Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Accepting Disciples, The Body of the Literary Sage (Please Follow)
Translator: 549690339
In the depths of the bamboo forest, there was a solitary bamboo house, the dwelling of a menial servant at Inquiry Immortal Pavilion, seemingly forgotten by the rest of the world.
Lu Changsheng received a notification from the Disciple Apprenticeship System that there was a suitable candidate for discipleship nearby.
Originally, Lu Changsheng assumed that it was yet another peerless genius from the great sects, but following the system’s prompt to this place, he discovered that this was not the case.
All the great sects employed a group of menial servants, who took care of various trivial matters, and at the end of the month, they could collect a salary to support their families.
How could there be a peerless genius living as a menial servant in the Inquiry Immortal Pavilion?
Arriving at the bamboo house’s well, Lu Changsheng saw a girl in plain clothes sitting at the edge of the well, holding a yellowed scroll, softly reciting in the moonlight.
Her eyebrows were like willows, her shoulders carved with precision, her waist tied with elegance, her spirit serene as an orchid—even in plain clothes, she could not hide the temperament of a lady from a prestigious family.
Reading under the moonlight, the years were peacefully quiet.
Could it be that the disciple the system found was this person?
From her clothing, she was undoubtedly one of Inquiry Immortal Pavilion’s menial servants.
The information about this girl appeared in Lu Changsheng’s mind.
[Name: Mo Huazhi]
[Talent: Body of the Literary Sage, Book Addict, Water Spirit Root, Plagued by Misfortune]
[Cultivation: First Level of the Foundation Establishment Realm]
[Dao Bone: 17 years]
“Body of the Literary Sage?!”
Lu Changsheng was secretly astonished.
He had seen records about the Body of the Literary Sage in the annals “Records of Special Physiques Through the Ages” at Mount Shu.
The Body of the Literary Sage had appeared three times, all at Hidden Dragon Temple.
According to the records, the current Temple Master of Hidden Dragon Temple, Yu Xuanji, was indeed endowed with the Body of the Literary Sage.
When the Literary Sage cultivated to a profound realm, they could deduce the secrets of heaven, craft Dao talismans, and it was said that at the peak, mere words could follow the law, allowing them to prove the Dao through literature.
Who could have imagined that among the menial servants of Inquiry Immortal Pavilion, there would be such a peerless talent?
However, this girl’s fate was poor, afflicted with the Calamity Body; otherwise, with her talents, she would not have fallen to the point of being a menial servant on Misty Peak.
If Yu Xuanji, the Temple Master of Hidden Dragon Temple, knew that this girl also had the Body of the Literary Sage, he would certainly try to take her as a disciple.
“You, you… who are you?”
Mo Huazhi was immersed in reading under the moon, until Lu Changsheng came beside her, only then did she notice, looking like a startled rabbit, she quickly put away the book behind her.
Truly a Book Addict.
Lu Changsheng thought back to his previous life, when he couldn’t be as absorbed in reading as she was.
“Don’t be afraid, I am a good person.”
Even though Lu Changsheng said this, Mo Huazhi’s eyes were still full of suspicion.
Many bad people say they are good people…
“lam Elder Lu Changsheng from Mount Shu.”
In order to gain her trust, Lu Changsheng had no choice but to reveal his identity.
“Lu, Lu Changsheng…?!” Mo Huazhi thought for a moment, her expression gradually becoming delighted, “I have heard of you, you defeated our Inquiry Immortal Pavilion’s Holy Maiden in the daytime competition, the whole Misty Peak has been talking about it!”
Oh?
Since she knew of his reputation, then earning her trust should be very simple.
“I see your Root Bone is exceptional, would you be willing to take me as your master, embarking on the path of immortal cultivation? We have many more books in Mount Shu than Inquiry Immortal Pavilion has.”
“The sea of books is vast, even if I had a thousand years of lifespan, I could hardly traverse all of it, and you, a mere mortal, the books you have read are but a drop in the ocean.”
“Follow me in cultivation, and you can attain Longevity.”
Lu Changsheng started to coax her into becoming his disciple.
This girl was a Book Addict and was easily coaxed.
“Ah…”
Mo Huazhi was indeed greatly moved.
If she could cultivate the Dao of Longevity, then she could read all the books in the world.
“But I have signed a contract with Inquiry Immortal Pavilion; I must be a menial servant on Misty Peak for life.”
Mo Huazhi thought of her fate and sank into despondence.
It seems this disciple has a story.
If Mo Huazhi were a female disciple of Inquiry Immortal Pavilion, it would be rather tricky, but Mo Huazhi was just a menial servant.
Lu Changsheng had a bit of a relationship with Xia Ningxue, and when the time came, he could just shamelessly approach Xia Ningxue to request a menial servant; it wasn’t a problem.
“As long as you become my disciple and my third disciple, I have ways to get Inquiry Immortal Pavilion to free you. From now on, you’ll be a disciple of Mount Shu.”
“Really?”
Mo Huazhi’s eyes were filled with surprise and curiosity.
“Indeed.”
Lu Changsheng worried that this potential disciple might be discovered by Yu Xuanji of Hidden Dragon Temple, so he was eager to coax her into apprenticeship as the proper course.
Yu Xuanji could divine the secrets of fate and would be very likely to discover the existence of Mo Huazhi.
“Master above, please accept your disciple Mo Huazhi’s bow.”
Knowing this was a fateful encounter, Mo Huazhi put away the books, straightened out her plain clothes, and respectfully performed the disciple’s salute to Lu Changsheng.
“Very good. From now on, you are my disciple, Lu Changsheng. Tomorrow I will come for you, and you will accompany me to visit Fairy Xia of the Inquiry Immortal Pavilion and retrieve your contract.”
“To visit the Holy Maiden?”
Mo Huazhi exhibited an incredulous expression.
Her Master was indeed a personage of Mount Shu, able to meet directly with the Holy Maiden of the Inquiry Immortal Pavilion.
As someone in charge of managing this bamboo forest for the Inquiry Immortal Pavilion, even meeting an Inner Sect Disciple was difficult, let alone the revered Holy Maiden of the Inquiry Immortal Pavilion.
Why would such an important figure take her, a humble menial worker, as a disciple?
Lu Changsheng sensed Mo Huazhi’s bewilderment and spoke deliberately, “There are Prancing Horses after there’s Bole. You are an unmatched genius, do not doubt your aptitude. Under my guidance, focus on your cultivation and studies. It’s not impossible for you to become a saint one day.”
Become a saint?
Mo Huazhi had never dared to imagine that; she merely wished to study earnestly.
” I see your temperament is not that of an ordinary menial worker. Are you willing to tell me about your family?”
“Yes, Master. I am the daughter of a Great Confucian from Yue Country. My grandfather once served as the Tutor to the Crown Prince. Later, due to false accusations, my family was dragged into a case of rebellion against the Prime Minister, which implicated our entire clan. To protect me, my father had his servants send me to the Inquiry Immortal Pavilion. Although I serve as a menial worker and am considered a servant, it is far better than being executed after the autumn harvest. I was only five years old at that time. Fortunately, the Inquiry Immortal Pavilion had many books, and even as a menial worker, I could peruse a few. I don’t think managing the bamboo forest is a harsh task.”
As Mo Huazhi recounted her past, a hint of pain crossed her eyes, which quickly dissipated into acceptance.
This disciple was indeed “Plagued by Misfortune” — her family ruined and herself sold to the Inquiry Immortal Pavilion for refuge at the age of five.
Otherwise, with Mo Huazhi’s Body of the Literary Sage and her upbringing in a Prestigious Family, she would have achieved some level of cultivation by now. She could have been a disciple or even an Elder of the Inquiry Immortal Pavilion, not merely a menial worker.
But it was precisely because of Mo Huazhi’s destiny as “Plagued by Misfortune” that she became a pearl cast into the ocean, which Lu Changsheng happened to pickup.
Her mindset was also commendable. Even with her family destroyed, she did not wallow in self-pity.
“I have a system that can simulate a disciple’s entire life, enough to reverse her fate and help her become a saint. And I, too, stand to benefit from this.”
Lu Changsheng was not concerned about Mo Huazhi’s Calamity Body destiny.
After all, with the Disciple Apprenticeship System in hand, as long as it wasn’t a Heavenly Tribulation-level disaster, he had ways to turn peril into safety.
“Go back and rest now. I will come for you in the morning.”
Lu Changsheng was not in a hurry to impart power to his newly acquired disciple but decided to visit Xia Ningxue the next day.
With a thought, Lu Changsheng employed ‘Shrink the Earth to Inches’ and vanished on the spot.
“Master…”
Before Mo Huazhi could even bid farewell, Lu Changsheng had already left.
“Am I dreaming?”
Mo Huazhi pinched her cheek, suspecting it was all a dream.
To the menial workers like her, an Elder of Mount Shu was undoubtedly an Immortal.
And an Immortal had taken her as a disciple.
Did she possess some unique traits?
“Maybe I should go to sleep.”
Mo Huazhi looked out over the empty bamboo forest, where other than a touch of moonlight, no one else was present, and felt like she was still dreaming.
The next morning, Mo Huazhi woke up to another ordinary day.
“It seems I really was dreaming last night. I mustn’t study into the night anymore; it’s causing hallucinations.”
Shaking her head, Mo Huazhi picked up a wooden bucket to go fetch water from the well, starting another day of menial work.
Suddenly, a sword appeared from the west, landing in the middle of the bamboo forest.
There were two visitors.
One was a man with long hair, a celestial appearance, and handsome features; the other was a girl around twelve or thirteen years old, curiously staring at her, sizing her up.
“Elder Lu…no, Master?”
Mo Huazhi, fetching water by the well, was taken aback — Lu Changsheng had really come!
Last night hadn’t been a dream after all!
“Follow me to the Cloud Dream Pavilion of Misty Peak.”
Lu Changsheng smiled slightly, increasingly pleased with his easy recruitment of a disciple with the Body of the Literary Sage.
The Cloud Dream Pavilion, one of the four hundred and eighty pavilions of Misty Peak, was also the cultivation dwelling of the Holy Maiden Xia Ningxue.
Lu Changsheng took his two disciples to visit and to buy the new little disciple’s freedom.
“Holy Maiden, Lu Changsheng of Mount Shu requests an audience.”
In the clear pond of the Cloud Dream Pavilion, Xia Ningxue, with her long black hair cascading down, soaked in the pond water, her skin fair as curd, shrouded in mists.
After the recent trial, Xia Ningxue had quickly recovered thanks to her constitution.
“What does he want here?”
Xia Ningxue seemed somewhat surprised; what did Lu Changsheng want by visiting her at this time?
“Holy Maiden, will you meet with him?”
“Mm…bring him to see me.”
Xia Ningxue sank deeper into the water, her cheeks flushed from the warmth of the pool.
But, after all, what did Lu Changsheng want with her?