“Are you saying she learned her swordplay from an inner yard personal disciple!?”
Ming Ran looked astonished. “Could there be some mistake? Why would those senior brothers and sisters teach her?”
“She was brought back by Fourth Senior Brother.”
Jiang Jin paused, a look of hesitation crossing his face. “These past two days, Second Senior Sister even brought her here in person. I suppose her relationship with the personal disciples must be quite deep.”
Ming Ran frowned. Before she could speak, several youths from prominent families nearby pricked up their ears.
“The Hall Master once said that if any disciple performs outstandingly at the end of the year, they will have a chance to study under him.”
As if failing to notice their reaction, Jiang Jin lowered his eyes and softened his voice, carrying a hint of indignation on their behalf. “But now, Lin Mu can directly learn techniques from the personal disciples. To you all, this...”
“...is simply too unfair.”
Ming Ran's face darkened.
Her grip on the hilt of her sword tightened, her lips pressing into a thin line as her indignation welled up once more.
The Heaven-grade disciples nearby exchanged looks, their expressions turning subtle.
A little girl who had just entered the sect two days ago, who was late and skipped classes—why should she be personally taught by the personal disciples?
Meanwhile, they, the children of prominent families who had cultivated bitterly since childhood, had to stand alongside a bunch of ordinary people to practice basic skills.
What kind of logic was that?
Ming Ran was the first to lose her patience. “I'm going to ask Lin Mu!”
“I've already asked her,” Jiang Jin stopped her, a look of disappointment on his face. “Yesterday, I had some questions to ask Second Senior Sister, so I begged Junior Sister Lin to introduce us. Who would have thought she would make excuses and brush me off, saying they aren't close?”
One of the Heaven-grade disciples couldn't help but say angrily, “If they aren't close, why would she personally bring her here early in the morning two days in a row!?”
“She probably just doesn't want you to know Second Senior Sister, lest it affect her relationship with the senior brothers and sisters!”
Jiang Jin didn't reply, maintaining his helpless expression.
He lowered his eyes in secret, lightly rubbing his fingertips inside his sleeve, the corner of his mouth curving into a barely perceptible smirk.
“I get it!” another person suddenly realized. “No wonder a girl who has never cultivated before could break through so quickly. She must have received some secret elixir from the senior brothers and sisters!”
Ming Ran's brow furrowed. “Really?”
“Pfft.”
Someone snickered from behind.
Cheng Yue stood to the side with her arms crossed, glancing at them and mocking them mercilessly. “A bunch of fools.”
The mocked Heaven-grade disciples immediately looked embarrassed.
Ming Ran clenched her fist. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing. Just laughing at how easily you're being led by the nose,” Cheng Yue clicked her tongue twice. “If the Nine Saints Hall really had such a miraculous elixir that could make someone reach Foundation Establishment instantly, it would have become the number one sect in the world long ago. Besides, there was only one sword cultivator among the personal disciples, and she is already dead. What are the others going to teach Lin Mu with?”
“Idiots. Absolutely brainless.”
“And to think you're supposed to have Heaven-grade spiritual roots.”
After scolding them, Cheng Yue turned and left, leaving the remaining Heaven-grade disciples with increasingly ugly expressions.
The youth who had just echoed Jiang Jin flushed red. Opening his mouth, he muttered defensively, “Who knows what kind of spell Lin Mu cast on her.”
His voice was soft and lacked conviction. “Even if Lin Mu reached Foundation Establishment on her own, her swordplay must have been learned from someone else. Though none of the personal disciples specialize in the sword, they surely know a bit. Besides, Second Senior Sister really has an unusual relationship with her, personally bringing her here every day. That can't be fake, right?”
“Exactly. Ming Ran is the eldest young mistress of the Ming family. If she were just an ordinary person relying on herself, how could her swordplay be better than Ming Ran's?” another disciple quickly chimed in. “I just don't get why a newly entered disciple would receive so much attention from the personal disciples. There must be some secret.”
Whispers buzzed as the group convinced themselves more and more.
Only Jiang Jin's grip on his sword tightened, his knuckles turning slightly white.
...
Song Yao had no idea she had inexplicably drawn a wave of hatred.
She lay in a rocking chair in the courtyard, squirming like a worm. Looking at the Seventh Elder and Ninth Elder, she said pitifully, “It hurts so much. My meridians are broken. I probably won't be able to practice the sword or go to class for several months.”
The medical cultivator opposite her hesitated to speak, finally saying, “It's just a sprain. I've already healed you. You'll be fine after resting for two days.”
“I'm not healed,” Song Yao clutched her wrist and argued, “It hurts terribly. I feel like I'm about to die.”
Hearing this, the Seventh Elder's face wrinkled in distress, feeling incredibly bad for her.
A mere child, just going out to attend class, how did she end up so badly injured?
Although he hadn't wanted a disciple at all, now that this child was under his lineage, he naturally had to take responsibility for her.
He looked at the medical cultivator with some anxiety. “She said it still hurts! Quickly, check if there are any other injuries!”
“...She is really fine.” Out of respect for his status as an elder, the medical cultivator held back a roll of his eyes and patiently said, “Didn't you just give her two healing and pain-relieving pills to eat?”
This was clear enough. The child was likely faking it.
Yet, the Seventh Elder gasped. “If it still hurts even after taking my pain-relieving pills, then the injury must be exceptionally severe! Go and call the Sixteenth Elder over. Let him examine my disciple personally.”
The medical cultivator said, “...The Sixteenth Elder is traveling abroad.”
He absolutely hated these brainless old fogies.
“Master,” Song Yao peeked out from under her small blanket with her bright, dark eyes, speaking with great resilience, “I'm fine. I just need to rest for a while.”
“Yes, yes, yes. Master will go speak with the manager of the outer yard in a bit. We'll rest for half a month first to recuperate.”
The Seventh Elder didn't make things difficult for the medical cultivator after all. Turning to glare at the Ninth Elder, he snapped unhappily, “My disciple suffered such a severe injury in her very first class! You simple-minded, brawny sword cultivators shouldn't be teaching at all.”
Ninth Elder: “...”
He uncharacteristically refrained from talking back, his gaze landing on Song Yao. “She will cultivate under me from now on.”
The Seventh Elder was shocked. “You hurt her like this and you still want to steal her from me? Dream on!”
The Ninth Elder grew slightly anxious. “You don't know how talented she is in the sword Dao! The last one this gifted was Song Yao!”
“Then we definitely can't let her follow you!” The Seventh Elder sneered. “The last Song Yao blew up my entire Baicao Peak, and it still hasn't been fully repaired. If Lin Mu practices the sword with you and becomes a second Song Yao, what then?”
“A scoundrel personality like Song Yao's is one of a kind in this world,” the Ninth Elder promised solemnly. “This child, Lin Mu, is different. If she follows me, she will surely walk the righteous path! Perhaps she can even study under the Hall Master.”
Song Yao: “?”
It felt like someone was constantly badmouthing her.
The Seventh Elder flatly refused. “No. You sword cultivators only know fighting and killing. It's too dangerous for this child.”
The Ninth Elder argued, “It's precisely because of the danger that she must practice the sword to protect herself! Is such talent to be wasted?”
Rate on N.U.
