Chapter 43

Chapter 43: A Voice in Jun Xiu Ran’s Heart

A short while later, Rong Shu and Lin Dao arrived at the rendezvous point outside the city and met up with Qin Yuan and the others. Qin Yuan glanced over the group and said: “Since everyone is here, we can go. This Scarlet Sun City is likely to fall into great chaos. The waters here run too deep and are not something a few disciples at Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining should be touching.”

On their way to gather, each of them had run into a bit of trouble; when it got too thorny, they had to invoke the name of Heaven’s Evolution Sect to extricate themselves.

Qin Yuan released the Flying Boat. When everyone had boarded, he immediately set it in motion. Just as they were about to leave Scarlet Sun City, a black shadow streaked at high speed across the distant sky. When they saw what it was, they all gasped: “What a fast Flying Ship. I do not think we have ever seen that model before.” and “It looks like that Flying Ship is heading straight for Scarlet Sun City.” and “Good thing we left quickly, otherwise who knows what we would be swept up in…”

When Lin Dao saw that Flying Ship, his brows eased a fraction. [The cleanup crew has finally arrived.]

Heaven’s Evolution Sect, Limitless Peak. In the Hall of Heartlessness, Jun Xiu Ran was savoring tea when he suddenly lifted his gaze toward a certain point on the peak and said: “Hmm? Out of seclusion?”

Sensing the sword qi leaking forth, Jun Xiu Ran relaxed slightly. He rose in a streak of light, and in the blink of an eye he had flown from the Hall of Heartlessness to a cave dwelling.

The stone door, long shut, opened from within, and a figure in dark robes appeared before him. Upon seeing Jun Xiu Ran, the man flashed forward several times to stand before him and bowed, saying: “Master.”

Feeling the man’s current cultivation, Jun Xiu Ran nodded slightly in approval and said: “Mid Golden Core. Not bad.”

“Feng Lin, your cultivation is already stable. You should participate in the sect grand competition six months from now, both to win honor for Heaven’s Evolution Sect and to test yourself.”

“Yes, Master,” Feng Lin replied. Thinking of the sword intent he had comprehended recently, his chest swelled with pride, and he promised Jun Xiu Ran: “At the sect grand competition, I will definitely take first place for Heaven’s Evolution Sect.”

“Do not be impatient,” Jun Xiu Ran said with a trace of helplessness as he looked at his most gifted yet proudest senior disciple: “Your talent in the sword is very high, and you will certainly not stop at Golden Core. This honored one is sending you to the grand competition, first so you can win honor for the sect, and second so you can spar with the geniuses of the various sects and discover your own shortcomings. Fixing your eyes only on a momentary victory is short-sighted and not the way of a sword cultivator. You will have a much larger stage ahead, waiting for you to spread your wings.”

Feng Lin lowered his eyes and said: “Yes. I will heed Master’s teaching.”

“Sort through your recent insights again. This honored one will not disturb you further,” Jun Xiu Ran said by way of farewell, then turned to leave.

“Master, take care,” Feng Lin replied.

Fresh from seclusion, Feng Lin went directly to Joyous Hall, but the maidservant there told him that Yu Ruan Ruan had gone out to temper herself on a mission together with Senior Brother Qin and Junior Sister Rong. At the mention of “Junior Sister Rong,” Feng Lin paused and asked: “Who is Junior Sister Rong?”

Only then did the maidservant realize he had just come out of seclusion and did not know the situation, so she explained: “At the new disciple initiation a few months ago, the Immortal Venerable accepted a girl as a personal disciple. Her name is Rong Shu… her spiritual roots are only middle-grade dual roots, and she is only at the first layer of Qi Refining. I do not know why the Immortal Venerable would take her as a disciple…” Growing more talkative as she spoke, the maidservant poured out her grievances to Feng Lin: “You would not know this, but since Rong Shu came to Limitless Peak, my young lady has had to think of her in everything, yet that Rong Shu does not appreciate it at all. For example, my young lady went to find her before dawn, wanting to show her around the sect, but even though Rong Shu knew she had come, she deliberately avoided her and would not show herself, and my young lady nearly caught a chill…”

Before she had finished complaining, Feng Lin had already walked off with a dark face. He went straight to the Hall of Heartlessness to find his master. Seeing Jun Xiu Ran again, Feng Lin said in a cold, heavy voice: “Master, there is something I do not understand. Please resolve my doubt.”

“Speak,” Jun Xiu Ran said, slightly puzzled. Although proud, this senior disciple had always been steady. He had been perfectly fine when he emerged from seclusion just now. Over the years, the only thing that could make him lose composure was Ruan Ruan. Thinking of Yu Ruan Ruan, Jun Xiu Ran immediately realized what Feng Lin was about to bring up.

Sure enough, Feng Lin asked bluntly: “Master, why did you take on another personal disciple, and a girl at that? You clearly promised that in this life you would not take any more disciples, that there would be only the four of us, and that Ruan Ruan would forever be our youngest junior sister. Master, why is this? Are you breaking your word?”

Jun Xiu Ran sighed and said: “Ruan Ruan is a girl after all, and she longs to have another girl to chat with and play with…”

The reason did not convince Feng Lin, and he pressed on: “Then you could have made that Rong Shu an inner sect disciple. But you publicly granted her the position of personal disciple. Where does that leave Ruan Ruan? Moreover, that Rong Shu keeps wasting Ruan Ruan’s time. She does not appreciate Ruan Ruan’s thoughtfulness in the least. My junior sister goes to her before dawn and gets rebuffed every single time. Master, this is not finding Ruan Ruan a playmate. You are giving Ruan Ruan trouble.”

Jun Xiu Ran had no response. In truth, he himself vaguely did not understand why he had publicly accepted Rong Shu as a personal disciple that day. As his senior disciple had said, he could have taken her as a normal disciple. But why? Why that sudden impulse? Because he was always mindful of his promise to his four disciples, he had restrained himself at first. Yet a single sentence from Ruan Ruan had been like a key unlocking a shackle. A voice kept ringing in his heart that it was Ruan Ruan who had asked him to take a disciple. In that case, accepting Rong Shu as a disciple would not be breaking his word. So Jun Xiu Ran had lightly promised the position of personal disciple.

On the way back to Limitless Peak, Jun Xiu Ran had inadvertently caught a glimpse of the disappointment on Ruan Ruan’s face, and only then did he come to his senses. Why had he accepted Rong Shu as a personal disciple? He had made his little disciple sad.

Six days later, Qin Yuan and his group, anxious the whole way, finally returned safely to Heaven’s Evolution Sect. After they went to the Task Pavilion to submit their mission, the team disbanded. Qin Yuan, Yu Ruan Ruan, and Rong Shu returned together to Limitless Peak.

No sooner had they arrived than a figure in dark robes appeared before them. Seeing who it was, Yu Ruan Ruan threw herself forward in delight and said: “Senior Brother, you are out of seclusion!” Qin Yuan also called out: “Senior Brother.” Never having met him, Rong Shu learned from their words that the man before them was the senior brother, Feng Lin.

At the sight of Yu Ruan Ruan, all the coldness on Feng Lin’s face vanished in an instant. He spread his arms and caught her as she flew into them, cradling her as if she were a rare treasure, and said: “Well? Ruan Ruan, are you pleasantly surprised?”