The accepted disciples" ceremony was stationed in the lower level of Forgotten Waters Sect. It was only the morning after when Li Meirong realized how vast Forgotten Waters Sect sect truly is.
It wasn"t one ma.s.s of land, but rather different islands with their own specialties, each patch of land was located in a s.p.a.ce, that by means of defying gravity, could be considered a floating island.
Each island had its own specialized division, and on the peak of each island were the houses of the grandmasters of the divisions.
There was a whole system here in Forgotten Waters Sect that had its cla.s.ses and seniority, but essentially, the moment you entered the sect, young or old, rich or poor, peasant or royalty, all were treated as equal. What gave you status and influence here was your strength, your attribute, your contributions to the sect, your cultivation level, and your personal excellence within the division you are a.s.signed to. If a grandmaster chooses to take a disciple under their personal care, they will be considered a succeeding disciple. A disciple with a potential for greatness with all the possible benefits of the sect in said division.
Forgotten Waters Sect"s islands were floating atop an endless ocean, with no edge at its end. When the sun rose up in the skies, the gleaming rays encompa.s.sed all the islands different divisions. There were marketplaces, houses, mansions, and even servant quarters, all the vicinities were structured with careful care as though a feng shui master designed the whole sect.
Whilst the majority of the people living in the sect were disciples, there were a few exceptions, such as the servants. They weren"t in fact servant, but they were labeled as such. In actuality they were outer sect disciples, meaning they got accepted, but their apt.i.tude was either too weak, or their contributions in the sect were too low. Their job was to care for the division"s daily necessities.
Li Meirong was treated to another light meal and a cup of warm water before she was ushered outside to the stables of the healer"s peak. Instead of horses, she saw cranes.
The birds were large, twice or thrice bigger than the size of a man. They had long graceful necks and thin dark legs. Their beaks were stretched far and had a sharp pointy edge. The crane"s feathers varied in shades of white to cream and beige, but the most common ones were white with only their neck and a small part of their faces coated in a black splash with a matching color on their backside feathers.
One of the attending servants in the healer"s peak was a young boy who looked no older than eight or nine years old. The boy was holding a large wooden bucket filled with freshly caught fish and tossed a single fish to each of the birds perched side by side in the stables. The moment the fish was flung their way, each crane opened its long beak and ravenously captured the loot.
When the boy noticed Li Meirong, he dropped the bucket by his feet and ran quickly to her side, he made a low bow.
Li Meirong helped him up.
"There"s no need for such a formal greeting with me." She said, smiling.
The little boy looked up and was slightly dazed. This older sister is such a beautiful fairy!
Li Meirong made her greetings to the boy, he was sweet and polite. His name was Chao Dequan. Their conversation was brief but she learnt from their small talk that the boy was actually born inside the sect. A rather common occurrence. He was the offspring of a famous and promising disciple and an outer sect disciple who had a one night stand. Their story ended with the outer sect disciple who was impregnated, discarded by her sweetheart who followed his master"s teachings to achieve greatness and let go of worldly affairs.
Li Meirong would have called it negligence, irresponsibility, and selfishness, but she wasn"t part of the story, and she had no say in the matter.
Chao Dequan, despite the reasons of his birth was an optimistic young boy, and she promised she would come to visit him later on. He was grinning and his eyes shaped into crescent moons as he handed her the reins to one of the cranes.
Li Meirong frowned, she never even rode a horse before. Now she has to ride a bird.
With Chao Dequan"s a.s.sistance, she managed to leap on the crane, not without having to use a stool in order to lift herself high enough to get on its back.
"Give Furifuri these grains after he takes you to the lower level." Chao Dequan handed her a little bag with grains.
"Thank you junior brother!" She petted the boy"s head affectionately. Chao Dequan blushed up to his ears and hurriedly moved his head away. "I-if you want to come back here, I"ll wait for you!" He shouted as he ran away.
Li Meirong was definitely happy to have a cute junior brother like Chao Dequan, she was excited to see her other brothers and sisters in the sect.
Chou was perched comfortably in her sleeve, dozing off.
She puzzled over how to get the crane to fly without falling off, but she didn"t have more than a moment to ponder before the bird spread its large majestic wings and took off to the skies all on its own.
It was shocking and exhilarating. Li Meirong clutched the bird"s feathers tightly, she dared not look down. The distance was just too large between the surface and her right now!
The fresh salty smell of the ocean waters a.s.saulted her senses and cool wind grazed her face. Her hair which she tied in a simple hairdo flapped around.
Riding the crane in the air, on top of the ocean with the sun at her back was frightening yet wonderful, and an awfully majestic experience she swore she will never forget.
If only she didn"t feel like she was about to drop off at any second, no seat buckle, no chair, nothing to make sure she won"t fall off, she made sure not to budge her legs even for a moment.
"Furifuri was it? Very nice name. You must be an intelligent bird! I"ll give you all the contents inside this bag I have here after we get to the lower levels." Li Meirong spoke to the bird, hoping to calm her stress, she catered to it.
Let"s be friends, don"t drop me!
Furifuri turned back its long neck towards Li Meirong. They stared at each other face to face.
Furifuri huffed in disdain, why is someone so powerful so scared?
Coward.
The bird went back to focus on its path.
Having realized that their interaction was unsuccessful, Li Meirong busied herself with the little sack of grains she carried. She munched on one and noticed they were tough, chewy, and a little bland.
There were a lot of ways to improve them, soaking them with honeyed water, or adding small amounts of dried berries..
Her thoughts strayed and the girl perched on the bird soon reached her destination.