Near the peak of the Green Peak Mountain laid a small path; at the end of this road was a pond with goldfishes swimming inside.
Besides, the pond was a cave dwelling; it was the only abode in the entire area, thus, the surroundings was peaceful and quiet. The Spiritual Qi in this area was also much thicker compared to the living quarters of outer sect disciples.
At this moment, a young man was seated beside the pond, wearing the robes of an outer sect disciple. The young man had a handsome face with well-defined features, and black hair that gently cascaded down onto his shoulders, looking exceptionally striking and attractive.
His skin was so white and smooth that even female disciples would feel inadequate; his eyes were sharp and slit like a phoenix, and brilliant glint would flash across his gaze from time to time, causing him to exude a vibe of extraordinariness.
His hand held a few little fishes which he occasionally threw into the pond, causing those golden fishes inside to thrash around in the water as they fought with each other to tear those little fishes into pieces and swallow them.
At this moment, the middle-aged man who was slapped by Bai Xiaochun arrived as he rushed along the small path with a livid expression. When he arrived, he could not help but to delay his footsteps. There was a respectful look on his face as he greeted the young man.
“Greetings, Young Master.”
“Young Master, that Bai Xiaochun does not know what’s good for him. I have already told him very clearly to come and pay his respects, but he refused and acted all arrogant and domineering, as if he’s everything with that status of his.” The middle-aged man gritted his teeth and said.
“Then forget it, it’s just a small fry, making him come pay his respects was just something on a whim.” The young man lifted his head and said blandly, not paying any more attention to the matter.
“Young Master’s words are wise, he is simply a small fry. The title of an Honoured Disciple is for dead people. As for being a Junior Brother of the Sect Head, that status is even more of a joke; to actually hail a dead person as his teacher.” The middle-aged man nodded and laughed coldly, when he suddenly felt his heart shiver - the young man before him had lifted his head and was staring coldly at him.
“Young...Young Master…” The middle-aged man felt a chill run down his spine.
“He is only a small fry, there’s no need to bother with him. But Sect Head’s teacher, our sect’s previous patriarch, is not someone you can address so casually. Go to the Ice Lake and punish yourself for three months.” The young man retracted his gaze as he continued feeding the golden fishes.
The middle-aged man’s heart trembled as he rapidly nodded his head and withdrew.
After settling Qian Dajin’s matter, Bai Xiaochun returned to the Scented Cloud Mountain. As for the Heaven’s Chosen, Bai Xiaochun did not worry about it even one bit. Bai Xiaochun was someone who had done a great service for the sect, hence, unless he was to betray the sect, his life would not be threatened at all.
Although he was regarded as a Senior Uncle now, he could feel the uplifting feeling of being respected slowly fading away day by day; he could only lament as he watched the people purposely avoid him while walking. However, this feeling only lasted till the day where he unconsciously walked past the Scripture Lecture Hall and suddenly felt a wave of excitement course through him.
He discovered that so long as he was present, he would immediately be granted a seat together with the elders lecturing about the scriptures; allowing him to be in a position where he could watch over countless of disciples.
After experiencing such a situation once, Bai Xiaochun immediately fell in love with it. Henceforth, his figure could be seen within the Scripture Lecture Halls of the various mountains.
Sometimes, even as he sat there, he would give an occasional smile and nod as he looked down towards the disciples, giving them a gaze full of encouragement and consolation similar to the Foundation Establishment elders sitting beside him.
Seeing this scene, the Foundation Establishment elders beside him did not know whether to laugh or cry; while the disciples of the various peaks on the ground could only let their depression well up in their heart as they looked at Bai Xiaochun with growing hatred incapable of doing anything about it.
At the same time, Bai Xiaochun had found a new way to flaunt his new status as the Junior Brother of the Sect Head - he started appearing frequently around the sect beside the Foundation Establishment cultivators to enjoy the same treatment as them.
As soon as he noticed any of those Foundation Establishment cultivators, he would immediately go up and greet them as ‘Senior Brother’ or ‘Senior Sister’ while putting on an obedient look, making them unable to say anything after they laid eyes on him. However, after this had happened numerous times, their expressions couldn’t help but turn weird. As for the disciples around the Foundation Establishment cultivators, they could only continuously address Senior Uncle Bai in exasperation.
This situation lasted for a quite some time, until once when Bai Xiaochun saw Li Qinghou, he was unable to control his urge and eventually called out in a friendly tone.
“Hi, Senior Brother Li.”
Li Qinghou’s had a haggard expression on his face; it was not until this day that he had finally completed the refinement of the Nine Absolutes Pill. He was just about to go out of the sect when he suddenly heard his name. He was stunned for a moment as he stopped in his tracks and looked around him. When he saw Bai Xiaochun, his face twitched a little. During this period of time, although he had been refining the pill, he too had heard the stories of Bai Xiaochun which had given him quite a headache. And now, seeing Bai Xiaochun addressing him like that, he threw a cold glare at him.
As soon as Bai Xiaochun shouted those words, regret washed over him. Now, as he saw Li Qinghou glaring at him, he instantly sucked in a deep breath; in this sect, the person he was most afraid of was undoubtedly Li Qinghou.
“Uncle Li….I...I was in the wrong.” Bai Xiaochun tearfully stammered.
Li Qinghou looked at Bai Xiaochun as exasperation rose in his heart. After giving him another fierce glare, Li Qinghou lectured Bai Xiaochun about his behaviour during this period of time.
“I will be making a trip out of the sect, it will probably take a few months to a year. Don’t be so mischievous during the time I am away, working hard and cultivating is the right way.” Li Qinghou left some advice for Bai Xiaochun before he turned around and left.
Bai Xiaochun let out a long sigh of relief as he looked at Li Qinghou’s fading figure. Although there was a hint of fear in his eyes, his gaze was still mostly filled with deep respect for all the elders. According to what he had heard from Du Lingfei, after he had gone missing, Li Qinghou had searched for him alone for a full two months. And when Li Qinghou came backing holding shreds of his clothes, he even started blaming himself.
Such warmth was something Bai Xiaochun had rarely felt in his entire life ever since his parents had passed away. And unknowingly, he had already began treating Li Qinghou as his relative deep in his heart.
After Li Qinghou’s scolding, Bai Xiaochun quieted down for half a month; he stopped coughing whenever he saw people, but he still stopped by Zhou Xinqi’s cave dwelling from time to time. When he thought about it, of all the people he was familiar with throughout the entire sect, Zhou Xinqi was the only one who hadn’t called him ‘Senior Uncle Bai’ yet.
Not until a few days later did he see Zhou Xinqi again, stepping onto her blue damask and leaving in a hurry. As Bai Xiaochun could not fly, he could only watch helplessly as the other party flew off into the distance with a depressed heart.
“Only a few people in the entire sect have such magical treasures that can let Qi Condensation disciples fly in the air. Unless one trained in a special technique like Chen Heng did, they could only rely on magical treasure for flight.”
“This is unfair, ah, shouldn’t these magical treasures be given by a teacher, but my...my teacher…” Bai Xiaochun sighed heavily. After a couple steps, he suddenly stopped. Hi gazed wandered around for a moment before he turned around and sprinted towards the Zhong Dao Mountain.
With his identity as the Sect Head’s Junior Brother, nothing obstructed him from entering the Zhong Dao Mountain. In no time, he had reached the mountain’s summit and arrived before the great hall where Sect Head Zheng Yuandong resided.
“Senior Brother Sect Head, my dear Senior Brother Sect Head!”
“I would like to pay my respects to teacher!” Bai Xiaochun swaggered in as he shouted loudly. Zheng Yuandong who was meditating within the great hall opened his eyes and let out a sigh.
During this period of time, countless number of people had come to find him and complain about Bai Xiaochun’s actions. Deep inside his heart, he already regretted his decision from before. But since the wood had already been used to make the boat, there was no choice but for him to close an eye to all these matters. After all, even though Bai Xiaochun might be mischievous and playful, his actions were harmless, and he was contented with just that.
At the moment he heard Bai Xiaochun shouting, Zheng Yuandong slowly walked out as he gave a cough with a serious expression.
“Enough, I’ve heard you.”
“Junior Brother pays his respects to Senior Brother Sect Head.” Bai Xiaochun had an obedient look as he quickly bowed the moment he saw Zheng Yuandong.
Seeing Bai Xiaochun’s obedient look, Zheng Yuandong sighed in his heart; he had finally understood what kind of person Bai Xiaochun was. After shaking his head with a bitter smile, he brought Bai Xiaochun to the forbidden grounds behind the mountain.
In a cave dwelling at the back of the mountains, a portrait of a middle-aged man hung on the wall. The man in the picture had a faint smile as he looked into the distance, and coupled with the extraordinary aura exuding from the painting, it was as if the man had not died, but was rather brimming with life.
Under the painting was an altar on which a variety of spirit fruits and spirit candles were placed. Although the entire cave seemed simple and elegant, it still gave off a solemn pressure.
The moment Bai Xiaochun entered the cave, he immediately went before the painting and dropped to his knees with a thud. With a respectful countenance, he solemnly kowtowed nine times towards the painting.
“Teacher, this disciple pays his respects to you.” Bai Xiaochun looked towards his teacher in the painting as his gaze shone with sincerity.
At the side, Zheng Yuandong nodded silently in his heart; he felt that even though Bai Xiaochun was unruly, he still had a loyal heart. From Zheng Yuandong’s experience, with just one look, he was able to see that Bai Xiaochun’s expression was truly sincere, and not something of pretense.
But immediately after that….Bai Xiaochun opened his mouth again.
“Teacher, your disciple is suffering ah, he can’t even fly...the other disciples, their teachers would bestow them with magical treasures, reward them with life-saving objects, I am the only one with nothing…”
“Teacher, ah, your disciple does not care about such material objects, as long as I can offer incense sticks to you, my teacher, I would be more than happy. Who knows, perhaps your spirit in heaven might even bestow a magical treasure to me when you visit me in my dreams…”
Listening to Bai Xiaochun, Zheng Yuandong who was standing by the side immediately widened his eyes.
“Teacher, to think that your disciple, for the sake of protecting the sect, for the sake of continuing our legacy of ten thousand years, for the sake of our sect’s justice, was hunted all around. With my life hanging on a thread, all my magical treasures were destroyed and abandoned; now that I have returned to the sect, I have nothing, my pockets empty, my belongings gone. I am simply worse off than a handyman…”
“But Teacher, you do not need to worry, it’s alright, even if this disciple does not have any protective treasures or flying treasures, he would climb the highest mountains and swim the deepest seas for the sect just the same, without any hesitation! But if there comes a time when I stopped offering incense to you, then perhaps it’s because I did not have any protective treasures, or any flying treasures to escape the dangers, and have lost my life… when that time comes, I will personally go find you so we can reunite with each other up there.” As he talked, Bai Xiaochun would slant his head from time to time to look at his Senior Brother Sect Head with a pitiful expression.
Zheng Yuandong’s face twitched; this time he was really stunned speechless by Bai Xiaochun. Throughout the years he had cultivated, this was his first time meeting a disciple as ridiculous and shameless as Bai Xiaochun.
At this moment he could only laugh bitterly inside his heart. As Zheng Yuandong lifted his head to look at his teacher in the painting, memories swarmed his mind. Especially the time when he first came under the tutelage of his teacher, his teacher had also given him a set of protective equipment then.
Thinking up till here, Zheng Yuandong let out a sigh and looked towards Bai Xiaochun with a soft gaze.
Not long after, Bai Xiaochun followed Zheng Yuandong out of the cave dwelling. Along the way, Bai Xiaochun kept looking at Zheng Yuandong with that pitiful expression of his. Until the both of them had walked out of the great hall at the Zhong Dao Mountain, Zheng Yuandong suddenly stopped in his tracks. He turned his head to look at Bai Xiaochun and waved his right hand. Immediately, one golden and one white flashing objects appeared in his hand.
The golden coloured one was a flying sword; it was palm-sized, but when it appeared, the space around it was slightly distorted, as if it radiated heat. Its appearance was also not ordinary; on its body, there were some intricate symbols slowly pulsing. Each time the light pulsed, ripples would spread into the surroundings.
As for the white light, it was a shield, similarly the size of a palm. Its body was white like jade, with a Divine Crane carved onto it. The crane looked quite vivid as a feeling of warmth pulsed from the shield from time to time.
Seeing both of these items, Bai Xiaochun immediately felt they were extraordinary; his eyes shone brightly and his breathing intensified. Very quickly, he also spotted that be it the sword or the shield, three silver streaks adorned them.
“The Golden Crow Sword, this sword has sealed a Golden Crow within it and possesses the power of flames, an illusory Golden Crow can be materialised and it would possess a cultivation similar to the user. It is suitable for flying and can be used up till the Early Foundation Establishment. If it explodes, its power would be even greater.”
“The Divine Crane Shield. It seals the soul of a Divine Crane and used it as a material for this protective equipment. It can allow you to block any life-threatening attacks under Foundation Establishment.”
“I had previously taken these two items to let a grandmaster spirit refine them three times, but dared not attempt to refine it any further. These two were also what teacher had gifted me when I first entered the sect. Today, I shall pass them to you on behalf of our teacher.” Zheng Yuandong looked at Bai Xiaochun with a soft expression as his gaze revealed a hint of encouragement.
“Thank you teacher, thank you Senior Brother Sect Head!” Bai Xiaochun said excitedly as he quickly received the items and lovingly held on to them, refusing to let them go even for a moment.
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Translated by: Xin
Translated by XianXiaWorld