It was early morning; the breeze on the deck of the spirit vessel was slightly cool.
At this moment, Lu Li was sitting at the bow of the spirit vessel, quietly controlling the craft beneath him while simultaneously contemplating the Alchemical Insights just bestowed upon him by the system.
As Lu Li focused intently on the profound mysteries of the Dan Dao, suddenly he heard a soft exclamation from behind.
“Master… Master! Please, could you sign my apprenticeship contract as well!”
Lu Li turned around abruptly and saw his eldest disciple, Gu Qingkong, rushing out from the cabin behind him like a gust of wind.
At the same time, Lu Li noticed the subtle change in emotion on his disciple’s face.
The youth’s cheeks had a faint, unnatural flush, and his violet eyes were especially bright and striking; in his hand, he tightly clutched a familiar contract, hurriedly running to stand before Lu Li, eagerness and barely concealed anticipation written all over his face as he handed the contract directly to Lu Li.
“Master! When I first took you as my teacher, I was too hasty, so I neglected the proper etiquette. I hope Master can re-sign this apprenticeship contract for me, so I can complete the formalities!”
“Ah? Oh…”
Lu Li nodded dumbly, lowering his head to look at the contract in Gu Qingkong’s hand—identical to the one Shang Baiyu had just asked him to sign—then raising his eyes again to his young disciple’s face, which all but shouted “Master, I want one too,” mixed with some nervousness.
The confusion in his heart only deepened.
So… what’s going on this time?
Shang Baiyu asking earlier was one thing, but why was Qingkong joining in the fun?
Could it be that among young cultivators these days, such empty ceremonies were now in fashion?
Full of doubts, Lu Li did not immediately accept the contract.
Instead, his gaze moved back and forth between the contract and his eldest disciple’s face.
Gu Qingkong, under his Master’s scrutiny, grew even more nervous.
His gaze flickered slightly, and he unconsciously twisted the hem of his robe, afraid of accidentally revealing any feminine behavior in front of his Master.
“Hmm? Why is this child… so nervous? It’s only an apprenticeship contract, after all.”
As Lu Li pondered for a moment, across from him Gu Qingkong’s heart suddenly started beating wildly, fearful that her Master might notice a flaw in her overly delicate expression.
Almost instinctively, she subtly used her cognitive modification ability.
Lu Li keenly sensed a fleeting, nearly imperceptible odd feeling sweep across his heart, but before he could look into it further, the sensation vanished.
In the end, he chalked it up to youthful competition—Gu Qingkong saw Shang Baiyu had an apprenticeship contract, so he wanted one as well.
Looking at his young disciple’s expectant face, and the slightly awkward look from having his little scheme seen through, Lu Li’s suspicion faded away.
“Forget it, just youthful temperament after all…”
“If Qingkong wants it, then so be it.”
“After all, it’s just a piece of paper. If it can make him happy, it’s a gesture of Master-disciple affection.”
Lu Li chuckled inwardly, but kept a dignified expression on his face, maintaining the air of a Master as he replied to Gu Qingkong in a calm and even tone.
“If this is what you wish, then so be it…”
With that, he accepted the “apprenticeship contract.”
A faint glow of spiritual power appeared at his fingertips, and, just like before with Shang Baiyu’s contract, he left his unique magical imprint and name.
“Ah… thank you, Master!”
Gu Qingkong all but snatched back the now suddenly “heavy” contract, his violet eyes gleaming like a starry sky, his face unable to conceal his overwhelming joy and pride.
Almost as if afraid Lu Li would regret it, he hugged the contract tightly to his chest, then spun around and glanced toward the cabin door.
Like a triumphant fighting cock, he waved the contract with Lu Li’s signature on it in the air, the look of pride on his face nearly overflowing!
At the cabin door, Gong Shangyu was quietly leaning against the frame, watching all of this unfold.
Seeing Gu Qingkong’s display—so pleased with himself, like a victorious rooster—he couldn’t help but hide half his face behind a white jade fan, shoulders shaking as he stifled a deep, low chuckle.
Sigh~
This junior sister is just as pure and fun as she was in the previous life~
Lu Li, having witnessed all the subtle gestures between his two disciples, saw Gu Qingkong’s blatant showing off and Shang Baiyu’s amused and teasing reaction, and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
Hmm?
Strange…
When did Qingkong and Baiyu become so close?
If memory served, hadn’t the two of them still been constantly bickering and at odds not long ago?
How had their relationship improved so much, so quickly?
Although Lu Li felt puzzled, he didn’t dwell on it.
He simply chalked it up to youthful camaraderie, quick to come and quick to go.
Thinking this, Lu Li shook his head and put these trivial matters unrelated to cultivation out of his mind.
Disciples naturally have their own ways of getting along.
As long as it didn’t interfere with proper matters or violate the rules of Duanqing Peak, a bit of youthful spirit was no problem.
Yet, for some reason, Lu Li couldn’t shake the faint sense of oddness behind these two sudden apprenticeship contracts and his disciples’ unusual behavior.
Gazing at his two disciples, chatting and laughing in the distance, Lu Li at the bow of the ship suppressed his doubts and continued to contemplate his Alchemical Insights.
After quickly digesting the information provided by the system, Lu Li opened the system interface, glanced at the progress bar of his eldest disciple’s Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation, then at the blood-red Death Countdown in the mission tab.
He then took out from his Fangcun Bag a bottle of Best Grade Condensing Qi Pills he’d just purchased at the Dan Ding Pavilion yesterday, and muttered to himself.
“Sigh… come to think of it, ever since I went to Yangzhou City for the sect’s mission, it’s been a while since I personally guided Qingkong in his cultivation~”
No sooner had Lu Li spoken than Gu Qingkong, who had just been showing off his contract to Gong Shangyu at the cabin door, felt a chill run down his back.
He turned his head stiffly, only to see Lu Li looking at him kindly from the bow of the ship, still shaking the white porcelain bottle containing the Condensing Qi Pills in his hand.
“Hehe… Qingkong~ Time for cultivation~”
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingkong’s pretty face instantly reddened, and he gulped hard.
“Uh… M-Master, isn’t this a bit inappropriate? After all, Shang Baiyu is still here…”
Recalling those previous times when his Master had forcefully infused him with pills inside the room, and the sense of shame when his Master poured spiritual power into him, Gu Qingkong’s face turned as red as an apple, causing Gong Shangyu beside him to be utterly perplexed.
Hmm?
What’s up with Gu Qingkong?
Why is his face suddenly so red?
While Gong Shangyu was puzzled, Lu Li suddenly grabbed Gu Qingkong by the collar, smiling as he dragged his beloved disciple toward the cabin.
“Hehe… Qingkong, it’s been a while since you’ve properly trained with your Master~ Your grandmaster once told me, in cultivation, if you don’t advance, you fall behind. Such matters can’t be taken lightly~”
“Elbow! Come with your Master into the room to cultivate! Your Master will make sure you catch up on all the lessons you’ve missed!”
“Ah… No! Master! I really don’t feel up to it today…”
Gu Qingkong clung tightly to the cabin doorframe, unwilling to follow his Master inside, even shooting a pleading look at Gong Shangyu.
Gong Shangyu, oblivious to the truth, simply tilted his head and watched Master and Junior Sister in confusion, obviously not understanding what was going on.
Just as Gong Shangyu was feeling puzzled, Lu Li, who was tugging Gu Qingkong back into the cabin, smiled and said to him,
“Baiyu~ I’ll leave steering the spirit vessel to you for now!”
“I’ve already set the route to the Xu Ling Sect. All you need to do is infuse it with spiritual power!”
“In short, I’ll leave things to you here. I’m taking your Senior Brother into the room to cultivate!”
Although Gong Shangyu was still at a loss, seeing Gu Qingkong desperately clawing at the doorframe and those pitiful, pleading eyes, he couldn’t help but flash an elated smile at his Junior Sister, harboring a small intention of kicking her while she was down.
She didn’t know exactly what Lu Li was planning, but if Gu Qingkong was this afraid, it meant whatever Lu Li was about to do would definitely put her at a disadvantage!
If it would trip up this little shorty, then what was there to hesitate about~
She then smiled and replied to her Master with utmost respect,
“Yes, Master.”
Then, ignoring her Junior Sister’s plea, she even used a bit of invisible spiritual power to gently pry Gu Qingkong’s fingers off the doorframe, happily watching as her Master dragged Junior Sister into the cabin.
However, she didn’t realize that her recent actions seemed to have made her pink hair turn just a little bit greener.