Seventh Elder snapped unhappily, “In any case, no way! Don't even think about stealing my disciple! Don't you have disciples of your own?”
“...It's not like I'm stopping her from refining pills with you. She'd just be practicing the sword with me on the side.”
Ninth Elder jerked his chin toward Song Yao. “Why don't we leave the choice to the child and let her decide for herself?”
Although Seventh Elder was displeased, it wasn't right for him to interfere with Song Yao's own wishes.
Hesitating for a moment, he sighed and said to Song Yao, “Actually, Old Ninth isn't wrong. The world is unstable these days, plagued by demons and crawling with evil cultivators. Learning the sword can indeed help you protect yourself and champion justice. It's a decent choice. If you want to practice the sword with Old Ninth, Master won't stop you.”
Having listened to them bicker for so long, Song Yao was so sleepy she yawned.
Hearing this, she replied without a second thought, “No, I just want to be an ordinary pill cultivator.”
She had already stood at the heights others risked their lives to reach.
She had already faced head-on the dangers others would never encounter.
She had absolutely no interest in this cultivation world. She only wanted to buy a small plot of land and live a quiet life.
Ninth Elder hadn't expected her to refuse so quickly. His brow furrowed deeply.
Someone who could unleash such a flurry of sword flowers in an instant, saying she only wanted to be a pill cultivator?
Wasn't that a complete waste of talent?
Seventh Elder, on the other hand, let out a sigh of relief. He said with a beam, “Good, good, good. If you don't want to be a sword cultivator, then don't be one. Just refine pills with Master. How wonderful is refining pills? No fighting or killing, just peace and quiet.”
As he spoke, he threw a slightly provocative side-eye at Ninth Elder.
Ninth Elder: “...”
Pushing Seventh Elder aside, he persisted, “Lin Mu, although I don't know where you learned that swordplay, that strike of yours was absolutely not something an ordinary person could execute. With your talent, leaving it unpolished would be a sin against heaven. Do you know how many sword cultivators in the Tianshu Realm spend their entire lives without ever touching the threshold of the sword Dao—”
“Alright, alright.”
Seventh Elder waved his hand impatiently. “Are you done? If you're done, go back. Don't stay here and keep my disciple from resting.”
Ignoring him, Ninth Elder took another step forward. “Listen to me. The way of the sword cultivator is about cultivating the heart, the courage, and the righteous qi of heaven and earth. Do you know...”
The more he spoke, the more impassioned he became, his spit almost flying onto Song Yao's face.
Unable to bear it any longer, Seventh Elder grabbed him by the collar and dragged him toward the courtyard gate. “Enough, enough! She said she doesn't want to, so she doesn't want to. Stop wasting your breath here.”
“Let go of me—”
Ninth Elder stumbled as he was dragged. He struggled twice but couldn't break free, so he turned and shouted back at Song Yao, “Lin Mu, think about it again! If you take me as your master, I will definitely...”
With a loud bang, the courtyard gate slammed shut.
Seventh Elder clapped the dust off his hands, looking completely satisfied.
Outside the gate, there was a brief silence before Ninth Elder's voice echoed again, “I'll be back! The sword cultivator is the truest, truest path!”
Song Yao curled into a ball on the rocking chair. Hearing the footsteps fade into the distance, she curled her lips.
The true path of cultivation?
In her past life, she had practiced the sword for five years. Instead of figuring out the righteous path, she had managed to offend every single person in the entire sect.
No matter what, she wouldn't learn it in this life.
Seventh Elder walked back and handed her several pill manuals. “Ignore him. Old Ninth is just like that; he can't move whenever he sees someone with talent. Just refine pills diligently with Master and annoy him to death.”
Song Yao took the pill manuals and nodded.
Pill refining was good.
Refining pills meant no fighting, no getting recognized, and she could pay off her debts.
In this life, she would live in close companionship with her cauldron.
...
Thanks to her sprained wrist, Seventh Elder insisted on securing a leave of absence of over half a month for Song Yao, sparing her from attending classes in the outer yard.
Seventh Elder himself also managed to pull away from his busy assembly-line pill-refining work, deciding to properly teach his new disciple the basics of pill refining.
The two of them sat down in the inner room on the first floor of the Elixir Pavilion. Seventh Elder cleared his throat. “In the way of pill refining, the most important thing is fire control. If the heat is insufficient, the pill will not form; if the heat is too high, it will damage the medicinal properties.”
“Since you don't have a fire spiritual root, you can use Fire-Driving Talismans. If you encounter opportunities in the future, you can tame a unique flame for your own use.”
“The key to fire control lies in the output of spiritual energy. It must be steady and even. Since you've just reached Foundation Establishment, your spiritual energy is not yet stable. Let's start practicing with the most basic gentle heat first.”
“Additionally, the most crucial part is the preparation of the medicinal herbs. Different herbs have different timing for being placed into the cauldron. For instance, with Azure Spirit Grass, you must wait until the cauldron's temperature stabilizes before adding it...”
The more Seventh Elder spoke, the more enthusiastic he became, but suddenly he noticed an eerie silence around him. Looking up—
Song Yao's head was tilted on the book, her eyes closed, her breathing even, and the pages creased beneath her.
The second half of Seventh Elder's sentence got stuck in his throat.
How did she fall asleep again?
He hadn't even been speaking for half an incense stick's time.
He suddenly sensed that something was amiss.
This child had already reached Foundation Establishment. Logically, a cultivator's mental strength should be much stronger than that of ordinary people. Many cultivators did not even need to sleep, and even if they did, they wouldn't be this somnolent.
In comparison, she seemed excessively sleep-deprived.
Could it be because her body was too weak?
Seventh Elder suddenly felt a pang of pity. After hesitating for a long time, he gritted his teeth and opened the doors to the Elixir Storehouse.
When Song Yao woke up, three or four porcelain bottles were neatly lined up in front of her.
The bottles were lustrous, with spiritual energy circulating around them. One look was enough to tell they were no ordinary items.
Seventh Elder explained, “Take these daily. They can temper your bones and muscles, replenish your qi, and nourish your blood. They will be of great benefit to your body. Your constitution is truly too weak; you need to nourish it properly.”
Song Yao was startled. “Isn't there a monthly limit for each disciple?”
Moreover, these pills did not look like something an ordinary disciple could consume.
“Since I've taken you as my disciple, I must take responsibility for you.”
Seventh Elder waved his hand, not minding it much. “I'll just find some time to refine more and put them back in.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Song Yao's eyes suddenly lit up as she hugged the porcelain bottles to her chest. “Then these pills must be worth a lot of money, right?”
Seventh Elder: “?”
He eyed her suspiciously, then said with a stern face, “The herbs required to refine these pills aren't cheap either. It takes this old man a whole day and night just to refine one. If you dare to sell them, the entire cost will be billed to your account.”
Song Yao: “...”
Having threatened her, Seventh Elder was still not at ease. “The medicine bottles will stay here. Master will watch you take them every day.”
Song Yao: “Oh.”
...
Over the next few days, Song Yao consumed quite a few miraculous pills and elixirs.
Worried about her, Ning Zhou would carry over a portion of the food made by Fifth Elder's husband every day after classes ended.
With plenty to eat, drink, and replenish her qi, Song Yao's pale little face grew visibly rosier.
But her habit of falling fast asleep the moment she looked at a pill manual or listened to a lecture still couldn't be cured.
It had even reached the exaggerated point where she would wake up one second, only to pass out again the next second she picked up a book.
Seeing this, Seventh Elder had He Yu attend the lectures together with Song Yao, instructing He Yu to shake her awake whenever she fell asleep.
At first, the young girl was somewhat alert and would wake up after being called a couple of times. But later, as she grew accustomed to the environment, she slept so soundly it was as if she were dead.
Song Yao felt rather worried about her own situation.
If an enemy wanted to defeat her in the future, they would probably only need to read a book in her ear.
Fortunately, she was extremely kind and ordinary in this life, so she probably wouldn't make any enemies.
Rate on N.U.
