The next day, instead of having breakfast at the mountain villa, Lin Zhao took Xu Ming'an out to experience the world. The two of them sat at a breakfast stall in the small town, ordering two bowls of spicy soup, ten steamed buns, and six fried dough sticks. The dough sticks were freshly fried and crispy, and Xu Ming'an had never eaten such delicious breakfast. He praised it incessantly.
Xu Ming'an had always "traveled on a shoestring" in the martial world. He wore a worn-out Taoist robe, carried a rusty sword, and perhaps a bamboo box for his belongings. He slept wherever he found a place and never ate at restaurants or stayed in inns. He had never even patronized a breakfast stall like this. His livelihood was always self-sufficient. Even his lucrative Taoist soul-transcending skill was offered for free to those wandering spirits, and he still had to pay for the ritual money himself.
"Did you take your disciple?" Lin Zhao asked with a smile.
"Yes, I did."
Xu Ming'an nodded gravely. "The child, Xiao Man, is very good. He has a keen mind, is capable of enduring hardship, and will have no problem cultivating with me on Danxia Mountain."
"He's your disciple, so as long as you like him, that's all that matters."
Lin Zhao ate a bun with each bite and said, "After we eat, I'll take you to see the Hefeng Academy, our only academy on Snow Domain Heavenly Lake."
"Okay, great!"
...
Early morning at Hefeng Academy.
As soon as Lin Zhao brought Xu Ming'an through the academy gates, Gu Lingyu dismissed the young tutors, fearing they might address Lin Zhao as "Mountain Lord" and reveal his identity. Gu Lingyu herself did not greet them either, but instead, carrying a stack of bamboo slips, entered the schoolhouse to teach the children the sages' writings for the day. For a while, the academy was filled with the sounds of diligent study.
"This is nice."
Xu Ming'an sat cross-legged on the stone steps beneath the rock garden, appearing to be in deep meditation like a Taoist priest. Lin Zhao, unconcerned with formality, also sat cross-legged beside him. Together, they savored the morning breeze and the distant sounds of reading until a young tutor rang a bronze bell. The tutors in the various schoolhouses stopped their lessons, allowing the children to play and rest.
A group of schoolchildren frolicked in the courtyard, paying no mind to Lin Zhao or the young Taoist. Along the corridor, a little girl in a floral cotton jacket, with a roll of bamboo slips strapped to her back like a sword, demonstrated a self-created sword technique for several other girls. The girls burst into laughter. One of them said, "Gu Xiao Han, if you become a Sword Immortal on the mountain when you've mastered your sword skills, don't forget us sisters. Just like what the teacher taught earlier, what was it... Ah, right, 'When the rich and honored, do not forget.'"
Gu Xiao Han smiled and nodded, "No problem!"
Lin Zhao watched from afar, his eyes full of a smile. These children were the seeds of Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, destined to spread throughout the world in the future. The thought made him happy.
Xu Ming'an, on the other hand, looked at the little girl named Gu Xiao Han with an unusual gleam in his eyes. "Lin Zhao," he said, "what do you think of Gu Xiao Han? Based on the physiognomy recorded in the Danxia Manual, Gu Xiao Han's potential suggests she has the makings of the Upper Five Realms. She's the type of person born with Taoist bones... May I... take another disciple?"
"You may."
Lin Zhao narrowed his eyes at Gu Xiao Han. Although Lin Zhao was a player and didn't understand much about assessing cultivation potential, he felt a sense of comfort just by looking at this little girl. He could even see a bit of Su Qing Jiu's childhood in her. Xu Ming'an might indeed be right; Gu Xiao Han's aptitude and talent were exceptionally high. Even if her future achievements weren't as great as Su Qing Jiu's, she would at least reach the Eleventh Realm.
Moreover, his friend Xu Ming'an, despite his current circumstances – a dilapidated temple, average cultivation, and an inability to refine pills – possessed a simple and honest nature. In the path of cultivation, he might not be inferior. Otherwise, why would a master like Old Daoist Wang have taken notice of Xu Ming'an and passed down the Danxia Manual to him? Therefore, Gu Xiao Han was a child of Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. If she were to enter Xu Ming'an's tutelage and later achieve greatness, Snow Domain Heavenly Lake would also gain prestige, as she would always be a child who came from there.
Lin Zhao said, "Wait a moment, I'll have someone call her over. Remember to show off your skills later!"
"Ah? Oh..."
Xu Ming'an's old face flushed. He, who was only in the Lower Five Realms, was expected to demonstrate his skills? However, it should be fine to fool a little girl.
Not long after, Gu Lingyu brought the little girl over. She bowed to Lin Zhao from a distance and then turned to leave. Lin Zhao leaped onto the rock garden, not wanting to interfere with the first meeting between master and disciple.
"Who are you...?"
Gu Xiao Han pursed her lips and looked at the young Taoist in worn clothes before her. "Taoist priest, why did you call me?"
Xu Ming'an stood up, adjusted his collar, and said, "Actually, I am a Taoist from Danxia Mountain. Xiao Han, are you willing to come with me up the mountain to learn the Dharma?"
"Ah?!"
Gu Xiao Han blinked in surprise. "Are you an immortal from the mountain?"
"Sort of..."
Xu Ming'an scratched his head, feeling a bit guilty.
Gu Xiao Han placed her small hands behind her back, striking a grown-up pose. Her gaze lingered briefly on the sword on Xu Ming'an's back. She seemed moved and said, "I want to be a Sword Immortal on the mountain in the future. Do you know how to use a sword? If your sword skills aren't good enough, you're not qualified to be my master."
"Fine."
Xu Ming'an slowly raised his hand. The Zhenwu Sword remained in its scabbard, and he held it, still wrapped in its tattered cloth. "Shall I perform a set of Taoist sword techniques for you now?"
"Okay."
Gu Xiao Han smiled and nodded.
On the rock garden, Lin Zhao held his forehead. What was happening? It was supposed to be the master choosing the disciple, but in the blink of an eye, Xu Ming'an had turned it into the disciple choosing the master. However, this little girl, Gu Xiao Han, was indeed remarkable. In the future, who would be in charge between this master and disciple on the mountain was uncertain, but it was fine. With these two, the atmosphere of Danxia Mountain would surely not be bad.
The Danxia Manual did not record sword techniques, so Xu Ming'an's sword skills came from the techniques of his first master, which were considered crude and unrefined. Lin Zhao, a Nascent Soul sword cultivator, couldn't bear to watch. But fortunately, although the sword techniques were rudimentary, they were quite visually impressive. Gu Xiao Han watched with her bright, watery eyes wide open, learning a great deal. This was proper swordplay, unlike her self-created technique, which lacked structure and was nowhere near as elegant as the Taoist's.
"All done."
After finishing his sword techniques, Xu Ming'an re-sheathed the Zhenwu Sword and said with a smile, "How were Master's sword skills?"
"Passable..."
Gu Xiao Han crossed her small arms and smiled. "But an immortal from the mountain isn't just about sword skills. I've heard that Taoist celestial masters know immortal arts. Since you want to be my master, do you know immortal arts? If not, I won't go up the mountain with you. Also, don't bring out those tricks of deceiving gods and ghosts that those Taoist priests in town use to embarrass yourself."
"No problem."
Xu Ming'an smiled slightly and turned to break off a peach branch from a peach tree. It was already early winter, and the spiritual energy on Snow Domain Heavenly Lake was far from as concentrated as that at the mountain villa. The scenery here was not eternally spring-like. Even though it was slightly better than the harsh winter in other parts of the Northern Region, the academy's scenery was already quite bleak. The peach branch was bare; all the leaves had fallen.
"Oh?!"
Gu Xiao Han widened her eyes and stared intently at the peach branch in the young Taoist's hand, curious to see what trick he could pull off.
Xu Ming'an smiled, circulated the Danxia spiritual energy within his body, and clenched his right hand. A wisp of golden spiritual energy immediately appeared on the peach branch. This spiritual energy contained immense vitality. In an instant, the nearly withered peach branch budded, and then delicate peach blossoms bloomed.
"Here, Master gives this to you."
Xu Ming'an presented the peach branch to Gu Xiao Han.
"Thank you, Master!"
Gu Xiao Han accepted the peach blossoms, overjoyed. Everything in the town was withered and desolate; it was impossible to see peach blossoms blooming. Moreover, the mountain villa was heavily restricted, and ordinary townsfolk had no right to ascend. Therefore, seeing a peach tree blooming in winter made Gu Xiao Han incredibly happy. Her heart was filled with the thought, "My master is a celestial master from the mountain, with unparalleled immortal arts, capable of bringing the dead back to life!"
Holding the peach branch, Gu Xiao Han skipped and hopped back to the schoolhouse to show off to her friends. She had already agreed to become a disciple, and the remaining issue was her parents. As usual, Nuo Zhi went to Gu Xiao Han's home with gifts. She discovered that Gu Xiao Han had two older brothers, and their family was not well-off. Her father was a groom in the supply battalion of the Snow Domain Army, and her mother did mending and tailoring for a living. They managed to scrape by on Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. Nuo Zhi presented over a thousand taels of silver as a settling-in fee for Gu Xiao Han's apprenticeship. There was nothing more to say; her parents happily agreed. If Gu Xiao Han were to become a celestial master in the future, it would bring honor to their family.
...
The next evening.
Xu Ming'an, carrying the Zhenwu Sword and his woven bamboo basket again, led his two disciples, Wei Xiao Man and Gu Xiao Han, down the mountain, holding a hand of each. Lin Zhao had wanted him to stay a few more days, but Xu Ming'an was simply not suited for the mountain villa. The rooms there were comfortable, and the food was superb, but Xu Ming'an still worried about the dilapidated Taoist temple his master had left him and the few speckled hens he kept in the backyard, fearing they might be snatched by foxes. After all, Danxia Mountain was not wealthy!
Now that Xiao Man and Xiao Han were going up the mountain, Xu Ming'an had to consider them more. They were at ages where they needed plenty of food. Each of them needed at least one egg a day. If all the speckled hens were taken by foxes, how would Xu Ming'an, as their master, support his two precious disciples?
Therefore, Xu Ming'an was now eager to return to Danxia Mountain and revitalize the sect with his two disciples!
...
The journey was long. Lin Zhao was somewhat worried, so he asked Xiao Jiu'er to escort them. A beam of sword light shot up from the mountainside, carrying Xu Ming'an and his two disciples straight towards Danxia Mountain. This was merely a simple task for Su Qing Jiu, but for Xu Ming'an and his disciples, the journey would have taken several days.
Lin Zhao stood on the mountaintop, watching the sword light disappear into the night. The children of Snow Domain Heavenly Lake had found their respective paths; it was a good thing.
Beside him, Huang Ting Yu, with a long sword on his back and his arms crossed, inexplicably felt his eyes redden.
He missed Commander Chu.