“Ah? Does our sect have graduation requirements?” Lian Li was shocked.
“Graduation? You mean completing your apprenticeship?” Yun Huizhou thought for a moment before continuing, “That is only the requirement to leave the island. To truly complete your apprenticeship, you must at least reach the level of a first-class expert.”
Lian Li fell silent. He hadn’t expected the requirements of Yun Huizhou’s sect to be so high.
Recalling Yun Huizhou’s comment about his mediocre talent, he felt he might never be able to finish his apprenticeship in this lifetime.
Seeing him squatting on a rock without moving, Yun Huizhou glanced at his complexion.
Finding that he looked much better, it just so happened that the boat they had taken earlier arrived.
Ice Treader stepped off the boat, trotting over with a da-da-da sound. Like Yun Huizhou, the horse lowered its head to peer at Lian Li’s face.
Lian Li reached out to pat Ice Treader’s large head, then pushed Yun Huizhou’s head away, saying, “I’m fine now.”
“Then let’s go see Master.” Yun Huizhou stood up and asked, “Do you want me to fly you over, or should I head there first and wait for you? You can ride Ice Treader; he knows the way.”
To be honest, whether Ice Treader walked or ran, the ride was relatively stable, but it was impossible for there to be no bumps at all.
Lian Li was afraid that if he rode Ice Treader, he might vomit again right at the entrance. That would be… vomiting at someone’s door before even being accepted as a disciple; it would probably make the apprenticeship very difficult to achieve.
Thus, he looked at Yun Huizhou and said, “You carry me over.”
It wasn’t until Yun Huizhou was holding Lian Li in the air that he suddenly felt something was off.
“I’m telling you, ever since I met you, I feel like I’m the one who’s the mount,” Yun Huizhou remarked as he swept toward his Master’s residence.
Lian Li tucked his neck in, not daring to tell the truth.
The truth was, he really felt that Yun Huizhou was more useful than Ice Treader.
When Yun Huizhou carried him, there wasn’t a single bump. If it got cold, he would even channel internal energy into him, making his whole body feel like a space heater.
If it got hot, Yun Huizhou’s internal energy would self-regulate, making his body feel cool.
Seeing that Lian Li didn’t respond, Yun Huizhou glared. “You brat, you aren’t actually thinking that, are you?”
Lian Li shook his head hurriedly. “No way! How could I possibly have such thoughts? You’re overthinking it. Didn’t I tell you before that I wanted a horse as well-behaved and obedient as Ice Treader?”
Yun Huizhou gave a light snort. It was unclear if he believed him, but Lian Li certainly didn’t dare to ask.
The two didn’t speak again for the rest of the way.
Before long, Lian Li saw a waterside pavilion and an aquatic gazebo extending into the center of a lake.
Since summer had already begun, the lotus flowers were half-bloomed, and the water lilies were in full, vigorous blossom.
Yun Huizhou did not take him into the main residence but headed straight for the waterside pavilion.
Through the thin gauze curtains, a figure in black could be seen inside, tinkering with something.
As soon as they landed, Yun Huizhou spoke up. “Master, I’ve brought in a Junior Brother.”
Lian Li: “…???”
It was common for a Master to take in a Junior Brother for his disciple, but this was the first time he had heard of a disciple taking in a Junior Brother for himself.
Lian Li suddenly remembered that he and Yun Huizhou had decided on being fellow disciples without ever asking the other party involved for his opinion.
The figure in black inside the pavilion flickered and appeared instantly in front of Lian Li.
The person was entirely shrouded in a black robe; judging by the physique, it should be a man.
Just as Lian Li was wondering what to say, the man in black grabbed Lian Li’s wrist.
A chill surged into Lian Li’s body, making him shiver violently.
The man in black quickly stopped the flow of internal energy and turned to look at Yun Huizhou. The two stared at each other.
Lian Li looked from one to the other and decided to break the awkward atmosphere.
So, he grabbed the man in black’s hand and shook it up and down, saying, “A pleasure, a pleasure! Hello, Great Hero. I am your new disciple. My name is Lian Li—’Lian’ as in ‘continuous,’ and ‘Li’ as in ‘dawn.'”
“My parents hoped my vitality would be continuous and that I would welcome a new dawn.”
“Gender: male. Unmarried. Never had a girlfriend, nor a boyfriend. No bad habits. No special talents for the time being, but I’ll discover them slowly in the future.”
“I used to be afraid of heights, but Yun Huizhou flew me around a few times and I’ve overcome it now. I was also a bit seasick coming here, but I’ll get used to it after a few more trips.”
“My current savings are… mmmph…”
Before he could finish, Yun Huizhou pinched his mouth shut.
“I wasn’t finished,” Lian Li said, breaking free from Yun Huizhou’s hand, only to have his mouth pinched shut again immediately.
At the same time, Yun Huizhou said, “Master says for you to shut up. Go to the Library Pavilion and get the fourth book from the left on the second shelf of the third bookcase. It’s an Internal Cultivation Method.”
“Oh,” Lian Li responded.
Then he suddenly realized that the Master hadn’t made a sound from beginning to end. How did Yun Huizhou know?
At this point, the man in black withdrew his hand from Lian Li’s grasp, gave Lian Li a nod, and returned to the waterside pavilion.
Lian Li looked at Yun Huizhou with a face full of confusion and asked, “What does the expert mean by this?”
“What ‘expert’ this and ‘expert’ that?” Yun Huizhou said. “Call him Master.”
Lian Li: “???”
What just happened? He didn’t even say anything!
At this moment, Yun Huizhou realized what Lian Li was confused about, so he said, “You’ll get used to it. Master doesn’t like to talk.”
Lian Li: If he doesn’t talk, how do you guys communicate?!
Yun Huizhou: “Look, you aren’t talking right now, but didn’t I read exactly what you meant? Just look at the eyes.”
Lian Li: He’s completely covered in a black robe; I can’t even see his eyes.
“Uh…” Yun Huizhou looked into Lian Li’s eyes and said very sincerely, “Trust me, once your martial arts reach the basic level, you really will be able to understand through intuition.”
Lian Li waved his hand, no longer dwelling on the matter. He asked, “So, are we going to the Library Pavilion now?”
Yun Huizhou crossed his arms over his chest, his expression suddenly becoming a bit serious.
He said, “As much as I don’t want to, it seems I really do have to carry you over there.”
Lian Li looked at him, waiting for the explanation.
Yun Huizhou pointed in a certain direction and continued, “It’s on an island within the island. There are no boats and no bridges.”
Lian Li: “Oh, so you’re saying if you don’t carry me over, I have to swim?”
Yun Huizhou: “I don’t think you could make it to the other side.”
Lian Li: “Is that so? I don’t believe it.”
Refusing to accept this and with Yun Huizhou happy to watch the fun, the two arrived at the edge of the lake within the island.
Lian Li stared blankly at the building in the center of the lake in the distance.
“How far is it from here to there?” Lian Li asked.
“Ten zhang,” Yun Huizhou replied.
Lian Li decisively turned and reached out his hand toward Yun Huizhou. “I choose you.”
He knew how to swim, and quite well at that, but he had just been seasick and hadn’t fully recovered yet. He was afraid he would run out of strength halfway through.
Yun Huizhou gave a smug laugh.
After obtaining the Internal Cultivation Method, Lian Li remembered that even though his martial arts were chosen, he still didn’t know his Master’s name.
“What is our Master’s name?”
Yun Huizhou scratched his head and said, “Master has never said. I only know his compound surname is Nanrong. Others usually call him Nanrong or South Island Lord.”
Upon hearing this, Lian Li subconsciously asked, “Then are there also an East Island Lord, West Island Lord, and North Island Lord?”
He was just asking casually, but to his surprise, Yun Huizhou actually nodded. “The East Island Lord is our Senior Uncle, and the others are Junior Uncles. Anyway, they are just ranked according to East, South, West, and North.”
After Lian Li obtained the Internal Cultivation Method, Yun Huizhou looked around inside, grabbed two more booklets, and stuffed them into Lian Li’s arms. “That’s everything. Let’s go.”
Lian Li quickly pulled them out to look. They were a movement technique manual and a basic palm technique.
