Chapter 53
Chapter 53: Let the old man see how he’ll bring honor to the ancestors
Once Cheng Bu Fan switched his mouth to input mode, his words burst forth like floodwater through a broken sluice, impossible to dam, and by the power of his tongue alone he sparred with the crowd: “By contrast, you loafers refuse to cultivate and just loiter here to watch the fun and stir up trouble, clogging the paths; do you have any idea how much of our fellow disciples’ time you are wasting, time they sincerely hoped to spend at the arena learning and studying by example?”
By the time he finished, pain and righteous sorrow colored Cheng Bu Fan’s face; he seized the initiative, making it look as if the onlookers below were heinous villains who had committed some monstrous crime.
Stunned by Cheng Bu Fan’s sophistry, the crowd only came back to their senses a moment later, many of them flushing red.
Several voices snapped back: “Sharp-tongued!” “Utter nonsense!”
Not once in that entire speech did Cheng Bu Fan say a single word to point out that someone had targeted Rong Shu first, forcing Rong Shu to respond with this stopgap measure. Even if he had said it, others would have waved it off with a perfunctory, “It’s within sect rules; don’t be so melodramatic,” and that would have been that.
Now three days have passed; among those who watched or discussed this matter, can they truly not see that someone struck at Rong Shu first? Is Rong Shu the one at fault?
They stayed silent, sat on the wall to watch, even waited to see Rong Shu make a fool of herself.
They wanted to see a joke, the joke of a personal disciple unworthy of the title.
In a high pavilion, three sect elders sat around a table. Their divine sense fanned outward as they quietly focused on the arena below.
With Rong Shu and Cheng Bu Fan making waves for three straight days, of course the sect would not remain entirely unresponsive; but since neither had violated any sect rule, the elders could only observe in secret for now.
At that moment, one sect elder spoke: “That line of argument is certainly incisive.”
A round-faced sect elder, who looked easier to get along with, cradled a cup of tea and chuckled: “He took the others’ own viewpoints and used four taels to move a thousand catties, matching tooth for tooth and batting every point right back.”
Another white-bearded sect elder stroked his whiskers and speculated: “It must have been Cheng Bu Fan; that brat’s had a slick tongue since he was small. He’s driven off several lecture-giving sect elders.”
He snorted again: “If he didn’t have a Peak Master for a father, with that mouth of his he’d have been tossed into a sack and cudgelled in a dark alley.”
Across from him, a dark-faced sect elder arched a brow: “Thinking that far ahead? Have you been wanting to do that yourself for a long time?”
The white-bearded sect elder shot back: “And you haven’t?”
The dark-faced sect elder coughed twice: “Ahem, ahem.” [Of course I want to!]
“Looks like those two little ones won’t stir up any more trouble this month,” one elder said, “though who knows whether they’ll play this trick again next month.”
“Has the other side still not reached a conclusion? If this drags on, the arena matches will become a laughingstock.”
The arena’s original purpose was to help the disciples better spar and exchange pointers. In recent years, it had slowly warped into a venue for settling grudges and brawling. Previously, a sect elder had proposed revising the arena rules, but the matter fizzled out without result.
On the other side, the people below the platform, having failed to get the better of Cheng Bu Fan’s tongue, turned their sights on the silent Rong Shu: “Rong Shu, are you just going to keep your mouth shut and hide behind Cheng Bu Fan?” “As the personal disciple of Immortal Venerable Ze Yu, you’ve utterly lost Immortal Venerable Ze Yu’s face.”
Seeing this, Cheng Bu Fan thought, [uh-oh], only instead of panicking he felt amused. [These little bastards must think Rong Shu is easy to bully.] But all those cutting retorts he had used were lines Rong Shu had given him.
In the past, when Cheng Bu Fan scolded people he charged straight in without caring who was right or wrong; given his identity, no one dared trade insults with him anyway. And the sect elders were not about to stoop to wrangling with a junior. Thus, armed with his razor tongue, Cheng Bu Fan was invincible in the inner sect.
This time, everyone instinctively assumed it was just Cheng Bu Fan’s mouth being formidable and never thought to attribute any of it to Rong Shu.
“Lose face?” Called out by name, Rong Shu acted as if she had only just realized it. She spoke slowly, her expression pensive for two beats, then asked in mild confusion: “I am exchanging pointers and learning together with Senior Brother Cheng. Senior Brother Cheng, so young and already at the ninth level of Qi Refining, will soon break through to Foundation Establishment; such a genius treats me kindly, with noble character, and is a model I strive to emulate.”
She added, unhurried and sincere: “I believe that when my master sees Senior Brother Cheng and me studying together and making mutual progress, he will feel gratified.”
The crowd fell silent: [Gratified, my foot!]
Rong Shu shifted her gaze; though there were so many people below, she still picked out with pinpoint accuracy the disciple who had started the trouble. She cupped her fists to them: “Senior brothers, my apologies; I have already used up my challenge attempts for this month.”
Then, courteous and composed, she asked: “You have watched for three days. Did you notice any places where I should improve? Please, senior brothers, grant me your instruction.”
The disciples who had sought trouble were speechless: [Instruction, my foot!]
Your play-fighting looks get more unbearable every time we see them once, and you want us to relive it over and over?
Sensing she had drawn enough aggro, Rong Shu stopped while it was good and left the arena with Cheng Bu Fan.
After three days of arena theatrics, Rong Shu and Cheng Bu Fan were now thoroughly famous throughout the Heaven’s Evolution Sect outer sect. Every disciple who mentioned their names showed a faint trace of disdain in face and tone.
Elsewhere, aware that their names were now very big and that any sect disciples who saw them would be exceedingly “warm” toward them, Rong Shu and Cheng Bu Fan said nothing more and flew off the Spirit Gathering Peak on the back of a Red Crowned Cinnabar Crane.
Riding the crane, Cheng Bu Fan clicked his tongue and glanced at Rong Shu: “Good grief, what you did just now was kill without drawing blood.”
He had always cursed people head-on; it was satisfying, yes, but it easily turned a righteous position into an unrighteous one. This time he felt the true charm of language; that rush of leaving your opponent with no rebuttal whatsoever was exhilarating.
Rong Shu blinked innocently: “Whatever do you mean.”
After he finished laughing, Cheng Bu Fan remembered something important. His expression grew more serious as he said: “They likely won’t bother you again this month. In two months the sect will open a secret realm, and disciples at Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core will all enter for a trial.”
“While disciples are forbidden to kill one another inside the secret realm, it’s easy enough to pull tricks in the dark. You’re only at the first level of Qi Refining. No matter what, you must hurry and raise your cultivation.”
“Secret realm?” Rong Shu was slightly taken aback.
At the mention of a secret realm, a map of the Heaven’s Evolution Sect’s internal grounds surfaced in Rong Shu’s mind. One reason the Heaven’s Evolution Sect could rank first in the Southern Wilds was that it occupied a secret realm said to contain relics from antiquity awaiting a fated person.
Every five years, the secret realm opened to let inner sect disciples enter for tempering. Of the fortunes gained within, half would be offered to the sect, and the rest belonged to the disciple. Of course, not just anyone could go in; qualifications required both strength and talent, and a sufficient identity—for example, Rong Shu as a personal disciple, and Cheng Bu Fan as the son of a Peak Master.
The secret realm was full of opportunities. In past years, even disciples who found no treasure still managed to advance within; failing that, they would break through after returning and digesting their insights.
Cheng Bu Fan thumped his chest: “Right. But rest assured, the spaces for Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core are separate. I’m at the ninth level of Qi Refining; I can protect you.”
Rong Shu cupped her fists: “Many thanks, Senior Brother Cheng.”
“No need to thank me. Ahem, about our agreement—don’t forget it,” Cheng Bu Fan said, waggling his brows.
Rong Shu smiled in understanding: “Naturally.”
She added, thinking ahead: “Next month we should stage three more performances. Right now Senior Brother Cheng’s name is absolutely huge inside the sect; after this we’ll operate outside the sect. Senior Brother Cheng, you can find the manpower, yes?”
Cheng Bu Fan nodded: “Of course. Worst case, I’ll spend some Spirit Stones.” After all, the old man had given him plenty of pocket money, and he had barely used any of it.
“Good. I’ll draft the overall plan shortly and hand it to Senior Brother Cheng.”
“All right, all right.” Imagining the spectacle of his name resounding through the major sects, Cheng Bu Fan grinned from ear to ear. The old man wanted him to bring honor to his ancestors, did he not? This time, let the old man see exactly how he brings honor to his ancestors, hahaha.
After settling the follow-up with Cheng Bu Fan and with nothing else urgent, Cheng Bu Fan summoned another Red Crowned Cinnabar Crane and the two parted ways.
Since it was not yet dark, Rong Shu did not hurry to the back mountain but went to the inner peaks to find Lin Dao.
In Lin Dao’s residence, Rong Shu had barely stepped into the courtyard when she saw Lin Dao steeping tea, holding a gray, dull-looking dark stone in hand as if lost in thought. When he saw Rong Shu, Lin Dao calmly slipped the “stone” into his Storage Pouch.
She bowed her head politely: “Senior brother.”
Lin Dao cocked his head her way and lifted a brow: “I’ve heard all about the business over in the outer sect.”
Rong Shu let out an awkward little chuckle: “Heh heh heh…”
Lin Dao gave a soft, dismissive snort: “Still laughing?”
Was that something to be proud of? He knew the little girl wanted to avoid sharp edges and hide her strengths, but this whole string of maneuvers was enough to make a person fight a smile.
At his words, Rong Shu instantly smoothed the silly grin from her face, her small features going taut.
Seeing this, Lin Dao crooked his fingers to beckon her over and gestured: “You’ve been studying the saber lately; your basic introductory forms are about there. You also need to push harder on cultivation.”
Rong Shu possessed only middle-grade dual spiritual roots, so Lin Dao could not demand a genius’s pace from her. But it had been roughly four months since her last breakthrough to the first level of Qi Refining; by rights it was time to “break through.”
Rong Shu walked over, playing the obedient junior as she poured him a cup of tea: “Please have some tea, senior brother,” while inwardly she began calculating whether it was time to “break through.”
Six months after entering the sect, a breakthrough to the second level of Qi Refining would not count as gifted, but it would not be among the worst either. Next month, when she “challenges” Senior Brother Cheng again, she can conveniently reveal her cultivation at the second level of Qi Refining. After that she’ll enter the secret realm for tempering, then go into seclusion for two to three months upon return; breaking through to the third level of Qi Refining would not be strange at all. With cultivation at the third level of Qi Refining, taking an external sect mission would look perfectly ordinary to outsiders; she could then use the opportunity to sell pills and buy spiritual herbs outside.
After finishing his tea, Lin Dao rose: “Continue with saber practice. Today I’ll assess the results of your recent training. If nothing’s amiss, you will begin dual-saber practice tomorrow.”
“Yes, senior brother,” Rong Shu said, rubbing her small hands together in excitement.
Half an hour later, breathing slightly uneven, Rong Shu drew back the wooden saber from her last chop and looked toward Lin Dao.
Lin Dao gave a reserved nod: “Not bad. You’ve reached entry level.”
He added, precise and even: “But your linking of certain forms is still a bit stiff; that you’ll need to work on in daily practice. Also, your use of power with the saber, your angles, and control over the fine details all need more adjustment.”
Then he set the benchmark: “The extra saber is an extension of your arm. When you can wield the saber as flexibly as you use both your hands, moving as your heart intends so the saber follows your will, that will count as stepping into the hall.”
In the secular world, saber arts are commonly divided into four stages: entry, stepping into the hall, consummate mastery, and unity of man and saber. In the cultivation world, beyond those four, there is another scheme: saber qi, saber intent, saber heart, and saber dao.
Having listened carefully to Lin Dao’s points, Rong Shu hugged the wooden saber and nodded twice: “Understood, senior brother. I’ve taken note.”
“Tomorrow you can begin training dual sabers.”
Hearing her senior brother finally permit dual-saber practice, Rong Shu clenched her small fists, scarcely able to contain her excitement. For the half month since returning to the sect she had been practicing single-saber; at last, she could step into the next stage—dual-saber training.
Just then Lin Dao changed the subject: “Have you finished refining those pills of yours?”
Though she wondered why her senior brother suddenly asked about alchemy, Rong Shu answered honestly: “They’re all done.”
Lin Dao glanced up at the sky: “Then we’ll make a trip out of the sect today. Sell your pills and exchange them for fresh spiritual herbs.”
Rong Shu froze for a moment: “Huh? We’re going out?”
Though she had finished refining the pills, she honestly had not planned to leave the sect in the short term. At the first level of Qi Refining she could not yet accept external sect missions; at least the third level was required. If it were a team mission, no one would want to team up with a first-level Qi Refining disciple who lacked combat power—that would just be asking for a burden. If she went down the mountain like an ordinary trip rather than on a mission, she could manage it alone; but Feng Lin’s previous threat made her wary. [Spirit Stones are sweet, but you need to be alive to enjoy them.]
“Don’t want to go?” Lin Dao asked again when he saw her standing there blankly.
Rong Shu tested the waters: “Senior brother means… you’ll be taking me with you?”
“What else?” Lin Dao countered, then added, “You’re only at the first level of Qi Refining; going out at random isn’t safe. Back and forth is a waste of time besides. We’ll aim to be back before dark.”
Rong Shu’s eyes brightened: “All right! Thank you, senior brother!”