Chapter 63: Becoming a Disciple

Mu Yun continued, “You are already seven years old, and you will eventually grow up. Your father cannot be the clan leader forever, nor can he stay by your side to protect you for a lifetime. You must learn to grow, to become stronger—not just to protect yourself, but to safeguard what you cherish most. At the very least, you must not let there be regrets like your father's.”

“Father, do you mean that I should begin my cultivation as well?” Jue Yi asked.

Mu Yun nodded, then added, “The elders examined you today and all agreed your talents are promising; there is room for growth and development. Are you willing to become the disciple of one of the elders?”

“Why doesn’t Father teach me?” Jue Yi looked up at her father, curiosity in her gaze.

Mu Yun gently rubbed Jue Yi’s hair, a smile tugging at his lips. “When I was young, I was too eager to progress; I practiced fierce and domineering techniques that are not suitable for you.”

Jue Yi nodded in innocent understanding, but suddenly, the image of the man who had told her mother’s story two years ago flashed in her mind.

“May I think it over?”

Mu Yun nodded again, drawing Jue Yi closer into his embrace. Father and daughter shared a quiet moment, saying nothing further as they savored the peace.

The next day, after two years, Jue Yi once again slipped into the mountain range. With age had come greater courage; following the traces of memory, she found her way directly to the entrance of the thatched hut. As in her recollections, the man was there, dressed in white, his features gentle, tending a branch skewering a wild pheasant over the fire. When he heard Jue Yi’s approach, Feng Qing merely glanced up, then continued his work, neither surprised nor attentive.

“Will you take me as your disciple?”

Feng Qing paused, asking in a low voice, “Why?”

“Because only you told me about my mother. You won’t deceive me.”

Feng Qing laughed, though Jue Yi did not understand why. After a time, just as she thought he would not answer and was about to leave, he spoke: “Very well.”

Jue Yi broke into a smile, lifted her skirt, and solemnly performed the ritual of apprenticeship. Then she dashed down the mountain, headed straight for home. She threw herself into Bi Li’s arms, exclaiming joyfully, “Sister Bi Li, I have a master now! I finally have a master!”

“Really? My little princess, can you tell Bi Li who it is?”

Jue Yi looked up, smiling, “Feng Qing. His name is Feng Qing.” At that moment, she saw her ever-caring sister’s expression darken, and Bi Li pushed her away and hurried off. Jue Yi was bewildered by what had happened, but soon her father rushed back, dragging her into the inner chamber.

“Jue Yi, choose another master,” Mu Yun said, pressing his fingers to his brow as if troubled by something.

Jue Yi could not understand his meaning and asked, “Father, why? Can’t I choose my own master?”

“Jue Yi, listen. Anyone else is fine, but not him.”

“But I want him.”

“Jue Yi!”

Her usually gentle father’s sudden anger overwhelmed her; tears surged forth as she said, “Ever since I was little, I’ve asked you so many times about Mother, and you never answered. Sister Bi Li, the elders, everyone else—none of them would tell me. Only he told me everything from beginning to end. So I want him as my master!”

After saying this, Jue Yi ran out, not noticing the sudden aging and helpless expression on her father’s face. She fled back to the thatched hut and poured out her grievances to Feng Qing, and feeling truly aggrieved, her tears grew more intense.

Feng Qing did not try to comfort or console her; he simply listened quietly, occasionally reaching out to wipe her tears.

After a long while, Jue Yi finally looked up and asked, “Will you still take me?”

“As long as you’re willing, I am your master,” Feng Qing replied, his lips curved gently and his gaze soft.

Jue Yi nodded and began to pester Feng Qing to teach her techniques. She thought that if she truly learned and grew stronger, her father would change his mind and accept Feng Qing as her master. Feng Qing was generous, and that very afternoon, he began teaching her the basics. However, time was short, and as dusk fell, Jue Yi had only grasped the rudiments.

Seeing her obvious disappointment, Feng Qing rubbed her hair and said warmly, “Don’t be impatient; it’s only been an afternoon. With time, you will naturally become stronger.”

Jue Yi nodded, thanked Feng Qing again, and left the mountain. When she reached the clan leader’s residence, anxiety filled her. Eventually, she slipped in through the back door to her room, where Bi Li was waiting.

Dragging her feet, Jue Yi softly called, “Sister Bi Li.”

“It’s good you’re back. Don’t argue with your father anymore. You must know, everything he does is for you.” Bi Li pulled Jue Yi close, took out the food she had prepared, and then produced a transparent porcelain bottle from her bosom. “The clan leader gave me this, and naturally it’s meant for you. He traded favors with the Dragon Clan to obtain this spring water from the Five Herbs Mystic Stream in Yuan Province; it’s beneficial for your cultivation.”

Jue Yi opened the bottle and sniffed—a sweet fragrance, like honey.

“Silly girl, why would he ever harm you? Tomorrow, go and apologize to him, all right?”

Jue Yi drank the spring water, sweetness spreading from her tongue to her chest. Under Bi Li’s gaze, she nodded. Bi Li smiled and turned to tidy the bed.

Just as Bi Li was about to leave, Jue Yi suddenly grabbed her and asked, “Sister Bi Li, can you tell me why all of you oppose Feng Qing being my master?”

“Do you remember the strange man I told you about?”

Jue Yi nodded. Bi Li sat beside her and continued, “That was him—Feng Qing. No one in the clan knows when he arrived or appeared. If he were an outsider, the elders would have noticed changes in the barrier over the years. If he were from the clan, there would be traces of his kin. When we learned of him, he was already as he is now, living alone in the eastern mountains, rarely coming out or involving himself in clan affairs. Though the mountains are rich in minerals, they are also full of fierce beasts, and the clan leader would not risk sending people there unless necessary. That’s why the elders joined forces to set a restriction over the entire mountain range; only those with a talisman may enter. Yet he comes and goes freely, and after all these years, nothing has ever happened to him. Both your father and I oppose him mostly because we know nothing about him. We cannot understand or control him, so we don’t want someone precious to us to take the risk. Do you understand?”

Jue Yi nodded, though she had no intention of giving up her master, she resolved to apologize to her father the next day.

“Thank you, Sister Bi Li!” Jue Yi hugged her, smiling.

“Silly girl, you don’t need to thank me.”

At dawn the next day, Jue Yi rose early, knowing Mu Yun would go to the ancestral hall to attend to clan matters as usual. She had to apologize before he left. As she rushed out, she saw Mu Yun heading for the gate and quickly grabbed his sleeve.

“Father, I know you worry about me, but I’ll follow my master and cultivate earnestly. You must trust your daughter. Even though the elders set restrictions on the mountains, I can still come and go, and I’ve never encountered any fierce beasts in the forest. If you’re still uneasy, you could cast a spell on me, couldn’t you? It was wrong of me to confront you yesterday. Will you forgive me?”

Jue Yi finished speaking and looked up at Mu Yun, waiting for his reply.

After a long moment, Mu Yun sighed, knelt before her, and said, “Do whatever you wish. As long as I am clan leader, this much I can grant you. I will explain things to the elders.”