The First Day Without the Master

Today was the first day since Master left the dilapidated temple.

Li Xingtian slowly opened his eyes and got up from the simple wooden bed made of a few planks.

The main hall was already mostly occupied by Master and Senior Sister, along with a large iron pot used for cooking and alchemy.

There wasn’t enough space left for another bed, so Li Xingtian slept in the area behind the statue.

However, Senior Sister had already planned to build a small wooden hut outside the temple.

After all, Senior Sister was the only woman, and it was only natural to maintain some separation between genders.

Master had already given his approval, and Senior Sister had started building it a few days ago, making good progress.

Once it was done, Li Xingtian wouldn’t have to sleep in the cramped space behind the statue anymore.

The reason he disliked that spot was because of a hole in the wall that let in mosquitoes and other unknown insects at night, which would often bite him.

At this point, Li Xingtian hadn’t yet built his foundation, so he couldn’t use spiritual energy to protect himself. The mosquito bites were incredibly annoying.

That’s why Li Xingtian fully supported Senior Sister’s plan to build the hut and even helped her with the construction.

In about two or three days, the small hut would be finished.

As for the chicken from yesterday… Senior Sister hadn’t eaten a single bite after seeing the gruesome state of the carcass.

However, she insisted that Li Xingtian finish it.

This was something Li Xingtian could understand. After all, Senior Sister had caught the chicken, and he was the one who had cooked it so poorly, so it was only fair that he ate it.

At first, Li Xingtian thought the chicken, given its horrifying appearance, would be utterly unpalatable.

But when he tasted it, it wasn’t too bad.

Perhaps it was because he had endured Master’s rough and wild healing elixirs before.

Li Xingtian found the chicken only slightly gamey, a bit bland, and the meat a little dry.

Otherwise, the flavor was decent enough—at least it was edible.

Senior Sister, however, didn’t share the same sentiment. She referred to the pot of chicken as “dead chicken bathwater.”

But since Senior Sister had already built her foundation and could abstain from food, Li Xingtian didn’t have to worry about her going hungry.

After all, he had promised Master to take good care of Senior Sister, and Li Xingtian wasn’t the type to break his promises.

Though… the idea of a junior brother taking care of his senior sister did feel a bit odd.

Outside the temple, a surge of intense spiritual energy rippled through the air.

Li Xingtian stepped out of the temple and looked toward Li Yingling in the distance.

She was holding a wooden sword, skillfully controlling her spiritual techniques to strike a large tree. The force was just right, and the tree fell neatly along the path of her sword energy.

It had to be said, Senior Sister’s drive to improve was impressive. Even while building the hut and cutting down trees, she was still practicing her techniques.

And it seemed she was making remarkable progress…

There was no denying that Senior Sister’s talent was extraordinary, even by the standards of the Central Continent. When they first met, it was clear she hadn’t fully mastered her techniques.

But in such a short time, she had already gained remarkable control.

With such talent, it was likely true that Master had come from the Central Continent… though it was still a mystery why he was so poor.

Could it be that Master, like Li Xingtian, had run away from some sect in the Central Continent?

But Li Xingtian didn’t dwell on it. For now, the Dao Alliance was finally starting to feel like the kind of sect he had imagined.

Even if the sect only consisted of three people—Master and two disciples.

Senior Sister, having felled the tree, seemed to sense his presence and turned around, her gaze meeting Li Xingtian’s.

Although Li Xingtian, in this life, had grown wary of women, he still managed to force a somewhat awkward smile when looking at the junior sister Master had entrusted to him.

It was the first day since Master left.

Li Yingling had woken up early, with the goal of gathering enough wood to finish building the small hut.

After all, as someone from a refined family, she couldn’t bear the thought of living under the same roof with two men for long.

Even with a wooden partition, it was acceptable in emergencies, but living like that every day was out of the question.

Thankfully, Master had agreed to her request quickly.

To be honest… when spending time with Master, Li Yingling didn’t always feel like she was with her elder.

Instead, he felt more like a close friend. Master rarely acted like a stern authority figure in front of her.

Sometimes, when she got upset, he would even apologize to her.

Coming from a scholarly family, Li Yingling found it hard to imagine an elder lowering themselves to apologize to a junior.

In the stories she had read, masters were always portrayed as imposing figures—strict, unyielding, and serious.

They held absolute authority over their disciples, giving orders without explanation.

In comparison, her Master sometimes seemed like a child who hadn’t fully grown up. Whenever she faced a problem, he would encourage her to think it through and make her own decision.

The same went for the Water Heart Scripture. She hadn’t started practicing it immediately, and Master had never expressed any dissatisfaction about it.

Additionally, Li Yingling thought Master was a bit lazy. Although his cultivation level was unknown and he hadn’t revealed it to her,

Li Yingling, having built her foundation, could go a month without sleep, relying on nighttime cultivation to restore her energy.

Master was undoubtedly far stronger than her.

But perhaps due to following the wrong Master, Li Yingling had picked up his bad habit of needing a good night’s sleep, even if it served no purpose.

Though “no purpose” was how Li Yingling defined it.

Master called it “nourishing the spirit” and had his own set of unconventional theories about it.

While these theories didn’t fully convince Li Yingling, she had gradually adopted Master’s sleeping habits.

Maybe it was because she felt unbalanced seeing Master sleep soundly while she was still working hard on her cultivation?

With many thoughts running through her mind,

Li Yingling struck down another tree, her control over her techniques becoming increasingly refined.

Sensing someone’s gaze on her,

Li Yingling turned around and saw her junior brother, Li Xingtian.

Although she didn’t fully understand Master’s reasons for taking him as a disciple, Li Yingling respected Master’s decision.

But when this junior brother gave her a somewhat foolish smile,

Li Yingling couldn’t help but wish Master had given him an intelligence test before accepting him.

Looking at Li Xingtian’s vacant expression,

Li Yingling asked, “Junior Brother… are you hungry?”

“No… not hungry,” Li Xingtian replied awkwardly.

Frowning slightly, Li Yingling recalled that in her previous life, she had been hailed as a talented scholar and had never interacted with someone of such low intelligence.

She wasn’t sure how to properly communicate with a junior brother who seemed to lack mental acuity.

Especially since he had been cultivating for quite a few days but was still stuck around the fourth level of Qi Refinement.

His talent was mediocre at best, and he didn’t seem particularly diligent in his cultivation either.

As his senior sister… since Master was away, it was her responsibility to guide him properly.

“Junior Brother, how are your injuries? Have they healed completely?”

“They’re mostly healed,” Li Xingtian replied.

“Good! Since Master isn’t here, I’ll take it upon myself to guide your training today.” Li Yingling patted the fallen tree beside her. “Use your spiritual energy to carefully shape this tree into planks. This will greatly improve your control over your spiritual energy.”

Li Xingtian was speechless. So he was just being used as manual labor? And she had the nerve to frame it as a training exercise.

Once again, Li Xingtian remembered Master’s instruction—take good care of your senior sister!

“Yes, Senior Sister,” he replied.

After getting Li Xingtian’s response, Li Yingling didn’t linger. She quickly transformed into a streak of light and flew away.

Li Xingtian’s cultivation technique required a lot of blood from spirit beasts.

As someone still in the Qi Refinement stage, Li Xingtian naturally couldn’t gather enough spirit beast blood on his own.

So as his senior sister, it was only right for her to help him out. He was helping her build the hut, so she would help him gather the blood he needed.

It was a fair exchange.

But…

Master, please come back soon!

Junior Brother’s cooking is truly unbearable!

He even enjoyed drinking that “dead chicken bathwater”!