Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Jade Void Peak An Ru Xu

Zhou Zhen Yan personally led Jiang Li Sheng to collect the standard supplies for a new disciple: Kun Lun Sect robes, a sword, five mid-grade spirit stones, one thousand low-grade spirit stones, a bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pills, a bottle of Grain Avoidance Pills, a message jade token, and a low-grade storage pouch.

For a newly admitted disciple, it was already an extremely generous allowance. Smaller sects could only dream of something like it.

Jiang Li Sheng was only at early Foundation Establishment Stage. Taking a new disciple’s supplies made her feel awkward, but she was staying here for a while as a temporary Kun Lun Sect disciple. She quietly swallowed her embarrassment—especially since she was, in truth, dirt-poor.

Afterward, Zhou Zhen Yan escorted her to her lodgings: a tiny, independent courtyard.

It was dozens of times smaller than her private residence in Qing Xu Sect.

Zhou Zhen Yan watched her expression and explained, “New disciples live eight to a residence. There is an assessment every three months. Only after passing multiple rounds and being accepted into the inner sect by a Peak Master will you get an independent courtyard like this. Outer disciples usually share with three or four people, which is inconvenient.”

The message was clear: because of her status, she was already being given special consideration.

“Thank you for looking after me, Hall Master Zhou. I’m not picky,” Jiang Li Sheng said obediently.

Zhou Zhen Yan nodded. “Morning class begins at mao hour tomorrow. First, learn Kun Lun Sect’s rules and discipline. Once you’ve learned them, we will make other arrangements.”

“Okay,” Jiang Li Sheng said.

Zhou Zhen Yan gave a few more instructions. When she agreed to everything without complaint, that same familiar confusion tugged at him again.

How had someone so well-behaved gathered such notorious rumors?

He didn’t press. After finishing his instructions, he left.

The moment he was gone, Jiang Li Sheng turned and flopped onto the bed, rolled over twice, and screamed silently into her pillow.

The Discipline Hall.

Heaven really was trying to kill her.

Back in Qing Xu Sect, there were plenty of rules too, and she treated them like snacks. After all, she had been taken in by the sect master as a baby and became his personal disciple. For the Qing Xu Sect Master’s only personal disciple—raised from childhood under his knee—those rules might as well have been air.

But this was Kun Lun Sect.

Here, she was treated like a brand-new disciple. Whatever she had been in Qing Xu Sect no longer mattered.

She buried her face and groaned again.

Once she got out of Kun Lun Sect and found the shameless couple who had trapped her, she would crack their skulls.

Cheating was bad enough, but they had even framed a fellow disciple. They were a tumor in Qing Xu Sect.

Hateful. Absolutely hateful.

Maybe the bed was too comfortable. She hadn’t touched one in days. After stewing for a while, she fell asleep without meaning to.

Sometime later, she vaguely heard someone calling, “New Junior Sister! New Junior Sister!”

Jiang Li Sheng blinked herself awake and opened the door.

On the left wall of the neighboring courtyard, someone was sprawled over the top, only his head showing. His brows and eyes were handsome, and his whole expression was lively. When he saw her, he grinned. “New Junior Sister, you’ve been here half a day and there hasn’t been a sound, so I figured I’d call out.”

Since entering Kun Lun Sect, most cultivators she’d seen were stiff, straight-backed, and solemn. Aside from Lu Shao Ling at the mountain gate, this was the first person who felt openly cheerful.

Jiang Li Sheng asked, “Senior Brother, who are you?”

“An Ru Xu of Jade Void Peak.” He looked at her with curiosity. “Junior Sister, what’s your name?”

“Jiang Li Sheng.”

“Jiang Li Sheng?” An Ru Xu scratched his head. “Junior Sister, your name sounds familiar. Which peak are you from?”

Jiang Li Sheng felt a stab of shame, but answered honestly. “Jiang Li Sheng from Qing Xu Sect.”

“Huh?” An Ru Xu’s eyes widened. “Ah—ha. You’re… you’re that—ow!”

He never finished. He toppled off the wall with a heavy thud.

Jiang Li Sheng went still. Then she stepped closer and asked, sincerely concerned, “Senior Brother An, are you all right?”

“Ow. That hurt.” An Ru Xu rubbed his backside as he got up. “I’m fine, I’m fine. I’m tough.”

He patted dirt off his clothes, climbed right back up, and leaned over the wall again, staring at her in amazement. “Junior Sister Jiang… why are you here? Why aren’t you staying in Qing Xu Sect?”

Jiang Li Sheng looked up at him and said, honestly concerned, “Senior Brother An, why don’t you come into my courtyard to talk? I’m afraid you’ll fall again.”

“Uh… sure.” An Ru Xu hopped down and entered her courtyard.

Jiang Li Sheng gestured toward the house. “Come inside.”

An Ru Xu waved both hands quickly. “It’s a girl’s room. How could I just go in? We’ll sit on the steps and talk!”

Without hesitation, he sat down first like he owned the place.

Jiang Li Sheng had to admit—he looked unreliable, but he knew the rules. She sat down as well and said, “I made a major mistake, so my master sent me to Kun Lun Sect for reform.”

An Ru Xu’s curiosity flared bright. “What kind of major mistake gets you sent to Kun Lun Sect?”

“I destroyed an herb field. Over ten thousand spiritual herbs. Half of them were ruined.”

An Ru Xu sucked in a sharp breath. “Why would you destroy an herb field?”

“I had a moment,” Jiang Li Sheng said, face perfectly straight.

An Ru Xu stared at her.

Of course she wasn’t going to say she’d been framed. The damage was done. Telling people now wouldn’t fix anything. For the moment, she could only swallow this pot herself.

After a long pause, An Ru Xu looked at her like she might be dangerous. “Junior Sister… why did you have a moment? Do you… have some hidden illness?”

Jiang Li Sheng tilted her head. “Senior Brother An, why are you stuttering?”

“I’m not stuttering!” he snapped, then immediately softened. “And… you really don’t have a hidden illness?”

“I don’t. I just didn’t control it at the time.”

An Ru Xu looked like something clicked. “Oh! Like the rumor about your pill refining—how you not only failed to make pills, you even blew up your master’s residence?”

Jiang Li Sheng’s expression went stiff. “…Pretty much.”

“So all those rumors about you are real?” An Ru Xu looked her up and down again, baffled. He truly couldn’t reconcile this obedient junior sister with the legendary troublemaker who had become famous across all three sects.

Jiang Li Sheng nodded. “Most of them. Eight or nine out of ten are true.”

People outside hadn’t invented much. Aside from this biggest disaster—where she truly had been framed—everything else was, unfortunately, real.

No wonder her master hadn’t listened to a word of explanation. He’d been so furious he packed her up and sent her to Kun Lun Sect without even investigating.

An Ru Xu let out a breath. “Junior Sister… you’re incredible.”

Jiang Li Sheng’s face warmed.

An Ru Xu stood and dusted off his pants. “I got punished to the Discipline Hall today too. Tomorrow we’ll go to morning class together. Can you get up on time? If you can, wake me up tomorrow.”

Jiang Li Sheng scratched her head, honest to the point of hopelessness. “I sleep a lot.”

An Ru Xu laughed. “Me too.”

They looked at each other, and An Ru Xu sighed dramatically. “We really are two peas in a pod. But I’m a man—I should look after Junior Sister. Tomorrow I’ll set a little bell and wake you on time.”

Jiang Li Sheng finally relaxed. Having company was better than doing this alone.

“Thank you, Senior Brother An.”