not see their shocked looks at all. He looked down with disdain and said, "Fatty, admit your defeat, apologize to my little Junior Sister!"
Lou Tao didn't actually feel angry or humiliated. He stood up neatly and bowed to the little girl not far away. "Sorry! You can enter Disciples' Hall now." After a thought, he added, "But I will still tell the sect master about you plucking spirit herbs and injuring little Junior Brother."
"You…" Jing Qi was anxious, and his look towards Lou Tao became even more fierce. After a long while, he breathed in deeply, and had to endure it due to them being on the grounds of Honesty Sect after all. Yet he looked at the chubby boy in front of him, and couldn't help but mocked, "It seemed that your Honesty Sect isn't too great after all? One at the fifth level of Qi Refinement can't even beat me, the other at third level."
"You can use fire, so I can't beat you indeed!" He didn't imagine Lou Tao to admit it, with a serious look on his face. It was all straightforward for the kid of less than ten years old. Even the other disciples nodded in agreement, as if they couldn't get the irony in his words at all.
Jing Qi felt a blocked sensation in his heart, as if something was stuck there, unable to find an exit. He turned and saw Yi Qing who came with the chubby boy, and his eyes darkened immediately. He pointed to him directly and said, "Hey, wild kid, since we came from the same village, in a certain way, we may as well have a fight."
For some reason, he couldn't get to like this person. Although both were orphans, somehow he got above him all the time, from back in the village, till now. While he was the one who always greeted the villagers with "uncle"s and "aunt"s, they preferred the boy who didn't really talk. Apparently he was the lucky one to join the immortal sect, he somehow joined the larger Honesty Sect, as if he was born to be in his way.
"Rest assured, I won't use fire," he said somewhat anxiously, as if he wanted to prove something. "We are both at the third level of Qi…"
"No!" Yi Qing rejected it immediately.
"Why?" he was stunned, before he snorted and challenged him, "are you unable to beat me, and are you afraid of being defeated by me?"
"Hmm, I can't beat you!" He hadn't learned sword dharma yet. "…" Jing Qi was speechless, hadn't imagined that he would actually admit it. Immediately he felt like he punched onto cotton, both stuffy and awkward.
Yi Qing gave it a thought and added, "And am not free, too!" He still had to cook for Master later. He had finally come up with twenty dishes.
After that, without waiting for a response, he turned and walked into Disciples' Hall, and got the chubby boy to follow him as well.
Jing Qi was the only one left. His face was dark, and the hand beside his body clenched.
——————
Inside the audience hall.
Lou Hong the sect master sighed, looked at Lonemoon beside him and said, "I didn't imagine that the demons are so rampant now that they actually dared to gather and attack an immortal sect. Green Robes Sect was careless momentarily, and therefore suffered from their attack."
"Didn't they use the Protective Mountain Array?" Lonemoon frowned. "By right, every sect has its Protective Mountain Array, designed to both block attack from enemies and provide time for rescue. Green Robes Sect was not far from Honesty Sect. Even if the rescue did not come on time, it shouldn't have led to a total destruction?"
"Regarding this, I'm also not sure why their Protective Mountain Array was not activated." Lou Hong shook his head, "When I got the news, it was already too late. However, when I arrived, I found the demonic aura of a Demon Monarch of the tenth level. I'm afraid even if the array was activated, it wouldn't stop those demons."
"Tenth level?" The Demon Monarch had come himself? He suddenly remembered a certain rabbit. Since when had the demons become so courageous too? "What are so many demons doing attacking a small lower-tier sect?"
"I can't understand this too!" Lou Hong's face was also full of confusion. They didn't interact much with Green Robes Sect in ordinary days, but he knew that it was an even poorer sect. Beside the sect master, who was a Nascent Soul cultivator, there were few of even Golden Core disciples. "When Junior Brother and I received the news and rushed over, almost the whole sect had been massacred."
"Shen Ying, what do you think happened?" Lonemoon looked at Shen Ying.
"Ah?" Shen Ying looked up.
"The demons attacked Green Robes Sect," Lonemoon's mouth twitched. We are in a meeting, at any rate, can you please focus, or even just pretend to? "Green Robes Sect is located less than a hundred miles away from here. Towards the south…" He remembered her lack of a sense of direction and changed his way of talking, "It was the immortal sect near the village that Yi Qing stayed at previously."
"Oh." Shen Ying looked as if she only just started to understand. "Demons never act collectively." Lonemoon frowned. "That village first, and then Green Robes Sect, saw so many demons appearing together, and all around the same area. There must have been some other reason."
Shen Ying's eyes narrowed, and only after a long while did she say, "Must be that alarm…"
As I expected… Lonemoon's heart felt tight.