Taking a Master

A gentle breeze stirred through the garden, and the flowers swayed. The family of three waited for quite a while, nervous beyond measure, but in the end, nothing unexpected happened. The legendary immortal never appeared either. Father and son both looked suspiciously at Xue Erniang. Her face flushed red as she said awkwardly, "I wasn't making it up. These were truly the words passed down through my family generation after generation."

"Are you a descendant of Xue Daniu?" As the three stared at the broken jade on the ground, an unfamiliar yet timeworn voice came from behind them. Startled, they turned around. An elderly man with silver hair and a youthful face, kind features, a fly-whisk in hand, and white robes stood there smiling at the family of three.

"Ah..." The three froze. Yue Qianchou reacted the fastest, thinking, He looks this badass, exactly like they do on TV. If he isn't an immortal, then ghosts must be real. He was the first to drop to his knees with a thud. With their son taking the lead, the couple also knelt without another word. Xue Erniang answered, "Xue Erniu was this humble woman's great-grandfather."

"Hehe! Since you are the descendants of an old friend, there is no need for such ceremony. Rise, all of you!" the old man said with a smile. After the three stood up timidly, the old man asked again, "May I ask why you summoned this old man here?"

The family of three looked at one another, not knowing how to begin. Yue Qianchou gritted his teeth, dropped to his knees, and said, "I beg you, Immortal Elder, to accept me as your disciple and take me away to cultivate immortality."

"Get up and speak." The old man raised a hand. Yue Qianchou thought, Damn it! You haven't agreed yet. Can I get up now? It seems that in ancient times, people had to kneel when taking a master until the other person agreed. Thinking this, he naturally remained kneeling.

The old man gave him a meaningful look. Yue Qianchou's heart skipped a beat as he thought, No way! Can he see what I'm thinking too?

The immortal paced about and sighed. "Xue Daniu once did me a favor. When I left back then, I calculated that his descendants would suffer the calamity of having their family line cut off. Thus, I left behind this Spiritually Connected Jade Pendant. I had originally intended to repay his kindness by resolving this calamity for the Xue Family. But now, it seems... alas!" He shook his head, then continued while looking at Yue Qianchou, "Young man, it is not that I wish to belittle you, but your innate bones are exceptionally poor. Immortal cultivation simply does not suit you. Even if I took you back to the mountain, you would have no future whatsoever. Think this through carefully. Why not make another request instead?"

After hearing the old immortal's words, Yue Changgui and his wife felt that they made perfect sense. They looked at their son with worried expressions as well.

Fuck! This old fellow had so much nonsense to say, but in the end he just wanted to welsh on the deal. Another request? What haven't I played with before? Do you think anything besides immortals in this shithole could attract me? Such a good opportunity—if I let it slip away, where would I ever find another? Damn it! I'm not changing it. Let's see whose skin is thicker. That was what Yue Qianchou thought. He said nothing, deliberately stared blankly at the shattered jade on the ground, then bowed down and stayed motionless.

Yue Qianchou's actions made it plain that he did not want to change his request. Seeing their son like this, the couple feared that the old immortal would be unable to save face, yet they did not know whether they should speak.

The old man frowned, secretly thinking that this brat truly did not know good from bad. Some displeasure entered his voice as he said, "Since you are unwilling to change it, I shall keep my promise. However, due to my status, I cannot accept you as my disciple. But I can choose another fine master for you. Are you willing?"

Forget it. I can't push this old fellow too far. If I anger him and he pats his butt and leaves, it'll all be over. Yue Qianchou hurriedly knocked his head against the ground again and again. "I'm willing, I'm willing."

"Then let us go!" The old man swept his broad sleeve. Yue Qianchou had only just risen and was about to bid his parents farewell when he suddenly could not move at all. Darkness fell over his eyes, and he could see nothing. All he heard was the wind whistling by his ears, and he could not help cursing the old immortal's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart.

In the garden, after the couple watched the two vanish before their eyes, they were dumbfounded. Then they understood that their son had already been taken away by the old immortal...

Upon Qingguang Mountain stood Qingguang Sect,

Where immortal traces hid amid clouds and mist.

A blessed land of endless joy beneath heaven,

Where one wished to dwell for all one's life.

Qingguang Mountain stood roughly a thousand zhang high and stretched across several thousand li. The mountain was high and precipitous, its foothills thick with forests where wild beasts roamed everywhere. It was a place rarely visited by human beings. What the world did not know was that the summit held an entirely different vista. Qingguang Sect, a sect of considerable strength in the Cultivation World, stood atop the mountain.

A streak of light flashed through the sky and landed before Qingguang Sect's mountain gate. Yue Qianchou's body relaxed, and light returned before his eyes. After being stifled for so long, he could finally see again. Looking around, he found himself already atop a mountain. Halfway down lay a sea of clouds and mist, while the entire summit was shrouded in a hazy layer of green light. Yue Qianchou thought, What a heavenly paradise on earth. It really does look like the place where immortals live.

"Follow me!" the old man beside him called softly. Young Master Yue hurriedly followed. The two young attendants guarding the gate saw the old man and bowed together. "Greetings, Sect Master!" The old man nodded and gave a faint grunt. Yue Qianchou was startled, his little heart pounding wildly as he thought, Good heavens, he's the sect master! That's incredible! So this old fellow is the big boss too. He and I were in the same line of work in my previous life—we were both leaders! He hastily followed after him.

Many people bowed to the old man along the way. Yue Qianchou followed him into a great hall. The hall, built of carved wood and cut stone, was vast, majestic, and resplendent with gold and jade. The boy muttered inwardly again, If this place were developed into a tourist attraction in my previous life, its uniquely blessed natural scenery alone would make a fortune. Hmm! The mountain is too high. First, they'd need to build a cable car up to the summit.

After Yue Qianchou followed the old man into the great hall, quite a few other Old Fellows rose from their meditation cushions and saluted him. "Sect Master Brother!" The old man smiled at both sides, then walked straight to the chief cushion in the center and sat down. Yue Qianchou obediently stood at his side. The others sat down as well, but all of them kept staring at Yue Qianchou and sizing him up.

The old man explained with a smile, "A hundred years ago, I owed someone in Swallow City a debt of gratitude for saving my life. Now his descendant has come to me, wishing to join Qingguang Sect and cultivate. To repay that debt, I had no choice but to bring this young man up the mountain. To tell the truth, his innate bones are exceptionally poor. He is simply unfit for cultivation. I wonder which junior brother would be willing to give me some face and casually take him in. It would be fine even if he merely stayed under you and handled odd jobs."

Fuck! This old bastard actually said that about me. He didn't give me even a shred of face in front of so many people! He even wanted me to do chores. Just wait! One day, I'll tear your lousy Qingguang Sect apart... Yue Qianchou cursed endlessly in his heart, but he did not dare show the slightest hint of it on his face. He still understood the saying: under someone else's eaves, one had no choice but to lower one's head.

But judging by the bunch of old fellows in the hall, hardly any of them thought highly of him. No one was willing to accept him as a disciple. After a long silence, a slovenly old fellow seated at the very back stood up and said, "Then let him follow me! I don't have any disciples anyway."

The sect master's expression had gradually darkened, but now he finally smiled. "I have troubled you, Junior Brother! Why don't you hurry over and pay respects to your master?" His last sentence was directed at Yue Qianchou beside him.

Yue Qianchou hurriedly ran over, knocked his head against the ground three times before the slovenly old fellow, and said, "This disciple, Yue Qianchou, greets Master!"

The old man smiled, told him to rise, then said to the sect master, "Sect Master Brother! I'll take him back first, then." The sect master nodded. The group all congratulated him on taking in such a fine disciple. The old man merely smiled and shook his head before leading Yue Qianchou away. Yue Qianchou cursed inwardly, A bunch of bastards who deserve to die!