An Unexpected Reunion with Her Young Disciple

Zhu Lianqing had awoken within the Eastern Realm, and Flowing Light City was the most prosperous place in the Eastern Realm.

So she decided to visit Flowing Light City's foremost establishment first and sample the long-renowned Young Master's Intoxication.

The Eastern Realm had many immortal sects, large and small. Among them, the Mystic Purity Sect and Boundless Mountain ranked among the thirteen great immortal sects.

These two had held sway over the Eastern Realm for years, evenly matched in strength. Most demonic disturbances in the Eastern Realm's mortal lands were quelled by disciples from these two sects who ventured into the world.

Thus, the Mystic Purity Sect and Boundless Mountain also enjoyed great prestige among the local common folk.

All the way down the mountain and into Flowing Light City, Zhu Lianqing saw sword-bearing immortal sect disciples everywhere.

Having stayed out of the world for two years, Zhu Lianqing found this a little strange.

She had visited this place before, when she came to help the Northern Territory eliminate a great demon. There had not been as many immortal sect disciples in the city then.

Perhaps the mortal world had become unsettled again over these past two years.

Having reached this conclusion, Zhu Lianqing shook her head slightly. Her ink-black figure disappeared into the crowd as she headed toward the foremost establishment, Ode to the Spring Breeze.

The moment she reached the entrance, the row of waiters soliciting customers outside greeted her with exceptional enthusiasm.

"Have you come to the Eastern Realm to slay demons, great hero? Come in, come in! We still have seats upstairs. Tea is free today, and wine is half price."

As expected of a waiter who had served countless immortal sect disciples, he had a sharp eye. Though Zhu Lianqing's attire was already very plain, he still recognized her as a cultivator at a glance.

Following his directions, Zhu Lianqing headed straight upstairs. As she passed through the main hall on the ground floor, a glance revealed that ordinary people and cultivators were actually present in equal numbers.

Who knew what trouble had arisen in the Northern Territory to draw so many cultivators here?

The second floor of Ode to the Spring Breeze was far more refined than the first. The glorious spring scenery was visible outside the windows, and the cultivators upstairs were noticeably quieter than those downstairs.

This suited Zhu Lianqing perfectly. Most of the time, she did not particularly like noise and bustle.

Zhu Lianqing chose a seat by the window and ordered three whole pots of Young Master's Intoxication and a plate of candied peanuts.

After the waiter brought the wine jars, Zhu Lianqing had barely lifted a lid before a rich wine fragrance greeted her.

I've been craving this so badly.

Everything about the Luoyu Sword Sect was good, except that its wine tasted like rotten vegetable leaves steeped in water. It was truly impossible to stomach.

And one of the sect's rules stated-disciples who were underage must not be encouraged to drink, nor was excessive drinking permitted in front of underage disciples.

Zhu Lianqing felt that this rule was aimed squarely at her, but she had no proof.

Back on her peak, Xie Lingchuan had been her only disciple. She could not even send him down the mountain to buy wine.

She could only drink a little at a time. Now, she could finally drink her fill.

Zhu Lianqing poured her wine and tucked the veil of her veiled hat behind her ears. She took a hefty swig, but before she could swallow, the previously quiet neighboring table began talking nonsense after three rounds of drinks.

"I say first place on the Youth Ranking belongs to Xie Lingchuan, disciple of Immortal Master Zhu of the Northern Territory's Luoyu Sword Sect!"

At this sudden mention of her name, Zhu Lianqing nearly choked on her wine.

Especially with her young disciple's name also ringing in her ears, Zhu Lianqing inexplicably felt the thrill of sneaking wine behind someone's back.

Without a change in expression, she swallowed the wine and filled another cup for herself.

Roused by that man's shout, the others at the neighboring table grew worked up as well and began offering their opinions.

"You say Xie Lingchuan should be first on the Youth Ranking. What proof do you have? The current number one is Xiao Wenzhou of Spirit Sword Mountain Manor, and he won his tournament fair and square. Xie Lingchuan? Ask around-has anyone ever fought him?"

"Agreed! Xiao Wenzhou fully deserves first place on the Youth Ranking. As for this Xie Lingchuan you mentioned, he has never ventured into the world. None of the younger generation from the major sects have fought him, so how can you judge his strength?"

The man who had started the discussion waved a drunken hand. "You don't understand. Back then, Xie Lingchuan burst onto the scene with extraordinary talent, stunning all the immortal sects. He even made Immortal Master Zhu, who never took disciples, make an exception. He opened with a king bomb. Someone like that ends up either trash or a genius, but think about who Immortal Master Zhu is! A great master produces a brilliant disciple. Xie Lingchuan couldn't become trash even if he wanted to."

At these words, those who had objected earlier looked somewhat swayed.

"That's true, but if his training hasn't gone to waste, why does he never enter any competitions? There are plenty of martial tournaments, large and small, throughout the Five Realms, yet he never seems to appear."

"Experts don't show themselves casually. Perhaps he simply disdains rankings, rewards, and fame."

"There's some sense in that. Isn't Immortal Master Zhu utterly indifferent to fame and fortune too? Whenever great demons wreak havoc in the Five Realms, she often leaves without a word after helping. Master and disciple truly come from the same mold."

While the neighboring table praised master and disciple to the skies, one of the people in question sat beside them, picking up peanuts to eat.

Perhaps because this body was freshly made and lacked dexterity in certain fine movements, Zhu Lianqing grew rather exasperated when she could not pick up the peanuts. She put down her chopsticks and called for the waiter to bring a spoon.

By the time Zhu Lianqing had finished two jars of wine and a plate of peanuts, the neighboring table's heated debate had turned into subdued remembrance.

"Alas, heaven envies the talented. How could Immortal Master Zhu have..."

At these words, everyone around him fell silent in unison.

Zhu Lianqing had arranged for herself to die in an inner-demon illusion in full view of everyone. They all firmly believed she was dead. No matter how powerful someone was, encountering an inner-demon illusion was extremely dangerous.

It seemed her title as the foremost sword cultivator had truly taken root in people's hearts.

She had been dead for two years, yet these cultivators still looked deeply grieved when speaking of her.

Unfortunately, their feelings really were misplaced. She herself was still here drinking wine.

Zhu Lianqing finished the last peanut. As the wine went to her head, she folded her arms and leaned against the wall to rest.

A spring breeze drifted through the open latticed window, lulling Zhu Lianqing comfortably to sleep.

With so many cultivators in the building, there was no fear of danger, so Zhu Lianqing confidently took a nap against the wall.

When she awoke, the subdued neighboring table had become lively again at some point, and others had joined them.

"Then I'll bet on Xie Lingchuan. Two copper coins."

"I'll bet on Xiao Wenzhou. Ten pieces of silver."

"I'll bet on Xiao Wenzhou too. Twenty!"

At these words, a murmur of amazement rose from those gathered around the table.

"How generous, brother! If the two of them fight someday and settle the matter, let's all gather at Ode to the Spring Breeze again."

Zhu Lianqing yawned and watched for a while, realizing they were placing bets.

They were betting on who truly deserved first place on the Youth Ranking.

Most of those betting were rogue cultivators without much money. Twenty pieces of silver seemed to be the highest stake.

Boring.

Zhu Lianqing tied the remaining pot of Young Master's Intoxication to her waist, lowered her hat's veil over her face, and rose to head straight for the aisle.

As she passed their table, Zhu Lianqing stopped.

She took a gold ingot and a whole spirit stone from her sleeve and set them on the table with a smack.

"This is all I have. Put it all on Xie Lingchuan."

The circle of people fell silent for a full three seconds, staring blankly at the gold and spirit stone.

A gold ingot was already a rare sight among rogue cultivators so poor their pockets jingled with nothing, let alone something as precious as a whole spirit stone.

Spirit stones had to be refined by cultivators themselves, but the conditions were extremely demanding. Not only did the cultivator need a high cultivation level, but the refining site also had to possess a spirit vein.

Usually, only great immortal sects had places where spirit stones could be refined. Ordinary sects had none.

The spirit stone in Zhu Lianqing's possession was of excellent quality. One glance made it clear that it came from a top-tier sect.

"Which school trained you, great hero? How can you be so generous? This is just a small-stakes venture. Doesn't betting so much on Xie Lingchuan seem rather unwise?"

Zhu Lianqing chuckled. "It's worth it. Why wouldn't it be? Besides, I'm not betting this much because that's all he's worth, but because that's all I have."

The man running the betting hesitated. "Heroine, your face is hidden behind a veil, and we don't know who you are. Once the outcome is decided, how should we find you?"

Zhu Lianqing said, "I won't lose, and I won't claim my winnings either. Just divide them among yourselves."

Seeing Zhu Lianqing's confidence in Xie Lingchuan, the rogue cultivators could not help asking curiously, "Are you from the Southern Realm, great hero? Are you so confident because you've met Xie Lingchuan? Which distinguished sect are you from? Let us broaden our horizons."

Zhu Lianqing shook her head without a blush or a flutter of her heart. "I am indeed from the Southern Realm, but I've never met Xie Lingchuan. I only heard before that he was exceptionally talented, diligent, and eager to learn, so I imagine he can't be bad. And I'm not from any distinguished sect. I was merely lucky enough to obtain a high-grade weapon while catching demons. An immortal sect disciple with deep pockets bought it from me, which is how I came by that spirit stone."

Zhu Lianqing's account was watertight and perfectly reasonable. The rogue cultivators suspected nothing, though some kindhearted people among them still felt bad about her money.

"Heroine, you earned that spirit stone through the hard work of slaying demons. Isn't it too much of a waste to stake it here without caring whether you win or lose? Why not leave your name? If you really win later, we can give you the money."

Zhu Lianqing shook her head.

"No need. Xie Lingchuan will definitely win. As for the money, don't worry about it. Just divide it among yourselves."

"Hahaha, you're truly generous-hearted! A toast to you. May fate bring us together again!"

Zhu Lianqing nodded in acknowledgment, then turned, lowered the brim of her hat, and walked away.

But just as Zhu Lianqing reached the stairs, she unexpectedly came face-to-face with a group.

Through the portion of her vision unobstructed by the veiled hat, Zhu Lianqing saw robe hems with subtle emerald bamboo-leaf patterns and white brocade boots.

These were the disciple uniforms of the Luoyu Sword Sect.

The instant Zhu Lianqing stopped, she heard a young disciple's voice beside her.

"Senior Brother Xie, there are still seats by that window. Just enough for all of us. Let's go over there."

A somewhat cool "Mm" followed.

At that voice, Zhu Lianqing's scalp prickled.

Senior Brother Xie?

And the sound of that "Mm"?

*!*

This was the Eastern Realm, wasn't it? What was the Luoyu Sword Sect, an immortal sect from the Southern Realm, doing joining the excitement here?

And the one who had come was her young disciple?

To prevent the system from assigning incorrect tags, here are some content warnings or a reading guide:

1. This is a romance with a central couple, focused on emotional push and pull. Both leads are romantically and sexually inexperienced, and there is a happy ending. There is sweetness and angst, with darkening and captivity later on. Proceed with caution if these aren't for you.

2. The female lead is a big shot pretending to be a salted fish. She generally doesn't act, but when she does, she ends things instantly. Proceed with caution if you dislike cheat abilities.

3. A setup this author loves, and this book is no exception → a love-brained male lead. Early on, the female lead only dotes on him rather than loving him romantically, so his road to romance is rather difficult. A master hard to win over, and a shattered him.

4. The female lead's original body will return later.

5. This story follows the female lead as she unravels the threads and discovers the male lead's true face. The darkening plot comes very late, but this is a short novel and will be finished soon. Please keep reading patiently and enjoy the male lead's acting along the way~

Thank you to all the little angels following this serialization. Happy reading, everyone~