The Place Where the Apprenticeship Ceremony is Held

Xiao Menglan carefully stored the freshly written invitations in a delicate little box.

Then, turning to more serious matters, she wrapped her arms around her beloved little disciple’s waist and carried her to the dressing table.

Bit by bit, she wiped away the rouge and powder from Cao Xueyan’s face.

Those cosmetics were a nuisance — and in any case, nowhere near as alluring as the girl’s own natural beauty.

Xiao Menglan pressed kisses over that tender face again and again.

It had been only a single morning apart, yet she already missed her so much.

She dared not even imagine how life would be if she were ever parted from this little disciple.

Cao Xueyan wiped the dampness from her cheek and said helplessly, “Master, aren’t we supposed to be studying talisman-drawing?”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Xiao Menglan murmured, still unsatisfied.

Her lips trailed down to Cao Xueyan’s collarbone, leaving a string of vivid red marks like seals imprinted on her skin.

“Bear with it for a little while longer — it will be over soon.”

Cao Xueyan had no way to deal with this woman.

But she was used to it by now, and answered with a soft, slightly breathless sound.

Taking the chance, Cao Xueyan asked, “Master, do you know what a ‘Heaven-Deficient Pill’ is?”

Hearing this, Xiao Menglan raised her head and looked into her disciple’s eyes.

“What’s the matter?

Don’t tell me the people at the hall tried to fob you off with that sort of thing?”

“No, no,” Cao Xueyan said quickly.

“I just happened to hear a senior brother mention it once and was curious.”

“That’s good.

Although the Heaven-Deficient Pill’s medicinal effect is similar to an ordinary pill, unless one bears great fortune upon oneself, it’s better not to try it,” Xiao Menglan said casually.

“So what exactly is the Heaven-Deficient Pill?”

Cao Xueyan asked curiously.

“What’s so special about it that it’s connected with fate and fortune?”

Xiao Menglan told her what she knew.

“I don’t know that much about alchemy, but as far as I’ve heard, all proper pills in this world conform to the Dao of Heaven.

Whenever refining succeeds, the pill will take on a full-moon shape.

If it comes out lopsided or misshapen, it’s usually a failed pill.

But there is one exception — the Heaven-Deficient Pill.

Its medicinal effect isn’t bad at all, only… the shape is rather… well, unsatisfactory.”

“Just because of an odd shape it’s called a Heaven-Deficient Pill?

That sounds unreasonable — the medicine itself isn’t lacking.”

“It’s not that simple,” Xiao Menglan shook her head.

“I just said, a proper pill’s roundness reflects the Dao of Heaven.

The Heaven-Deficient Pill symbolizes incompleteness, imperfection — an unlucky omen for cultivators like us.

It’s said that in ancient times, cultivators regarded such pills as inauspicious.

Those who took them suffered at best repeated misfortunes, at worst stagnation of their cultivation… though I’ve never heard of anyone dying from it.”

Cao Xueyan was astonished.

“There’s such a saying?”

She had taken pills for so long, yet this was her first time hearing about it.

Xiao Menglan smiled.

“In the cultivation world nowadays, it’s been ages since anyone heard of Heaven-Deficient Pills being produced.

But among the people I know, someone once found a few bottles of them left behind in the ruins of ancient cultivators.

Because they had been stored for so many thousands of years, no one even dared unseal the bottles — otherwise the pills would crumble to dust in a single breath.

They only dared probe them with divine sense.”

“Master, you just said that those without great fortune shouldn’t take Heaven-Deficient Pills.

Then, the people who can refine them — do they have some special trait?”

“That I don’t know,” Xiao Menglan admitted.

“If you happen to come across such a person during your travels in the future, you can inquire for me.”

Cao Xueyan nodded.

Unbidden, the image of the newly acquainted Senior Sister Dan Yao surfaced in her mind.

But no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t see anything special about her.

Yet that senior brother who had warned her about it was not one to speak idly — which made the matter rather intriguing.

Still, it had nothing to do with her.

Since Heaven-Deficient Pills were so rare, there was little chance she would ever encounter them.

Xiao Menglan, now satisfied with the intimacy she had taken, finally released her.

She spread out talisman paper on the table and, just like before, guided Cao Xueyan’s hand as she taught her to draw.

In her eyes, this little disciple truly had a talent for talismans — in just a few days she had already grasped and integrated most of what she had been taught.

Such comprehension was not something ordinary people could possess.

Of course, she had no idea that it was the result of Cao Xueyan’s hard work (and some careful “point-allocation”) behind the scenes.

That afternoon’s spell-practice was left for Cao Xueyan to do alone at the training ground.

According to Xiao Menglan, she herself had to go personally to the place where the disciple-acceptance ceremony would soon be held.

Just as mortal clans had ancestral halls, the long-standing Azure Cloud Sword Sect naturally had a special site for ceremonies.

That place was called the Sword-Burying Valley.

It was said that the sect’s founding patriarch, before leaving on his final journey, had buried his sword there.

Thousands of years had passed, yet the patriarch was still unseen except in the sect’s records — but the place where he had buried his sword had become the sacred site for all the sect’s ceremonies.

Ordinary disciples were forbidden to approach it, and even elders or peak lords could not enter without the sect master’s decree.

This time, Xiao Menglan’s acceptance of a personal disciple was a major event in the sect.

In the past, such ceremonies were held outside the sect, with invitations sent to many powers and allies.

At such grand occasions, both mighty Golden-Core demons and mortal royals might come as honored guests.

But nowadays the righteous sects were in decline, demonic ways were rampant, and beasts roamed the land.

No one was inclined to propose such a great gathering anymore.

Helplessly, the ceremony would have to be kept simple and held within the sect.

Even so, holding it in the Sword-Burying Valley was still the highest honor within the Azure Cloud Sword Sect.

In the past, it had been opened only once every hundred years for the ancestral rites, and at other times remained sealed by formations.

After having lunch with Cao Xueyan, Xiao Menglan rode her flying sword and departed.

The valley lay deep within the Azure Cloud Mountains, protected by powerful formations.

Anyone trying to reach it uninvited would lose their senses and wander lost among the mountains.

With the token personally granted by her senior-sister the sect master, Xiao Menglan passed without obstruction and soon arrived at the valley.

Dismounting from her sword, she saw many people already there — laborers of the cultivation world — busy setting up the venue for the ceremony.

In the distance stood a familiar figure.

With a single thought, Xiao Menglan used her divine art to cross the space in a stride and arrived in an instant.

“Junior sister, you’re here,” Qin Ximo, the sect master, greeted her with a slight smile.

“Senior-sister Sect-Master.”

Xiao Menglan halted and offered a respectful bow.

This was no private meeting — with many people nearby — and etiquette before the sect master could never be slighted.

“No need for such formality,” Qin Ximo said with a smile.

“Before long, you will be the host of this place.”

Looking at the graceful figure before her, she sighed with some feeling.

“To think that among the few of us, you would be the first to take on a disciple.

I had thought, seeing how aloof you always were, that your Moon-Inviting Palace would remain desolate for another few hundred years!”

“Senior-sister Sect-Master as well — you should hurry to find a worthy successor to pass down your sword-arts,” Xiao Menglan replied.

“Well now, this junior sister of mine is even lecturing me,” Qin Ximo said with a wry smile.

“My words are sincere,” Xiao Menglan said with a faint smile.

“Senior-sister’s sword-arts are so peerlessly brilliant — it would be a true pity if they were to be buried with you.

Or else… if not the sword-arts, passing on your divine wine-brewing skill would also not be amiss, would it?”

Qin Ximo reached out and lightly tapped Xiao Menglan on the forehead.

“I see that spending so much time with your little disciple has changed your temperament a good deal — you even dare to joke with me now.”

Xiao Menglan lowered her voice and said softly, “Who says it isn’t so?”

If ever you meet the one you love, you too will be changed by her.

Or else, you will be the one to change her.