Qiu Ling wanted to do nothing more than to storm into the building after them and watch whatever was happening in there. How could he leave his beloved alone with another man?! This couldn’t happen! What if that guy tried to do something to him?! Unfortunately, he also knew that he couldn’t just barge in. After all, his beloved hadn’t met him in his real appearance yet. He wouldn’t even know who he was!

Qiu Ling grumbled and continued to scratch at the tree. What should he do? He couldn’t go in there but he couldn’t just stay out here either, could he? He glanced around the road leading past the buildings and his brows rose. Come to think of it … There was nobody around. So … If he went to take a peek, then nobody would know, right?

Qiu Ling looked around to make sure again and then rushed to the building, jumping up from the ground and onto the roof. Unfortunately, he didn’t know which room his beloved was in. But it couldn’t be too hard to find out, could it? He walked to the edge of the roof and hang down head-first to look into the window below. The room was empty. Continue reading →

While Yuchi Bing Xia quietly led Yu Jin to a house on his own peak, Wu Min Huan stayed back with Jing Yi. Seeing the small boy in front of him cry bitterly, Wu Min Huan’s heart squeezed painfully. Right now, he felt even worse that he wasn’t able to take this child in as his disciple. If he did, then something like this certainly wouldn’t have happened.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. There was just no way to justify taking somebody with full spirit veins in. After all, there had been several outstanding talents among the children the sect accepted this year. Even if his Master accepted it, the Elders wouldn’t. Sure, he could still insist but that would only strain the relationships of the people in the inner sect. He didn’t want that either. After all, they needed the support of the Elders. And if they didn’t have it, then the one who would have a headache dealing with it would be his Master. Continue reading →

Since the other children had paused on the staircase, Jing Yi stopped in the doorway and put the bucket with water down. He really felt like he couldn’t go on anymore. He took a deep breath and flexed his fingers as a short break before he bent down to pick up the bucket again.

Seeing the bucket with water, the eyes of the boy leading the group of children lit up. Wasn’t this the opportunity they had waited for? He raised his chin and swaggered down the stairs, the other children following behind. He hadn’t said what he was about to do but they trusted that he would have an idea. The group went over to Jing Yi when he barely managed to lift up the bucket again and barred his way into the hall.

Jing Yi curiously looked at them. He had never had to do with other children his age in the wood village and in the capital there had only been Zhong Guanyu who he tended to run away from and Shao Hai who had become his friend upon first sight. Even Xiao Dong had only been there for the last few days and could hardly be called an acquaintance. Thus Jing Yi’s understanding of how other children behaved was quite low. He was unable to see that these children weren’t feeling well-disposed towards him. Otherwise, he might have been able to react differently. But now, he could only look at them curiously and wait until they told him what they wanted. Continue reading →

Qiu Ling’s gaze followed the disciple all the way down the road before he turned away with a cold huff. Daring to touch his beloved, he’d certainly remember this guy’s face! Now wasn’t the moment to lash back at him though. No, this might be part of his beloved’s trial. After all, wouldn’t it be extremely displeasing for his Jing He to have this strange person come close? He was such a pure person, he must feel terribly violated to be touched by that dirty hand!

Qiu Ling grumbled to himself but he still remembered that he couldn’t get involved in this. Thus he forcibly pushed the thought of how that bastard dared to try his luck with his beloved away and waited for Jing Yi to leave the building again. He didn’t need to wait long.

Jing Yi had rushed into the building where he lived and put the basket down in a corner where it wouldn’t get in the way of the other disciples. Afterward, he hurried out again and grabbed the bucket. His fair face reddened from the exertion, making Qiu Ling clutch his chest in agony. Continue reading →

Jing Yi might have been ten years already but he hadn’t heard even a single time from his mother that he was too old to cry. Thus he didn’t feel that anything was wrong about his reaction. If he felt devastated, then crying should be normal, no?

Behind the tree, Qiu Ling gripped his chest in a panic. Oh no! His poor beloved’s trial was so hard that he had to cry this heart-wrenchingly. Somebody should really go and save him from his plight!

He already wanted to move out when he remembered his mother-in-law’s stern expression. Right, however much she wanted to he wasn’t allowed to interfere. Qiu Ling squatted down on the ground and poked at the tree. So mean! He actually had to sit here and listen to his beloved cry while he would be entirely capable to go over and soothe his agitated emotions until he calmed down and could smile again. Continue reading →

The person that had supposedly been waiting just for Qiu Ling was currently carrying a big basket. Inside the basket …

Qiu Ling tilted his head. That looked like something made out of fabric. It was supposedly white although it looked more like a washed-out gray. Why was his beloved carrying something like this?

Qiu Ling hid behind a tree and observed. If this was some kind of trial, then he shouldn’t get involved. He’d have to let his beloved suffer through it first as much as it pained him. Ah, but as a reliable and dutiful lover, he had to make some sacrifices. It was all so that they could be happy in the future!

While Qiu Ling was busy feeling torn between being devastated and glorious, Jing Yi carried the basket over to a well. He put the basket down next to it and fetched some water. Then … he looked around. He had already been taken in as a disciple several days ago and with the help of Qiguan Cheng Da, he had managed to get a lot of tasks that would help him to become a hero. On the first day, he had gotten the honorable task to rake the leaves around the disciples’ dwellings. On the second day, he had gotten the important task to sweep the floors of the dwellings’ main halls. On the third day, he had gotten the meaningful task to clean the windows. On the fourth day … Continue reading →

Zhangsun Xun Yi emptied the cup and got up. “You’re officially my disciple now.” He felt that an explanation was necessary considering how Qiu Ling had misunderstood him before. Now that he hadn’t left things to chance and explained clearly, nothing could go wrong. “Since this is done I’ll show you where you’ll be staying from now on.” He motioned at Qiu Ling to follow him and left the study, walking down several corridors until they arrived at the door to a room in the back of the palace. This place was perfect. There wouldn’t be too many distractions around so his disciple could focus completely on meditating and training the sword arts.

Zhangsun Xun Yi stepped to the side and motioned at the door. “Please. You can go in and take a look.”

Qiu Ling didn’t need to be told twice. The palace was alright but he needed to make sure that his personal chambers would also be up to par. After all, this was where he would invite his Jing He to. It needed to be of a certain standard. Continue reading →

The two Elders were left alone with the destroyed hut while Qiu Ling was led to the palace standing on the highest peak of the Yun Zou Sect. Seeing the imposing building before him, Qiu Ling nodded with satisfaction. Yes, this was what he had imagined! Nobody could expect him to live in a rundown hut but he wouldn’t say anything against living here. This was suitable for his status.

Zhangsun Xun Yi landed in front of the gate and turned to look at Qiu Ling. Seeing that his new disciple had managed to keep up with him, he nodded in satisfaction. Very well, he hadn’t judged him wrongly. He might not have used his fastest possible speed to get here but it had still been faster than most disciples that age would be able to go. Keeping up nonetheless was a sign that this young man had a promising future ahead of him.

After all, using a sword and being able to strike powerfully were not the only things one needed to know to be a good practitioner. Being able to move swiftly and to defend were just as important. His disciple had already shown that he had power when he collapsed that hut and now it seemed that his speed was also satisfactory. He would still need to see about his defensive capabilities and some other features that would be necessary to truly master the sword arts but this boy was definitely worth teaching. That much he could already say. Continue reading →

Qiu Ling took a deep breath to recover from the shock of being asked that question. Ah, this Grandmaster was really vicious to start off with something like that! Now, what should he say? He had no idea how long humans normally lived and … he couldn’t remember his own age either. He had stopped counting at ten thousand. After that … it had been a few thousand years until he took over the throne. And then … it had been a few more thousand years until he met Jing He so …

Qiu Ling furrowed his brows. Ah, it was hard to believe that he was so much older than his beloved! Although Jing He liked mature men, it would still have been nice to be a little closer in age. Wouldn’t it have been enough to just be ten thousand years older? That should count as more mature, shouldn’t it?

Seeing Qiu Ling’s distressed expression, Elder Kong’s lips twitched. It seemed he had been right to worry before. This guy was the type to worry about appearance! What was so hard about saying his age? Continue reading →

The Sect Master had no idea that while he had sneaked out with his disciple, things were happening in his sect that would turn everything upside down in a mere decade. Had he known … well, there was nothing he could have done anyway. From the moment Zhong Jing Yi met Wu Min Huan in the Long country’s capital city, the fate of the Yun Zou Sect had been sealed. After all, wherever the Son of Heaven’s reincarnation went a certain dragon king wasn’t far and he was just too good at stirring up trouble along the way.

Currently, Qiu Ling was proudly evaluating his handiwork. Ah, it had been a while since he used his sword for something as basic as destroying a building but it seemed his skill hadn’t diminished in the least. One quick, well-aimed strike and the ugly hut had collapsed in itself like a house of cards. Mn, the technique was the most important. You had to hit the right place, then it wouldn’t be difficult at all. Of course, that was just in theory. Knowing about it and being able to do it were two completely different things. The fact that he had managed to achieve it with just one strike should convince these guys from the Yun Zou Sect that he was special and deserved to meet the Grandmaster, right? Continue reading →