Chapter 17: The First Snow of the Season

Huff... huff... huff...

The wild wind howled.

In the pitch-black night sky, a flying sword streaked like a shooting star, carrying two people and a cat.

“Master, how... much longer... before we reach... the Qilin Sect?” Jiang Yan struggled to speak against the wind.

“Meow... meow meow meow... meow... meow...” Little White clung tightly to Jiang Yan’s neck, meowing incessantly.

Jiang Yan soothed the cat, patting its head and thinking, Little White, you must be excited, right? You’re probably the first cat ever to set paw in the world of cultivation.

From now on, stick with me—with me as the unrivaled genius, you’ll be the unrivaled genius’s cat.

If only some mythical beast were here, perhaps it could serve as a translator for cat language. It might render Little White’s words as: Ahhhhhh, I’m actually flying! Put me down, you fool!

Though he couldn’t understand cat-speak, Jiang Yan also wished he could get down as soon as possible.

The current “sword-riding” posture made him feel like he was straddling a witch’s broomstick.

This sensation... was mortifying in the extreme. He remembered that, as a child, his little sister had been obsessed with such things, even straddling a broom and pretending to fly...

Yes, they were not standing majestically on the sword as cultivators did in drama series. Instead, master and disciple sat sideways on the wide sword.

It was... a little embarrassing.

Jiang Yan had once asked his master why they sat, to which his master had replied: “Dear disciple, the journey is long. Standing is too tiresome.”

Jiang Yan found this answer both speechless and incomprehensible. Did his master truly not possess a proper flying treasure? Or even a flying beast to ride? Why did he suddenly miss Xiaowu?

Two hours of flight had left him miserable. When would it end?

“Dear disciple, almost there... almost... just about... an hour more,” Lin Qi replied with difficulty, the wind making even speech a challenge.

Moreover, his vision was obscured, as the wind whipped his beard into his eyes; he had to continually brush it aside.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn...

The flying sword began to slow, and a majestic mountain appeared on the horizon.

Jiang Yan’s eyes lit up with excitement as he pointed at the peak. “Master, is that the mountain where our sect is?”

So tall, so massive—surely treasures abounded! In his mind’s eye, Jiang Yan saw endless riches beckoning to him.

“Ahem, dear disciple, don’t be impatient. We still have a little way to go,” Lin Qi replied. Inwardly, he wondered: Would his disciple... perhaps... be disappointed?

Once they passed that lofty peak, what Jiang Yan saw was... a rather low and small mountain.

Moments later, the sword landed before a mountain gate inscribed with the words “Qilin Sect.” The characters gleamed as if sculpted from gold.

Cradling his bundle and Little White, Jiang Yan jumped off the sword and asked, “Master, are the letters on the gate actually made of gold?”

Lin Qi smiled. “Indeed they are!”

Jiang Yan’s heart surged with excitement. Such extravagance! Perhaps he could look forward to more!

With a wealthy master, wouldn’t he be a rich second generation in the cultivation world, living the easy life?

After all, once a master, always a father. In the future, he would honor his master just as he did his own father...

As for when that future would be? Well, he’d think about that later.

If Lin Qi knew what Jiang Yan was thinking right now, he’d surely exclaim: That’s quite unnecessary!

Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang out.

“Master, where have you been these past days? Don’t you know how dangerous it is outside? What if some villain kidnapped you? What would we do then?”

Jiang Yan saw a lady in a green dress approaching, as beautiful as a celestial maiden, each step as graceful as a lotus in bloom. As she drew near, a faint fragrance wafted over.

It had to be said, she was beautiful and her voice was sweet, but... somehow, the words she spoke didn’t quite make sense to him.

His master, a figure of mystery and power, afraid of being kidnapped by ruffians?

Could it be... his master had something wrong with him? In an instant, Jiang Yan’s imagination conjured up a scene of his master suddenly losing his memory, pitifully begging on the streets, then being deceived and almost meeting a tragic end!

At this thought, he glanced at his master with deep sympathy.

“Master, don’t worry. From now on, I’ll make sure to protect you well!” Jiang Yan said earnestly.

Hearing this, Lin Qi was moved to tears yet again. He’d truly chosen the right disciple—another heartwarming day! Hmph, not like those rebellious ones...

“With a master as powerful as I am, what villain would dare approach? You unfilial disciple, hmph! You should learn from your junior brother—he warms my heart!” Lin Qi said with displeasure to Ji Chuxue.

“Junior brother? So you went out and found another disciple?” Ji Chuxue’s gaze shifted to the slender figure in blue beside her master, and she was momentarily stunned.

The youth before her looked young, yet he was without doubt the most handsome she had ever seen—so striking as to be unforgettable and awe-inspiring.

Meeting her gaze, Jiang Yan replied with a hint of embarrassment, “Greetings, Senior Sister! My name is Jiang Yan. From now on, we’ll be fellow disciples. Please look after me!” And inwardly, he added... as well as...

He wanted nothing more than to simply lie back and bask in his beautiful senior sister’s gentle charm...

“Ahem, dear disciple, this is your eldest senior sister, Ji Chuxue. You two should get along well. If you have questions about cultivation, don’t hesitate to ask her,” Lin Qi introduced.

Ji Chuxue rolled her eyes repeatedly in her heart: Master, can you stop saying the exact same thing every time you bring home a new disciple?! Are they your disciples or mine? You always leave new disciples for me to train while you wander off who knows where!

“Master, do I have other senior brothers or sisters? What is my rank in the sect?” Jiang Yan asked curiously.

“Dear disciple, you are sixth. You have three senior sisters and one senior brother.”

Hearing the number six, Jiang Yan thought: Six-six-six—auspicious indeed! Wonderful... Perhaps this is the start of my rise to greatness!

“Chuxue, take your junior brother to pick a residence. I’m going to rest,” Lin Qi instructed.

“Yes. Junior brother, come with me,” Ji Chuxue said, leading the way.

Jiang Yan followed closely behind, feeling as though the air grew fresher the nearer he was to his senior sister. Heh heh heh...

Elsewhere, inside the Xuanling Sect, Lin Ruyan, after collecting her robes and jade badge, arrived at the residence allocated to her by the sect.

As the last and only personal disciple of Venerable Xuanqing, her privileges were far superior to those of her peers.

No sooner had she entered than she took out a spirit pearl from her spatial ring. The ring was a gift from Venerable Xuanqing upon her initiation, and she could hardly suppress her delight.

Yet now, she had no heart to examine what treasures might lie within. The moment the spirit pearl left the ring, it swelled in size.

Lin Ruyan asked urgently, “Spirit Pearl, are you ill? Why did you mispredict? Jiang Yan didn’t come to the Xuanling Sect, but went to some unknown small sect...”

On the pearl’s surface appeared the words: Unable to discern. Error. Divergence.

Lin Ruyan failed to understand what the pearl meant, so she asked again, “Then how should I approach Jiang Yan?”

The pearl replied: Seek on your own.

Then, it displayed a few more words: Venerable Xuanqing. Fortune.

This time, Lin Ruyan understood. It seemed she could stay by her master’s side and absorb some fortune for now.

As for Jiang Yan, she refused to believe she wouldn’t find an opportunity...