Taking in Another Disciple?

Yan Shu returned to her room with a dejected look on her face. She sat cross-legged on a cushion and looked out the window at the desolate house in the distance, feeling disheartened. After a day of hard work, her favorability rating had dropped back to -70 (hatred), just like when they first met. But she couldn’t blame anyone but herself; she only had herself to blame for her well-intentioned mistake.

As someone who had read the original book three times, Yan Shu knew better than anyone the hardships that the male lead, Xiao Jihan, had suffered in the early stages. She knew how tough his life had been. Although some plot points had changed, like the appearance of the first pill furnace ahead of schedule, it didn’t change the fact that the furnace she had exploded was filled with spiritual stones that Xiao Jihan had accumulated over the years, using all his wealth to acquire.

Yan Shu was not one to deny her mistakes. After hesitating for a moment, she took out the Xuanling Mirror from her mustard seed bag and infused it with spiritual energy to call her third senior brother, Liu Zhiqing.

Liu Zhiqing quickly answered the call and saw Yan Shu’s blackened face in the Xuanling Mirror. “Junior Junior Sister?”

Yan Shu weakly responded, “Mmm.”

Liu Zhiqing frowned upon hearing her voice. “What happened to you? Why do you look like this?”

Yan Shu raised her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. She realized that she still had the appearance after the explosion of the pill furnace. She quickly used a dust-cleansing spell and said, “Senior Brother, can you help me with something?”

Having watched Yan Shu grow up, Liu Zhiqing knew that she had always been cold and indifferent. Even when he and their senior brothers brought various treasures to her, she only responded with a faint “Thank you, Senior Brother.” It was rare for her to ask him for help so gently.

Liu Zhiqing immediately sensed that something was seriously wrong and asked, “What do you need my help with, Junior Junior Sister?”

Yan Shu spoke frankly, “I want to ask Senior Brother for a pill furnace.”

“Why do you need a pill furnace?” Liu Zhiqing furrowed his brows. “Didn’t you give up on practicing alchemy?”

“Because I exploded Xiao Jihan’s pill furnace,” Yan Shu honestly admitted, “So I need to compensate him with a new one.”

“Exploded... the pill furnace?” Liu Zhiqing looked surprised for a moment but quickly calmed down. He looked her up and down and said lightly, “Given your understanding of alchemy, it’s not surprising that you blew up a furnace.”

Yan Shu: ...

I suspect you’re mocking me!

“Fine, I’ll prepare a pill furnace for you as compensation,” Liu Zhiqing quickly agreed and asked, “Should I send a disciple to deliver it to you, or do you want to come and get it yourself?”

Yan Shu replied, “Please have a disciple deliver the furnace. I can’t leave Wushang Peak.”

Liu Zhiqing nodded, watching Yan Shu through the Xuanling Mirror. He suddenly became puzzled and asked, “Why did Junior Junior Sister suddenly take an interest in your disciple? Didn’t you treat him as a mere servant in the past?”

Even Liu Zhiqing thought that she treated Xiao Jihan as a miscellaneous disciple. It shows how everyone in the sect views Xiao Jihan.

Yan Shu immediately explained, “Senior Brother, I truly regard him as my direct disciple. It’s just that in the past, I was troubled by my inner demons and didn’t have the time to pay attention to him. Now that my inner demons are resolved, it is natural for me to take up the responsibility of a master.”

Liu Zhiqing frowned upon hearing this and said, “That may be the case, but he is ultimately a pseudo-spirit root with four attributes. No matter how he cultivates, he won’t be able to achieve great success. Do you want to choose another direct disciple to avoid tarnishing your reputation?”

Hearing this, Yan Shu fell into contemplation.

She wasn’t worried that Xiao Jihan couldn’t achieve great success and would damage her reputation. In this world, everything revolves around the male lead. If the male lead can’t achieve great success, who else can?

What she was thinking about was that Xiao Jihan already harbored a deep prejudice against her. No matter what she did, he would suspect her of having ulterior motives. Even if she stopped taking his blood, he wouldn’t believe that she had changed. He would only think that she was plotting something bigger.

If she were to take on another disciple, it wouldn’t just be the two of them on the peak anymore. Whether she wanted to prove her sincere repentance or show that she no longer had any ulterior motives, it would serve as excellent evidence.

Furthermore, even if he still wanted to kill her, he would have to weigh his options with others present.

But what if she couldn’t raise her favorability rating high enough within three months and he still wanted to kill her? Would an innocent life be implicated? Even if not, the world revolves around Xiao Jihan. If the plot remains unchanged and Xuantian Sect is still destined to be destroyed, why should she involve another innocent person?

Yan Shu sighed and said, “No need, Senior Brother. I haven’t even taught one discipline properly yet. Let’s talk about it in a while.”

Liu Zhiqing nodded and said, “That’s fine. In two months, the Brahma Secret Realm will open. All disciples will enter the secret realm for trials, and you can choose one who suits your liking.”

Speaking of the Brahma Secret Realm, Yan Shu suddenly remembered why Xiao Jihan was able to kill the original host and escape unscathed. Aside from the fact that the original host was usually aloof and didn’t interact much with the outside world, the most important reason was that Xiao Jihan killed the original host when the Brahma Secret Realm was open.

The Brahma Secret Realm was the first trial for all entry-level disciples. Cultivation sects of all sizes in the cultivation world would send representatives to participate. It was similar to the joint examinations in the previous life. It served to assess the level of the sect’s disciples compared to those of the same generation, and it was also a test of the sect’s overall strength.

The Brahma Secret Realm opened once every ten years, and sects would only accept disciples once every ten years as well. The results of the Brahma Secret Realm directly affected the quality of disciples recruited by sects, so the cultivation world attached great importance to it.

In the original book, when the Brahma Secret Realm opened, apart from the future Sect Master Wen Youhe, the other three Peak Masters of the sect went to oversee the trial outside the secret realm.

Xiao Jihan killed the original host, assimilated her spirit root, and then swaggered into the Brahma Secret Realm with the original host’s token. He didn’t come out until the realm was closed. When he emerged, it was already time for the next opening of the Brahma Secret Realm, and he had already obtained the inheritance of the Medicine King.

Yan Shu’s eyes lit up!

Right, she could let Xiao Jihan enter the Brahma Secret Realm earlier!

This way, wouldn’t she miss the timeline when he would kill her? Even if he still wanted to kill her, it would be ten years later!

She was so clever. How could there be someone as intelligent as her in this world?!

Yan Shu wanted to applaud herself for her cleverness, and even her gaze towards Liu Zhiqing brightened significantly. She said, “Senior Brother, can Xiao Jihan participate in the Brahma Secret Realm?”

Liu Zhiqing’s complexion immediately became complicated, and he said with a heavy tone, “Junior Junior Sister, although our Taoist cultivation doesn’t emphasize compassion like those Buddhist cultivations, we still value merits, karma, and cause and effect. Even if you regret accepting a pseudo spirit root disciple with four attributes, even if you fear he will tarnish your reputation, there’s no need to send him to his death!”