45 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

Chapter 45 After the registered disciple finished speaking, the twins began to cry and cling to Baifan, insisting on changing their residence. “Young master, it would be best to change the location of our cave dwelling.” “Yes, young master, that place is too austere, lacking in spiritual energy and very remote. If my sister and I were to go there, we wouldn’t be able to endure it with our delicate skin.” Baifan watched the two demons lament their fate, but inwardly, she was actually hoping they wouldn't go so she could enjoy some peace and quiet alone. “If you don’t want to go, then return to Elder Sun. I've chosen this cave.” After saying this, she asked the registering disciple for the cave’s address, inquired about the route, and planned to leave by herself. Baifan heartlessly turned and left, leaving the twin sisters to look at each other in confusion, thinking, why didn’t the young master listen to them? Back in Xuanming, everyone catered to their every whim and pampered them. They had always relied on being selected by Elder Sun from a young age, practically considering themselves as half-disciples of Xuanming. The disciples of Xuanming would always give face to Elder Sun. Coupled with their naturally charming appearances, they had never encountered such disregard. Furthermore, they believed they hadn’t done anything wrong. Watching Baifan’s figure grow smaller in the distance, the sisters panicked and hurriedly chased after her, holding hands. The registering disciple sighed behind them. The reason for following was clear: if they didn’t go, they couldn’t stay in Xuanming either. Though Elder Sun indulged them openly, if their new master did not favor them, staying at Xuanming would become meaningless. Being sent out of Xuanming later would be worse than following a new master to a poor cave now. After all, not everyone could enter Xuanming. Baifan looked at the address in her hand and took out a map from her new storage pouch to find the route to the cave. But then she heard shouts from behind. “Young master, wait for us!” “Young master.” Baifan frowned slightly and looked back only to see the twin sisters flying hand-in-hand towards her. They didn’t seem to be floating on a cloud but rather using light-foot techniques, bouncing lightly as they jumped. Their sleeves fluttered, and their gauzy clothing revealed their white arms as they leaped. Baifan, dressed in male attire, looked like a young boy from afar, seeming as if two large butterflies were flying towards her. When they caught up, Baifan said discontentedly, “Why are you here again? Didn’t you say you weren’t going? I know the way and don’t need you to lead me.” The twins blushed simultaneously and curtsied, speaking in unison, “No matter where the young master goes, we will follow.” Baifan didn’t believe it at all. They had just despised the place she chose, and now they shamelessly followed; she couldn’t understand their motives. “If you feel wronged following me, why come? If you’re afraid to speak to Elder Sun, I can take you to him another day.” The sisters exchanged a glance and knelt suddenly, startling Baifan, who had never knelt to anyone in her life. Pointing at the sisters, she asked, “What are you doing?” “Begging the master to let us stay.” “It was our fault earlier. From now on, in Xuanming, we sisters can only rely on you.” Baifan felt a headache coming on and twitched her eyes. “Aren’t you Elder Sun’s people? When did you become mine?” “From the moment we met you, we have been yours. If you send us back to Elder Sun, he will think we are useless and expel us from Xuanming.” Tears welled up in their eyes, and another one began to sob, “Our cultivation is not high, and we haven’t learned Xuanming’s techniques. Once out of Xuanming, we’ll have nowhere to go, and with our special constitutions, it would be easy for someone to capture us for dual cultivation furnaces. So…” Baifan rubbed her forehead, puzzled why the Sun family would bring in such a pair of twins. They say kindness is a disease and, unable to help it, felt sympathy as the two demons cried. “Fine, you can follow me, but let me make it clear: don’t touch me and keep a certain distance.” “Yes.” The twins, overjoyed, wiped their tears and followed, standing obediently behind Baifan half a person away. Baifan strolled through Xuanming with the twins, passing various sights en route to the cave. Xuanming was vast, with countless disciples in diverse attire. As they passed a grand hall with large lotus flowers blooming in the lake and jade railings stretching endlessly, Xuanming disciples walked inside. The twins explained to Baifan, “This is the Xuanming faction’s alchemy room, overseen by Elder Jiang.” “Alchemy room?” “Xuanming is divided into six branches: Elder Jiang’s alchemy room, Elder Yu’s artifact workshop, Elder Liu’s heavenly mechanism hall, Elder Jin’s illusion sword hall, Elder Sun’s Chongxuan water, and the Grand Master’s Nine Underworld Gate.” Baifan nodded, listening as the twins continued, “Xuanming emphasizes law cultivation. Besides the Grand Master’s Nine Underworld Gate, only Elder Sun’s Chongxuan Water remains. Those from the Illusion Sword Hall are as annoying as the fire monkeys from Yunxiao, as stubborn and smelly as stones in a latrine.” “Master, don’t mind my sister’s biased words. Though we dislike the Illusion Sword Hall, you mustn’t make enemies in Xuanming. Offending someone always brings trouble. For artifact creation, one must go to the artifact workshop; for alchemy supplies, to the alchemy room; for divination, to the heavenly mechanism hall. The Illusion Sword Hall ensures our safety, while the Grand Master’s faction is Xuanming’s future reserve force. Only our Chongxuan Water is the most easy-going, avoiding worldly matters.” Baifan gazed at the alchemy room, realizing Elder Sun’s faction held the least power while the other five managed the sect’s crucial aspects. “Master, you haven’t received this month’s pills yet. Since we’re here, we should get them quickly to avoid deductions at month’s end.” Entering the alchemy room felt like entering a busy marketplace. The hall consisted of layered single rooms, each with a small red sign hanging on the door, indicating it was in use for alchemy. The twins called out from a window, “Master, over here.” Baifan approached, seeing a small window just big enough for a head. Behind it sat an alchemy disciple, reminiscent of a hospital cashier’s desk. “Waist token.” Baifan handed over her waist token and soon received a small bamboo tube in return, signing a ledger. After collecting the items, she turned and left with the twins, coincidentally encountering disciples from the Illusion Sword Hall coming for their pills. Each wielded a long sword and entered with stern faces, chilling the previously lively hall. “Master, let’s go.” Baifan followed the twins out, listening to their endless chatter. The elder sister was Yingyue, and the younger was Huanri, both having contrasting natures — Yingyue steady and Huanri lively. Baifan's cave was remote, and they traveled a long way, arriving by midnight. The place was pitch-dark, occasionally interrupted by a crow’s call from above and a cold wind blowing. “Master, are we staying here tonight?” The twins clung to each other, looking frightened. Baifan walked ahead without fear, thinking that Xuanming couldn’t have any demonic creatures. She had seen worse in deserted mountains without encountering anything unclean. “Do you intend to stand here all night?” Baifan observed her new cave, situated in a valley with a lake causing the cool breeze. Reaching the cave entrance, she saw it had mostly collapsed, covered in cobwebs. She couldn’t tell when the previous occupant left, but it had certainly been over a century. Baifan cleared the cobwebs and took out a night pearl to illuminate the cave, a pearl she had seized from a pirate ship long ago. Inside the cave, there was scarcely anything, just a woven mat and a stone bed. Baifan performed a wind spell to blow off the dust from the stone bed, then lay down facing away from the twins, saying, “Find your own place to rest. I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep now.” She lay down fully clothed, and soon the sound of even breathing filled the cave, leaving the twin sisters feeling quite awkward. Eventually, the sisters exchanged glances, moved to the side of the stone bed, and then huddled together to sleep. By dawn, Baifan stretched and stood up, only to find the cave had been transformed. The floor was meticulously cleaned, the collapsed areas outside had been tidied up, and it seemed like last night’s disarray had been a dream. “Master, you’re awake.” “Mm.” Baifan sheepishly scratched her neck, noticing a set of tables and chairs had been arranged outside. There was even a pavilion erected by the lake. “My sister and I woke up early and noticed this place hadn't been tended to in a long time, so we took the liberty to clean it up. The pavilion was my sister’s idea. If you don’t like it, we’ll take it down immediately.” Baifan looked around. “Not bad. The pavilion looks good too; no need to remove it.” Seeing the prepared fruits on the table, Baifan grabbed two and began to munch greedily, a sweet flavor filling her mouth and a faint spiritual energy spreading through her body. “Master, these spiritual fruits we picked from around here may not have potent spiritual energy, but they taste sweet.” Baifan continued to eat happily, stuffing her cheeks until they bulged. Noticing Yingyue, the elder twin, staring at her eating, she felt a bit embarrassed and laughed, “These fruits are quite good. Here, have some.” She shoved a fruit into Yingyue's mouth, seeing her dumbfounded expression. Baifan suddenly felt a sense of revenge, thinking to herself, now they know how it feels to be teased. “Elder sister, look what I found,” Huanri, the younger twin, called from a distance. Baifan and Yingyue looked over to see Huanri standing in the lake, lifting her skirt and sleeves, holding a four-legged turtle. Baifan frowned, thinking the shallow water was swarming with turtles, and wondered if this lake was just a shallow pond. “How long did the pavilion take to build?” “Not long; the water is shallow, so just inserting a few wooden stakes into the mud was enough.” Baifan rubbed her forehead, realizing the area was indeed a pond, not a lake, and regretted the poor location choice—she'd even lose a good bathing spot. Changing the cave’s designated spot would be difficult without reaching the Golden Core stage, where she could then own a small cave dwelling outside the main sect grounds. Baifan spaced out for a bit, then noticed Huanri had cleaned the little turtle and was now playing with it. The turtle moved slowly, frequently stopping to look at the three of them, which Baifan found curious. Being a former demon herself, she recognized the difference between a beast and a demon in intelligence. This turtle’s observing behavior suggested it had become a demon. The twin sisters, not being demons, paid no attention, but Baifan couldn’t overlook it. Her thoughts amused her, and she chuckled. Huanri curiously asked, “Master, why are you laughing?” “Nothing, let’s name this turtle.” “How about Little Turtle?” Baifan nodded, thinking it was a simple yet fitting name, better than “Little King Turtle.” As they played happily, a paper crane flew over, landing gently in Baifan’s palm. “Huh, Master, this must be a message from the elder.” Examining the paper crane, it unfurled into a letter, indeed from Elder Sun. The message seemed written by someone else, instructing her to go to Elder Sun’s hall the next day for the new disciple initiation ceremony. After reading, the paper crane turned to ash, leaving no trace. Clearly, this sect was vastly different from rogue cultivators outside, using such magical items merely for communication. The next day, Baifan wore the Xuanming sect’s entry disciple attire, hung her storage pouch at her waist, and prepared to leave. Yingyue caught up to her. “Master, wait for me.” “Why are you coming? Shouldn’t you stay and guard the place?” “One person is enough for that. Today is your first time attending the ceremony; you might get lost or miss important details. Taking me will be much more convenient.” Baifan nodded, thinking she had a point. The twins, having grown up here, were undoubtedly more familiar with the place. On the way to the grand hall, Baifan saw many disciples from the Chongxuan Water faction and other new disciples like herself, some of whom looked around curiously, unlike Baifan who was followed by her little maid. Yingyue led Baifan to the grand hall but stopped outside, whispering in her ear, “Master, I can only take you this far. Inside is the grand hall. Just stand at the back and follow the others during the ceremony.” Baifan nodded and walked in. However, shortly after entering and thinking of finding a spot at the back, someone spoke sarcastically, “Is that shorty the one who got in through connections?” “Must be. Didn’t you see the little maid following him? Elder Sun specifically prepared that for the Sun family descendant.” “Pfft, thinking an old ancestor as an elder makes him special. Once in Xuanming, he’s just like the rest of us, nothing grand.” Baifan frowned, looking around and realizing she was indeed the shortest one. Those making sarcastic comments made her uncomfortable; after all, she hadn’t asked for any special treatment. Once everyone gathered, Elder Sun entered slowly, and the hall quieted, with only the sound of breathing remaining. The new disciple initiation ceremony was rather simple. Baifan followed the other new disciples, performing the rites and following the procedures meticulously. Afterwards, she leisurely exited the hall, where Elder Sun quickly wrapped up with a few words and left, much to some disciples' disappointment—they hoped for personal guidance from him. Lucky disciples might be chosen as personal disciples, as some were right after the ceremony. The remaining ones had to learn independently or seek advice from seniors. Upon exiting, Baifan was stopped by three new disciples. “Well, well, isn’t this the Sun family’s young master? Didn’t your old ancestor take you as a personal disciple? Guess you’re not that special after all.” Baifan gave them an indignant look. Not being taken as a personal disciple couldn’t possibly be a reason to berate her here. “Move aside.” “You think you can boss us around? How would we look if we just obeyed?” “I said move. Are you seriously trying to boost your self-esteem in front of me?” Using her physical strength, Baifan pushed them aside, making the three boys of similar age fall to the ground. They quickly got up, furious and ready to fight. “How dare you push us? Let's get him, brothers!” Baifan’s cultivation had been sealed by the Sun family, and now she relied on her mortal body. Engaged in a fistfight with the boys, her competitive spirit flared, trading punches and causing each other injuries. As they scuffled, more disciples gathered to watch. Finally, someone intervened. “What’s going on here?” Seeing the four fighting, the person’s eyes flared up in anger. “Is this how you behave on your initiation day? You haven’t even left the hall, and you’re already fighting. Do you not want to stay in Xuanming?” The reprimand made them stop, standing up shakily. Besides Baifan’s scratched lips, the others had bruised faces, and Baifan, having sprained her ankle, stood unsteadily. “Follow me.” Baifan took a deep breath and spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood. She rubbed her cheek, realizing this was her first time involved in a group fight, and against three opponents no less. The fact that the three were more injured than she was filled her with a sense of pride. The boys, their faces bruised and swollen, glared at Baifan. Their mix of anger and discomfort made them look particularly amusing, and Baifan couldn’t help but flash a bright, sunny smile, revealing a row of pristine white teeth. “What are you smiling about? All of you, follow me to the Punishment Hall.” With that, the four of them were led away under the watchful eyes of the other disciples. Yingyue ran over frantically, her worry evident as she watched Baifan limp along, fretting in circles. Inside the Punishment Hall, the four knelt on round cushions. A senior disciple with a stern face loomed over them, holding a disciplinary whip. This whip left no marks but caused excruciating pain, a single lash enough to make any junior disciple suffer for weeks. Being new, the four had no idea about the severity of this disciplinary whip. “You lot are causing trouble on your first day. Do you want to stay in Xuanming or not?” “We do.” Their responses varied in tone, but they all answered. The senior disciple, Sun Xi, was a direct disciple of Elder Sun’s first disciple. Knowing Baifan’s background and the altered entry list did not faze him. His loyalties were now firmly with Xuanming. “If you want to stay, you shouldn’t be fighting at the hall’s entrance. It’s only because it’s your first offense that you aren’t being expelled. Each of you will take one whip lash without dodging. If you breach the rules again, you will be expelled.” “Yes.” With a sharp crack, the sound of the disciplinary whip rang out in the hall. Four quick strikes, and none of them held up; all fainted from the pain. Even Baifan, with her sturdy body, couldn’t withstand it. She managed not to faint immediately, but as she passed out, the seal on her cultivation started to loosen. Sun Xi looked at the four unconscious juniors, sighing deeply. Indeed, youth was often accompanied by reckless vigor, he thought, remembering his own early days. Holding the whip, Sun Xi addressed the other disciples, “When they wake up, have them copy the Purifying Heart Chant a thousand times. They cannot leave until it’s complete. Provide them one meal of plain rice a day so they don’t get too comfortable. Call me when they show signs of genuine repentance.” “Yes.” In a daze, Baifan dreamed of a burning pain in her back as if branded by a hot iron. When she groggily opened her eyes, she heard the groans of pain around her. Struggling through the pain, she managed to sit up, noticing the boys glaring at her. Their eyes were full of defiance, possibly gearing up for another attack, but Baifan’s condition was visibly better. She glanced at them nonchalantly, causing them to shrink back in fear. “What? Scared now?” Her casual remark made the tallest of the three tremble. He seemed ready to charge but collapsed back in pain as soon as he lifted his arm. ***** Thank you to all the angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solutions~ Special thanks to the angels who provided [Nutrient Solutions]: Mingjing, 10 bottles; Rightarrow, 9 bottles; Thank you so much for your support, I will work hard to continue! Previous Chapter Table of Contents Next Chapter