After Rebirth, the Love-Struck Cannon Fodder Woke Up - Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Apprenticeship
â—ŽRejected Affection, Apprenticeship at Talisman Peakâ—Ž
The two drank until midnight. Ye Qiuwan was utterly intoxicated, clinging tightly to the girl next to her like an octopus, and could not be pulled away.
Du Lianxin had no choice but to activate her sleep acupoint and let her stay overnight in the bamboo dwelling.
The next morning, Ye Qiuwan slowly woke up. Seeing the girl sitting on the rush cushion in the distance, focused on meditation, a look of surprise flashed across her face, followed by a smile.
She tiptoed out of bed, came to the girl’s side, squatted down, resting her head on one hand, and watched for a good while.
Du Lianxin was initially immersed in cultivation, but sensing a gaze constantly on her, she couldn’t help but open her eyes and pause her meditation.
Before she could speak, Ye Qiuwan was the first to ask: “Junior Sister Du, did you let me stay here for the night?”
Du Lianxin did not overthink it, and simply replied warmly: “Senior Sister Ye was drunk yesterday. I saw that Senior Sister did not have her Sect identity token with her, so I could only let Senior Sister stay here for the night.”
The residences of Qinghe Sect cultivators were all protected by restrictions.
Without an identity token, and if there was no one inside, one could not enter.
Du Lianxin could not leave Ye Qiuwan outside. Although she guessed that the identity token was most likely in the Senior Sister’s storage bag, she couldn’t wake the Senior Sister at the time, so this was the only thing she could do.
Hearing her words, the smile on Ye Qiuwan’s face widened.
“How is this making do? Junior Sister’s place is excellent. I like it very much. If Junior Sister doesn’t mind, how about I move in and live with you?”
At this moment, Du Lianxin seemed to understand something and subtly straightened her expression.
“Senior Sister, please do not jest. Leaving aside that outer sect cultivators have fixed residences and cannot change them without authorization, even if it were possible, living together without reason is not appropriate.”
Ye Qiuwan heard the rejection in her words and felt a little regretful.
Last night she was advising Junior Sister Du, but she herself was no different.
The word ‘love’ is the hardest to fathom.
She controlled her emotions very well and, following Junior Sister Du’s words, temporarily put the matter aside in a joking tone.
After Ye Qiuwan left, Du Lianxin sat back on the rush cushion, pondering the details of her interactions with Senior Sister Ye in the past.
Senior Sister Ye likes her?
Could this be the case? Or was she overthinking it?
Du Lianxin’s intuition told her that her guess was correct and she was not overthinking.
In her past life, Senior Sister Ye always loved to mock her sarcastically. She never considered this aspect, but the words this morning…
Du Lianxin was very clear that she held no romantic feelings for Senior Sister Ye.
This kind of thing could not be forced.
She knew the pain of loving the wrong person and didn’t want Senior Sister Ye to experience it too.
If she got the chance later, she would make it clear to her Senior Sister.
Du Lianxin considered herself to have no outstanding qualities. As for looks, there was no shortage of beauties in the cultivation world.
As for personality, she was somewhat dull in her usual conduct, not the lively and likable type.
She didn’t know why Ye Qiuwan would like her, but she believed that Senior Sister Ye’s liking for her hadn’t reached a deeply rooted level. Perhaps she would meet a more suitable person in the future.
Du Lianxin sat on the rush cushion, thinking for a long time, and finally decided to temporarily put the matter aside and concentrate on her cultivation…
As soon as Shen Anlan returned to the Qinghe Sect, she was entangled by Gu Xianzi, who rushed over upon hearing the news.
While hearing “Senior Sister Shen” repeated in her ear, her attention was not on the conversation but on the girl she had saved not long ago.
For some unknown reason, from the moment she saw Du Lianxin, an inexplicable emotion arose in her heart. Although she had never seen her before, it felt as if they had known each other for a long time.
This feeling was very strange, and she didn’t know the reason.
Her Master was traveling outside and had not returned. Having no one to talk to, she could only temporarily hide this doubt in her heart.
Shen Anlan was preoccupied and did not take in any of Gu Xianzi’s words. After a long time, Gu Xianzi noticed something was wrong and stomped her foot in annoyance.
“Senior Sister Shen, what are you thinking about? You keep zoning out!”
Shen Anlan answered directly: “Thinking about someone.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Xianzi immediately became like an agitated cat, suddenly raising her voice: “Senior Sister Shen, do you have someone you like?”
Shen Anlan slightly frowned: “Whether I have someone I like or not is none of Junior Sister Gu’s concern. I have told you before that I have no romantic feelings for you, Junior Sister, and have reminded you several times not to waste your time on me.”
Hearing these merciless words, tears immediately welled up in the corners of Gu Xianzi’s eyes.
Seeing this, Shen Anlan did not offer any comfort. Instead, she turned and left, returning to her usual dwelling in the cave…
On the morning of the third day, Du Lianxin arrived at the Thousand Talisman Hall on Talisman Peak.
As usual, the Talisman Peak Elder gave lectures in the Thousand Talisman Hall on the first and fifteenth days of every lunar month.
Before her rebirth, Du Lianxin had always gone to Pill Peak.
After rebirth, she changed her choice. This was now the first time she had stepped into the Thousand Talisman Hall.
A fellow disciple who knew her saw her arrive and curiously asked: “Senior Sister Du, why aren’t you going to Pill Peak?”
Du Lianxin responded with a smile: “I have given up on the Pill Refinement Assessment and will be coming to the Thousand Talisman Hall from now on.”
“Why is that? If I calculate correctly, Senior Sister has been going to Pill Peak for almost four years. I heard Junior Sister Lin mention that your talent for Pill Refinement is not bad.”
Du Lianxin stated frankly: “No particular reason. I simply prefer to learn Talisman Creation. I’m following my inclination.”
With that, she chose an inconspicuous seat and sat down.
Not long after, a woman dressed in a light gray flowing Daoist robe walked into the hall. She was the Talisman Peak Elder giving the lecture this time, Liu Shuangdai.
During the lecture, Du Lianxin listened attentively, occasionally marking the key points.
Perhaps because she was new to Talisman Peak, an unfamiliar face that had never appeared before, she caught Liu Shuangdai’s attention.
Halfway through the lecture, she was called upon to answer a question.
Du Lianxin answered in detail, without any mistakes. Liu Shuangdai was extremely satisfied.
The lecture ended two hours later.
Du Lianxin was about to leave when she suddenly heard Liu Shuangdai’s voice.
“Are you willing to take me as your Master?”
Du Lianxin was momentarily dazed. She thought she had misheard. She turned to look at the woman with the Daoist bun and, seeing her smiling at her, felt a little calmer.
Taking a Soul Transformation cultivator as a Master was something she had never thought of before.
She had heard fellow disciples mention Elder Liu before. She was usually kind and very protective of her own, but she had a completely different approach to enemies, which could be described as ruthless, and she deeply loathed Demonic Cultivators.
Du Lianxin did not hesitate and immediately performed the apprenticeship ceremony.
Liu Shuangdai stepped forward, helped her up, and said with a warm smile: “From today on, you are my disciple. I will inform the Sect Master later to revoke your outer sect status and change you to a direct disciple of Talisman Peak.”
“Thank you, Master!”
Du Lianxin’s face was filled with joy.
At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM) that day, all cultivators of the Qinghe Sect received the news: Talisman Peak Elder Liu Shuangdai had accepted a new disciple from the outer sect.
A flurry of discussion immediately arose.
Outer sect cultivators all had four or five spirit roots. Even if the Peak Elders accepted them as disciples, at most they would be given a nominal status. There was no precedent for directly accepting them as a direct disciple.
This was simply because cultivation with four or five spirit roots was slow, and advancement was extremely difficult.
If the disciple accepted by the Elder had very poor cultivation and made no progress for a long time, it would inevitably cause embarrassment during the grand bi-annual competition for direct disciples held every ten years.
Liu Shuangdai’s previous two disciples were both single spirit roots. Her sudden acceptance of a four-spirit-root disciple left people puzzled for a while.
Of course, no one dared to ask her directly about it. They only speculated behind her back.
After taking her as Master, Du Lianxin needed to move to Talisman Peak.
Returning to her outer sect bamboo dwelling, she saw Ye Qiuwan waiting nearby.
“Congratulations, Junior Sister Du, on finding a good Master.”
Ye Qiuwan spoke with a cheerful smile, showing no hint of resentment.
Du Lianxin had intended to use this opportunity to clarify the previous matter, but Ye Qiuwan did not give her the chance. She simply tucked a jade pendant into Du Lianxin’s arms, saying it was a congratulatory gift for her apprenticeship, and then left immediately without stopping.
The jade pendant was entirely green, of excellent quality. Upon closer inspection, a faint, misty spiritual light flowed around the outer layer, clearly an extraordinary item.
Du Lianxin observed it carefully for a moment and finally made a discovery.
This was a protective treasure.
Worn on the body, it could automatically activate to protect its owner when encountering danger, blocking attacks below the Soul Transformation stage.
Du Lianxin had a general understanding of Ye Qiuwan’s background, knowing she came from a cultivation family, but her parents had passed away long ago, and her clan members did not value her.
Given the value of this jade pendant, it was likely a relic left to Ye Qiuwan by her parents.
If Du Lianxin had a slight uncertainty before, there was now no doubt: Senior Sister Ye truly liked her.
Precisely because of this, she absolutely could not accept this jade pendant, as that would be indirectly accepting Senior Sister Ye’s affection.
Realizing this, Du Lianxin immediately rushed to Ye Qiuwan’s residence, but did not find her.
Holding the jade pendant, she waited outside for a long time.
On the other side, Liu Shuangdai noticed that her newly accepted disciple was delayed in the outer sect while packing and had not returned. Worried that something might have happened, she immediately left Talisman Peak and came to look for her.
Seeing her disciple standing in front of another bamboo dwelling, seemingly waiting for someone, her brows slightly furrowed.
As a cultivator seeking the Great Dao of immortality, being emotionally entangled was not a good thing.
She hoped everything was not as she suspected.
Liu Shuangdai descended beside the bamboo dwelling. Seeing her Master arrive, Du Lianxin immediately stepped forward to salute.
“This disciple was delayed by an incident and failed to go to Talisman Peak in time. Please punish me, Master.”
Liu Shuangdai waved her sleeve, bringing up a surge of spiritual energy that lifted the girl before her. She asked warmly: “What caused the delay? Were you waiting for someone?”
Du Lianxin did not conceal anything and informed her of the whole story.
After listening, Liu Shuangdai immediately understood Ye Qiuwan’s intention.
“She knows you are not interested in her, but is unwilling to give up. By giving you the jade pendant, every time you see this treasure, you will naturally think of her. Over time, it becomes a habit, and perhaps it will unknowingly change your original thoughts.”
Du Lianxin also vaguely guessed Ye Qiuwan’s thoughts. Holding the jade pendant in her hand, she felt as if it were a hot potato.
“Master, Senior Sister Ye is not here now. This jade pendant…”
Liu Shuangdai said frankly: “Since she hasn’t returned yet, you keep the jade pendant for now. You can return it when you see her later. Also, in my opinion, she deliberately avoided you, not wanting you to return the jade pendant. You should be mentally prepared that you may not be able to find Ye Qiuwan for a long time.”
“Yes, this disciple understands.”
Du Lianxin sighed inwardly and temporarily placed the jade pendant in her storage bag.
One stick of incense later, in the main hall of Talisman Peak.
Du Lianxin walked into the hall. Under her Master’s guidance, she joined her fingers like a knife and sliced her right palm. Bl00d immediately gushed out and dripped into the Soul Lamp.
Before long, a faint blue light appeared.
Her Soul Lamp was thus ignited.
In all major cultivation sects, except for outer sect cultivators, all others had a Soul Lamp established. If they encountered danger while training outside, the Soul Lamp would provide timely feedback.
If they perished, a secret method performed through the Soul Lamp could reveal the last scene experienced by the deceased, thereby finding the culprit.
Due to this, cultivators from major forces, provided they did not intentionally conceal their identities, faced a much lower probability of encountering danger while training outside compared to rogue cultivators.
Of course, this was an exception if they had formed a life-or-death enmity with someone.
After igniting her Soul Lamp, Du Lianxin was led by her Master to her newly opened cave dwelling.
The internal space was very large, featuring a spiritual spring with mist rising all around.
The meditation chamber for daily cultivation was covered by three layers of restrictions. Inside, there was a stone bed, a rush cushion, and complete sets of tables and chairs.
In addition, there was a dedicated secret room for Talisman Creation, furnished with two jade shelves.
One shelf held cinnabar and talisman brushes, and the other was stacked with talisman paper.
Liu Shuangdai had already prepared all the necessary materials for Talisman Creation for Du Lianxin.
After inspecting the entire cave dwelling, she waved her sleeve and took out an exquisite jade slip, handing it to the girl.
“This records all existing talismans in the cultivation world, including those that have been lost. You must first memorize all the various talisman patterns. In seven days, I will come to assess you. If you fail to meet the requirements, there will be corresponding punishment.”
Du Lianxin accepted the jade slip and responded solemnly: “This disciple remembers and will not disappoint Master’s high expectations.”