"Good morning, Ci Wang!"
"You look as radiant as always, Little Ci Wang!"
"Are you on the way to the cafeteria? I heard Aunt Wine prepared something special for you again. Please eat a lot and grow taller, ok?"
Blushing at the attention that followed her wherever she went after the successor ceremony’s announcement spread throughout the sect, Anji tried to get used to hearing other people use her courtesy name. Her white successor robes caught the attention of everyone, even if they did not know her personally. For now, Anji was still residing within the western district in her shifu’s personal abode. However, she would eventually be given a residence of her own when it was ready. When Anji explained that she did not mind residing in the small hut with her shifu, Yan Ping explained that the successor’s residence was more than just a fancy house. All successors needed to have their own establishment because they often had to carry out sect duties.
In other words, Anji’s official abode would be used as a receiving hall for many important guests.
Thinking about the duties she had to fulfil as the sect’s successor and representative of the Rainbow Alliance, Anji wondered if she could maintain such a huge residence. However, Yan Ping reassured Anji that the other disciples would oversee the official operations. Anji did not have to live there. She could continue staying with her shifu in the small hut if she showed her face occasionally at her official residence.
The new white robes her shifu ordered for Anji’s daily wearing were very comfortable. More importantly, Anji learned something new about clothes. Apparently, skilled spellcasters can weave protective spells into clothes, making their defensive powers surpass the toughness of heavy metal armour. The robes that Anji wore all contained her shifu’s best spells. Although it was enough to prevent Anji from getting hit by poison or any sword from those below the Enlightened Core level, she was still very vulnerable to any assailant attacking her during the upcoming meeting with exchange representatives.
"Good morning, everyone. Sorry, I’m late!" Anji apologised immediately after arriving at the familiar mess hall.
Thanks to the intensive efforts to clean up the lazy and crazy sect’s image, the black sooty walls were now restored to their original state with a fresh coat of white paint. Although the coat of paint and preservation spell was unnecessary, Aunt Wine insisted on it. She claimed that it was only fair to do this much because the western district was the first to host the successor’s meals. Nobody argued with her, and it was approved quickly. None of the other districts had the pleasure of cooking for Anji yet. However, Anji had a feeling that things would change soon with the upcoming meeting.
"Nonsense! How can the successor apologise for being late? You have so much to do today," Aunt Wine chidded. However, the twinkle in her eyes told Anji the woman was not actually angry.
"Here, I made a special breakfast to last you until lunch if the meeting becomes too intensive later. Also, take some of these snacks. You can sneak a bite later if the meeting drags on or if the food from the northern district’s kitchen does not suit your palate."
Chuckling at the rivalry between kitchen bosses, Anji nodded and accepted the snacks gratefully. Although she would be fine with cold buns, Aunt Wine made sure to outdo herself today. The little sesame balls were packaged neatly in oiled paper, making hiding the smell in Anji’s sleeve easy. It was one of Anji’s favourite snacks by Aunt Wine ever since she tried them.
Breakfast was amazing in variety. As Anji was a regular at the mess hall, many inner disciples from other districts who had not gotten a chance to see their successor started frequenting it. Anji could tell by the colour of their robes, not that she minded.
"C-Ci Wang!" a senior sister who looked a similar age to Pearl came up to Anji with a flushed face.
Already used to such a situation over the past few weeks, Anji smiled and pretended not to know what this was about.
"Hello, senior sister! Good morning!"
Receiving the greeting directly, the senior sister’s face turned reader as she barely managed to maintain her composure around the adorable angel. However, the silent cheers from her colleagues behind the table made her press on. After camping at the western district’s mess hall for four days in a row, they finally saw the successor in person. How could they possibly pass this chance up?
"G-good morning! If it’s not too much trouble, please accept our congratulatory gift on becoming the sect’s successor! If you need any help, the eastern district’s Level Three access library would be happy to assist anytime!"
Congratulatory gifts... Anji beamed and accepted it gratefully. Ever since taking on the name Ci Wang, the gifts had been pouring in non-stop. It had only been about a month or so since the ceremony. Although the season had now changed into summer, the novelty of congratulating the successor with gifts had not worn off.
The first gift Anji received was from her shifu. Anji was not expecting to receive a sword from her shifu. Truthfully, she wasn’t strong enough to wield a sword. Her preferred choice of weapon when training was a staff. Anji always thought the Mystical Qilin Sect trained with weapons that did not have blades. However, Yan Ping reminded Anji that the Mystical Qilin Sect was still considered a cultivator and martial school, not a monastery.
The sword, like her robes, had been imbued with many spells. Anji made sure to carry it around with her on her neck. Thanks to the size-shrinking spell, the sword looked more like a trinket than a weapon. It hardly weighed a thing after some of the sect elders adjusted the weight with a gravity spell. Truthfully, it was a congratulatory gift from Yan Ping and the sect’s elders.
"Thank you, senior sister! Ci Wang will visit the eastern district soon. I heard the Eastern Library has the most books related to Breathing Techniques by ancient sages. Shifu highly recommended them."
Beaming with pride at the acknowledgement, the senior sister quickly bowed and left Anji to dine in peace. From the corner of her eye, Anji saw how the four librarians from the eastern district whispered excitedly. Unlike her shifu, who preferred to bark orders for things to move, ANji preferred to give compliments to motivate others to seek their own improvement.
The eastern district’s library was the worst-kept one in the entire sect, according to Yan Ping. After it was hit by a landslide a few years ago, the ledgers and many books were destroyed. Restoring it took a lot of effort, and even now, many librarians posted to the Eastern Library refuse to restore more than four books a week. Progress had been extremely slow. Anji thought it was the perfect opportunity to encourage her seniors to pick up the pace. After all, nobody wanted to look bad in front of the successor.
Anji stared at the spread of food before her. She had never seen so many steamed dishes and could not decide where to begin. Hence, she unwrapped the gift to check what it was. Official source is noᴠelfire.net
Like many people in the sect, the gift was practical. Anji smiled fondly at the specially crafted incense cones. Although she was not an expert in scents, she could tell with one sniff that they contained citronella. What a thoughtful gift!
Feeling hungry after satisfying her curiosity, Anji finally picked up her chopsticks and dug in with gusto. She ate more than usual, but there were still plenty of leftovers.
"Aunt Wine, thank you for the meal! See you soon!" Anji waved goodbye to the kitchen staff as usual before leaving quickly.
Today, she would wear her ’outside’ clothes to greet the special exchange representatives in the outer court. Most of the representatives would only arrive around noon, but Anji wanted to leave earlier. Yan Ping had permitted her to exit the inner court at any time, and Anji could not wait to see Gu Ying again before that.