After getting over her initial surprise. The master looks at her youngest disciple again and nods. "You've grown up, Qingyin..." She sighs.
"Truly," the fourth disciple also feels incredibly moved. Usually it's other people who try to take away this talented youngest junior sister, but amazingly she actually takes someone back this time!
Cai Qingyin doesn't understand the feelings her master and senior brother are currently experiencing. She shifts on her feet. "Can I bring him up?"
"Sure." The stunning master is in a good mood. She was expecting more effort to find someone willing, unexpectedly it is solved in less than fifteen minutes.
"Master, I'll go to the kitchen and prepare tea," the fourth disciple whispers. It is rare for a pie to fall from the sky like this. It is imperative to immediately hold a discipleship tea ceremony right away before the new seventh junior brother runs away after knowing their situation.
She nods hearing her disciple's quick thinking and Cai Qingyin also ran off again to fetch the person she brought back.
.
.
Feng Xing waits alone by the rickety gate on the middle of the mountain, excitement thrumming in his blood while he waits for good news from Cai Qingyin who just went up the staircase to the peak. This is exactly the style he expects from a sect.
He doesn't see any door guards, so they must really feel secure, that is a sign of power. They can't deceive him with his advanced knowledge as a veteran webnovel reader. He is even sure he is currently being watched, so he makes sure to be in his best behavior.
Feng Xing inspects the old ancient gate back and forth, admiring each of its splinters that stand up with age. This is the testament of the long history of the sect. Feng Xing nods appreciatively in case he's being watched for his reactions to the 'poor condition' of the sect. If he reacts badly, the masters might think he's not steadfast or wise enough and reject him, but if he looks mildly thoughtful and generous, they will surely think he's worth cultivating.
There is always a message behind every story. Do not judge who you think is poor, they might be a billionaire who can buy you with a snap of their fingers.
Feng Xing pats himself on the back mentally for using most of his brain power to think up this scheme of pretending to be humble and steadfast. It might be a cheap scheme, but if he can join a hidden sect by acting like this, it will be worth it.
After admiring the splinters on the gate, he moves to admire the quality of the air. He takes a deep breath and exhales. The quality of air of a hidden sect is truly top-notch, he thinks. It's cold and moist because of the morning mist, untouched by mundane matters.
In Feng Xing's mind, he has lready made up a lot of pros of this place. The more he thinks, the more he's satisfied. Just when he's about to inspect the surrounding grass, chimes of bells come from above, descending with lively rhythms as the owner descends the stairs.
Feng Xing straightens up when Cai Qingyin's silhouette emerges from the thinning morning mist. Her face is directly facing the morning sunlight, and Feng Xing re-evaluates again how beautiful she is in his mind. Feng Xing lowers his eyes respectfully, shaking the thought off of his head.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Cai Qingying pants and smiles.
How humble, Feng Xing thinks.
"Master said you can come up," Cai Qingyin said, a bit breathless. Her voice is already beautiful, but Feng Xing finds it even more beautiful after she relays such good news to him.
Feng Xing cups his hands and bows. "Thank you for your hard work," he said. Even though he knows it's a norm, he still feels a bit sorry that he made her take a trip upstairs then downstairs for him.
Cai Qingyin shakes her head. "Come on, walk up with me."
Feng Xing graciously accepts her invitation and steps onto the first flight of stairs. There are so many plot uses of stairs across many webnovels. Feng Xing is on guard and expects many things as he walks up with Cai Qingying.
Will there be a test? Is the test on this long and stretched staircase?
"Is the master willing to accept a new disciple?" Feng Xing asks cautiously to Cai Qingyin.
The girl's eyes sparkle, but she quickly restrains herself a little bit. "Um, I don't know. That would be between master and you. You should meet her first." She fiddles with her fingers. She's afraid that if she says anything to Feng Xing at this point, she might say the wrong thing and turn off the boy.
As a disciple, she can't make any promises regarding who her master will accept as a disciple.
The girl grows worried with her inability to speak lies and beautiful words, she glances at Feng in trepidation, dreading that he will change his mind with her vague words and develop a negative impression from the start.
Unknown to her, her answer is exactly Feng Xing's cup of tea and in line with his expectation of a hidden sect. Cai Qingyin's inability to provide him a guarantee makes him even more sure there are crouching tigers and hidden dragons in this sect. But Feng doesn't look down on Cai Qingyin for this. The fact that she can immediately get an answer from her master is proof that she's favoured.
Before this, Feng Xing thought he would need to wait for a few days camping out by the gate until granted permission. After all, cultivation experts usually don't see people a lot and rarely come out, Feng imagines that trying to see them might be as hard as trying to meet with the president.
Feng Xing raises his head and gazes at the peak. The sun is already up fully from the horizon, dissipating morning dew and mist with its heat, but the scene around Feng Xing is still slightly foggy. He sees mist rising to the sky in the distance, a cycle that makes clouds. Beside him, Cai Qingyin's anklet keeps chiming, providing soft sounds that break the silence of nature, grounding him.
When they're nearing the peak, Cai Qingyin picks up her pace and walks a few steps ahead of Feng, taking charge as a host. Feng Xing is surprised that they have reached the peak so soon.
Frankly speaking, the walk is not light, but Feng Xing had been expecting some kind of test while walking up the stairs. But in the end, there is nothing.
The common trope where one will slowly feel weighed down the more steps they take? None. The air is thinner the higher you go, he does feel that the latter steps took more energy than the steps at the bottom, but not by much.
The common trope where one will fall into a hallucination mist to face their heart's greatest fear so the master can see the true character of the person? None also.
Cai Qingyin is with him all the way through harmlessly. Or perhaps it is because he's with Cai Qingyin, that's why the stairs don't see him as an intruder?
After thinking about it, Feng Xing sighs. A hidden sect is a hidden sect.
When Feng Xing reaches the peak, Cai Qingyin announces his presence to her master. Feng reveals his most well-behaved smile and prepares himself to make a good first impression, but once he lays his eyes on the figure sitting in the courtyard, he loses his composure immediately.
Surrounded by thinning morning mist is a stunning woman who seems like she came out of a painting, too good to be true. Her posture is elegant yet leisurely. Her eyes are misty, almost like a dream. Her hair is long, which is secured by a simple wooden hairpin, and is darker than night. Those dreamy eyes find Feng Xing's gaze and blink, and if not for that gesture, Feng Xing would have thought she was a mirage.
In a moment of clarity after she blinks, Feng Xing feels faint and quickly throws himself to the front because behind him are hundreds of flights of stairs that would seriously injure him should he tumble down from here. His knees give up, and he falls to his knees, hands in front of him to prevent himself from faceplanting directly to the ground.
Cold sweats drench Feng Xing's back and everything feels heavier, even the sky feels like weighing in on him.
Feng Xing had seen a lot of beauties in his previous life through the technology that allowed him could see the world even when he never left the hospital room. He appreciates beautiful women, but never goes crazy over them.
However, the woman in front of him breaks his understanding of the word 'beautiful'.
He once thought the saying 'beauty that can ruin a country' was an exaggeration made by men who can't take responsibility for their own incompetence, but if there's anyone who suits this saying, it would be the stunning woman in front of him.
'Is this the pressure of an ancestor?' Feng Xing's thought wanders.
It is sensible for Feng Xing to suspect a mysterious power is behind it, after all, his knees buckled at just one glance.
"I'm Feng Xing from Lybreeze village. I greet the sect master," Feng Xing hastily amends his embarrassment and greets her ceremoniously.
"You don't have to be so polite. Stand up."
Feng Xing inhales and composes himself back. He straightens back and meets the stunning woman's look head-on with a calm expression, displaying nothing but a promising willpower.
"I heard you want to join my humble sect?"
Feng Xing nods firmly. "This one hopes the sect master can accept me. I'm not afraid of hardship and willing to work hard to cultivate," he expresses politely.
"Hm... Withstanding hardship is natural. But I just need you to have a clean heart."
Feng Xing bows again. "This one never has any evil thoughts."
The stunning master nods. Feng Xing holds his breath and tries to think of something to elevate himself a little so the chance of his getting accepted can increase. Unfortunately, whether in this life or in the previous life, Feng Xing has no experience in job interviews and verbalizing his good characteristics. It is better to be quiet and make no mistakes than to open your mouth and embarrass yourself, so Feng Xing remained silent.
Suddenly, a handsome elegant man, who looks to be in his twenties, walks into the courtyard while carrying a tray with a teapot and an empty cup, both made of exquisite porcelain. He sets it on the low bamboo table before retreating behind the stunning master.
The master finally moves, straightening her back. Her movement almost makes Feng Xing dizzy again. The sensation is like realizing what one perceives as a mirage is actually real and his brain struggles to register it.
"Alright, let's get through the acceptance ceremony immediately."
Feng Xing blinks and gapes. "You... You accept me?"
"Yes." She tilts her head slowly, confused. "You don't intend to be accepted?"
Feng Xing chokes while those mesmerizing eyes look at him strangely. "No, I'm incredibly grateful that you are willing to accept me, sect master." He calms down his rapidly beating heart. "But, are you not going to check my talent...?"
Regarding checking talent, Feng Xing feels a little dilemma about it. He doesn't believe one's innate talent will define one's entire life and believes hard work will triumph if done consistently. But others might not think the same as him. Having good innate talent is essentially always an important factor for strong sects when choosing a recruit. If he has a bad talent, he can forget getting accepted into a decent sect, and he might even be politely asked to leave this hidden sect.
But on the other hand, Feng Xing couldn't resist his human nature to be curious.
Three people stare at Feng Xing blankly, Cai Qingyin and her fourth senior exchange a silent look of nervousness.
With their unlisted sect's qualification, they're almost as bad as beggars. Beggars don't choose. Besides, Talent-Testing Stone is incredibly expensive, and only mid-level sects can afford that! Even if they sell everything they own, they might not be able to afford it.
Afraid that the new prospective junior brother will think there's something fishy going on, the fourth disciple opens his mouth to do some damage control from their over-eagerness, but his master already speaks up first.
"Meeting with you is fate, and that's enough."
Feng Xing is stunned. He glances at Cai Qingyin, who smiles encouragingly at him, and feels emboldened. He takes a step forward and executes three kneels and nine kowtows ceremony to accept his master.
The day is young and bright. After Feng completes his last bow and raises his head, the thin fog dissipates from the air. Everything turns vivid and clear.
He pours the tea into the teacup ceremoniously and offers it to the sect master.
She accepts the cup and drinks it all in seconds. "I, Xia Mengzhu, accept you, Feng Xing, to be my seventh disciple." She puts down the cup and stands up. "Stand up."
Feng Xing stands up, somehow feeling taller than before.
"You are ranked seventh. Qingyin is ranked sixth, you two are the same age, take care of each other," Master Xia remarks calmly. "This one is your fourth senior brother. Aside from him, there are two other senior brothers and two other senior sisters. You can ask him if you have any difficulty, he's in charge of management in this peak."
Feng Xing hastily bows to the man. "Fourth senior brother." Then he turns and bows to Qingyin. "Sixth senior sister."
Xia Mengzhu nods with a faint smile. "As for rules, we don't have too many rules. Don't make enemies with your martial siblings, be loyal, and don't betray the sect. That's all. I have something else to do, so I'll leave you three alone."
Xia Mengzhu walks away gracefully.
"...Ah, I think master momentarily forgot to arrange things for you," Cai Qingyin says awkwardly.
Fourth brother sighs. "Apologies, junior brother. Master is a bit sloppy when it comes to things like this."
Feng Xing shakes his head. "It's okay, senior brother. Master is busy, I understand." She has the exact temperament of a master, how could Feng Xing complain?
"My name is Huang Junya. Ss master said, I'm ranked fourth. You can call me fourth senior brother or senior brother Huang. Whichever you see fit," the fourth disciple, Huang Junya, introduces himself properly. "I'll take you to where you'll live, you can settle in first and acclimate yourself."
"Many thanks, fourth senior brother," Feng Xing says and bows again.
Huang Junya laughs. "There's no need to be so polite. Master only has seven disciples, and there are only seven of us in this whole peak. We're family now, so no need to observe propriety."
Feng Xing follows Huang Junya to where he's going to live, and he takes the time to observe his surroundings. The sect is not big, but it's not too small either. While he heard he had six seniors, he certainly saw more than ten huts in various sizes around. The ground is rocky and rough outside the main courtyard, but it's well taken care of.
They arrive at a thatched hut that looks mostly unused. Huang Junya pushes the door open and Feng Xing takes a look inside, nodding appreciatively.
"It's a little dusty," Cai Qingyin comments, sounding slightly guilty.
"It's clean," Feng Xing disagrees.
Girls' eyes and boys' eyes are different. Cai Qingyin sees a thin layer of dust inside, while Feng Xing sees a completely clean accommodation.
"I'll help you clean it up later. It won't be as dirty with a little cleaning." Cai Qingyin insist.
"How could that be..." Feng Xing furrows his brows.
Seeing that both teenagers seem to be getting along well, Huang Junya smiles and steps back. "This hut is now yours, junior brother. You arrange it as you like. I still have some other things to attend, so I'll go first."
"Ah, senior brother!" Feng Xing calls out, stopping Huang Junya from leaving.
"What is it?"
Feng Xing scratches his cheek. "I just want to ask, when can I cultivate?"
Huang Junya blinks and looks away thoughtfully. "I'll ask master later, she'll have something for you by tomorrow," he says a bit too quickly.
What joke, he doesn't even know if his master even has anything for this new junior brother. But no matter, this is his master's problem now. She's the parent, he's the child, he can't be asked to be responsible.