The Protagonist Is in the Right Position to Get Along With the Villain
Chapter 66
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Seeing Li Jinzhi shaking his head inconspicuously, Ye Yu felt relieved and said, “This younger generation wonders if he can decline?”
Astonished, Elder Bai froze at this, “Why? How many people wanted to become apprentices of Patriarch Lei, but were all rejected by him!”
With worry across his whole face, his brows knit, Li Jinzhi replied, “The reason, I ask Elder Bai to kindly not laugh when I say this. How could the two of us claim connections[1] to this Deity Transformation Patriarch? The Myriad Red Clouds Sect is the largest sect of the Green Flame kingdom, one can’t tell how many Nascent Soul geniuses there are, and the Heavenly Spiritual Roots are abound. Although the two of us also have Heavenly Spiritual Roots, we are aware that there is nothing outstanding about our comprehension. If we try to seek the Deity Transformation Patriarch to become our master—”
Elder Bai, who was distractedly stroking his beard, stared blankly for a moment. The initial excitement had cooled down somewhat, and on further reflection, he also felt that there was some truth to the other’s words. However, “Hehe, the two young friends, please don’t belittle[2] yourselves. This old immortal dares to guarantee that based merely on the spiritual roots of you two, the Patriarch Lei will accept both of you.”
Li Jinzhi was shocked, “Could it be that the Patriarch surnamed Lei is—”
“That’s right, Patriarch Lei is also a cultivator who practices ice techniques. In his early years, he was the only one in the Green Flame kingdom to do so.” Satisfied with the shock in the eyes of the two people across from him, Elder Bai slowly continued, “That is exactly why the Patriarch hasn’t been able to receive a disciple. Because the Ice Spiritual Root is already rare as a mutated spiritual root. In addition, it is even more difficult to find a Heavenly Spiritual Root.”
Elder Bai urged, “If I could have had a Deity Transformation Patriarch as a Shizun, now why would I bother staying in this realm for hundreds of years? Yet you still want to refuse?”
The two of them glanced at each other. Deep down, they knew that the current situation might indeed be an opportunity for ordinary cultivators, but they were not ordinary at all, to the extent that they might not even be considered human cultivators.
Although his strength might be comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, nevertheless the path Li Jinzhi took was to cultivate a Yao form within a human body, which no one had ever tried before. Even if it was much faster than for other cultivators, even he didn’t know what side effects there could be in the future. If his mental state was not up to par, perhaps he would become half-human half-Yao.
Therefore, this Deity Transformation Patriarch absolutely should not see them. According to what the two of them had in mind, they didn’t even need a master, just to find a place with abundant spiritual energy to enter seclusion in.
Li Jinzhi pulled Ye Yu behind himself and pretended to be troubled, “Elder, don’t be worried, it’s not that the two of us don’t know good from bad, the Elder simply has to think about it. There are many talented disciples in the sect, and the two of us only have the advantage of spiritual roots. If we take this opportunity to become this Patriarch’s disciples, I am afraid we will become the target of public criticism[3]. This is not what we both wish for. The most important thing in cultivating the Dao is the state of mind. We only wish to become ordinary inner sect disciples and rise through our own efforts, rather than relying on the help of others. In terms of our mental state, our cultivation base, and our position, neither would allow us to become disciples of Patriarch Lei. We hope that Elder Bai will help. “
Elder Bai pondered for a while and then shook his head, “Ai, in this day and age, it’s rare for young people to have such a state of mind as you two. You don’t know how many young cultivators in the Myriad Red Clouds Sect are vying to become disciples of Patriarch Lei. Not to mention reaching heaven in a single bound[4], there is an endless supply of magical weapons and spiritual stones. You actually refuse such a good thing. Never mind. Since you don’t want to, I’m afraid it’s not meant to be. I will conceal your spiritual root aptitude, but—” Having said this, Elder Bai paused. “But there is no impenetrable wall in the world. If you were to go to the main hall to look for other teachers now, then this information will reach Patriarch Lei, and you will surely be intercepted by him.”
When Li Jinzhi saw the other party was relenting, he felt relieved and continued with a smile, “It doesn’t matter if the two of us don’t find a master. It’s just a matter of slower progress. We can just become ordinary inner sect disciples.”
As if he was weighing something, Elder Bai kept quiet. Li Jinzhi did not interrupt him. After all, both of them were Heavenly Spiritual roots. If the higher-ups knew that the other party had discovered two Heavenly Spiritual roots but failed to report it, they might be affected.
“Elder, we are willing to hide our spiritual roots.” Ye Yu added with a calm expression, standing behind Li Jinzhi.
Hearing this, Elder Bai’s expression flashed with understanding. He shook his head and replied, “According to the sect’s rules, if a disciple with Heavenly Spiritual Roots is found, they should be handed over to the senior officials of the sect to make arrangements. I just stopped you two because I wanted to take you directly to Patriarch Lei, but your words reminded me of a friend of mine.”
Ye Yu and Li Jinzhi looked at each other with a clear understanding. Regarding this matter, the other party was going to let it go, but he also seemed too talkative.
“Ai, that was hundreds of years ago. We both entered the sect at the same time. Unlike my double spiritual roots, he had a single Fire Spiritual Root, and was valued as soon as he entered. He was accepted as the direct disciple of the Sect Leader. I thought that he would be able to rise to prominence, and that his cultivation path would be smooth from then on, but I didn’t expect that because his light was too dazzling, it led to jealousy among our peers, and he was stabbed in the back when he was out gaining experience. He hasn’t returned since then. On the contrary, I, a person with double spiritual roots, have reached the Nascent Soul.” Elder Bai seemed to be lost in memories, with a sad look on his face. As soon as he finished speaking, he gritted his teeth as if he had reached a decision, “Right, what you said is reasonable. What happens in the future depends solely on your luck.”
“Thank you, Elder Bai.” The two men’s faces were respectful, their hearts relieved. Li Jinzhi held the Purple Bamboo Jade in front of the other party. “Then, are we to report to Elder Ruan of the inner sect? Do we need to conceal our spiritual roots?”
Elder Bai shook his head. “No. Just now too many people inside the palace hall saw you two had Heavenly Spiritual Roots. I’m afraid this matter can’t be covered up. How about this.” A smile appeared on the old man’s face, stroking his beard and looking them top to bottom, “The two of you will directly become my disciples, and when the Sect Leader asks, I will say that you two have a slender Fire Spiritual Root next to your spiritual root, which ruined the excellent aptitude of the Heavenly Ice Spiritual root. Because I didn’t look carefully during the test, the mistake was made, so I accepted you directly.”
Stunned, Li Jinzhi and Ye Yu smiled bitterly. No wonder this old man was so gossipy and didn’t care about how they haggled with him. It turned out he was waiting them out.
Truly, it was—
Upon noticing the peculiar expressions on both of their faces, Bai Jingxing couldn’t help but knit his brows. “What, do you still look down on me? After all, I am also a Nascent Soul cultivator. Am I not qualified to be your Shifu?”
“…” Li Jinzhi looked at the other person, he wanted to retort but didn’t know what to say. Now that he thought about it, the other called them to a stop, and mentioned Patriarch Lei, setting up the trap. If the two of them really did agree happily, the other party would have taken them there. Patriarch Lei very likely wouldn’t have been willing to accept them. At that time, having delayed matters at the main hall, this Elder Bai would have reluctantly[5] accepted them as disciples.
This old man was quite scrappy in recruiting disciples.
Frowning, Ye Yu asked, “Elder Bai, what spiritual root does Patriarch Lei have?”
Elder Bai stroked his beard and smiled, his little eyes glowing slightly, looking like an old fox. “Tsk, Patriarch Lei[6] , naturally he has Heavenly Lightning Spiritual root. Ai, I say, you two don’t want to stick out anyway, becoming my disciples would be convenient. My Golden Star Peak is peaceful, and you can stay in seclusion for as long as you want. I also have a female disciple who is currently out gaining experience, so I won’t treat you unfairly.”
Li Jinzhi raised his eyebrows. This seemed pretty good. While he was hesitating, the other man added, “You two haven’t become Dao companions yet, have you? When you enter the Golden Core stage, how about I preside over the Dual Cultivation Ceremony?”
“…” Li Jinzhi watched as Ye Yu took a step forward and nodded his head rapidly, his mouth opening and closing as he cried out, “Shifu!” He couldn’t stop it in time.
With a smile Elder Bai patted Ye Yu on the shoulder and said, deeply moved, “Ai, these days, it is difficult to find a Dao companion with whom you can become one, body and soul.”
Ye Yu also had a deeply moved expression—
“…” Li Jinzhi, looking at the scene in front of him of a kind teacher and a filial disciple, forcibly resisted the urge to turn away and inquired, “Why is Elder Bai so intent on receiving the two of us as disciples?” Offering something for no reason was either wicked or crafty, he didn’t believe there were no strings attached.
When Elder Bai heard this, his eyebrows abruptly rose high. He said through gritted teeth, “The last time disciples were selected was two hundred years ago. There was also someone with Heavenly Spiritual Roots, but he was snatched by the old man Li. In the following decades, whenever his disciple advanced, he came to show off to me, and pitied my sparsely populated Golden Star Peak. I was taunted with no power to fight back. This time— humph!” On Elder Bai’s face there was a look of imminent revenge—
The reason turned out to be as simple as this. It was just a matter of showing off between elders. If one lived too long and was too idle, one would have to compete with others to see whose apprentice was better, whose technique was better, and who—
There seemed to be nothing wrong with recovering after being brought down.
“…” A mountain had a connecting pulse throughout like a dragon[7]. Li Jinzhi went over the advantages and disadvantages in his mind, then nodded after finding that there was nothing wrong, “Then, I will have to trouble Shizun in the future.”
Elder Bai smiled proudly at this, “You two, take out your Purple Bamboo Jade.”
They did as they were told. Bai Jinxing flicked a sleeve, and a faint golden light glowed on the originally smooth surface of the jade. The light slowly converged, and the three words ‘Golden Star Peak’ condensed under the surface of the jade.
“Alright, from now on, you are the disciples of my Golden Star Peak. Oh, you are the second disciple, and you are the third.” The second disciple was directed at Ye Yu, and the third was Li Jinzhi. “This Purple Bamboo Jade is a sect token and should be taken care of. After I inject my spiritual power into these jades, your information will appear in the sect’s Identity Registration Office and be directly listed under me. If you need any resources, just go and get them.”
Li Jinzhi raised an eyebrow and disputed, “He should be my Shidi.”
“Just now he called me Shifu first, so he should be the second disciple.” Elder Bai refused immediately, then urged, “Let’s go, this master will take you to the Golden Star Peak.” Immediately he turned into a ray of light and flew north.
Ye Yu pulled Li Jinzhi, who had an unwilling expression on his face, used Evading Light and followed—
First, Li Jinzhi became a Shidi, soon after he felt a knot in his heart. He felt as if he had forgotten something. He wanted to refute something Elder Bai said. What was it?
He pondered for a long time in the light, and still couldn’t remember, so he had to give up.
Ye Yu lowered his eyes and glanced at Li Jinzhi, who was frowning. Turning his head he looked at the highest and most beautiful peak in the Myriad Red Clouds mountains, determination flashing through his eyes…
- [1] 高攀 – [gāo pān] social climbing; to claim connections with people in higher social class;
- [2] 妄自菲薄 – [wàng zì fēi bó]to be unduly humble (idiom); to undervalue oneself; false modesty;
- [3] 众矢之的 – [zhòng shǐ zhī dì] lit. target of a multitude of arrows (idiom); the butt of public criticism; attacked on all sides;
- [4] 一步登天 – [yī bù dēng tiān] (esp. with negative: don’t expect) instant success;
- [5] 勉为其难 – [miǎn wéi qí nán] to tackle a difficult job (idiom);
- [6] 雷 – [léi] thunder;
- [7] 来龙去脉 – [lái lóng qù mài] (idiom, from fengshui); sequence of events; where sth comes from and where it goes;
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