Disciple
Lan Ling’er and Mu Yu were blessed with peaceful days once they returned home. After discussing it with each other, Mu Yu decided to bury the fiend spirit at Dustfallen Precipice. He neither wanted to use it nor for his shifu to know that there were people after him. As for Tian Ran, they agreed to not mention her. Alas, the more they tried to hide the facts, the more evident it was they were hiding something.
Lan Ling’er looked forward to Lie Shang’s return. Sadly, there was no sign of him after two months of waiting. She asked and learnt her shifu wasn’t the one who folded the blankets, much to her delight. She took that as confirmation Lie Shang had returned and was merely held up for whatever reason. She was more motivated to cultivate than ever before, almost foregoing eating, in hopes of showing Lie Shang a better Lan Ling’er.
Mu Yu stopped attacking Lie Shang in his verbal spats with Lan Ling’er as merely mentioning him left a bitter taste in his mouth. She stopped mocking him after their journey together. He also noticed his feelings toward her had changed. Sometimes, he’d stare at her and space out. He wanted to see her happy.
Watching his shifu in the fields, Mu Yu would question if his shifu really was fine with living as a recluse after once living as a renowned adept. He wondered what sorts of internal demons his shifu wrestled with. On the surface, his shifu appeared unfettered. In saying that, he’d occasionally peer into the distance for some reason. Mu Yu knew the realm above Golden Core Realm was Nascent Soul and that there were more realms beyond that. He presumed his shifu was formerly at the peak.
One day, Feng Haochen called Mu Yu to Dustfallen Precipice. The gentle breeze blowing Feng Haochen’s robe gave him a relaxed vibe. He asked Mu Yu, “I noticed you have been out of sorts lately. What happened during the window you and Ling’er were away?”
Afraid Feng Haochen would see through him, Mu Yu averted his gaze and shook his head. “Nothing. I have just been frustrated with my lack of progress as of recent.”
Feng Haochen chortled. “I’m not senile quite yet. You’re not the hasty type. I noticed you behaving oddly and thought you’d consult me, but you’ve been avoiding me. Why is your conscience pricking you?”
Mu Yu had never lied to his shifu, but his shifu would know the truth each and every time even if he didn’t vocalise it. He was glad to have Feng Haochen as his shifu. Nonetheless, he thought it was a pity he didn’t know about his shifu’s life prior to the latter’s fall from grace. He couldn’t probe into his shifu’s past. His ambiguous feelings for Lan Ling’er also bothered him. It was one thing on top of another that obstructed him from concentrating during training.
Mu Yu opened his mouth but paused for a second before continuing, “Shifu, I think I have a crush on Ling’er, but she only thinks about Second Brother. I do not know if it is appropriate for me to like her. She might not like her…”
In the end, Mu Yu dodged the topic, deeming it more appropriate to let his shifu tell the tale when his shifu judged it to be the right timing. To divert attention, he chose to discuss Lan Ling’er ad his feelings. If nothing else, it was weight off his chest.
Caught with an unexpected topic, Feng Haochen stared at Mu Yu. He stroked his beard as though a blast from the past returned and remarked, “It sure is nice to be young, huh?”
Mu Yu looked to the ground. His shifu was once young. Plus, surely he had a line of girls interested in him when he was so famous. Flowing on from that logic, Mu Yu figured his shifu would have some informative advice.
“There’s no such thing as appropriate or not appropriate crushes. Ling’er doesn’t like you at the moment because you keep having a go at her whenever Lie Shang is brought up. Obviously, I’m cognisant of the fact you unwittingly developed feelings for her through your bickering. Think about this: if you developed feelings for her through arguing with her, who’s to say she wouldn’t fall for you for the same reason? Go with the flow. Maybe she’ll see your selling points one day.”
Feng Haochen walked over to the precipice and sat down, legs hanging off. Mu Yu joined his unencumbered shifu and assumed the same sitting posture. Formalities between shifu and disciple were forewent at Dustfallen Sect. Therefore, it wasn’t so awkward.
“Ling’er and Lie Shang are very close. She’s had a crush on him since they were younger, and she still has feelings for him after he left.” Feng Haochen shook his head. “She can’t allow anyone else into her heart, but her heart isn’t a rock. Some things are victims of time. She’ll eventually notice your feelings for her. The decision from thereon out is on her.”
It was simple to like someone. If they had reserved their heart for someone else, it wasn’t yours for the taking. There is no means of determining your place, but you cling to those feelings. It’s contradictory, but isn’t life a journey of them, forcing you to worry whenever making a decision of any sort?
“Lie Shang, like you, is gifted and an advanced cultivator.”
Feng Haochen didn’t want to demolish Mu Yu’s first love. He, therefore, only reminded the youth of things to bear in mind. The only reason Lan Ling’er started off on a bad foot with Mu Yu was because Mu Yu’s aptitude was said to surpass Lie Shang’s. Contrary to the claim, Mu Yu was still falling behind.
Mu Yu formed fists. Up until then, he was never dedicated to his training; he merely didn’t slack off since Uncle An supervised them. He lazed around at every opportunity. As such, he couldn’t catch up even if he did have a knack for it. Part of being talented was having the awareness that self-motivation was mandatory to progress.
Sounding proud, Feng Haochen added, “His cultivation has surpassed my current level.”
“Shifu, did he leave because he felt he needed to leave to grow?”
“As your shifu, I won’t stop any of you from leaving to see the real world. It was his decision to leave. Cheng Yan, Xiang Nan, Lan Ling’er, the two troublemakers and you, too, will eventually leave these mountains.”
Mu Yu couldn’t imagine what the world beyond Moyun Mountains was if it was already a dog eat dog world in Moyun Mountains. Once they left, there was no telling when they’d return. As for Feng Haochen, he was doomed to suffer a life of loneliness as he watched his disciples leave one by one. All that remain to keep him company would be memories.
“Shifu, I do not want to leave.” Mu Yu wasn’t willing to see his shifu standing at the edge of the cliff and wither alone.
Usually, sets would endeavour to keep their disciples to inherit the sect’s leadership. From Feng Haochen’s perspective, howbeit, Dustfallen Sect was but a name, not an asset to guard for eternity. A sect only existed for as long as the emotions connected to it existed.
“Go out and see the world. That’s your dao. There’s nothing you have to worry about. An Ping will keep me company. Birds will eventually have to take flight. How would it ever spread its wings if it’s trapped? While you’re out there exploring the world and broadening your horizons, I’ll be here listening to news of you turning the cultivation world on its head, stomping prodigies and teasing holy maidens from various sects. That’s what I consider entertaining! I want to hear myself mentioned as your shifu when people mention you one day. How proud I would be if one of my disciples became a peerless swordsman?” Feng Haochen laughed and added, “None of my disciples are losers.”
Feng Haochen wasn’t someone who was happy with just being another face in the crowd. He made good use of his striking looks as a young man. Mu Yu suspected his shifu really did all the things aforementioned and wanted his disciples to inherit certain “virtues” of his.
Teasing holy maidens when one was a skilled cultivator made one a romantic man. Teasing holy maidens when one wasn’t skilled made one a creep and was referred to as “seeking death”.
If Mu Yu was to announce he was Sword Shadow Dust Gale’s disciple, he’d be basking in his shifu’s glory, not the other way around. Well, his shifu wasn’t aware he knew his shifu’s true identity.
Thanks to his shifu clearing the figurative dark clouds looming overhead, Mu Yu was able to gaze up at the sun with a bright outlook again. If he wanted to chase his own dao and woo the girl he liked, he had an extensive list of things to accomplish.
“I lose to Lie Shang in every aspect. Perhaps Ling’er does not think well of me due to me not living up to expectations. Perhaps she will change her perspective of me once I reach Lie Shang’s level.”
Feng Haochen patted Mu Yu on the shoulder. “That’s probably when she’ll have to make up her mind. Well, having said that, cultivation isn’t necessarily always the key to someone’s heart. Your cultivation is only the foundation to gaining her acknowledgment. You have to do a lot of things if you wish to win her heart.”
Mu Yu understood it was a long journey to someone’s heart.
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