Chapter 577: Master Jingfan

“This…” A faint blush appeared on Kong Que’s face as she said, “I was distracted by some things I was thinking about. It’s not what Master thinks!”

“And what is it that Master thinks?” Master Jingfan asked in return.

“Master, you’re teasing me again.” Kong Que refused to take the bait, her tone carrying a hint of annoyance.

“Hehe.” Master Jingfan laughed. “There’s nothing wrong with it. You’re not that young anymore, so it’s only natural to have such thoughts. There’s no need to hide them from your master. In fact, when I sent you to Mochou City this time, that was also my intention, so why be shy?”

“But… Master, if it were really as you say, then I could just admit it, but…” Kong Que was truly somewhat embarrassed and also somewhat confused. After all, Zhang Xiaohua was nominally the Incense-Spreading Sect’s son-in-law and was merely an immature youth of fifteen.

Seeing Kong Que like this, Master Jingfan did not press her further and merely smiled. “Fine then. If you don’t want to talk about it, how could your master force you? Then just tell me about what happened during this trip. I haven’t been to Mochou Lake for several decades either, so I wonder whether anything has changed.”

“Master… it’s not that this disciple won’t say it, it’s just that I don’t know how to say it. Well, then, this disciple will tell you about it.”

After that, she recounted in detail everything that had happened during this trip to Mochou City and Spring Rebirth Valley. Naturally, what she said this time contained somewhat more than the report she had given the Sect Leader previously, and the additional content was, of course, about Zhang Xiaohua.

Master Jingfan’s reaction was similar to that of the Incense-Spreading Sect’s leader, Master Jingyi. She did not interrupt Kong Que midway and only nodded after Kong Que had finished speaking, then asked, “Your injuries have already healed? Come, let your master take a look.”

Kong Que felt a warmth in her heart. As expected of my master. Although the Sect Leader had expressed concern, her first question had been about the details of the ambush, while Master’s first question was about my injuries.

Thus, Kong Que obediently extended her hand. Master Jingfan placed her fingers on Kong Que’s wrist, and a strand of inner energy entered her body, circling once through her meridians before withdrawing. A gratified smile appeared on her face. “Not bad. Over these past few months, your cultivation method has improved again. You truly have not been slacking off.”

Kong Que lowered her head. “This disciple would not dare. Master taught that ‘cultivation is like rowing a boat upstream; if one does not advance, one retreats.’ This disciple dares not fail to heed your teachings.”

“Hehe, very good. That Lesser Meridian Nourishing Pill truly is miraculous. The injuries in your meridians have completely disappeared, and they have even expanded by a fraction, which will be of great benefit to your future cultivation. Compared with that, the few years of cultivation that came for free are hardly worth mentioning!”

“Ah? What? Master, this disciple thought that obtaining seven years of cultivation was already more than enough to be satisfied with. I never imagined that the Lesser Meridian Nourishing Pill had such an effect! Then wouldn’t the genuine Meridian Nourishing Pill be even more miraculous?” Kong Que asked in astonishment.

“Alas, as for the true Meridian Nourishing Pill, even the sect’s records do not clearly describe its exact effects, so who knows what it can do? Besides, even this Lesser Meridian Nourishing Pill is about to disappear from the world.”

“Such a pity…”

“Oh, right. You just said that when you saw that child, you actually had the feeling that he filled heaven and earth? Now that is rather strange. During this seclusion, although your master did not make much progress, I can still be considered to have achieved some minor success. I vaguely caught a glimpse of the realm of the Immortal Dao, and at the same time saw a corner of the so-called Heavenly Dao. Although it was only a fleeting glance, in that brief instant, your master felt a profound shock in her heart. Before the eternal Heavenly Dao, your master was practically an ant… no, even more insignificant than an ant. This feeling seems very similar to what you experienced.”

“Oh my, Master, congratulations, congratulations! You actually managed to glimpse the Heavenly Dao. Could it be that our Fantian cultivation method is actually real?”

“Nonsense!” Master Jingfan rebuked Kong Que. “The Fantian cultivation method is naturally real. It is the painstaking effort and life’s work of our predecessors, so how could it possibly be false?”

“But…” Kong Que argued, “the realms described in the cultivation method are simply too mysterious. By the end…”

“They all become unimaginable levels of martial arts, right?” Master Jingfan said with a smile. “Isn’t your master advancing step by step along that very path? Do you still have doubts?”

“This disciple does not dare. I no longer dare to doubt it.”

Kong Que lowered her head in shame.

“Mmm, but you cannot be blamed. When I was about your age, your master was the same—young and reckless.” At this moment, Master Jingfan looked just like a loving mother.

Then she asked, “Did Chen Chen see that boy? What did she feel?”

Kong Que shook her head. “This disciple deliberately had Junior Sister Chen take a look as well and did not tell her anything beforehand, but judging from Junior Sister Chen’s reaction, she did not sense anything unusual at all. And…”

Kong Que hesitated for a moment before saying, “And this disciple only felt that way the first time I met him. When I saw him again afterward, I no longer had that… that feeling.”

By the end, her voice had become almost inaudible.

Master Jingfan was somewhat dumbfounded. After thinking for a moment, she softly asked, “Who else have you told about this matter? Chen Chen? Or perhaps the Sect Leader?”

Kong Que was taken aback and said shyly, “Master, listen to yourself. What is there to tell others about? This is the first time this disciple has spoken of it, and it is to Master.”

“Mmm, that is for the best.” Master Jingfan nodded, then said solemnly, “Kong Que, although the inner sect disciples of our Incense-Spreading Sect are not forbidden from marrying, if one wishes to develop within the sect and attain a position like your master’s, then… one must remain as pure as jade. The reason I let you go out this time was to allow you to see the true jianghu first and then speak to you about these things afterward. Who would have thought that after only a few months, you would run into your so-called fated nemesis!”

“Fated nemesis??” Kong Que was greatly alarmed. “Master, are you saying that Ren Xiaoyao actually…”

Master Jingfan nodded. “Your master has no experience in such matters, but from the way you describe it, it seems very much like what happened when your Senior Sister Ruping first saw Ou Peng of the Piaomiao Sect. Back then, your Martial Aunt Jingyi came to speak with me several times about it, so the impression remained very deep.”

“Senior Sister Ruping?” Kong Que became even more astonished. “You mean Hall Master Yang Ruping of the Piaomiao Hall?”

“Mmm, exactly.” Master Jingfan sighed. “That child… back then, she also made a trip to Mochou Lake and encountered her fated nemesis. After returning to Yixiang Peak, she could not forget him. It was exactly as you described—her heart held only that Ou Peng, and it seemed as if the entire world would collapse without him. Your Martial Aunt could not withstand her pestering and only then reluctantly agreed. Although Ou Peng later proved himself and even became the Sect Master of the Piaomiao Sect, but… alas, fate toys with people, and love wounds the heart.”

Master Jingfan sighed repeatedly.

Then she looked at Kong Que with affection and said: “Kong Que, your aptitude surpassed Ruping’s long ago, and it is plain to see that your future is boundless. Your master hopes that you will weigh this matter carefully and think it through properly. You absolutely must not…”

Before she could finish, Kong Que hurriedly said: “Master, listen to yourself. I feel that what I’m experiencing is… oh, it’s not quite the same as what happened with Senior Sister Ruping…”

Indeed, Yang Ruping and Ou Peng had fallen in love at first sight, with both of them sharing the same feelings, and Yang Ruping’s love for Ou Peng had been deeply engraved in her heart. But as for Kong Que, she truly had not figured out whether she had such feelings for this “mere fifteen-year-old” and “future son-in-law of Spring Rebirth Valley”. Yet her master had already placed such a huge label upon her, so naturally she was anxious.

Master Jingfan looked at her just as one would look at a beloved daughter and stopped Kong Que’s explanation with a wave of her hand. “Kong Que, don’t be in such a hurry. What your master says is for your own good, but this is merely your master’s wishful thinking. I am not some stubborn old-fashioned person. Back then, your Martial Aunt Jingyi could let Ruping go, so how could I not? Hehe, to tell the truth, it was actually I who persuaded your Martial Aunt back then. How could your master still fail to understand such things now? However, this Ren… what was his name again?”

“Ren Xiaoyao!” Kong Que said somewhat irritably.

“Mmm, Ren Xiaoyao. He is also no match for Ou Peng. He is merely an ordinary disciple of Tuodan Hall and seems far beneath you in every regard. Moreover, his martial arts are also extremely poor. I don’t think he is a suitable match for you.”

“Master…” Kong Que was left speechless. How had things progressed to this point already? Why were they suddenly talking about all this?

Master Jingfan ignored her and continued: “Of course, Kong Que, if you truly have taken a fancy to him, then never mind whether he is Spring Rebirth Valley’s future son-in-law or not. They have not yet been married, after all. Nor does it matter that he is only an ordinary disciple. Your master can make the decision for you.”

“Master!” Hearing this, Kong Que was deeply moved. Holding Master Jingfan’s hand, she said, “But… Master, thank you for your concern, yet it really does not seem to be as you think.”

“How is it not what I think? Your master has eaten more salt than you have eaten rice. How could I not understand?”

Master Jingfan was utterly certain.

Kong Que became even more anxious. “Master, I really… forget it. Tomorrow, I’ll send someone to bring Ren Xiaoyao here, and you can judge for yourself.”

Kong Que spoke somewhat petulantly.

“Alright~” Master Jingfan said with a beaming smile. “I also wish to see just what sort of person this Ren Xiaoyao is, to have first charmed the young lady of Spring Rebirth Valley and then our proud Kong Que as well. Oh, forget it…”

Master Jingfan seemed to think of something else. “Let’s put this matter aside for now. Ever since your Martial Aunt Jingxuan passed away so inexplicably, Yixiang Peak has been on edge, everyone is suspicious of everything. If we add your matter on top of it, and it even involves someone from outside the sect, it will inevitably attract the attention of others. It would do no good for you, for Ren Xiaoyao, for Tuodan Hall, or for Spring Rebirth Valley either. Let’s wait a few years and talk about it then. In any case, the boy is still young, so just let him grow for now!”

“Ugh~” Kong Que nearly fell over. This was a person they were talking about, not raising a fish.

However, when the late Martial Aunt Jingxuan was mentioned, Kong Que’s face also filled with sorrow. “Yes, Master. Martial Aunt Jingxuan’s martial arts were even superior to yours, so how did she pass away so mysteriously? She never accepted any disciples either. Oh, that’s right, Master, it seems that the young girl whom Martial Aunt Jingxuan brought back from outside has already been accepted into the inner sect, hasn’t she?”

Master Jingfan sighed. “Yes. When your Martial Aunt passed away, her expression was very peaceful. She seemed to know who had struck against her, yet she refused to say a single word. Alas, it is precisely because of this that Yixiang Peak has been shrouded in suspicion and uncertainty. As for the young girl she brought back from outside, her aptitude is not high. Your Martial Aunt did not have the chance to accept her as a disciple before her death, and after her passing, the matter became even more difficult to handle.”