Chapter 9 The Scheming Disciple and the Charming Master 9

Chapter 9: The Scheming Disciple and His Charming Master 9

After handing the carriage over to the gatekeeping disciple, the master and his two disciples made their way up to Xianyue Sect.

Looking around, they saw the sect was filled with female cultivators of all ages.

Xianyue Sect had many rules. Lin Huaiqing, being blind, had no such worries, but he warned his two disciples not to look around carelessly in a place like this.

He told them to keep their heads down while walking.

Mu Yunting, naturally the rule-abiding one, followed closely behind Lin Huaiqing the entire way, keeping his head down in silence.

Qin Du, on the other hand, had completely lost his sense of decorum. He lounged around, glancing about as if no one else were there.

The female cultivators passing by were thrilled to see such handsome men in the sect—and three of them at that!

They whispered excitedly to their companions.

Some even blushed and smiled under Qin Du's gaze, unable to contain their joy.

A few even slipped him notes on the sly.

Hearing the ruckus, Mu Yunting turned back and shot Qin Du a fierce glare.

But the brat showed no signs of restraint, proudly flaunting the notes in his hand with a smug grin on his face.

Mu Yunting was so furious he wanted to kick Qin Du off the mountain right then and there for embarrassing their master.

Finally, they arrived at the main hall of Xianyue Sect, where the three met the renowned Immortal Venerable Shuangyue, known as the world's number one female cultivator.

Sensing the fluctuation of spiritual energy around them, Lin Huaiqing knew the newcomer was above the Nascent Soul stage—it was his old friend Yin Shuangyue.

"Immortal Venerable Shuangyue, it's been years. I hope you've been well."

A woman in flowing white robes hurried in, disregarding formalities as she stepped forward, took Lin Huaiqing's hand, and pulled him to sit down.

"When my disciple reported your arrival, I couldn't believe it. I never expected it to truly be you."

Yin Shuangyue noticed the ribbon wrapped around Lin Huaiqing's eyes, just as the rumors outside had claimed. She frowned with concern and asked, "How are your eyes? Is there any hope of healing them?"

"They've been blind for over five years now. There's no cure."

"Why not let my junior sister from the Medicine Refining Sect take a look? Is the Abyss Poison really that powerful?"

Back then, Lin Huaiqing had resolutely gone to retrieve the spirit-suppressing stone to protect the whole cultivation world from demonic invasion.

Unexpectedly, he met with an accident and lost his eyesight.

Thinking of this, Yin Shuangyue felt even more respect and affection for Lin Huaiqing.

The once-renowned number one sword venerable of the cultivation world, now blind, had fallen drastically in the combat rankings. Yin Shuangyue couldn't help feeling heartbroken for him.

"Enough, Immortal Venerable Shuangyue. Let's not dwell on these matters. I heard that the trial secret realm in the back mountain of your sect will open in three days. I've come to borrow this place to train my two disciples."

Lin Huaiqing finally stated his purpose.

Secret realms containing such abundant spiritual energy weren't something every sect possessed. Only four sects in total had such realms.

Their Xuantian Sect had one, Xianyue Sect had one, and the other two were in other sects.

But theirs wouldn't open for another three years.

So it was common for sects to send their disciples to train in other sects' secret realms.

Yin Shuangyue had originally thought Lin Huaiqing had finally come to his senses and sought her out on his own. She never expected it was to pull strings for his disciples.

She felt a twinge of disappointment but didn't show it.

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed. Didn't you previously have no intention of taking on disciples? Yet in just a few years, your disciples are already this grown?"

Yin Shuangyue's scrutinizing gaze swept over Mu Yunting and Qin Du, as if she were trying to see right through them.

After a long pause, she said:

"Immortal Venerable Huaiqing's disciples are indeed exceptional talents. If I recall correctly, the last person with a mutated thunder spiritual root was your sect's previous Sect Master."

Lin Huaiqing nodded. "That's right."

Mu Yunting hadn't expected Yin Shuangyue to see through his spiritual root at a single glance—it was clear her cultivation was profound.

"Yu'er!" Yin Shuangyue waved her hand, and a young and beautiful female cultivator walked in from outside.

"What instructions does Master have?"

The girl's voice was crisp, like an oriole's—elegant and pleasing to the ear.

"Check if there are still spots in the registration for the secret realm."

"Reporting to Master, it's already full. We only managed to fit everyone in after removing a few of our own junior sisters. There were way too many applicants this year!"

"I see..." Yin Shuangyue feigned difficulty. "In that case, let's remove a few more disciples below the late Foundation Establishment stage. Add two more spots."

Yu'er wanted to say something, but with outsiders present, she kept her mouth shut.

"Yes..."

Though Lin Huaiqing couldn't see the expression on Yin Shuangyue's face, he wasn't stupid.

"Quickly, thank Immortal Venerable Shuangyue."

Qin Du and Mu Yunting both rose simultaneously and bowed to Yin Shuangyue. "Thank you, Immortal Venerable Shuangyue."

"No need for such formalities. Your master is an old friend of mine. Huaiqing's matters are my matters."

That last sentence was clearly directed at Lin Huaiqing.

The sentiment within it was not lost on Lin Huaiqing.

However, the system had told him that the original owner and this Immortal Venerable Shuangyue did have some connection.

But what exactly that connection was, he didn't know.

Judging by the current situation, it seemed far from simple.

With questions lingering in his mind, Lin Huaiqing decided he would drag the system out and interrogate it before bed. They would be staying at Xianyue Sect for a few days, and he couldn't afford to slip up.

"Yu'er, take Immortal Venerable Huaiqing and his two disciples to the Yuqing Shrine to rest."

Since they would be entering the secret realm for trials in three days, the three of them would naturally be staying on the mountain.

Since the Xianyue Sect consisted entirely of female cultivators, to avoid offending them, Yin Shuangyue had specially arranged for the men to stay far from the women's quarters.

"Thank you for showing us the way, Miss Yu'er..."

"Immortal Venerable, this way, please."

Ever since Yu'er appeared, Qin Du had noticed that Mu Yunting was acting a little strange.

But he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. He just saw Mu Yunting steal glances at Yu'er several times.

Looking was fine—everyone enjoys a bit of beauty.

But the key was the look in Mu Yunting's eyes; it seemed to hold a hint of sorrow and restraint.

Could there be something between the two of them?

Qin Du got curious, and he sent a voice transmission to tease Mu Yunting.

"What? Got a thing for Yu'er?"

"Get lost..."

Qin Du was thrilled—there was definitely something going on there! He loved getting under Mu Yunting's skin!

But asking directly wouldn't get him anywhere, especially since Mu Yunting would never reveal the key details. Better to switch tactics.

Qin Du quickened his pace to catch up with Yu'er and gave her a simple salute between equals, not too abrupt.

"Miss Yu'er, may I ask how many days the secret realm is open this time? And how many participants are there?"

"Fellow daoist, the secret realm will be open for five days. With all the sects combined, there will be close to a thousand people. Make good use of these days to prepare."

"And will you be participating too, Miss Yu'er?" Qin Du probed.

"Naturally. The secret realm opens once every five years; if you miss this chance, you'd have to wait another five years."

With Yu'er's confirmation, Qin Du was satisfied.

Since she'd be there too, when they met in the secret realm, he was sure he'd uncover Mu Yunting's secret.

Listening to Qin Du chat with Yu'er along the way, Lin Huaiqing was thinking to himself.

The young villain had grown up and was now taking the initiative to get close to a female cultivator. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

If Qin Du were to take a female cultivator from a righteous sect as a dao companion, perhaps he wouldn't oppose the cultivation world in the future. Then he wouldn't turn into a villain at all.