Chapter 108
To be honest, he was quite reluctant to go to Master Pang's sect.
Sure, there were some spiritual materials, but that was about the only benefit.
In that sect, it was likely that no one truly welcomed him.
With the ongoing conflict between the two factions, he had gone from being a former rival to becoming the favored disciple of a Yuanying (Nascent Soul) master.
How did his senior brothers see him?
Moreover, no matter how good his relationship with Senior Sister Zhang was, at least after becoming Master Pang's disciple, that relationship would surely change for the worse—he could see clearly how the two factions of Jiu Shan Sect interacted.
Although Senior Sister Zhang and Master Pang didn’t fight like the lower ranks, their relationship was far from harmonious; there was at least some rivalry between them.
His experimental lab hadn’t even warmed up yet, and he was already being sent off!
He thought about the days he had finally managed to enjoy in Senior Sister Zhang's faction.
Then he considered that after joining Master Pang's sect, he would likely be plunged back into a life of power struggles.
Just thinking about it made him feel troubled.
Deep down, he preferred to spend his time exploring the mysteries of cultivation rather than engaging in intrigue.
But if he refused… did he really think the face of a Yuanying master didn’t matter?
Master Pang’s actions felt somewhat coercive.
To outsiders, a Yuanying master was always high and mighty; this was already quite a show of sincerity, and they would probably be flattered.
But Zheng Fa didn’t like the feeling of having no choice but to comply with a single word from a Yuanying master.
“Knock, knock, knock!” The courtyard door was knocked on, accompanied by Senior Sister Yuan’s urging: “Zheng Shidi, hurry up and open the door!”
“Senior Sister Yuan?”
“Come with me!” Senior Sister Yuan grabbed Zheng Fa and pulled him outside.
“Senior Sister, do you need me for something?”
Zheng Fa stumbled as she dragged him toward the door.
“Of course! It’s urgent!” As they walked, Senior Sister Yuan seemed to think Zheng Fa was too slow. Suddenly, she transformed into a giant Qingluan (a mythical bird) right in front of him.
“Senior Sister?”
“Are you coming or not?”
Zheng Fa climbed onto the back of the Qingluan, and with a flap of its wings, they soared into the sky, heading toward Jiu Shan. “Where are we going, Senior Sister?”
“To see the Sect Leader!”
“The Sect Leader?”
“I recommended you to the Sect Leader!” Senior Sister Yuan said, her tone a bit smug, as if she were taking credit: “It took a lot of my persuasion for the Sect Leader to agree to meet you!”
Wow!
His bird faction was something else!
“Senior Sister… how many Yuanying masters does Jiu Shan Sect actually have? Why are there only two factions?”
“There are three Yuanying masters: Master Pang, Senior Sister Zhang’s master, Master Huang, and the Sect Leader.”
“As for why there are only two factions… it’s because all of the Sect Leader’s disciples have died, so that faction is empty!”
“…”
Zheng Fa’s eyes widened. Was the Sect Leader really that unlucky with his disciples?
“So, when you say you recommended me…”
“I told the Sect Leader that you would be the best fit to be his disciple!”
That didn’t sound very auspicious.
“Why do you say that, Senior Sister?”
“Because you’re just like him—timid!”
“…”
Senior Sister Yuan was fast.
In no time, they arrived at the Ninth Peak of Jiu Shan, where the Sect Leader resided.
This place looked familiar—Zheng Fa had seen the founder of Jiu Shan here before.
But this time, Senior Sister Yuan took him to a cottage halfway up the peak, a place he hadn’t been to before.
“Is this it?”
Looking at the thatched cottage, Zheng Fa was taken aback.
The esteemed Sect Leader lived here?
This was a bit too simple.
Senior Sister Yuan nodded and pointed to the slightly ajar door, signaling him to go in.
Zheng Fa approached the door and gently knocked on the wooden frame.
“Come in.”
Zheng Fa pushed the door open and found the inside surprisingly spacious—it was like a hidden paradise.
Before him lay a network of paths and sprawling rice fields.
It was still daytime outside, but the world before him was dark, with twinkling stars in the sky.
A carriage sped through the night.
“Zheng Fa?”
A voice suddenly appeared in his ear.
He turned to see an old man with white hair and a youthful face standing behind him.
“Sect Leader?” Zheng Fa bowed respectfully.
“What do you think of this place?”
The Sect Leader pointed to the scene before Zheng Fa, speaking with a hint of pride.
“Is this all real?”
To be honest, Zheng Fa couldn’t see any flaws; he just felt that such scenery shouldn’t exist here.
“Fake.” The Sect Leader waved his hand.
Suddenly, several figures in black emerged from the rice fields at Zheng Fa’s feet. They seemed oblivious to Zheng Fa and the Sect Leader, attacking the carriage with swords.
The carriage driver appeared to have anticipated this, drawing a knife and engaging in a fierce battle with the attackers, the sounds of clashing ringing out.
Zheng Fa: … What on earth is happening?
Turning his head, he saw the Sect Leader watching with great interest.
“Sit.” The Sect Leader gestured to a cushion at Zheng Fa’s feet, indicating for him to sit down and watch: “That bird has been making my head ache these past few days; I haven’t had the chance to enjoy my little paradise.”
“My little paradise?”
Zheng Fa was taken aback.
“Just wait and see; this story is going to be exciting! This group will kill the driver, then the woman in the carriage, but they’ll miss the baby hidden under the carriage! Twenty years later, that baby will come back for revenge!” The Sect Leader excitedly spoiled the plot.
This storyline felt a bit familiar…
“I adapted it from the most popular novel in the mortal realm right now!”
Wow… so you have a dream of being a director too?
“I’ve heard of you; you’re doing great.” The Sect Leader suddenly said: “Master Pang and Senior Sister Zhang are both pillars of our Jiu Shan Sect. They believe in you, and I trust your abilities and talents.”
“… Thank you for your praise, Sect Leader.”
“But I don’t want to take any more disciples.”
The Sect Leader suddenly stated.
“…” Zheng Fa was taken aback, realizing he had been rejected.
“All my previous disciples have died one by one…” The Sect Leader sighed.
“My condolences, Sect Leader.”
Zheng Fa understood—losing a child was a sorrow he didn’t want to experience again, and he could empathize.
“After they all died, I finally had peace for a thousand years!”
“Hmm?” Zheng Fa looked up in confusion.
“Taking on disciples is such a hassle; when they cause trouble outside, I have to come down from the mountain to settle things.”
“Every time I come down, I feel anxious—Xuanwei Realm was never peaceful, and now it’s worse than before.”
Zheng Fa stared at the Sect Leader, wondering where the promised sorrow had gone.
This sounded quite different from what he had expected.
“When my master wanted me to be the Sect Leader, I said I didn’t want to, but Huang Shimei and Master Pang wouldn’t back down, and if I didn’t take the position, the Jiu Shan Sect would split apart—so I had to take it. Later, I handed the administrative hall to Huang Shimei and the Discipline Hall to Master Pang, letting them have their fun while I just wanted some peace.”
“Then they wanted me to take disciples again. Why would I want to take disciples now? The spiritual energy is like this; would I just be bringing them in to suffer—haven’t we suffered enough in our generation?”
The Sect Leader sighed: “I just want to stay peacefully in Jiu Shan Sect and enjoy my little paradise. Why is that so hard?”
Zheng Fa looked at this old man, a lover of the Dao, an advocate for selective breeding in the cultivation world.
This old man was destined to be his master!
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 120: The Aftermath
Zheng Fa looked at the old man, and the more he looked, the more he felt he had a kind and approachable demeanor—
High cultivation, timid, and few troubles.
It was a natural bond between master and disciple!
“Don’t look at me like that!” Perhaps his enthusiasm was too obvious, the Sect Leader said with a stern face: “I will not take any more disciples!”
“Like you, Sect Leader, I’m not one to go out much either!”
Zheng Fa declared earnestly.
“My eldest disciple said the same thing! I believed his nonsense back then.” The Sect Leader scoffed, his expression filled with weariness: “He stayed in the sect for three hundred years, and the first time he went out, he ran into the demonic sect…”
“Did he get killed by the demonic sect?”
“Getting killed would have been better!”
“Ah?”
“He got involved with the granddaughter of a demonic sect elder and brought her over to the righteous side!”
“… Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Good? He left alone, but when he came back, he brought a whole crowd with him, followed by the demonic sect’s army!” The Sect Leader gritted his teeth as he spoke: “If I hadn’t had some means to wipe out that elder, wouldn’t our Jiu Shan Sect have been wiped out?”
… Zheng Fa listened, feeling that the demonic sect elder was a bit wronged.
Not only was his prized cabbage taken by the righteous pigs, but he also ended up dead.
Wait, who’s the demonic sect here?
“And my second disciple told me he had no interest in women and didn’t like dealing with people!”
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