Fortunately, everyone present wasn’t the type to indulge in idle chatter.
After a few polite greetings, the conversation quickly shifted to matters of cultivation.
When it came to cultivation, Su Lingling actually didn’t feel too nervous, and soon started chatting normally with the other disciples.
Su Qianqian stood behind Su Lingling, quietly watching as Su Lingling half-guided, half-joined the conversation with the disciples.
As they talked, everyone gradually became more familiar with one another, and Su Lingling’s tension eased.
Just then, a friendly female disciple, brimming with curiosity, asked Su Lingling a question:
“Lingling Senior Martial Sister, what do you usually do with your younger sister and the Sect Leader? Oh right, by proper etiquette, I should be calling Qianqian Senior Martial Sister too.”
“Eh? Did I ask the wrong question…?”
The disciple looked very worried she might have said something wrong, especially since Lingling Senior Martial Sister was covering her mouth and laughing, while Qianqian Senior Martial Sister was staring at her, speechless.
“Hehe, don’t be fooled by Qianqian Senior Martial Sister’s height—even though she’s not tall, she’s actually the older sister! And in matches between me and my elder sister, I’ve only won a few times. She’s much stronger than me, so if you have questions, you can ask her.”
Hearing Su Lingling’s amused reply, everyone looked at each other in astonishment.
None had expected that the much younger-looking Su Qianqian was actually the elder sister.
“Sorry, Qianqian Senior Martial Sister…” The disciple who made the mistake hurriedly apologized.
Su Qianqian just waved her hand helplessly, signaling it was fine. This kind of thing happened all the time; she was long used to it.
“It’s alright. You wanted to know how we cultivate under Lin Muxue Master, right? I can explain a bit.”
“In the morning (well, not exactly early), sometimes our Dharma Protector will prepare spiritual food (breakfast) for Lingling and me, ensuring we have the energy we need for cultivation all day.”
“After that, we normally sit in meditation to cultivate techniques, occasionally taking time to strengthen our bond with our spiritual pets (sneaking off to feed the birds) or refine the sword embryo Master gave us.”
“In the evenings, Master sometimes prepares more spiritual food to replenish our energy (dinner), then shares necessary knowledge outside of cultivation (some fun anecdotes and strange tales). Finally, every few days Master has us enter a deep rest state (sleep) so we’re in peak condition for the next round of cultivation…”
“Uh, of course, that’s when Master is around. She’s usually pretty busy (as in, mostly up in the mountains).”
Su Qianqian continued explaining, while Su Lingling listened in a daze beside her.
What she said was basically accurate, but for some reason, it sounded a bit off?
Regardless, Su Qianqian had managed to preserve their Master’s and their own reputations, making their daily schedule seem extremely “packed” and not the least bit lazy.
With this and that to chat about, the platform soon grew quiet again as everyone slipped into their own rest state for cultivation……
As the sun was about to set, Elder Qin arrived. The disciples lined up, one by one, to ask questions about issues they’d encountered in their cultivation.
Su Qianqian and Su Lingling had no particular questions, so they simply waited quietly. When everyone else had finished, Su Lingling finally made a request to Elder Qin:
“Elder Qin, are you taking the disciples to a nearby city next week? Can you bring us along?” Su Lingling looked at Elder Qin with eager anticipation.
“Of course. I’ll be leading the group, so just follow along.”
“Yay!” Su Lingling gleefully grabbed Su Qianqian’s hand and cheered.
Beside them, Ming Xi did her best to memorize Su Lingling’s expression so she could draw it as soon as they got back!
Then, Elder Qin gave Su Lingling a look, and she immediately reverted to a calm state. Ming Xi felt a bit regretful—just as she was about to capture the perfect moment, Elder Qin was looking right at her!
Ming Xi hurriedly reined in her own expression. Maybe, just maybe, she’d been a bit too undignified just now.
Once all the disciples had finished their questions, they each left on their own.
Elder Qin stood on the platform, tugging his beard in resignation. Lately, the disciples had all become a bit too lively…
On the way back, Su Lingling was still brimming with excitement.
She really had been cooped up in the sect lately and was getting stir-crazy.
Although the sect itself was much larger than a mortal city, it was too quiet for her tastes—she preferred the bustling street.
“Elder sister, let’s go tell our parents! Oh, and, how about… we stay at our parents’ place tonight? Master isn’t waiting in the Cave Dwelling anyway, so it doesn’t matter if we go back.”
Su Qianqian hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“In that case, Elder sister, let’s speed up and see who gets there first!”
With that, Su Lingling suddenly accelerated, transforming into a streak of light and overtaking Su Qianqian!
“Lingling, I haven’t agreed yet! Don’t fly so fast—don’t get caught again!”
Even as she said this, Su Qianqian surged ahead, quickly catching up with Su Lingling in front!
In the deepening night, as the sun sank, two streaks of light danced and twisted, vying for the lead…
Su Qianqian’s true cultivation was much higher than Lingling’s, and her mastery of the sword flying technique far surpassed her younger sister’s.
But she kept her speed in check, so Su Lingling soon overtook her again!
As she passed, Su Lingling made a face at her, making Su Qianqian chuckle despite herself. Then, with a slight boost, she caught up again.
“Landing—hey, I win!” Su Lingling touched down in front of the door, making a victory gesture at Su Qianqian!
“Alright, alright, you win. Let’s go in together.” Su Qianqian was still standing atop her sword, and, taking advantage of the height difference, reached over and vigorously ruffled Su Lingling’s hair.
But perhaps they’d made too much commotion, because Liu Qingyao and Su Changfeng had already opened the door before they’d even finished their playful tussle.
Seeing their parents come out, Su Lingling immediately shouted, “Parents, Master agreed to let us go out, but we have to wait for Master to finish her business and return. Next week we’ll go ahead with Elder Qin first! And also, we’re staying here tonight!”
“In that case, I’d better get some bedding ready for our two immortals,” Liu Qingyao joked, “I hope you’re not too used to living in fairyland to mind a mundane home~”
“How could we ever mind~”
Soon, the door closed. Off in the distance, two people secretly observing began to take notes.
“Leaving next week, huh? I wonder what day. Of all the nearby places worth Sword Sect bringing disciples to, there’s really only one city…” Ying mused.
“It’s a golden opportunity! Judging by their conversation, it sounds like Lin Muxue is away as well, leaving just one Elder in charge! Sis, if we don’t seize this chance, there won’t be another like it!”
“Right. Let’s start working out the plan now, and when the time comes…”
……
The Su sisters were unaware that a plot was quietly taking shape against them, nor could they have imagined that what was supposed to be a routine trip would end up separating them…
“Elder sister, you’ve been marinated in Master’s scent so much, you smell just like her. Has Master been hugging you too long?”
“You’re only noticing now?”
“No worries, I’ll win my share of hugs back!”
“Don’t pinch my face. Show a little respect for your elder sister, okay…”
A week flew by, and the disciples followed Elder Qin as they boarded a massive flying boat.
Su Lingling and Su Qianqian sat beside Ming Xi as always. Ming Xi was explaining the significance of this trip:
“Elder Qin says a lot of disciples only know how to cultivate. Once they leave the sect, they’re completely lost, not even knowing how to use the most common things in the cultivation world. That’s why he often takes us out to learn. Last time, he taught us how to bid at the auction house, how to sell things, and how to post a task commission. Who knows what we’ll learn this time.”
“Those are all really useful skills. Elder Qin is very thoughtful,” Su Qianqian agreed, nodding. Indeed, these were all essential skills for life outside the sect.
“I’m doomed, I still haven’t mastered any of that. Will Elder Qin go over them again?” Su Lingling rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.
As they chatted, the flying boat took off, heading for the distant cultivators’ city.
But no one noticed that someone was watching the flying boat’s path from afar…
“Elder sister, they’ve set off. Judging by the direction and route, it’s Dingshan City. I’ll keep following, and after I confirm, I’ll continue with the plan.”
“Understood. Be careful, sis, and don’t get spotted. Have you erased all traces?”
“It’s done.”
Before leaving, they’d used all sorts of secret treasures to wipe away any sign of their presence, just in case Lin Muxue tracked them back to the Royal Court through cause and effect.
According to intel, she was a master of the Cause and Effect Path…
Because the distance wasn’t far, the flying boat soon docked at the edge of Dingshan City.
The disciples disembarked in an orderly fashion, Su Lingling’s eyes filled with wonder as she gazed at the city—many times larger than her hometown!
“So this is a cultivators’ city? It’s magnificent!”
“Of course. Cultivators have abilities far beyond mortals, so their construction skills are naturally stronger as well. This city was built up over generations by countless practitioners.”
“A thousand years ago, this place was nearly destroyed—razed to the ground. Now it’s prosperous again… Alright, enough history. Follow me into the city!”
The disciples followed behind Elder Qin and entered the city on foot.
The city was even grander than they’d imagined.
Su Lingling’s eyes darted everywhere as she tugged on her elder sister’s sleeve to look at this and that.
“Elder sister, look at that! Wow, what’s that? Hey, is that food? Such a huge roast chicken!”
Once they were inside, Elder Qin no longer limited the disciples’ chatting—after all, the place was bustling enough, there was no need to enforce strict decorum.
The locals clearly were used to Sword Sect disciples coming through; with such a major sect nearby, it was common to see groups of disciples visiting.
In a teahouse, an unremarkable-looking woman entered a private room upstairs, where another plain-looking person was already sipping tea.
“You’re here.”
“Yes.”
It was obvious that these two were Ying and Shun in disguise.
Their eyes tracked the line of disciples below, finally settling on the two at the end of the group…
“This Elder is only at the early Nascent Soul stage, which is better than we hoped. If push comes to shove, we could try to snatch them by force.”
“It’s best if we don’t have to go that far. We’re already way too far from Ziyuan Kingdom. Without the boost from faith power, there’s no guarantee we could get away with Su Qianqian and Su Lingling. After all, Sword Sect is much too close by…”