Chapter 83
What kind of person was the Jade Snow Wanderer?
Liyeon still did not know her very well. They had only met a few days ago, and although she had helped him greatly, he did not know what kind of person she truly was.
Perhaps she was helping him because she had some ulterior motive. For all he knew, she might actually be a heartless villain, or even an enemy of the martial world.
However, regardless of what kind of person the Jade Snow Wanderer was, if Liyeon took her as his master, he would have to follow her unconditionally.
That was what it meant to take someone as one’s master.
To gain another parent.
That was also why the character 부 (父) was included in 사부 (師父). It meant that a master’s teachings were no less valuable than a parent’s grace, and therefore one had to serve one’s master as one would a parent.
Then, could Liyeon serve the Jade Snow Wanderer as a parent?
‘…I already owe her my life several times over.’
The Jade Snow Wanderer had spoken of opening his Eight Extraordinary Meridians as though it were nothing, but Liyeon knew… He knew how difficult it was.
Opening the Eight Extraordinary Meridians required profound internal energy and extremely precise techniques. One’s internal energy had to be deep enough to open each meridian, and one’s skill had to be precise enough to accurately strike the dozens of acupoints belonging to the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
If even one of those things was lacking, not only could the person being treated be injured, but the practitioner could hurt themselves as well. Furthermore, even if the procedure succeeded, it consumed a great deal of one’s true qi, requiring a long period of recuperation.
Yet the Jade Snow Wanderer had opened Liyeon’s meridians without hesitation. That alone was enough for Liyeon to make his decision.
“Benefactor, you said you came here looking for a disciple, correct?”
The Jade Snow Wanderer nodded. Liyeon immediately rose from his seat.
His vision wavered and his limbs began trembling, but Liyeon endured it and silently stood before the Jade Snow Wanderer. Then he performed a formal deep bow and spoke.
“I sincerely thank you once again for saving my life. I will never forget this grace until the day I die. And if I may be so bold as to ask one more thing…”
Liyeon spoke immediately.
“I wish to become your disciple, Benefactor.”
“…….”
“Please accept me as your disciple.”
Unexpectedly, the Jade Snow Wanderer said nothing.
She had said from the beginning that she had come looking for a disciple, and his constitution was a perfect match, so Liyeon had expected her to accept immediately. Yet the Jade Snow Wanderer remained silent, as though contemplating something.
Had he said something wrong?
As Liyeon swallowed dryly several times…
“You are saying this because of your constitution, aren’t you?”
Her words struck directly at the heart of the matter, and Liyeon flinched. But if he was going to take her as his master, he had to tell her everything honestly anyway.
“That is correct. As you have probably already guessed, I am the Xiao Family’s only daughter whom you were looking for.”
The Jade Snow Wanderer said nothing in particular. Apparently, she had indeed already guessed.
“…As for why the only daughter is a man, that is because of my constitution. The person who first treated my illness advised me to dress as a woman, even if only temporarily, to balance things out.”
“…….”
“Fortunately, my body has improved somewhat recently thanks to consuming a spiritual herb, but the danger has not completely passed. As you can see, my qi is peculiar, so the yin qi within me keeps increasing and trying to fill my body.”
“…….”
“That is why I have been searching for a master of extreme yin. I was told that if I learned how to circulate the yin qi through an extreme-yin cultivation method, my condition would improve further…”
Liyeon steadied his breathing for a moment before speaking respectfully.
“I know it is disrespectful to make such a request for the sake of my own life. But if you would take me in, I will follow you for the rest of my life and repay your kindness. I will regard your words as I would the heavens and serve you as I would my own parent!”
Liyeon bowed once more. Cold sweat trickled down his back.
The Jade Snow Wanderer simply watched Liyeon without saying anything. His heart pounded madly beneath her gaze, but Liyeon could only grit his teeth and endure it.
After a long while, the Jade Snow Wanderer spoke in a calm tone.
“I understand what you are thinking. Certainly, it is not wrong to say that if you learn an extreme-yin cultivation method and become capable of controlling your yin qi, you may live a long life.”
“…If I have offended you, I apologize. If my impure intentions have displeased you…”
“No.”
Unexpectedly, the Jade Snow Wanderer was firm.
“It is not such an impure thought. Everyone has different reasons for wanting to learn martial arts. Some do it to survive, some because they wish to enjoy wealth and fame, and some because of revenge…”
The Jade Snow Wanderer’s voice suddenly trailed off. For some reason, Liyeon thought the usually cold expression on her face had darkened.
“In any case, thank you for telling me honestly. I do not particularly like lies.”
“……!”
“Of course, accepting you as my disciple would not be difficult. I came all the way to the Central Plains in the first place to take a disciple, and your constitution is well suited to inheriting my teachings.”
Hope sparkled in Liyeon’s eyes.
“Then you’ll accept me…!”
“However.”
The Jade Snow Wanderer spoke.
“There are two things that concern me.”
Liyeon hurriedly answered.
“What are they? If you tell me what they are, I will adjust to…”
“The fact that you are a man.”
“…Pardon?”
Liyeon’s mouth fell open in bewilderment. But the Jade Snow Wanderer continued with utmost seriousness.
“The history of my sect is quite long. In the past, our sect flourished greatly and had many disciples. It was not as though we had never had male disciples among them.”
“What do you mean…?”
“The martial arts of our sect are extreme-yin martial arts. Ordinarily, men have abundant yang qi while women have abundant yin qi, so it can be considered martial arts suited to women. Even when we had male disciples in the past, they were extremely few.”
“…….”
“But as time passed, our sect began to decline, and the number of disciples decreased. Eventually, we began accepting only a small number of disciples to carry on the lineage.”
The Jade Snow Wanderer added,
“In other words, for several generations, our sect has never accepted a male disciple.”
“…….”
“Although there is no rule in our sect’s regulations forbidding us from accepting a male disciple, I am somewhat hesitant. I wonder whether it is appropriate for me to accept a male disciple in my generation when none have been accepted for several generations…”
“I, I…!”
Liyeon hurriedly spoke.
“Although my body is male, I have lived my entire life as a woman. It feels more natural to be regarded as a woman than as a man.”
“…….”
“I will simply continue dressing as a woman from now on. If you could regard me as a female disciple as well…”
“That will do.”
The Jade Snow Wanderer gave a small laugh.
“You will grow into an unmistakably grown man once you mature. Will women’s clothing still suit you then?”
“…That…”
“As I said, it does not violate our sect’s regulations, so there is no reason I cannot accept you. However, all of our sect’s training is designed for women, so you may find it somewhat difficult. Can you handle it?”
Liyeon’s face brightened once more.
Liyeon answered confidently.
“I can do it!”
“Then that settles it. The next problem is…”
Suddenly, a shadow fell across the Jade Snow Wanderer’s face. Unlike before, when she had spoken without hesitation, the Jade Snow Wanderer was unable to say anything for a while. In a way, she seemed hesitant.
As Liyeon waited in confusion for her to continue, the Jade Snow Wanderer finally spoke.
“…The fact that there is someone precious to you.”
Liyeon’s face went blank.
“Pardon?”
“This is different from the unspoken rule against accepting male disciples. It is also explicitly written as the first article of our sect’s regulations.”
“What…?”
The Jade Snow Wanderer said,
“Do not love.”
Liyeon’s eyes widened.
“The disciples of our sect must never give their hearts to the opposite sex for their entire lives. Do you know why?”
“…I do not.”
The Jade Snow Wanderer’s solemn voice followed.
“There is something called the ‘Twelve Few’ in our sect’s method of martial arts cultivation. It means that one should lessen things such as thoughts, mental preoccupations, lust, work, speech, laughter, worry, pleasure, joy, anger, liking, and dislike.”
“…….”
“The foundation of these Twelve Few lies in suppressing the Seven Emotions and Six Desires. Only by severing one’s basic human desires and exercising self-restraint can one obtain truly pure internal energy.”
The Jade Snow Wanderer paused to steady her breathing.
“The founder of our sect considered love, among these Seven Emotions and Six Desires, to be the worst of all. He said that when a person falls in love, their eyes become clouded, they lose their intelligence, they become incapable of distinguishing right from wrong, and eventually meet their own destruction.”
“…….”
“And so, the founder prohibited love as the first article of our sect’s regulations. Any disciple who becomes blinded by love and loses their chastity is to be immediately expelled from the sect.”
“…….”
“Let me ask you one thing. Is the person precious to you a woman or a man?”
Liyeon answered immediately.
“A man.”
“That is fortunate, at least. But those feelings of yours could become poison to your cultivation.”
“…….”
“When the bond between people grows deep, their emotions begin to waver. When a tranquil heart is shaken, that is called affliction, and when that affliction deepens, one will eventually fall into inner demons.”
“…….”
“I will ask you one last question.”
The Jade Snow Wanderer’s cold voice rang out.
“For the sake of your cultivation, can you sever even the person who is precious to you?”
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