Little Girl Becomes a Disciple

Following a straight line, Shi Xuan walked to the wall he was facing and, as expected, found deep cut marks. This was even after the teacup had blocked some of the force; otherwise, it might have pierced the wall and shot the escaping sword qi outside.

Shi Xuan nodded in satisfaction. He finally had another trump card for survival. Although he had obtained the Magic Tool, the Soul-Bewildering Banner, he had only refined it for a short time, making it unusable as a life-saving measure for a long time.

During this period, besides cultivating the Great Yin Lung Yang Geng Metal Sword Qi, Shi Xuan had also advanced the Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunder to the fourth stage. Its power had taken a huge leap compared to the third stage. Shi Xuan estimated that if he were to face Divine Lord Crimson Cloud head-on now, he wouldn't need any tricks or other spells; the Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunder alone could blast him to death.

However, Shi Xuan's minor divine abilities had reached their current level. Before breaking through to a major realm, due to the limitations of his soul's fundamental strength, it was unlikely that he could further increase their rank.

Additionally, the Soul-Bewildering Banner had been refined to the seventh layer of restrictions. Unfortunately, it was still two layers away from the perfection of the first heavenly layer, and its power had not yet seen a qualitative improvement.

Shi Xuan coughed lightly and pushed open the door. He saw Chu Wan'er enthusiastically using a bamboo pole to tap at the fish in the small pond in the courtyard. The little girl had thrown some food into the water, and the fish, having recuperated all winter, were eagerly surfacing to snatch it. Chu Wan'er, holding a bamboo pole much taller than herself, was tapping at the surfacing fish, having a grand time.

After spending some time together, Shi Xuan understood Chu Wan'er's personality very well. Although precocious and intelligent, she was still mischievous and playful, full of a child's innocent exuberance.

Initially, when Shi Xuan asked Chu Wan'er to take him to see her mother, Chu Wan'er had readily agreed on the surface, but privately, she had tried to escape several times. However, Shi Xuan caught her every time – in the grass, inside the belly of a Buddha statue, and in the woodshed behind the house. Eventually, Chu Wan'er forgot her original intention and happily started playing hide-and-seek with Shi Xuan, finding it endlessly amusing.

Perhaps due to the absence of a father since childhood, Chu Wan'er's affection for Shi Xuan grew rapidly. She had recently agreed to take Shi Xuan to a secret location of the Demonic Sect to find her mother.

"Master, you're finally out! It's almost noon, and Wan'er is so hungry. If you don't come out soon, I'm going to roast these fish!" Chu Wan'er exclaimed when she saw Shi Xuan emerge, throwing down her bamboo pole and running towards him.

"Ahem, Wan'er, go pack your clothes. We'll head to the Divine Capital after lunch today. It's time to prepare the medicinal ingredients for your Primordial Yuan Marrow-Changing Soup," Shi Xuan instructed Chu Wan'er.

During this time, Shi Xuan had taught Chu Wan'er some methods of Visualization and spirit-concentration that didn't involve specific cultivation techniques. Chu Wan'er's talent was indeed exceptional; she had mastered them completely in a short period. Coupled with her young age and innocent heart, she was an excellent successor. Therefore, Shi Xuan not only planned to teach her the Returning to Truth Scripture but also to prepare the medicinal ingredients for the Primordial Yuan Marrow-Changing Soup to begin her body tempering.

As soon as she heard the word "medicinal ingredients," Chu Wan'er's little face scrunched into a frown. She looked pleadingly at Shi Xuan, "Master, can't I cultivate without drinking the medicine? It tastes so awful. Mother always forced me to drink it."

"This medicine isn't that bitter, but you can't drink it yet. Once we reach the Divine Capital, you'll need to formally become my disciple before you can drink it. Cough, cough, if you don't want to drink it, you don't have to become my disciple," Shi Xuan coughed twice, half-jokingly, half-testing her.

Upon hearing that she wouldn't have to drink it immediately, Chu Wan'er's mood improved greatly. "Of course, I want to be your disciple! Wan'er wants to fly in the sky too. If the medicine tastes bad later, Wan'er will, will cry for Master to see."

She paused, then looked at Shi Xuan with concern, "Master, why do you keep coughing? Do you have a cold? Do you need medicine?"

Shi Xuan felt a warmth in his heart. "It's nothing. I had a slight issue with my practice, but it doesn't affect my daily activities. I'll be fine in half a month with some rest. I have Immortal Methods, after all. Alright, Wan'er, hurry up and pack your clothes."

After they had packed and eaten a hearty meal, Shi Xuan carried Chu Wan'er and used the Minor Clear Wind Escape. They arrived at the Divine Capital just before the city gates closed in the evening.

Although it wasn't Chu Wan'er's first time experiencing the exhilarating feeling of the Minor Clear Wind Escape, transforming into Clear Wind and roaming freely, her little face was still flushed with excitement. She kept asking Shi Xuan how long she would have to cultivate before she could do this. When she heard it would be at least ten years, her flushed little face immediately drooped.

The next day, Shi Xuan and Chu Wan'er visited dozens of pharmacies in the Divine Capital before finally gathering all the medicinal ingredients needed for the Primordial Yuan Marrow-Changing Soup.

The liveliness and prosperity of the Divine Capital made the little girl Wan'er like a curious kitten all day, constantly looking around. One moment she wanted candied hawthorns, the next she wanted to play with opera masks. In the end, if Shi Xuan hadn't insisted on taking her back to the inn, the little girl would have continued wandering the streets.

At night, in their inn room, Shi Xuan set up an incense burner and memorial tablet, and had Chu Wan'er perform the disciple-acknowledgment ceremony.

Although Wan'er was young, her family background was profound. The entire disciple-acknowledgment ritual was performed skillfully and without any mistakes, making it seem quite proper. However, due to her young age, she looked both childish and adorable.

After the ceremony, Shi Xuan explained the five rules he had thought of to Wan'er, especially emphasizing the one about not privately passing down cultivation methods, repeating it several times with a stern expression. This made Chu Wan'er solemnly promise to abide by them.

Why the repeated emphasis? Because Shi Xuan thought about his upcoming journey to seek out the Daoist sects. The road would be fraught with danger, and taking Chu Wan'er along would not only be unsafe and inconvenient but also delay her body tempering and foundation-building. Therefore, he planned to have Chu Wan'er return with her mother once he found the Demon Empress. He would then pick her up after he had visited the Daoist sects.

After explaining these, Shi Xuan told Wan'er his plans for the next few days: "Tomorrow, we'll rent a courtyard, just like before. I'll prepare the medicinal soup for you and teach you the first part of the cultivation method. Wan'er, you'll drink the medicine yourself, bathe yourself, and temper your body yourself. You must be disciplined; this is a test!"

The first part of the cultivation method Shi Xuan intended to teach her included not only the first part of the Returning to Truth Scripture but also parts of the Ten Dragons Subduing Demons Fist from the Treasury Records. After all, she was his first disciple, and he had to let her learn something good.

As for why he didn't directly teach her the Treasury Records, Shi Xuan mainly considered that the Treasury Records were an supreme technique. While he himself was cautious, Chu Wan'er was young. If she accidentally leaked even a little, it could bring about immense disaster. It would be better to wait until Chu Wan'er was about seven or eight years older and her temperament more mature before teaching it to her. After all, by then, Chu Wan'er would certainly not have reached the Soul Departure realm, and there would still be time to catch up on body tempering and qi nurturing.

Chu Wan'er pouted, "Didn't you say the test was before becoming a disciple? Also, Master, where are you going? Are you planning to abandon Wan'er and go play by yourself?"

"I'm going to explore Mang Mountain tomorrow. It's likely very dangerous, so I naturally can't take you with me, Wan'er. I'll prepare the medicinal soup, food, and silver for you. If I don't return within a month, you should go find your mother yourself," Shi Xuan explained his arrangements to his senior disciple.

"Then what if Wan'er encounters danger here?" Chu Wan'er's eyes sparkled, and it was unclear what she was plotting.

"Heh heh, I'll cast a Sympathetic Link spell on you. Mang Mountain is less than ten miles north of the Divine Capital. If you encounter danger, I'll naturally sense your fear," Shi Xuan explained the technique he had used before to Chu Wan'er.

"Ah, Master, you used this 'Sympathetic Link' spell to find Wan'er before? No wonder Wan'er couldn't escape no matter how hard she tried," Wan'er exclaimed as if she had suddenly understood.

However, Chu Wan'er's eyes darted around, and she added, "But, from such a distance, if Wan'er encounters danger, can Master rush back?"

"Uh, that's true." Shi Xuan thought about it and realized she had a point.

Chu Wan'er buried her little head, looking at the stone slabs on the ground. "So, why don't you take Wan'er with you? If we encounter danger, at least Wan'er will have Master to protect her. It's better than Wan'er being all alone here, and Master can't come back if someone bad finds me."

Shi Xuan pondered for a moment. Wan'er's reasoning had some merit. After considering it, he nodded, "Alright, Wan'er, you'll come with me tomorrow. But you must be obedient."

With a cheer, Chu Wan'er looked up, her face full of excitement. "Wan'er will be good! Master, will I see those hopping zombies tomorrow? And ghosts with long tongues..." Wan'er babbled excitedly, asking Shi Xuan questions.

After finally coaxing Wan'er to sleep, Shi Xuan began his cultivation for the day.

The next day, as Shi Xuan held Chu Wan'er's little hand and walked towards Mang Mountain, he looked at her flushed, happy little face and felt a sense that he had been outmaneuvered by Wan'er yesterday.

This girl had run away from home for nearly a thousand miles and managed to survive, lively and well. How could she possibly encounter danger that she couldn't handle while living in a courtyard with food, drink, and proper cultivation?

As they neared Mang Mountain, Shi Xuan looked at Chu Wan'er, who seemed to be on an outing, and remembered a question he had wanted to ask for a long time: "Wan'er, why did you run away from home back then?"

Upon hearing this question, Chu Wan'er's happy little face instantly fell. "Mother always made Wan'er practice this and that. It was tiring and painful, and she'd hit me if I didn't do well. The medicinal soup tasted awful too. And..." When she mentioned "and," Chu Wan'er seemed to recall a sad memory, and her eyes even turned a little red.

"And what?"

"Wuwuwu, Mother also wouldn't let Wan'er wear shoes. She wanted me to practice the Heavenly Demon Dance and always go barefoot. It hurt Wan'er so much! Wuwuwu, so Wan'er secretly hid under a vegetable cart and ran away," Chu Wan'er tearfully recounted her mother's "evil deeds."

What could Shi Xuan say? He could only comfort the little girl gently. After finally getting Wan'er to stop sobbing and calm down, they resumed their journey.