chapter 6 - The Heroine Insists on Being My Master

A pigeon, flapping its wings, interrupted the heartfelt exchange between master and disciple. Xin Yun glanced up at the snow-white bird, extending her hand to beckon it to land in her palm. The pigeon seemed almost intelligent as it obediently perched upon her hand, but the moment it settled, it transformed into a slip of paper. "The pigeon turned into paper!" Wen Jiayin exclaimed in surprise. "This is a little trick my Senior Brother enjoys playing. He... asked me to bring you to him," Xin Yun's expression turned somewhat peculiar, tinged with a hint of reluctance. "Master, do you not want to go?" Wen Jiayin noticed Xin Yun's demeanor echoed a reluctance to visit. "My Senior Brother... he loves to meddle," Xin Yun admitted hesitantly. He is quite long-winded and bothersome, though she refrained from saying those words out loud, mindful of her Senior Brother's reputation. "We have to go, though, or he'd come here himself." "Besides, in a couple of days, Jia Yin, you'll need to attend classes too. It's a good chance to familiarize yourself." Wen Jiayin suddenly recalled that all new disciples, even those who had already pledged themselves to a master like they had, needed to attend the grand lessons. Having been in the workforce for several years, the thought of returning to the classroom evoked a certain irony in her emotions. Once more, she found herself in Xin Yun's embrace as they swiftly ascended to the main peak. Wen Jiayin noticed her master seemed particularly fond of carrying her. If not for her insistence on walking herself, Xin Yun might have continued holding her all the way to the Sect Leader's chambers. Inside the Sect Leader's reception hall, his chief disciple appeared exasperated while reporting on the recent antics of his little junior sister. This exceptionally gifted little sister seemed thoroughly spoiled; during class, she would rally groups to prank her fellow disciples, and outside of class, she would roam the mountains creating mischief. Her targets included not only people but also the spiritual beasts in the beast garden and the sacred herbs in the herbal garden! Both the peak masters of the Alchemy Peak and the Beast Taming Peak had approached him, subtly suggesting the child needed discipline. The Sect Leader's primary disciple was so distressed that his hair was nearly falling out. How could he possibly manage such a mischievous little sister? Even their master stepping in might not ensure she'd listen. Frankly, he thought it was partly due to their master's age—his excessive doting on this last apprentice was a recipe for trouble. Though she was indeed the only daughter of their master's dear departed friend, overly indulging her could lead to disaster! In hindsight, it might have been wiser to let that problematic little sister be handled by his Junior Uncle Xin Yun. Perhaps only someone as stoic and detached as Xin Yun could keep her in line. Reflecting on his woes, this disciple, who had lived several hundred years, almost shed a tear out of pure frustration. "Ahem..." The Sect Leader stroked his beard, concealing his discomfort. Indeed, the child had become spoiled under his care. Her parents, close friends he had known for millennia, were tragically killed, and their murderer was still at large. Consequently, he lavished love on her, hoping the shadows of past tragedies wouldn't mar her path. However, he had been too indulgent. As the Sect Leader, his daily responsibilities were manifold, leading to a neglect of her growth, resulting in the current situation. He had planned to invite Xin Yun to discuss parenting methods, but now, embarrassed by the little troublemaker he had raised, he hesitated to speak. Filled with worry over a need for strict discipline, which he loathed to administer, he feared that if he tasked someone else with lecturing her, she might completely disregard them... As the Sect Leader sighed frequently, he noticed his Junior Sister approaching slowly, hand-in-hand with a child. It was apparent that Xin Yun's pace was deliberately slowed to accommodate the child's shorter legs, creating an inexplicable sense of harmony as master and disciple approached. "Senior Brother," she greeted him with her usual detachment. He was unsurprised; his Junior Sister, cultivating the Path of Emotions, was naturally aloof, yet if she was still willing to greet him, he found it more than satisfactory. The scene that unfolded next, however, nearly sent him tumbling from his seat. Xin Yun lowered her head, addressing the child with a softness he had never heard before, "Jia Yin, this is your Martial Uncle, and beside him is your Senior Brother, his chief disciple." The child, Jia Yin, responded with a sweet, youthful voice, "Greetings, Martial Uncle, Senior Brother." "Ah, ah, good, good child," the Sect Leader began to praise but stopped, eyes widening as if seeing a ghost. He turned to his Junior Sister, bewildered. Had his Junior Sister ever spoken in such a tone? Equally stunned was the Sect Leader's chief disciple, though as a junior, he had to maintain a respectful facade, hiding any impolite expression. "Junior Sister... you..." the Sect Leader began, but Xin Yun lifted her head, meeting his gaze—that same familiar, indifferent gaze—even if momentarily shaken. "You called us here, Senior Brother, is there something you wish to discuss?" Her tone reverted to its usual succinctness, subtly communicating a reluctance to linger. For the first time, the Sect Leader was relieved rather than disturbed by her brusqueness. "Of course, Senior Brother wanted to see my little Junior Niece! Given the state you brought her back to Lingjian Peak, with your lack of prior experience as a master, Senior Brother worried there might be things you missed." The Sect Leader was this close to outright stating his concerns of his Junior Sister’s reliability. "Rest assured, Senior Brother, I'll take good care of Jia Yin." Xin Yun’s expression grew a touch colder. She was certain he was undermining her in front of Jia Yin, a scenario she decidedly didn't want to entertain any longer. "Seeing her, I'm reassured—a seamless recovery from her injuries—and wait, this child has already initiated Qi into the body?!" The Sect Leader finally detected the faint ripples of spiritual energy emanating from Wen Jiayin. "That's correct. Last night, Jia Yin successfully initiated Qi and even advanced to the second stage of Qi Refinement." Xin Yun gently squeezed Wen Jiayin's soft little hand, her tone filled with unspoken pride. "Hiss..." The chief disciple involuntarily drew a sharp breath. Good lord, could her talent possibly outshine that of their mischievous little junior sister? "Wonderful, wonderful, it seems Jingdao Sect is destined to produce yet another prodigy. Indeed, the heavens favor the prosperity of our sect's legacy!" The Sect Leader was overjoyed. Distraught over the lack of promising youths to uphold the sect's future pillars, now stood Xin Yun’s newly accepted disciple, brimming with natural talent and potential. With proper nurturing, they could carry on the responsibilities of himself and Xin Yun, ensuring Jingdao Sect’s enduring legacy. "Come, come, child, you must be Jia Yin, right? Here’s a gift from your Martial Uncle to you. Take it and have some fun.” The Sect Leader rose, handing over a storage bag with a white base and blue patterns, inviting Wen Jiayin to accept it. The head of Jingdao Sect would undeniably gift a treasure. It was likely quite valuable. Wen Jiayin hesitated briefly, glancing at Xin Yun for cues. "Accept it." Xin Yun took the storage bag from the Sect Leader and placed it in Wen Jiayin’s hand. Only then did Wen Jiayin happily receive it. "Huai Jing, take your junior sister out to explore. Aren’t the other kids attending classes right now? Show her around; she’ll need it for her lessons starting soon." The Sect Leader’s chief disciple, Huai Jing, was instructed to accompany her. “Yes, Master.” Huai Jing accepted, feeling slightly cornered by the seemingly less friendly gaze from his little uncle, receiving his junior sister's hand and leading her out. Why is Little Uncle glaring at me? Clearly, it’s because Master needs to have a private discussion with her and sent us out, Huai Jing thought, feeling unjustly blamed. Once Huai Jing had closed the door behind them, Xin Yun spoke, "Senior Brother, is there something you wish to discuss?" "Do you really not know why I called you here?" The Sect Leader circled around his Junior Sister, his brows furrowed tightly with concern. "The scent of blood on you is almost tangible! Junior Sister, I don't remember you being one prone to violence." The Sect Leader was deeply troubled. His Junior Sister, on the Path of Emotions, was supposedly impervious to emotional fluctuation due to worldly matters. Her cultivation at such a stage should render her heartless and emotionless. Yet lately, her changes were too drastic! From the very beginning, he had opposed their master’s decision to set her upon this path. Certainly, it was believed the path could reduce barriers in the journey of immortal cultivation, and historically, most practitioners of the Path of Emotions succeeded in ascending. However, humans are not stones; completely severing emotions is far from easy. Now, he seemed to sense a faint trace of humanity in her… The collapse of such a foundation was a daunting prospect he dared not contemplate. "Senior Brother need not worry. It was merely a demonic cult I suppressed because of certain reasons," Xin Yun replied with indifference. "You..." If his Junior Sister refused to elaborate, probing was all in vain. The Sect Leader could do nothing but accept this as another one of her inscrutable acts. Alas... "Senior Brother, I have everything under control." Xin Yun’s most frequent assertion—that she always conveyed confidence and competency in the past, reassured even this time. "I’ve never had to fret over you—Junior Sister, remember, if anything arises, seek your Senior Brother’s aid." The Sect Leader’s faith in his sister’s judgment preempted any compulsion to pry. In the future, when he finally comprehended the gravity of the situation his Junior Sister faced, he’d be so infuriated he’d fetch the discipline stick left by their master for tempering disciples. If it weren’t for his little niece’s tearful persistence, he’d have imparted a stern lesson to his youngest Junior Sister. "Thank you, Senior Brother. If there's nothing else, I'll go find Jia Yin." "Sigh, always so impatient after a few words. Wait! Don't go so quickly! Senior Brother hasn't finished speaking!" The Sect Leader, feeling his authority slipping away in front of his Junior Sister, hurriedly called out to Xin Yun, who almost left. "Your little disciple is very talented, so make sure you nurture her well. If there's anything she needs in her cultivation, let me know. I have numerous excellent fire-element cultivation techniques that are superior to those in the Library Pavilion. You usually don't collect these materials..." "I've already prepared everything for my disciple. Senior Brother, I keep the best for myself, which is certainly better than what you have," Xin Yun responded confidently. "I have a Heaven-level technique!" The Sect Leader protested. Techniques are ranked from Heaven, Earth, Black, to Yellow, and the one he offered was of the highest tier! "Yes, better than yours," Xin Yun reiterated, now even more certain. Higher than Heaven-level... The Sect Leader took a deep breath, finally grasping her meaning. "Very well, even I wasn't aware you had treasures of such caliber. If you need anything else, just speak up." "Oh, by the way, Senior Brother, there is something I'd like to request," Xin Yun suddenly paused as she was about to leave, realizing she had overlooked something important in her preparations for Jia Yin, assuming Jia Yin might not choose it. "What is it?" "I heard that you once forged a sword for our youngest disciple. Now, that little disciple adamantly refuses to learn swordsmanship and has already shifted to the path of spell cultivation. My disciple happens to need a practice sword. Could you part with it?" "So that’s what you're after!" The Sect Leader huffed. That little disciple of his used to be keen on becoming a sword cultivator and had practiced diligently for a couple of days. Pleased, he went all out, gathering various rare materials and asking the Hundred Refines Peak Master to forge an exceptional sword for her. But as soon as the sword was ready, she decided against sword cultivation, claiming it was too exhausting, opting for spell cultivation instead. Now, since his little disciple had resolutely given up on swordsmanship, gifting the sword to his Junior Sister’s disciple seemed acceptable. "Fine, the sword will go to little Jia Yin." With a wave of his sleeve, a sword shimmered with the distinctive luster of an exceptional spiritual treasure, manifested before Xin Yun. "Not bad," Xin Yun remarked, giving it a cursory glance, "Thank you, Senior Brother." "By the way, remember to balance discipline and leniency in raising your disciple. Don't be too strict or she may not grow close to you!" The Sect Leader finished, but Xin Yun had already disappeared. "Sigh, they all complain I'm long-winded." The Sect Leader sighed. Wait! The Sect Leader suddenly realized what his Junior Sister had mentioned—that sword was supposed to be his little disciple's life-bound weapon! And now it was to be merely a practice sword? How excessive! Author's Note: Surprise bonus update! \(≧ω≦)/ Thank you to all the lovely readers who cast votes or provided nourishment to my work between 2022-01-25 11:08:40 and 2022-01-25 21:44:26! Special thanks to the angels who threw grenades: Sinan, and Passerby C, one each; I am extremely grateful for your support and will continue to work hard! No pop-up ads on this site.