“Marry?”
Zhang Xuan’s entire face convulsed a little as he took a step back in horror. This was too much information!
Sis, you mustn’t joke around like this!
My heart isn’t able to take such stuff!
To be fair, Bai Ruanqing was quite a beautiful lady. Her long, slender legs drew the eyes of others to them, filling the minds of men with fantasies.
But he was someone who already had a girlfriend! Not to mention, there were many rumors that Bai Ruanqing was a female dinosaur who pummeled others when things did not go her way.
Not even the toughest of men would be able to take her on!
At the very least, he did not think that he had a masochistic streak in him.
“What’s wrong?” Noticing the horrified expression on Zhang Xuan’s face, Bai Ruanqing, who had been reveling in her fantasies a moment ago, turned to look at him doubtfully.
I only said that I’m going to marry I Am Low Profile. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?
“Ah, it’s nothing much,” Zhang Xuan quickly replied as he wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead. At the same time, he made up his mind that he would take his other identity as I Am Low Profile to the grave.
Bai Ruanqing looked at Zhang Xuan weirdly for a moment before turning her attention back to Liu Lujie and Wang Jiandong.
“Grandpa Feng explained the swordsmanship to me, and it should be something like that…”
Hearing Bai Ruanqing’s explanation, Liu Lujie and Wang Jiandong widened their eyes in realization.
On the other hand, Zhang Xuan found himself on the verge of vomiting after hearing the first few sentences, so he quickly turned his gaze away and tuned out whatever was being said.
It really pained him to see how his swordsmanship was being distorted into something so unseemly. If he continued listening on, he might just become a raging dinosaur himself!
To be honest, if not for the limitations of his cultivation, he would have loved to pry open the coffin of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion’s founder so as to see how he had groomed his successors for his heritage to end up like that.
I really should find an opportunity to guide them, Zhang Xuan thought.
…
A while later, Bai Ruanqing was finally done lecturing her two juniors. With a satisfied smile on her face, she gestured for Zhang Xuan to get onto the back of her aerial beast.
The peak where the core disciples lived was not located too far away. Nevertheless, it had a far more imposing presence than the inner disciples’ peak. The upper body of the mountain was completely concealed amid the clouds, giving the feeling of an unworldly utopia.
Zhang Xuan could clearly feel that the spiritual energy in the Core Disciple Sector was much more concentrated than in the Inner Disciple Sector, allowing one to cultivate much faster.
“The library is right ahead. Here is my identity token. You should be able to enter the premises with it. I’ll come and fetch you in six hours,” Bai Ruanqing instructed as the aerial beast landed before a majestic tower.
True to her reputation as a female dinosaur, while she admired those who read vastly, she was unable to find the patience within her to read. Instead of boring herself in the library, it would be better for her to deliver the medicine to her grandfather so that he would be spared from some suffering.
“You have my gratitude!” Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.
It was also preferable for him not to have Bai Ruanqing following him around. After all, he had quite an unusual way of reading.
Similar to the inner disciples’ library, he was granted entry into the premises after flashing the token and paying the required Sword Pavilion Coins.
The cost for the inner disciples’ library was two Sword Pavilion Coins per hour, but the price was ten times of that here. Every hour cost a hefty twenty Sword Pavilion Coins!
Fortunately, money was not an issue for him anymore. He paid the 120 Sword Pavilion Coins and entered the library.
The cultivation techniques and sword art manuals that the core disciples had access to were much more profound than those in the inner disciples’ library. There were plenty of Pseudo Immortal realm cultivation technique manuals in sight.
With glowing eyes, Zhang Xuan swept through all the books in sight and collected them into the Library of Heaven’s Path.
With the money that he had and those cultivation technique manuals, he would be able to advance his cultivation easily.
…
Returning to her residence, Bai Ruanqing immediately headed to her feeble grandfather’s side.
“Grandfather, I have brought the medicine back!” Bai Ruanqing said as she took out the three jade bottles that she had just acquired.
“Is it the same recovery medicine that you fed me previously?” Elder Bai Ye asked weakly as he uncorked the cap to examine the content.
Weird.
The sect physicians had forged many precious pills for his consumption, but none of them had been effective on his injuries. He had thought that something that could make him regain consciousness would surely be even greater in value, but it turned out to be something no different from clear water. He could not sense the slightest hint of spiritual energy from it!
To be exact, he could not even sense medicinal energy in it.
Was this really effective on him?
“I know it might seem unremarkable, but it’s indeed what healed you previously. Hurry up and drink it!” Bai Ruanqing urged with a chuckle.
Back then, she had bought it because she did not know what it was. If she had not been desperate, she never would have believed that such medicine could cure the wounds of her grandfather.
“I’ll give it a try…” Elder Bai Ye nodded as he tilted his head upward and drank it.
As soon as the medicine flowed down his throat, he immediately felt the wounds that he had been helpless toward for so long alleviating a little. The energy that was relentlessly corroding his organs seemed to grow significantly thinner.
“Incredible…” Elder Bai Ye’s eyes glowed in exhilaration.
He immediately uncorked and downed the other two bottles.
“How is it?” Bai Ruanqing asked anxiously.
Hu!
Instead of responding to the question, Elder Bai Ye pressed his palm against his bed lightly, and the next instant, he was already in the courtyard with a sword in his hand.
Tzzzzzzz!
The movements of his sword drew the spiritual energy in the surroundings along like a gust of wind. Move after move, the sword in his hand seemed to flow smoothly like a flowing river. There was no hint of the sickly old man that had been lying on the bed from him!
Seeing how her grandfather had gone to the courtyard to practice his swordsmanship, Bai Ruanqing’s eyes turned red in agitation.
“Grandfather, have you fully recovered?”
As Elder Bai Ye’s swordsmanship came to a stop, he turned to his granddaughter and spoke with irrepressible delight in his voice. “I’m still a little way off from making a full recovery, but the destructive energy that I was unable to clear away previously has been cleared. As long as I nourish my body, I should be able to recover to my peak within a month!”
The bedridden him had already resigned himself to his fate back then. He had despaired at the thought that his life would come to an end just like that, but nothing he did had helped at all. He had never thought that this humble-looking medicine would bring him a miracle.
“Congratulations, Grandfather!” Bai Ruanqing cried out.
Elder Bai Ye continued practicing his swordsmanship for a moment as he felt spirit and strength swiftly returning to his body. Some time later, he finally turned to Bai Ruanqing and said, “The person who sold you this medicine is my benefactor. Where is he now? I would like to meet him!”
“He’s an inner disciple. I just took him to the core disciples’ library,” Bai Ruanqing replied.
“The core disciples’ library?”
Noticing her grandfather’s incomprehension, Bai Ruanqing quickly recounted her conversation with Zhang Xuan earlier.
“Despite giving away such a potent medicine, all he requested was access to the core disciples’ library?” Elder Bai Ye found it hard to believe what he had just heard.
“Indeed!” Bai Ruanqing nodded.
She was also surprised by Zhang Xuan’s request.
It was such a good opportunity to ask for pointers on his cultivation and advance his strength, but he had given it up for this.
After asking a few more questions, Elder Bai Ye nodded and said, “Let’s head to the library to take a look… Wait a moment first. Ah Feng!”
“Yes, Old Master!” Bai Feng quickly walked over.
“I have a Transmogrification Pill here. After consuming it, you’ll be able to alter your appearance temporarily for two hours. Suppress your cultivation to the same level as that young friend, and try to find an opportunity to test his skills!” Elder Bai Ye said as he passed a jade bottle over.
“Test his skills?” Taking the pill, Bai Feng’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment as he asked, “Old Master, are you intending to take him in as your student?”
As a sect elder, Elder Bai Ye would not test the skills of a disciple for no reason, let alone the fact that he was indebted to the other party!
The only reason Elder Bai Ye would do this was because he was intending to take the other party in as his student!
“Despite knowing that Ruanqing needs the medicine, he didn’t make use of the opportunity to extort something valuable out of her. From that, it can be seen that he’s a person with principles. Furthermore, he’s saved my life. If I just turn a blind eye to him, won’t that mean that my life is actually worthless?” Elder Bai Ye placed his hands behind his back as he spoke deeply.
No matter what, he was one of the Three Grand Elders of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, a renowned figure in the Forsaken Continent.
He could not let his benefactor walk away without doing anything for him!
“I understand your intentions, Old Master!” Bai Feng smiled. “Even someone of your influence and strength was unable to overcome the wounds sustained in the City of Collapsed Space. If others learn that the young man has something that can cure that affliction, it could draw those with malicious intentions to him even if he claims that he has no more of the medicine. You fear that he might meet with a mishap as a result of this, so you want to accept him as your student. In a sense, this is your way of protecting him!”
Countless treasures were hidden in the City of Collapsed Space, making it a region that experts looked toward. However, the dangers were very real, too. Not even one in a hundred who dared venture into its depths managed to return alive. Most of the survivors also sustain severe injuries that were untreatable, and they eventually died with regrets.
Many talented individuals had sought to uncover a way to overcome the dangers that lurked in the City of Collapsed Space, but none had succeeded so far.
There was no doubt that a medicine that could cure the injuries sustained within the City of Collapsed Space would increase the chances of one’s survival many times over. Thus, if the world learned that the young man had something like that, he would become the target of many experts; his life would be in grave danger.
By accepting the young man as his disciple, even if someone wished to touch the young man, that person would have to consider if they were willing to offend Elder Bai Ye for it. This identity would shelter the young man from many dangers.
Taking a deep breath, Elder Bai Ye said with a distant look in his eyes, “The Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion might be relatively safe, but human greed must never be underestimated. It’s always better to be safe. This is my way of repaying my debt to the young man while protecting him from the dangers of the world. Of course, I also have my own expectations of my students. If his comprehension of swordsmanship is far too lacking, I’ll just have to repay him some other way!”
“I understand. I’ll have it done!” Bai Feng nodded before leaving the room.
“Grandfather, are you really accepting him as your student?” Bai Ruanqing asked with a conflicted look on her face. “Wouldn’t that mean that… I’m a generation younger than him?”
“I have never accepted any students before. Let’s see if he’s able to clear Bai Feng’s examination before talking about that.” Elder Bai Ye chuckled softly as he patted his granddaughter’s head. “If he succeeds, he will be your Senior Uncle. You must treat him as such, alright? I have heard a lot of stories about the things you’ve done in the sect, and I have only been turning a blind eye to them!”
“Senior Uncle…” Bai Ruanqing felt a little choked up within.
It was just a moment ago that she had thought that the other party’s earnest appearance looked a little adorable, but just the thought of a person younger than her becoming her Senior Uncle filled her with rage.
A glint flashed within Bai Ruanqing’s eyes as she quickly said, “Grandfather, since you’re fine now, I’ll be heading out to cultivate!”
“Go on!” Elder Bai Ye said with a wave of his hand.
As Bai Ruanqing walked out of the room, Elder Bai Ye sighed deeply before shaking his head. How could he possibly not see through his granddaughter’s intentions?
He knew his granddaughter well. Even if he could stop her this once, she would still find some other way to make trouble for that lad. He could only hope that the lad would be able to find a way to cope with his granddaughter.
On the other hand, as soon as Bai Ruanqing left the residence, the obedient look on her face immediately vanished. With a devilish expression, she scoffed, “I should at least teach that fellow a lesson. At most, I’ll just address him as Senior Uncle before grandfather, but elsewhere, he will have to address me as ‘Senior’!”
As a famed female dinosaur, not once had she been taken advantage of before. She really could not bring herself to call a person weaker and younger than herself ‘Senior Uncle’!
Whoever that person was, she would make sure to drive the difference in their seniority into his head!
Since her grandfather was going to test that lad anyway, she could be the first phase of the trial.
Riding her aerial beast, she swiftly arrived before the core disciples’ library. With her standing, even without her identity token, she could enter the premises right away.
“Didn’t he say that he was here to study?”
The entire core disciples’ library was bizarrely silent. It was as if no one was there at all. The sound of flipping pages, the retrieving and returning of books, or the strokes of a brush were nowhere to be heard.
Bai Ruanqing walked for quite a while before she finally found the person whom she was looking for walking down an aisle, glancing at the books around as he walked past. What was weird about this was how he had positioned himself at the center of the aisle, which meant that the books on both sides were out of his reach. This gave the feeling that he was not going to grab any books from the shelves at all.
Perplexed, she followed him for quite a while, but just like she had thought, the young man simply walked from aisle to aisle without taking any books.
Bai Ruanqing finally walked up to him and asked, “What are you doing?”
“Oh, you’re here…” Seeing that it was her, Zhang Xuan gestured to the shelves and replied with a smile, “I’m still searching for the book I want.”
To be honest, even he was impressed by the quantity of books in the core disciples’ library. After such a long period of time, he had not even collected half of what was in there.
It seemed like he would really need six whole hours to take everything in.
Millman: Sorry it’s late. I was just moping about the UK election (╥_╥)
