Volume 1, Chapter 3: The Presentation of the Six Betrothal Gifts

Following Su Cheng up the mountain, Ye Qinghan truly could not maintain her composure when she saw her master’s Lingxian Hall...
Is this supposed to be Lingxian Hall? Is this a sect?
"Master, are you saying this is Lingxian Hall?"
Ye Qinghan pointed at the dilapidated shack before her, her face filled with disbelief.
"That is correct. In the pursuit of immortality, one seeks to purify the heart and curb desires; as your master, I do not care for excessive luxury."
"But there is no need to be this destitute..."
Ye Qinghan gazed at the small courtyard before her, unable to stop herself from grumbling inwardly. Is there fraud even in the world of immortality?

[Congratulations to the host for successfully taking on a disciple! The Villain System grants you the following rewards!]
[Lingxian Hall x1]
[Innate Supreme Spirit Root Seed x1]
[999 Panacea x1]
[Cultivation Auxiliary Materials (Ye Qinghan) x10 sets]

Hearing the system's voice in his mind, Su Cheng was taken aback. Ever since he transmigrated, this Villain System had disappeared after introducing the world, refusing to respond no matter how he called it! If it hadn't popped up just now, Su Cheng would have almost forgotten he even had a system.
The most infuriating part was this god-forsaken system! Are these cultivation materials bound to specific individuals? Was it afraid he wouldn't give them to his disciple, so it kept them for himself?
[System shop access enabled.]

"Go into the house and wait for me."
Ye Qinghan did not overthink it. Not only did she know her master would not harm her, but even if he did, she would not be afraid!
Having just been told by her disciple that the place was shabby, Su Cheng decided to give Ye Qinghan a visual shock.
The Immortal Hall ignored terrain and required no site selection; as long as it touched the ground, the surrounding trees and rocks were cleared away in an instant. In that same moment, the Lingxian Hall rose from the ground, with all its facilities fully equipped.

[Heh, this is more like a villain. What kind of miserable life was I living before? Wouldn't that just be begging on my knees? Besides, if a villain doesn't have a bit of strength, how can I highlight how impressive you, Young Master Cheng, are?]
"Come out."
Ye Qinghan could hear Su Cheng’s inner thoughts while inside, but the moment she truly saw the scene...
"Master... your disciple was ignorant..." Ye Qinghan felt a pang of guilt. Could it be that she had truly used the heart of a petty person to measure the belly of a gentleman?
"It was my oversight; I did not realize your needs. There are many rooms here; choose whichever you like."
Su Cheng led Ye Qinghan inside. The magnificent palace complex resembled a celestial palace in the heavens, filled with incredibly dense spiritual energy. Su Cheng naturally chose the main hall, a decision Ye Qinghan dared not contest—of course, the master should occupy the largest room. Ye Qinghan chose the room right next to her master's; as a disciple, she naturally wanted to stay close to him!

After tidying up her room, Ye Qinghan headed to the Lingxian Hall to perform the apprenticeship ceremony. She was already the head disciple; all that was missing was the formality. However, Ye Qinghan did not expect to be scolded the moment she knelt down.
"Qinghan, where is your Ling-shuang Sword?" Su Cheng’s tone was icy, his eyes turning terrifying.
Ye Qinghan froze. Seeing her master's expression, she felt a wave of fear. Perhaps because she had been kneeling for a day, her legs trembled involuntarily.
"In... my room."
Seeing Ye Qinghan like this, Su Cheng’s heart softened.

"I am not angry, but Qinghan, remember this: the Ling-shuang Sword must never leave your person, nor can it be placed inside a storage ring."
"This disciple will take your teachings to heart, Master." Ye Qinghan understood; this sword was more important than her own life! If the world knew of the existence of an innate treasure, one could only imagine what would happen—the three realms would likely go mad over it...
She quickly rose and ran back to her room to retrieve the Ling-shuang Sword, secretly swearing that she would never let it leave her side again.
Fortunately, her master did not pursue the matter further. Ye Qinghan tied the Ling-shuang Sword to her waist and then offered tea to her master to complete the apprenticeship ceremony.

[I can barely protect myself, yet I have the audacity to take on a disciple.]
He slowly took the teacup, sipped it lightly, and patted Ye Qinghan on the head.
"I have prepared an initiation gift for you, consisting of six items, including the Ling-shuang Sword."
Ye Qinghan stared blankly at the gifts on the table, rooted to the spot.
"Master, the six gifts should have been prepared by me for you. The grace of your guidance is already beyond repayment; how could I dare to..."
"This is the rule of my Lingxian Hall. If I give it to you, take it!" Su Cheng pursed his lips and introduced them to Ye Qinghan one by one.
Ye Qinghan nodded obediently; her master’s words were imperial decrees, and she would simply listen.
"This is the Water-Sleeve Glazed Dress and the jade pendant that symbolizes Lingxian Hall. Together with the Ling-shuang Sword you have, these three correspond to binding the body, binding the heart, and binding the emotions."

[Her destiny is special. Although the Ling-shuang Sword suppresses her innate seductive bones, she still needs some life-saving measures hidden within the jade pendant for critical moments.]
"The one leaning against the wall is a sword case I prepared for you. You want to be a Sword Immortal, right? You will need this sooner or later; take it back and study it slowly."
Ye Qinghan looked at the sword case in the distance, feeling bewildered. The craftsmanship was exquisite, surrounded by the aura of Dao and spiritual power; it was yet another treasure starting at the immortal grade...
Ye Qinghan felt that with these items, the only thing missing from founding her own sect was a protective formation... What kind of sect could produce so many immortal-grade treasures? Looking at the jade pendant and the Water-Sleeve Glazed Dress again, she realized they were likely not ordinary items either.
"And this bracelet I prepared for you. As for how to use it, take it back and study it yourself."
"Finally, this is a miraculous medicine I obtained by chance. It is extremely precious; even if you only have one breath left, this will restore you to your former state."
Su Cheng took the 999 Panacea the system had given him, put it into a small bottle, and shoved it into Ye Qinghan’s hand.
"It is getting late. Rest well; tomorrow, I will pass on the Ling-shuang Sword Technique and cultivation methods to you."

Ye Qinghan was dazed. To be honest, no one had ever treated her this well. Even if someone had, it was only for her body or her talent. But Su Cheng asked for nothing, yet cared for her in every way. He clearly wanted to keep a low profile and avoid mortal affairs, yet he had to provoke Cheng Liang because of her. He clearly loved a life of purity and abstinence, yet he had built an entire immortal palace just because of her offhand remark. The disciple should have been the one to give the master six gifts, yet the master had gifted her six items as an initiation gift instead.
"What is it? Why are you crying? Do you need something else?"
Hearing Su Cheng’s words, Ye Qinghan realized tears were sliding down her cheeks.
"No, it’s just... no one has ever treated this disciple so well. This disciple..."
[This poor little thing... in the end, she is only a sixteen-year-old child...]
Su Cheng rubbed Ye Qinghan’s head, wiping away her tears with a doting look: "Go and rest."

Ye Qinghan nodded, accepted the six gifts, and returned to her room—which was, in fact, right next door.
Ye Qinghan could not sleep. She spread all six gifts out on the bed. If only she had a phone, she would have taken a picture and posted it to her social media.
Her jade-like hands rested gently on the Water-Sleeve Glazed Dress, feeling its delicate texture. She sighed, thinking that as expected of a gift from her master, she could not bear to wear it! After putting on the new dress and looking in the mirror, she found that while it looked loose, it was surprisingly form-fitting once worn! It felt as if it had been tailor-made for her; "suitable" was not even the word for it!
Such masterful craftsmanship! What is "immortal-grade" trash? At this moment, nothing could catch Ye Qinghan’s eye!
Wearing her new dress, Ye Qinghan began to fiddle with the jade pendant, discovering that it functioned like a storage ring, containing heavenly treasures her master had prepared for her cultivation.
Then came the sword case. Since it was quite large, Ye Qinghan sat on the bed and held it between her legs, struggling for a long time but unable to open it...

It took a while to realize that this sword case was activated by immortal arts, much like the Ling-shuang Sword; external force was useless. The sword case slowly unfolded to reveal a dozen immortal swords—the kind Ye Qinghan had dreamed of, now lying there quietly as mere gifts...
With Ye Qinghan’s current ninth-level Qi Refining cultivation, she could at most control four flying swords simultaneously; if they were immortal swords, two would likely be her limit.
Besides this, Ye Qinghan noticed that the Ling-shuang Sword and the sword case could not be put into storage space. It was not that her master forbade it, but that they simply could not go in—not even the jade pendant her master had given her could hold them.
Thinking she wouldn't need them for a while, she decided to leave them at home, as carrying such a large sword case was troublesome.
Unexpectedly, the sword case seemed to sense her intention and instantly shrank to the size of a matchbox.
Ye Qinghan narrowed her fox-like eyes, surprised that the thing was so sensible. She simply pulled at her collar and tucked the sword case into her generous chest. Although her master hadn't warned her about the sword case, Ye Qinghan felt that it was likely another treasure that should never leave her side.

[It feels like raising a daughter; I even have to remind her to sleep!]
"Go to sleep!" Su Cheng, who was about to go take a bath, saw the light in Ye Qinghan’s room still on and tapped the window twice.
Ye Qinghan was startled. She hadn't heard her master’s thoughts for so long that she thought he had fallen asleep.
"Yes, Qinghan is going to sleep now."
Ye Qinghan quickly extinguished the light and lay in bed, feeling very excited.
[She really doesn't let anyone rest easy; I'll die at her hands sooner or later...]
Hearing her master’s words—about raising a daughter and her being troublesome—Ye Qinghan felt a strange warmth in her heart. Among the people she had known in the past, few had been bad to her, but this was different from Su Cheng.
Ye Qinghan could not explain it; she only felt a sense of peace.
Initially, she had planned to swindle the old man out of his treasures and leave as soon as she was done. Now, she only felt that she truly deserved to die! Meeting her master was the greatest stroke of luck in her life; fortunately, she had not given up halfway and had chosen him.
Come to think of it, why did her master go out so late? He had slept all day, so he couldn't be tired now. Why go out at this hour?
She was so curious... She wanted to sneak a look...
As she thought this, Ye Qinghan’s hand was already on the door.

She crept out of her room. The light in her master’s room was still on, so he couldn't have gone far. After searching the courtyard, she heard Su Cheng’s inner voice outside another large hall.
[Ah~ refreshing...]
Ye Qinghan froze. What? Refreshing?
Fearing discovery, Ye Qinghan did not dare to get too close. Even though her master had no cultivation, he might possess some treasure or means to detect her.
"Whether it concerns ministers or kings, whether it concerns the ages..."
Ye Qinghan paused. Her master was singing? Such ambition and grand spirit—her master was truly extraordinary!
But why was her master so happy, and what was he doing?
Refreshing, and happy?
Ye Qinghan tiptoed inside, feeling that the air was a bit humid, but she could clearly sense that the spiritual energy here was even denser than in other parts of Lingxian Hall.
"The path of love in heaven and earth has no end, only for her, I relinquish the world..."
Huh? For whom? For me?
Master! You don't have to go that far for Qinghan!