Chapter 2 (1/2)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Lan Ling’e had a dream.

In her dream, she was accepted as a disciple by an old immortal. He brought her to the immortals’ abode, where she saw a das.h.i.+ng senior martial brother leaping from the water.

Umm… That seemed to be not just a dream. It was what had just happened.

While she was in a daze, Lan Ling’e heard her master’s voice. Surprisingly, he sounded a little fierce, different from the kind old deity she thought he was.

“Rascal! You don’t listen to me now that you’ve grown up, isn’t it? How dare you scheme against me!?”

Afterward, Lan Ling’e heard a gentle and calm voice.

“Ease your anger, Master. I am only taking precautions. Since I was planning on practicing the Water Escape technique, I set this trap for any possible burglars before going to the lake. I did not know that you would come back today all of a sudden, and hence did not have time to tear down those traps. Please, forgive me, Master.”

Her senior martial brother spoke at a comfortable pace, making people want to lean in to listen on.

Soon after, Lan Ling’e heard her master heave a long sigh.

The old Daoist priest was sitting beside the bamboo bed. He clapped his hands and complained reluctantly, “Changshou, we are in the sect mountains. Is there a need for this kind of trap?

“Guarding against burglars? Our Little Qiong Peak could almost change its name to Little Poor Peak¹! Which burglar would choose us as their target?”

‘Changshou? Senior Martial Brother’s name is Changshou?’

It was an ordinary Dao name. At the same time, it showcased his rustic and pure aspirations.

Lan Ling’e suddenly discovered that although she could hear the commotion outside, she could not open her eyes at all. Her eyelids weighed like bricks, and her energy seemed to be sucked out of her body.

Her senior martial brother started talking again. His voice was warm and made her feel as though her mother was there.

“Master, this is not true. There could still be dangers within the sect mountains.

“In recent years, the compet.i.tion between different peaks has been intensifying, yet the elders in the sect are not concerned about this. I am the only—no, one of the two—disciples in our line of succession. It is a must that I remain vigilant.

“We do not have much presence in the sect, to begin with, and we do not have any backing either. Who knows? Maybe someone could be devising plans to steal our plot of land.”

After her senior martial brother finished speaking, Lan Ling’e heard her old master complain.

“The Immortal Du Sect has strict sect rules. How could that happen?

“Forget it! I am in no position to criticize you! You and your weird logic! Why aren’t you improving on your cultivation instead?

“You will wait here until Ling’e wakes up. This is my ident.i.ty token. Bring her to the main peak for registration and collect her ident.i.ty token and monthly allowance as an official disciple!

“This is really getting on my nerves!”

The old Daoist priest waved his sleeve and stood up from the bamboo chair. He staggered a little because of the effects of the medicinal scent—that made his face flush.

“Getting on my nerves!”

“Take it slow, Master.”

“Hmph! I shall be in secluded cultivation to comprehend the miraculous Dao technique!”

The Daoist priest, Qi Yuan, stomped his feet on the ground fiercely and transformed into a wisp of smoke as he vanished from the straw hut.

In the blink of an eye, a string of clanking noises was heard from the opposite straw hut. The Daoist priest had lost his balance again after reversing the Dharma spell.

The young man standing at the door sighed softly.

As he sighed, the little girl, who was lying on the bamboo bed, opened her eyes slightly and saw the silhouette that had his head held low and was in deep thought.

‘Senior Martial Brother looks so tall.’

“Master’s cultivation base is still too weak, and his soul is not powerful enough. I doubt he can make it past the Heavenly Tribulation during Immortal Ascension.”

‘Those words, what do they mean?’

A wave of fatigue swept her, and Lan Ling’e closed her eyes unconsciously. Very soon, she heard footsteps approaching.

Even though she was only nine years old, Lan Ling’e had gained awareness of her surroundings from a young age. Moreover, she had been born in a powerful and wealthy family in the world where ordinary human beings lived. At a young age, she had learned about ceremonial formalities and the laws. She had partial knowledge about all kinds of stuff.

The current situation she was in was considered disregarding ceremonial formalities and the laws to Lan Ling’e. She was alone in a room with a man, and the unfamiliar man was gradually approaching her.

However, if that man was her senior martial brother, she could treat him like a blood-related brother in the future. That seemed… acceptable…

“Junior Sister Lan, I am your Senior Martial Brother Li Changshou. I am going to alleviate the effects of the Immortal Enervating Scent for you now. If you can hear me, please do not treat me as a pervert. I am a morally upright man.

“Umm… what nonsense am I saying? She has just started on her cultivation. How could she withstand the medicinal effects?”

‘Pervert? Morally upright? This cultivation language is so hard to understand. Senior Martial Brother is a cultivator, indeed!’

Lan Ling’e tried her best to respond to avoid being too disrespectful in front of her senior martial brother. However, she did not have a hint of energy left in her. The only thing she could control was her thoughts.

All of a sudden, she felt a huge hand resting gently on her forehead. Wisps of cool and refres.h.i.+ng air entered from her forehead and circulated throughout her entire body. That made her feel especially comfortable.

‘Senior Martial Brother is healing me…’

Lan Ling’e’s head was in a mess. Her thoughts were scattered. The situation she was in felt surreal and real at the same time.

Li Changshou looked at the little girl lying flat on the bed. He creased his eyebrows and thought it through.

Even though his master had said that he wanted to accept another disciple for a long time and he was mentally prepared to welcome a new junior martial sister or brother, Li Changshou was still a little concerned about it.

‘I should take this chance to check her souls and spirits.’