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"This disciple knows her mistake."

She was not given a chance to speak.

The Fifth Elder flicked his sleeve, and her body flew toward him against her will, landing steadily at his side.

She said nothing, but her mind was busy.

Li Zi: [System, wait, why on earth is this happening?]

System: [Maybe the Fifth Elder saw your potential?]

Li Zi: [What potential could I have? Didn't you say no one could tell what kind of constitution I have until my Marrow Cleansing? The sun must've risen in the west today.]

The Fifth Elder suddenly glanced at her, a hint of amusement in his clear eyes.

"The Myriad Flower Divine Bone? What a pity it's covered in dust."

Li Zi was stunned.

So was the system.

Li Zi: [Master's so freaking awesome! He even spotted my constitution, and he's a cool, aloof immortal lord to boot.]

The Fifth Elder curled his lips in satisfaction. "Zheng'er, Qing'er, take her back to the peak and show her around."

Ji Zheng and Fu Chaoqing answered solemnly, "Yes, Master."

Ji Zheng gave Li Zi a gentle smile and formed a hand seal to summon his sword.

A red sword came to a steady stop before her. "Junior Sister, I'm your Eldest Senior Brother, Ji Zheng. I'll take you."

Li Zi wanted to ask whether this sword left a trail behind it like the First Elder's, but remembering her pitiful little persona, she swallowed the question.

She blinked obediently and said in a bright voice, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

The sect's disciple selection below was nearly over.

After hearing Li Zi's thoughts, the other elders had lost all interest in taking disciples. They were discussing with the Sect Master how soon they could meet to work out what to do about the Nine Great Sects' siege.

The Second Elder had already hurried down the mountain to search for Immortal Ziyang.

The disciples in charge selected the most talented candidates for the Inner Sect. Those who fell a little short entered the Outer Sect or were dismissed outright.

Li Zi stepped onto the sword with trembling legs.

Afraid her fear of heights would flare up, the system distracted her with gossip.

The system said, [The Fifth Elder's a cool, aloof immortal lord? That's a bit of a stereotype. He's nothing like that in private. He really knows how to have fun.]

The elders discussing their meeting stopped in their tracks.

The Second Elder turned around halfway down the mountain and came back.

Gossip about the Fifth Elder?

They had to hear it!

Li Zi perked up. [Go on.]

[Host, do you know the Fifth Elder's name? Lin Shixian.]

Li Zi: [Huh? Shixian? As in that "you're such a flirt" Shixian?]

The Fifth Elder maintained his aloof immortal-lord demeanor, but his face had already fallen.

He did not understand what was special about the name Shixian, but he had an ominous feeling.

System: [It's not the same Shixian, but they're pretty similar. The Fifth Elder's life has been quite a story. He used to be the crown prince of a kingdom and married a Crown Princess. They were as harmonious as zither and lute, deeply in love. But the Fifth Elder liked excitement. Then a Fox Demon caught his eye, and the two started an affair.]

[The Fifth Elder was something else. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he spent time with the Crown Princess; on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with the Fox Demon. Neither woman knew the other existed, and both were deeply in love with him.]

Li Zi could not help grabbing Ji Zheng's clothes to steady herself before turning to look at the Fifth Elder.

He still looked every inch the cool, aloof immortal lord.

His features were handsome, his brows sharp as if carved by a blade. Standing there, he was like a pine tree that would never fall.

Li Zi clicked her tongue. [It's over. I can't look at my handsome master the same way anymore. It's way too easy to picture Hong Shixian's face. His time management really was impressive.]

System: [Well, it wasn't long before everything came out. In a rage, the Crown Princess divorced him, and he was stripped of his position as crown prince. The Fox Demon even drove several streams of demonic power into his body, leaving him in unbearable pain. The scumbag got what was coming to him.]

[But the Fifth Elder turned misfortune into a blessing. He asked the Spirit Sword Sect's sect master for help, who removed the demonic power and opened his Eight Extraordinary Meridians. He developed a spiritual root and could begin cultivating. After all that, the Fifth Elder settled down completely and devoted himself to the Dao.]

Having finished that piece of gossip, Li Zi could not help sighing. [These days, scumbags can become immortals instead. Good people die young, while scourges live a thousand years.]

The air around the Fifth Elder suddenly turned icy.

He gripped his sword hilt tight, brimming with murderous intent.

The system nodded in strong agreement. [But having three wives and four concubines is normal in this world. By local standards, the Fifth Elder isn't even that much of a scumbag. He just failed to keep his promise to the Crown Princess.]

Li Zi was a little unhappy with the system's take.

But she could not refute it.

By the standards of this ancient world, the Fifth Elder was not only no scumbag—he was practically devoted. Other men had three wives and four concubines; he had only two women.

As Ji Zheng carried Li Zi farther away on his flying sword, her voice and the system's gradually faded.

The cultivators understood.

So hearing her thoughts depended on distance.

Beyond a certain point, they could no longer hear them.

The Sect Master smiled at the Fifth Elder. "Good thing you acted quickly and took her as your disciple. We all owe you our thanks. With her at your peak, you're in for quite a lively time."

The Fifth Elder's entire body was taut. He stood rigid, unable to force out a single word.

A rare flush spread across his fair face.

Li Zi had dragged all those ancient skeletons out of his closet.

He wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

The other elders came over to offer their sympathies.

"Fifth Junior Brother, I'll come to your cave residence for a game of pai gow sometime. You have seven disciples—the gossip is bound to be especially juicy."

"I have some freshly brewed osmanthus wine. I'll come to your cave residence tomorrow, and we can drink together."

After their meeting, the elders unanimously decided to keep the fact that they could hear Li Zi's thoughts secret for now. Li Zi absolutely could not find out.

Otherwise, Li Zi would surely be so frightened that she would flee straight back to the mortal realm and hole up in the imperial palace, eating gossip.

The meeting focused on two matters.

How the Spirit Sword Sect could survive the deadly siege by the Nine Great Sects.

And how to make Li Zi a priority for cultivation.

Rankings

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Transmigration into a book

Female supporting character fiction

Immortal cultivation fiction

Cannon fodder