Chapter 13: Why Has Senior Sister Come?
He Xiao changed into a fresh Daoist robe, pinned up his hair, and donned his cap, tidying himself from head to toe with meticulous care. He looked more dashing than ever — quite a presentable figure.
His eyes sparkled with excitement as he practically bolted for the door.
"Junior Brother Qingyun, at last night's dharma discussion, I managed to wrangle a fine assignment from Senior Brother Zhang. For the next two months, I'll be working at the front temple every afternoon. Heh heh — why don't you guess what I'll be doing?"
Even as he was leaving, He Xiao couldn't resist showing off a little in front of Li Qingyun.
Li Qingyun simply smiled and watched his roommate saunter off with an air of smug flair.
After spending time together, he felt he had a fairly good read on He Xiao's temperament and character.
Before entering the temple, He Xiao had been a direct-line scion of the He Clan of Blue Mountain, accustomed to a life of comfort and luxury.
After joining Lingbao Temple, the management inside was rather lax — money smoothed everything over — so He Xiao had simply continued living his carefree, pleasant life.
The man was a bit lazy and pleasure-seeking, with a somewhat inflated sense of himself, but for now showed no particularly malicious tendencies.
"Most likely he's gone to serve as a reception attendant at the Hall of Seeking Sons. But dressing up so carefully — surely He Xiao isn't thinking of chasing women while living in a Daoist temple?"
Li Qingyun chuckled inwardly.
He could only hope the temple's son-seeking services were entirely above board!
In a world where demons and monsters roamed freely, any temple or shrine with genuine power to subdue them would never lack for incense offerings or faithful devotees.
Lingbao Temple presided over Maple Mountain and was the most respected Daoist temple across three surrounding counties. Its disciples patrolled the surrounding regions year-round, suppressing and driving out demons and monsters, protecting the common folk — and so it was deeply revered.
The Hall of Seeking Sons was said to be especially efficacious. It enshrined a deity called the Lingbao Pure Yang Dao Lord, whom Li Qingyun had never heard of before, but who was said to have blessed thousands with children.
Noble ladies and young wives from towns and villages near and far, all desperate for children, would come to burn incense and offer prayers.
As for He Xiao's coveted assignment, Li Qingyun felt not a shred of envy.
Mingling with a few flowers and grasses — how could that compare to the joy of watching his cultivation soar?
With his cultivation rising rapidly now, he was probably near the top among the so-called "deadwood" disciples in this bamboo cottage area!
Most of the people here were like He Xiao — they had developed some sense of qi, but were still far from accumulating One Furnace of Dharma Power.
He Xiao, who fancied himself carefree and high-minded, had been in the temple for over half a year, with his family continuously supplying resources, yet had only cultivated a faint wisp of Dharma Power. He was probably still a long way from the entry threshold of One Furnace.
Then there were a handful of others — like Li Qingyun had once been — with no Dao Bone or Spiritual Root whatsoever, who hadn't cultivated even a trace of Dharma Power. They were simply here to live out a comfortable, worry-free existence!
Among the Daoist disciples in this row of bamboo cottages, those who had truly entered the path of cultivation and stepped into the first level of the Qi Refinement Realm could be counted on one hand.
Having been in the temple for barely a day, Li Qingyun had already quietly surpassed the vast majority of his be lazy fellow disciples!
By his calculations, he felt it wouldn't take many years before he became a great power in this world!
As long as he had the cultivation techniques corresponding to each realm, he could let the Dao Effigy's spectral form do the work for him — becoming a low-key, contented cheat, silently advancing his cultivation.
Could life get any more comfortable?
Only the matter of Lady Cui's bullying remained a constant reminder: keep a low profile whenever possible. Growing stronger in silence was the true path.
He was no longer the Third Young Lord of the Marquis's manor. He now had the capital to be both low-key and formidable.
* * *
That afternoon, at the west wing.
Maple trees swayed in the dappled light, and the mountain breeze carried a faint chill.
A young Daoist with rather handsome features had his sleeves rolled up and was humming a little tune contentedly, hanging freshly washed Daoist robes and undergarments on the tree branches outside his bamboo cottage.
He had just bathed in the mountain pool. His hair was still damp, draped loosely over both shoulders, giving him a somewhat fresh and natural look.
"Hey, do you know which room the newly arrived Junior Brother Li Qingyun lives in?"
The young Daoist was spreading out his clothes when a voice like a clear, tinkling bell suddenly rang out behind him, sweeping past his ears like a gentle breeze over a flowing spring.
He spun around in delighted surprise — and was immediately struck dumb.
His eyes went slightly hazy, and an expression of stunned admiration rose unbidden on his face, impossible to suppress.
"Lu — Lu Senior Sister…"
The young Daoist stared at the graceful, otherworldly girl in white standing a few steps away, and felt his heart lurch violently in his chest. Even his words came out stumbling.
The soft afternoon sunlight filtered through wisps of mist and the branches of the maple trees, falling upon that slender, graceful figure and casting a radiance over her like white jade — strikingly beautiful.
Then a mountain breeze swept through, stirring her silken, cloud-like hair, making her look for all the world like a fairy of the forest.
"Hehe, why are you spacing out, Junior Brother? If you know the way, just lead me there!"
The girl in white smiled lightly, a faint trace of self-satisfied charm playing at the corners of her lustrous lips.
Lu Liqian savored the expression on the young Daoist's face — that look of genuine, unguarded admiration and infatuation that seemed to come straight from the heart.
She had always been confident in her own charm and allure. How else could she have once made even Senior Brother Yan's heart stir?
"S-sure! Senior Sister Lu, I know where Junior Brother Li is. He's already gotten a bit of a reputation since he arrived — He Xiao says he's just a dull-witted blockhead who does nothing but sit in meditation…"
Lu Liqian's smile nearly sent the young Daoist Wang Baiying's soul floating right out of his body. He immediately gave a slight bow and led the ethereally beautiful Senior Sister in white toward Bamboo Cottage Bing-Seven.
As he led the way, he kept glancing back, his eyes full of adoration, stealing looks at Senior Sister Lu's fairy-like grace.
Yet when he mentioned Li Qingyun, a hint of petty scheming crept into his manner — a barely concealed sneer of contempt.
Word had quietly spread that the newly arrived Junior Brother Li in Cottage Bing-Seven was a dullard who did nothing but sit in meditation with his head down.
Wang Baiying felt an inexplicable twinge of jealousy: why had Senior Sister Lu come looking for that good-for-nothing Li Qingyun?
"Hmm, that's strange. When I saw Li Qingyun at the hall yesterday, he didn't seem like a fool at all."
Lu Liqian heard this and paused slightly, a flicker of hesitation crossing her mind.
She was very selective. Ordinary, unremarkable people never entered her consideration.
Even if she needed someone she could manage and control — someone to serve as a cover for her — she had no desire to pick a genuine simpleton!
With that thought, Lu Liqian took a graceful step forward, lightly brushing aside a strand of hair near her glistening earlobe, and asked with a soft smile: "Junior Brother, I still don't know your name?"
She thought the young Daoist was reasonably good-looking, and he clearly admired her so — perhaps he could serve as a backup option.
"Senior Sister Lu, I — I'm Wang Baiying, from Xuyang City. I entered the temple last year with a Dao Affinity Token from Master Xu. In these two years, I've trained diligently and have already cultivated some Dharma Power!"
Wang Baiying's face flushed with excitement as he rushed to introduce himself.
He was overjoyed inside, convinced that today was his lucky day!
Senior Sister Lu was such an otherworldly figure, and she had always kept her nose in the air around ordinary disciples in the temple, never sparing them a glance. Yet now she was actively asking for his name!
"Wang Baiying — not a bad name. I'll remember it."
Lu Liqian smiled lightly, then let the smile fade, resuming her usual cool, transcendent air.
The breeze stirred gently. She tilted her head slightly, her slender neck gleaming white as jade, making her look all the more graceful, ethereal, and unattainable.
She had been born knowing how to do this.
With just a few words, she had Wang Baiying completely dazzled and even more besotted with her than before.
The only thing that gave her pause was the mention of his "Master Xu."
That Master Xu was Xu Songyuan, the temple's Supervisor of the Patrol Quarters — a position comparable to her father Lu Nanling's, but the two had always been at odds.
"This Wang Baiying… I'll keep him in reserve for now and see how things go."