Registered Disciple

Little Bug silently thought, I have to keep this Heavenly Corpse Sect senior's mind occupied. I can't let him have time to think about Little Cold Mountain.

With an innocent look, he asked, "Senior, since you command flying yakshas, why not have the two yakshas carry a sedan chair? Wouldn't that be far more comfortable than flying like this?"

Sun Yougui gave a cold snort, then was taken aback. That's right. Why haven't I made a sedan chair for the two yakshas to carry?

Since ancient times, many things had become so commonplace that no one ever stopped to wonder why they could not be changed.

Cultivators who flew through the sky and burrowed through the earth simply used whatever was available. No one had ever considered comfort. Reminded by Wang Chong's casual remark, Sun Yougui pondered it for a long while and found the idea entirely feasible.

He lavishly praised Wang Chong. "I never expected you to come up with such an ingenious, unconventional idea. When we get back, this elder will reward you with an intact corpse."

Little Bug's face turned awkward, and he shut his mouth. Just as Father said, these immortal practitioners of the evil path all have strange tempers. They cannot be judged by common sense.

Having learned his lesson, he no longer tried to curry favor with Sun Yougui and instead closed his eyes to refine his qi.

That night, the two again camped in a desolate mountain. Sun Yougui ordered the flying yakshas to chop down thick trees, and after spending half the night at it, they truly fashioned a crude sedan chair.

Because the barren mountain had no cloth, the sedan chair had no curtains and could only be called a "large carrying chair."

Sun Yougui at least remembered Wang Chong. The carrying chair had two seats: his own was broad and comfortable, while the seat he gave Wang Chong was narrow and cramped.

At daybreak, they set off together. Sitting on the carrying chair, Wang Chong felt wind rushing in from both sides, while the single layer of cloth beneath his backside swayed back and forth. It was less stable than sitting on a flying yaksha's back. He could not stop complaining, but it was too late for regrets.

After traveling for several days, they arrived at Mystic Mountain, which had been mentioned in the stories Wang Chong's father had made up, and descended from the sky.

Sun Yougui left Wang Chong where he was and flew off to scout the surroundings. Before long, he returned with an excited expression and cried, "I saw Xiao Nan. He is still here, so he must not have succeeded yet."

Little Bug's heart eased slightly. How can I ask Master Xiao for help and escape this fiend's control?

He was ultimately only a twelve-year-old child and had never experienced any great events. Though his father had taught him many strange and unusual principles, he had not truly absorbed them.

At a loss for what to do, he could only try his best not to say a word and make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

Yet Sun Yougui was in high spirits and kept questioning him about the details of Red Staff Immortal's hidden treasures. Little Bug did everything he could to handle the questioning. By the time Sun Yougui felt there was nothing more to ask and went to fiddle with the "sedan chair," Little Bug's back was soaked in cold sweat, and his palms were wet as well.

This won't do. I need to find a way to get away.

Just as he racked his brains for a way to survive, a threadlike glint of cold light flew in from the distant sky and landed atop a high peak. A young man in flowing white robes stood there, gazing into the distance.

Little Bug recognized Xiao Nan, but with Sun Yougui at his side, he did not dare make any move. He could only put on an anxious expression, hoping Xiao Nan would notice something.

When Sun Yougui had been scouting about earlier, he had seen the thatched cottage where Xiao Nan lived in seclusion. Naturally, Xiao Nan had also seen this fourth elder of the Heavenly Corpse Sect.

He had not known why Sun Yougui had come, but upon seeing Wang Chong, he understood. This child must have let something slip and been overheard, drawing such a vicious man here.

Sun Yougui is an elder of the Heavenly Corpse Sect. His cultivation far surpasses Old Demon Luo's, and I am not yet his match. But this child has a certain affinity with me. I must save him somehow.

Sun Yougui sneered and shouted with gathered qi, "Xiao Nan, sneaking about so furtively, what sort of righteous orthodox sect are you? If you have the guts, come closer and take a look."

Xiao Nan smiled faintly and called back, "I would be disrespectful to refuse."

Riding a clear radiance, he indeed flew over and landed before Sun Yougui. He even greeted Wang Chong, asking, "How did you end up with Elder Sun?"

Little Bug glanced at Sun Yougui. Seeing that he did not stop him, he recounted everything exactly as it had happened.

Xiao Nan said, "You risked yourself to save another. That is worthy of praise. For that alone, I will accept you as a registered disciple."

Xiao Nan clasped his hands toward Sun Yougui and said, "May I ask whether Elder Sun is willing to return my disciple to me?"

Xiao Nan, too, was a man who had faced formidable enemies and weathered many storms.

With Wang Chong in Sun Yougui's hands, he needed a reasonable excuse to ask for him.

Wang Chong had already made a favorable impression on him. Now, since the boy had risked himself to save another, Xiao Nan simply accepted him as a registered disciple, leaving Sun Yougui with no grounds to refuse.

Sun Yougui sneered and pondered for a long while. This little brat has already said nearly everything he can say. Keeping him serves no great purpose.

Besides, Xiao Nan is seeking Red Staff Immortal's hidden treasures. I can watch from the side, and once he finds any treasure, I can seize it. Whether this child is here or not makes little difference.

The various cultivation sects all attached great importance to the inheritance between master and disciple. Since Xiao Nan had declared Wang Chong his registered disciple, if Sun Yougui killed him or refused to release him, Xiao Nan would have an excuse to come and fight. Sun Yougui was not afraid, but he feared it would delay his treasure hunt.

After pondering for a long while, Sun Yougui smiled. "Your disciple shall be returned to you."

Little Bug reacted swiftly. The instant Sun Yougui spoke, he spread his little legs and ran to Xiao Nan's side, clutching tightly at him.

Xiao Nan smiled faintly, took Wang Chong by the arm, waved at Sun Yougui, then rode the clear radiance into the air. After passing around several mountain peaks, he descended before a thatched cottage.

Xiao Nan said, "Though I accepted you in haste to save you, since I promised to take you as a registered disciple, I will not be stingy. I will certainly teach you the profound sword arts of our school."

"How has the Primordial Sword Formula you learned from Zhu Ying been progressing?"

He had not held much expectation. After all, it had only been a little over half a month since he had parted from Wang Chong and the others. The Primordial Sword Formula was, at any rate, a direct inheritance of the Five-Terrace Sect. How could one achieve anything in it so easily?

Little Bug thought, Zhu Ying said countless times that he regretted concealing his cultivation. I must do my utmost to show what I can do, so that Master Xiao will value me.

He immediately said, "I have already visualized all the sword formula talismans and opened one aperture of the spirit."

Xiao Nan had always been calm and detached, bearing himself like an otherworldly master and every inch the sword immortal. Yet upon hearing those words, he could no longer maintain his composure and shouted, "How can this child boast so wildly?"

"Though our lineage does not observe the rites and laws of the worldly realm, we still require our disciples to be proper people. They must not speak recklessly and utter such absurd nonsense."

Afraid that his master would be angered and cast him out, Little Bug hurriedly raised his hand toward a stone from afar and honestly demonstrated, one by one, the functions of all twenty-eight Heaven-Mixing Talismans.

At the sight, even Xiao Nan, despite his profound cultivation and excellent composure, could not help staring in stunned disbelief. In just over ten days, this child has cultivated the sword formula to such a level. Is he not a prodigy of the sword path?