NOVEL ONLINE FREE 4: This Sect... Is a Bit Strange
Inside the wooden cabin.
The bitter smell of medicine was strong. Chu Sang was awakened by the pungent odor, “Cough cough cough…”
Tantai Ming had been keeping watch by the bedside. Hearing movement, he seemed to come alive in an instant,
“Wuwuwu, miss, you’re finally awake!”
“Fortunately, Sixth Senior Brother left behind some Yúlíng Pills before he left. They shouldn’t have expired, should be edible. Luckily they worked, otherwise I would have felt guilty for life…”
He let out a relieved sigh and grabbed the medicine bowl from the table, bringing it to her lips, “Quick, drink this too. It’s a medicinal soup made from hundred-year-old Qingxu Grass, very effective for treating external injuries!”
Chu Sang had no chance to refuse. She gulped down the medicine in a few mouthfuls. It was spicy, bitter, and scalded her tongue.
“Where is this?” She licked her lips, looking around the simply furnished wooden cabin. She didn’t remember ever coming to a place like this.
“This is the Small Dan Peak of our sect. It’s where Sixth Senior Brother usually stays, but he’s been away on business for several months now. I brought you here to rest first.”
Chu Sang turned to look at him, “I remember falling into an abyss before I fainted. How did we end up here?”
“I used my sword to fish you out, returned that egg, and then we managed to escape. “
Tantai Ming sat back down by the bed, sighing, “This was my oversight. I didn’t expect to involve an outsider like you. It’s my fault. No matter what, I have to ensure your safety.”
The young man continued, growing sad, “It’s best to form a contract with spirit beasts when they’re young. This was the only Liujin Qilin beast I’ve found after searching for so many years. It’s the spirit beast most compatible with my dual gold and earth spirit roots. Who knows when I’ll encounter another one.”
“When the old doesn’t go, the new doesn’t come. Look on the bright side, the next one will be better.” Chu Sang wanted to say that he should be content with just being alive after such a reckless act.
Tantai Ming nodded in agreement, “You’re right. If it’s meant to be, I believe I’ll encounter another one.” He continued, “I was indeed at fault in this matter. Having caused trouble, I can’t be at ease. May I ask which sect you’re from, miss? I must personally go and apologize!”
“…I’m not from any sect.”
“Oh, so you’re an independent cultivator?” Tantai Ming looked her up and down. She didn’t seem like one. Not many independent cultivators could draw talismans, right?
Chu Sang nodded, “More or less.”
Having been expelled from Tianyan Sect by Chang Yu, she wasn’t much different from an independent cultivator now.
Tantai Ming immediately closed his mouth, his gaze towards her containing a hint of pity. He bit his soft lips uneasily, pondered for a moment, and then added, “If you don’t have a place to stay for now, why don’t you join our Lingqing Sect?”
“Although our sect isn’t that great, we provide food and lodging, and there’s usually not much to do. It’s quite leisurely.”
Lingqing Sect?
This sect hadn’t appeared in the original story. It was probably just an obscure small sect.
Chu Sang didn’t care whether it was one of the Eight Great Sects or a small sect. Her wish for this new life wasn’t grand; she just wanted a place to eat and sleep.
A small sect might even help her stay away from the male and female protagonists and live a peaceful life!
Being close at hand, she could also collect some points.
Thinking about it this way, it really wasn’t a bad choice.
Chu Sang pondered for a moment, then looked up,
“I’m willing to join Lingqing Sect.”
Tantai Ming, who had been up all night without rest, had just poured himself a bowl of water to drink. He nearly choked.
“Cough cough.” His face turned red as he wiped his mouth, overjoyed, “You really want to join our Lingqing Sect?”
Chu Sang didn’t quite understand why he was so emotional. She nodded, tugging at her fingers a bit awkwardly, “But there’s one thing I should tell you. My spirit root is damaged, making it difficult for me to cultivate. My cultivation level might be stuck at the late stage of Qi Condensation. I’m afraid I won’t be of much use to the sect. I don’t know if the sect is still willing to take me in…”
“Willing, willing, of course we’re willing.” He interrupted her, “It’s just a damaged spirit root. When Sixth Senior Brother returns in a while, he can refine a pill to repair your spirit root! In all these years, I’ve never seen anything that old pois… ahem, Sixth Senior Brother couldn’t handle!”
“Oh right, Little Junior Sister, I almost forgot to introduce our sect’s situation to you. You have seven senior brothers and five senior sisters in total.”
“Before you came, I was the youngest. Right above me is your Sixth Senior Brother.”
“Your Sixth Senior Brother is the direct descendant of the Mu family, a renowned pill-refining clan. Although I don’t get along with him usually, I have to admit that his pill-refining skills are truly masterful, unmatched among our peers. There’s no illness in this world he can’t cure.”
Chu Sang twitched the corner of her mouth, thinking that this senior brother changed his tune quickly. However, repairing a spirit root wasn’t an ordinary minor ailment. Back then, she was considered a prodigy of her generation, and Tianyan Sect had spared no effort in finding all sorts of miraculous pills and medicines for her, but to no avail.
If even one of the Eight Great Sects couldn’t manage it, let alone a small sect like this…
She vaguely remembered that in the original story, the only person who could refine a heaven-grade pill to repair spirit roots was…
Wait, something felt off. That person was named Mu Chihuai, but he was a major villain in the middle of the novel, a ruthless psychopath skilled in both medicine and poison. Legend had it that he was unpredictable, extremely malicious, and capricious. Countless people had died at his hands, and even the male and female protagonists, blessed by heavenly fortune, had nearly fallen victim to his poison.
“Seventh Senior Brother, may I ask what is the name of my Sixth Senior Brother?”
Chu Sang felt her voice trembling slightly.
Tantai Ming gave her a strange look, “Your Sixth Senior Brother is called Mu Chihuai, the direct descendant of the Mu family, one of the four great pill-refining clans. Haven’t you heard of him? Well, you’re an independent cultivator, so it’s normal if you haven’t heard of these things.”
“???”
Chu Sang inwardly exclaimed. Had she stumbled into a villain’s den?
Feeling a hint of horror, Chu Sang tried to maintain her composure, “What are the names of the other senior brothers and sisters?”
“If I tell you now, you won’t remember. When they come back, I’ll introduce them to you one by one.”
“Alright.”
Chu Sang thought it must be a coincidence. She couldn’t be that unlucky to have really stumbled into a villain’s den, right??
Seeing Chu Sang looking dejected, Tantai Ming thought she was still worried about her spirit root and comforted her, “Don’t worry, Little Junior Sister. Actually, when you fainted yesterday, I already called Sixth Senior Brother to come back.”
“It’s strange though, I sent him a message last night, but he still hasn’t returned.”
Tantai Ming took out the communication jade slip again, swiping up and down a couple of times. His expression soured, “Read but no reply again. Huh, who does he think he is? This guy is still so annoying!”
Chu Sang: It seems the relationships within the sect aren’t very harmonious.
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Small sects were different from the Eight Great Sects; there was no solemn and serious initiation ceremony. Tantai Ming just gave Chu Sang a token and a storage bag, telling her that after dripping blood on the token, it would be considered hers. Then, sending this life token to the ancestral hall for safekeeping would complete the process.
The storage bag contained an iron sword for disciples entering the sect, the Lingqing Sect’s mental cultivation method and sword techniques, a thinner yellow book which was the sect handbook, two sets of spare sect robes, a bottle of Spiritual Replenishment Pills, and a few spirit stones.
Chu Sang put the token into the storage bag as well.
“On my first day of joining, shouldn’t I go pay my respects to the elders?”
“No need, our sect doesn’t have elders.”
Tantai Ming’s gaze drifted to the side as he raised his fist to his lips. The young man rarely looked so embarrassed, “Our sect is too poor to pay salaries. All the managing elders have run away.”
Chu Sang slowly typed out a “?”
“Then what about the Sect Leader? Our master? A sect should at least have a leader, right?” Her eyes widened.
“The old master has also run off. She hasn’t been back for half a year, who knows where she’s gone wandering this time.” Tantai Ming sighed.
“…”
“Wait, Seventh Senior Brother, don’t tell me you’re the only one left in the sect now?” Chu Sang suddenly had an ominous feeling, as if she’d gotten into a shady deal. Thinking back, she realized that in all the time since she woke up, she indeed hadn’t seen anyone other than Tantai Ming.
“How did you know, Little Junior Sister?”
Tantai Ming wanted to give her a big thumbs up, “The senior brothers and sisters are either in closed-door cultivation, out on adventures, or visiting their families. They’ve all run off.”
“Second Senior Brother and Big Senior Sister should have returned by now, but I heard they got lost on the way and stumbled into a secret realm. They’re still trapped in there and can’t get out.”
“In the whole sect, I’m the only one left to watch over the place. It’s no fun at all!”
He looked at the newly recruited junior sister with bright eyes. She seemed so obedient and cute, the more he looked, the more he liked her. He wanted to quickly share this good news with the senior brothers and sisters, “You don’t know, Little Junior Sister, our sect hasn’t recruited any new members for ten years. I never thought I’d see a little junior sister in my lifetime. This is wonderful!”
Chu Sang felt that she had been too hasty in her judgment earlier… This sect looked like it was about to go bankrupt no matter how you looked at it?
“Um, I’m having second thoughts and want to leave the sect. Is it too late now?”