After Becoming the Hero's Ex-fiancée

Yuqing Sect (2)

Even Granny Jin was urging for her to agree. Zheng Wan also knew, in this current situation, that there was no harm in saying yes. Although Ming Yu Daojun was somewhat arrogant and presumptuous, going by the dream, she did seem to be an upright person who acted openly and honestly.

But Zheng Wan just didn’t want to.

It made her uncomfortable.

“My deepest apologies, I… still wish to look around.”

To other people’s ears, this sounded like she was being ungrateful, but Ming Yu Daojun wasn’t annoyed at all, and only gave her a few more strange looks. She was just about to speak when she heard Fu Sheng Zhenjun’s request.

“Then, how about entering my Tianluo School?”

Zheng Wan did not in the least want to be a nun——

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She glanced at Fu Sheng Zhenjun’s bare head and thought regrettably that if she had to have her long hair cut off, she would rather not practice this Way.

“Fu Sheng, now, you’re just fooling around. When did your temple start accepting female disciples?”

“If she is willing to come, she will be the first one. Little cultivator, will you join us?”

Zheng Wan also shook her head and declined.

“I don’t wish to cut my hair.”

“You’ll have special permission to not have to.”

A smile appeared on Fu Sheng Zhenjun’s face, but heard his old rival, who had been silent, say, “Noisy.”

Cui Wang cast Zheng Wan a glance, then flicked his sleeves and walked away——he did not go far, walking straight to the place where Guixu Sect was recruiting, then stood motionless.

As soon as Li Wei Zhenjun left, Danxin Sect, Beimian Sect, and the various sects that had come subsequently, also went to their respective places, waiting for the wheel to select those who passed the first round.

Zheng Wan was left to herself.

She appeared to be standing in a foolish daze, but in reality, her mind was almost crammed to the bim with Granny Jin’s screams.

“Granny!”

“Go, you must go to Yuqing Sect!”

Granny Jin screamed, “Although you have ice vital roots, cold and icy arts do not suit you. But it seems that you are extremely compatible with Yuqing Sect’s ‘Non-Emptiness Sutra’—neither reality nor unreality, a technique to construct the Heavens…”

Zheng Wan was getting dizzy from her yelling.

“Could the Yuqing Sect be that sect with the most gorgeous and beautiful clothing?”

She had taken notice of a group that had recently arrived, landing next to the group from Guixu Sect. There were both males and females in the group. Their clothes fluttering in the wind, the men were handsome, while the women were beautiful. Even for those who didn’t have particularly attractive features, from the way she saw it, their every move contained an indescribable charm that made one want to look again and again.

“That’s right.”

Granny Jin said in a low voice, “Don’t look too much. What they practice is only the most rudimentary charm arts, but in Yuqing Sect’s scripture depository, there is a pre-eminent divine scripture called the ‘Non-Emptiness Sutra’. It’s a creationary art that relies on the coexistence of unreality and reality. Mastery of the arts will allow one to create realms and confuse people’s minds, which suits your temperament. Your ice vital roots can also help you get through the impulsiveness you’ll experience at the beginning of the Non-Emptiness Sutra.

“Since entering the Danxin Sect, Granny has almost forgotten the arts of that old witch. She must have… ascended by now, right?”

Zhao Wan retracted her gaze and looked towards the city guards. She was just about to ask about how she was meant to proceed when she saw Fu Sheng Zhenjun arrive on a lotus. The fingers rolling his prayer beads seemed to be made of jade; his lips curved into a smile.

“Little cultivator, looking at Li Wei?”

Guixu Sect was right next to Yuqing Sect; she must’ve been misunderstood.

Zheng Wan shook her head. Before she could speak, she heard Fu Sheng Zhenjun say genially, “Ice vital roots, top-grade, bone age fifteen, middle Gateway stage. In my view, you can enter Guixu Sect.”

The city guards were astonished; even the novice cultivators lined up behind and around Zheng Wan had begun exchanging whispers.

“Did Fu Sheng Zhenjun make a mistake? A possessor of such rare ice vital roots, but only at middle Gateway stage at fifteen…”

They thought it was rather impossible.

Fu Sheng Zhenjun smiled, like Buddha holding up a flower1.

“In all the thousands of realms, there are tens of thousands of encounters in life. Why is it impossible?”

But it occurred to Zheng Wan, now that Li Jin has returned to Fu Sheng Zhenjun…… the memories of the mortal realm were still there.

“Since Zhenjun has said so, it must be so.”

The city guards looked at Zheng Wan with complicated expressions. With such vital roots, she would become an inner disciple no matter which sect she entered. But of course… if she did not pass the heart trial, that might not be the case.

“Go to Guixu,” said Fu Sheng Zhenjun smilingly.

Zheng Wan looked at those eyes that did not tolerate any disobedience and automatically thought of Li Jin’s obsequiousness. Even though he was a reincarnation, why was there such a drastic change?

“May I ask Zhenjun why you want me to enter Guixu Sect?”

“I just want to watch a good show.”

Fu Sheng Zhenjun placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around, motioning for her to look towards Cui Wang.

She saw that the man’s eyes were shrouded; it seemed as if a brilliance was fading from them. When their eyes met, Cui Wang turned away indifferently.

“Amusing, right?”

Fu Sheng Zhenjun laughed heartily. “This mortal realm… it was well worth the trip.”

The corners of Zheng Wan’s lips lifted slightly, and she reminded him in a whisper.

“Fu Sheng Zhenjun, do you still remember the promise you made previously?”

“I do. This Zhenjun never lies.”

“I want Zhenjun to help me enter Yuqing Sect.”

“Yuqing Sect?”

Fu Sheng Zhenjun began rolling the prayer beads past his fingers, but his eyes revealed the particular displeasure high-ranking people displayed after being disobeyed. “That sect is full of shameless leeches who focus on seeking personal gain; my school’s tantric practices are far better. If it wasn’t because their founding sect leader was so exceptionally outstanding, I’m afraid they would’ve been removed from the seven main sects long ago.

“You don’t like that I’m helping you patch things up with Li Wei?”

Zheng Wan said resolutely, “I don’t.”

“Have I not told you that Li Wei can hear everything you say?”

Fu Sheng Zhenjun laughed heartily. Zheng Wan turned automatically to look at Cui Wang, only to see him standing still as a mountain, his profile seeming to be carved out of ice and snow, cold and hard.

She turned her head, unbothered.

“Zhenjun is wrong. Li Wei Zhenjun and I are only passing acquaintances, like patches of drifting duckweed. Even if we had anything to do with each other, it is all in the past now.”

“Such free-spirited nature!”

Fu Sheng Zhenjun clapped and laughed. “I like it.”

“Fine, even if you don’t want to enter Guixu Sect, just go and stand there, be a thorn in Cui Wang’s eyes. Don’t worry, this is only the preliminary assessment, it will not decide which sect you go to. The real result will not be out until the third round—if you still want to enter the Yuqing Sect at that time, I will help you.”

Naturally, having obtained his word, Zheng Wan did not want to go against Fu Sheng Zhenjun over trifles and really went to stand amongst the novice cultivators at Guixu Sect.

Around her were all little children about six or seven years old. Standing so tall and graceful amongst them, she really was like a crane standing among chickens, and could be seen at a glance. To make Fu Sheng Zhenjun happy, Zheng Wan even moved directly opposite Cui Wang.

When Cui Wang’s dark gaze came over, Zheng Wan looked up and smiled sweetly at him.

Seeing Cui Wang lower his eyes, she herself also made no more moves and just stood there obediently, waiting for the results of the preliminary assessment.

The selection by the wheels took a whole day and night, which was nothing to the cultivators. In the end, a hundred and twenty people were selected.

Zheng Wan also understood from the whispers that the so-called wheel selection was only to provide a preliminary suggestion. Where the cultivators chose to stand merely served as an indication of their initial intentions to the various sects, how things would end up was still up in the air—those who wanted to go to Guixu Sect might enter Taibai Sect, those who wanted to go to Tianzun Sect might enter Yuqing Sect, and those who want to go to Yushou Sect might end up in Huanxi School…

Seven sects, three schools and two academies, there were twelve in total. Among the countless cities in the Heavenly Realms, the first one was only the most minuscule. Ultimately, the number of people able to enter the major sects would be no more than a hundred per sect, out of which, only three could become inner disciples.

“Becoming Yuqing Sect’s inner disciple is the only way to be eligible to enter their scripture depository,” reminded Granny Jin.

But Zheng Wan had already heard a city guard announce, “The first round, the preliminary selections, is over.”

With great precision and uniformity, they packed away the wheels with a flick of their sleeves. Before Zheng Wan could react, she felt her feet lift into the air, then, she was standing on a vast boundary land. Green stretched out beneath her, and beside her were endless auspicious clouds. She then heard a familiar line coming from the front:

“Hold tight.”

She grabbed onto the white robe in front of her instinctively.

Only to find that, amidst the whistling wind, she was on Cui Wang’s sword. Around her, Guixu Sect’s sword cultivators each had one novice cultivator with them, all rushing towards the end of sunlight.

“Where are we going?”

“The second round, Chiyou City.”

Footnote:

1 Buddha holding up a flower: A reference to the Flower Sermon, in which he did nothing but hold up a flower. When he held up the freshly-picked lotus flower — roots and all, dripping mud — the assembled crowd was silent, not understanding its significance. But after a moment or two, Buddha’s disciple Mahakasyapa smiled. He was the only attendee to receive the Buddha’s message that day, but the account of The Flower Sermon is remembered and revered in Zen Buddhism even now.