Behind the mountain, there was the bamboo forest.
Mao Nanbei lay on the Taoist nun's lap, curving her four small paws slightly, even her eyes were already half-closed.
You could tell, the woman's touch was simply superb when it came to petting cats.
"I must submit, meow～"
Mao Nanbei would launch a surprise "attack" on the bamboo forest every once in a while. Did she, a child at heart, love mischief, or did she secretly crave being petted?
Perhaps, both were true.
The woman's slender fingers gently massaged the small black cat's ears one last time, marking the end of today's petting session.
Mao Nanbei lay on her lap, relishing in the lingering sensation for a brief moment, before leaping onto the woman's shoulder, hanging on it with her upper body.
The Taoist-nun seemed extremely thin, too thin perhaps, looking frail and weak.
Her shoulders, unlike those of the burly Murong Yan, were slender, which meant Mao Nanbei could only dangle from them, not lie on them.
Once settled on the woman's shoulder, the little black cat began to regale with colorful tales of her descent down the mountain.
Tales of scrumptious food she ate, fun things she bought, a Ghost King she killed, and her whole encounter with Lu Xun...
After transforming into a spirit-like being, akin to rebirth, her mentality was still immature resulting in careless chatter without inhibition.
When she mentioned her initial desire to make Lu Xun her own beautiful mount, the Taoist-like woman raised her pale hand, curled it into a fist, then lightly tapped it on the cat's head.
"Meow!" Mao Nanbei covered her forehead with her little paws.
Confused by her second senior sister's sudden action, Mao Nanbei protested, "I just thought he was handsome and desired his body, I didn't want to do anything harmful or evil, I…"
Before she could finish, her forehead was smacked again, thrice in succession!
"Meow!" Mao Nanbei fell silent.
After sulking for a full two minutes, she started babbling once again.
The Taoist woman remained silent throughout, listening attentively like the perfect audience.
This was something Mao Nanbei was accustomed to.
Her second senior sister was a reserved person, a real Taoist nun before being accepted as a disciple by the master.
She was the most law-abiding person, yet also the most rebellious. She only followed the rules she agreed with; if she didn't, nothing could restrain her.
So, when Mao Nanbei said that "rules are made to be broken," attributing it to her second senior sister, it was actually something her senior sister had never said. But, in Mao Nanbei's mind, it was a lesson she had learned from her.
Of course, it could also be seen as the child deflecting blame.
That being said, for someone as cold and distant as her second senior sister, a Taoist nun, she had a very cute name, Gu Xiaoman.
[Xiao Man] is the eighth solar term among the twenty-four solar terms and also the second solar term of summer. Since she was born on that day, she was given this name.
As mentioned earlier, the second senior sister didn't like to talk much. Even when she did, she spoke exceptionally slow, and her pausing was quite strange.
Because …
—— She stutters.
...
...
On the other side of the mountain in the Small Study, Ji Li, who was watching over Lu Xun, heard a knock on the door.
She was slightly taken aback, surprised by the knocking.
The mountain's backside was an area that forbade casual entry and exit, and when Mao Nanbei would enter, she never knocked. So, who could this be?
As Ji Li opened the door, she was momentarily dazzled.
The man stood not much taller than her, and his head seemed to glow like a light bulb.
Although it was their first meeting, Ji Li was used to the physical characteristics of Sect Master Shen Yan and quickly bowed in respect.
What caught her by surprise though, was that the Sect Master was indeed as short as the rumors conveyed.
"Please rise, there is no need for formalities." Shen Yan revealed a smile that he believed to be kind.
But unfortunately his features were quite harsh, combined with his bald head, he didn't make for the most pleasing sight.
He thought his smile was warm and inviting, but to others, it seemed like a cruel smirk.
"I came here principally to check on little Junior Uncle's injuries and see how he's recovering," said Shen Yan. He walked over to the bedside, scanned Lu Xun's body with his divine sense, and then nodded slightly.
He's recovering quite well indeed. Worthy of my top-notch spirit pill.
With this thought, a pang of pain surged in his heart.
Then, he turned his head towards Ji Li and flashed a kind (cruel) smile.
His main purpose for visiting today was to leave a good impression on Ji Li.
Ji Li's talent had already been making waves around the Demon Sect, with her eight ripples. Given the entirety of the Heavenly Dust Continent, she was like a phoenix among sparrows; not many like her could be found even within the huge Demon Sect.
The most important thing was that her five elements were very distinct, with an extremely high fire attribute and minimal traces of the other four elements.
Such people were the ideal candidates for practising fire attribute cultivation techniques!
And Shen Yan was one of the strongest people in the entire Heavenly Dust Continent that practiced fire attribute cultivation techniques!
He was slightly considering accepting Ji Li as his disciple.
According to the rules of the Demon Sect, when an outer sect disciple is promoted to an inner one, elder members of the sect who are interested in the disciple can extend an olive branch. If multiple people are interested in the same disciple, then it's the disciple's turn to choose.
Yes, it's just like an audition program in a fantasy martial arts world...
In theory, as the sect master of the Demon Sect and with his high cultivation, Shen Yan should never have trouble finding disciples.
But wasn't his appearance, without a single hair on his body, a result of his cultivation technique?
They often use the term "iron chicken that won't pluck a feather" to describe stinginess. Shen Yan was genuinely bald.
Even though he had become like this due to a bout of inner demons during his youth, his disciples were still pretty freaked out by his appearance.
What if I also have a bout of inner demons?
The cultivators in Heavenly Dust Continent didn't cultivate anything like "Supreme Forgetfulness" or "Breaking Mortality" or anything like that.
The so-called "immortal", with "man" in front and "mountain" behind, is a person lofty as a mountain, hence an immortal.
Even immortals are human and humans have their desires... Given that, everyone did care a bit about their appearance.
Of course, this wasn't the major reason. The main point was that Shen Yan proved through his actions that he was not a good mentor.
None of his disciples had accomplished anything noteworthy until today.
The path of cultivation is full of hardships. Like in novels, the protagonist randomly acquires a technique and becomes the World's First without anyone teaching him - that's quite absurd.
A good mentor can be of immense help on the path of cultivation!
Although it's said that "the master leads you to the door, but cultivation is on you", some masters lead you to the right door, while others will not only fail to lead you to the door but might also lead you astray!
And when you finally find the door, they might even kick you out!
While Shen Yan wasn't quite that extreme, he was genuinely inept at teaching.
Plus, he's stingy! His disciples enjoyed very few benefits!
Contrarily, a few peak masters, whose power is only slightly less than his but are excellent at teaching disciples and treat them more generously... this was really embarrassing!
Over time, Shen Yan felt a little concerned!
The Demon Sect frequently held martial arts competitions among disciples. Sometimes he was a bit humiliated and urgently needed a beloved disciple who could help him save face!
After all... even though I have no hair, no eyebrows, not even eyelashes and nose hair, I still care about my reputation!
Furthermore, he had just given away a top-notch Spirit Pill and was trying to figure out how to compensate himself when Ji Li immediately caught his attention.
The girl has a close relationship with little Junior Uncle, right?
That's great!
She will definitely remember this favor!
Give away a Spirit Pill, gain a beloved disciple...
-- This is not a loss at all!
...