Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
“Junior Sister!”
“Here!”
“Listen to this question!”
“Okay!”
As Li Changshou waved his sleeve, the little girl that was sitting cross-legged on the grass patch beside the lake trembled. She concentrated intensely on the question that was about to be posed.
“Assuming that your cultivation has reached the Ninth Stage of the Soul Formation Realm. While flying in the air, you noticed a cultivator who was at the Sixth Stage of the Soul Formation Realm molesting a female cultivator at the Qi Refinement Realm. What would you do?
“Here are three options.
“One, you go forwards and bash him up. You will then become the incarnation of justice!
“Two, you throw a Dharma treasure from far away and leave nonchalantly. By doing so, you will ruin his mood.
“Three, you pretend that nothing happened and leave from the sides.”
Lan Ling’e blinked her eyes. The question and options did not seem to be something people of her age could understand.
Li Changshou smiled. His eyes formed a thin line as he gave Ling’e a reminder. “This question only has one correct answer. Make your choice.”
“One?” answered Lan Ling’e, uncertain.
Li Changshou replied nonchalantly, “How do you know if this person has concealed his real cultivation level? What if he is a powerful cultivator who is at the Void Return Realm and merely displayed his cultivation level as the Sixth Stage of the Soul Formation Realm? Normally, those who would do such disgusting things blatantly would definitely be despicable and shameless people. How could you place your hopes on his honesty!?”
“Then, two?” Lan Ling’e frowned.
“Do not forget that you are a female cultivator as well, Junior Sister.” Li Changshou sighed. “If the assumptions in option one were true, that beast would become even more brutish when he sees how beautiful you are. Would you be at his mercy as well?”
Lan Ling’e’s face flushed red. She felt a sudden pang of dizziness hit her. Then she replied timidly, “However, Senior Brother, the third option is not something that we cultivators should be doing. When I was young my father told me that my siblings and I should stand up for the weak and punish the bullies. Father said that if everyone chooses not to lend a helping hand to those in need, won’t the victims—”
“No. Junior Sister, you must remember that your idea will only be absolutely correct if you are in a peaceful and kind environment. However, the Primordial World is not a peaceful place. There are countless powerful cultivators around. Cultivators could go to engage in a fight just to obtain one Dharma treasure or spiritual root. Most cultivators who survive are those who are malicious.”
Li Changshou looked at the lake surface with his hands behind his back and sighed. “It is hard for those who are kind-hearted and righteous to survive in this world. The only thing we should do is to prevent ourselves from committing evil deeds. However, there is no need for us to stop others from committing them.
“We should attempt to survive instead of being the hero when we are still weak. When we stand at the pinnacle and become the ones who make the rules, we can then change the environment for the weak in the primordial world.
“Therefore, do you understand?”
“Yes!”
Lan Ling’e nodded heavily. Her eyes were full of light.
At that moment, the martial brother and sister duo did not notice the wisp of smoke that drifted over from the straw hut a short distance away. The smoke floated behind them without a sound.
Li Changshou lowered his voice and said, “Junior Sister! I’ll give you another chance. Say your answer out loud happily and firmly! If you see a male cultivator molesting a female cultivator, what should you do?”
Lan Ling’e eyes sparkled. Although her voice was not very loud, she sounded exceptionally firm. “Option three. Pretend that I did not see anything! And slide away from one side!”
“Yes!” Li Changshou could not help but to give his junior sister a big thumbs-up. He felt a little touched by her answer.
Li Changshou had achieved such effects with only two days of lessons. If this continued, in a few years’ time, he would not have to worry about his junior sister causing troubles and implicating him!
‘Having a junior sister who knows how to survive by reducing the amount of attention she gets is truly—’
All of a sudden, a gust of cold wind blew behind him. The martial brother and sister duo felt their hair standing. An old and cold voice sounded from behind them.
“Li! Chang! Shou!”
Scre— Screech—
That was the sound of Lan Ling’e’s teeth clattering.
The corner of Li Changshou’s mouth twitched as he turned around to have a look. He instantly pulled a smiley face.
“Master, you have completed your secluded cultivation? Are you starting with Junior Sister’s lessons today—
“Master! We can talk through this! Why are you taking your horsetail whisk out?
“I am your biological disciple! You cannot torture your elder disciple once you found a younger one, Master!”
“Rascal!”
The old Daoist priest’s long beard was flying in the air, and his eyes bulged wide open. He lifted his horsetail whisk and was about to hit Li Changshou with it.
“It is enough that you are cowardly. How can you teach that to your Junior Sister? I have to teach you a lesson today!”
However, when the horsetail whisk was about to land, Li Changshou’s silhouette was engulfed by a green light. He instantly appeared on the other side of the willow. He cupped his hands and begged for mercy again.
“How dare you run away using the Wood Escape technique!? You deserve a beating!”
Qi Yuan was fuming with anger. He raised his horsetail whisk and ran after Li Changshou.
Li Changshou’s silhouette drifted backward to avoid his master’s blows. Qi Yuan cast a Dharmic spell, and his horsetail whisk grew insanely long. Shadows of the horsetail whisk encapsulated the ground beside the lake. However, Li Changshou moved like a pond loach. He always seemed to be able to find a hole to slip through.
“Ease your anger, Master. I did all that with Junior Sister’s interest in mind.”
“The Immortal Du Sect belongs to the school of human cultivators. It is one of the Immortal Sects of the Three Schools! Why do we have someone like you, who is full of unorthodox and evil ideas, in our sect?”
“It was all because of your eye for talent, Master.”
“Pooh! I am going to kick you out of our sect today! Wa! You are really getting on my nerves!”
“Master, you do not look handsome anymore when you’re angry…”
Under the shade of the willow, Lan Ling’e was originally very worried when she saw Master chasing behind her senior brother. However, she gradually burst out laughing from the ‘antics’ by her master and senior brother.
Lan Ling’e could tell that their master was not actually trying to punish Li Changshou, as the latter managed to escape his blows very easily.
After chasing for a while, her senior brother seemed to have slipped and fallen onto the ground. Her master leaped over and pinned him to the ground. He used his horsetail whisk and whipped her senior brother’s buttocks, producing a series of rhythmic sounds in the process.
After a while, Qi Yuan had finished punishing his elder disciple. He arranged his Dao robe, which had become a little messy, and shouted at his pitiful disciple, who was lying on the ground, “Reflect your actions! You are not allowed to teach your Junior Sister about how to behave in the future! Finish the construction of her straw hut!”
“Haiz. Yes. At your command, Master…”
“Come over, Ling’e! I shall teach you instead! Forget all the despicable things that your Senior Brother has taught you!”
“Oh!” Ling’e answered softly. She looked worriedly at her senior brother’s swollen buttocks that were covered by his robe. That was when she saw Li Changshou’s right hand, which was hidden under his sleeve.
Li Changshou waved his right hand at her slightly and showed a thumbs-up sign.
Lan Ling’e put her worry behind. She saw how pitiful her senior brother looked as he was lying on the ground, lowered her head, and giggled. Then, she chased after her master, who had left before her.
Her steps were gradually quicker, and her walking gradually turned into running.
Li Changshou sighed as he lay there. A white cloud drifted towards him and carried him up.
‘Master had really gone all out!’
Li Changshou touched his buttocks and took in a cold breath. Afterward, he sighed once again.
If he had known that his master was really going to hit him, Li Changshou would not have let himself be caught.
No, he couldn’t do that. He had to take into account his master’s dignity, as well. After all, there was little hope of him ascending to become an immortal. He faced immense pressure, and life was tough for him.
From the Dharma spells that his master had used just now, he might seem powerful on the outside, but he was actually weak on the inside. His aiming with his Qi energy was intermittent. That showed that Qi Yuan was overly eager to increase his cultivation realm and had done that too early.
Forget about it. Li Changshou had to think of a way to increase his master’s chances of surviving the Heavenly Tribulation.
Li Changshou scratched his head and was engrossed in his thoughts as he lay down flat on the cloud. He slowly drifted to the third straw hut that was almost completed.
…
These few days seemed like a dream.
At some point in her nine-year-old life, Lan Ling’e had been shopping in the market with her mother. That had been when she had caught the eye of an old immortal and had been accepted by him as a disciple.
Although her parents could not bear to part with her, that had been great news to them. If she could succeed in her cultivation, her family clan could benefit from her glory. Therefore, after the ceremony where she had been officially accepted as his disciple, she had followed her master to the Immortal Du Sect with her mother’s advice in mind.
Thereafter, she met her senior brother, who appeared a little strange.
Her senior brother had a lot of opinions that sounded correct when one first listened to them but made one sense that there was something wrong with them.
Qi Yuan had warned her multiple times that her senior brother was a weird person, and she should not learn from his behavior. However, Lan Ling’e had a gut feeling that her senior brother was a very powerful cultivator.
There were not many formalities and rules in the mountain. There were delicious delicacies everywhere in the lake and the mountain. Cultivation was also something that was very interesting. Life was not as boring as Lan Ling’e had previously imagined.
Of course, Lan Ling’e was the happiest when she hung out with her senior brother. They would barbeque, feed the fish, and take a stroll together. They would also find mouth-watering wildlife animals to fill their stomachs before sitting quietly beside the lake when her senior brother would share his unorthodox opinions with her.
Would such days continue forever?
Lan Ling’e heaved a sigh as she snuggled her blanket that was made using an unknown material. She tossed around and faced the window.
Suddenly, Lan Ling’e felt that she saw a shadow moving. Her drowsy eyes enlarged slightly, and she was instantly awake due to the shock. Lan Ling’e could not prevent her petite body from trembling.
Outside of the window, Li Changshou lay flat on a white cloud and waved at her.
“Night lessons, young lady.”
“Huh?” Ling’e blinked her eyes. Afterward, she shrank under her blanket and gave a slight nod. “Yeah…”
“Now, please listen to the second question!”
‘Umm. Senior Brother is indeed a weird person.’
…
Therefore, ten years later…