Bai Qiuyuan, finding the formalities troublesome, merely showed his face briefly before heading directly to the Scripture Pavilion within the Sword Sect.
Consequently, few recognized him as the half-step Core Formation cultivator who had previously worn a rabbit mask.
When Yang Xueqing saw Bai Qiuyuan, she was utterly dumbfounded.
After all, Bai Qiuyuan had only mentioned casually wandering around the Sword Sect before.
Yang Xueqing desperately wanted to know how Bai Qiuyuan had managed to ‘kidnap’ their Grand Ancestor simply by ‘casually wandering.’
She had toiled tirelessly to become a direct disciple, yet Bai Qiuyuan had directly become their Grand Ancestor?
However, upon recalling Bai Qiuyuan’s appearance, a sense of understanding washed over her.
Among the Sword Sect disciples, Zhou Meng and Sun Ning also wore expressions of profound shock when they saw Bai Qiuyuan.
Both of them had, after all, seen Bai Qiuyuan’s true appearance and knew his actual age!
Yet, neither dared to find a moment to approach Bai Qiuyuan with their questions.
After all, Bai Qiuyuan’s current status was no different from their own beloved Grand Ancestor!
The disparity in seniority was simply too vast!
****
The day after the Sword Sect’s Disciple Recruitment Ceremony
Bai Qiuyuan’s Residence
*Creak*
Han Qianqiu, levitating a stack of dishes with her spiritual energy, pushed open the door and entered Bai Qiuyuan’s room.
Upon entering, Han Qianqiu was greeted by the sight of a bed piled high with bamboo slips, and nestled amidst them, Bai Qiuyuan, clad in a brown bear animal-themed pajama, sleeping soundly.
Seeing that Bai Qiuyuan also possessed a sloth-themed pajama in a similar style, a peculiar curiosity bloomed in Han Qianqiu’s heart: just how many of these animal pajamas did Bai Qiuyuan own?
After placing the dishes on a nearby table, Han Qianqiu walked to Bai Qiuyuan’s bedside and called out.
“Time to wake up.”
“Why are you still asleep?”
Bai Qiuyuan sat up, his eyes bleary, and looked at Han Qianqiu with a smile.
“Morning~”
Han Qianqiu picked up a bamboo slip, glanced at it, and remarked in a teasing tone.
“You didn’t stay up all night reading, did you?”
“What is this? History of the cultivation world?”
Bai Qiuyuan yawned, then replied.
“I was just curious, so I took a look.”
“I don’t need to cultivate, nor do I need to get up early for chores. Since I’m bored, I just read these books.”
Han Qianqiu was momentarily speechless upon hearing this.
With his current cultivation far surpassing her own, even if Bai Qiuyuan chose not to cultivate, few in the entire cultivation world could defeat him.
Moreover, having become engaged to her, his status was now equivalent to that of a Grand Ancestor.
He enjoyed all the privileges of a Grand Ancestor!
Unlike newly inducted disciples, he didn’t need to rise early for chores or practice.
At this moment, Bai Qiuyuan was truly, utterly idle!
Bai Qiuyuan suddenly spoke with a profound expression.
“Only after my cultivation grew stronger did I realize…”
“Being invincible is truly lonely indeed~”
“No wonder the protagonists in storybooks, after reaching the peak of their cultivation, either turn to farming or aim to unify the cultivation world.”
Han Qianqiu rolled her eyes at Bai Qiuyuan in exasperation, then walked over, picked up her breakfast, and asked while eating.
“What did you give to that person named Yang Xueqing earlier?”
Bai Qiuyuan tidied all the bamboo slips with spiritual energy, placed them by the bed, then rose from the bed with a smile.
“I thought you wouldn’t ask.”
“What I gave her was that piece of junk you picked up in the forbidden land.”
Han Qianqiu sounded perplexed upon hearing this.
“But I remember it didn’t look like that originally.”
Bai Qiuyuan chuckled.
“I fixed it.”
“That’s what the broken sword originally looked like.”
Han Qianqiu was silent for a moment before asking.
“Are you really eight years old? You can even repair artifacts from ancient forbidden lands?”
“Even if it’s junk, repairing something found in an ancient forbidden land is extremely difficult.”
“After all, the ancient artifact refining methods have been lost; even I couldn’t repair it.”
After using his spiritual energy to comb and tie up his hair, Bai Qiuyuan sat down at the table and spoke with feigned mystery.
“Let me tell you a secret: I’m actually the reincarnation of an ancient mighty cultivator.”
“As long as certain conditions are met, I can regain my past life’s cultivation.”
Upon hearing this, Han Qianqiu exclaimed in surprise.
“No wonder your cultivation increased so rapidly!”
Seeing her reaction, Bai Qiuyuan said with a crestfallen expression.
“Alas, what kind of era is this? No one believes me when I tell the truth.”
“They insist I lie.”
Han Qianqiu: “Then how do you explain your cultivation?”
Bai Qiuyuan merely smiled, offering no words in response.
****
****
After breakfast, Han Qianqiu asked.
“What are you planning to do next?”
Bai Qiuyuan pondered for two seconds, then replied.
“Unify the Upper Realm?”
Han Qianqiu froze at his words.
But soon, Bai Qiuyuan was seen chuckling again.
“Just kidding.”
Han Qianqiu: “…”
Han Qianqiu remained silent for two seconds before resuming her questioning.
“No jokes now, what are you actually planning to do?”
Bai Qiuyuan smiled.
“I plan to wander around the Upper Realm.”
“Do you have anywhere you’d like to go? Would you mind taking me along?”
Han Qianqiu: “!”
“Come to think of it, there is indeed a place I’d like to visit.”
****
****
Mount Qianqiu
Foot of Pill Pavilion Mountain
“Where did these children come from?”
“The Pill Pavilion is not a place for children to enter freely.”
A mountain-guarding disciple looked at Bai Qiuyuan and Han Qianqiu, asking with a stern expression.
Just as Han Qianqiu was about to release her spiritual pressure, an Elder happened to pass by on an errand, approaching the guard with a questioning look.
“What’s happening here?”
Upon hearing him, the mountain-guarding disciple quickly turned and bowed.
“Elder Zhao, these two children wish to enter the Pill Pavilion.”
The Elder stroked his beard, asking with a puzzled expression.
“Children? Let me see.”
The Elder walked past the mountain-guarding disciple and soon saw Bai Qiuyuan and Han Qianqiu.
The girl, clad in a white feather robe, resembled a porcelain doll, exquisitely cute.
Beside her stood a boy in a black feather robe, possessing an extraordinary demeanor yet completely devoid of cultivation.
The moment he saw the boy, the Elder froze.
Anything that reaches its absolute peak infinitely approaches the Great Dao!
And Bai Qiuyuan’s [Charm 10] was precisely that peak!
The Elder was momentarily stunned, then chuckled with a sigh of admiration.
“These two little ones certainly make a charming pair together.”
No sooner had the Elder finished speaking than Han Qianqiu retorted, exasperated.
“Zhao Xiaopang (TL Note: A nickname meaning ‘Little Fatty Zhao’), have your eyes started to fail you in your old age?”
“Look closely, who am I?”
Hearing the familiar address, the Elder didn’t get angry; instead, he scrutinized Han Qianqiu with a puzzled expression.
‘How does this little girl know the nickname my senior brothers gave me when I first joined the sect?’
‘Hmm? Why does this little girl look more and more familiar the longer I stare?’
Then, the Elder noticed the bracelet on Han Qianqiu’s wrist.
The moment he saw the bracelet, a memory of being brutally beaten by that very item instantly flashed in the Elder’s mind!
The Elder immediately gasped, drawing in a sharp breath.
‘Holy shit! It’s actually that little Grand-Ancestor!’
‘No, Grand-Ancestor, why in the world did you turn into a child for no reason??’
The mountain-guarding disciple, hearing the Elder called “Zhao Xiaopang,” angrily shouted.
“How dare you disrespect an Elder?!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Elder beside him slapped him directly on the back of the head!
The mountain-guarding disciple nearly stumbled and fell.
The Elder, however, immediately bent at the waist, bowing ninety degrees, and proclaimed.
“Welcome, Grand Ancestor of the Sword Sect, to the Pill Pavilion!”
Bai Qiuyuan smiled, musing inwardly.
‘Relying on Han Qianqiu’s reputation will save a lot of trouble in the future, won’t it?’
The mountain-guarding disciple, still looking utterly bewildered, froze in place upon hearing this.
“Wh—?!”
Han Qianqiu waved her hand, saying.
“Zhao Xiaopang, go tell your Grand Elder, Situ Ling, to come out of seclusion.”
“Tell her I’ve come to see her.”
The Elder quickly nodded, then directly flew away on his sword, departing at his swiftest possible speed.
As Bai Qiuyuan passed the mountain-guarding disciple, he remarked with a sigh.
“It’s not your fault you misjudged the situation.”
With that, he paid no further heed to the mountain-guarding disciple, allowing Han Qianqiu to take his hand and lead him into the Pill Pavilion.
Even after the two vanished from sight, the mountain-guarding disciple remained lost in his daze.
****
A certain cave dwelling behind Pill Pavilion Mountain
The Elder who had previously encountered Han Qianqiu arrived before the cave dwelling and spoke respectfully.
“Reporting to Grand Ancestor, Sword Sect’s Grand Ancestor Han Qianqiu requests an audience.”
“…”
After a brief silence of a few seconds, the cave dwelling’s door opened, and a woman’s voice spoke.
“Tell her to wait for me in the main hall for a moment.”
“Yes, Grand Ancestor.”
The Elder replied respectfully.
****
Pill Pavilion Main Hall
Han Qianqiu walked over and sat on a chair in the reception hall.
Bai Qiuyuan, however, stood silently beside Han Qianqiu, refraining from sitting.
Han Qianqiu glanced at Bai Qiuyuan with a puzzled expression, asking.
“Why aren’t you sitting?”
Bai Qiuyuan asked.
“This Pill Pavilion doesn’t have chairs like the Sword Sect’s, where sitting down means you have to marry someone, does it?”
Han Qianqiu was silent for two seconds, then burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha, so you were worried about that, and that’s why you didn’t dare to sit?”
“Relax, I’ve never heard of anyone in the Pill Pavilion establishing such a rule to find a Dao companion.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Qiuyuan finally let out a sigh of relief and sat on a chair next to Han Qianqiu.
Bai Qiuyuan asked, puzzled.
“Who are you here to see?”
Bai Qiuyuan had learned about the Pill Pavilion yesterday from Lin Ziya and from the bamboo slips he had read.
Essentially, most of the pills in the Upper Realm were refined by the Pill Pavilion.
The people within the Pill Pavilion were mostly alchemy fanatics.
There were even rumors of some cultivating pills within their own bodies.
The Pill Pavilion did not actively recruit disciples; many alchemy prodigies would simply seek out and join the Pill Pavilion on their own.
Han Qianqiu explained with a smile.
“Today, I’m taking you to meet an alchemy prodigy born in the same era as me!”
“Judging by the time, she should probably be able to refine eighth-grade pills by now.”
“She was my good sister back then!”
“I told her I’d bring my Dao companion to meet her once I found one!”
Bai Qiuyuan nodded upon hearing this.
‘So, it’s like bringing a boyfriend to show off to a best friend?’
Han Qianqiu then looked at Bai Qiuyuan with curiosity, asking.
“Speaking of which, you have so many pills on you; are you an alchemist yourself?”
Bai Qiuyuan chuckled in response.
“Not at all. I found them in an inherited immortal’s abode; I’ve never studied alchemy.”
Han Qianqiu gave Bai Qiuyuan a suspicious look.
Just then, the Elder arrived in the main hall and spoke respectfully.
“Sword Ancestor (TL Note: A general term for the Sword Sect’s patriarchs), I have already informed the Grand Ancestor. She asks you to wait here for a moment.”
Han Qianqiu smiled upon hearing this.
“Understood.”
“She’s probably been busy refining pills and neglected her appearance, ending up covered in medicinal dust.”
The Elder immediately showed a helpless smile upon hearing this, but did not refute Han Qianqiu.
“May I inquire, Sword Ancestor, is this person beside you your disciple?”
The Elder asked, looking at Bai Qiuyuan with a puzzled expression.
Knowing that this Sword Ancestor had been single for hundreds of years and never had a Dao companion,
it was impossible for her to have descendants. Thus, the Elder boldly guessed that Bai Qiuyuan was Han Qianqiu’s apprentice.
Bai Qiuyuan chuckled in response.
“I am her fiancé.”
“Wh-?!”
Upon hearing this, the Elder stared blankly at Bai Qiuyuan, dumbfounded.