After the door was pushed open, he then walked out. This was a short period of time, and he hadn’t even felt any fluctuations of strength. But in the time he took to step forward, he spanned an unknown distance and arrived directly in a reading room.
Looking up, he could see through the small gaps in the walls woven by the peach branches. Sunlight poured in, leaving a mottled pattern of light on the ground.
Qin Yu subconsciously narrowed his eyes. It was only then that he discovered something was off in this room. Because as long as he wasn’t blind, he could tell that it was a woman’s private room.
A faint fragrance floated in the air. Qin Yu wasn’t unfamiliar with this scent, because it was the same one that came from Peachy.
He lightly coughed and quickly lowered his head, in case he saw something that he shouldn’t have seen.
Peachy glanced at him. Without much expression, she took a few steps forward and opened the door. She turned and said, “Welcome to Peach Blossom Spring.”
Outside the door, peach trees were in full bloom. Pink flowers seemed to stretch all the way to the end of the world. A thick layer of petals had fallen to the ground, and as the wind moved, it carried with it a sweet fragrance.
Qin Yu stepped out. He subconsciously reached out a hand and caught a petal that drifted towards him on the wind. When it touched his palm, it quietly melted into him.
Then, there was a bit of coolness. Qin Yu looked down to see that a peach blossom mark, one in full bloom, had appeared on the back of his hand.
Peachy’s eyes sparkled as she saw this, but she remained silent.
“Junior-apprentice sister, I am here upon the orders of master to bring junior-apprentice brother Qin Yu to pay a visit to him.” A man in white robes walked out from the peach tree forest. His eyes were like stars and his eyebrows like swords. He walked with a calm and elegant demeanor.
Qin Yu cupped his hands together, “My name is Qin Yu.”
The white-robed man smiled and nodded, “It’s nice to meet you, junior-apprentice brother. My name is White Phoenix. I am the third seated beneath teacher, so you can call me Third Senior-apprentice Brother. If junior-apprentice brother has no more questions, please follow me. It would not be good to keep master waiting for too long.”
Qin Yu said, “Yes, senior-apprentice brother.” He turned around and glanced at the seemingly indifferent Peachy. “Thank you senior-apprentice sister for bringing me to Peach Blossom Spring. Then, goodbye.”
The third seated White Phoenix smiled and cupped his hands, bowing at Peachy, “Junior-apprentice brother, follow me.” Facing the endless peach blossoms that danced in the air, the two soon vanished from sight.
From beginning to end, Peachy didn’t look at the two again, as if nothing in the world was as beautiful as this peach tree forest in front of her.
White Phoenix was a good person. When this label popped up in Qin Yu’s heart, it left him secretly surprised. Due to his life experiences, he was destined to be cautious and wary of others. He would never trust someone easily.
But just from seeing this person for the first time and speaking a few words, he felt this feeling. He thought it was inconceivable.
White Phoenix seemed to sense something in Qin Yu’s gaze. He smiled and said, “Junior-apprentice brother, there is no need to be so nervous. Because of my bloodline and my cultivation method, I am inherently intimate with all things in the world. If you think I am a good person, that is normal.”
After giving Qin Yu some time to digest this, his smile brightened, “Of course, I am indeed a good person.”
Qin Yu was left speechless. This was the first time he encountered someone who had labeled themselves a good person like this. But, this third senior-apprentice brother’s smile was contagious and he subconsciously relaxed.
Vigilant, he had to be vigilant!
“Junior-apprentice brother, please relax. Disciples of my Peach Blossom Spring are close to each other and protect each other. We don’t mess around and have troublesome matters like those from the outside do. You will understand later.” White Phoenix glanced at the peach blossom mark on the back of Qin Yu’s hand and said, “So junior-apprentice brother has already obtained a mark. Is it from outside junior-apprentice sister’s peach house?”
Qin Yu nodded.
White Phoenix lightly sighed, a bit of envy in his eyes, “Junior-apprentice brother is lucky. My Peach Blossom Spring has numerous peach trees, but when it comes to quality and age, junior-apprentice sister’s peach house is second to none. Even the place where master lives is a little bit worse. To have obtained a peach blossom mark from the peach house there, it seems junior-apprentice brother truly shares a destiny with my Peach Blossom Spring. Your future will surely be limitless.”
There was something like that? If White Phoenix didn’t speak so earnestly and it wasn’t easy to verify this matter, he would have suspected that this third senior-apprentice brother was spouting nonsense to him.
“The peach blossom mark is an identification marker of Peach Blossom Spring. In the future, you may show this to others to demonstrate your background.” Third senior-apprentice brother paused, his eyes flashing, “I heard that little junior-apprentice brother has perceived the Space Laws. If there is an opportunity in the future, we should have a discussion.”
When he finished speaking, he didn’t wait for Qin Yu’s response. He bowed and said, “Honorable master, junior-apprentice brother Qin Yu has arrived.”
A small courtyard hidden in the peach tree forest appeared in front of the two of them. But from beginning to end, Qin Yu hadn’t sensed its existence. If it weren’t for White Phoenix stopping here and bowing, Qin Yu would never have discovered it.
It was like if one wasn’t allowed, then even if this small courtyard was in front of them they still wouldn’t sense it. Unless one personally experienced this, it would be impossible to understand how miraculous and shocking it seemed, and also to appreciate how impactful it was.
The atmosphere remained silent, but White Phoenix had clearly received a response. After bowing respectfully, he nodded at Qin Yu and then turned and left. A gust of wind blew petals up, obscuring his figure as he vanished.
As Qin Yu was hesitating and feeling a bit anxious, the courtyard doors creaked open.
He took a breath, tidied his robes, and walked into the courtyard. There, standing beneath a peach tree, he saw a middle-aged man with his arms held behind his back.
His back was ordinary and he wasn’t too tall. But with just one glance, Qin Yu felt as if he was facing a majestic and endlessly towering mountain.
A moment later, Qin Yu discovered that he had really appeared in front of a mountain. It soared into the clouds, as if connecting the skies and earth, one that could never be surmounted.
A terrifying oppression was released, covering him.
The middle-aged Taoist in the courtyard didn’t move at all, but Qin Yu was left struggling. Beads of sweat covered his forehead.
With a stuffy cough, his figure trembled and his face paled. As his pupils shrank with shock, he quickly bowed and said, “Junior Qin Yu greets the Spring Master!”
“Mm.” With a faint response, the middle-aged Taoist turned around. His eyes fell on Qin Yu, “To wake up so quickly, not bad.
“From today on, you are a disciple of my Peach Blossom Spring, placed ninth.”
Hum –
A ripple arrived in Qin Yu’s mind. As the Peach Blossom Spring Master finished speaking, a connection appeared between him and the peach garden beneath him.
A True Saint had formed the Great Dao. This was the true Enforcement of the Word. From this point on, Qin Yu had received approval to become a genuine cultivator of Peach Blossom Spring.
So this first glance was actually a test!
Qin Yu fell to his knees, “Disciple greets master!”
The Spring Master nodded, “Rise. My Peach Blossom Spring does not have so many rules. Today’s situation is special so I shall receive your bow, but there is no need to do so in the future.”
Qin Yu respectfully said, “Yes, master.”
The Spring Master said, “You will come to learn the other rules of Peach Blossom Spring. Today, I will tell you one. Peach Blossom Spring does not support idlers. Don’t think you can do nothing and enjoy all kinds of cultivation resources. It is best if you don’t expect any meat pies to fall from the skies. Whatever you wish to obtain, that depends on how much you contribute to Peach Blossom Spring.
“There are many ways to make contributions, and one is right in front of you. Can you hand over the spirit body bred from the Endless Sea?” Without asking if he had it or not, and without any opening premise at all, he directly and bluntly asked for it.
Qin Yu stiffened. He never thought that the first thing the Spring Master would ask about was the spirit body. Sure enough, it was quite important, and Zhou Lei had really entered the Endless Sea because it was the will of Peach Blossom Spring.
But the problem was that Old Turtle had more or less eaten up the spirit body. Even if Qin Yu wanted to hand it over, there was nothing he could do about it.
“Honorable master, that spirit body…”
The Spring Master lightly said, “Every new disciple can receive a gift from me. This can be considered a first meeting gift, and also a ceremonial gift of accepting a new disciple. But the value of the gift I bestow can also vary. Do you understand my meaning?”
More sweat appeared on Qin Yu’s forehead. This was a solemn and dignified True Saint that had crossed the sea to reach the other shore? The noble Peach Blossom Spring Master? Wasn’t this sort of behavior and conduct too roguish!? This was clearly telling him that if he wanted something good, he had better take out the spirit body and exchange for it, otherwise he shouldn’t expect anything!
But his heart had calmed down instead. It seemed that from the Spring Master’s performance…he had no intention of forcing him. Was this okay?
After hesitating a bit, Qin Yu said, “I don’t dare to conceal it from master. The truth is that the spirit body has already been used up, so I…” He hesitated a little, not daring to finish his sentence lest the Spring Mater lose his temper. If that happened, he could only have Old Turtle vomit blood and shear off a part of his soul force. It was better for that to happen than to be punched by a True Saint.
No, there was no need for a punch. A casual finger would place him in a life or death dilemma.
The Spring Master furrowed his eyebrows, “It’s been used?” He glanced at Qin Yu, “In that case, grab your things and find a place by yourself.”
The surrounding scenery instantly changed. Qin Yu didn’t even have an idea of what happened before he was tossed out of the courtyard. Looking at the tightly shut courtyard doors, he was secretly shocked at how terrifying the True Saint boundary was, and also how strange it was.
This Spring Master was completely different from what he expected. He had refused to take out the spirit body but still passed? Moreover, from beginning to end, he never mentioned the Space Laws.
It had to be known that the Half-Saints had rushed back and forth because of the Space Laws, so it could be seen how valuable they were. How come it wasn’t taken seriously now that he arrived at Peach Blossom Spring?
He looked down at two things lying in his hands. There was a jade pendant and a set of robes. Qin Yu’s lips twitched. This was the ceremonial meeting gift from a True Saint? To be cheap to such a degree, this was just too realistic!
But just thinking this was fine. He could never reveal it. Not only could he not reveal it, he had to display a satisfied appearance.
Qin Yu bowed respectfully, “I thank master for the generous gifts. This disciple shall never forget!”
The courtyard was silent, without any response at all. It seemed that when he was tossed out just now, in the opinion of the Spring Master, that was the same as chasing him away.
He forced a smile. When he looked up, he suddenly discovered that he had no idea where to go.
