The Little Disciple Had Grown Up

After returning to her room, Zhu Lianqing settled into a comfortable posture to meditate.

After changing bodies, she felt that this body's stamina was still a little lacking, and she grew sleepy easily.

She wondered how much of her former power she could unleash if she went all out.

Zhu Lianqing tried sensing her Autumn Water Sword and discovered that her connection with its sword soul was now faint indeed.

It seemed the Autumn Water Sword really would no longer be drawn in her hands.

Zhu Lianqing reminisced about Little Qiu, who had followed her into battle far and wide in her early years. If the sword refused to acknowledge another master, it would probably have to be buried along with the name of Perfected Lord Nanhua.

She hoped Little Qiu would take a broader view of things. After all, it was a divine weapon hard to come by.

As the sky outside began to pale, chattering came from beyond the door. For a fleeting moment, Zhu Lianqing thought she was passing the sect's front mountain in the morning, with the disciples about to head to their morning cultivation classes.

But when she opened her eyes, what she saw was not Mount Shangqing, where her sect stood.

Zhu Lianqing glanced at the bed. A Man still had not woken up.

Zhu Lianqing stretched, pushed open the door, and walked out. The clamor outside fell silent for a moment.

At a glance, she found quite a lively scene.

Yan Qing was practicing his fundamentals in a horse stance, with Song Wensheng and Jiang Ting standing on either side to guide him. The two disagreed, and Yan Qing looked troubled, unsure whom to listen to.

Shen Ji stood beneath the eaves watching his junior brother and sister. When he saw Zhu Lianqing emerge, an apologetic look crossed his face. "Senior Xianren, you're awake. Did we disturb you?"

"Not at all. It was high time I got up."

Zhu Lianqing looked around but saw no sign of her disciple. Just as she was about to ask, the courtyard's low gate opened with a creak.

Xie Lingchuan ducked through the low gate. As he straightened, his gaze met Zhu Lianqing's.

The morning dew had dampened the loose strands of hair over Xie Lingchuan's forehead, and even his eyes seemed misted with moisture.

Zhu Lianqing froze.

The last time they had brushed past each other at Ode to the Spring Breeze, she had been wearing a veiled hat, and last night's lamplight and moonlight had both been hazy.

So this was the first time she had seen so clearly what Xie Lingchuan looked like now.

His brows and eyes were still the same, but their youthful innocence had faded, replaced by a measure of maturity.

My little disciple has grown into a big disciple.

Perhaps because Zhu Lianqing had stared at him for too long, Xie Lingchuan frowned slightly, averted his gaze, and turned to close the gate.

Zhu Lianqing rubbed her nose and withdrew her gaze. Only when she looked up again did she notice the armful of wild fruit Xie Lingchuan was carrying in the fold of his robe.

So he had gone out to forage.

Zhu Lianqing could already safely abstain from food. For these juniors, going three days without eating was nothing either, but their appetites had not completely faded, so food still felt welcoming.

Xie Lingchuan first took two fruits and gave them to Yan Qing, the youngest.

Yan Qing looked overwhelmed by the favor and immediately stood at attention. "Thank you, Senior Brother Xie!"

At the sight, Jiang Tingxue immediately came over without standing on ceremony and respectfully held out both hands.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Xie!"

Zhu Lianqing laughed at that string of "thank you, Senior Brother Xie."

Evergreen Peak had once been a quiet place. Apart from master and disciple, outsiders rarely visited, so she had seldom heard anyone call Xie Lingchuan senior brother.

But judging by this, although he had rarely fulfilled a senior brother's duties before, he was certainly not fumbling now that he had taken up the role midway.

Mm, good disciple.

Zhu Lianqing silently awarded him a little red flower in her heart.

After distributing wild fruit to the three youngest, Xie Lingchuan grabbed another two and tossed them to Shen Ji.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Having made the rounds, Xie Lingchuan turned and walked toward the eaves.

Zhu Lianqing, who had been leaning lazily against a pillar, immediately straightened.

"Oh, there's a share for me too?"

Xie Lingchuan answered Zhu Lianqing with his actions.

He handed Zhu Lianqing two of the last three fruits.

The ripe, brilliant red fruits landed heavily in Zhu Lianqing's palm, still carrying the lingering warmth of the young man's fingertips.

By contrast, the one left in Xie Lingchuan's hand was the smallest of the three and still tinged with green.

Zhu Lianqing looked around. Everyone's fruit was bigger than his.

A pang of dismay suddenly filled Zhu Lianqing's heart.

This unfortunate child-unloved by his father and mother, and now without his master too. Why won't he even take proper care of himself?

She had never taught him to shortchange himself like this.

Zhu Lianqing immediately returned both fruits, took the green one from Xie Lingchuan's hand, and bit into it, giving him no chance to change his mind.

Under Xie Lingchuan's slightly stunned gaze, Zhu Lianqing said without batting an eyelid, "Young hero, your Senior Xianren likes sour things."

Xie Lingchuan's gaze fell on the fruit Zhu Lianqing had bitten. A moment later, he lowered his lashes and silently began eating his fruit.

Once everyone had finished their fruit, chattering came from outside.

Xie Lingchuan rose to open the gate. A crowd of villagers had already gathered outside the little courtyard.

When the gate opened, their voices briefly fell silent, and every gaze turned into the courtyard, as though they had not expected so many people.

A moment later, the person standing at the very front dropped to his knees.

Before Xie Lingchuan could help him up, the villagers behind him all knelt in unison.

Everyone in the courtyard hurried over to help them up.

"Please, everyone, you mustn't. Get up. We have neither merit nor renown. How could we accept such a grand gesture?"

The villager at the front clung to Shen Ji's supporting hand and said, "We truly owe our lives to you Dao Lords for coming to our rescue last night. Thank you, Dao Lords, thank you!"

"Slaying demons and vanquishing fiends is our duty. There's no need for thanks. Please get up, elder."

"I am Wang Si, the village chief of Wuxia Village. Last night, none of us dared come out when we heard the commotion. To have made you Dao Lords spend the night in this dilapidated courtyard, it's truly... ah..."

"It's all right. But the demons weren't completely eliminated last night, so I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you with our presence for a few more days."

At those words, Wang Si, who had kept his head lowered, abruptly looked up. A flicker of hesitation passed through his clouded eyes.

Shen Ji asked hesitantly, "What's wrong, Village Chief Wang? Would that be inconvenient?"

Wang Si glanced sidelong at the villagers behind him. "Oh, no. It's just... since the monster has already been driven off, surely it won't dare return. This is only a run-down village. Sorry for the trouble, Dao Lords. Just leave us some talismans to stick on the doors and windows, and that will do. You should go attend to more important matters."

Hearing this, Song Wensheng and Jiang Tingxue said in unison, "How could we do that?"

In their urgency, their voices sounded a little sharp, unlike Shen Ji's gentle tone, and the villagers all jumped.

The two fell silent at the same time.

Shen Ji continued, "Indeed, how could we do that? We came here precisely to eliminate the demon. What could be more important? Besides, the full moon is only a few days away. That's when the monster's demonic power will surge. Simply putting up a few talismans won't help. We hope you'll accommodate us."