Chapter 318: 318, Essential Things in Spiritual Practice
They had found a treasure! They had found a genius!
They weren’t aware of the exact reason they had come to Lotus Village, but seeing the ripples resonating from Ah Bao, they felt their trip there was certainly worth it!
They didn’t know yet that Ye Sui’an had already sensed the aura of an Innate Sword Body on this boy. Otherwise, they might have been too astonished to speak.
Ye Sui’an took a deep look at Ah Bao, and the child looked back at him in kind.
The boy was confused about why this immortal was squatting down to tap his brow suddenly.
Meanwhile, Ye Sui’an was even more puzzled.
Did he just stumble upon a Canghai’s Heirloom Pearl or was this left purposely by Elder Lu?
The latter seemed more likely.
Elder Lu had a Natural Sword Embryo, as did his disciple Lin Chan.
Meanwhile, he was an Innate Sword Body and now, he has encountered another Innate Sword Body…
Accept him! Take him as a disciple!
That thought sprung up in Ye Sui’an’s mind.
He wanted to take Ah Bao as his disciple!
It would sort of match with Elder Lu this way.
Twin Sword Embryos and Twin Sword Bodies!
“Not bad, not bad at all!” Ye Sui’an stated inwardly.
Remaining in his squatting position, he asked gently, “Your name is Ah Bao, right?”
“Yes.” The boy replied in bewilderment.
He didn’t understand why the Immortal had just touched his forehead, causing ripples in the air?
Ye Sui’an carried on, “Ah Bao, I’m a disciple of One Sword Mountain and Ten Thousand Sword Mountain, the only remaining student of Sword Mountain in today’s time. Would you like to be my chief disciple?”
Upon hearing this, Ah Bao was even more puzzled.
One Sword Mountain and Ten Thousand Sword Mountain were well-known in West State, even among mortals.
But as a little brat, he didn’t really grasp the concept.
On the other hand, a woman who was watching from the side lifted her head in shock.
Having lost her husband, her child was now everything to her.
She had never thought her son would have a chance to become a disciple of an Immortal.
This was an opportunity that could change a person’s lifetime, or even the fate of an entire family!
If this could truly happen, she would have something to report to her husband centuries later.
Without hesitation, the woman stood up, knelt in front of Ye Sui’an, and pulled at Ah Bao’s sleeve with all her might, saying, “Ah Bao, kneel down and pledge yourself to the master quickly!”
Ye Sui’an quickly helped the woman stand up, that was not necessary.
However, he accepted Ah Bao’s kowtow graciously.
The disciples of the two sword sects watching this scene could only marvel. Ye Sui’an, their senior brother, was indeed worthy of the title, so decisive!
He recruited a good talent for their two great sword sects in one fell swoop!
After a roller-coaster of emotions, the woman felt weak and leaned against a wooden pillar with her hands gripping the post from behind. Watching her son perform the rites to become a disciple, her eyes filled with tears.
Gathering her great courage, she finally asked, “Immo… Immortal Master, when will you be taking Ah Bao to begin his journey?”
“Could… could I still cook a meal for Ah Bao at home?” She asked, her voice trembling with anxiety.
Her man was gone, and now her son was about to leave her as well, following an immortal on a journey to cultivate.
She wanted to cook one last meal for Ah Bao, to make him his favorite egg soup.
Seeing the woman, Ye Sui’an smiled and said, “You are Ah Bao’s mother, you can call me Master Ye directly. As for Ah Bao, I will first send someone to stay in the village and teach him to read and write. And then in a few years, when he gets older, I will take him back to the Sect.”
“Really… really?” The woman asked in disbelief.
But at the same time, she felt both elated and anxious.
She both craved the time her child could stay by her side but also feared her own greediness causing the Immortal to forget him in the coming years, making Ah Bao miss his chance of a celestial fate.
Ye Sui’an was not a fool. He could guess her inner turmoil from her expression.
He laughed and said, “Ah Bao is a once-in-a-lifetime cultivation prodigy, and I also take him very seriously. However, he is still young, and as per the Sect rules, if his parents are alive, we shouldn’t bring him to the mountain so early.”
He added, “This is a rule passed down by the founding master of the Sect, who believed that a child’s youth should be accompanied by his closest family.”
Specifically, many sects on the Heavenly Dust Continent had similar rules.
The path to cultivation was long, time inevitably flies.
This rule benefits not only the mental state of cultivators, but brings great benefits to their lives as well.
After all, life itself is the grandest form of cultivation.
But the life of a cultivator is incredibly long.
The fear is when one reaches a high level of cultivation, looking back at the mundane world, endless regrets emerge.
Starting cultivation a few years later poses no harm, it’s actually the perfect time to gain more knowledge. It’s good for them.
Upon hearing this, the woman’s eyes reddened again, she was on the verge of bowing and expressing her gratitude once more.
Seeing he could still stay by his mother’s side, Ah Bao was also relieved.
For someone his age, the thought of leaving his mother would scare him to the point of being unable to sleep at night.
As for reading and writing, it had always been Ah Bao’s dream. However, at that moment, his gaze fell upon the suona hanging around his waist, making him think of his father who had taught him how to play it.
“Imm… Immortal master.” Ah Bao said, hesitantly.
Ye Sui’an crouched down again, looking at his newly-accepted disciple, and said, “Remove the Immortal from it.”
“Oh… M… Master.”
“Hmm, what’s up?”
Ah Bao timidly plucked the suona hanging around his waist, and with a soft, quivering voice said, “Can I…Can I still find some time to…practice the suona, after I finish studying?”
“Father said… said this is the craft passed down from our ancestors.”
“The Immortal who saved mother, also told me to practice.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Sui’an glanced at the suona, and fell silent.
“Did Elder Lu leave such words?”
“Crafts from ancestors should be passed down.”
“Elder Lu is indeed a gentle man at heart.” Ye Sui’an thought to himself.
While Ye Sui’an was lost in his thoughts, Ah Bao timidly glanced at his mother.
When his father used to teach him to play the suona, his mother would always nag on the side. Although she wouldn’t stop him, she kept her complaints going.
But his mother didn’t say anything today.
In fact, she even went up to the master, as if she wanted to kneel down and plead again.
The useless man didn’t leave anything for his son, except this craft.
A craft passed down by the ancestors!
Ye Sui’an quickly said, “You don’t need to perform rituals again. Even after returning to the sect with me, feel free to practice whenever you want.”
“Tha…Thank you, master.” Ah Bao said with a mosquito-like voice.
Ye Sui’an gently pat his head, smiled, but said nothing.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered something very important!
“Ah Bao should be a nickname, right? I don’t even know my disciple’s real name yet, how careless of me!” he thought.
He continued to squat down, looking evenly at his disciple, and asked, “Ah Bao, your name’s just a nickname, right? What’s your real name?”
Ah Bao looked at his master, quietly revealed his name, and told him why his father gave him that name.
After hearing this, Ye Sui’an nodded slowly, saying, “Good name. Your father didn’t lie to you. I hope that you can live up to your father’s expectations throughout your life.”
After he finished, he added, “Remember, the person who saved your mother’s life is called Lu Xun. Our encounter is his blessing too. Do you remember?”
In Ye Sui’an’s view, given Ah Bao’s potential, both of the two major sword sects owed Lu Xun a great favor!
Although Ah Bao was confused, he obediently nodded his head and said, “I remember.”
He actually quite liked that Immortal who wore a black robe. He was warm, good-looking, saved his mother, and gave him dates to eat.
He would remember this name for the rest of his life.
After many years, a sword cultivator named Li En, shocked the West State.
The most commendable thing about him was his swift gratitude and resolution of enmities.
But the strange thing was, this powerful sword cultivator always liked to hang a suona around his waist.
The sword cultivator’s name was Li En.
En, as in gratefulness and repayment.
(Ps: As mentioned earlier, the essence of worldly life and human sentiment would run throughout the book. Hopefully, you all would not hold prejudice against these two aspects…Believe me, these details would ignite the plot in the later part of the story!)
Last but not least, I am hoping for your support in terms of monthly votes.)