Qi Shubai said gently, “Little Sister, coughing too much will hurt your throat.”
Yun Miao said, “So you’re admitting everything I said is true except for the dish names?”
Ning Yu replied coldly, “You teamed up with Shang Mancang to get revenge on Lu Dajiao, but in the end only hurt yourself.”
“Lu Dajiao is unharmed while you are battered all over. Hah, quite a novel method of revenge.”
She applauded coldly.
“The sect forbids disciples from harming each other. Since you only harmed yourself and caused no real damage to others, you will be punished with three months of menial work on Dan Peak as a warning.”
Yun Miao immediately protested, “Unfair! Lu Dajiao bullied me first, and I didn’t really retaliate. Even gentlemen only judge actions, not words. Any court must rely on evidence and not punish based on speech!”
Ning Yu said, “What you say in private is one thing, but last night you caused such a commotion that over ninety percent of the sect probably knows you want to turn Lu Dajiao into deer meatballs.”
“Publicly declaring you’ll attack a senior brother is a provocation of sect rules. The Disciplinary Hall naturally must respond.”
Yun Miao was silent for a moment, then turned to look pitifully at the white-bearded old man by her bedside. “Master~”
Sect Master Chang looked awkward. “Uh…”
Yun Miao said softly, “Master, you promised me yesterday that if I got into trouble, you’d have my back. If I was bullied, you’d support me. As long as I become your disciple, I could walk around Xuantian Sect with impunity.”
Sect Master Chang broke out in cold sweat. “Well… that’s true…”
Yun Miao: “Master…”
Sect Master Chang tapped the bamboo bed. “Yes, I did promise that. How about this? I’ll have the puppets help you complete your punishment!”
Yun Miao was speechless. “Is this what you call having my back?”
Sect Master Chang, thinking he had come up with a good plan, stroked his treasured beard. “Yes, whatever punishment you receive, Master will do it for you.”
Yun Miao: “What about backing me up?”
Sect Master Chang: “Don’t worry, I’ll go find Dongjun later—Lu Dajiao’s master—and make sure they give you a proper apology.”
“So walking around with impunity probably means literally walking around with impunity, huh?”
Seeing him smile guiltily and say nothing, her expression fell. “Master, you’re just fooling a child!”
Sect Master Chang argued back, “Last night you told me you’d sleep soon, but you didn’t, and caused such a big mess that you almost never woke up. You lied to an old man too. We’re even.”
Yun Miao was stumped and had no reply.
Ning Yu resumed her businesslike tone. “The Disciplinary Hall will punish Lu Dajiao later. Since Yun Miao is still recuperating, she can serve her punishment on Dan Peak after she’s recovered.”
“By the way, regarding the Disciple Recruitment Grand Ceremony, does Yun Miao still want to participate?”
Both Sect Master Chang and Qi Shubai felt that Yun Miao had just escaped death and should rest in bed. But Yun Miao slapped the bamboo bed and said firmly, “No, I want to go!”
Sect Master Chang disapproved, earnestly advising her to prioritize her health and that there was no need to join the festivities.
He thought to himself: Qi Shubai’s life has been difficult, so spoiling such a mature and sensible child a bit is okay.
But little Miao is clearly a mischievous monkey. As her master, I can’t spoil her—I have to be strict and teach her to say no. It’s better to start now than later!
Just as Sect Master was preparing to reject whatever pleas his little disciple might make, the frail girl looked at him puzzled.
“But… Master, didn’t you really want to drink my apprenticeship tea?”
At that, Sect Master’s firm resolve instantly crumbled. He felt his old heart melt into a puddle, unable to harden.
So he had no choice but to look helplessly at his senior disciple. “Uh… this…”
Qi Shubai immediately recognized his master’s old weakness acting up again. He sighed and looked at Yun Miao.
“Little Sister, your intention is what matters to Master. Since you’re still weak, even if we agreed, you couldn’t really go. So be good and rest here first, then we’ll have your apprenticeship tea ceremony later.”
Yun Miao: “I can go!”
Master promised last night that he had a gift for her at the ceremony. If she didn’t go, the free gift from the game would be lost. So she must go!
But as she swung her legs over the bed to get up, her legs gave out, and she nearly knelt down to pay an early New Year’s salute. Obviously… she couldn’t.
Supported back onto the bed by her master, Yun Miao looked pitifully toward everyone, seeking help. But everyone tacitly avoided her gaze.
Ning Yu said she still needed to prepare other new disciples and took her leave immediately. Shang Mancang glanced at Yun Miao before following Ning Yu away.
Unwilling to give up, Yun Miao looked at the Little Black Wolf lying on the bed, expression serious. “Little Black, how about you carry me?”
Ning Yu and Shang Mancang paused mid-step and both turned to look toward Yun Miao.
Then they saw the little wolf pup, no longer than their forearms and only as tall as their calves, actually pause thoughtfully. It then jumped down from the bed, lowered its body, inviting Yun Miao to sit on it.
Everyone exclaimed, “Absolutely not!”
Qi Shubai, one hand holding the pup, lifted both Yun Miao and the wolf back onto the bamboo bed. For once, he scolded her sternly, “It’s still so small. How could it carry you?”
Yun Miao looked serious. “I believe in Little Black. It’s the best!”
Little Black sat obediently by Yun Miao’s side and wagged its tail.
Qi Shubai:
“Looks like you all lack proper judgment of yourselves and others. Anyway, whether you believe in Little Black or not, it’s just a few months old. Think of it as mercy, and don’t do this again, understood?”
Yun Miao hesitated, looking at the small bundle. “Fine, but I’m definitely going to the Disciple Recruitment Grand Ceremony. If you don’t take me, I’ll crawl there!”
A mere serious injury? Negative buffs flooding the screen? What did any of that matter? Betting on the player’s dignity, nothing in this world could stop her from going to the festival to claim her free gift!
Everyone was stunned by the determination in her words. Finally, all eyes turned to Sect Master Chang.
His eyes almost overflowed with affection as he kept stroking Yun Miao’s head, repeatedly praising her as a good child.
With just this one sentence from his little disciple, he was willing not only to send puppets to help complete her punishment, but even to personally plow two acres on Dan Peak himself!
Qi Shubai felt deeply moved too. Seeing his master give in, he no longer insisted and instead took a thumb-sized jade bottle from his storage pouch, handing it over.
“Alright, since you insist on going, I won’t stop you. This is some spirit milk I happened to collect earlier. It’s very good for the body; drink it.”
At these words, the pill furnace lid on the first floor was suddenly kicked open, and a short, stout figure shot up from below like lightning, snatched the spirit milk from Qi Shubai’s hand, and stuffed it into his sleeve.
“She’s only injured in the Purple Mansion, not with her dantian exploded and all her meridians broken. Who needs this ten-thousand-year spirit milk?”
“You don’t appreciate the cost of living, one and all. I’ll keep this spirit milk for now. After I refine some rejuvenation pills, I’ll give you one.”
“Tian Laokou, as for you… just go back and eat more pig brain to recover. So you won’t make such foolish mistakes again.”
Old Laokou glanced disdainfully at Yun Miao, but as he spoke, he was already deftly pulling out a small medicine gourd from the herb cabinet.
As the red stopper was removed, a sweet medicinal fragrance quickly overpowered the original bitter scent in the room, instantly invigorating anyone who smelled it.
Tian Laokou poured out two finger-sized white pills, but after thinking a moment, he grudgingly stuffed one back into the gourd and only gave one pill to Yun Miao.
Qi Shubai caught it and was surprised at a glance. “Six Elixir Patterns… this is a Sixth-Grade Soul Nourishing Pill?”
“Good eye, kid,” Tian Laokou muttered, “A mere Qi Refining Seventh Layer disciple only needs a Third-Grade pill at most. If not for her filial heart, I wouldn’t have given out a Sixth-Grade.”
Qi Shubai cupped his hands to thank their senior uncle. “I thank Uncle Tian on behalf of Little Sister.”
Yun Miao was curious. “Senior Brother, is a Sixth-Grade pill very good?”
Qi Shubai explained that all successfully refined pills had patterns called Elixir Patterns.
One pattern equals First-Grade, two patterns Second-Grade, and so on, with the highest being nine patterns for Ninth-Grade pills.
Refiners capable of producing Seventh-Grade and Eighth-Grade pills are known as Dan Kings. Those able to produce Ninth-Grade pills are called Dan Sages.
Currently, there are only a handful of Dan Kings in the world, counted on one hand, and only the Master of Herb King Valley is a Dan Sage.
Most highly respected advanced pill refiners can only produce up to Sixth-Grade pills in their lifetime.
As Qi Shubai spoke, he fed the pill to Yun Miao.
She immediately felt the medicine dissolve into a sweet stream as she swallowed it, dispelling the haze in her mind and all fatigue in her body. Most of the negative buffs on her System panel disappeared.
Good stuff!
Her eyes brightened as she glanced at the plain herb cabinet against the wall.
Tian Laokou immediately stood protectively in front of it like a mother hen. “Hey hey, what are you thinking?”
“Uncle Tian only wanted to trick you out of a few Ling Stones before, but now you want to loot Uncle’s nest?”
Yun Miao blinked. “I’m just thinking.”
Tian Laokou glared. “Thinking isn’t allowed, thinking is a crime!”
Yun Miao coughed weakly, looking at her master.
“Cough cough, Master, I lost so much blood last night, now I feel cold and dizzy. Cough cough, it’s so hard to bear.”
“Am I dying? But don’t worry, Master, before I die, even if I have to crawl, I’ll still make it so you can drink my apprenticeship tea. Otherwise I won’t die in peace… cough cough cough!”
Sect Master Chang: …Good girl, stop coughing. You really don’t have tuberculosis.
***
Half an hour later, after taking a large amount of pills, Yun Miao changed into a pure white disciple robe, her complexion rosy and spirit high as she followed Ning Yu and Shang Mancang to ride the Human-faced Owl, flying away from Dan Peak.
The sect sky, quiet just yesterday, was now bustling with activity. Yun Miao looked up and saw many people flying toward the Main Peak.
A few went directly by flying, but most either flew by sword, or sat on compasses, brocade saddlebags, or mounts—truly a display of each person’s unique skill.
Yun Miao couldn’t help but open screenshot mode, wanting to capture this beautiful scene. Just as she busily snapped away, a pretty senior sister sitting on a brocade saddlebag suddenly noticed her gaze and sharply turned to look at her.
Yun Miao quickly gave a friendly smile, trying to boost the senior sister’s goodwill, but the sister paused in surprise, scanning her up and down multiple times before exclaiming.
“Fifteen years old, Qi Refining Seventh Layer, isn’t this the ghost from Kongyu last night?!”
“It has to be her!”
“The Patriarch has manifested! May the Patriarch bless me to not place last in this sect competition!”
“The Patriarch is above. Her Purple Mansion really opened! Qi Refining cultivation but Foundation Establishment level Spiritual Sea capacity… is this what they call innate talent?”
“Why are you worshiping? The Disciplinary Hall just issued a notice in Kongyu. Last night’s incident isn’t related to the Patriarch manifesting; she was just reckless and accidentally broke through her Purple Mansion.”
“Reckless? Accidentally? A newly inducted Qi Refining disciple accidentally breaking through her Purple Mansion?”
“Then what am I, a Foundation Establishment Second Layer disciple who still hasn’t broken through, supposed to think? That I’m too cautious?”
“Brother, it’s normal for a Foundation Establishment Second Layer disciple not to have opened the Purple Mansion.”
“When I broke through to Foundation Establishment, it took me ten more years to finally open the Purple Mansion and refine my Spiritual Sense.”
“Wuwuwu, but it’s already been twenty years since I broke through Foundation Establishment!”