Ask-Dao City, early morning.
Chen Xian pushed open the door. The cool air rushed in, clearing his mind considerably after a sleepless night.
Behind him, Yu Qiao'er had changed into an elegant blue silk dress. He had had the innkeeper buy it in a hurry that morning.
Yu Qiao'er's original clothes were little better than a sheer veil. They were not only indecent, but also left her vulnerable to the cold.
"Not bad, not bad. You look just like a refined young lady."
Chen Xian looked over Yu Qiao'er's outfit with satisfaction.
With the grime washed away, the girl had lost some of the alluring charm of a courtesan's companion and gained the purity of an orchid blooming in a secluded valley.
Yu Qiao'er lowered her head, twisting the hem of her dress tightly between her hands. Every step she took was cautious, as though she feared the sound of her footsteps might displease Chen Xian.
Chen Xian knew she would need time to adjust, so he said nothing more.
In the rear courtyard of the Like-a-Dream Inn.
"Gr... Great-Granduncle, who... who is this young lady?"
Jian Shan had been rubbing his beloved Flying Boat with a cloth, yawning incessantly. When he looked up and saw Chen Xian emerge with a beautiful young woman, he was so startled that the cloth nearly slipped from his hand.
"Oh, this is Yu Qiao'er. The old man saw that she had an extraordinary Root Bone and likely some talent for cultivation, so I'm bringing her back to the sect to take a look."
Chen Xian's tone was calm.
"Bringing her back to the sect?"
Duan Cui had just come out of a side room. When he heard this, his honest face instantly turned beet red, and he stammered, "Great-Granduncle... this... this doesn't comply with the sect's rules, does it? Mortals have to wait for the sect's spring recruitment to go up the mountain..."
"The rules?"
Chen Xian shot him a sidelong glance. This kid was far too honest. "The old man is the rules."
Duan Cui was left speechless and didn't dare utter a word for a long while.
Lin Xiaoyan emerged from a side room. He also seemed to have been awake all night. He patted his foggy head and leaned against a pillar in the corridor, glancing at Yu Qiao'er. His eyes brightened for an instant.
What a beautiful girl... Where did Great-Granduncle find her? It looks like they even spent the night together!
"All right, stop standing around here and drawing attention. Jian Shan, your rickety boat can't carry this many people. If it's overloaded, we might fall out. Take the old man and Qiao'er on the Flying Boat."
Chen Xian waved a hand, then looked at Lin Xiaoyan. "Xiaoyan, take Duan Cui back on your flying sword. Once you're back at the sect, each of you can get on with your own business."
"Yes."
Lin Xiaoyan nodded, grabbed Duan Cui by the back of his collar, and shot straight into the air like a streak of ink. He didn't seem to exert any effort, but Duan Cui let out a pig-like squeal as they rose.
The sight made Yu Qiao'er tremble. Chen Xian patted her shoulder and said gently, "Come on. You'll ride the boat with the old man. There's no need to be afraid."
The three boarded the boat, and the Flying Boat soared into the sky, cutting through the clouds and mist.
Chen Xian pulled the Sound-Speed Jade Pendant from his robe. Lei Qingyang had specially left it for him to use as a means of contact.
He infused it with a thread of Dao Power, and the pendant lit up.
"Qing Yang, are you busy? The old man found a promising Talisman Dao talent at the foot of the mountain. She seems quite gifted, and I'm bringing her back to the sect now. Could you take a look when you have time?"
A moment later, the jade pendant trembled, and Lei Qingyang's steady voice came through, tinged with amusement. "If you ask, Great-Uncle, how could Qing Yang not have time? As it happens, Elder Leng Lingxue of Talisman Peak is at Sect Master Peak for a meeting today. Just bring her over."
Half an hour later, at the main hall of Sect Master Peak.
Clouds billowed, and immortal cranes cried out.
When the Flying Boat landed smoothly on the white-jade-paved plaza, two figures were already waiting there.
Chen Xian spotted Lei Qingyang at a glance. He stepped off the Flying Boat and walked over at an unhurried pace.
Lei Qingyang stood with his hands behind his back. Beside him stood a woman in a long ink-wash dress.
She looked to be in her early twenties, with skin as pale as frost and a coldness between her brows that kept everyone at arm's length.
On her back was a Dao Artifact of unknown grade: a translucent White Jade Brush. Her very presence radiated a sharp, scholarly air.
"Greetings, Great-Uncle." Lei Qingyang cupped his hands with a smile, then introduced her. "This is Elder Leng Lingxue of Talisman Peak."
"Great-Uncle, let me introduce her. Lingxue is a pillar of our sect's Talisman Peak. She's not even forty, yet she's already reached the Sixth Heaven of Dao Sect Realm and has a chance of attaining the Dao Venerable Realm!"
"Greetings, Great-Uncle. There's no need to take the Sect Master's praise to heart." Leng Lingxue cupped her hands in greeting as well. Her tone was cool and detached, but somehow it didn't feel unpleasant. It was as though that was simply how things ought to be.
Chen Xian smiled and nodded. "There's no need to be so formal."
He was quietly surprised. A Dao Sect cultivator at the Sixth Heaven before forty—her talent in Talisman Dao must be extraordinary!
Leng Lingxue inclined her head slightly, her tone as level as ever. "Which one is the promising talent Great-Granduncle mentioned?"
"Qiao'er, come here." Chen Xian beckoned.
Yu Qiao'er had never seen anything like this.
The grand main hall of the Sect Master, the unfathomable powerhouses before her, and the pressure they faintly exuded made her knees go weak.
She shrank toward Chen Xian's side and timidly bowed. "Qiao'er greets the senior."
Leng Lingxue said nothing. She raised a hand, and a transparent stone the size of a fist appeared.
"Put your hand on it, calm your mind, and don't resist." Her voice was as cold as crushed ice.
Yu Qiao'er looked to Chen Xian for help. He smiled and nodded.
The girl drew a deep breath, then tremblingly pressed her delicate hand against the Talisman Dao Stone.
In an instant, the entire Talisman Dao Stone seemed to awaken. Its patterns rippled, and a hazy white mist rose from it.
Yu Qiao'er's eyes gradually lost focus as she entered a strange state of meditation.
One breath, two...
After about thirty breaths, the Talisman Dao Stone suddenly burst into dazzling yellow light. The glow was so thick it seemed almost tangible, and faint music drifted from within it.
"She does indeed have upper-middle-grade talent in Talisman Dao, and her nature is pure. She's well suited to the Great Dao of Literature."
For the first time, Leng Lingxue's eternally icy expression showed clear surprise.
Talisman Dao cultivators were already rare, and those with talent in Talisman Dao were one in a hundred. Upper-middle-grade aptitude was rarer still.
The girl truly was a promising talent.
Leng Lingxue put away the Talisman Dao Stone and looked at Yu Qiao'er, who was still dazed. A little warmth entered her eyes. "Sect Master, Great-Uncle, I'll take this disciple."
"That's certainly good news." Chen Xian was satisfied.
"Great-Uncle really does have a discerning eye. You went down the mountain and came back with a promising talent." Lei Qingyang looked delighted.
Leng Lingxue addressed Yu Qiao'er. "Are you willing to join the Sword Sect and first become my nominal disciple? If you can break through to the Talisman Master Realm and enter the Inner Sect within a year, I'll formally take you as my personal disciple and pass on the True Talisman Dao Method to you."
Yu Qiao'er came to her senses as if waking from a dream. She didn't really understand terms like "Talisman Master" or "personal disciple," but she knew that if she joined the Sword Sect, her fate would be utterly transformed.
She would never have to return to that den of devils, the Qian Family!
"Thump!"
She fell heavily to her knees, tears spilling like pearls from a broken string. "Qiao'er is willing! Thank you, Master, for taking me in! Thank you, senior, for saving my life!"
She bowed to Leng Lingxue, then turned around and kowtowed three times to Chen Xian, each bow forceful and resounding.
Her forehead struck the white-jade floor with a dull thud. When she raised her head again, it was already bruised and swollen.
Everyone was startled. This girl was surely one who knew how to repay kindness.
"Ouch! What are you doing? All right, that's enough. From now on, you'll be a cultivator. The old man doesn't go in for these mortal formalities."
Chen Xian chuckled and hurriedly helped her up, his eyes filled with a senior's affection. "Cultivate well from now on, and try to enter the Inner Sect as soon as you can. Don't bring shame on the old man."
"Mm! Qiao'er will give it everything she has. I won't let you or Master down!"
Yu Qiao'er nodded firmly, unable to stop her tears from streaming down her face.
Leng Lingxue acted swiftly and decisively.
"Sect Master, Great-Uncle, I'll take my leave." With the matter of the promising talent settled, she bowed once to Lei Qingyang and Chen Xian, then swept her sleeve and took Yu Qiao'er with her, vanishing among the mountains like a streak of drifting cloud.
Watching the distant streak of light, Chen Xian stroked his white beard and sighed inwardly. In the space of a single night, Yu Qiao'er's fate had changed completely.
Last night, she had been a courtesan's companion, left to be trampled by anyone. Today, she had become the nominal disciple of a powerful Dao Sect cultivator.
"Great-Uncle truly has a discerning eye," Lei Qingyang praised from beside him.
Chen Xian turned his gaze back and looked at Lei Qingyang with a faint smile. "Qing Yang, let's skip the pleasantries. I learned quite a bit about the Qian Family on this trip down the mountain."
Lei Qingyang's expression turned serious. He gestured toward the hall. "Great-Uncle, let's discuss it inside."