Volume One, Chapter 2: Bestowing a Name
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Everyone in Su City was stunned. Had Ye Chenyu gone mad?
[No, you crazy woman, are you really trying to get me killed?]
[Master Cheng has tried so hard to reason with you. Why won't you listen? And now you want to serve at my side? If you become my disciple, do you think that man will let either of us off?]
[My precious darling, he can't bear to kill you, but he will definitely kill me!]
[No, no, I absolutely cannot lose my nerve. That man is cold and ruthless! He might even kill you too!]
Su Cheng had made up his mind not to get up, and naturally, no one could wake him.
Ye Chenyu froze. Had this man actually been worried about her?
Cheng Liang was equally dumbfounded. His expression had become rather awkward as well. He had personally extended an invitation, only to be rejected?
As the master of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion, where was he supposed to put his dignity?
“Look at him!”
Cheng Liang seized Su Cheng by the clothes and shook him furiously, but Su Cheng merely played dead, pretending to sleep like a corpse.
“Do you see now? He simply doesn’t want to accept you! Can’t you tell? What did you think this was, some kind of trial?”
Looking at the breathtakingly beautiful woman before him, Cheng Liang could not understand how someone so beautiful could also be so hopelessly foolish.
He kicked Su Cheng’s chair. Su Cheng, sprawled over the table and entirely unaware of what was happening, toppled to the floor with the chair.
Like a child being bullied and too frightened to fight back, Su Cheng meekly picked up the table and chair, then continued pretending to sleep.
At that moment, Ye Chenyu felt an inexplicable ache in her heart.
[Chenyu, as you can see, I’m useless. I can’t protect you.]
[If I were alone, I could endure all this. But if I accepted you as my disciple, how could I call myself your master?]
[If you don’t like him, choose another sect. There are so many sects—surely you’ll find one you like.]
Ye Chenyu wanted desperately to stand up and tell him to stay away from her master.
But she had not even been acknowledged as his disciple yet. Such an act would only cause trouble for Su Cheng, and afterward, he would be even less likely to accept her.
“Stubborn beyond reason. Rotten wood that cannot be carved.”
Seeing that Ye Chenyu remained unmoved, Cheng Liang decided to let her run into the wall herself. Su Cheng had no cultivation and could not offer her any guidance. Sooner or later, she would become his anyway.
With that thought, Cheng Liang turned and left. The surrounding spectators began to pile on.
“Master Cheng kindly tried to advise her, and she has the nerve to reject him!”
“Exactly! Does she really think a little talent gives her the right to act so arrogantly?”
“I said the same thing. She’s just like that Su Cheng. Birds of a feather really do flock together!”
The surroundings gradually fell silent. Su Cheng, who had not slept the entire night, eventually drifted into genuine sleep without realizing it.
When he woke again, the sun was already nearing the horizon.
Su Cheng raised his head groggily and looked at the figure before him.
[Her… What am I supposed to do? I can’t keep pretending to sleep now.]
He straightened up and, for the first time, carefully examined Ye Chenyu.
Ye Chenyu seemed lost in thought, but the moment she heard Su Cheng’s inner voice, she snapped back to reality.
Her master was awake!
She slowly straightened herself into a kneeling position. Though both her legs had gone numb, she still knelt with perfect composure.
“What is your name?”
“Ye Chenyu.”
Only then did Su Cheng take a proper look at her. Since she was one of the women in Cheng Liang’s harem, he had never really looked her in the eye before.
[Naturally alluring, with the blood of the Fox Demon King. Accepting her would be no different from inviting disaster.]
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“Get up. You’ve been kneeling all day.”
“Yes.”
Ye Chenyu slowly rose, only to find that her legs could hardly straighten. Standing was even more uncomfortable than kneeling.
Hearing Su Cheng’s inner voice, she felt even more aggrieved. Was being naturally alluring her fault? Why did everyone always treat her as though she were a beautiful calamity?
“Why do you want to take me as your master? There are so many sects here.” This was something Su Cheng could never understand. Why?
Any normal person would absolutely never choose him!
A sly glimmer passed through Ye Chenyu’s beautiful eyes. She would never lie, but when it came to dealing with Su Cheng, she felt as though she had been born knowing how.
“Because Chenyu feels that the Lingxian Hall suits me. I need a master who cares about me. I would be the only disciple in the Lingxian Hall, and I would be the only one in my master’s eyes. I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone else and could cultivate in peace.”
She had carefully avoided the main point, but she had not lied. This truly mattered to her. She did not want to compete with other disciples for favor, nor did she want to trouble herself over the rare treasures required for cultivation.
At the Lingxian Hall, she would be the sole disciple. Everything her master possessed would belong to her. Without a doubt, the Lingxian Hall was the best choice.
“You saw what happened during the day. If you follow me, that will become the norm.”
Su Cheng had finally figured it out. Ye Chenyu had not rushed to become his disciple on a mere whim.
Besides, she had knelt for an entire day. Her sincerity was beyond question.
After taking a deep breath, Su Cheng said solemnly, “I’ll give you a chance. Would you like to try?”
“Chenyu is willing.”
“This is my personal sword. Its name is Frostveil. If you can control it, I will accept you as my disciple. How does that sound?”
[Let fate decide. If she can wield Frostveil, then Heaven itself must intend for me to accept her as my disciple.]
Ye Chenyu froze. This filthy black thing was Frostveil?
But after hearing Su Cheng’s inner voice, she began to panic. No one lied in their own thoughts.
The sword looked like some ancient burial object, as though it had been buried underground for thousands of years. Even the scabbard was covered in rust.
With an adorably blank yet cautious expression, Ye Chenyu accepted Frostveil. The surrounding spectators gathered around as well.
“Heh. She doesn’t understand something as simple as listening to good advice and keeping herself fed?”
“He’s accepting a disciple and gives her this piece of junk? It would be impressive enough if the thing could even be drawn.”
“Luckily, I joined the Heavenly Dao Pavilion. Even an ordinary disciple receives a middle-grade earth-ranked flying sword!”
Ye Chenyu could not be bothered with them. Su Cheng cared even less.
[Ye Chenyu… Chenyu. With that name and that destiny… what a pitiful child.]
Ye Chenyu glanced at the sword in her hands, then at Su Cheng. She shook her head and stopped thinking about everything else.
The long sword slowly slid from its scabbard. Though its exterior had looked utterly wretched, the blade beneath gleamed with a chilling radiance. An invisible sword aura seemed to protect it, keeping time from eroding its edge.
As she had guessed, he had not deceived her. This truly was an immortal sword. The moment she held it, she could feel it.
Ye Chenyu had never wielded an immortal sword before, but she felt that even if this was not an innate supreme treasure, it was certainly a peak-grade immortal weapon.
Whether she could control it, however, remained unknown.
At that moment, Ye Chenyu was utterly certain that merely standing before this man and receiving this opportunity was already an enormous stroke of fortune.
Now, all that remained was to see whether she could seize it.
“Frostveil has a difficult temperament. Don’t force yourself. I’m probably the only one who can control it. If you fail, don’t be reckless and hurt yourself.”
What Ye Chenyu was thinking was: Even if I die today, I will tame this sword!
What she said aloud was merely, “All right.”
With a graceful flick of her flowing sleeve, Ye Chenyu tossed the sword high into the air. In an instant, she formed a spell and controlled it with her mind. Frostveil hovered above the ground.
The sight startled Ye Chenyu so badly that she nearly lost her composure.
This is an innate supreme treasure! An enhanced version!
It was not that Ye Chenyu was controlling Frostveil. Frostveil was being perfectly obedient. It was almost as though the sword had been made especially for her, cooperating with her of its own accord.
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The dust gradually fell away from Frostveil’s surface, revealing its original purity. Two golden characters, meaning Frostveil, were engraved upon the snow-white scabbard.
It was as though ten thousand years of being buried in snow had finally come to an end, like a lost traveler granted a new life.
This was the sword of her dreams!
As a sword cultivator, Ye Chenyu had dreamed of possessing an immortal sword.
She was so excited that she nearly burst into tears. This was no ordinary immortal weapon. It was a genuine innate supreme treasure!
A divine weapon that existed only in legend!
What other sect could offer her such treatment?
What other sect master would be willing to give up such a treasure?
Only Su Cheng!
Only her magnificent master!
[Huh? So that’s how you use it? No wonder I couldn’t.]
[I’ll have to try it myself when I get back!]
Ye Chenyu was still overwhelmed with emotion when, with Frostveil hovering in midair, she heard Su Cheng’s inner voice.
“You are exceptionally gifted. You truly have the qualifications to become—”
Su Cheng was about to praise her when Ye Chenyu interrupted him.
Having successfully controlled Frostveil, she hurriedly recalled the sword, cradled it in her arms, and knelt properly before him.
“Thank you, Master, for bestowing this sword upon me!”
Su Cheng was dumbfounded. His outstretched hand flailed twice in full view of the crowd before he withdrew it.
[Damn it! This is my personal sword! When did I ever say I was giving it to you? Everyone is watching, and you just stole it in broad daylight!]
[Forget it. In my hands, it’s no better than a fire poker anyway. And Frostveil can suppress her natural allure.]
“From this moment onward, you are my personal disciple, and the first disciple of the Lingxian Hall.”
The surrounding spectators now understood what had happened. Ye Chenyu had joined the Lingxian Hall solely because she wanted Su Cheng’s sword!
With her talent, and an immortal sword that appeared to be at least heaven-ranked, did it really matter whether she had a master to guide her?
Some of the spectators even began to regret their own choices.
Why had it not been them?
Joining the Heavenly Dao Pavilion meant becoming an ordinary disciple who received little attention. Joining the Lingxian Hall meant becoming the sole favorite of an entire sect!
“Chenyu will never bring shame upon the name of the Lingxian Hall or my master!”
Seeing Ye Chenyu kneeling before him, Su Cheng finally understood what accepting a disciple truly meant.
[I have to give this poor girl a new name. With her destiny, even if she doesn’t go and save Cheng Liang, she won’t live long enough to become the Demon Emperor.]
“I don’t like the name Chenyu. After observing your destiny, I bestow upon you the name Qinghan. Do you like it?”
[Even if I am your master for only one day, I will never let you down. Destiny may be ordained by Heaven, but I will bear everything for you.]
“Thank you, Master, for granting me this name!”
She had heard every word clearly. But since Su Cheng did not say anything, Ye Chenyu did not ask.
Ye Qinghan… This was the name her master had given her, the future he had rewritten for her by defying Heaven’s will.
In the distance, Cheng Liang watched the scene and understood everything as well. Ye Qinghan had submitted herself to Su Cheng only for the sake of that sword!
He made up his mind that he would definitely save her.
He could not let such a wonderful girl fall into Su Cheng’s hands!
He possessed only a handful of heaven-ranked treasures, and he truly did not have a top-grade heaven-ranked immortal sword. But now that Ye Qinghan had obtained Frostveil, surely there was nothing left that could make her reject him.
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