Lu Mingshu looked down, with the eyes facing the nose and the nose facing the heart, as a form of respect when the old lady walked toward her.
She could see the walking-stick beside her feet. It remained there for quite a while before the old lady spoke up, "How's your master?"
Lu Mingshu stared blankly at her for a while. She then regained her consciousness, "Replying to the Grand Elder, master is doing well now. He has been reading, fishing, and chatting with disciples during his free time."
"It's good that he has let go," the old lady nodded.
Lu Mingshu didn't continue the conversation as she didn't know what to say.
The old lady looked into her eyes, "This old woman here has been around for more than a hundred years and has seen many talents, but your master is the only one worth mentioning. Do you know why?" She drawled.
"Disciple does not."
The old lady ambled away from Lu Mingshu before stopping to look at the breathtaking scenery. "Practicing martial arts isn't just about fighting, it's about values too. There are a lot of talents, and you will see them everywhere; that's normal. However, the only thing that differentiates them from the best are the values they hold. Without proper values, they won't last long."
Before Lu Mingshu could reply, the Elders answered in unison, "Thank you for the advice, Grand Elder!"
However, the old lady's reaction was something that nobody would've expected, "No one's talking to you idiots!" She rolled her eyes at them.
"Uh…"
The old lady ambled back to Lu Mingshu as she continued, "Liu Jizhen did a great job in teaching you, but this old lady here has a piece of advice for you."
Lu Mingshu nodded, "Please enlighten me, Grand Elder."
"The strongest one will break and the most powerful will be humiliated. Just do your best, but act appropriately." The old lady then slowly turned around to exit the stage with the help of her walking-stick, "Alright, this unpleasant old woman here will leave now."
The crowd immediately bowed, "Sending the Grand Elder off!"
"Haish…" She sighed as she took a few steps forward and disappeared into thin air.
This scene caused the eyes of those on the cloudy stage to turn green with envy. Once one entered the Assimilation Realm, they were no longer limited to a physical body, and they could live for a very long time as well. How good would that be? Would I even see the day…?
Since Grand Elder Yuan Xi had spoken, Elder Zhou couldn't say anything else, so he just left quietly, his disciple following suit carrying the corpse. The award ceremony that was cut off was resumed.
A mixture of feelings gushed up when she received the tablet.
Before the competition, she was eager to get the title of genuine successor disciple so that her master could be at ease. However, right now, when the tablet was placed in her hand, she didn't feel even a single bit of excitement.
Every single person and matter in this clan no longer matters.
"Mingshu?" Gao Xiang's voice rang in her ears. She realized that the ceremony was over.
Gao Xiang suggested, "You're hurt, so how about you let my master send you home?"
Lu Mingshu nodded, but something struck her, "What about Little Daze…?"
"Don't worry, I'll send him back for you."
"Alright."
The sky dimmed and covered the sun that was shining on Green Jade Valley.
In the garden sat Liu Jizhen, who was polishing a rusted sword. This was the first gift he ever gave Lu Mingshu, and it was ruined during the spring hunt. Now it was no longer usable. Despite that, she brought it back safely.
This child… she must not have received much love that she cherishes every single bit given to her so much.
He started to ponder about how good of a master he was. He didn't even care about her for the first four years, leaving her – around seven or eight at that time – to figure out martial arts on her own on top of all the house chores he had her do.
When she grew up, he didn't give her much either. He had no resources, and since he was crippled, all he could do was teach her from all the experience he had gained. The Heavenly Door competition was dangerous, especially for a young girl like her, but he couldn't do anything except sit here and wait for her to come back, letting her go through the competition all by herself.
"Courtyard Leader, the sky is turning dark. Will you come in first? Ah Sheng is waiting by the road; we will inform you once she's back," Hui Niang's voice cut off his thoughts.
Liu Jizhen shook his head, "It's okay. Makes no difference."
Hui Niang wanted to say something more, but she could see Ah Sheng hurrying back from the entrance. She immediately went up to him, "Has Miss arrived?"
Liu Jizhen stood up anxiously.
Ah Sheng nodded while trying to catch his breath. "Elder An sent her back. Miss… Miss is in the top ten!"
"Really?!" Hui Niang couldn't hide her excitement.
"Yes!" He nodded, "It's true!"
"Is she injured then?" Hui Niang asked, worried for Lu Mingshu's wellbeing.
Before Ah Sheng could reply, the snow lion had already appeared out of nowhere. In the blink of the eye, it had already reached the front door.
"Miss!" Hui Niang rushed forward.
An Tongcheng got down from the snow lion and greeted Liu Jizhen who just walked out, "Senior Brother Liu."
"Junior Brother An," Liu Jizhen greeted him while Hui Niang anxiously checked Lu Mingshu for injuries after helping her dismount.
"Miss, how are you feeling? Are you hurt? Is it serious? Why do you look so pale? And why is your hand so cold…?"
"Nah, I'm fine," Lu Mingshu smiled brittlely at Hui Niang before going forward to greet Liu Jizhen, "Master."
Liu Jizhen scanned her for any serious injuries, then smiled at her, "You must be tired. Go in and rest first. We can talk later."
"Okay, disciple shall leave first," Lu Mingshu bowed to An Tongcheng before going into the house with the help of Hui Niang. She was way too tired to do any more talking.
As soon as Lu Mingshu could no longer be seen, Liu Jizhen turned to face An Tongcheng, "Is there something that you want to tell me, my dear Junior Brother?"
"Yeah. Let's go in first," he replied.
Lu Mingshu felt dizzy after leaving the cloudy stage.
Lu Mingshu could not register Hui Niang's nagging out of concern. She could feel the warmth of home, but she couldn't stay awake to pay attention to all the care and concern she was being showered with.
After a while, Hui Niang had already finished helping her wash up and clean her wounds, and Lu Mingshu immediately fell asleep hugging her pillow.
Looking at her quietly sleeping, Hui Niang felt sorry for her.
Outside, the sky was completely dark. Inside Liu Jizhen's bedroom sat two guys, with a lit candle that faintly showed their shadows.
The sound of tea flowing into a cup emanated throughout the room. An Tongcheng silently stared at Liu Jizhen, who was pouring the tea for him, before speaking up, "Senior Brother, you don't look as amazing as you used to, eh?"
Liu Jizhen placed the teapot down gently before muttering, "I'm crippled now, how could I possibly look amazing?"
An Tongcheng smiled lazily as he held the teapot in his hand, "Senior Brother, you may be crippled, but at least you're still alive and kicking," he downed the cup of tea that Liu Jizhen poured for him before he continued, "Ever since we were young, you've been my flashlight, guiding me to the right path without fail. For a short while, the light was put out from the pain, but I am glad it came back to life again."
Liu Jizhen stared at him for a while in confusion before laughing it off, "Junior Brother, this doesn't sound like you. What's going on?"
An Tongcheng stared at his teacup and continued softly after Liu Jizhen filled his cup up for him again, "I know the reason why Senior Brother has the will to live again. It's because of that child, am I right? Without her, you would still be making wooden swords all day."
"So?" Liu Jizhen smiled at him softly.
"So," An Tongcheng looked into his eyes,
"if she ever had to leave this place, would you still be like how you are today?"
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