After Faking Her Death and Fleeing, the Emotionless Daoist Master Regretted It - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: First Meeting. Taking a Master

The light of the escape dissipated, and an ethereal woman, like a celestial being, appeared in Su Lingqing’s line of sight.

Dressed in a flowing, simple white gown, she was uniquely cold and stood atop the misty clouds, a chilling aura enveloping her.

Su Lingqing had never seen anyone so beautiful.

She stood dumbfounded. Unexpectedly, her gaze met a pair of eyes that held neither sorrow nor joy.

Feeling self-conscious, she quickly looked away, lowering her head, daring not to look again.

She thought the immortal lady was merely passing by, but the next moment, a voice as clear as pearls and jade reached her ear.

“My name is Ling Yunyue, and I come from the Heaven’s Secret Sect. Are you willing to take me as your Master?”

The immortal lady wanted to take her as a disciple?

Su Lingqing thought she had misheard and did not dare to respond immediately.

In Ling Yunyue’s eyes, this meant the young girl was unwilling to take her as a Master.

She had been famous in the Heaven Profound Realm for a long time. Over the years, countless people had come seeking to become her disciple, but she had rejected them all. She never expected that upon actively offering mentorship today, she would be refused.

In recent years, she had been in seclusion within the sect, attempting to achieve mastery of the Emotionless Dao.

The reason she came here was due to a subtle, guiding premonition.

Only the young girl was here. With her sharp sight, she could naturally see that the girl possessed a Spirit Root of excellent aptitude.

Ling Yunyue was never one to give up easily.

Seeing the girl still keeping her head down, her tone shifted. She spoke warmly, “The young lady is not yet a cultivator. You are surrounded by cliffs and sheer walls, making it difficult to leave. Would you permit me to give you a ride?”

Su Lingqing instinctively looked up, meeting a pair of eyes filled with a pleasant smile.

The chilling aura surrounding the supremely cold immortal lady dispersed considerably at this moment.

Facing those smiling eyes, she nodded hesitantly.

Just as she was about to express her thanks, a snowy-white silk ribbon flew out from the immortal lady’s sleeve, wrapping around her waist. Her body was instantly lifted into the air.

Su Lingqing gasped. By the time she recovered, she had been brought to Ling Yunyue’s side.

A faint fragrance reached her nose. The immortal lady was much taller than her. Though they were close, Su Lingqing still had to look up.

The ribbon around her waist suddenly loosened and slowly withdrew.

Su Lingqing subconsciously lowered her head, realizing she was standing on a cloud, looking down at everything below.

Dozens of villages, large and small, in Huanyue Mountain were now visible beneath her.

When she saw the familiar Su Family Village, a trace of sadness flashed across the girl’s eyes.

Her aunt’s words from her birthday that day surfaced in her mind again: I have been generous enough to raise you for seven years. Starting tomorrow, you will leave on your own and make your own living. Whether poor or rich, never come back!

From now on, everything here had nothing more to do with her…

Ling Yunyue keenly sensed the girl’s change in mood. Following her gaze, she understood.

“You possess a Spirit Root and will eventually embark on the path of cultivation. It is better to cut off ties early if they are not benevolent.”

Su Lingqing remained silent.

After a moment, she plucked up her courage and asked, “Immortal Lady, you just said you wanted to take me as your disciple. Can I… can I really take you as my Master?”

Ling Yunyue nodded with a smile, “As long as you are willing, you can.”

“Of course I’m willing!” Su Lingqing was excited. “Master, please accept this disciple’s bow!”

The girl knelt on the cloud, devoutly kowtowing to the divine figure in her heart.

From this moment on, she was no longer homeless.

Ling Yunyue gathered a wisp of spiritual energy from a distance, helped the girl up, and asked warmly, “Lingqing, have you ever heard of or seen cultivators before?”

Su Lingqing answered truthfully, “Before meeting Master, I had only heard rumors, knowing very little.”

“North of Huanyue Mountain, about five hundred li (approx. 250km) away, there is a cultivation city. Since Lingqing doesn’t know much about the cultivation world, let’s go to Qingyun City first so you can see the daily life of ordinary cultivators. When you’re more familiar, we’ll return to the Heaven’s Secret Sect.”

“Yes, this disciple obeys!”

Noticing the girl’s reserved expression, Ling Yunyue proactively took her clearly defined hand. The slender wrist was barely a handful.

“I am not one who adheres strictly to formalities, Lingqing. There is no need to be nervous. You may act as you wish.”

A warmth that was not her own spread from her palm. The girl’s pretty face flushed slightly, and she answered quietly, “Yes.”

At this moment, a question suddenly occurred to her.

Does Master have any other disciples besides her?

If so, would Master treat them with the same gentleness she showed her?

Su Lingqing bit her lip, her thoughts racing.

She didn’t dare to ask but had already formulated a guess subconsciously.

Master is so wonderful. Many people in the Heaven’s Secret Sect must be vying to become her disciple. Master’s gentleness probably doesn’t belong to her alone…

Su Lingqing felt a little sad, but she also knew very well that being able to take Master as a Master was an immense stroke of luck, and she shouldn’t desire anything more…

By the time they reached Qingyun City, the sky was already dark.

This was the first time Su Lingqing had a tangible sense of the magnificent grandeur of a cultivation city.

The city walls were built from dark stone carved with complex patterns. Each block fit seamlessly, and the entire wall reached a height of a hundred zhang (approx. 333m), stretching as far as the eye could see.

At the city gate, guards clad in armor stood watch. Those entering the city needed to line up for inspection.

Su Lingqing was curious and turned to look at her Master. Just as she was about to ask a question, she noticed her Master donning a snowy-white veil hat.

The peerless face was hidden behind the hanging veil, no longer clearly visible.

Ling Yunyue seemed to know what she was about to ask and answered gently, “Sending cultivators to guard the city gate is to prevent demonic cultivators from seizing the opportunity to sneak in and disrupt the city’s peace.”

Su Lingqing realized, “Master, are demonic cultivators also considered cultivators?”

Ling Yunyue nodded and explained, “Cultivator is a general term. Anyone with a Spirit Root who embarks on the path of cultivation is a cultivator, also called a Xiu Shi. Further divisions include Dao Cultivators, Buddhist Cultivators, and Demonic Cultivators.”

“Then… is Master a Dao Cultivator?”

“Of course. The Heaven’s Secret Sect is a Dao Cultivation sect. Lingqing will also become a Dao Cultivator in the future.”

“Master just said that the city gates are guarded to prevent demonic cultivators from entering. I presume the Dao and Demonic paths are hostile?”

“Indeed. Demonic cultivators commit evil deeds. Although it cannot be generalized, most are those who are utterly wicked. They have been enemies with Dao Cultivators since ancient times. Lingqing must remember, no matter when or where you are, you must never associate with Demonic Cultivators!”

“Yes, this disciple will remember!”

Su Lingqing heard the veiled sternness in her Master’s voice and quickly gave her assurance.

Anything her Master forbade her from doing, she would not touch in the slightest.

A quarter of an hour later, the Master and disciple arrived at the city gate. Because Ling Yunyue wore a veil hat, the guarding cultivators did not recognize her, only following standard procedure for inspection.

When it was Su Lingqing’s turn, the guards on both sides held a golden Demon-Slaying Mirror, shining it on her. After a moment, they let them pass.

Having smoothly entered the city and walking beside her Master, the girl’s heart was filled with anticipation for the future as she looked at the bustling streets.

On both sides of the wide road, shops and towers stood tall.

When Su Lingqing was young, her mother had taught her to read. Although many years had passed, the memory was still fresh.

Looking at the plaques hanging at the top of the various buildings, she quickly recognized the characters.

Pill Hall, Artifact Pavilion, Spiritual Herb Lodge, Beast Taming Shop…

Su Lingqing silently read them one by one. Passing the Spiritual Garment Pavilion, her Master slowly stopped and, holding her hand, walked into the building.

“Coarse linen clothes are not comfortable to wear. Lingqing, you may pick any of the dresses displayed here. I will buy them.”

“Thank you, Master!”

Su Lingqing did not decline. Now that she was following her Master, she shouldn’t embarrass her. Continuing to wear old clothes was indeed inappropriate.

However, there were so many dresses in the pavilion that she looked for a long time without making a decision.

She had never seen these styles before and did not know how to choose.

Ling Yunyue noticed the girl’s hesitation. She walked to the side, took down a flowing, light orange Immortal Dress that caught her eye.

“Lingqing, take a look. Do you like this one?”

Looking at the dress, which felt light and ethereal, placed before her, the girl nodded repeatedly, “I love it!”

“Since you like it, try it on.”

Su Lingqing softly affirmed, taking the dress personally chosen by her Master and holding it like a treasure. Guided by a maid in the pavilion, she walked into a private changing room.

Taking off her coarse linen clothes, her skin, like solidified cream, was gradually revealed.

Su Lingqing stared blankly at her slightly unfamiliar reflection in the bronze mirror for a moment.

The girl in the mirror had a tiny, oval-shaped face. Beneath her picturesque willow eyebrows were a pair of moist, apricot-shaped eyes. Her nose bridge was high and delicate, and her lips were small.

If it weren’t for the spring water, her skin should have been slightly rough.

She was glad that she looked much better than before when she met her Master.

She wasn’t someone who typically cared about appearance and had never thought about it before. But facing her Master, for some reason, she couldn’t ignore this issue…

Perhaps because her Master was too perfect, she felt that as her Master’s disciple, she shouldn’t be a liability in any aspect. She didn’t want to disappoint her Master.

With complex thoughts, Su Lingqing changed into the flowing Immortal Dress and slowly walked out of the private room.

Ling Yunyue saw her disciple at a glance.

The girl lifted the hem of her skirt and quickly walked toward her, her cheeks slightly flushed, carrying a hint of delicate charm.

She watched for a moment and slowly nodded.

“This dress really suits Lingqing. Lingqing can look around again and pick a few more for changing and backup.”

Just as the words left her mouth, the girl approached her side and whispered, “Master, could you continue to help your disciple choose?”

A faint smile appeared on Ling Yunyue’s face, hidden beneath the veil hat.

“Of course I can, but what I choose may not always suit Lingqing’s preferences.”

“As long as Master chooses it, this disciple will like it!”

The girl’s apricot eyes curved in a smile, showing boundless trust and dependence.

Ling Yunyue’s mind briefly froze. A moment later, she shifted her gaze slightly, feeling a little self-conscious.