CH 12

As Elder Chang said these words, the disciples who were sitting in the lecture hall cast envious glances at Chu Qi.

After getting into trouble, not only was he not punished by the Elder, but he instead made such a good impression. It could only be said that this fellow disciple’s swordsmanship was really amazing.

“Thanks for the Elder’s great praise, but this disciple already has a shifu.”

To everyone’s surprise, the disciple who had just finished performing his sword technique said this.

Elder Chang frowned, and then relaxed. He really didn’t expect that this would happen in the first class after the entrance ceremony. How was there someone faster than him?

However, the other party had already recognized someone as his shifu, he would not insist.

“Okay then. Go back and sit down. Don’t be distracted next time.” Elder Chang said, then turned his attention to the other disciple who was still standing in the same spot, “It’s your turn.”

Hearing these words, Yan Jiuge lifted his feet and walked forward.

At this time, some of the other disciples recognized him as the one who had been practicing his sword before the morning class. They couldn’t help but look at each other in dismay. Isn’t this the new shidi who had such high attainments in swordsmanship? Didn’t this make them shixiong and shijie look embarrassing?

After Yan Jiuge finished demonstrating the basic sword forms of Tianxuan Sect, Elder Chang was silent for a while before asking, “You also have a shifu?”

“I do not.” Yan Jiuge replied.

Elder Chang’s eyes lit up, but when he recalled Yan Jiuge’s swordsmanship just now, he sighed again, “If you don’t follow the dao of Heaven and Earth, it is useless for you to learn from me.”

Yan Jiuge lowered his eyes, he was indeed not a follower of the dao of Heaven and Earth.

“Forget it. Go back and continue listening to the lecture. There is no need for you to sweep the Library Pavilion. Since you have such a talent for the sword, you will stay on Wenjian Peak to practice for half a day. You must be diligent.” Elder Chang spared them from punishment. Practicing the sword was normal for a swordsman.

Chu Qi and Yan Jiuge sat back on their cushions to listen to class.

When they sat down, the two of them looked at each other with doubts in their eyes, but because of their surroundings, they didn’t ask each other why they were distracted during class.

After the morning lecture, Elder Chang urged the disciples to practice their swordsmanship.

With him present, the sword cultivation disciples were too embarrassed to leave early after class, so they all stayed at Wenjian Peak to train.

Chu Qi was closely watched by Elder Chang, so he couldn’t afford to get distracted. He concentrated on practicing the basic sword forms again and again for a long time.

The sun was shining high in the sky. It was noon.

“Rest for a while. You haven’t practiced inedia yet, so come back to train some more after lunch.”

Elder Chang noticed that the physical fitness of the newcomers was a bit weak. Some were already sweating profusely, and even Chu Qi looked a little tired.

As for Yan Jiuge, the hair on his forehead was a little messy, but his breath was as steady as usual.

Finally it was time to rest. Chu Qi breathed a sigh of relief and returned Gui Yin to its scabbard.

Just as everyone was preparing to rest, a figure stepped out from behind the clouds outside of Wenjian Peak.

Elder Chang raised his eyes as doubts arose in his heart. You should know, in Tianxuan Sect, the only one who didn’t fly with a sword or ride in a leaf boat was probably only his reclusive medical cultivator-shixiong—

“Chang Zhihui, are you deliberately prolonging your morning class? Don’t you see what time it is?”

An irritable voice came from the white clouds. The tone was particularly unkind, even calling his full name.

Elder Chang: “…”

The person who came was indeed his medical cultivator-shixiong, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time.

After getting over the initial shock, Elder Chang became more and more puzzled. Was this shixiong having trouble refining medicine at Zhongling Peak, and decided to run to Wenjian Peak to ask him what he was doing? He also scolded him for prolonging the morning class.

“Qingyue-shixiong, why did you come out to Wenjian Peak?” Elder Chang asked.

“It’s not because of you!”

With a cold snort, Elder Qingyue put away the flying tool and landed beside Elder Chang. He paid no attention to this shidi he hadn’t seen for many years, but instead turned his head to look at Chu Qi first.

“Look at my apprentice— he’s tired, mentally exhausted, and sweating buckets!” Elder Qingyue reached a conclusion halfway through his words, “Chang Zhihui! You actually made my apprentice practice swords all morning!”

Elder Qingyue was going to die of anger.

He couldn’t even bear to let his precious apprentice take care of the spiritual plants all morning, and sent him to Chang Zhihui to learn. But look at this! He had to suffer through all the hardships of sword training instead!

Elder Chang was justified, “It’s normal for sword cultivators to practice swords all morning. Besides, I let them rest just now—wait?! What are you talking about? Your apprentice? Are you his shifu?”

Halfway through defending himself, Elder Chang’s face was filled with disbelief, unable to wrap his mind around this fact, “He’s a medical cultivator?”

“Of course he is! Or are you suggesting that he’s a sword cultivator? What are you daydreaming about?” Elder Qingyue rolled his eyes at him, flaunting unceremoniously, “My apprentice has an extreme wood spiritual root. He is the perfect candidate for studying medicine.”

Elder Chang refused to admit defeat, “But he has a clear heart and a good personality! He is also a good candidate for the dao of Heaven and Earth!”

“This is our medical disciple!” Elder Qingyue’s face darkened, “Is it possible that you still want to steal my apprentice?”

It had been a few hundred years since he last taught this shidi a lesson. He was getting more and more presumptuous.

Seeing Elder Qingyue’s anger, Elder Chang took a step back. Quietly moving away from this irritable medical cultivator-shixiong, “Since he’s your disciple, I will not force it.”

“Hmph.” Seeing that he backed down, Elder Qingyue softened his expression, “Then Chang-shidi, shixiong won’t test your swordsmanship today. I will be taking my apprentice back to Zhongling Peak first. Next time you hold morning classes, I ask that Chang-shidi doesn’t procrastinate.”

Today, Elder Qingyue waited for Chu Qi’s return to Zhongling Peak for a long time to no avail. He sent a message to the Sect Head and found out which Elder was lecturing at Wenjian Peak. Finding out that it was Chang Zhihui, he had a bad feeling and rushed to Wenjian Peak.

His Chang-shidi was quite accomplished in swordsmanship, but he was too obsessed with it. When teaching disciples, he especially liked to drag out class and supervise their training.

It was fine to teach the disciples like this normally, but it was absolutely not okay to let his apprentice, a medical cultivator, train like this.

Healers had a different mindset and they weren’t well-suited for swordsmanship. It was enough to know a little, but there was no need to be proficient.

Elder Qingyue ‘enlightened’ his shidi before walking towards Chu Qi.

“Little apprentice, do you want to go back to Zhongling Peak with shifu?” Elder Qingyue asked kindly.

Chu Qi didn’t expect that his shifu would personally come out of Zhongling Peak to come pick him up. On top of that, he got to witness this shifu of his ‘educating’ the strict-tempered Elder Chang.

For some reason, Chu Qi couldn’t help thinking of Bai Xuan-shijie when she said, “Shifu is elegant and easy-going.”

Elder Qingyue, Ah-Qi hasn’t had lunch yet. Why not wait to go back to Zhongling Peak until after he finished eating?”

A clear voice came from the side. The person who said this was none other than Yan Jiuge.

“Oh, yes.” His apprentice hasn’t practiced inedia yet, so he still needed to eat three meals a day.

Elder Qingyue thought of giving him a bigu pill, but Chu Qi also spoke up at this moment, “Shifu, can I go back later?”

“Of course.” There was nothing wrong with this, it wasn’t too much to ask.

Elder Qingyue nodded.

Elder Chang looked puzzled: “…”

This shixiong rarely compromised with others, and had always had a one-sided character. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was the only shixiong that had a wood spiritual root and was chosen to be the keeper of the medical cultivation method, he may have been the one to inherit the title of ‘Sect Head’ back then.

Elder Qingyue watched as his disciple left to go eat, but turned around to see that his shidi was still standing there staring at him.

Elder Qingyue glanced at him, “Did you want to ask me for advice on your swordsmanship?”

“No, Qingyue-shixiong. I just remembered that I have something to do, so I’ll be leaving first.” After Elder Chang finished speaking, he flew away on his sword.

Seeing that his shidi had run away, Elder Qingyue turned to Zizai Peak. Since he was out, there were a few things that he may as well take care of. He needed to find a handyman disciple to deliver meals to his little apprentice, and he wanted to reclaim the medicinal fields on Zizai Peak.

—

On this end, Chu Qi and Yan Jiuge left Wenjian Peak together, preparing to go to Zaohua Peak for lunch.

A leaf boat floated leisurely through the clouds, drifting forward unhurriedly.

Chu Qi sat beside Yan Jiuge, and seeing how there was no one around, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity, “What were you thinking about during the morning lecture? Why were you so distracted?”

They had both stood up one after the other, and they were both surprised at that time.

Slightly distracted, Yan Jiuge carefully chose an appropriate response, “Elder Chang’s swordsmanship is too different to mine, so it was useless to listen.”

Yan Jiuge didn’t follow the dao of Heaven and Earth.

In his previous life, Chu Qi had guessed that Yan Jiuge followed the Ruthless dao. After all, he didn’t seem to care much about anyone, which was very suitable for that path. But after seeing the ‘plot’ unfold, Chu Qi knew that that was probably wrong.

“Then what kind of dao do you follow? Is it something passed down through your family?” Chu Qi asked.

“En.” Yan Jiuge raised his eyes, looking a little careless, “Guess.”

Here we go again. Every time he didn’t want to tell him something, he would show this sort of expression.

Chu Qi was very familiar with Yan Jiuge’s temperament.

In his last life, Chu Qi would have said, ‘Who cares about you?’, and then ignored him.

But now, Chu Qi was genuinely curious.

“Could it be the dao of the Free and Unfettered?” Yan Jiuge, the son of a rich family, was left to his own devices. Maybe this was done so he could better practice the dao of the Free and Unfettered and so that he wouldn’t be burdened by the world.

“You got it right.” Yan Jiuge nodded seriously. Just as Chu Qi’s eyes lit up, he added—

“That’s weird.”

Chu Qi: “…”

His fist clenched.

Chu Qi silently reminded himself three times not to quarrel with Yan Jiuge, and took a deep breath, “If you don’t want to say it, then forget it.”

People always had secrets that they wanted to hide. If it made Yan Jiuge uncomfortable, there was no need to pursue it.

Yan Jiuge looked at him, then said slowly, “It’s not impossible for me to tell you. You just have to call me—”

Chu Qi said loudly, “I won’t!”

Still with this ‘elder brother’ thing! Why was Yan Jiuge so hung up on this matter?

After today, he must cultivate diligently. After all, his talent had improved in this life, who’s to say he couldn’t build his foundation within a month!

Chu Qi secretly made up his mind.

“Alright, ba. If you say you won’t, then don’t.” Either way, he would build his foundation in two days.Yan Jiuge thought to himself that no matter what, he still wanted to hear Ah-Qi call him ‘shixiong’ before he went back to Yunyin Realm.