Sect Leader Is Under Great Pressure CH 127 Once Entering The Master’s Door, Respect The Teacher And Honor The Way
Hearing about that famous martial arts classic, once wildly popular and responsible for making countless stars, Ji Yunlai showed little emotion. He merely curled his lips slightly and asked, "Does your teacher dislike master-apprentice relationships?"
Ji Mingyu’s heart skipped a beat. She was puzzled but carefully relayed what she had heard from her outer sect mentor.
As Ji Yunlai listened, he combined it with his own knowledge and began to understand the reasoning.
The culture of this world wasn’t much different from the China of his previous life, with various schools of thought akin to Confucianism, Taoism, and Yi studies. During the reign of the Great Xuan dynasty, the state endorsed the Yongdao philosophy—a school similar to Confucianism—which thrived as the dominant ideology while others declined. However, when Great Xuan fell, the High Priest burned all the Daoist scriptures in the capital. With the empire’s collapse and loss of fortune, Yongdao also declined. Small states rose, conflicts broke out across the Central Continent, and the Daoist sects retaliated. No country dared to revive Yongdao, fearing another catastrophic extermination like Great Xuan’s.
Nowadays, only a few small vassal states in the Western Continent still attempt to cultivate using the methods of fortune-based practitioners. However, their limited reserves of fortune make breakthroughs exceedingly difficult. While several major nations were tempted to experiment with such methods, they ultimately dared not test the limits set by Kun-Lai, the sovereign of the Western Continent. Thus, for now, these remain mere thoughts.
Still, Yongdao had influenced the world for millennia, embedding its principles deeply in society. Among these was a strict emphasis on respecting teachers and maintaining moral codes.
The master-apprentice relationship was considered even more sacred than familial ties. While parents provided blood ties, a master offered lifelong mentorship, often lasting hundreds or thousands of years. Moreover, masters bestowed the ultimate grace of teaching disciples how to transcend reincarnation. Betraying one’s master was seen as a grave offense, and even the strictest masters were never faulted—if you couldn’t accept it, you were welcome to leave immortality behind.
This respect for teachers and moral codes was far stricter than in Ji Yunlai’s previous world. Disrespecting a teacher made it nearly impossible to establish oneself in the sect.
After Ji Mingyu finished explaining, she hesitantly asked, "But Father, doesn’t someone like Peak Master An thrive in Kun-Lai despite being so disrespectful toward her teacher? Among all of Kun-Lai, no one seems to be less respectful than her."
Ji Yunlai chuckled softly, casting a meaningful glance at his apprentice, who was pretending to know nothing. "Perhaps there are others even less respectful."
Feng Qingxiu blushed deeply, heat rising to his ears, which made Ji Yunlai’s heart stir with fondness.
"So, my roommate’s ‘The Return of the Condor Heroes’ only got her a scolding. Her earlier work, ‘The Legend of the Condor Heroes’, was actually pretty good," Ji Mingyu said, sharing details of her life with a lively expression. "She wrote it before joining the sect to earn money. When she entered the outer sect, she handed out about a dozen copies for us to read. Father, would you like to see it?"
Ji Yunlai smiled and shook his head, declining his daughter’s offer. Back on Earth, he had already seen these stories turned into television dramas countless times and had no interest.
"Oh, by the way, someone recently posted this book online, and it’s sparked quite a controversy," Ji Mingyu said, tugging at her father’s sleeve with a hint of mischief. "A lot of people are saying that Yang Guo marrying his master is outrageous and ungrateful, demanding the author be expelled from Kun-Lai for such immoral ideas. I think that’s an overreaction. Father, could you intervene and make sure they don’t go overboard, please?"
Having shared the same classes, she felt a connection with her roommate and didn’t want a fictional story to ruin her life. For many in the Western Continent, the Dragon-Phoenix Selection was their only chance to change their destiny. Those who failed often resorted to drastic measures, let alone those expelled for something like this.
"Of course," Ji Yunlai agreed, raising an eyebrow and nodding. Then he asked, "Didn’t I confiscate your access to the web? How did you hear about this?"
Of course, she had secretly bought web time and saw it there—though she’d never admit that. Instead, Ji Mingyu replied pitifully, "I overheard it while my teacher was scolding someone."
Ji Yunlai patted his daughter’s head, not exposing her lie.
After all, she had been cautious not to reveal her identity in online discussions, which was already considerate. Besides, denying the main system access to the internet might have been a bit excessive.
Ji Mingyu beamed with satisfaction. As they approached the outer sect, she noticed the peach trees in her courtyard were laden with fruit. Tugging at her father’s sleeve again, she said, "Father, come to my room and sit for a while. These flat peaches are from a seedling I snatched from Shennong Peak. They’re delicious."
Ji Yunlai nodded and followed her into her courtyard with his apprentice in tow.
The camphor wood house was nestled among the peach trees, with its lower level serving as a hall and the upper level as living quarters. A small staircase led to the second floor, and green moss had grown on the wooden steps, indicating they hadn’t been used in a long time.
Feng Qingxiu’s expression brightened as if recalling something, while Ji Mingyu’s face reddened. She glared at him angrily and said, "What’s wrong with not using stairs in the outer sect?"
What was so special about this little seducer? Ji Mingyu fumed internally. All along the way, her father kept glancing at him, seemingly fascinated. Could those rumors on You Jia’s forum about their master-apprentice relationship be true?
Impossible. That must have been You Jia’s baseless speculation. Tomorrow, she would ask Uncle Yan to ban him for ten years!
Feng Qingxiu, also blushing, replied softly, "I haven’t used stairs in years either. In the outer sect, anyone who uses stairs is seen as pathetic."
Indeed, everyone preferred flying or scaling walls. While the houses looked similar, and occasional missteps happened, hitting intruders out only provided amusement. Using stairs, however, invited scorn—Look, someone’s using stairs! Must’ve broken their leg!
As they spoke, a dainty girl peeked out from an upstairs window. Spotting the group below, her eyes lit up. A white ribbon unfurled beneath her feet, and she descended gracefully, like a celestial maiden, her floating sleeves stirring autumn leaves into the air. To a mortal, it would seem like a goddess had descended.
Ji Yunlai was briefly reminded of old television scenes, feeling a wave of nostalgia—A thousand years have passed already.
"Sister Mingyu, is this your elder brother? You’ve never mentioned him," the girl asked shyly, bowing her head with a bashful expression.
Ji Mingyu’s face darkened slightly. "This is my father."
The girl froze, then quickly bowed again. "I am Bai Ruolan. Greetings to the inner sect immortal."
Because of her background, Ji Yunlai gave her an extra glance.
Seeing this, Bai Ruolan enthusiastically produced fine wine and set out cups, preparing to entertain the guest. Ji Mingyu initially wanted to drag her away and lock her up, but seeing her father’s silence, she forcefully signaled Feng Qingxiu with her eyes.
Hey, say something!
Feng Qingxiu looked at the young girl, frowning but remaining silent. If the master acted this way, there must be a reason.
Ji Yunlai had already seated himself at the stone table in the courtyard. The girl, slightly excited, took a seat across from him and began recounting various stories she had heard. Casually, she mentioned an ancient scroll she had seen as a child, which recorded tales about the rise and fall of the Great Xuan dynasty. The scroll contained detailed accounts of ruins, though she couldn’t verify them since the Central Continent was so far away. Her descriptions of the ruins’ locations were extraordinarily precise.
Ji Yunlai listened quietly. After the girl’s voice became hoarse from talking, he asked indifferently, “What was the name of that book?”
The girl froze. She was about to claim she had forgotten, but the distant, night-like gaze from his eyes seemed to pierce right through her. Unable to lie, she stammered nervously, “Kun-Lai… It was called ‘Kun-Lai’.”
Ji Yunlai nodded and sighed softly. “I see.”
So, the book he had been worried about described such distant stories?
The girl nodded vigorously.
Ji Yunlai gave a faint smile and said, “No need to worry. Kun-Lai is no longer what it once was. The hardships of studying in the outer sect are real—pursuing the proper path is what truly matters.”
This was his way of offering her guidance, considering their faint connection as people from the same world.
Ji Mingyu, however, had never seen her father treat a stranger so kindly. Feeling a bit uneasy, she glanced at Feng Qingxiu.
Feng Qingxiu quietly reassured her, “Mingyu, you know Master’s temperament, don’t you?”
The girl, captivated by the smile, completely ignored his advice and eagerly tried to come up with more topics. Seeing that he seemed to enjoy stories, she began recounting another one she had heard.
“The scroll I mentioned earlier isn’t the most extraordinary story I know. My favorite is another one,” she said, recalling a story she had once read with confidence. “That story is called ‘Slaying Immortals’!” (TN: that is the literal translation. The actual title is “The Legend of Chusen”.)
The moment she said this, Ji Yunlai remained indifferent, thinking back to how much he had enjoyed that book in the past. But Ji Mingyu flew into a rage and slapped the girl across the face, leaving her dumbfounded. Feng Qingxiu’s face also darkened, and his sword energy surged threateningly, though he ultimately restrained himself from striking.
“Never mention the words ‘slaying immortals’ again,” Feng Qingxiu said coldly. “Under Western Continent law, all are protected by the Human Immortal. Do you have multiple lives to waste, daring to speak of ‘slaying immortals’? Master, let us leave.”
To the people of Kun-Lai, the Human Immortal Xing Dao Master was revered as a god. The laws of the cultivation world were their sect rules. In any of the three great sects, merely uttering those two words could result in her death a hundred times over.
With that, he grabbed Ji Yunlai’s hand and disappeared.
*
Why am I always stuck with dumb teammates? Ji Mingyu thought furiously, failing once again to retain her father. Shooting a glare at her roommate, she turned and left.
The young girl, feeling wronged, burst into tears. After a while, though, she felt a hint of relief—at least she hadn’t told this story to Senior Brother Qiao. Next time, she’d familiarize herself with sect taboos before choosing a story. Perhaps she could rename it… “Not Becoming An Immortal”?
But recalling the advice from the elder moments ago, she hesitated. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to work hard, but the competition in Kun-Lai was simply too fierce. Out of the 100,000 disciples selected in the Dragon-Phoenix Selection, only about 3,000 remained. She was doing her best, but everyone here worked even harder, pushing themselves relentlessly—she just didn’t have that kind of drive.
The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. In her previous life, she had been just an ordinary high school student studying the humanities, who loved reading novels. She didn’t know anything about metallurgy or statecraft. Her only advantage was her vague recollection of these stories. If she couldn’t make use of them, she’d be indistinguishable from the masses… Even becoming a farmer at Shennong Peak required passing exams first!
*
Meanwhile, Feng Qingxiu, still holding his master’s hand, felt the cold wind blow against him and snapped out of his thoughts.
The hand in his grasp was soft, smooth, and warm, its heat seeping into his very core. His heart skipped a beat, and he was about to let go when his hand was held in return.
“Xiao Qing, this is the first time you’ve taken the initiative, isn’t it?” Ji Yunlai whispered softly into his ear.
Feng Qingxiu’s face flushed with embarrassment, but he didn’t pull away. “That person offended you, Master. I acted impulsively.”
“Was it truly impulsive?” Ji Yunlai’s free hand brushed against Feng Qingxiu’s ear. Seeing the bright red flush creeping down his neck, he chuckled softly. “Xiao Qing, how will you demonstrate Kun-Lai’s respect for one’s teacher in the future?”
Like today—by being a little more proactive. Understood?