Shujing Hall, Big Bamboo Peak
"Tell me, is that Zhang Xiaofan you praised in the Jade Crystal Hall truly good, or was it just talk?"
Tian Buyi, still bristling from Cang Song's provocations, glared at Li Qingan. Having his pride trampled upon at Tongtian Peak had left his temper shorter than usual, and his voice carried a sharp edge.
Su Ru, seeing her husband's rising fury, stepped in to soothe him. "Buyi, speak gently. Has Xiao An ever given us cause for worry? Just let him explain himself. Besides, the matter is settled, and I think that child looks quite honest."
Li Qingan stood alone in the hall; Zhang Xiaofan had been settled in a guest room, and the other disciples had gone to inspect their new junior brother.
Watching the fire in Tian Buyi's eyes dim under Su Ru's gentle persuasion, Li Qingan offered his reasoning—or rather, a well-placed excuse.
"Master, trust my intuition. I feel this Junior Brother is a late bloomer. I'd even wager he makes it to the top four in the Seven Peaks Tournament five years from now."
He was telling the truth—Zhang Xiaofan did reach the top four in the original timeline against all odds—but Tian Buyi just stared at him in disbelief. "Top four in five years? If you're going to lie to me, at least make it a plausible one."
Li Qingan shrugged. He knew that with Zhang Xiaofan's current display of "aptitude," no one would believe him. This must be the mandatory burden of a protagonist, he thought.
"Fine," Tian Buyi grunted, not wanting to argue further. "Since you've been so 'relaxed' lately, I'll be personally supervising your training soon."
"Yes, Master," Li Qingan replied immediately. He needed to keep Tian Buyi happy for now. In truth, he was planning to head down the mountain for a solo journey soon. His array cultivation had reached a bottleneck that required him to commune with more diverse earth veins and search for the Geomantic Mystery Manual.
The Initiation
Soon, Song Daren and the others led Zhang Xiaofan back into the hall.
"Eat first?" Su Ru asked, concerned the boy was hungry.
"He has eaten," Song Daren replied.
"Then let the apprenticeship begin!" Tian Buyi commanded.
Li Qingan watched as Zhang Xiaofan, following instructions, kowtowed more than a dozen times. The thuds against the floor were so sincere that the boy's forehead ended up bruised and bloody.
Tian Buyi looked at the dazed, seemingly slow-witted boy and felt a pang of regret. He felt slightly swindled by Li Qingan's high praise. Frustrated, he dumped the responsibility of teaching the basics onto Song Daren and Li Qingan and stormed off.
"Mom, we have two little junior brothers now!" Tian Ling'er skipped over to Zhang Xiaofan, laughing. "Look at him, he blushes when he sees me. How come Li Qingan never blushed?"
"Don't be naughty," Su Ru scolded her daughter, who was fourteen but still acted like a child.
Li Qingan walked up to the timid Zhang Xiaofan. "Junior Brother, I'm Li Qingan. I'm your Seventh Senior Brother now. Just... don't call me 'Immortal Big Brother' anymore."
The hall erupted in laughter. Tian Ling'er circled Li Qingan, sizing him up. He stood in his clean green robes, back straight as a bamboo stalk, with a faint, lazy smile that made him look both ethereal and grounded.
Watching him, Tian Ling'er suddenly found her own face heating up. "Well... you do look a bit like an immortal," she muttered softly.
Su Ru, watching from the sidelines, sighed inwardly. Trouble is brewing for this young girl's heart.
Seeds of the Future
"Senior... Seventh Senior Brother," Zhang Xiaofan stammered, feeling a strange sense of kinship with Li Qingan. "Can you tell me where Lin Jingyu went?"
"Don't worry. He went to Dragon Head Peak and was taken in by a Peak Lord as well," Li Qingan said, patting his shoulder.
Zhang Xiaofan looked relieved. With both of them having a place to stay, he could focus on getting stronger to find the truth behind his village's massacre.
Li Qingan saw the flicker of hatred in the boy's eyes and sighed. I'm no god; I can't save everyone. As long as I have a clear conscience, that's enough, he reminded himself. After all, one must survive before they can save.
"Xiao An," Su Ru called out, smiling at the group. "Since Xiaofan is close to you, you shall be responsible for his lessons today. As for the rest of you—follow me to the training grounds. It's time I tested your progress!"
Ignoring the groans of the other disciples, Li Qingan grabbed Zhang Xiaofan and made a break for it. He summoned his flying sword and took the boy toward the back of the mountain, toward the Black Bamboo Forest.
Zhang Xiaofan trembled, looking at the ground receding beneath them.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Li Qingan said, his voice carrying over the wind. "Once you cultivate, you can roam the heavens. The world's constraints will be nothing but illusions. Go and find the secrets of longevity."
He was planting a seed in the boy's mind—the idea that rules can be broken.
On the sword, the biting wind was softened into a gentle breeze by Li Qingan's spells. Zhang Xiaofan felt a sense of direction for the first time since the tragedy.
Li Qingan smiled. He hadn't expected his "anti-motion sickness" spell for flying to be so effective at comforting a traumatized protagonist