118. Relocation

Three days later, the Deacon Hall sent word that the apprenticeship ceremony would be held.

For a Foundation Establishment disciple, the ceremony was solemn but not grand. With the Elder of Affairs, Yuan Ningzi, and the Elder of Merit Transmission, Master Shang Huan, acting as witnesses, the process was simple: kowtowing and offering tea were all that was required.

The person presiding over the ceremony happened to be an acquaintance of Ling Yu: Fu Changchun, who had been in charge of the disciple assembly in the Xingluo Sea region. He was startled to see that Ling Yu had already reached Foundation Establishment. He Hai Shi was still struggling at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, and he had not expected this newly recruited disciple to have taken the lead.

After the ceremony, Ling Yu and Xu Jibo were each led away by their new masters. Xu Jibo seemed to hesitate, wanting to speak to Ling Yu, but eventually gave up.

Once they stepped out of the Deacon Hall, Wei Wu Yang flicked his finger. A stream of light slid from his sleeve and transformed into a mist of water.

"Why are you standing there like a fool?" Wei Wu Yang glanced at her.

A flying magical artifact? Ling Yu looked around, asking curiously, "Master, aren't we forbidden from flying near the main peak?" When she practiced her sword flight, she had to leave the range of the main peak's spiritual veins to do so.

"That applies to you lot," Wei Wu Yang said nonchalantly. "Once you reach the Golden Core stage, you can do this too."

In other words, Golden Core cultivators were exempt from the rules.

While inwardly cursing the evils of privilege, Ling Yu agilely climbed onto the mist.

The corners of Wei Wu Yang's mouth curled into a slight smile. With a flick of his sleeve, he steered the mist toward Guan Yun Peak.

Guan Yun Peak was some distance from the main peak. It took a cup of tea’s time for Wei Wu Yang to carry Ling Yu there, finally descending amidst a sea of clouds.

The scenery of Guan Yun Peak lived up to its name perfectly. It was the highest peak within the spiritual vein of the main peak. From the waist down, it was swathed in layers of mist, and the summit pierced through the sea of clouds, revealing a vast, rolling expanse of white. When the sun shone upon it, it was a breathtaking sight.

Wei Wu Yang landed directly on the summit with Ling Yu.

"How much do you know about your master's life?" Wei Wu Yang walked slowly along a stone path and asked, turning his head.

"I know a little," Ling Yu recalled the guidance Tu Qiurong had given her. "Master is the eldest disciple of Grandmaster Canghua. You entered the sect at a young age and were known as a genius. You reached Foundation Establishment at twenty and Golden Core at one hundred and ten. Now, at three hundred, you are at the late stage of Golden Core, with high prospects for Nascent Soul. You cultivate the 'Supreme Goodness Like Water' technique, one of the nine great classics of the Taibai Sect, inherited from our Grandmaster..."

"Those are just appearances." Wei Wu Yang waved a hand. He plucked a leaf, flicked it lightly, and the moisture on the surface gathered into a bead that rolled across his fingers. "What about me, the person? How much do you know?"

"The person?" Ling Yu did not understand.

Seeing her blank expression, Wei Wu Yang spoke bluntly: "My temperament, my hobbies, my principles of conduct—do you know these?"

"..." Ling Yu remembered what Tu Qiurong had told her: "Uncle-Master Wei is the most dangerous person among the Golden Core masters. Don't be fooled by his beautiful, harmless appearance or his water-based cultivation; his temperament is extremely volatile and fickle. He loves to the point of wanting to give life and hates to the point of wanting to kill. If you cross him, he will turn on you instantly, even if you are a fellow sect member... Your Grandmaster shares this trait. He is petty and vengeful, with a heart smaller than a needle's eye. If he likes you, he will give you anything; if he doesn't, he won't even glance at you... We won't even go into that. Uncle-Master Wei has never taken a disciple before; that he chose you means you caught his eye, which is a massive stroke of luck. But you must be careful. If something doesn't suit his fancy, he will cast you aside in a heartbeat, and having a master will be no different from having none at all. In short, think thrice before doing anything!"

Tu Qiurong had whispered this to her in private, leaving Ling Yu stunned. Tu Qiurong was not a person to spread rumors, and the fact that she gave such a warning—especially now that she was already his disciple—made her wonder just how bad the reputation of this master-disciple pair really was.

Ling Yu thought of Tu Qiurong's words and said, "I have heard some things from others, but those are just rumors and may not be the truth. I ask for your guidance, Master."

Wei Wu Yang smiled faintly. "It seems no one has anything good to say about me." Yet he appeared to be in a very good mood. "Listen well."

"First, no one is allowed to bully the people of Guan Yun Peak."

"..." The first sentence was so overbearing that Ling Yu felt Senior Sister Tu had not exaggerated at all.

"Second, I have no patience for teaching idiots. If you can't learn it, it’s because you’re too stupid."

"..." As fickle as expected.

"Finally." Wei Wu Yang turned around and flicked his sleeve. A tangible burst of spiritual energy struck her leg with a 'snap'. "As my disciple, hold your head high and puff out your chest. If you are timid and shrinking, you might as well leave now!"

Ling Yu straightened up reflexively, her posture stiff and alert.

Wei Wu Yang nodded with satisfaction. "Sword cultivators are meant to be durable, though you are just a girl... it doesn't matter anyway."

Ling Yu rolled her eyes, thinking to herself: *You’re one to talk, with a face that could belong to either a man or a woman...*

"What is that expression? Are you scolding me in your heart?" Wei Wu Yang's eyebrows arched slightly, eyeing her—he was mimicking her own expression.

"..." Ling Yu said, "Master, I was looking at an ant."

Wei Wu Yang nodded. "Mm. You look at the ant, and I look at you."

Did that mean she was no different from an ant in his eyes? Ling Yu wanted to cover her face.

"Any other questions?" Wei Wu Yang started walking forward again.

Ling Yu hurriedly followed. "Master, I heard that you have never taken a disciple before. Why did you choose me this time?"

Wei Wu Yang chuckled. His beautiful, handsome face became even more charming. "Guess."

...

The best spiritual vein on Guan Yun Peak naturally belonged to Grandmaster Canghua. Wei Wu Yang was not far behind; as the eldest disciple, he had rightfully claimed the next best piece of land after Canghua’s cave dwelling.

Since Grandmaster Canghua was in secluded meditation, Ling Yu was spared the formal introduction and taken directly to Wei Wu Yang's dwelling.

A hundred-foot-tall cliff stood firm, with a waterfall plummeting down like a bolt of white silk into a deep pool. The surrounding mountains formed a semi-enclosed valley. On a wide, elevated platform about ten yards from the pool stood two bamboo houses—exquisite and chic, matching Wei Wu Yang's appearance perfectly.

"Master, is this enough for us to live in?" Ling Yu was skeptical; her room at Lanyue Peak was larger than this.

"Who said we live here?" Wei Wu Yang glanced at her and pointed behind them. "The cave dwelling is over there!"

Ling Yu turned to look, and indeed, there was a massive stone door behind them.

"Then what is this for?"

"It’s for me to fish." Wei Wu Yang tossed her a jade token. "This is the token to open the cave's barrier, along with the set of hand seals. Watch closely; I will only do this once. If you can't learn it... don't bother leaving the house again."

Standing before the stone door, Wei Wu Yang began to weave hand seals. Ling Yu didn't dare to blink.

Wei Wu Yang’s hands were beautiful, smooth, and slender, just like him. As he moved through the seals, layers of faint afterimages bloomed like a pristine white flower. Finally, he pressed his palm against the stone door, the jade token flickered, and the door opened with a groan.

"Did you see that clearly?" With another flicker of the token, the door closed. Wei Wu Yang stood aside. "Do it once."

Ling Yu had gone through her fair share of suffering when she first entered the Tao under Master Xuan Chenzi. If her techniques and finger seals were even slightly off, the ruler would come down on her. Under such strict training, her foundation as a Taoist was incredibly solid.

*Later, Ling Yu had often wondered: if she and the Immortal Stone were merely tools to open a treasure, why had Xuan Chenzi taught them so earnestly? Perhaps, he did harbor some genuine affection for them.*

Thinking of her late master, Ling Yu sighed softly. From now on, he would no longer be the master she called out to.

She closed her eyes, focused, and carefully recalled Wei Wu Yang’s movements in her mind. Ensuring she had missed nothing, she practiced a few times until the movements flowed. Finally, with a hint of awkwardness, she completed the hand seals and pressed her palm to the door. The jade token flickered, and the door opened.

"Not bad. You have some aptitude." Wei Wu Yang was satisfied enough to enter first.

Inside the cave, she was met with a massive garden that invited in natural light and flowing water. If not for the preserved rock walls, it felt no different from the outside world.

The garden was filled with exotic flowers and rare herbs—some vibrant and colorful, some standing with proud character, others elegant and grand, and some delicate and cute. Though the styles were diverse and seemed haphazard, there was a unique order to how they lived together in harmony.

Ling Yu scanned the area, secretly nodding in surprise. She could not identify all these plants, but those she recognized were all precious varieties. She began to understand her master's style: he required things to be both beautiful and practical, and neither could be sacrificed. Such a person would be very difficult to serve.

Beyond the garden were simple but not crude living quarters, all built from spirit-rich jade stone. Combined with the local spiritual veins, the conditions were far superior to those at Lanyue Peak.

"This is where I live. Pick any place you like for yourself." Wei Wu Yang pointed to the row of houses in the middle. Besides these, several stone houses were scattered to the left and right, clearly prepared for disciples.

"Master, the cave is so big, will it just be the two of us living here?"

In front of the houses was a lush green lawn with a few leafy trees. Wei Wu Yang sat on a stone stool under one of the trees and pointed to the tea set on the table, signaling her to brew tea. "The Deacon Hall would usually send people to manage the dwelling, but I’ve dismissed them for now."

Ling Yu found a tea canister in the house. Upon opening it, a fragrance infused with spiritual energy filled her nose. She had never even seen such high-quality spirit tea, let alone tasted it.

Brewing tea was something almost every cultivator knew. Tea could calm the heart, containing no impurities or smoke. Cultivators who practiced fasting did not eat meat or vegetables, but they would not forgo tea.

Ling Yu expertly heated the water, rinsed the cups, brewed the tea, and finally presented it to Wei Wu Yang.

Wei Wu Yang glanced at it and poured the tea out immediately.

"Master, are you dissatisfied?"

"The water temperature, the strength, the proportions—none of them are right." Wei Wu Yang’s tone was flat, neither angry nor polite. "I don't expect you to know everything at once. Learn slowly."

"..."

"Don't look at me like that. I am a reasonable person. Go and settle in first." Wei Wu Yang smiled with extreme warmth.

Such a smile gave Ling Yu a chill. She had a bad premonition that she was about to face some serious trouble.