The Heaven Mending Sect Master was puzzled. Why was she interested in taking a disciple today—and a boy, at that? Even if the child's talent was extraordinary, this hardly suited her temperament.
Even Yue Chan, the newly appointed holy maiden, had only been reluctantly accepted under her guidance in accordance with sect rules. Most of her day-to-day cultivation instruction came from other elders.
Even when he had brought it up, Qing Yao had paid little heed. After all, at their level of cultivation, rules could no longer bind them. They acted entirely as they pleased.
Could she have developed an interest in teaching male disciples? That was the only explanation the Heaven Mending Sect Master could think of.
"My heart was stirred, and I wish to teach him." Qing Yao's red lips parted slightly. Her voice was cold, untouched by any trace of worldly life, as though she did not belong to the mortal realm and was about to ascend on immortal wings.
She was a beautiful woman, her features almost beyond reproach. Her peerless grace and nearly dreamlike beauty made her seem like an immortal maiden who had stepped out of a painting, lovely and untainted by the world.
She appeared to be in her thirties, without a young girl's immaturity. Her brows and eyes were picturesque, her beauty lush and radiant. Like an immortal blossom in full bloom, she exuded a unique fragrance, elegance, and maturity.
Lin Fan kept staring at her, unable to resist a silent appraisal: This woman is decidedly ripe-just a little cold!
Hearing her answer, the Heaven Mending Sect Master knew that could not be her true reason. Still, this was the first time she had offered to take a disciple, so he could hardly refuse.
"If you wish to teach this child, that depends on his own wishes-whether he chooses you."
Qing Yao looked at Lin Fan. Her formerly cold eyes softened, and the frost vanished from her exquisite face. Smiling, she asked in a voice like heavenly music, "Would you be willing to let me guide your cultivation from now on?"
Meeting those beautiful, star-like eyes, Lin Fan's heart gave a sudden thump. An unusual blush appeared on his face as he stammered, "Y-yes... I would!"
Between the two, Lin Fan made the sensible choice. Her being a feast for the eyes alone made her the obvious pick. Besides, he had come to steal their teachings; following the sect leader would be unsafe.
"Good. Come with me, then!" Qing Yao smiled brilliantly, her luminous white face flawless. She embodied the verse: one backward glance and smile gave birth to a hundred charms, leaving the painted beauties of the six palaces without color.
Lin Fan admitted that, among all the women he had seen, only Ye Qingxian could compare. Yet theirs were two different kinds of beauty: one was pure and ethereal, transcending the mundane, while the other was lively, bright, and ever-changing.
Watching his disciple get snatched away, the Heaven Mending Sect Master could not help sighing. This child has actually been bewitched by beauty. What will become of him if he's already like this at such a young age? And is Qing Yao planning to raise him as a child groom?
Of course, it was only a passing thought. That certainly could not be the truth; he still understood her temperament.
Yet as he watched Lin Fan being led away, the Heaven Mending Sect Master suddenly felt an emptiness in his heart, as though he ought to say something. In the end, all he managed was, "Remember to give Yue Chan more guidance too!"
Lin Fan was brought into a small world. Streams of rosy light flitted past amid swirling haze and rising auspicious vapors. White spiritual energy filled the air, making it resemble an immortal paradise on earth.
The little world was spacious, with an azure spiritual lake and magnificent scenery. Groves of purple Spirit Bamboo lined its shores, wreathed in mist. Divine rainbows swept across the sky and intertwined, creating an otherworldly spectacle, like a place where immortals secluded themselves to cultivate.
Deep within the Purple Bamboo Forest stood several simple bamboo dwellings, spiritual energy curling around them. Plain and natural, they were an excellent place to quiet the mind and cultivate in seclusion.
"What is your name?" Qing Yao asked, her voice carrying a magnetic quality that stirred the heart.
"Pretty Big Sister, my name is Lin Fan!" he answered sweetly, behaving very obediently. He used no other form of address; this sounded more intimate and made her seem younger. After all, women cared deeply about their age.
At the same time, it served a little scheme of his. If he ever ended up playing the rebellious disciple who made a move on his master, he would not have to change what he called her.
She did not seem particularly concerned about his choice of address, either. In name, however, this former holy maiden of the Heaven Mending Sect was now his new master.
"Your surname is Lin?" Qing Yao murmured, seemingly lost in thought. She possessed an intellectual beauty, her skin glowing softly as her snowy white dress fluttered, like an immortal maiden banished to earth yet untouched by its dust.
"Did your father give you that name?" she asked again. Her gaze was gentle as water, and her lustrous black hair drifted gracefully, every strand radiating holy light. Her beauty was rare beyond compare.
"I've never met my father. My mother named me." Lin Fan shook his head, giving an answer that was half true and half false.
"So that's how it is!" Qing Yao murmured to herself, saying things he could not understand. Then she stared at his young face, somewhat dazed.
"Pretty Big Sister, what's wrong?" Lin Fan called curiously, waving his little hand. He was thoroughly puzzled, unsure why she was asking these questions. Her words were strange, and the look she gave him was complicated too.
She hasn't fallen for me, has she? The thought suddenly struck Lin Fan. After all, he had read plenty of novels before, and there were bound to be some old virgins with odd tastes.
If this world's cultivation system had allowed people to serve as cultivation cauldrons, rather than mostly being captured and refined into medicine, he really would have suspected this woman of harboring that sort of desire for him.
If she really does want that, should I resist or go along with it? Her looks are exactly my type, ripe and ready for the picking-but I'm only a little over five! Lin Fan's thoughts ran wild.
At that moment, Qing Yao came back to herself. Standing quietly, ethereal and holy, she instructed him in a gentle voice, "It's nothing. You'll live here from now on. Until you reach the spirit transformation realm, don't wander outside without good reason. If you have any questions about cultivation, you may come and ask me at any time!"
"Oh!" Lin Fan nodded, then thought of something else. "But, Pretty Big Sister, I'm still in the blood-moving realm, and I want to train my strength. This place is too beautiful. I'm afraid I'll wreck it. Could I train somewhere else?"
"You should already have reached the extreme realm of the blood moving realm. Why do you still need to train? Are you hoping to break past that limit?" Qing Yao's tone was warm, calm, and serene.
"Yes. Mainly because my blood energy is naturally powerful, and it's still growing even after reaching the extreme realm. So I want to train some more and only enter the next realm once I feel I've run out of strength," Lin Fan explained, making it clear that his body was extraordinary, containing the strength of the primordial wilderness, and that he would become a mighty man someday.
"Very well. I'll expand this little world and open up a place specifically for your training. You needn't worry about damaging anything here!"
Qing Yao was very accommodating. She told him to ask her for anything he needed, like an older sister next door. She was attentive and granted almost every request.
He could even freely use the precious medicinal plants she grew here, and eat the Eight Treasures, spirit beasts, spirit birds, and other creatures she raised. She placed no restrictions on him.
Lin Fan was astonished. Wasn't she treating him a little too well? This was practically how she would treat her own son. It felt unreal; happiness had come far too quickly.
He badly wanted to say, Woman, are you lusting after my body? Are you trying to keep me?
"You didn't come out by accidentally stepping onto a teleportation formation, did you?" Qing Yao, the former holy maiden, suddenly asked.
Lin Fan's head buzzed in shock. After a moment of silence, he gave a bashful chuckle. "Pretty Big Sister... actually... I was thrown out!"
He chose not to lie. Although he did not know how she had guessed, he could sense that she meant him no harm. It felt a little like an elder's care for a junior.
Looking as though this confirmed her suspicions, Qing Yao told him, "Just focus on cultivating here. In the future... if you wish to leave the Heaven Mending Sect, you're free to do so!"
With that, she left him to cultivate alone and departed.
Her words, however, left Lin Fan utterly bewildered, his mind a jumble.
Does she even know I came here to steal their teachings? Is that why she said that?
How is that possible!
He could hardly believe the thought. Had he been exposed the moment he arrived? And from the way she acted, she seemed to know everything about him.
But she doesn't seem to care much about it. Instead, isn't she treating me a little too well? Lin Fan's bright eyes shifted, then filled with enormous confusion once more. No matter how he tried, he could not figure out what she was thinking.
Logically, a great sect would never tolerate someone discovered stealing its teachings. They would either kill the culprit outright or make him truly join the sect and place restrictions upon him.
Yet this former holy maiden of the Heaven Mending Sect did not care at all, allowing him to come and go as he pleased.
Puzzling over it to no avail, Lin Fan could only conclude that there must be some hidden circumstance he knew nothing about.
"I'll have to probe indirectly and uncover the truth someday," Lin Fan muttered, his brows tightly furrowed. The situation had gone beyond anything he had imagined.
Fortunately, he was safe for now. He no longer needed to tread so carefully for fear of being discovered stealing their teachings.
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