Chapter 74: Advanced in Rank

Wen Jinge shot Wang Xi, that little mischief, a glare. How was it that her disciple, after just a short time away from the mountain, had become as unrestrained as some unsealed husky? Where was her sense of decorum? Did she feel no shame at all? Wen Jinge wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Yet Wang Xi, oblivious as ever, mistook her master’s embarrassment for aloofness, and was grinning foolishly, thinking she’d hit upon Wen Jinge’s true thoughts. Just as she was about to speak, Yang Wennan placed a hand over her mouth at just the right time.

Yang Wennan’s face was flushed scarlet, his ears red as well. In contrast, the others in the room seemed unaffected—Wen Jinge breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was someone normal among them.

“Master, did you say we’re here to collect a debt?” Yang Wennan tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. Then, recalling that their meals these days had all been earned by his own ritual performances, he suddenly understood.

“Never mind that for now.” Wen Jinge tossed a gold ingot to the innkeeper and requested two rooms, then headed inside.

Wang Xi shared a room with her; the remaining three disciples crowded into another. Whenever the disciples were out trying their luck, Wen Jinge would either nap at the inn or find a picturesque spot to enjoy the scenery and paint.

“Master, shall we head out?” Wang Xi noticed her master’s subdued mood. At the moment, all the disciples were squeezed into one room, waiting for Wen Jinge’s instructions.

“Go back to your own rooms and stay there. Something’s not right,” Wen Jinge said, standing by the window. Her heart thudded uneasily, a sense of helplessness spreading through her. As if thinking of something, she added, “Qiao Yu, let your elder master take over.”

“Oh, alright.” Qiao Yu was delighted. At last, he could do something for his master, finally have his chance to be useful.

“Next time…” Wen Jinge glanced first at Yang Wennan, then at Wang Xi. “Next time there’s a ritual to perform, Yang Wennan, you don’t have to go. Qiao Yu and Wang Xi can handle it together.”

“Master…” Yang Wennan began.

He had just begun to savor the fun of pretending to be blind—would his master even take this small pleasure away from him?

“Your cultivation is progressing too slowly. Use your free time to discuss things more with Sisi.”

“That was about a month ago…”

“Well, it’s already been a month.”

“…”

Yang Wennan felt an inexpressible emotion. He had always made himself invisible, and he understood perfectly well his master’s attitude toward each disciple.

The eldest brother, calm and unhurried, managed all affairs on Wanzhang Peak. He was well-liked by their master and had even been personally instructed by the Grandmaster, so his talent was certainly not lacking.

The second brother—he hadn’t liked him much at first, but because of the elder master, he’d come to care for him as well. He, like their master, was a natural swordsman.

As for himself, he was just someone who, on the day he begged to become a disciple, had happened to help his master. He was accepted more out of convenience than anything else.

The fourth junior brother’s situation was even more awkward, but from the moment he set foot on Wanzhang Peak, the master had been searching for a way to restore his youth. Considering his former status as head of the Moon-Gathering Sword Sect, the master, though critical in word, valued him highly.

And as for their little junior sister, she could be as careless in her training as she liked. The master doted on her, never expecting her to contribute much to the peak. Besides, she was a princess of a nation.

Among all these people, the only truly mediocre one was himself.

No background, no talent, no treasures—he was the definition of an ordinary person.

He had always thought himself the least important.

With others, he could speak boldly, but in front of his master, he would have felt nothing but shame to speak as openly as Wang Xi. He thought he had a long road ahead to slowly prove himself.

Only now did he realize: to their master, every disciple was important.

“What are you daydreaming for!” Wen Jinge snapped, shutting the window.

More and more people were gathering outside. Though they looked like ordinary passersby, their auras were chaotic. They weren’t just sword cultivators.

Near Xuan Yun Sect, sword cultivation was held in the highest regard because the founder had been a legendary sword master, who had dedicated himself to eradicating evil and restoring prosperity to the righteous path.

He had indeed accomplished this through his own efforts, but after his fall, the Demon Lord’s seal weakened every thousand years, causing many high-level cultivators in later generations to fall to the demons.

“Oh, I—I’ll go out, then.”

“Stay!” The words came from Qiao Yu’s mouth, but the expression was clearly that of the elder master.

“Where’s junior sister?” Yang Wennan looked around. Only he and the two elders were in the room. “Did she go next door?”

“Yes. You ignored her when she called, so she and the others went out on errands.” Lu Wei lay sprawled on the bed, arms and legs outstretched. After speaking, he closed his eyes again.

“Master…”

“It’s fine. Just find somewhere to sit.”

“No—I meant, I could go help the others, although I still don’t know what’s happening.”

“It’s alright. If someone comes looking for trouble, let them. If you can’t handle it, I’ll step in. There’s no need to swallow your pride.”

“I remember, you belong to Xuan Yun Sect,” Lu Wei said coldly.

Every time he slept, Wen Jinge behaved herself. But as soon as he awoke, she was already stirring up trouble again. How could she be so carefree? Wasn’t she worried he’d take advantage of her distraction and escape?

“And then…” Yang Wennan gazed blankly at his elder master. What was wrong with Xuan Yun Sect? Couldn’t people from Xuan Yun Sect be targets for trouble?

When he first arrived in the mountains near Xuan Yun Sect, he had even fantasized that, if he joined their sect, he could regain his lost pride in front of the Jian brothers. Back then, the sect’s robes looked like mourning clothes, and he found the idea of attending the brothers’ funerals amusing.

“Value harmony. Don’t go looking for trouble!” Lu Wei pressed him back onto the bed, leaning against the window himself. Watching Wen Jinge prepare tea at the table, he grumbled, “You’re so relaxed, leading these disciples until they’re all brimming with murderous intent.”

“Am I?” Wen Jinge shrugged carelessly. “I just want them to know what they should do at their age. Xuan Yun Sect is too stifling—they’re all bottled up. Look, isn’t picking fights exactly what young people do? With the two of us here to back them, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“I thought Liang Si might be more restrained, but he’s following your lead as well.”

Wen Jinge’s hand paused as she turned her teacup, a faint smile on her lips. “You know, of all the disciples, the one who’s been suppressed the longest isn’t anyone else—it’s that seemingly well-behaved one. He carries too much on his shoulders. Everyone demands things from him, but when I wake, I don’t ask anything of him; I listen to what he has to say.”

Lu Wei was silent for a while. He thought of his own past, when he too had been trained like a tool, knowing nothing but how to kill.

He had never had a guide like Wen Jinge; in the end, he’d become the War God of White Deer through his own efforts.

He was revered by all, but he’d never wanted that glory.

“For those who study the sword, hiding it in the heart comes only after countless trials. They’re still young—there’s no need for premature maturity. This is the age when their swords should be stained with blood.” Wen Jinge handed him the tea. “Will you have some? The leaves are quite fresh.”

Lu Wei took a sip; it was elegant and refreshing, with a lingering aftertaste—truly good tea.

He nodded. “He’s not going?”

Wen Jinge smiled. “The quieter the sword, the more unexpected its strike. He has a very calm heart, a bit like I used to.”

“Aren’t you supposed to have lost your memory?” He glanced at the master and disciple, his expression suddenly shifting. “Sixth rank?”

“Yes.” Yang Wennan nodded. “I’m in the middle of…”