The moment Li Qingyun stepped through the door, the clear and lovely girl in white cast a sidelong glance at him, her gaze holding a touch of curiosity, a touch of languid pride, and cold aloofness.
Faintly, she regarded him from a lofty, overlooking stance.
He sensed a cool ruthlessness and unrestrained freedom in her eyes. That gaze was not an ordinary appraisal, but carried a kind of scrutiny, even pickiness.
Her features are like a painting, but alas, she seems innately cold-hearted...
His heart stirred, and he immediately lowered his head slightly.
He looked as though the beauty of the young Daoist girl had dazzled him so thoroughly that he dared not meet her gaze.
A little bashful, a little shy—entirely fitting for a sixteen-year-old boy.
Having grown up in a marquis's residence as deep as the sea, Li Qingyun had long mastered the necessary "acting." Showing a little of a young man's natural longing for beauty now, he did so without the slightest flaw.
"Giggle!"
Seeing his reaction, the lovely girl grew a little more interested and let out a soft laugh. The chill in her eyes lessened somewhat.
Lin Wanjin nodded to the girl with a hint of respect, then quietly reminded Li Qingyun:
"This is Senior Sister Lu Liqian, Master Lu's beloved daughter. Junior Brother, do not slight her in the future!"
Li Qingyun nodded faintly.
He committed the name to memory.
Yet his intuition told him that it would be best not to grow close to this Senior Sister Lu Liqian if he could avoid it.
"You are Li Qingyun, aren't you? Follow the custom—offer a cup of tea, collect the Qi Absorption Art, then leave..."
At that moment, the middle-aged Daoist priest seated in the center of the grand hall spoke lazily as he toyed with the gleaming jade ruler in his hand.
From Lin Wanjin's introduction, Li Qingyun knew that this middle-aged Daoist priest was his nominal master, Lu Nanling, the Record Keeper of Lingbao Temple.
Lu Nanling wore a dark black Daoist robe embroidered with golden thread. He was handsome, his fair skin seeming to glow, his eyes filled with spirit, and his bearing dignified.
Yet when he looked at Li Qingyun, this bargain disciple of his, Lu Nanling's expression and tone were exceedingly casual, almost indifferent.
As the highly esteemed Record Keeper of Lingbao Temple, he was naturally somewhat impatient at having to waste time meeting a "useless" disciple.
To accumulate resources for his daughter's Dao foundation, every year he gave away all ten Dao Affinity Tokens within his authority, collecting a heap of bargain disciples.
To Lu Nanling's Spiritual Eye, the youth in the hall was clearly deficient in both blood and qi, with exhausted essence and drained spirit. His Three Treasures were dim and withered; he was even worse than the bargain disciples Lu Nanling had accepted before.
He thought to himself, Years ago, when I traveled through Qinghe County searching for Qingyang Fish, Marquis Qinghe invited me to test this young lord of the marquis's residence for innate aptitude. This boy did not possess the slightest Dao Bone Spiritual Root. Now that I see him again, he is even more wretched—he cannot even restrain his desires...
If not for the cartload of superior Dan Sha and the two Qingyang Fish Marquis Qinghe had sent a few days ago, Lu Nanling could not even be bothered to meet him. He would have simply stuffed Li Qingyun into the servant courtyard to work.
After all, illegitimate sons and daughters like Li Qingyun, who had a bit of family background, mostly came to the mountain gates merely to idle away their days. Hoping that they would enter the path of cultivation in the future and bring glory to their families was undoubtedly wildly unrealistic.
These mortals racked their brains to squeeze into the mountain gates of every great Daoist temple. Was it not simply because they wished to escape demons, ghosts, spirits, and monsters, find themselves a patron, and seek peace for the rest of their lives?
"Junior Brother Li, quickly offer tea to Master. From now on, you and I will be fellow disciples before Master Lu!"
Lin Wanjin handed Li Qingyun a cup of hot tea, signaling for him to step forward and offer it to Lu Nanling.
It seemed that this Senior Brother Lin was accustomed to such things and knew his master Lu Nanling's temperament and ways well.
Li Qingyun's handsome face turned solemn as he accepted the teacup.
He did not take Lu Nanling's attitude to heart.
Maintaining a respectful posture, he carried the tea forward and bowed to Lu Nanling, whose demeanor was idle and whose gaze drifted somewhat.
"Disciple Li Qingyun pays respects to Master Lu!"
After saying that, he hesitated briefly, then prepared to kneel in worship.
Since he had come to acknowledge a master and observe a disciple's rites, he should kneel, should he not?
It was only by using Lu Nanling's Dao Affinity Token that he had entered the temple. From now on, he counted as part of Master Lu's lineage.
But his body suddenly stalled. He felt a force as soft as clouds surge before him, supporting him and halting his kneeling motion.
At the same time, his hand became empty. The cup of hot tea had vanished without a trace, and when he looked, it was already in Lu Nanling's hand.
Lu Nanling casually took a sip of tea, then waved a hand and said with a faint smile:
"There is no need to kneel! Since you entered the temple holding my Dao Affinity Token, you should know some things already."
This Record Keeper Lu was rather forthright and candid.
"Demons, ghosts, spirits, and monsters run rampant in this world. Too many people wish to take refuge within Daoist forests and mountain gates, seeking protection. I distribute ten Dao Affinity Tokens every year as gifts to those with affinity. However, this is merely a shallow tie, and it ends here..."
"When you have truly achieved something in cultivation and condensed one furnace of dharma power, it will not be too late for us to become master and disciple again..."
Hearing Lu Nanling's words, which he could not even be bothered to disguise, Li Qingyun came to a realization.
This Dao Affinity Token, obtained so "easily," truly carried no weight at all!
A bargain master was not so easily acknowledged!
But on second thought, Li Qingyun also found relief in it.
A Daoist master like this is better off not having. It will spare me future karmic entanglements...
He understood and accepted Lu Nanling's meaning.
Since childhood, Daoists from Daoist temples large and small around Qinghe County had tested him, including those of Lingbao Temple. They had determined that he possessed neither the so-called Dao Bone nor Spiritual Root.
In cultivation, he was a complete good-for-nothing, incapable of achieving anything.
Being able to enter Lingbao Temple using a Dao Affinity Token that Lu Nanling had carelessly handed out to gather wealth, and thereby seek peace for half his life, was already fortunate.
As a cultivation good-for-nothing, how could he ask for more?
As for the one furnace of dharma power Lu Nanling had mentioned, Li Qingyun had gathered some common knowledge about cultivation while in the marquis's residence. He knew that one furnace was the minimum standard universally recognized by the sects of this world for entering cultivation, signifying one's formal step into the Qi Refining Realm.
"This disciple takes his leave..."
Having thought it through, Li Qingyun did not drag his feet. Keeping his hands clasped in salute, he slowly retreated several steps.
Then he stood firm as a pine, yet did not leave.
Give me the Precious Furnace Qi Absorption Art already. Wasn't there supposed to be a copy of the essential formula as well?
He muttered inwardly.
"Giggle, this little junior brother is rather interesting! Father, he is afraid you will not give him that Precious Furnace Qi Absorption Art!"
The enchanting girl before the jade table could not help laughing. Her laughter was like clear bells, exceedingly pleasing to the ear.
Her gemstone-bright eyes revealed a trace of interest as she once again examined Li Qingyun's figure and appearance.
She felt that aside from having indulged too excessively in lust, the young man's looks and bearing were rather good.
In particular, that frail and restrained yet seemingly somewhat stubborn youthful air stirred an unusual ripple in her heart, like pity, yet also like another kind of...
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