Chapter 67: The White Moonlight Master (5)

Chapter 67: The White Moonlight Master (Part 5)

Yun Jinqiu released his hand. The cool, refreshing fragrance, so delightful to the senses, receded from behind Meng Youyi.

"Try it yourself."

"Alright." Meng Youyi forcefully suppressed the disappointment in his heart, gripped the brush alone, and meticulously wrote his name, stroke by stroke, on the rice paper.

Though his strokes were stiff, the handwriting was fairly neat.

"Keep practicing," Yun Jinqiu said, gently stroking Meng Youyi's head.

"Mm," Meng Youyi nodded meekly.

Afterward, Yun Jinqiu handed Meng Youyi a scroll.

"This scroll contains thousands of known scripts, complete with illustrations and explanations. You may study it carefully."

"Alright," Meng Youyi took the scroll.

That very night, he stayed up poring over it, and the next day, he presented himself to Yun Jinqiu with prominent dark circles under his eyes.

Yun Jinqiu's brow furrowed slightly. "Are you not accustomed to sleeping in the bamboo courtyard?"

"Ah?" Meng Youyi looked up, bewildered. "No, not at all. The bed in the bamboo courtyard is very comfortable."

"Then why are you in this state?" Yun Jinqiu flicked his finger, conjuring a mirror from his storage ring and holding it up to Meng Youyi.

In the mirror, Meng Youyi looked utterly exhausted, his small, palm-sized face almost entirely shadowed by dark circles.

Meng Youyi's eyes widened. He immediately covered his face and stammered, "I... I stayed up too late reading the scroll last night..."

Yun Jinqiu shook his head. "The path of cultivation is long and arduous. There’s no need to rush. You must prioritize your health."

Meng Youyi fell silent for a moment before voicing his worries.

"But I am the disciple with the weakest foundation... If I don’t work harder, I’m afraid I will bring shame upon you in the future..."

Yun Jinqiu sighed softly upon hearing this. "You won’t. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. They have their strengths, and you have yours. The path of cultivation is long—it’s not a matter of a single day. You are still young, and the most important thing is to build a solid foundation. Forcing growth will only backfire."

Hearing this, Meng Youyi felt a weight lift from his chest. "I understand, Master. Thank you for your guidance."

Meng Youyi was very clever. In just one month, he finished reading the scroll and developed his own understanding of the scripts. Previously, he couldn't recognize even basic characters, and many things he didn't know how to express. Now, when he saw snow, he at least knew the phrase "silver-clad world." When he saw his Master, a line of poetry would come to mind: "Ice as bones, jade as features, with a celestial fragrance carried by the distant wind."

This must be what a banished immortal is like.

What kind of person was his Master, after all?

The more Meng Youyi learned, the more curious he became.

Seeing that Meng Youyi had almost mastered the scripts, Yun Jinqiu began having him train his body.

The first step in cultivation was body training. After recuperating in the bamboo courtyard for over a month, Meng Youyi had mostly recovered, though he remained very thin. At eight or nine years old, he looked more like a five- or six-year-old.

Under the dappled shadows of the bamboo forest, Meng Youyi half-squatted in the sunlight, holding a horse stance. He had been in that position for half an hour.

"Master, have I improved today?" Meng Youyi inquired.

Yun Jinqiu glanced at the sky. "You’ve probably improved a bit."

"Then I’ll hold it for another incense stick’s worth of time." Meng Youyi clenched his fists, a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead.

A child’s body recovers quickly—with proper nutrition, he would soon shoot up in growth.

Yun Jinqiu sat on a stone stool, watching Meng Youyi thoughtfully.

He couldn’t quite understand why, in the original plot, Venerable Fuxue had developed feelings for Meng Youyi. Meng Youyi had been raised by Venerable Fuxue—wasn't he practically like a son to him? How could someone fall in love with their own son? Even if there were affection, it should be paternal, certainly not romantic.

Perhaps that was why Venerable Fuxue had eventually suffered Qi deviation.

The time it took for an incense stick to burn passed quickly, and Meng Youyi let out a long sigh.

"Master, what should I do next?"

Yun Jinqiu glanced at him. "What do you want to do?"

"Then I..." Meng Youyi hesitated for a moment. "I’ll go practice martial arts."

Yun Jinqiu nodded. "Go ahead." Meng Youyi couldn’t rely on him for everything. He needed to develop his own ideas.

Meng Youyi spent several hours practicing martial arts in the bamboo forest.

Time flew by, and as night fell, the Qingyun Sect, which had long been without rain, was suddenly struck by thunder and lightning.

Venerable Lingxiao, who was in seclusion in his cave, frowned upon hearing the thunder. He performed finger divination—it seemed like an ominous sign... But he couldn’t pinpoint the root of the problem.