Chapter 31: It Is Good to Have a Disciple

He suddenly thought of Lin Xiaoyu.

That girl was the same.

She was still just a child, yet she carried a blood-deep vendetta, never daring to pause her cultivation for even a moment.

“Qingshuang.”

Yue Qingshuang started.

This was the first time Chen Ping had ever called her by name.

“The path of cultivation is very long,” Chen Ping said slowly.

“So long that sometimes, you run with everything you have for a long time, and when you look back, you’re still standing in the same place.”

He sat up and gazed at the distant sunset glow.

“The competition never ends. Resources, techniques, opportunities — there will always be something better waiting just ahead.”

“Then what should I do?” Yue Qingshuang asked.

Chen Ping turned to look at her and suddenly smiled.

“Stop. Have a meal. Watch the sunset.”

Yue Qingshuang froze.

“And then you’ll realize,” Chen Ping said, settling back into the rocking chair.

“What’s meant for you won’t run away. What isn’t meant for you is useless to fight for.”

The evening breeze drifted past, and the leaves of the old locust tree rustled softly.

Yue Qingshuang sat on the stone stool, lost in thought.

Stop…

Have a meal…

Watch the sunset…

She suddenly realized how long it had been since she had sat quietly like this.

From Tianyue Palace to Blackstone City, from Blackstone City to Qingyun Sect.

Rushing the whole way, tense the whole way, never daring to let her guard down for a moment.

Yet now, sitting in this humble little courtyard and watching the setting sun sink inch by inch, she felt a sense of peace she had never known before.

“Thank you for your guidance, Peak Master Chen,” she said softly.

Chen Ping waved a hand without opening his eyes.

*

The night deepened.

Yue Qingshuang finally rose to take her leave.

“Peak Master Chen, this junior should return now.”

Chen Ping opened his eyes and nodded.

“Travel safely.”

Yue Qingshuang reached the courtyard gate, then suddenly looked back.

“Peak Master Chen, that meal… was delicious.”

Chen Ping smiled.

“Come again sometime.”

Yue Qingshuang looked at him, and suddenly she smiled too.

With that smile, her brow relaxed, and her whole bearing softened.

“Alright.”

She turned, and a moon-white streak of light shot into the sky, vanishing into the night.

*

Lin Xiaoyu poked her head out from the kitchen. She watched the streak of light disappear into the distance, then sidled up to Chen Ping.

“Master, did that older sister leave?”

“Yes.”

“Will she come back?”

Chen Ping thought for a moment and smiled. “Perhaps.”

Lin Xiaoyu nodded thoughtfully.

Then she seemed to remember something. She pulled a small cloth bundle from her robe and handed it to Chen Ping.

“Master, this is for you.”

Chen Ping took it and unwrapped it.

Inside was a medicinal pill.

The quality was good — the same kind of healing pill he had given Lin Xiaoyu before.

“This is…?”

“I exchanged my contribution points^[1] for it,” Lin Xiaoyu said, lowering her head shyly.

“Master never says anything when he’s hurt, but I know that Master gets tired too. That Master feels pain too.”

She lifted her head and looked at Chen Ping with earnest eyes.

“So I exchanged for one for Master too. If Master ever gets hurt again, please take it.”

Chen Ping looked at the pill in his hand, then at the serious girl before him.

For a long moment, he didn’t know what to say.

He had cultivated for over twenty years. He had been mocked, ignored, pitied.

But never once had someone cared for him with such sincerity.

“Alright.” He reached out and ruffled Lin Xiaoyu’s hair.

“I accept it.”

Lin Xiaoyu beamed.

“Master, I’m going to cultivate now!”

“Go on.”

Lin Xiaoyu skipped back to her room.

Standing in the courtyard, Chen Ping gazed at the pill in his hand, then at the moon-white streak fading into the night sky.

He suddenly smiled.

It really is good to have a disciple.

*

A thousand miles away, the moon-white streak cut through the night sky.

Yue Qingshuang glanced back toward Qingyun Sect, the corners of her lips curving upward.

“Peak Master Chen…”

she murmured to herself.

“Come again sometime… Yes. I certainly will.”

She quickened her pace and disappeared into the vast night.

Back in the courtyard, Chen Ping settled into his rocking chair once more.

Lin Xiaoyu came over carrying a cup of hot tea and placed it in his hand.

Chen Ping took the tea and sipped.

Then he handed the storage ring Yue Qingshuang had left behind to Lin Xiaoyu.

“Xiaoyu, take a look at this.”

Lin Xiaoyu took the storage ring and sent her divine sense inside, curious.

In the next instant, she went completely still.

Mountains of spirit stones, all top-grade, a full ten million in number.

Every kind of pill lined up neatly on jade shelves, covering everything from Qi Refining Stage to Nascent Soul stage, even a few bottles of rare treasures whose purpose she could not identify at all.

Spirit herbs, spirit materials, dharma treasures, array plates — a dazzling display of glittering treasures.

The entire space inside the storage ring was packed to the brim. There was barely a gap to be found.

“M-Master… th-this, this, this…”

Lin Xiaoyu stammered, barely able to form words.

Just moments ago, she had been thinking that the resources her master had already given her were more than generous.

But looking at this now, those resources didn’t even add up to a tenth of what was in this storage ring!

“That older sister… gave all this?!”

Chen Ping nodded, his tone casual.

“Yes. For saving her life, this amount of resources isn’t much.”

Lin Xiaoyu: “…”

This amount of resources?

Not much?!

She drew a deep breath, forced down the shock in her heart, and carefully handed the storage ring back to Chen Ping.

“Master, th-this is far too valuable. I can’t accept it…”

“If it’s given to you, just keep it,” Chen Ping said with a wave of his hand.

“What you need most right now is resources.”

He paused, looked at Lin Xiaoyu, and spoke with gravity.

“Alright. The resources are ready. Rest well tonight and adjust your condition. Tomorrow, we officially begin Heavenly Dao Qi Refining.”

Lin Xiaoyu jolted as if struck.

Heavenly Dao Qi Refining.

Her master had spoken those words before.

It was the exclusive cultivation path of the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique — a path that required one to break through the limits of heaven and earth and reach the legendary Thirty-Six Layers of Qi Refining.

“Master, I…”

“What, scared?”

“No!” Lin Xiaoyu shook her head quickly.

“I’m just… a little nervous.”

Chen Ping looked at her and suddenly smiled.

“Nervous is normal. But remember — as long as I’m here, the sky won’t fall.”

He reached out and ruffled Lin Xiaoyu’s hair.

“Go on. Get some rest. Starting tomorrow, it’s going to be exhausting.”

Lin Xiaoyu nodded firmly, her eyes reddening at the edges.

“Yes, Master!”

She turned and ran back to her room, her steps light yet carrying a hint of nervousness she couldn’t quite hide.

*

Chen Ping stood in the courtyard, watching the light in her room come on and then go dark.

The night wind blew, rustling the leaves of the old locust tree.

He raised his head to the night sky.

Stars filled the heavens, and the Milky Way stretched across in brilliant splendor.

“Thirty-Six Layers of Qi Refining…” he murmured to himself.

“I wonder how far this girl can go.”

*

In her room, Lin Xiaoyu lay in bed, but sleep refused to come.

She kept her eyes open, gazing at the moonlight beyond the window, her master’s words echoing over and over in her mind.

Starting tomorrow, Heavenly Dao Qi Refining.

It would be exhausting.

She knew that.

But she wasn’t afraid.

She was only afraid of not working hard enough, of failing to live up to her master’s expectations.

She rolled over and pulled a small jade pendant from beneath her pillow.

It was the only keepsake her mother had left her.

The pendant was plain, carved from the cheapest green jade, its edges worn smooth from years of handling.

Lin Xiaoyu clutched the pendant to her chest.

“Mother…”

she whispered.

“Your daughter starts cultivating tomorrow. Master says it’s a very powerful path.”

“I’ll work hard. I’ll definitely become strong.”

“Once I’m strong enough, I’ll go to the Blood Fiend Sect, take back that bead, and fulfill your final wish.”

“And then… then I’ll come back. I’ll cook with Master, eat with Master, and watch the sunset with Master.”

She closed her eyes, the corners of her lips curving upward.

Moonlight filtered through the window paper, casting a soft glow across her face.

*