So Easy to Coax

The system wasn’t working very well.

In the early morning, just after waking up, Gong Ning couldn’t help but think this when she found that her disciple had learned the “Spirit Refining Art” without a teacher.

The system said that Tao Lingling’s temperament was very poor and her morals were very low, but after a few days, Gong Ning hadn’t seen that side of her.

She had only seen diligence, a love of learning, intelligence, and… a fondness for saying sweet nothings that left one at a loss for how to respond.

Gong Ning only felt lucky that she had found her that day.

When she finished making breakfast, Tao Lingling still hadn’t woken up.
She wanted to check on her, but then thought it might not be appropriate to barge into a young lady’s room.

She knocked on the door, but there was no response.

‘Forget it. If the disciple doesn’t care, why should I be so fussy?’

Gong Ning steeled her heart and pushed open the door, bracing herself.
She was clearly here to wake her disciple up, but she found herself tiptoeing unconsciously.

Tao Lingling was still in a deep sleep.

Her face was truly exquisite.
From her delicate skin, she was probably from a wealthy family.

But faint dark circles hung under her eyes, and her brows and the corners of her eyes were slightly furrowed, as if she were having a nightmare.
Her breathing was noticeably rapid, even in the daytime.

Asleep, she completely lost that lively and jumpy quality, instead giving off a cold and aloof air that was completely at odds with her age, as well as a sense of world-weariness.

‘She’s already very tired, let her rest a bit.’

Thinking this, Gong Ning turned to leave quietly, but her hand was suddenly grabbed.

“Master.”

Her disciple suddenly woke up, her empty eyes hiding a numbness that Gong Ning couldn’t understand.

Gong Ning felt a pang in her heart for no reason.
She held her disciple’s hand in return and tucked it back into the quilt.

“Go back to sleep. You’ve already worked very hard. Just rest well today.”

‘I’d better not tell her about Lu Yunling, lest she push herself too hard.’

“Master, where do you think people go after they die?”

‘Did she dream of her family again?’

Gong Ning had always been a realist.
Normally, she would tell her that different ways of dying led to different outcomes, but at this moment, she didn’t want to tell her disciple such a cruel thing.

“They become stars, watching over you from the sky, keeping you company.”

But for some reason, after saying this, her disciple’s whole body trembled.
Was she moved?
She’s so easy to coax.

She pinched her disciple’s little face and said gently, “You mustn’t let them see you so sad, otherwise they will be sad too.”

Tao Lingling was taken aback, immediately realizing that her Master had misunderstood.

“No… Master, what your disciple means is, where do the people killed by the Gluttonous Devouring Calamity Record go…”

‘Why such a big leap in topic?’

But Gong Ning still answered patiently, “Generally speaking, lone spirits and wild ghosts remain in the mortal realm. But your Master is well-read in the ‘Comprehensive Mirror of Profound Principles,’ the ‘Annals of the Celestial Pivot,’ and the ‘Records of Strange Creatures,’ and has some humble opinions. Your Master has already told you about the characteristics of the Gluttonous Devouring Calamity Record. Perhaps those souls, unable to find a place to return to and with no one to guide them, will attach themselves to the person of cause and effect.”

“What if the person of cause and effect dies?”

“They will probably follow the other person’s soul back to the heavens or sink into hell.”

Tao Lingling’s expression darkened again.

Gong Ning comforted her disciple, “Don’t worry about these things. Ghost stories are just to scare people. In reality, there is no place for ghosts in the mortal world. The principle is a bit complicated, so just think of it as them following you, but only in a place outside the Three Realms and the Five Elements. They can’t see you, and you can’t sense them…”

To use an example from another world, it was as if the program of the mortal realm couldn’t decompress or interpret the file of a ghost.
Only certain exceptionally talented people, or those who had cultivated a certain technique, could read it.

Thinking of this, Gong Ning also understood why her disciple was so uneasy.

“You saw them, didn’t you?”

“Mm.”

Tao Lingling nodded.

When she saw the boundless sea of undead, the shock in her heart was unparalleled.

Even though the undead had no mouths to speak and no eyes to see, these things still reminded Tao Lingling of the sins she had committed in her past life.

This sin would not disappear just because she had returned to the very beginning.

“Don’t let your imagination run wild. Some things are destined to be irreparable. If you want to live happily, you must be selfish.”

Gong Ning drew the curtains, ensuring there was no light in the room.

“Look at you, you can’t even keep your eyes open. It’s still early, get some more sleep.”

Gong Ning left her disciple’s bedroom and indeed found a guest at home.

This person was none other than the hysterical female elder from the council hall seven days ago.
Gong Ning later learned her name was Xue Yingdong.

“Jiang Yuyao, can’t you do something? Your disciples don’t even pretend to pay attention in class anymore. They just sit there reading vulgar novels. That Hu Changsheng even started lecturing on ‘The Crippled Immortal’ in the lecture hall!”

“Then you can force them to learn with your sword.”

“I am an elder, how can I do something so unseemly? Besides, there are so many disciples. Am I supposed to force them one by one?”

It sounded like they were arguing.
Gong Ning took a step back, not wanting to get involved, but Xue Yingdong suddenly turned her head, her bright phoenix eyes fixed on Gong Ning.

“You from the Sky-Sword Pavilion, why haven’t I seen you come to take up your post in the hall after a week?”

“Hmm? There aren’t any new disciples this year. Do I still need to take up a post in the hall?”

Generally speaking, one elder was assigned to a batch of disciples.
If there was a new elder, they would have to take on new disciples.

This year was unique enough.

“You still have to take up your post. The Heart-Sword Hall is not here to support idlers.”

‘Not here to support idlers? How can you say that with a straight face.’

But since she was living under someone else’s roof, she naturally had to do things for them.
Gong Ning nodded and asked, “Which batch of disciples am I in charge of, and what do I teach?”

“In terms of status, you are an Outer Sect Elder, so you will take the Outer Sect disciples… considering you have no cultivation, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle those rascals… go to the Deacon’s Hall and find Bai Peilan. Her disciples are relatively well-behaved.”

Gong Ning nodded and first returned to her own room.

It was her first day of work, so she had to pay attention to her appearance.
In the past, washing her face and wearing clean clothes would have been enough.

But she didn’t know if it was because her body had changed, or her mentality had changed, but she actually felt the need to dress up properly.

Looking at the dressing table her disciple had bought for her, and the various cosmetics, she shook her head, shaking these thoughts from her mind.

Jiang Yuyao suddenly pushed open the door and entered.

“What are you staring at in the mirror for?”

Gong Ning was startled, feeling as if her thoughts had been exposed.

“Why do you just barge into someone else’s room without knocking?”

“This is my house. I can go wherever I want. Besides, what do you have to hide in front of me?”

Although Jiang Yuyao still had that nonchalant tone, she walked towards her.

“Sit down, I’ll comb your hair for you.”

“How can I let you do that? It’s not like I don’t know how.”

“Is just randomly tying your hair with a ribbon considered knowing how? It’s been so many years, you still don’t know how to tie your hair up, or use a hairpin or a pin.”

“Why do men need to be so good-looking?”

“But you’re a woman now.”

Jiang Yuyao was never one to be merciful with her words, but her hands were very skillful.
Gong Ning’s waist-length hair was gathered into a bun at the back of her head and secured with a hairpin.

A long ponytail hung down her back, vaguely obscuring the fair skin of her nape.