Sha Qian Mo and Hua Qian Gu played until midnight. She wanted to return but accidentally fell asleep. The next morning, Sha Qian Mo brought her back to Chang Liu and left. While Hua Qian Gu flew on the Emotionless sword back to Jue Qing Hall, she was knocked off her sword by a drop of water. Laying on the ground, she looked up to see Ni Man Tian laughing at her. Shuo Feng was also there. They were practicing near a stream. It appeared Ni Man Tian saw her fly by so decided to knock her off her sword.
“Weren’t you very impressive in the Xian Jian Games? Why are you useless now? Can’t even avoid a drop of water, don’t tell me your injury hasn’t healed?”
Hua Qian Gu ignored her, stood up and brushed off the dirt. Raising her hand, the Emotionless sword automatically returned to her.
Ni Man Tian looked at the Emotionless sword with bitterness, she did not know at that time Zun Shang gave Hua Qian Gu the sword, too bad for her Bi Luo sword. Although Ni Man Tian always wanted to be Luo Shi Yi’s disciple, she was upset that Hua Qian Gu was the Sect Leader’s disciple, new grudge added to old animosity, the hatred deepened.
“Oh, your status is higher now, I should call you Sect Senior, I can’t be disrespectful! You’ve been the Sect Leader’s disciple for a year, you’ve probably learned a lot from Zun Shang, why not teach your sect junior a few moves?”
After saying this, she swung her sword to attack. Hua Qian Gu quickly stepped away. Shuo Feng crossed his arms and lazily watched them.
Hua Qian Gu tried to fight back, her sword technique was smooth but lacked cohesion, there was power but without the internal energy, obviously she was not a match for Ni Man Tian.
Ni Man Tian’s beautiful eyes were frosty, she was not in a hurry to win, deliberately using hundreds of moves as if to tease. She wanted to show off everything Luo Shi Yi had taught her to Hua Qian Gu. She was already talented, and the embarrassment from the Xian Jian Games motivated her to train harder. During the year, while Hua Qian Gu comfortably lived in leisure, she never relaxed for a moment at Tan Lan Hall. Both her strength and cultivation increased greatly, many times compared to last year. As for Hua Qian Gu, beside reading, sleeping, cooking, reciting poetry, painting, she fermented wine, planted flowers……
Her cultivation barely improved. Naturally, she was not a match for Ni Man Tian, and her internal energy had not healed fully, thus Ni Man Tian led her by the nose.
Ni Man Tian purposely wanted to humiliate her, shearing her clothes but never touching the flesh. Finally, she flew up high into the air and violently kicked Hua Qian Gu from behind, causing her to fall on the ground, her face full of mud.
“Sect Senior! Stand up!” Ni Man Tian arrogantly clapped her hands and turned to leave, her mouth mumbling, “Calling yourself the Sect Leader’s disciple, how useless! Haha, my teacher Luo Shi Yi is the best!”
Hua Qian Gu was infuriated. It was her fault that she used the excuse of healing from injury and did not train diligently, not Bai Zi Hua’s fault. She was tired from the fight so she continued to lay on the ground, not bothering to get up. She had never been an ambitious person. Her original wish was to live an easy life. Then later, she had another wish, which was to be Bai Zi Hua’s disciple. Since Heaven kindly granted both wishes, she only wanted to live in peace now.
But Hua Qian Gu suddenly realized Bai Zi Hua’s reputation was at stake. Everyone might not know her name, but they surely knew her as the disciple of Chang Liu’s High Immortal. Hua Qian Gu made up her mind to train diligently from now on. She was Bai Zi Hua’s only disciple. She must not shame him. One day, she would defeat Ni Man Tian!
Shuo Feng put out his hand and helped Hua Qian Gu up. He knelt and brushed off the dirt on her clothes, surprising her because they were not friends. Then he patted her head and told her to go back to Jue Qing Hall. Hua Qian Gu did not know what else to say except muttering a quick thank you. On the outside, it might seem as if Shuo Feng and Ni Man Tian were on the same team since they were usually together, but he never bullied Hua Qian Gu. Shuo Feng might not be a bad person after all.
When she returned to Jue Qing Hall, Tang Bao was in the courtyard crying pitifully. As soon as it saw Hua Qian Gu, it immediately flew over to her, its tears spilling all over her, she saw with surprise that Luo Shi Yi was also present.
“Luo Shi Yi?! Why are you here?”
“Shhh, don’t let my teacher know. Tang Bao looked for you all through the night but couldn’t find you, it kept on crying, I came here to comfort it. See, didn’t I say Hua Qian Gu didn’t go far, she’ll return quickly, look at how scared you were!” Luo Shi Yi lovingly poked at its head.
Tang Bao wiped its tears and runny nose on Hua Qian Gu’s shirt: “I mentally searched for you everywhere on Chang Liu but couldn’t find you…… and I couldn’t sense your breathing, I thought you were captured by bad people. Where did you go? And also your clothes, why is everything torn, did bad people seize you?”
Hua Qian Gu knew Tang Bao already cultivated to the Zhi Wei level where it could use its mental power to search within 100 miles, of course it could not find her because she was outside this perimeter. However, Luo Shi Yi was here, she could not say she and jiejie sneaked out, otherwise there would be trouble. Also, Ni Man Tian was now Luo Shi Yi’s disciple, she should not make him feel awkward.
So she made up an excuse: “Yun Yin sent me a letter yesterday about an emergency, I went out to look for him, forgetting to tell you. Sorry, I caused you to worry for me. My clothes are torn because Yun Yin taught me a sword move called Wan Shu Li Hua, but I’m not hurt, don’t worry, haha.”
“That’s good, Gu Tou mama, but you can’t leave me and run off again!”
“I know, I know, I don’t know who’s the one running off to play with someone else though.” She scowled at Luo Shi Yi.
Luo Shi Yi smiled lazily, extended a finger to dry off Tang Bao’s tears.
“Are you relieved now? Be good, stop crying, I need to go back, I’ll bring you delicious food next time.”
As soon as Luo Shi Yi left, Tang Bao fell asleep in Hua Qian Gu’s hand, it was tired from worrying through the night. Hua Qian Gu put it into the small house made from a jewelry box. She took out the seven books and carefully read them, specifically reviewing the section about cultivating internal energy in the medicine book many times. Then she began to practice.
The following days were filled with reading and training, she did not care about anything else. A month later, Bai Zi Hua returned, feeling something was strange as soon as he stepped into Jue Qing Hall.
He quickly went to the meditation room, surprised to see Tang Bao waiting anxiously outside, telling him that Hua Qian Gu had not come out for three days. It was afraid interrupting her could cause her to turn demonic, thus it could only stand outside and worry.
Bai Zi Hua immediately walked in, seeing Hua Qian Gu suspended in the air, around her was a light in the shape of a seven-petal lotus. Her eyes were closed, her mind still in meditation, but her practice was rushed so her face was pale, her mind uncontrollable.
Bai Zi Hua reassured Tang Bao that everything was all right, telling it to leave first. Then he flew up, silently stood behind Hua Qian Gu, slowly helped her to open her acupoints.
Hua Qian Gu’s body was cold and stiff, she suddenly felt warm water filling her body, rushing forward.
Bai Zi Hua marked the important acupoints on her body, she already recovered from her injury, but at night when she slept deeply, he sealed her internal energy to help her become more alert. She probably thought something was wrong so she wanted to break the seal, but she was not strong enough, her attempt backfired, causing her spirit to leave her body.
Since that was the case, he might as well clear the immortality blood vessels, she could cultivate later.
Bai Zi Hua stayed with Hua Qian Gu in the meditation room for seven days and nights, her internal energy circulated 81 times. Bai Zi Hua used mystic arts to cleanse his body once. Then he gave her a Pan Xian pill from Yao Chi and a drop of Li Chen Lu from Mount Chang Liu.
When Hua Qian Gu woke up, she found her body weightless as if it were not her own. She felt like a transparent drop of water, like a pure snowflake, yet she felt like an ocean breeze, like a mountain and also like a star in the sky.
Everything in the universe was inclusive, everything could be understood.
Hua Qian Gu did not realize humans would beg immortals to help them, needing to cultivate for thousands of years. As for her, she was given 1,000 years of cultivation from Bai Zi Hua over a few days. Surviving a calamity, rising directly to the Zhi Wei level, her body became immortal.
“Teacher?” Hua Qian Gu saw him as soon as she opened her eyes, her heart filled with happiness. The two of them were still rotating slowly following the Bagua diagram on the ceiling.
Seeing Bai Zi Hua’s eyes still closed, a bit of sweat on his forehead, she extended a hand to gently wipe it off for him. Bai Zi Hua moved a little in surprise, his lips twitched, but he did not speak.
After a stick of incense burned fully, they slowly descended.
“Teacher! Are you all right?” Hua Qian Gu hurried over to help him, Bai Zi Hua waved her away, nodding: “I am fine, pool your internal energy to your stomach to see if you still feel pain.”
“Not anymore, Teacher.”
Bai Zi Hua nodded, then walked out, Tang Bao was falling asleep outside the room, seeing them walking out, it felt relieved. Hua Qian Gu grabbed it and put it in her ear.
“Teacher, did I turn demonic while cultivating, Teacher came back in time to save me?”
“No, but cultivation requires a calm heart, you cannot rush. I have helped your body become immortal, after you have memorized the seven books, I will teach you mystic arts.”
“Wah! Really? That’s awesome! Teacher!” Hua Qian Gu could not contain her excitement and hugged Bai Zi Hua from behind, pouting like a baby, Bai Zi Hua was shocked and stood still. At this point, she realized what she was doing, quickly dropping her hands and smiling quietly. Finally, Teacher would teach her. Huh, let’s see if Ni Man Tian could be so arrogant again, she would beat her into a pulp!
“Teacher, what’s an immortal? Am I immortal now?”
“No, you have to cultivate yourself, reaching the highest level to become immortal. Your years of cultivation are not enough, you have only reached the Zhi Wei level.”
“Oh, what’s the use of an immortal body?”
“The most simple, most practical reason……” Bai Zi Hua turned to look at her who did not reach his chest, “To live forever.”
“You mean……” Hua Qian Gu opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“Yes, if you continue to cultivate, you can look this way forever, never growing older.”
“Wah! That’s awesome! I understand now! I’ve heard the story about Chang’E stealing Heaven’s pills.”
“Yes, she had the body of an immortal first, without knowing any mystic arts, then she cultivated to become an immortal later. You can be like that, cultivating will be easier.”
“I got it! Thank you, Teacher!” Hua Qian Gu grinned from ear to ear.
Bai Zi Hua looked at her bright smile, his lips curved up, he said suddenly: “Today, I want to eat peach blossom soup.”
Hua Qian Gu was a little surprise, it was a while before she reacted, she replied happily: “Yes! I’ll go make it now!” Then turned to run into the kitchen.
Tang Bao was in her ear and whined with dissatisfaction: “Zun Shang is finally back, we can eat delicious food again. You don’t know, but when you weren’t here, Gu Tou mama was too lazy to cook, abusing me every day, making me eat dried biscuits, huhuhu……”