Lin Ning’an looked up and only thought that the man looked somewhat familiar and didn’t think much about it. Suddenly, when she was reciting a scroll, this disciple reached over to touch her face.
“What are you doing?!”
Lin Ning’an has long been carefully educated on matters from being brought around by her father and had long stopped being a ‘little demon freshly out of the mountains’ who didn’t understand anything. Seeing this man reach out to touch her face, she was furious and threw her scroll in his face.
That scroll was only made of paper, but Lin Ning’an threw it out with spiritual power. Numerous papers flew in the air and turned into sharp swords to greet Shan Junqing’s face.
Shan Junqing was in a trance because of the identical face with his wife. Thus, the majestic aura and anger took him by surprise as he hastily reached out to use his spiritual power to resist. His eyes were full of shock.
The young girl was only a teenager, but surprisingly, she was at the Mahayana cultivation stage, just as he was. Just now, when he angered her, the flying paper was like swords all over the sky as they rushed towards his handsome face. Even if Shan Junqing’s cultivation level was higher among the same class, he could only dodge helplessly in front of such a powerful attack.
By the time the last page was blocked, his meticulous white clothes were full of red blood.
Even his face had two blood marks from two torn scroll pieces.
Shan Junqing had never been so embarrassed.
Since he killed his wife, he entered the Cultivation Realm and worshiped this sect. From then on, he made great strides and was always the one who would strike to kill others. When was there ever an instance of someone else suppressing him, with him unable to fight back?
“Senior Aunt!”
(TNote: senior-aunt / teacher-aunt = a female that is on the same level as one’s teacher, this is so, because a teacher is considered a parent.)
As soon as Shan Huaiyu came, he saw his master kneeling on one knee in a mess. Lin Ning’an’s scowl wasn’t quelled, so she pulled out a red whip. He was shocked and quickly rushed to stop her.
“Show mercy, Senior Aunt. This is my master. He is of the same generation as Elder Shiheng.”
“Hmm?”
Lin Ning’an withdrew her whip and looked at the pale man who was kneeling on one knee with disgust in her eyes.
“Since he’s an elder, doesn’t he even understand the principle of male and female indecency? I’ve never met him before, and he was about to molest me the first time he saw me. Shameless!”
“Shameless…”
Shan Huaiyu was stunned and hastily explained, “Senior Aunt, my master cultivates the Heartless Dao and has never been close to women. Is there a misunderstanding?”
“I saw it with my own eyes. What misunderstanding can there be!?”
Lin Ning’an sneered coldly, looking at Shan Junqing with a gaze full of malice.
She usually had an easy-going nature. Although her cultivation was high, she always liked to play with her junior disciples because she was still young, so she was always nice to talk to.
She just didn’t know why, when she saw this frivolous man just now, her heart was full of disgust. When he looked over to her, her stomach rolled over and she almost threw up.
Thinking of this, Lin Ning’an took out a handkerchief and wiped her cheek with disgust.
Even if they haven’t touched, she should still wipe it. Who knew if this guy, who had an abnormal brain, had any diseases?
Shan Junqing, who already held a vague dull pain in his heart, stood up. The pair of eyes that always contained iciness were currently staring blankly at the young girl who was talking to his disciple.
Similar…
Too similar.
She looked exactly the same as his wife.
But, they were different people.
His wife, who was gentle in nature, never spoke loudly to others and always treated him with such tenderness. How could she strike him so hard?
He was mistaken after all.
Shan Junqing himself didn’t even notice that his eyes dimmed a few notches. He had only mistaken the person. After all, a hundred years ago, he personally confirmed his wife had died before leaving.
“Huaiyu, come here.”
Now that he knew that he mistook the person, even though he had just been beaten up, Shan Junqing’s expression was already coated with his usual coldness.
He saluted Lin Ning’an. With a light tone, as if the person who was shameless just now wasn’t himself, “It’s my fault for accidentally offending the lady, please don’t take it personally.”
“I just don’t know which sect’s senior disciple this lady is? You already have this level of cultivation at such a young age.”
Lin Ning’an looked at the person in front of her.
He looked handsome, polite and courteous, but his eyes contained indifference and iciness. His words and deeds didn’t seem to have the least bit of personality.
This was the kind of character she hated most. Lin Ning’an confirmed this idea in her heart.
Dad once told her, anyone who practices the Heartless Dao has made a mistake from the beginning, because the Heavenly Realm isn’t as cold and heartless as the Mortal and Cultivation Realms thought.
Most of the immortals in the Heavenly Realm spend their days peacefully. They meditate and play chess every day, and occasionally go to the Demon Realm to play. Because Heaven was responsible for the astrological layout of climate in the four worlds and all kinds of things, most immortals in the Heavenly Realm have jobs, and they do them responsibly. Just, when they want to rest or go to play, they will also ask for help from fellow immortals to cover their shifts.
Occasionally, there are immortals who like each other. If one wants a high profile marriage, they would go to the Heavenly Emperor to give them a marriage decree. If one wants to keep it low, they would invite three to five friends to a banquet. When the child is born, they would tell everyone they know with joy.
Compared to the people in the Cultivation Realm, the immortals in the Heavenly Realm were more like mortals.
Because of their long lifespan, and always getting the things they want, even immortals who had just arrived in the Heavenly Realm and weren’t really into the peaceful lifestyle, would eventually become peaceful.
Most of the people who practice the Heartless Dao would self-destruct soon after ascending to the Heavenly Realm and die.
She didn’t know who created this Heartless Dao. Practicing this Dao could indeed improve a thousand miles a day, but to practice this Dao, you must kill the person you love the most in order to be considered to have stepped foot on the path.
In any case, killing your dearest one must be awful.
But the more one cultivates this Dao, the more one suppresses their hearts. In the end, one would become a cold stone, without any emotion.
Later, when they ascend to the Heavenly Realm and their bodily aura turns into immortal aura, their once Heartless Dao could no longer force a person to remain unfeeling. Several years of suppressed emotions will fiercely surge up. Even immortals couldn’t bear it.
For these people, what they often regret the most were the loved ones they killed when they first set foot on the Heartless Dao.
Heavenly immortals have long been accustomed to the fact that the first thing every immortal who cultivates the Heartless Dao does when they ascend is to go to the branch of the Demon Realm, the ghost world, to find their loved ones who were killed by themselves.
But the ghost world also has their own rules. All the souls who end up there would be reincarnated within 10 days of death. Even if these people found the reincarnations of their beloved, these reincarnations wouldn’t be the original person after drinking Meng Po soup.
At the end of the day, all these immortals who practice Heartless Dao end up with the word death.
Death at their own hands, without even leaving a soul behind.
Lin Ning’an remembered that Shan Huaiyu had told herself that his master was expected to ascend to the Heavenly Realm within a hundred years, and looked at Shan Junqing as if she was looking at a dead man.
No, a disgusting, dead man.
She didn’t answer, so Shan Huaiyu had to bite the bullet and introduce awkwardly, “My master has been in seclusion for 5 years, so it is normal for him to not know Senior Aunt Ning’an. She is the daughter of a guest elder who came to our clan 5 years ago. She is also a disciple of the sect, in the same generation as Master.”
In a place like the sect, where seniority is determined by strength, even if Lin Ning’an was only a teenager, as long as she was at the Mahayana stage cultivation, then Shan Huaiyu would call her Senior Aunt.
Shan Junqing understood this truth. He just doesn’t understand why such a young girl could have a Mahayana stage cultivation, and why her face was exactly the same as his wife’s.
However, now wasn’t the time to think about this. Shan Junqing stepped forward and gave a peer-to-peer salute, “So it’s a Junior Sister. I have offended you. Thank you for your mercy.”
“My cultivation level is higher than yours. Why are you calling me Junior Sister?”
Lin Ning’an drew out the red whip on her waist again and raised her chin slightly. The pair of clear eyes had both the innocence of a little girl and the undisguised proudness.
“Junior Brother should call me Senior Sister.”
Shan Junqing frowned slightly. Since he sat on the official position in the Mortal Realm, no one ever dared to talk to him like this. Even when he came to the Cultivation Realm, his cultivation would gain him respect wherever he went.
But… in the Cultivation Realm, the strong are respected.
He finally clenched his fist and called out, “Senior Sister.”
“Junior Brother had just come out of seclusion. I still need to go down the mountain to report. So, I will leave first today.”
When Shan Junqing left, Shan Huaiyu gaped and came closer, “Senior Aunt, even with my master’s nature being how it is… You’re actually not afraid of him at all…”
She also asked his master to call her Senior Sister. Very scary and frightening.
“I have nothing to be afraid of from him.”
Lin Ning’an waved, and the spilled scrolls flew in the air. She repaired them with spiritual power, then took them back into her hands.
“My cultivation is higher than his, and no matter how ugly his face was, he couldn’t beat me.”
“Besides, Dad told me that I don’t have to be afraid of anyone in this Cultivation Realm.”
Shan Huaiyu believed Elder Shiheng would say this.
Since Elder Shiheng brought his daughter along when he became a guest elder of the clan 5 years ago, the sect’s disciples have inquired about this elder and his profound cultivation.
The others did not find out anything, but they found out that he loved his daughter very much and provided her with luxurious food and clothing. Because his daughter was young, she was also sent to attend the academy for sect disciples.
Although Shan Huaiyu’s master is an elder, he seldom teaches him and was in seclusion all year round. So, it was natural for Shan Huaiyu to attend school too.
God knows how shocked the group of teachers and disciples were when they saw the guest elder standing outside the school window, staring at them all day long.
In the first year Lin Ning’an attended the school, the guest elder, Lin Shiheng, kept watch outside the academy every single day.
Although from the next year onwards, he no longer merely stood outside the window but changed to sit on the jade chair to cultivate at the spot, the group of teachers and disciples were continuously afraid to make a wrong move.
With such a father, Lin Ning’an’s first year in school was like a blessing.