Chapter 24: A Nice Name

The sun peeked over the horizon, casting a golden rim upon the bamboo leaves. As the morning breeze stirred the verdant waves, disciples strolled leisurely through the bamboo grove, heading toward their morning lessons.

Amidst the graceful crowd, two disheveled figures burst forth, kicking up fallen leaves and causing onlookers to pause in their tracks. Lingxi stopped abruptly, checking repeatedly to ensure Wen Jue wasn’t in pursuit, then braced her hands against her knees to catch her breath. Sweat dampened her wisps of hair, a stray lock stuck to her eyebrow, and her small face was flushed a vibrant red.

The disciples cast curious, gossipy glances her way, yet they continued to walk past her at an unhurried pace.

"Damn it..." Suian’s pupils constricted. With a pained, forced smile, he greeted the elder passing by. "Good morning, Elder Zhao."

Elder Zhao glanced at the pair and snorted coldly. "If you are to attend class, you must conduct yourselves accordingly. What kind of unseemly behavior is this, rushing about like headless chickens?" With a flick of his sleeves, Elder Zhao strode away, his back radiating a composed, unshakable aura.

"We’re doomed. Since you’ve been assigned to his class, he’ll definitely make things difficult for you," Suian said, clutching his hair in frustration, his face etched with terror. He looked down at his trembling fingers; memories of the books he had been forced to copy and the hours he had spent standing in punishment after his master went into seclusion welled up in his eyes. "Elder Zhao is from Tranquil Peak. He’s even more rigid than Peak Lord Gu Jiuyuan, and his rules are suffocatingly numerous. They say that even the most useless, hopeless disciple he takes on ends up becoming a refined gentleman. Although, I’m the exception."

Lingxi arched her right eyebrow and beamed. "Do you think that if he polishes me, I’ll turn into a respectable human being?"

Suian thought about it earnestly. "It’s all right, Junior Sister. Our master isn’t in seclusion right now; you can always trot him out for a walk and use his influence to your advantage."

"And you managed to pass the assessment? I really suspect you bribed someone or pulled strings," Lingxi’s eyelid twitched.

"I wanted to bribe him, but he wouldn't let me," Suian replied. "I spent several years repeating the courses. It was only after our master emerged from seclusion recently that he managed to pull me through. Hehe~"

Lingxi: "..."

*Clang, clang, clang—*

Within the wooden corridor, a bronze bell the size of a pumpkin emitted a clear, bright chime, startling a flock of birds into flight. Lingxi looked up, following the sound. Through the shifting windows of the gallery, a building with white walls and black tiles lay nestled beside a cluster of bamboo. The pear-wood doors were carved with intricate hollowed-out patterns, and a plaque hung above the entrance, inscribed with two vigorous, archaic characters: *Grass Hut*.

*The Grass Hut?! Where is the grass?!*

Before Lingxi could ponder this, a hand grabbed her and pulled her along. "Why are you just standing there? If you’re late for Elder Zhao’s class, you’ll be cleaning the latrines."

Lingxi sighed and raced to the end of the corridor, where an angry gaze immediately locked onto her.

"What is your name, and which peak are you from?" Elder Zhao’s face wrinkled and twitched, his graying beard fluttering with agitation. *Simply outrageous!* He had warned them to mind their image, yet they still came charging in like wild animals. Though he was slightly face-blind, he had taken a close look at them.

Lingxi looked down at her toes and nudged Suian, but he seemed oblivious, his eyes darting everywhere. Lingxi straightened up and flashed a sincere smile. "Reporting to the Elder, I am Lingxi, a personal disciple of Indifferent Peak."

She didn’t know how she had managed to irritate Luo Chen, but that didn’t stop her from using his name. Since they were rival peaks, surely being a troublemaker would get her expelled.

Elder Zhao nodded, tugged his beard, and narrowed his eyes as if deep in thought. "A fine name. *The heart of the spirit crosses the world without regret; the dream of the tide brushes the dust, yet the dream remains firm.* Do not disgrace your name. Take your seat."

Lingxi was stunned. She watched the elder pace back and forth on the podium and exchanged a confused look with Suian. *Wasn't he supposed to be strict and rigid?!*

Suian was equally bewildered as he led Lingxi to a corner to sit down. He had never known the elder to be this way.

"Today, I shall first speak to you all about the origins of the Immortal Sects, to remind you to keep the original intentions of the gods in your hearts," the elder began. "...The sky over the Divine Realm was thick with dark clouds, and red lightning rained down upon the mortal world. The earth shook, monsters and evil spirits ran rampant, and plagues spread everywhere. The Evil God descended, finding joy in harvesting human suffering. From then on, pain and despair covered the entire continent. At the moment of the Divine Realm's survival, people recalled ancient legends and prayed to the gods. Countless mortals rose from the masses, their divine memories awakened. They battled the Evil God for seven days and seven nights. In the end, the Evil God was sealed, but the gods exhausted their strength and perished, falling once more into the cycle of reincarnation. Before their divine consciousness dissipated, they left behind many methods for cultivating immortality and becoming gods, to be used by future generations to prevent the Evil God from ever returning..."

Elder Zhao stood on the podium, scroll in hand, speaking with solemnity about the Divine War and the birth of the Immortal Sects, even weaving in tales of the celestial pantheon.

Lingxi silently pulled out the novel she hadn't finished, tucked it beneath her textbook, and rested her chin on her hand to study it intently. Suian silently poked his head over, his pupils trembling in shock. As their two heads drew closer, the disciples in front, behind, and to the sides craned their necks to peek, curiosity brimming in their eyes.

"What are you reading? Is it really that good?"

"Yes," Lingxi answered without hesitation. "It's super sweet. I'll lend it to you when I'm finished."

"‘The Cold Immortal Venerable’s Dainty Pet’!!! This is a disgrace to scholarship! An utter disgrace!"

"How is it a disgrace..." Lingxi, feeling wronged, stood up and slammed the table. But when she saw Elder Zhao’s face, she immediately went quiet.

*Thwack—*

Elder Zhao snatched the book from her hand, the pages fluttering in the wind as it flew out the window and landed with a crisp thud. His face turned livid, his beard puffing out.

Knowing she was in trouble, Lingxi shifted her stance faster than one could turn a page. "Our master told us to read it. He said it helps balance work and rest, and helps one comprehend the heart-method. I never lie; if you don't believe me, ask my Senior Brother, Suian."

By shifting the blame onto her master and involving her senior brother, she was clearly being disrespectful in the eyes of a traditionalist. Surely, this would get her expelled!

Seeing Lingxi’s sincere expression, Suian was stunned, and it took him a long time to nod in agreement.

Elder Zhao lectured them both once more. With Lingxi earnestly selling out her master, he simply snorted, turned away, and resumed his long, tedious lecture on the history of the Immortal Sects, ordering them to stand in the back as punishment.

Without her book to sustain her, Lingxi began to fidget with her fingers and play with her hair, eventually nodding off like a drowsy chick.

*Thud—*

A scroll was thrown at her.

Lingxi blinked awake, dazed, only to hear the elder roar, "Lingxi! Do not think that just because you can cultivate and have taken first place once, you can become arrogant!"

Lingxi rubbed her eyes and retorted, "Are you suggesting, Elder, that I should be weeping and wailing instead?!"

"You... you do not humbly learn how one must endure countless hardships to reach the pinnacle of the immortal path."

"I did not start cultivating to suffer," Lingxi said seriously. "I cultivate to become strong, so that I may have no regrets. Elder, you are putting the cart before the horse."

"You... get out! Go and reflect on your actions!"

Lingxi glanced at the sun outside, grabbed Suian, and promptly "rolled" away. Listening to that lecture was exhausting. She had already planned her performance—layering the provocations and pushing the elder's buttons until he grew disgusted—so she could be sent away and go down the mountain to sell her contraband.

Under the scorching sun, two figures crept away, skulking along the base of the wall.