Fairy, Don't Be Afraid, I Am Blind

Chapter 168 - 126: Gifts of Clothing and Swordsmanship; Shi Yan’s Past 3

You Su gave a salute to his senior sister and then turned away to leave. The Third Elder also stepped into the celestial forest.

Only Fairy Wangshu remained in place. She reached out her slender jade hand to rub the fur on her shoulder, an expression of puzzlement sparkled in her blue eyes.

Why would Master and the Third Elder seek out Junior Brother... and not let me tag along? What do they want with him?

...

You Su walked down the mountain, his mood as uneasy as the rugged rocks beneath his feet.

Upon reaching the base, a stout, dark-skinned man was already waiting for him. Seeing You Su appear, he called out excitedly:

"You Su!"

His voice was like thunder cracking the skies. You Su was speechless; he was standing just thirty feet away. Was there really a need to shout that loudly?

"Mr. Shi," You Su responded.

"Aren’t you from Lotus Peak? How did I become your senior? No need to be so formal, just call me Shi Yan." Shi Yan said jovially.

Despite having joined the Sect earlier and being older, he didn’t care much about these matters.

You Su chuckled secretly but wasn’t offended; he found Shi Yan’s simplicity and sincerity endearing and thus changed his address, "Then let’s call each other by name."

"As it should be. Let’s go; the Third Elder asked me to take you to Bihua Peak."

Saying this, Shi Yan took the lead. His tall stature and quick pace didn’t change just because You Su was blind.

You Su snapped out of his thoughts and quickly followed, not finding Shi Yan impolite. Instead, he felt a sense of gratitude towards Shi Yan for treating him like a regular person.

As they entered the plaza, the number of disciples increased. Many people, upon seeing You Su, looked at him eagerly. Some even boldly greeted him, to which You Su responded with a gentle smile.

"You Su, you’re a celebrity now! You’re considered the most hardworking true disciple shown in the history of the Profound Sky Sect." Shi Yan praised.

"I just didn’t want Lotus Peak to lose face because of me."

Maybe, for other peaks, a true disciple’s report is merely a process for people to recognize newcomers, but Lotus Peak, which only accepts one disciple every hundred years, is a special case, which led to You Su’s challenging report. Fortunately, it was all resolved peacefully.

"Well said! I too won’t let Bihua Peak lose face!" Shi Yan said, clenching his fists in determination.

You Su was momentarily baffled. Wasn’t Shi Yan an outer disciple? Outer disciples attended classes; they didn’t have a master.

He thought about the Third Elder sending someone to escort him up the mountain. Shouldn’t that be one of his disciples? Why assign Shi Yan, an outer disciple?

Could it be that the Third Elder had taken Shi Yan as a disciple?

"Shi Yan, did you become a true disciple of Bihua Peak?"

"Hehe! That’s thanks to you! But don’t make it known; I prefer to keep a low profile since it hasn’t been officially announced yet."

True disciples can either be selected by elders when traveling outside or chosen from the sect’s outer disciples.

Given the strength Shi Yan displayed in that battle, it’s not surprising he was selected by the elders. However, You Su was curious why the Third Elder took him as a disciple, an odd pair if ever there was one.

"Congratulations! No wonder the Third Elder had you take me to Bihua Peak; you earned it, it has nothing to do with me."

Hearing this, Shi Yan scratched his head and laughed sheepishly:

"Actually, losing to you was the best result."

"Why do you say that?"

"After joining the peak, my seniors told me. As an outer disciple, I’ve been challenging true disciples for years, inadvertently offending many elders. So even if I did win against a true disciple with that move, no elder would choose me. Losing to you, on the other hand, led the kind-hearted Third Elder to take me under her wing."

"You challenged true disciples just to get noticed by the elders?"

You Su admired Shi Yan’s straightforwardness. In such a vast sect as the Profound Sky Sect, it wasn’t all about battles without any worldly concerns, right?

"Yes, I’ve been beaten up all along the way. I thought I’d save up my strength just for you, to shine, but I still couldn’t win."

Shi Yan’s tone was honest, without a hint of resentment.

"My victory was narrow. Your cultivation technique is impressive, able to absorb others’ strength as your own. Once your level increases and you can store more Qi, no one will easily provoke you again. Unfortunately, now that it’s exposed, others won’t attack you without thinking."

Unexpectedly, Shi Yan headed straight for a stone pillar on the side and collided with it, the impact so forceful it left a vibration. When Shi Yan lifted his head again, a large bump had formed, yet he seemed indifferent to the pain, rather taking pride in saying:

"I used to think that way too, but being a true disciple is different. Before, I didn’t have money, so I had to take beatings to grow stronger. Now, as a true disciple, I don’t have to spend a dime; the Third Elder specially prepared a lot of Profound Qi-rich profound stones for me. I crash into them daily to absorb the Qi and grow stronger. Bihua Peak even has a big waterfall. Sitting beneath it, getting pummeled by the water also makes me stronger! The Third Elder treats me very well!"

"..."

You Su listened to Shi Yan’s excited tone, still thinking that such a training method was ahead of its time, but since Shi Yan enjoyed it, he decided not to comment further.

But in truth, neither of them was aware of the Third Elder’s little scheme. Though she abhorred men, the Third Elder couldn’t make her disdain too obvious, so there were still some exceptionally talented male disciples at Bihua Peak.

By taking in someone like Shi Yan, who was incompatible, she wanted to watch men "suffer" in her presence time and again. This brought her continual delight and a sense of comfort, prompting her to spare no effort in finding resources to aid Shi Yan’s cultivation.

"Why are you so determined to become a true disciple?"

You Su was curious about what motivated this strong man to persevere until now.

Surprisingly, Shi Yan scratched his head, suddenly bashful, and took a long time to answer:

"I like Guifen from our village, but she was taken as a true disciple by Venerable Yeqing of the Refining Treasure Sect. I couldn’t bear to let her go, and the Venerable said only a true disciple of the Profound Sky Sect would be worthy of Guifen."

An Immortal Sect fairy, yet with the plain name Guifen. It felt a bit out of place.

Venerable Yeqing... now that name sounds familiar.