Zong Ci was really unsure when facing his master.
After all, they had lived on the main peak of Taiyan Sect for so long, and had lived together day and night for hundreds of years.
Even if one is reborn, a person's habits and little actions are difficult to change. You never know what clues you will discover after spending a long time with them.
Besides, Zong Ci had already decided to stay away from the people from his previous life in this life. It would be best if they didn’t meet each other, and they would have no contact until they died.
Taiyan Sect is so big, and there are countless outer disciples. If he really wants to hide, he can just lock himself in his humble abode and not come out, and no one can do anything to him. If he really wants to stay away, at most he can take off the outer disciple uniform and travel around the world. After three years, dust will return to dust, and what regrets can he have
But the words he saw in the Sutra Repository always made Zong Ci feel uneasy.
The secret method of the demon clan, 'blood sacrifice'... ... He recalled the day when Rong Lian invited him to visit the demon clan's Chixiao Palace in public, and his heart sank.
If it wasn't necessary, Zong Ci didn't want to go to the demon tribe in this life, let alone meet that person. But he had indeed seen the name of "blood sacrifice". If Zong Ci guessed correctly, this secret method was probably engraved on the door of the demon tribe's underground demon tower. He had a quick glance at it in his previous life and still had an impression of it.
Since everyone knows where the secret method is, why doesn't he go
It was not easy to save his life, and Zongci was not a hard-working practitioner who wanted to die. In less than three years, he had to take a chance. At worst, he could just go to the demon tribe and not see that person.
He has to find some time to visit this demon tribe.
This month, Zong Ci had already completed his share of menial tasks, but he had not yet completed the routine task of teaching outer disciples. So after two days of leisure, he got up early again, dug out a textbook from under the bed, wiped the cover, put it in his arms, and walked out the door.
"Friend Zong, are you going to attend private school today?"
He had just walked to the door when a sharp-eyed disciple spotted him and stepped forward to ask respectfully.
"Yes." The black-clothed young man nodded with a smile, "I was busy with chores a few days ago, and only last night did I remember that I hadn't been to the private school this month, so I came here today."
"I see. No wonder I haven't seen you for nearly half a month. The teachers in the academy are all missing you." The disciple also smiled. "We are on the same route, why don't we go together?"
"good."
Although cultivating immortals is cultivating immortals, the cultural levels of the disciples in each sect vary widely.
Some of the disciples were born into wealthy families in the mortal world, with a silver spoon in their mouths; some of the disciples lived on the streets and could not read a single word.
In order to take care of these disciples and avoid the embarrassment of not being able to understand the exercises in the future, Taiyan Sect specially invited some casual practitioners to be teachers and set up a private school on Yingyue Peak to teach the disciples to read and write. Both inner and outer disciples had to go, and they could be exempted unless they passed the strict annual school examination.
In addition, Yingyue Peak also has some simple courses specially opened for outer disciples, and occasionally inner disciples will come to give some guidance. If you are lucky, you can also meet core disciples or elders who teach in person. Even inner disciples have their quota of guidance tasks every year.
Such a large sect developed in this way, with those with higher cultivation guiding those with lower cultivation, and masters guiding disciples. This is the foundation for its long-term prosperity.
As the number one sect in the world, Taiyan Sect naturally has very high requirements for its disciples.
To cultivate the immortality, one must first cultivate character, morality, and kindness before one can become an immortal.
Zong Ci was that rare student who was favored by all the teachers in the cultural subjects.
The gentlemen invited by Taiyan Sect were all casual cultivators. They might not have much talent in cultivating immortals, but they were devoted to poetry and prose, and were no different from the scholars in the mortal world who were keen on taking the imperial examinations.
Zong Ci had indeed been trained as a crown prince in the State of Chu for several years, and Tai Yan only knew the basics of religion, so it was not surprising that he stood out in this aspect.
Sure enough, when Zong Ci entered the study room and chose a seat in the back row to start his morning reading, the teacher came over with a ruler in his hand and asked Zong Ci to recite a passage of ancient Chinese literature.
He recited it honestly, and even answered the tricky questions raised by the teacher after he finished reciting it without any mistakes. After thinking for a moment, he turned and bowed, "Sir, I was delayed by something earlier and I really can't get away. I hope you can forgive me."
"As long as I haven't delayed my studies."
Seeing that he indeed did not neglect his studies, the teacher's expression turned from cloudy to sunny, and he turned around to scold other disciples.
The clothes of the disciples in the academy are all different. The outer disciples wear simple coarse cloth, the inner disciples wear tight clothes, and the core disciples wear crane cloaks. The level is clear at a glance. Many inner disciples cast their eyes on the outer disciple who has won the favor of the master. There are also some who recognize Zong Ci as the disciple who made a big splash in the square that day, and for a while, there is no end to the gazes on him.
The black-robed disciple had his black hair spread out and fell around his body, supporting his head, making the shadowy neck and wrists exposed by his long sleeves shine as bright as the bright moon. His eyebrows and eyes were long and slender like mist, making him look like a lazy cat.
"Brother Zong's understanding of Tao is unique."
Unexpectedly, when Zong Ci was about to bury his head in reading, he heard a light laugh in his ears.
Zongci: "... "
Zong Ci: "Brother Liu, thank you for your compliment."
Sure enough, the blue-shirted disciple was sitting openly on the cushion next to him, with his legs crossed and his head tilted, looking at him with a half-smile.
The outer disciples who were sitting on the cushions earlier had long gone away. It seemed that they felt that the two of them had a good relationship, so they took the initiative to give up their seats.
It was helpless, now the outer sect disciples seemed to think that Liu Yuan and Zong Ci had a good relationship. Originally, Liu Yuan was said to be from a high-ranking family in the mortal world, and there were many people fawning on him in the outer sect. Now he was related to Zong Ci, who had a prominent position in the outer sect, and no one dared to say anything about it.
For a moment, Zong Ci suddenly felt that this posture was inexplicably familiar, but just as his thoughts began to develop, he was interrupted by the person in front of him.
I don't know what Liu Yuan's intention is. He sits next to him, not only doesn't study hard, but also always comes over to chat with him.
The young man in black clothes remained expressionless, occasionally responding with a few words, but he was slightly restrained in his heart.
It is not known whether this Liu Yuan is a spy from the ghost realm or the evil ways. He acts so high-profile, isn't he afraid of capsizing in the gutter
but-
Is he a ghost cultivator or a spy of the evil sect
"... ... The sect has sent out a letter stating that the leader of the Tianji Sect will give a lecture in the sect square in five days. It will last for one day. Are you interested, brother?"
"It depends on the situation. I may have to go down the mountain in two days." Zong Ci didn't hear what he said at all. He looked absent-minded. He reached out to take the pen he had placed aside. With a sweep of his wide sleeves, he accidentally swept the book on the table to the ground.
It swept right to Liu Yuan's feet.
The blue-shirted disciple reached out his long arm and handed over the booklet.
"Thank you very much."
Zong Ci thanked him and his fingers inadvertently slid along the spine of the book, just brushing against Liu Yuan's fingers, and he took the book steadily.
It was so cold that it didn't seem alive.
In just that instant, a flash of lightning flashed through his mind.
Among all the monks, only one type is like this.
That is a ghost cultivator who has abandoned his own living identity and walks among the human world as a living dead.
Judging from Liu Yuan’s cultivation level, he is definitely at the out-of-body stage or above, and is probably a high-level figure in the ghost realm.
At a time when the righteous and the demon clan were forming an alliance, a ghost cultivator actually sneaked into the Tai Yan Sect so blatantly. It was really unbelievable.
The black-robed disciple calmly withdrew his hand, covered the ink-smelling pages again, and lowered his brows in thought.
Now Qingxuzi has come out of seclusion. Since even he couldn't find this spy, this ghost cultivator must have some unknown hiding method.
He subconsciously turned the back of his hand, bent his knuckles, and tapped on the table.
This was Zongci's usual thinking move. He would use this move whenever his thoughts got stuck.
“Tap-tap-tap—”
When it came to the third tone, Zong Ci stopped abruptly.
This is a school, and the monks are all very sharp-eyed and sharp-eared. It would be bad if he disturbed others with his thoughts.
Thinking of this, he withdrew his hand and prepared to return to the page.
At this moment, Zong Ci suddenly felt his hair stand on end.
That extremely cold feeling of being watched attached to him again, as if he was being stared at by a long-dormant venomous snake, scratching his hand bones inch by inch.
Zong Ci didn't dare to turn his head, otherwise he would see Liu Yuan holding a folding fan in his hand, his smile had completely disappeared, his black and white eyes were completely filled with ink, and his expression was strange and unpredictable.
Could it be that his previous contact was discovered
That shouldn't be the case. He didn't do anything, he just wanted to verify his guess.
It was just an ordinary contact, so he wouldn't release his spiritual consciousness directly in class. Do you really think that the spiritual consciousness of Ancestor Qingxu during the tribulation period is just a decoration
The sounds of reading in the study were still there, but the voice of the teacher's teaching was very far away, as if it was separated by several mountains.
Zong Ci straightened the corners of his mouth, clenched his palms, and his fingers were already sticky with sweat. He forced himself to stare at the words in the book until the edges of the words were blurred and doubled.
"Zongci, the Master of Jianfeng Peak is looking for you."
I don’t know how long it took, maybe a stick of incense, maybe a moment, then another voice seemed to come from the dim distance.
At this moment, all the coldness shrouding Zong Ci disappeared as if it had never existed.
The master of Jianfeng Peak!
There were faint sounds of slight gasps in the classroom.
Everyone remembered the recent rumor in Taiyan Sect and became somewhat surprised and confused.
Is this really going to set a precedent? Master Sword Immortal is planning to accept an outer disciple as his last disciple
"Well, I'll take my leave, sir."
Zong Ci stood up, responded, and walked out quickly.
Outside the door, Xuanji Sword Immortal, dressed in white, had an elegant posture. He glanced over indifferently, with a chilly aura around him.
They were delivering medicinal herbs, a whole cartload at a time, all of which were rare items; and they were helping at such a critical time, although it was a mistake, it was put into practice.
Zong Ci thought that he should really thank this junior.
After saying this, Liu Yuan put away his extremely cold consciousness, and his expression returned to its usual warmth. He pretended to be surprised and said, "Brother Zong, why are you vomiting blood again? Is it okay?"
Zong Ci wiped away the red that seeped from the corners of his lips without leaving a trace, and forced a smile, "Thank you for your concern, Brother Lao Liu. It's just an old ailment, it's okay."
Shit, this guy’s spiritual sense is extremely cold. When it swept over Zong Ci’s body, the cold air seemed to invade every part of his body. Doesn’t he have any idea who made him vomit blood
Judging from his spiritual consciousness, it is at least above the out-of-body level. He comes to Tai Yan Sect to pretend to be a small minion and bully a weak disciple. Do you think it’s fun
Zong Ci confirmed in his heart once again that he was indeed not familiar with this divine consciousness, and he didn't know how he had attracted the other party's attention.
At this sensitive time when the demon clan and the righteous are forming an alliance, an unknown out-of-body stage cultivator secretly disguises himself as an outer disciple of the Taiyan Sect. His intentions are known to everyone.
Moreover, this is when there are very few people in the out-of-body stage in the entire cultivation world. Counting on one's fingers, this out-of-body stage is either the evil sect leader of the Hehuan Sect or the Wild Fire Sect, or a high-level person in the Ghost Realm.
Unfortunately, Zong Ci paid little attention to these things after his rebirth in this life, and he was not quite sure how many powerful people above the level of out-of-body experience there were in the world of cultivation nowadays. He could only make a note of this and check it slowly later.
After seeing the young man in black put the handkerchief back into his sleeve, Liu Yuan's eyes flashed, he turned his back and led the way again.
After this wave of turmoil, the following tasks were smooth sailing and nothing unexpected happened.
Zong Ci was feeling unhappy, so he quickly and decisively killed the monster with a casual wave of his sword, and signaled Liu Yuan to go forward and dig out the elixir.
"Brother Zong's sword is truly amazing every time I see it. It is truly admirable."
He looked back and saw the blue-shirted disciple staring at him thoughtfully. After noticing Zong Ci's unfriendly gaze, he smiled back at him slowly.
Liu Yuan had long known that Zong Ci had an extraordinary appearance, but he usually lived a reclusive life, kept a very low profile, and looked sickly, so few people would notice this directly.
But once he grasped the sword—
However, the ordinary iron sword, with a lazy look, still looks like a sword unsheathed. It can easily become the focus of the crowd's vision, making people admire it.
Even though his appearance and sword intent were very different, he had just used his spiritual sense to carefully detect it, but apart from the fact that he was already known to be weak, he could not find anything wrong.
But Liu Yuan always had an inexplicable premonition.
He must have some relationship with that person.
At Liu Yuan’s level, premonition can represent so many things.
However, what exactly this premonition is still needs more verification.
In the far depths, the man sitting on the bone throne sneered.
"Brother Liu, you are so kind."
Zong Ci held an ordinary iron sword in his hand. He swung the sword back and put it back into the sheath. "Now that the monster has been dealt with, let's go back as soon as possible."
The Sunset Forest is a short distance away from the Taiyan Sect Mountains. It was already noon when they got here. If they delayed any further, they would probably not be able to return to their humble abode until the evening.
Given the danger Liu Yuan had revealed before, Zong Ci didn't want to stay with him until night at all. Who knew what kind of unexpected events might happen at night.
Of course, he remembered this grudge.
When he finds the right opportunity, Zong Ci will report Liu Yuan without exposing himself, so that he can feel what a beating in life feels like.
There is ample time.
####
After this incident, Zong Ci's life returned to normal again.
Of course, the peace and tranquility only applies to him. In places that Zong Ci cannot see, the alliance between the demon race and the righteous path becomes closer and closer, and the matter of starting a war in the ghost realm is also on the agenda. The forces in the entire cultivation world have heard the news and have stood in line to wait and see.
After completing a mission together with Liu Yuan last time, Zong Ci never took the initiative to be alone with Liu Yuan again.
But for some reason, the entire outer sect seemed to tacitly acknowledge that the two of them had a good relationship. Several times, Zong Ci heard other disciples mention Liu Yuan in front of him.
Of course, Zong Ci was very skeptical that Liu Yuan played an absolute promoting role in this.
After all, he lived in the room next to Zong Ci. Zong Ci would rush to see his smiling face seven or eight times out of ten times when he went in and out of the door. Every time, he would say "Hello again, Brother Zong," in an especially exaggerated voice, for fear that others might not hear him.
In this regard, Zongci can only say: "... "