The first lesson ended as soon as Anji failed. Her teacher seemed to know what she struggled with, so she called it a day.
"This is all for today," she declared. "You’ve learned how to absorb energy. The next step is learning how to convert it into a useful form. I’ll see you in two days. Do not cultivate in the meantime. You need to rest and reflect upon what you’ve learned."
Retrieving the bronze mirror, Yan Ping reached for her staff and escorted Anji out of the hut. Even though Yan Ping did not spend much time getting to know her disciple, she knew enough that leaving the energy bank in Anji’s care would only result in rule-breaking. The smart child was usually obedient and well-mannered. However, she wasn’t against secretly doing things behind the adults’ backs when she wanted something. The fainting incident in the medicinal bath was a good example. This is partially why Gu Ying was added to the babysitting squad. There was no way to stop Anji from finding different ways to cultivate after Yan Ping repaired her meridians. Hence, it was always safer to stick a watchful guard with Anji.
Saddened that her time learning cultivation was too short, Anji was almost unwilling to leave the hut. However, the promise of being able to fly with her shifu made her change her mind.
While not all cultivators could master the art of flying on their swords, those who did look incredibly impressive. This form of transport, however, was not without its risks. It required significant stamina to control a sword using qi, and a slight misstep could lead to a fatal fall. Even though cultivators were often referred to as immortals, very few could claim to be immune to fall damage.
Yan Ping chose to wield a walking staff instead of a sword because it was more useful. However, her walking staff was crafted from a special material that allowed her to imbue it with qi when needed. Ordinarily, the prophet fought using her staff. It was a named weapon and a famous one at that.
"Come on,’ she coaxed the child. "We can ride Break of Autumn Dawn down the mountain. You can sit in front this time."
Her staff, Break of Autumn Dawn, held a significant place in the murim world. Crafted from the branch of the oldest spiritual tree on the Mystical Qilin mountain, Yan Ping’s teacher made its spell and carvings about a hundred years ago. The legendary sage chose the staff’s name to inspire Yan Ping, who had lost her eyesight, to see beyond her physical disability and find a different light in her dark world. Today, she used it to give Anji a different world perspective.
When they first came up to this isolated hut, Anji was carried in Yan Ping’s arms as she flew. The girl could not see much of the mountain, so they flew over with her back facing the front. Her teacher sat on the staff and led the way. The ride was quickly over, and all Anji saw were trees from the back and an overview of her sect as it grew smaller in the distance. Now that she could sit in the front, Anji’s excitement returned.
Hopping over quickly, the child clambered on top of the famous weapon. There were no safety ropes to hang onto, and sitting on the wooden staff that wasn’t very thick hurt her meatless bottom a lot. Anji decided that it was more comfortable riding the staff sideways, balancing on her thighs instead of sitting on it like riding a horse.
’Hold on tight," Yan Ping advised. "If you fall from this, your father will ban any form of airborne travel.’
It wasn’t a threat. It was a reminder. Anji knew her father and mother were very protective of her, even when she was in her shifu’s very reliable hands. Gu Ying and Lizi were banned from accompanying her from lessons, and it took Yan Ping two days to convince them Anji would learn better without the extra eyes.
Slowly lifting from the ground, the staff levitated steadily without stirring any wind. Anji felt relatively safe even when they were high enough to be over the roof of the hut. Besides, her teacher would catch her if anything happened. All she had to do was scream for help. Yan Ping might be blind, but she had an extremely keen sense of precision in locating objects by their sound.
When Break of Autumn Dawn was above the bamboo and trees, Yan Ping stopped the ascend for a while to examine the child. Although it was nearing summer, it was usually chillier as they increased in altitude.
"Are you cold?" she asked.
Anji shook her head. Although the wind was much stronger now, she was fine. Lizi had her bring an extra coat that she wore whenever she was outdoors. The most update n0vels are published on NoveI-Fire.ɴet
"The coat is warm," she replied. "Lizi made me wear it before I left."
The maid was right to do so. Convinced that Anji would not catch a cold now, Yan Ping slowly accelerated and flew leisurely forward.
The view from above made Anji feel like a bird. She could see the various birds and squirrels from this high above the sea of leaves and excitedly blabbered about what she could see to her teacher, who hid her amusement.
They quickly flew to a lower part of the mountain and neared the sect’s headquarters. Anji recognised the tall silver bell tower, but Yan Ping made no change in her altitude. Instead, she continued forward, passing the main courtyard.
Questioning, Anji asked where they were going when they passed the main gates.
Originally, Yan Ping wanted to end the lesson much earlier. She managed to gain permission from Mingfeng to bring Anji down the mountain for a field trip. However, Anji was too focused during the lesson and accomplished more than she initially intended. It was nearing afternoon, so she had a change of plans for the field trip.
"Have you ever been down your family’s mountain?" she asked.
Anji shook her head. She had never stepped outside the main gates for as long as she remembered. Most days, she spent them indoors recovering from illness. She would explore the sect on the rarer days she was feeling well enough. There were so many places to visit that Anji had yet to finish exploring.
Although it was normal for most disciples of the Mystical Qilin Sect to live on the mountain isolated from the outside world, Yan Ping wanted Anji to know at least how mortals lived their lives. She was the successor to the Mystical Qilin Sect and was exempted from other disciples’ restrictions. Yan Ping’s teacher set a rule to forbid any disciple of the Mystical Qilin Sect to leave the mountain until they attained at least an enlightened core because it was very difficult for most people to maintain a neutral and detached view of the world.
For Anji, Yan Ping wished she would develop a little more attachment to this world and her life. Born with a rare condition and destined to die young, Anji had given up all hopes of living until adulthood, much less daring to harbour any dreams or ambitions. This made her the perfect candidate to succeed the Mystical Qilin Sect but also a pitiful child.
"We’re going to visit the village affected by my tribulations today," Yan Ping announced. "Although your father took care of repairing it, I wanted to confirm it myself. We can eat lunch there later after I take care of official business. Do you like to eat noodles? Your mother said an old couple runs a dumpling noodle shop in that village. She liked their chilli oil and homemade soy sauce."
Nodding with a wide smile, Anji felt her heart race with anticipation for the dumpling noodles her teacher promised for lunch. More importantly, she could hardly believe they were leaving the mountain. Who could resist an opportunity like that?