After Faking Her Death and Fleeing, the Emotionless Daoist Master Regretted It - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Auction (Part 2) – Pressure from Master…

Su Lingqing looked at the aloof, fairy-like person, her eyes momentarily stunned.

Since entering the private box, her Master had removed her veil, and with just a slight lift of her gaze, she could see a face that was unforgettable.

The Devouring Spirit Vine seed was only suitable for Wood Spiritual Root cultivators. Her Master was an Ice Spiritual Root, and yet she participated in the bidding, again, for her sake…

At this moment, the previous question resurfaced in her mind. She desperately wanted to know the answer.

Besides her, did her Master have any other disciples?

If so, was her Master this kind to all of them?

The bidding was still ongoing. She did not speak rashly but secretly prepared herself, slowly gathering her courage.

She continuously admonished herself in her heart: Don’t be greedy. Being Master’s disciple is already a great fortune. Whatever the answer, I must accept it calmly.

Thinking so, the young girl’s hands, hidden in her sleeves, gradually clenched into fists.

At this time, the bidding for the Devouring Spirit Vine seed was nearing its end.

Ling Yunyue successfully bid fifteen thousand spirit stones for the item.

After the transaction was completed, she placed the inch-long, rice grain-sized seed in her palm and offered it to the young girl.

“The sect has an Illusion Spirit Art, which only Wood Spiritual Root cultivators can practice. Once mastered, by using the seed to cast the spell, one can project the adult form of the corresponding spiritual plant. The Devouring Spirit Vine is one of the famous ferocious plants in the Profound Heaven Realm. Its vines are covered with barbs and can devour a cultivator’s spiritual power. If used properly, it will become a powerful tool against enemies.”

Su Lingqing carefully took the seed, her fingertip inadvertently touching her Master’s fair and delicate palm.

Ling Yunyue’s fingers slightly curled, and she slowly withdrew her outstretched right hand, hiding it within her sleeve.

“When we return to the Welcoming Immortal Tower, I will fully impart the Illusion Spirit Art to you. This art is different from the Object Manipulation Art and the Purification Spell; the difficulty of cultivation is relatively high. Lingqing, you must approach it diligently.”

The young girl held the seed in her palm and solemnly promised: “This disciple will definitely not fail Master’s expectations!”

Anything her Master expected, she would strive to accomplish. For her now, her Master was the only person in the world she could completely trust.

The eighth auction item inside the pavilion had begun bidding, yet her attention was completely elsewhere, as if she had automatically blocked out the external sounds.

“Master, this disciple… this disciple has a question.”

Ling Yunyue responded with a smile: “Lingqing, whatever you wish to ask, feel free to speak directly.”

The young girl bit her lip and whispered: “Master… how many disciples do you have in total?”

Ling Yunyue had expected Lingqing to ask about matters related to the Devouring Spirit Vine, not this.

Looking at the slightly uneasy young girl, she was rare in her impulse to tease.

“Why doesn’t Lingqing try to guess first?”

The young girl’s face turned a little pale. If her Master said this, it meant she must have more than one disciple.

Although she had prepared herself psychologically, she was still very sad to learn this fact.

“This disciple cannot guess. Master, please just tell me directly, okay?”

Due to her sadness, tears gradually welled up in the young girl’s eyes, and the corners of her eyes were red.

Ling Yunyue hadn’t expected to make her disciple cry. Looking at the young girl’s tear-filled apricot eyes and pitiful appearance, a trace of wicked thought actually arose in her—to heavily bully her and watch her continue to cry.

She was startled by this sudden thought in her mind and quickly averted her gaze.

“I only have one disciple, Lingqing…”

When these words were spoken, the room fell silent for a moment.

After a brief pause, Su Lingqing could hardly believe it and subconsciously asked: “Really?”

Ling Yunyue had returned to her usual composure and nodded in affirmation: “Naturally, it is true.”

For some reason, after she said this, the young girl cried even harder.

Ling Yunyue felt a little helpless. She had never taken care of anyone since she was young and didn’t know how to comfort someone in this situation.

She simply followed her intuition, stood up, and slowly embraced the young girl.

“Lingqing, it is my fault. I shouldn’t have teased you. Don’t cry anymore.”

The familiar clean fragrance reached her nose. Su Lingqing naturally nestled into her Master’s embrace.

Such an embrace made her feel very safe.

She knew her Master would not lie to her. Her Master truly only had her as a disciple. She should have been very happy, but for some reason, the moment she learned the truth, she wanted to cry loudly.

She greedily thought, How wonderful it would be if time could stand still at this moment…

Unfortunately, in the world, things rarely go as one wishes.

Ling Yunyue saw her disciple stop crying, slowly released her embrace, and subtly distanced herself from her again.

“Lingqing, remember, on the path of cultivation, the state of mind is also very important if you wish to reach the end. Do not be easily controlled by emotions. Otherwise, in the future, this will become your weakness, exploited by enemies, leading to inner demons.”

“This disciple understands. This will not happen again.”

Su Lingqing wiped the tears from her cheeks and quickly assured her Master.

In fact, she was not prone to crying. In the past fourteen years, she had endured many grievances and, apart from the passing of her parents, had never shed a tear.

Yet, facing her Master, she always found it difficult to control her emotions.

She had many things she wanted to tell her Master, but she worried her Master would find it offensive, so she could only keep everything hidden in her heart.

After her emotions stabilized, she refocused her attention on the outside world.

At this time, the auctioneer had begun introducing the twelfth auction item.

“One Metal-attributed talisman treasure. It has been used once. The original owner was killed and is no longer in this world. Bidding on this item requires bearing a certain risk. Daoist friends who do not mind can participate in the bidding. The starting bid is six thousand spirit stones, and each increase must not be less than two hundred spirit stones!”

Su Lingqing was somewhat curious.

“Master, what is a talisman treasure?”

“Extracting ten percent of a Magic Treasure’s power and sealing it within a talisman creates a talisman treasure.”

“Are Magic Treasures only usable by high-tier cultivators?”

“The commonly used weapons for cultivators in the Profound Heaven Realm are divided into six major grades: Artifact, Spirit Tool, Magic Treasure, Spirit Treasure, Dao Implement, and Dao Treasure. They correspond to the six major realms of cultivation: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, and Mahayana, respectively.”

“In that case, a Magic Treasure is exclusive to Golden Core cultivators. The talisman treasure refined by extracting part of its power is only suitable for Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators.”

“To be precise, it is suitable for Foundation Establishment and some Qi Condensation cultivators. Without sufficient spiritual power, even having a talisman treasure on hand, one cannot activate it.”

At this point, Ling Yunyue immediately added: “The talisman treasure being auctioned now is not of top quality and carries risks. When we return to the sect, I will personally select a suitable talisman treasure for Lingqing to carry for self-defense.”

“Master, this disciple did not mean that. I was merely curious when I asked just now.”

“A talisman treasure can serve as a self-defense item. Carrying one is beneficial and harmless. After all, I cannot be with Lingqing at all times.”

Hearing the last sentence, Su Lingqing’s heart slightly ached.

“When this disciple returns to the sect, will Master leave?”

Ling Yunyue slowly shook her head: “No. I toured the Profound Heaven Realm some years ago. After returning to the sect, when you have achieved some success in your cultivation and go out for training, I will re-enter secluded cultivation.”

“Master, do cultivators who join the Heaven-Extending Sect have to go out for training?”

“The sect does not have a mandatory rule. However, training through experience can effectively improve one’s state of mind. If Lingqing is unwilling, I will not force you.”

“This disciple wants to spend more time with Master.”

“Lingqing has not been with me for long and now enjoys sticking close to me. After a long time, you might become tired of it, and then you will have different thoughts.”

“No, this disciple will never tire of it!”

The young girl spoke with rare elevated volume and absolute certainty.

Meeting her firmly set eyes, Ling Yunyue looked away first and sighed softly.

“Lingqing, in this world, there is never a perfect person. Do not think too highly of me, and do not become overly dependent on me.

Some things, Lingqing does not understand now. You will figure them out when you see them clearly in the future. Lingqing, you must remember one thing: no one is good to another person without any reason.”

There seemed to be a deep meaning in her words, as if she were warning her of something, but Su Lingqing at this moment was unwilling to delve into it.

She only knew that since meeting her Master, her Master had treated her extremely well, meticulously and thoroughly.

Even if her Master truly harbored some intention to use her, she would willingly accept it, and besides… she didn’t believe there was anything about her worth her Master going to such lengths to approach and exploit.

If it was for the Spatial Pouch, she would hand it over without hesitation if her Master asked.

Thinking so, Su Lingqing proactively stepped forward and embraced the deity in her heart…

Before meeting her disciple, Ling Yunyue had never been close to anyone. Even when facing well-acquainted fellow disciples, she would instinctively avoid them if they approached.

But facing Lingqing, she felt no rejection at all. Being embraced by the young girl now felt completely different from before.

That time, she had made the young girl cry and only wanted to comfort her. Now, she didn’t need to consider that.

Lingqing was very thin. Her body was tightly pressed against hers, emanating a very pleasant clean fragrance. The perfectly curved collarbone at her neck was within reach. Looking at it for a long time made her want to bite it.

At this instant, Ling Yunyue was once again startled by the thought that abruptly appeared in her mind.

She wanted to push the young girl away but worried about hurting her. She hesitated for a while and finally remained still, stiffening her body.

She silently admonished herself: This is the last time. In the future, I must maintain the proper distance from Lingqing…

Until the auction was declared over, Su Lingqing held her Master, never letting go.

She knew that her action was somewhat presumptuous, but since her Master did not reprimand her, she allowed herself to be reckless.

Her Master’s embrace was very warm, and she couldn’t bear to leave it.

However, the auction was now over, and the cultivators were slowly beginning to disperse.

Even though she was reluctant, she could only slowly release her embrace.

The warmth gradually faded. At this moment, Su Lingqing felt an emptiness in her heart, as if a corner was missing.

She began to wonder, Will I ever have such a rare opportunity again in the future?

Just as she was lost in thought, her Master’s call reached her ears.

Different from her usual gentleness, this time, it carried a trace of subtle coldness.

“Is Lingqing troubled by something?”

“No…” Su Lingqing instinctively denied it.

Ling Yunyue did not believe her and counter-questioned: “Are you truly not?”

She lifted the young girl’s chin with one hand, forcing her to look up and meet her gaze. Her entire being carried a hint of pressure: “Answer me while looking into my eyes.”

“This disciple…”

Su Lingqing’s heart turned completely cold. Her Master at this moment was no longer gentle, seemingly reverting to the time when they first met, enveloped in coldness and unapproachable.