Chapter 442: Master and Disciple

In the skies above Buke Guan, the moon, like a vessel carved from amber, gently poured down its liquid light.

That night, by the rice paddies where the wind rustled through the stalks, Siming and Lu Jiajia sat on a colossal rock, gazing at the moon together.

Lu Jiajia sat as usual, her slender, swan-like neck slightly tilted upwards, her dark, silky hair fanned out on the rock. From behind, she appeared lithe and slender, with the delicate hint of her shoulder blades and the gentle curve of her spine subtly visible through her hair.

Siming, meanwhile, rested her head on the lap of this graceful immortal, as comfortable and languid as a cat napping in the afternoon. Her pale, long hair shimmered with a translucent glow, appearing silver under the moon.

Lu Jiajia's fingers gently brushed through Siming's hair. The wind carried the fresh scent of rice stalks to her ears, and amidst the night's quiet whispers, in a rare moment of inner peace, Lu Jiajia found herself recalling memories from the Luoshu era, instinctively calling out, "Senior."

Siming's icy eyes shimmered like fragmented reflections on a pond. Her lips curved into a smile, and she shifted slightly, still lying on Lu Jiajia's soft lap, looking at her face. "Why call me 'Senior'?" she asked.

Lu Jiajia's gaze returned from the moon.

"Who was calling you?" Lu Jiajia murmured softly. "I'm the Senior Sister..."

Siming smiled faintly. "Jiajia was most obedient when her cultivation was still low."

Lu Jiajia poked Siming's forehead and scoffed. "That's because you were fooled by me. In truth, I've always had a rebellious spirit."

"Is that so..." Siming replied casually, finding Jiajia increasingly endearing.

She followed Lu Jiajia's delicate finger and looked up at the moon.

After Ning Changjiu concluded his conversation with È, he traveled to Myriad Demon City to accurately calculate the spiritual energy required to cultivate the Dark Lord. From the Kunlun Sky Pillar of Tianzhu Peak, he arrived at Buke Guan.

Myriad Demon City was still as it had been, though the demonic aura within it was noticeably lighter.

This was a vast landmass dominating the northeastern Central Lands, primarily consisting of mountain ranges. Beyond the peaks encircled by the Quicksand River lay the Demon God Temple of Tianzhu Peak.

None of the Four Great Demon Kings were in the temple.

Before coming to Buke Guan, Siming had left the Golden Crow and gazed at the moonlight from the Demon God Temple for a long time.

She could never forget that night's downpour, when arrows pierced the cloud sea and moonlight streamed through the darkness to fall upon her rain-streaked, pale face. Now, she could look back on everything with calm contentment, her past memories having become like a fine wine brewed in her sea of consciousness.

"You and Changjiu stayed at the temple for a while back then, didn't you?" Lu Jiajia asked with a smile, as if knowing her thoughts.

Siming nodded. "Yes, we were recuperating here at the time."

Lu Jiajia asked, "What was it like to live in such a divinely peaceful place?"

Siming smiled faintly. "Peace often comes with a certain coolness; it was never as warm as our three years in the dream."

Lu Jiajia and she exchanged quiet words and laughter.

The two rose from the rock and went together to see the trees they had planted years ago.

When they had lived at the temple, Siming might have neglected her cultivation, but she never neglected to water the trees.

Five trees stood in an orderly, neat row, all growing luxuriantly.

Lu Jiajia bent down, looking at the tree she had planted. A smile touched her eyes and lips. "I can't believe my sapling has grown this big already. It feels like it hasn't been that long..."

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Siming, who was observing the most flourishing tree.

Lu Jiajia asked, "Your tree is even taller than mine. Were you playing favorites when you watered them?"

Siming bit her lip, her words muffled. "This is Zhao Xiang'er's tree. Mine... is this one."

She turned her head away, reluctantly pointing to the shortest one.

Lu Jiajia paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

The tree watered the least had grown the best... In her annoyance, Siming also caught a whiff of something inspiring.

Thinking of Zhao Xiang'er's appearance in Lonely Cloud City, and unable to suppress her irritation, Siming had a flash of inspiration amidst her vexation. She began to roll up her sleeves, eyeing the sapling with a predatory glint.

Lu Jiajia quickly stopped her. "You're not thinking of uprooting the two trees and swapping their places, are you? Don't do something like that."

Siming replied haughtily, "How could I have such low morals?"

"Then what do you intend to do?"

"Isn't there a method called 'pulling up the seedlings to help them grow'?"

"Xueci, promise your Senior Sister you won't do anything foolish..."

Ascending the moonlit steps of Buke Guan, past tall trees and a pond dotted with floating water lilies, candlelight flickered within the inner hall of the Taoist temple.

Beneath the golden deity on the vaulted ceiling, white silks billowed. Ye Changong sat amidst them, her graceful figure swaying on the gauze curtains in the shifting light and shadow. This silhouette was vastly different from that of the slender young girl.

Ning Changjiu couldn't be certain whether it was a woman or a young girl sitting behind the gauze curtains now.

Ye Changong's fingers moved through the air, forming characters on a piece of paper. She folded it, placed it into a lotus paper boat, and sent it floating out across the pond, which glowed with the reflection of candlelight.

The lotus paper boat glided past myriad white silks and came to rest before Ning Changjiu.

Ning Changjiu took it and tucked it into his robes.

"You won't need to travel all this way for such matters in the future," Ye Changong's melodious voice drifted out softly and evenly. "Pray in your heart, call my name, and I will hear you."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Any name will do?"

"Yes," Ye Changong nodded, composing herself. "You must have met È already?"

In recent days, she had been observing the vast mortal world and had not focused her gaze on Ning Changjiu.

Ning Changjiu nodded. "Yes, I have. The plan to cultivate the Dark Lord was discussed and finalized with them."

Ye Changong asked, "Do you have any other questions?"

Ning Changjiu looked at the silhouette on the white gauze and said, "È said that he and the Dark Lord will prosper or perish together... È's verses revived civilization, which is a great debt we owe. Do I need to divert strength to protect him?"

Ye Changong gently shook her head. "È cannot be directly killed. Otherwise, he would have been dismembered and consumed by the Six Primeval Deities four thousand years ago."

"Why?" Ning Changjiu asked, puzzled.

Ye Changong replied, "There's a forest west of the temple. Most of the trees there were cut down when houses were built. Go take a look later, and you'll understand."

Ning Changjiu acknowledged her words.

He asked, "Master, how has your recent observation of the world been?"

Ye Changong closed her eyes, slowly saying, "A single change in the laws affects everything. Even though my gaze can sweep across thousands of miles of land, I still feel overwhelmed. Fortunately, the adjustments to the laws have proceeded without significant deviation from the plan."

In the past, immortals in the clouds would only gaze at the higher heavens, never looking down upon the mundane world. But now, as she diligently observed the earth, she realized that everything, from the falling of leaves and stones to the flowing of rivers and the movement of objects under force, differed from the true world in the minutest details.

She had to correct each one.

This process was incredibly draining. If Ning Changjiu were to pull back the curtains, he would see faint, watery bloodshot veins in Ye Changong's otherwise clear eyes.

"Thank you for your hard work, Master," Ning Changjiu said. "By the way, Master, since you hold the authority over fate, can you use it to assist?"

For instance, could she set a destiny that would allow her to precisely pinpoint all the flaws in every world, saving the arduous task of searching?

Ye Changong, however, shook her head. "I can no longer grasp fate."

Ever since Ning Changjiu's rebirth in this life, his destiny had fallen beyond Ye Changong's control.

Along with the authority over time, the authority over fate had also been severely eroded. That was why, when she fought Bai Zang, she had primarily used her authority over dreams.

Ning Changjiu didn't dwell on this, simply attributing it to his master's fatigue.

He glanced around the grand hall and suddenly asked, "Where have the Senior Sisters and Senior Brothers gone?"

Ye Changong explained, "Because the laws I'm correcting aren't necessarily all accurate, I entrust the uncertain ones to them for testing. Currently, Fifth Senior Brother is in the Cloud Mountains behind us, leading them in testing the new laws on both microscopic and macroscopic levels."

"I see," Ning Changjiu chuckled. "It looks like Fifth Senior Brother will be quite busy from now on."

"Yes, and you should also be careful," Ye Changong closed her eyes again. After a moment of contemplation, she continued, "Jufu's divine kingdom should be near Myriad Demon City, and the Vermilion Bird's divine kingdom is in the Western Kingdom, though you may not necessarily be enemies. As for the Mingzheng divine kingdom later on... I'm not sure of its exact location, but Mingzheng prefers high mountains, so it should be in some desolate wilderness. Although Mingzheng cannot compare to the Saints, it is considered the strongest among the current divine lords. Be very careful if you encounter it."

Ning Changjiu noted this down and nodded. "I won't be overconfident. Hmm... Since Lady Vermilion Bird isn't an enemy, what exactly is she seeking?"

"The Vermilion Bird... I fought her once, long ago, and she was no match for me." Ye Changong fell into thought. It was after that little-known battle that she and the Vermilion Bird chose to cooperate and devise a plan to kill Yuanfu.

Ye Changong continued, "She loves neither the mortal world nor divine authority. What she seeks is ultimate freedom."

Ning Changjiu walked out of the Taoist hall, the fresh scent of water lilies lingering on his sleeves.

The Taoist hall stood silent behind him.

In the towering, mysterious cloud mountains behind Buke Guan, colorful flashes of light would occasionally rise, dyeing the clouds like a rosy dawn. Whether these were signs of successful or failed experiments, they were always pleasing to the eye for an observer.

Following Ye Changong's words, he walked to the forest in the west.

He remembered that as a child, whenever his wooden house leaked rain or snow, he would go to this forest to cut down trees. He often overused the resources, causing significant waste, for which he was reprimanded by Fifth Senior Brother and then reported to Senior Sister.

Recalling those almost ethereal memories, he stepped on fallen leaves and entered the forest.

The moonlight was thinned by the leaves, and the night birds were silent. The forest seemed empty except for darkness and trees.

He opened his 'sword eyes', looking at the old, felled tree stumps, and sat down on one of them.

He lowered his head, observing the new shoots and tender buds sprouting from the side of the stump, and many small saplings emerging from the withered leaves nearby. He could see that these saplings were all growing from the extended roots of the stumps.

Ning Changjiu quickly understood his master's meaning.

A tree might be felled, but it couldn't be killed, because its roots were deeply embedded in the soil. Even the tree itself couldn't control its own life or death.

Not unless its water source was cut off or it was uprooted entirely...

If ordinary trees were like this, then È was even more so, almost like a World Tree spread across the entire star. Trying to kill the Dark Lord by killing È was simply impossible.

There was no shortcut to the path of civilizational revival; killing one person could never save all living beings.

Ning Changjiu no longer worried about it.

He discarded all other distracting thoughts, slowly rose, his gaze resolute, and walked toward the other end of the forest.

The moonlight illuminated Great River Town in the distance with clarity.

Ning Changjiu stood outside the forest, a smile appearing on his face as he watched Lu Jiajia and Siming strolling along the field ridges.

He silently approached Lu Jiajia from behind, tapped her on the head, and then vanished.

Lu Jiajia looked behind her, furrowed her brow, and then stared at Siming, who showed no reaction.

The two continued walking, and Ning Changjiu tapped Jiajia on the head again.

Lu Jiajia, no longer able to tolerate it, demanded to know why Siming was hitting her.

Siming thought Lu Jiajia was trying to assert her authority as Senior Sister. Since no one else was around, she saw no need to show respect and accused Lu Jiajia of making a false accusation.

After mocking each other, the two began to bicker and squabble as usual.

Only then did Ning Changjiu slowly reappear.

Lu Jiajia and Siming were not fools; they immediately realized he was playing a trick on them.

"Which children's school did you escape from? Doing something so boring!" Lu Jiajia exclaimed, thoroughly annoyed, and went to pinch his ear.

Siming also seized the opportunity to quell Ning Changjiu's arrogance.

The three chased each other around Buke Guan for a while, finally stopping by the river where blind-scaled fish were known to swim.

Ning Changjiu placed his master's note into a thin wisp of sword energy, and with a flick of his finger, sent it towards the Heavenly Scroll.

After receiving the message, È would send the final results to the Netherworld Ancient Kingdom of the Ancient Spirit Sect.

Lu Jiajia and Siming sat on either side of him, swinging their legs in unison, their toes gently dipping into the water.

After sending the sword message, Ning Changjiu felt more at ease.

He glanced left and right, noticing that both Lu Jiajia and Siming were looking at him with expectant eyes.

"What is it?" Ning Changjiu asked. "Any questions?"

Their question was identical: "Has Master returned to her original appearance, or is she still in the form of that young girl?"

"Why are you both so concerned about that?" Ning Changjiu chuckled helplessly. "With a white gauze curtain in between, how would I know?"

Siming said, "After all, you were Dao companions in your past life. Aren't you curious?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "She is my Master now."

Lu Jiajia retorted, "I'm your Master too!"

Ning Changjiu said, "It's not the same."

"Oh? How is it different?" Lu Jiajia crossed her arms, curious to hear what other crooked theories he might come up with.

Ning Changjiu explained methodically, "I am Master's inner disciple, but I am Jiajia Master's outer disciple. And because I am an outer disciple... I must be taken into the household through marriage."

Lu Jiajia furrowed her brow, feeling his words somehow made sense and yet made no sense at all.

Siming, smiling faintly from the side, asked, "What about registered and unregistered disciples?"

Ning Changjiu was momentarily speechless.

Lu Jiajia said, "This, I do know."

Ning Changjiu cast a questioning glance her way.

Lu Jiajia said, "I remember you also took in a few disciples. You took in a genius from my sect in the mountains of Sky Cavern Peak, and also a little boy in Linhe City."

"I think there was something like that..." Ning Changjiu mused.

"Do you even remember their names?" Lu Jiajia asked.

Ning Changjiu suddenly understood the difference between registered and unregistered disciples.

Disciples...

He suddenly thought of Xiaoli.

According to his Master, Fourth Senior Sister had personally gone to help Xiaoli hone her martial arts. He wondered how she was doing now...

By the Luo River, Shao Xiaoli rubbed her shoulder, her teeth clenched.

Earlier, during her spar with Sili, her left shoulder had been struck by a spear shaft, sending her tumbling directly into the river. The pain was intense, a stinging numbness like countless needles piercing her entire left shoulder, persisting to the point where she still couldn't grasp anything.

Sili said guiltily, "Was I too heavy-handed?"

Shao Xiaoli gently shook her head. "No, Senior Sister, please go all out. Don't hold back."

Sili asked, "Are you truly alright?"

Shao Xiaoli was silent for a moment, then said, "Senior Sister, are you... disappointed?"

"Disappointed?" Sili was puzzled.

Shao Xiaoli explained, "My previous life was Luo Shen, and she was very powerful. When you came to seek me out for a spar, there was a light in your eyes; I knew you had high expectations. But now... Senior Sister is holding back. Yet, even so, I couldn't dodge your spear."

Sili shook her head. "Don't think about such things. For a deity to survive several reincarnations and still exist today is incredibly difficult. How could Senior Sister despise you?"

Shao Xiaoli pressed her lips together. Tightly gripping the sword in her hand, she seriously asked, "If I were to merge my Dao with the Luo River at this moment, roughly how long would it take?"

Sili replied, "Three to five years."

Shao Xiaoli asked, "What if I were to obtain authority over rivers and seas?"

Sili replied honestly, "That would be indefinitely far off."

Shao Xiaoli lowered her head. Sili thought she was disappointed and was about to offer some comfort, but soon, Shao Xiaoli raised her face again. She reached behind her, gathered her loose hair, and tied it into a neat ponytail. Wiping the mud and water from her face, she declared, "I can't wait that long! Senior Sister, just go all out. I can take it!"

Sili looked at her with a hint of uncertainty.

Seeing that Sili made no move, Shao Xiaoli took a swift stride and actively charged forward.

A flash of sword light streaked forth, aiming directly for Sili's face.

With a clang, the lightning-fast sword tip was struck by a narrow saber.

Sparks flew, and the sword blade deflected slightly. Amidst the clash of metal, Sili also found it difficult to control the force of her movements. She drew a spear from behind her waist again and swept it towards Shao Xiaoli.

Even though Shao Xiaoli had anticipated it, she was still struck in the arm, her body sliding diagonally across the muddy riverbank.

She used her sword to brace herself and stand up.

During her lonely years in Severed Realm City, she was its king, having slaughtered countless azure dragons. But she found that whenever she was with Ning Changjiu, her heart would grow reliant, and the sword in her hand would lose some of its hardness and sharpness...

She had to abandon this idea of reliance.

Shao Xiaoli's small body sprang up again. Amidst flying mud and stones, the snowy-white silhouette of her skirt flashed by as she carved through the mire, lunging towards Sili.

Sili's pupils brightened slightly. She fixed her gaze on Shao Xiaoli's figure, and with another strike of her long spear, sent her flying back just as before.

Shao Xiaoli's figure flew backward but did not fall to the ground. She stepped on thin air, deftly flipped her body, and dissipated the remaining force.

As she flipped, she caught a glimpse of the brilliant starry sky.

She suddenly recalled that when she had slaughtered three thousand demon gods here, she had also been utterly alone.

Could loneliness truly bring strength?

Shao Xiaoli didn't understand, yet she involuntarily entered a state of profound silence and self-forgetfulness.

She lunged at Sili once more.

The following scene repeated itself many times.

Shao Xiaoli's tiger-like lunges failed to break past the reach of Sili's spear. The long spear moved incredibly fast, consistently keeping her beyond an invisible line.

On one occasion, Shao Xiaoli tried to engage in a head-on clash and was accidentally struck in the chest. A sweet taste rose in her throat, and she nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Sili couldn't bear to watch, and several times considered retracting her spear.

"I see it clearly now."

At one point, after Shao Xiaoli landed, she muttered softly to herself.

The young girl sprang up again, leaping into the air. She swung her sword in a wide arc, then her entire body rotated with the movement, descending towards Sili like a whirlwind.

Sili extended her spear to block, just as before.

Shao Xiaoli didn't rely on her divine sense to probe the spear's trajectory, as there wasn't enough time. Instead, through repeated failures, she anticipated the spear's path and twisted her body in advance.

Sili let out a soft sound of surprise.

The spear strike, which should have been a sure hit, narrowly grazed Shao Xiaoli's waist.

And the young girl's sword, spinning, chopped down directly.

Another clear metallic clang rang out.

Shao Xiaoli had successfully broken past the spear's reach, but she was stopped by another short sword held above Sili's head.

Sili nodded approvingly, then with a flip of her palm, pushed Shao Xiaoli back to her original spot.

Shao Xiaoli gasped for breath, recalling her recent sword strike. A new realization dawned upon her.

"Not bad," Sili said, kicking her spear back into its weapon case. She nodded. "That last sword strike finally had the essence of Luo Shen."

Shao Xiaoli asked, "You've met Luo Shen?"

Sili replied, "I met her years ago, but since all ancient immortals were allies, we didn't fight. Actually..."

After a moment of hesitation, Sili continued, "Actually, before just now, I truly intended to teach you a lesson."

Shao Xiaoli frowned. "Why?"

Sili seriously explained, "Because in the past, you had some grievances with Master. Though it's ancient history, I still wanted to get some justice for her."

Shao Xiaoli nodded gently. The grievances Sili spoke of likely referred to Luo Shen seducing Yi and ruining his engagement with Heng'e when she taught him.

Shao Xiaoli no longer tried to distance herself from Luo Shen. She flexed her wrist and said, "It's fine, Senior Sister. Please, teach away."

Sili, however, said, "No, I think I was wrong. Master asked me to teach you martial arts, and I shouldn't have let personal emotions interfere."

Shao Xiaoli looked at Fourth Senior Sister, who seemed to be blaming herself, and didn't know what to say.

Sili looked up, her eyes shining brightly. "Later, I won't use a spear or sword. I'll use the weapon you were most familiar with back then, to help you rediscover the divine abilities you once wielded when presiding over the Luo River."

My most familiar weapon...

Sword or saber?

Shao Xiaoli couldn't recall. She stopped pondering and earnestly looked at Sili. "In any case, I'll be relying on you, Senior Sister!"

Then, to Shao Xiaoli's surprise, the valiant Fourth Senior Sister directly unfastened her large weapon case. Next, under Xiaoli's utterly astonished gaze, Sili actually, right in front of her, began to undo the belt around her waist.

It had to be said that this Fourth Senior Sister was truly a beauty. Her petite and delicate figure was nimble and graceful, and her tight-fitting outfit accentuated the taut, powerful lines of her waist and legs.

Shao Xiaoli was slow to realize... Could her most proficient weapon in her past life have been seduction? That would be far too embarrassing... Besides, would that even need to be taught?

Ugh... What exactly does Master want?! Is this revenge on Xiaoli...?

Shao Xiaoli's mind was churning with tumultuous thoughts.

Sili had already removed the belt from her waist, held it in her hand, and gave it a gentle shake, producing soft whistling sounds.

"What's wrong, Junior Sister Xiaoli? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" Sili asked, looking at her reddened cheeks.

Only then did Shao Xiaoli realize that it wasn't a belt at all, but a whip tied around her waist.

With the long whip in her grasp, it resembled a dark serpent.

"No, nothing," Shao Xiaoli composed herself. She stared at the whip, suddenly understanding why she felt such a strong kinship with Senior Sister Siming.

Sili said with a hint of uncertainty, "I rarely use this normally, so I'm not very familiar with it."

Shao Xiaoli no longer believed her modest words. She nodded, indicating that she was ready.

Sili hummed in affirmation.

Her figure, holding the whip, vanished from her spot. Before Shao Xiaoli could react, a strong wind swept over her, and the black whip, like a dark waterfall, surged towards her.