Chapter 71: Invisible Book

"Won't this break the sect rules?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Ning Xiaoling replied, "It's fine. Master said that since your talent is just average anyway, and the inner sect disciples are all so arrogant, why would they be jealous of an outer sect disciple?"

"I still feel like it's not a good idea," Ning Changjiu said.

Ning Xiaoling looked surprised. "Brother, are you shy, perhaps feeling embarrassed or something? Brother, even though your cultivation is ordinary right now, I've always believed that you'll become incredibly powerful in the future."

Ning Changjiu gently shook his head. "I don't care what others think."

"Then it's even better!" Ning Xiaoling said. "You just need to sit next to me and explain the book's content. Everyone reads aloud, so it won't be too noisy."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Can't Lu Jiajia explain it to you?"

"Master has been explaining it to me for half a month already," Ning Xiaoling replied. "She's the peak master, and she teaches me individually every day. It's inevitable that some strange rumors would spread. People are even saying I'm pretending not to know how to read and trying to test me with words, asking if I recognize them or not."

"What words did they use to test you?" Ning Changjiu asked curiously.

"I only recognized the first three characters. The first three were 'Brother is', and the last one was a bit tricky. I'll write it for you..." Ning Xiaoling said.

With that, the young girl picked up a brush and wrote without much care for strokes, finally scribbling out the character. Then, to prove she had learned well these past days, she added the first three characters as well.

Ning Changjiu looked at the four characters and sighed.

On the Xuan paper, scrawled crookedly, were the words: "Brother is a pig."

Ning Xiaoling looked up, asking curiously, "Brother, what does this say?"

Ning Changjiu asked, "Who wrote these four characters for you?"

"A senior disciple from the sect," Ning Xiaoling replied. "His name seems to be Yun Ze..."

Ning Changjiu silently noted the name. "Junior sister, you're as foolish as a pig. I taught you this character before, have you forgotten?"

"Uh... you did? I don't remember it at all," Ning Xiaoling said, a bit dazed from the rare scolding.

She tapped her head and said, "So, Brother, are you going or not? The Sword Hall is actually quite interesting, especially the sword technique classes taught by Sister Jiajia herself. Some senior brothers and sisters fly their swords really well. The most powerful one is said to be a senior brother named Nan Cheng, who reached the Upper Immortality Realm at nineteen. It's a pity he's in secluded cultivation, so I haven't been able to witness his style..."

Ning Changjiu immediately thought of Lu Yuanbai, who was from an older generation but was still only in the Middle Immortality Realm, and sighed silently.

Ning Xiaoling continued, "But, I heard the most powerful one is still the current chief disciple of Shou Xiao Peak, who reached the Upper Immortality Realm at seventeen, and their talent is directly comparable to Sister Jiajia's. Oh, and the peak masters of Sun-Hanging Peak and Returning Yang Peak are siblings! I heard their innate spirits are both incomplete tigers, one without eyes and one without a tail..."

Ning Xiaoling chattered on for a while, then asked, "Brother, are you going tomorrow or not?"

Ning Changjiu closed his eyes to rest, and said faintly, "No."

In the early morning, Ning Changjiu moved a chair and sat down next to Ning Xiaoling.

He leaned against the chair back, ignoring the strange glances cast his way, and sighed as he looked at the piles of sword scripture incantations on Ning Xiaoling's desk.

"Where did our master leave off with you?" Ning Changjiu asked weakly.

Ning Xiaoling excitedly opened the book to a certain page and handed it to him. Ning Changjiu glanced through it cursorily, and his brows gradually furrowed.

Noticing something, Ning Xiaoling quietly asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ning Changjiu said softly.

Lu Jiajia walked to the desk and said softly, "If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

Ning Changjiu nodded and said, "Thank you, Master. There's nothing I don't understand."

Hearing that "Master," Lu Jiajia felt a slight, inexplicable flutter in her heart. She showed no emotion on her face, simply nodded calmly, turned, and left without asking further questions, as if he were just an ordinary disciple.

"The sword heart is diligent and cautious, protective and solitary. Sword qi has eight stances... its form is like a flying dragon returning to the sun, its intent is like a crane traversing clouds and rivers..."

Ning Changjiu softly began reading the sword scriptures aloud with Ning Xiaoling. Ning Xiaoling nodded occasionally, and whenever she encountered something she didn't understand, she would ask quietly, and Ning Changjiu would answer each time.

This scene, to the other disciples in the Sword Hall, was quite different.

Their impression of Ning Changjiu was only from when he first arrived at the mountain gate, seeing him as a handsome young man. Even if they occasionally saw him, it was always in the inner peak's library. However, because Ning Changjiu was teaching his junior sister to read, other disciples' library times were staggered from his, and their encounters were merely fleeting glimpses.

Ning Changjiu, moreover, never paid attention to those around him, his expression so calm it seemed almost fake. Thus, when many people discussed him privately, they thought he was deliberately putting on an act to avoid the awkwardness of his presence on Tianku Peak.

The content of the sword scriptures consisted mostly of broad and general principles, meant to broaden one's mind and establish one's presence. It was no surprise that Ning Changjiu could understand them.

Some disciples even deliberately diverted their attention to listen to what Ning Changjiu was saying, trying to find any errors or omissions, but after listening for a while, they couldn't find any obvious mistakes.

Curiosity aside, they didn't have much interest in the senior brother of the talented young girl.

After morning class, the disciples rose and walked towards the Sword Cloud Platform within the peak, as usual.

Having fulfilled his duty, Ning Changjiu quietly exchanged a few words with Ning Xiaoling, then stood up and headed towards the inner peak.

Lu Jiajia hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and called out to him.

"Wait," Lu Jiajia said.

"What is it?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Lu Jiajia asked, "What have you been doing these past few days?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "Cultivating, reading, teaching Ning Xiaoling to write, and... talking to Lu Yuanbai?"

Lu Jiajia then asked, "How is your cultivation progressing?"

Ning Changjiu shook his head. "Not very well."

Lu Jiajia sighed. "No progress in half a month?"

Ning Changjiu said, "I haven't found the root of the problem yet."

Lu Jiajia asked, "Have you found any clues?"

"Not yet," Ning Changjiu gently shook his head. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Lu. Your disciples are still waiting for you."

Lu Jiajia gave him a deep look and said, "If there's anything, you can have Xiaoling tell me. You don't have to bear it all by yourself."

Ning Changjiu felt a warmth in his heart, bowed slightly, and smiled, "Yes."

"It looks like Master is talking to that Ning Changjiu person."

"He must have said something wrong when explaining the sword scriptures to junior sister earlier. Master is kind-hearted; she didn't expose him on the spot but is reprimanding him afterwards."

"But it doesn't look like that... The young man has good temperament and bearing. It's truly a pity about his aptitude."

"Don't you go learning from Lerou. When it comes to both aptitude and looks, isn't our Senior Brother Nan Cheng excellent in every way? Why pity an outsider?"

"That's true. I wonder when Senior Brother Nan Cheng will come out of seclusion."

"Who knows? But when Senior Brother Nan Cheng comes out, perhaps his cultivation level will rival that of Shou Xiao Peak's chief disciple."

"Is he really that amazing..."

The disciples chatted in low voices. Seeing Lu Jiajia turn around, they immediately dispersed towards the Sword Cloud Platform.

Ning Changjiu stood outside the peak for a while, gazing at the rolling clouds of Tianku Peak and listening to the whistling wind through the gaps. He remained silent for a long time, then his white robes gently fluttered as he walked towards the inner peak.

The peak was quiet and serene.

Ning Changjiu, as usual, walked towards the library within the inner peak.

For some reason today, Lu Yuanbai wasn't waiting outside as usual to taunt him. Ning Changjiu paused at the door for a moment, and seeing that he wasn't there, entered the library alone.

The old man Lu Yuanbai called Uncle Yan Zhou was still lying on the long wooden desk, an ancient, old book pressing down on his faded yellow robe. The book's cover was worn, clearly indicating it was a basic cultivation primer, placed on the lower shelves and flipped through countless times.

Ning Changjiu glanced at him from a distance, and again felt that strange sensation—as if the old man would die today, yet wouldn't.

This feeling was mysterious, and it was one of the reasons he insisted on coming to read every day. He wanted to know when this old man would finally die.

Ning Changjiu withdrew his gaze and stepped into the sea of books. Today, he didn't look for books by title; instead, he pulled out one after another purely by intuition.

However, his intuition wasn't particularly sharp. These books were still ordinary, offering him no new insights.

Finally, as he was about to leave, he casually pulled out another book.

"General Knowledge of Innate Spirits"

It had an ordinary title, so he didn't have high expectations. He opened it and glanced through a couple of pages, then, as if something occurred to him, his brows slowly furrowed.

He took the book to the desk, unusually intending to read it seriously.

But as soon as he sat down, the flash of inspiration that had just arisen in his mind faded away.

His thoughts were slightly muddled, when he suddenly heard Uncle-Grandmaster Yan Zhou, who he'd thought was silent, speak to him.

"Why are you so late today?"

Ning Changjiu was slightly startled. He looked up and quietly replied, "I attended morning class with my junior sister, so I was a bit late."

The old man lifted his eyelids, glanced at him, and slowly said, "Your attire isn't that of an inner sect disciple."

"Yes," Ning Changjiu replied. "My junior sister's talent is exceptional, and I'm here because of her, privileged to live in this area."

The old man nodded. "Do you know who I am?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Lu Yuanbai told me your name is Yan Zhou."

The old man, Yan Zhou, chuckled softly. "You, young man, don't like to pretend to be foolish. There were many youngsters before who knew my identity but pretended not to, treating me as just an ordinary old man who watches over the library, trying to get close to me to seek some kind of opportunity."

Ning Changjiu said, "Right now, I'm like a leaky bamboo basket. Even if I seek an opportunity, I can't hold onto it. What good would it do?"

Yan Zhou asked, "Since you clearly know this, why are you still reading so many books about Qi Sea and acupoints? What, do you intend to use postnatal energy to transform this body?"

"How did you know I was reading these books, senior?" Ning Changjiu asked, puzzled.

Yan Zhou scoffed. "I don't have time to bother with you. It's just that I've been here for decades, and every book in this place has a subtle connection to me. When there are many people, I naturally cut off this connection to avoid being bothered. But that day, you complimented me as a wise person, and I could tell you were sincere, so I paid a bit more attention to you."

Ning Changjiu gave a self-deprecating laugh. "It's a pipe dream, unfortunately."

The old man seemed to agree and didn't continue the conversation.

Ning Changjiu suddenly asked, "I heard that you imprisoned yourself here because you lost a precious treasure of the sect, senior?"

"Did that brat Lu Yuanbai tell you that?" Yan Zhou said indifferently.

Ning Changjiu neither confirmed nor denied it.

"That brat is still the same; he never does proper cultivation and is always prying into others' trivial matters," Yan Zhou cursed. He didn't shy away from the topic, chuckling coldly with his slightly hoarse voice, "If this old man wanted to leave Tianku Peak, who could stop me?"

Ning Changjiu smiled. "You're right, senior."

Yan Zhou's fingers gently stroked the ancient text resting on his body. He sighed softly, "I just don't wish to leave."

Ning Changjiu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Why?"

Yan Zhou's grizzled brows gradually furrowed. A hint of hidden pain was in his expression. The old man seemed to age even more, his voice hoarse as he said, "Back then, I did indeed lose a precious treasure of the sect... It was a book, and it was like a living thing. I chased it all the way here, and then the book vanished. I can vaguely sense that it's still here, hiding from me. So I've been searching for it, but decades have passed, and I still haven't found it..."