Chapter 211: Real And Vibrant World

The heavy snow quickly covered the mountaintop.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

As the sky grew dim, a young girl responsible for tending to the flowers and plants was dressed in thick fur clothing. Her little face was rosy from the cold, and she rubbed her hands together as she approached the cliff to care for the plum blossoms, fearing they might be crushed by the snow.

Under normal circumstances, the Sect Master didn’t require them to take care of such matters. With a thought, the entire mountaintop would be orderly and neat through the power of the Sect Master’s divine sense. Additionally, the flowers and plants in the mountains were all celestial vegetation, impervious to the weight of snow.

However, when the Sect Master occasionally entered seclusion, the sect would assign people to tend to the mountaintop. It was a matter of decorum for the sect, and it wouldn’t sound pleasant if people were to know that the Sect Master was left unattended.

Qiu Wuji allowed them to busy themselves, as it was also convenient for someone to handle administrative tasks when needed.

In essence, they were functioning as disguised maidservants. Usually, it was the newly initiated Qi Refining disciples who performed these tasks.

But the disciples were quite eager to come to the main peak to serve. Assisting the Sect Master was a great honor! Furthermore, although the Sect Master might seem aloof on the surface, she treated the disciples well. She would occasionally give personal guidance, and many disciples who left the main peak became pillars of the sect.

Over the years, those who have been selected to serve on the main peak were all joyful and unparalleled in their initiative. Even in heavy snow, they cheerfully came to care for the flowers and plants, hoping to make the main peak beautiful, deserving of the Sect Master’s presence.

However, today the young girl who arrived at the cliff and was dumbfounded.

A man was squatting there, sniffling, clearing the snow from the flowers. The snow fell on his own head, covering him in a white layer, making him look quite pitiful.

The young girl recognized him as the Sect Master’s direct disciple who had been praised before… Everyone had been envious, but now, looking at this scene, the jealousy vanished. How does this look like anything other than mistreatment?

Could it be that the Sect Master bullies even the direct disciples?

The young girl approached cautiously and asked, “This senior brother… Oh no, considering your seniority…” She thought for a moment and then clapped her palms together, “Junior Martial Uncle, hello.”

Chu Ge lifted his head and shook off some snowflakes, “Oh, young lady, you’re not that young, are you? Just call me senior brother, what’s with the martial uncle?”

“How is that possible?!” The young girl put her hands on her hips. “The elders only take in disciples once every many years! Just like how the Sect Master took you in after all these years!”

The word “took” seems to have some ambiguity here, young lady… Chu Ge chuckled internally as he listened, his eyes narrowing, “Talking to your Junior Martial Uncle in that tone? Come on, give me a greeting first.”

The young girl raised her fist and gave a greeting that resembled a gesture used among martial artists.

Chu Ge didn’t mind and found it quite enjoyable.

Observing that this Junior Martial Uncle seemed rather approachable and didn’t take offense at her lack of courtesy, the young girl surreptitiously glanced around and asked in a hushed tone, “Junior Martial Uncle, did the Sect Master punish you?”

Chu Ge chuckled and lowered his head to look at the flowers. “No, this is my task for today.”

“A task? To squat here and watch the flowers?”

“Yes, observing every blade of grass, every speck of soil, watching the snowflakes fall, and observing the insects hiding… noticing every inch of texture, it’s so lifelike.”

The young girl: “…”

“We’re cultivating as immortal cultivators.” Chu Ge smiled, “This is about the state of mind. Junior Sister, pay close attention and learn well.”

“Could you wipe your nose before talking about this?”

Chu Ge subconsciously wiped his nose, only to realize that his ethereal body couldn’t possibly have a runny nose. He had been fooled by the young girl…

The young girl burst into laughter. “Haha… you’re just a newly initiated disciple who’s pretending to be all serious and deep, talking about ‘state of mind’!”

Chu Ge retorted with some irritation, “Really, that’s what your Sect Master said. Otherwise, why would I be sitting out here in the snow like an idiot, looking at flowers?”

The young girl hesitated, “Is that true?”

Chu Ge nodded vigorously.

After a moment’s hesitation, the young girl squatted down on the side, clutching her knees, and imitated Chu Ge’s posture, trying to appreciate the flowers as he did.

No matter how she looked at it, there wasn’t anything interesting to see. She had been looking at them for so many years…

“Junior Martial Uncle… is there really something worth seeing?”

“Maybe, I don’t know…”

At least in his heart, this world has become tangible. Snow feels cold, flowers have fragrance, and there’s even this naïve little girl. That’s something that can’t be compared to typing descriptions.

Actually, Chu Ge had never written about this young girl before… He had only mentioned disciples taking care of the mountain. He hadn’t even thought about what kind of disciple would be doing this. It was something chosen by Cloud Horizon Sect…

Yet when that background character stood before him, brought to life with a smile or a frown, it seemed so real.

Chu Ge was even a little moved, a feeling that was difficult to put into words.

Inside the house, Qiu Wuji stood by the window and looked at the figures of the two, big and small, sitting there lost in thought by the cliff’s edge. The snowflakes piled up, making them look like two snowmen.

She smiled faintly, not feeling jealous of the young girl. She knew what Chu Ge was thinking.

Indeed, this was a form of cultivation, unique to him. What use was there for others to mimic him, sitting at the cliff’s edge watching flowers? They would end up with a runny nose from the cold.

Qiu Wuji finally spoke, “Xuan Ji, observing the grass and trees may yield some insights, but it’s a level of understanding that you cannot grasp at this moment. You might as well remember the guidance of your Junior Martial Uncle and reevaluate it a hundred years later.”

The young girl got up, her knees feeling sore, and dizzily responded, “Oh.”

Then she remembered her unfinished task, “Oh my, Sect Master, I didn’t mean to slack off. I’ll go clear the snow right away…”

“Go clear the area in the backyard. Your Junior Martial Uncle will take care of the snow removal and branch trimming work here at the front of the mountain.”

The young girl saluted, “Yes, Disciple will go to the backyard.”

“Go ahead.”

Glancing at Chu Ge secretly, she noticed that he was still engrossed in observing the flowers, his expression unchanged. She felt a twinge of pity; what was so special about being a direct disciple? Their treatment was similar to that of us regular disciples…

Following the mountain path, the young girl left. Qiu Wuji slowly approached Chu Ge and stood beside him, her hands behind her back as she gazed down the misty cliff, “Do you want to go out for a walk? You’ve been staying at the peak all this time.”

“Go for a stroll around the various peaks of the sect?” Chu Ge chuckled, “I always feel like I’d be showing off if I did that.”

“You can show off if you want, but it’s better to maintain an air of mystery… Speaking of which, not many within the sect would recognize you. If you wear the uniform and carry the emblem, you can pretend to be an ordinary disciple wandering around without anyone questioning you. But there’s at least one condition.”

“What condition?”

“At the very least, you need to grasp our sect’s cultivation techniques and basic sword techniques. Otherwise, you’ll just be skimming the surface without truly integrating.”

“I’ve already learned the cultivation techniques.” Chu Ge smiled without looking up, “During our conversation while observing the flowers just now.”

“Hmm?” Qiu Wuji was taken aback, “I only taught you to memorize the technique, I didn’t explain the actual cultivation methods…”

“Well, a long time ago, before I even started practicing, you taught me the proper routines, the Twelve Meridian Paths… back then, my body couldn’t handle it, so I stopped. After recovering, I switched to the Golden Bell Shield technique.”

Qiu Wuji’s expression turned nostalgic.

Oh right, there was such a thing… She did teach him the cultivation methods back then, but his meridians couldn’t handle it.

So he actually remembered…

“Well, then I’ll teach you the basic sword techniques.” Qiu Wuji was afraid he wouldn’t be willing to learn, so she added with a stern face, “Even though you don’t use swords in your realm, here you’ll be moving around under the identy of my disciple, so you can’t not learn swordsmanship!”

“Of course I’ll learn… I won’t be in the mountains all the time. One day, I’ll stand side by side with you, wielding our swords as we roam the world. How can I not learn swordsmanship?”

Qiu Wuji’s expression turned joyful, but she quickly regained her composure and handed him a precious sword, saying, “This is the Solitary Swan Sword I used in my youth… um, I’ve always been youthful. I used it before. Now, I bestow it upon you. Treat it as your own master…”

Chu Ge took the sword, touched it a couple of times, and even gave it a kiss.

Qiu Wuji: “?”

Chu Ge took a step back, holding the sword, “Treating it like my master…”

Qiu Wuji’s expression was indifferent as she drew her own Autumn Water Sword and said, “Miscreant, watch my sword!”

Chu Ge immediately bolted.

“Don’t run, come here!” His collar was caught, and he kicked in the air for a while before hanging his head, not moving.

Qiu Wuji, feeling a mix of annoyance and amusement, pressed him down onto the snowy ground and said, “You have no foundation in swordsmanship, so I’ll start teaching you from the very basics. Follow my movements…”

At the peak of the snowy peak, amidst the flying snow, the female master and her male disciple were practicing swordsmanship, graceful as a dance.

The young girl who was tidying up in the backyard leaned on the railing to watch. She thought the Sect Master looked beautiful and the Junior Martial Uncle was also handsome. The scene of the Sect Master teaching her disciple was more beautiful and heartwarming than she had imagined. It didn’t look like a lesson; it looked like two butterflies dancing together in the clouds and mist.