Settling in to Hui ShiOutside the hall the sky was already dark. Wen Jing stood together with the other 70 new disciples. (1) Calmly smiling, the sect master began to speak regarding the sect regulations: “You must uphold justice, eradicate the devious ways of evil spirits, devil cultivation is forbidden, injuring fellow disciples is prohibited…”
Wen Jing silently watched the grey clothed youth head down the mountain. Opening his system, a green frame jumped out.
[Moral standing: 312. Excellent fine jade, with careful handling can become a very capable person. ]
“It’s getting late, everyone can disperse.”
In just a short while, Xi Fang had gone over the sect regulations, encouraged the disciples to cultivate diligently, and had already concluded.
Liu QianMo was full of smiles as he quietly waited for Wen Jing to reach his side. He said: “Foolish young man, what made you decide to come to Hui Shi peak?”
Wen Jing stole a furtive look at the elegant refined person standing nearby. Embarra.s.sed, he replied: “The last time we met you saved my life. I believe that you are good people and I wish to study at the same place you do.”
Liu QianMo smiled again: “You have good judgement. Let’s go!”
Arriving at the edge of the precipice, Liu QianMo, disregarding the dirt covering Wen Jing’s body, picked him up and rode off on the wind.
The sound of the wind whistled in his ears. Vast cliffs lay beneath his feet. Surrounded by a grey fog, Wen Jing could not see the ground. His whole body turned rigid. He closed his eyes, chanting to himself, I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead….
After a long time, his feet finally touched solid ground. Wen Jing crawled down from Liu QianMo’s grasp, carefully looking in all directions only to see red clouds covering the whole sky. Projecting out of the gloomy wooded mountain was a distant monolith. It resembled the image of a sword pract.i.tioner with his sleeves floating in the air and a sword pointed at the heavens.
Liu QianMo’s mild voice was heard to say: “Legend has it that Qing XuZi in those days practiced his sword arts here. After a time, the stone of the mountain absorbed his spiritual energy and gave birth to a heart full of admiration. Slowly it then took on his appearance and thus came to be called ‘Hui Shi’. It’s one of Xun Yang’s eight wonders. ” (2)
Wen Jing nodded his head, feeling a surge of excitement.
Liu QianMo walked with him, leading him into the mountain woods. Jun YanZhi silently fell behind the two people. In a short while, the three individuals stopped in front of a stone house. To the side a glimpse of a clear spring could be seen. The front of the house had a level ground that could be used as a place to practice martial arts. It was currently full of dead leaves. The whole area was full of dust. To the other side a precipice overlooked a vast gulf. It seemed it had been a long time since anyone had lived here.
Liu QianMo silently chanted and in the palm of his hand rose a wind. Soon after, all the dead leaves had been blown off the cliff.
“Hui Shi peak has few people but luckily has many houses. Everyone can have one of their own. This was intended to provide housing for fifteen disciples. At present, you’ll have it all to yourself.”
Wen Jing nodded.
Liu QianMo set down a storage bag: “Inside you’ll find quilts, clothes, and food. Tonight you’ll need to clean up before you’ll be able to go to bed. Do you need a helper?”
Wen Jing promptly shook his head.
“Probably not… with my grandfather I already had to master those kinds of things.”
He spoke gently and patted Wen Jing on the head. Thinking for a moment, he fished out a worn blue book. “This is a collection of fifteen very basic kinds of techniques. In your free time you can practice these. One point, however, is that you are not allowed to share these, it’s only for self-defense. Currently you’re only at Qi Refining stage five, so you’ll only be able to practice two or three of them. Be diligent with your training.”
Wen Jing quickly nodded his head.
Liu QianMo laughed: “Doing nothing other than nodding your head, you’re truly a foolish young man.”
Embarra.s.sed, Wen Jing said: “I’m not very articulate, so it’s better I don’t say anything.”
Liu QianMo smiled and said: “It’s getting late, so we’ll be heading off. Train here for a few days and familiarize yourself with your surroundings. In three days time I’ll come and see you again.”
After he said this, he rose into the sky.
Jun YanZhi had been standing behind the two without speaking. At this time he also silently flew away only giving Wen Jing and indifferent glance.
Wen Jing knew he was a person of few words and wasn’t at all bothered. He hurriedly said: “Farewell senior brothers!”
Liu QianMo flew through the air with Jun YanZhi. Smiling he said: “That foolish young man is rather charming.”
Jun YanZhi remained silent.
Liu QianMo seemed somewhat pensive, again saying: “It’s a pity his grandfather was so ruthless. He didn’t allow him to learn any techniques, only pushing cultivation. Presumably he feared that Lu Jing would use whatever he learned against him. Raising him for so many years and treating him in this manner, I fear that the wound will not be small.”
“………… En.” (3)
Liu QianMo seemed to be carrying some measure of concern. Sighing he said: “At least now we have the ten disciples we need. As long as everyone diligently cultivates, in three years hopefully we won’t make too much of an unsightly display. How is your 《Origin Nourishment Art》working out?” (4)
“I’ve finally reached the third stage.”
“Try to reach the fifth stage within the next three years. By that time it might be possible for you to enter the middle of Foundation Establishment.”
Jun YanZhi impa.s.sively replied: “I’ll do my best.”
“Shifu……maybe in about half a year he’ll be coming out of seclusion……” saying this, he stopped. Why was he thinking about him coming out? In addition, didn’t he not care about them at all?
Feeling somewhat sad, he parted with Jun YanZhi, each returning to their own places.
It was late. Wen Jing lit a candle and opened the door to the stone house only to see an extremely s.p.a.cious room with a wide heated brick bed sufficiently large to fit more than ten people. The furnishings were simple with a set of chairs and a table. It was a pity that dust covered the whole area and layers upon layers of cobwebs were in every corner. At the moment it was uninhabitable.
Wen Jing supposed that since he was free for the next three days, he might as well go without sleep tonight. He removed the cleaning equipment from the storage bag and using the mountain spring water from the side of the stone house, he wiped the table, swept the floors, cleared up the cobwebs, and rushed late into the night until finally the house was completely transformed.
Now covered completely with sweat, his stomach rumbling with hunger, he promptly inhaled a bowl full of noodles and then filling a bucket with water from the mountain spring, stripped his clothes and bathed.
With gooseb.u.mps from the cold wind and the mountain spring, Wen Jing shivered all over.
After bathing, the sky had already begun to brighten. Wen Jing put on fresh clothes and slept for a full day and night before finally feeling fully rested.
Early morning, the mountain air was fresh and clean. A misty white fog drifted here and there. Sitting on the cleared area in front of the stone house, Wen Jing took out the blue book he’d been given and began to practice the most basic attack technique, Piercing Ray.
《Pure_Bright_Merit》was a merit law that was used to increase cultivation.
Techniques were strategic moves. The higher your cultivation, the stronger the effect your technique would have.
The book’s writing was simple. Paying careful attention, Wen Jing followed the prescribed method and slowly gathered spiritual energy while rotating it through his body in a loop. Three days pa.s.sed in a flash.
He devoted these days to single-minded practice. Within his hands there slowly gathered a small ball of spiritual power. It a was faint blue light, indistinct and hazy, and very pleasing to see. Wen Jing’s happiness was indescribable. Behind his back, a person laughed and said: “You’ve already made progress?”
Wen Jing promptly turned around only to see Liu QianMo’s white form standing at the edge of the clear spring. He quickly stood up and offered the small ball of spiritual energy like presenting a treasure to Liu QianMo.
Liu QianMo nodded slightly: “Not bad.”
This child’s apt.i.tude wasn’t very good and he also wasn’t very bright. In those days Jun YanZhi had only taken half an hour to master Piercing Ray. Comparing comprehension only, he was the best in Hui Shi peak and in the entire Qing Xu sword sect he was first cla.s.s. He himself was slightly worse and had taken about half a day’s time. After three days time, this child had the ability to gather a hazy ball of light. His comprehension could be said to be mediocre.
However it wasn’t the worst.
Sixth junior brother and eighth junior brother both took approximately four or five days to learn Piercing Ray and now there was Wen Jing’s achievement.
Liu QianMo said: “Your ball of spiritual energy is gentle and soft, how are you going to use this to attack?”
Wen Jing replied: “I can’t attack with this.”
Liu QianMo raised his hands, gathering a ball of spiritual energy. The white light was originally soft like Wen Jing’s but suddenly it condensed and flew out with extreme speed, its form changing into that of a dagger. Immediately, a deep hole was gouged out of the tree trunk in front of him.
Liu QianMo said: “Solidifying spiritual energy like this can make it indestructible. A few days ago you fought with that youngster in grey clothes. His spiritual energy was like stone. When it hit, it was enough to cause injury and bleeding but its power was not comparable to this knife and also he had not learned any specializations. Although this technique is simple, it’s capable of many variations. It has an enormous amount of uses. You should work on your comprehension and practice diligently.”
“Yes.”
Liu QianMo added: “From now on practice your skills in the morning. In the afternoon you’ll be a.s.signed to do odd jobs. Do you know the way?”
Wen Jing hastily nodded.
Carried by Liu QianMo, after a while Wen Jing arrived at a forest where they made their way through to arrive at a place covered with lush green vegetables and herbs. The area was encircled by a bamboo fence and within could be indistinctly seen the figures of two youths busy at work. Wen Jing looked at the vegetable garden, remembering Qing Quan village, and turned to say: “You grow vegetables?”
Liu QianMo said: “Have you grown vegetables before?”
Wen Jing nodded: “Before, I would go out with my grandfather every day to tend the garden.”
Liu QianMo said: “Qing Xu sword sect disciples only cultivate. The food and clothing expenses are handled by each individual peak. The more you work the more you get.” He said this with a little embarra.s.sment: “We only have ten disciples, so for our livelihood…. we naturally come out a little short. Growing vegetables and cultivating spirit gra.s.ses is our first priority.”
Win Jing nodded: “No problem. I’ll grow vegetables.”
Liu QianMo smiled and said: “That’s good. Once you construct your foundation, the sect will naturally begin handing out spirit stones and medicinal pills once a month. However right now you’ll have to work hard.” Taking him into the vegetable garden, he stated: “You’ll be working with senior apprentice Mo and senior apprentice Gu.”
At that time, the two busy individuals had already heard the sound of their conversation and had stopped working to look up at Wen Jing. One of them he had already met in Qing Quan village, Mo ShaoYan, who looked handsome but had the personality of a ruffian.
Liu QianMo smiled and said: “This is the person I told you about, Lu Jing. From today he’ll be working in the vegetable garden. Please take care of him and don’t bully him.”
Mo ShaoYan smiled and slowly said: “Eldest senior brother is wise and deceived him to come here.”
The other young man named Gu JinPing was thin and tall and seemed to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. He looked Wen Jing up and down, smiled, and stated: “Eldest senior brother, this child is so small, will he be able to work?”
Mo ShaoYan said: “He should be able to do it better than you.”
Gu JinPing was a little angry: “Why would you compare us that way? I’m your seventh senior brother.”
Mo ShaoYan said: “I can’t speak, you can’t work, so we’re even.”
Gu JinPing didn’t calm down: “Eldest senior brother, he’s being rude to me for no reason!”
Mo ShaoYan very slowly said: “Eldest senior brother is wise.”
Liu QianMo felt a headache coming on: “Both of you are quarreling again. For the next year I will not be taking you with me down the mountain. First teach Lu Jing about working the vegetable garden.”
Gu JinPing, in a fit of pique, refused to speak. Mo ShaoYan ended up leading Wen Jing around the vegetable garden.
Wen Jing also didn’t have much to say and after looking over almost the entire vegetable garden, brought a bucket to the side of the mountain spring and returned to carefully water the vegetables.
Liu QianMo, seeing him bearing hardship and smoothly beginning to work sincerely and obediently was gratified and felt rather moved with appreciation. His face only held a faint smile as he said: “Pretty good, you’ve already begun to work. In a few days I’ll come back again to visit.”
After saying this, he left.
From that point on, Wen Jing settled in Hui Shi peak, training in the morning and in the afternoon heading to the garden to work. Mo ShaoYan and Gu JinPing didn’t get along and frequently bickered and quarreled. Apart from this, Wen Jing’s life was full. Compared to Qing Quan village he lived cheerfully and comfortably. Every day you could hear his laughter.
Translator’s notes:
1. Weren’t there 60 last chapter? Where’d the extra three come from? (60 plus 7 accepted not including that grey kid who messed up)
3. This is usually a nonverbal sound of agreement meaning, yeah, ok, mm, etc
4. I took some major liberties with the name. If you google it, you’ll see the name referenced in exercises designed to nourish kidney function. No one gives a proper translation though. Literally it’s >.Three more otome games licensed by Aksys. So happy. They’ll be released in 2018 though. So far away…
☆~~ヾ(>▽<>