Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 41 Ruyan's Endurance Skill

She was truly furious.

She claimed to be seriously injured back then just to gain sympathy. Didn't you see that after she joined the sect, even that manager surnamed Xu never mentioned it again? Everyone knows what happened, so it's fine. But you just like to talk too much!

Murong Ruyan cursed inwardly for a long time before taking a deep breath and regaining her gentle demeanor. She curtsied slightly and said softly, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Chang. My injury is no longer a problem, so you don't need to worry about it."

"Oh, that's good. By the way, this is the 'Elementary Qi Refining Manual'."

Chang Ping'an didn't notice anything amiss. As he spoke, he took out a book from his pocket that he had worn smooth from handling it so much that it was almost worn smooth. He handed it to Murong Ruyan and said, "There are only two copies of this book in our entire sect. One is a handwritten copy by Steward Xu. This is the original copy in his possession. There's only one copy, so please keep it safe!"

Murong Ruyan's face immediately showed a look of being flattered. She took the "Elementary Qi Refining Book" and carefully flipped through it as if it were a treasure. She said, "Such a precious thing, Senior Brother gave it to me. What are you going to do with yourself?"

Chang Ping'an said confidently, "I can recite it backwards and forwards, so whether I have the book or not doesn't matter!"

Murong Ruyan's eyes sparkled again. She hugged the book to her chest with one hand and pulled on Chang Ping'an's sleeve with the other, looking at him with admiration, and said, "Senior brother is really amazing!"

Chang Ping'an sighed, shook his head, and said, "Alas, how can I be considered amazing! My aptitude is really mediocre. It took me two days of cultivation to draw Qi into my body. I had to beg my master for a long time before he accepted me as his disciple."

As he spoke, he paused, then pulled his sleeve away from Murong Ruyan's fingertips, and slapped her shoulder, nearly making her stumble. He then loudly proclaimed, "However, Junior Sister's talent is extraordinary; she is certainly much stronger than me!"

Murong Ruyan took two steps back, took another deep breath, and tried to lower her voice as she said, "Senior Brother, please don't underestimate yourself. By the way, it's getting late. If Senior Brother has nothing else to do, Ruyan would like to rest early..."

A normal person, especially a man, would naturally go along with it and say goodbye when he heard a delicate young girl say that.

Unless someone is extremely lustful, that's a different story.

Unexpectedly, Chang Ping'an, who was neither, became serious upon hearing this and said solemnly, "Junior Sister has just entered the sect and was once a princess who lived a life of luxury. I'm afraid she is not used to the hardships of the mountains. As her senior brother, I have to say a few things."

"Our master is a terrestrial immortal, probably the only one of its kind in the world. To be able to study under him and learn the immortal path is already a great fortune, and we must not slack off."

“Cultivation, though it doesn’t have to be done day and night, can’t be done so casually either. If you can attain enlightenment and graduate sooner, you can return to Bohai Kingdom sooner, seize the throne, and take revenge. I hope you will think it over carefully.”

Murong Ruyan's hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched and unclenched repeatedly, desperately trying to suppress her temper.

This Senior Brother Chang is even more troublesome than the Third Princess!
She said that just to get you out of here, how can you not understand that!

However, because Murong Ruyan kept her eyes down, Chang Ping'an couldn't see her expression. Seeing that his junior sister hadn't spoken for a while, he assumed she was ashamed and comforted her, "Junior sister, there's no need to be ashamed. You're still young. You'll grow up and become more sensible. I was a bit harsh. You've only just entered the sect today, so you really should rest. I won't disturb you any longer!"

With that, Chang Ping'an gave a slight bow and left. Murong Ruyan only had time to say, "Take care, senior brother."

Once the door was closed, Murong Ruyan's gentle smile vanished instantly, her face turned frighteningly dark, and her back teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.

If it weren't for the fact that the "Elementary Qi Refining Book" in her hand was probably extremely valuable, she would have torn the book to shreds in her anger.

"Give me back my youthful appearance—I'm already fifteen! How many years younger than you can I be!"

Ashamed? — Ashamed of you, Daddy!
After much restraint, Murong Ruyan finally calmed down and carefully opened the "Elementary Qi Refining Book".

Although Chang Ping'an is both simple-minded and incredibly infuriating, he is right about one thing.

The sooner she cultivates something, the sooner she can return to the Bohai Kingdom and seize the throne. If she can truly learn her master's ability to create things out of thin air, and only needs the cultivation of a fourth-rank Venerable, she has a very good chance of succeeding!
Bohai Kingdom is a small country after all, with only eight Venerables in total, not even a single Grandmaster, so it is not worth worrying about.

Thinking of her father's indifference and her mother's death, Murong Ruyan's eyes gradually filled with hatred... and ambition.

……

The next morning, Zhang Chengdao, who had slept soundly all night, rubbed his eyes and pushed open the door.

"Reporting to the Sect Leader, your second disciple, Murong Ruyan, successfully guided her Qi into her body this morning. I have come to ask you to bestow upon her the Immortal Dew Grass in a little while."

"Oh... Qi entering the body... What!?"

Upon waking up to such explosive news, Zhang Chengdao stared at Xu Ying in disbelief, questioning his own ears.

"What did you say? Ruyan... cough, Ruyan has absorbed Qi into her body!?"

"Indeed, no wonder the sect leader was willing to accept her as a disciple. I never expected her talent to be so extraordinary. It's just a pity that she is still too young and her character needs to be properly guided..."

As she spoke, Xu Ying frowned slightly.

He really disliked Murong Ruyan. At only fifteen or sixteen years old, her eyes were full of calculation and self-interest, and her face was as if she were wearing a layer of human skin, pretentious and fake, unlike Chang Ping'an who was straightforward and generous.

Zhang Chengdao had no idea about Xu Ying's attitude.

His mind was now filled with all sorts of random thoughts, such as "As expected of the Great Emperor Ruyan," "Holy crap, the Great Emperor Ruyan broke through to the Qi Refining stage overnight," "This is the protagonist template I've been given," and "Will my master be unable to surpass her in cultivation in the future?"

With such a low concentration of spiritual energy, how could someone still break through to the Qi Refining stage overnight...?

Could Murong Ruyan be a genius among geniuses?!

Zhang Chengdao swallowed hard and asked, "Where is she now?"

"She must be in the mountains. She left a note saying that after she had absorbed the Qi into her body, she went hunting in the mountains. She also told us not to worry, saying that she had always been good at riding and archery since she was a child, and that she had even hunted a tiger last year. She would definitely be back before noon."

As Xu Ying spoke, she handed over the note in her hand.

His neat and elegant small regular script was very beautiful, and what he wrote was indeed what Xu Ying had said.

Xu Ying added, "Ruyan is still young, and there are always many wild animals in the mountains. It's only early spring, and there's still snow. It's not very safe. I've already sent Ping An to look for her."

Although Zhang Chengdao wasn't worried about Murong Ruyan's safety, after careful consideration, he realized that if she were an ordinary young girl, this action was indeed thoughtful. He praised Xu Ying, saying, "You've thought things through."

Xu Ying cupped his hands and said, "Then I will take my leave first. I will come back to report after I have found her safely."

……

(End of this chapter)