It was a beautiful day, with gentle breezes and clear skies, brilliant sunshine and spring flowers in bloom.
Li Shouyi stood at the edge of a cliff atop the mountain, gazing at the rising sun in a wonderful mood.
"Master, you're standing so close to the edge. Careful you don't fall!"
The moment Su Wan'er's voice rang out, Li Shouyi's wonderful mood vanished like smoke in the wind.
"Do you think you're so clever? That your master is an idiot?"
"I'm a damn Golden Core cultivator! If I fall, can't I just fly back up?"
"Oh, I forgot! Hehe!"
"For fuck's sake..."
Looking at Su Wan'er standing there giggling foolishly, Li Shouyi could no longer contain his fury.
He extended his palm, and a tremendous suction force dragged Su Wan'er over from a distance.
Grabbing her by the front of her chest, Li Shouyi gave a low shout toward the cliff: "Off you go!"
"Ah..."
Watching Su Wan'er shrink into a black speck and disappear over the cliff, Li Shouyi's mood instantly brightened again.
Pei Zhujiu, who had witnessed the whole thing, couldn't help shuddering.
Master is terrifying!
"Morning, Third Junior Sister!"
Fighting back her drowsiness, Lin Shuishui emerged from one of the three thatched huts built just last night.
Li Shouyi had announced last night that they would be founding their sect today.
So she had no choice but to get up.
"Morning, Eldest Senior Sister! Oh, right."
"Master just threw Second Senior Sister off the cliff. Should we go take a look?"
"Huh??"
At those words, two question marks seemed to flash through Lin Shuishui's sleepy eyes.
Before Pei Zhujiu could explain further, Su Wan'er flew back up, seated on a Mahjong tile marked with the character for fortune.
"Hahaha! I, Hu Sanhan, have returned!"
Lin Shuishui said, "Third Junior Sister, what were you saying?"
"Never mind, Eldest Senior Sister."
Pei Zhujiu stared blankly at the laughing Su Wan'er, realizing she still hadn't quite settled into this group.
"Master, when are we holding the ceremony?"
As if she had forgotten what had just happened, Su Wan'er flew over to Li Shouyi on her Mahjong tile, giggling all the while.
"Right now. We were only waiting for your eldest senior sister."
With that, Li Shouyi took a table out of his Spatial Ring.
A plate of fruit and an incense burner sat on it.
"Everyone, get over here. Today is the glorious day our Useless Talent Sect is founded."
The three women's mouths couldn't help twitching at the words "Useless Talent Sect."
Heaven was their witness: all three had fought desperately last night to stop Li Shouyi from choosing that name.
But after Li Shouyi's explanation, they had accepted it.
Li Shouyi had told them very solemnly.
"Didn't all three of you start out as useless talents?"
"Wasn't it only after my instruction that you set foot on the path of cultivation?"
"So what's wrong with calling it the Useless Talent Sect?"
He had also solemnly told them that their sect would only accept useless talents abandoned by the Heavenly Emperor, loathed by their parents, and mocked by the masses.
Li Shouyi's guiding principle was that there were no useless talents who couldn't be taught, only masters who couldn't teach.
At that moment, inside that little thatched hut...
Li Shouyi seemed to radiate a light called greatness, so dazzling that the three women had to shield their eyes with their hands.
"Master, how many sticks of incense should I light?"
Su Wan'er was being exceptionally helpful, all so that Li Shouyi would agree to let her go out to seek masters and take disciples.
That way, she could forge karmic ties with even more people.
"Three."
Naturally, Li Shouyi saw through her little scheme, so he deliberately kept a stern face.
He wanted this reckless fool, the wildest of his disciples, to behave herself.
"Got it! Master, they're lit."
Once Su Wan'er had lit the incense and placed it in the burner...
Li Shouyi led the three women in three respectful bows.
Then he muttered inwardly, Heaven, bless me. Hurry up and let me take in a few useless disciples. I'm not asking for much.
Just the utterly useless sort, complete salted fish who do nothing but laze around.
Su Wan'er prayed, Heaven, please make my headlights a little bigger, and let Master scold me less and hit me less. Ideally, never hit me again.
Lin Shuishui prayed, Heaven, please let me sleep every day until I wake up naturally, with a delicious, fragrant roast chicken waiting when I do.
Pei Zhujiu prayed, Heaven, please make Master remember the wine he promised to give me every day. I haven't had a drink in three days.
And so, the four completed the ceremony wearing inexplicably delighted smiles.
Then Li Shouyi shouted, "Today, I hereby declare the Useless Talent Sect officially founded!"
"Congratulations, Master! Felicitations, Master!"
The three women hurried to butter him up with cheerful smiles.
"Oh, right, Master."
"When other sects are founded, people come to congratulate them and bring gifts. Do you have anyone coming?"
"Su Wan'er, do you know something?"
"Everything about you is fine, except that damned mouth of yours."
Looking at the intensely curious Su Wan'er, Li Shouyi couldn't stop the corner of his eye from twitching.
If I could actually find a few people to bring gifts, wouldn't I have gone looking for them?
"Master, look! People really are coming with gifts!"
Lin Shuishui pointed toward the cliff in surprise.
Everyone hurried to look in the direction she was pointing.
Good grief, a dense black mass of cultivators was flying toward them.
After taking a closer look at the people flying in front, Li Shouyi exclaimed, "Don't these bastards look a little familiar?"
"Master, they're our fellow disciples from the Cloud Cliff Sect!"
Su Wan'er recognized them instantly.
Well, mainly because she had lost far too much money to them. They were all familiar faces.
Of course she could recognize them at a glance.
As the group drew close to Li Shouyi, they hurriedly dismounted from their magical artifacts.
Then they called out in unison, "Greetings, Senior Li!"
Good grief, their voices were so thunderous that Li Shouyi's ears began ringing slightly.
"You are...?"
Seeing Li Shouyi's puzzled expression, Wu Suowei hurried forward, knelt, and said gravely, "Senior, I have led my fellow disciples out of the Cloud Cliff Sect."
"Please accept us as your disciples."
The others followed suit, kneeling like Wu Suowei and shouting, "Please accept us as your disciples!"
Li Shouyi: "..."
What was he supposed to say?
"Master, I think you might as well take them in!"
"If you don't want to teach them, you can leave the teaching to me!"
Su Wan'er waggled her eyebrows at the still-dazed Li Shouyi, looking every bit the seasoned expert.
"Leave them to you?"
"Yes, leave them to your disciple. I guarantee I'll keep them completely in line."
After saying that, Su Wan'er laughed inwardly.
Wonderful! Not only have these fellow disciples come themselves...
They've brought a whole crowd along. As long as I get Master to agree to take them in...
My great Dao of cause and effect will soar like a rocket!
Oh no, I'm about to drool.
Finishing that thought, Su Wan'er hurriedly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.
Then she stared at the people Wu Suowei had brought, her eyes gleaming gold...
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