Little Ling'e

Little Ling'e

Clang—

Clang—

The melodious tolling of a bell drifted back and forth among the clouds. As the center of the Three Thousand Worlds, the Primordial Five Continents welcomed another morning. The Sun Star rose in the east, and the myriad stars retreated from the heavens.

In the northwest of the Eastern Continent of Divine Grace, near the Central Divine Continent, an inconspicuous corner held a smooth, translucent grand formation like an overturned glazed bowl, enveloping several dozen verdant peaks.

Under the sunlight, the formation wall refracted faint seven-colored radiance, while visible streams of spiritual energy drifted back and forth within it.

Among the mountains, immortal birds and spirit beasts frolicked; amid the clouds and mist, figures occasionally flashed past like startled swans.

Wisps of smoke rose gently, and strands of string music drifted down.

In the clearings beside pavilions in the woods, quite a few figures sat cross-legged, breathing and cultivating, soaring and dancing, forming a picturesque scene of an immortal mountain.

With the morning light, a white cloud slowly drifted over from the Eastern Sea, flying straight toward the grand formation.

Two figures stood upon the cloud, one tall and one short. The taller was an elderly Daoist with graying hair, accompanied by an elegant little girl who looked eight or nine years old.

As the white cloud drifted, so did his heart. With the clear breeze at his side, why should he worry?

The old Daoist began to sing aloud:

"Hongmeng opened, and came the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation; ten thousand yuan and a thousand kalpas passed in the blink of an eye.

No immortal terrace or ascension pavilion remains in sight, only songs of the Nine Splendors of the High Heavens.

Ferry others and oneself across the Nether River, laugh at men and gods to dispel calamities.

Why do you cling to your homeland? Our forebears broke their bones to win this destiny.

Ling'e, listen carefully!

After the ancient War of the Ancients, the Heavenly Dao greatly favored the Human Race. We Human Race Qi Refiners gradually occupied most lands apart from the Northern Julu Continent, spreading throughout the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds and countless Minor Worlds. Yet the Southern Buzhou Continent is where the Human Race's destiny lies, so our comings and goings are restricted there.

This place is the Eastern Continent of Divine Grace, one of the finest places for cultivation in the Three Realms.

Ling'e, look at those immortal mountains ahead. Aren't they splendid and brimming with spiritual grace?"

The little girl obediently nodded. Her bright, spirited eyes blinked softly, and her still-round babyish face wore a smile full of anticipation.

She answered in a voice like a fledgling bird's first cry, sweet and pleasant, though tinged with a little timidity. "Mm, they're very grand!"

"To occupy a Spirit Vein near the Central Divine Continent, our sect's strength must be incredibly formidable!"

The old Daoist stroked his beard with satisfaction and smiled. In his pride, he did not forget to flick his fly whisk.

The little girl in her lotus-patterned skirt asked softly, "Then, Master, why don't we occupy a Spirit Vein in the Central Divine Continent?"

The old Daoist was immediately stumped. He gave an awkward laugh. "There are too many formidable people in the Central Divine Continent. Occupying a Spirit Vein there would leave us restless every day. It is better to be peaceful and at ease here...

Ling'e."

The little girl formally clasped her hands and lowered her head. "This disciple is here!"

"Today, I am bringing you into this immortal sect. From now on, you must cultivate diligently and not slack off in the slightest. Strive to achieve success early, embark on the immortal path, seek longevity, and obtain that Dao Fruit of Freedom!"

The little girl tilted her head and asked quietly, "But, Master... have you become an immortal?"

"Cough!" The old Daoist covered his mouth and coughed. "I made some mistakes in my cultivation years ago, but I should become an immortal within the next ten or twenty years.

Come, follow me into the formation.

Remember this: our lineage is called the Du Xian Sect. Our founding patriarch was True Lord Du'e of Western Kunlun, a renowned figure on the current List of Immortals and Gods. The Dao lineage he passed down is the Supreme Heavenly Dao of One Breath, an exceedingly profound Method of Longevity!

Do you remember it all? This will be the foundation of your identity from now on, so you must not forget it."

"Mm! This disciple remembers everything!"

The little girl nodded very seriously. The old Daoist flicked his fly whisk, guided the white cloud slowly toward the formation ahead, and took out a palm-sized jade talisman.

The jade talisman flashed with a gentle green glow, and the Mountain Protecting Grand Formation slowly split open a gap, allowing the old Daoist to enter with the little girl on the cloud.

Just as the master and disciple entered the formation, several white cranes swooped down from the clouds. A few young men and women in Daoist robes and colorful skirts stood atop them; they were disciples assigned to patrol the mountains.

They came forward to greet the old Daoist, addressing him as "Uncle-Master Qi Yuan." After learning that the little girl was his newly accepted disciple, they rode away atop their white cranes with carefree grace.

The little girl's large eyes sparkled as they reflected the backs of the two graceful female disciples.

"Master, when will Ling'e be able to ride an Immortal Crane through the sky?"

"Once you cultivate the Five Energies Within the Chest, you will naturally be able to travel through Object Manipulation," Old Daoist Qi Yuan said with a smile, stroking his beard. "You see Immortal Cranes, but they are actually magical artifacts. Do not rush. Cultivation must be taken slowly.

I will first take you back to our peak and handle the various matters of your admission.

Though our lineage currently consists of only the three of us, master and disciples, we still have a mountain peak all to ourselves within the sect. That is truly an immense honor."

As Qi Yuan spoke of this, a trace of pride appeared on his weathered old face.

But the little girl was not focused on having a mountain all to themselves at all. She counted on her fingers.

Three people?

"Master, but there are only two of us."

"Oh? Didn't I tell you on the way here? Look at this memory of mine."

Old Daoist Qi Yuan looked up at a few white clouds drifting through the sky and casually said, "You have an elder brother. I accepted him as a disciple a hundred years ago, and now he could be considered... mm, a talented man capable of standing on his own.

It's just, hehehe..."

The little girl rose onto her tiptoes. "Master, your smile is so strange."

"Ling'e, you must remember this," Qi Yuan said, lowering his head to look at the precious disciple he had just picked up from a Great Thousand World. His expression became solemn, light gleamed in his eyes, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to form two large words—

Stern.

The little girl was exceptionally gifted and quite clever and Lingli. From a young age, she had understood etiquette and possessed broad knowledge. Seeing her master so serious, she immediately straightened up and listened attentively.

The old Daoist suddenly sighed softly, as though he had lost all strength, and said in a low voice, "Your eldest senior brother also had some problems while cultivating. He often speaks nonsense and has some crooked, unorthodox ideas.

You may seek his guidance in cultivation from now on, but whatever you do, do not listen to his teachings about how to conduct yourself!

I will focus on teaching you how to deal with people and handle matters."

The little girl blinked. Though she did not quite understand, she still obediently nodded and replied:

"Mm! This disciple understands!"

Only then did the old Daoist let out a slight sigh of relief. He lightly waved his fly whisk toward the front.

"Look, that is our Lesser Qiong Peak."

Following the tip of the fly whisk, they saw a somewhat underdeveloped little hill tucked between several towering peaks.

Unlike the scenes elsewhere in the sect, where carved beams and painted rafters hid among the trees and soaring-eaved pagodas hung from sharp summits, this hill was plainer and simpler, like a place few visited in ordinary times.

Many rare birds and animals could be seen amid the dense forest. Its only buildings were two thatched cottages beside a small lake halfway up the mountain, along with several Herb Gardens beside them.

The old Daoist looked utterly content as he guided the white cloud straight down to the mountainside with the little girl, passing through another simple formation.

The formation here only blocked outside investigation. Due to the Du Xian Sect's Sect Rules, within the Mountain Protecting Grand Formation, only the forbidden area in the back mountain was allowed to have a Grand Protection Array.

When they landed in front of the thatched cottages, the white cloud dispersed on its own.

The little girl's Cloth boots stepped onto the short grass still wet with dew, soft and tender beneath her feet. The fragrance of grass and trees arrived with the breeze, and she could not help becoming intoxicated by the lake and mountain scenery. Her pink little lips let out a soft cry of admiration.

The mountain sunlight had only just fallen upon the scene, and the little lake shimmered with rippling light.

Several spirit fish leaped from the water, trailing glittering droplets as though greeting the newly arrived little Qi Refiner.

The old Daoist watched his young disciple's reaction with a smile, then called out brightly, "Changshou, why don't you come out and meet your junior sister?"

The little girl instinctively looked toward the thatched cottage with its tightly shut door, and a hint of anticipation rose in her heart.

Her senior brother, cultivating in an immortal sect, had to be an imposing and heroic immortal, surely just like the demon-slaying heroes from the legends she had heard since childhood...

Yet the cottage remained utterly quiet, without the slightest movement inside.

The old Daoist called again, "Changshou? Why are you hiding in the room? Are you embarrassed or something?

How strange. Your aura is clearly inside."

Muttering to himself, the old Daoist led the little girl toward the cottage. He raised his hand and pushed open the two wooden doors. A strange medicinal fragrance rushed at them, and the old Daoist's eyes widened as he saw the source of the aura he had sensed—

It was a small paper figurine placed on a wooden bed!

"Oh?"

The old and young pair suddenly began swaying back and forth. The old Daoist's expression changed as he dragged the little girl back in rapid retreat, unable to stop himself from cursing:

"Damn it, it's the Soft Immortal Incense Changshou concocted!"

The little girl immediately felt the world spin. Though her master was pulling her along, she still toppled to one side at once.

Splash!

The sound of water?

Just as she was about to fall, the little girl could not help looking toward the sound.

Above the lake, a tall figure was shooting skyward. He wore only black trousers, his strong yet well-proportioned muscles gleaming faintly in the sunlight. His wet, long hair flung out two sparkling curtains of water...

The sunlight was just right. The young man's fairly handsome face was reflected in the little girl's eyes, and her small face instantly turned crimson.

But she had yet to begin cultivating. How could she withstand the medicinal power rushing to her head? Before she could even fall completely, she fainted, her little face still flushed red.

Just as she had imagined...

Her heroic eldest senior brother!

Two updates at once, working myself to the bone—please toss some votes into the bowl~