Get Lost, You Ungrateful Disciple (11)

"Ah?" Little Wei froze for a moment, glancing around in confusion.

The disappearance of the secret realm wasn’t something the sect leader and elders would bother discussing with her. Thinking this, Little Wei took Duan Lingyun’s hand and led her out of the grand hall, stopping near a cliff edge. She turned to face her young disciple.

"What do you want to give me?" Little Wei asked, puzzled.

Duan Lingyun lowered her gaze and pulled out a jade token from her robe, handing it to Little Wei.

The jade was translucent and exquisite, shimmering under the sunlight like twilight stars, captivating the heart and mind.

"This is…" Little Wei looked at Duan Lingyun, a sense of foreboding creeping over her.

It couldn’t be what she was thinking, could it?

"I obtained this from the secret realm. The moment I took it, the realm vanished," Duan Lingyun said softly.

Little Wei was stunned. She probed the token with her spiritual sense but was blocked by something. After another attempt, she finally sensed a slight shift.

Birds sang, flowers bloomed, and a small bridge arched over a flowing stream—a hidden world within.

This left Little Wei utterly speechless.

She had always assumed the protagonist would be either Ye Mingtian or Cheng Yuguang, yet neither seemed to fit the role. Instead, her little disciple had become the heroine?

Was this a male-oriented or female-oriented novel?

After being here for so long, Little Wei could only deduce that this was a traditional cultivation novel with a simple world structure, lacking any overly imaginative twists—not even a so-called "system" had appeared.

Wait…

Little Wei nearly forgot something crucial.

This was a competition—where was the other transmigrator?

Well, perhaps it was pointless to dwell on that now.

The real question was, what should she do with this jade token?

Since the secret realm had already recognized its master, it made sense why her spiritual sense had been blocked earlier.

"I’ll have to consult the sect leader about this token. If possible, you should keep it," Little Wei said after some thought. She decided it was best to inform Helian Chi.

After all, this was an artifact of the Qingdao Sect. For it to fall into the hands of a disciple without explanation was questionable, but transparency was necessary.

"Alright," Duan Lingyun replied obediently.

Little Wei felt a flicker of pride.

Her disciple really did listen to her—clearly, all these years of raising her hadn’t been in vain.

"By the way, after this matter is settled, pack your favorite clothes and belongings. We’ll be going down the mountain for training soon."

Down the mountain?

Alone?

A shadow of something unreadable flickered in Duan Lingyun’s eyes.

"Why are you standing there like a fool? Let’s go, silly girl." Little Wei wanted to flick Duan Lingyun’s forehead but gave up when she realized she couldn’t reach.

Damn it, having a disciple this tall wasn’t exactly convenient.

Silly girl?

Was that how her master saw her?

Duan Lingyun couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Well, her master had always been lively. If she ever became subdued, Duan Lingyun might actually feel out of place.

Little Wei led Duan Lingyun back to the grand hall, though it took some effort.

With the disappearance of the secret realm being such a major incident, the elders couldn’t interrogate every disciple directly. Instead, each peak’s master would have to question their own disciples to see if there had been any anomalies in the realm.

The sheer number of disciples made the return journey a struggle—Little Wei practically had to squeeze her way through.

By the time they reached the grand hall, Helian Chi was staring in frustration at four shattered jade tokens in his hand. These tokens had been the only keys to the secret realm, and now that they were broken, the realm could never be reopened.

"Uncle!" Little Wei called out cheerfully, tilting her head with a bright smile.

Helian Chi startled, looking up at the girl before him.

"Why haven’t you returned yet? It’s getting late," he said, surprised.

This girl usually avoided sect affairs, preferring trivial matters instead. Normally, she would’ve left long ago.

"Hehe, Uncle, don’t worry about that for now. Take a look at this—does it seem familiar?" Little Wei handed him the jade token.

At first glance, Helian Chi was momentarily stunned by the unfamiliar object.

But he quickly took it, examining it closely. Though it differed from the broken tokens, some patterns were strikingly similar.

"Is this… the secret realm?" Helian Chi’s expression shifted as he looked at Little Wei.

"Where did you get this?" His gaze flicked to Duan Lingyun behind her, a hint of wariness in his eyes.

How could a Qi Refining disciple possibly claim ownership of the secret realm?

"You should ask her."

Little Wei turned to Duan Lingyun.

After a brief hesitation, Duan Lingyun explained what had happened in the secret realm to Helian Chi.

The sect leader stood in silence for a long moment before leading them to his residence. Inside his study, he pointed to a portrait on the wall.

"Was it this person?" Helian Chi asked, excitement creeping into his voice.

He had always known the secret realm had an owner—this was a secret passed down through generations of sect leaders. The ancient manor beneath the realm’s sea was something he had only heard fragments about.

"Yes, it was a person, but not the one in this painting."

Duan Lingyun glanced at the jade token.

"Sect Leader, I can retrieve it."

After a moment’s consideration, Helian Chi handed the token back to her.

With a thought, Duan Lingyun summoned the original painting from the ancient manor within the realm.

Though the spiritual imprint had faded, the portrait remained vivid—a young man so lifelike he seemed ready to step out of the canvas.

Little Wei hadn’t been told the full story of how Duan Lingyun obtained the token, so seeing the painting made her realize something.

If this token had been given to Duan Lingyun by her past self…

Then Duan Lingyun might very well be…

The reincarnation of her wife?

Huh?

Little Wei had never considered this possibility before.

But thinking about it now, she had indeed changed many things. In the original timeline, Duan Lingyun hadn’t been this fortunate—from her memories, the girl had ended up assigned to the spirit herb gardens, a place where inner disciples did menial labor with no chance to improve their cultivation. She would never have entered the secret realm.

Following this logic, it seemed Duan Lingyun had snatched the opportunities meant for Ye Mingtian and Cheng Yuguang.

Hmm…

That ruled out the idea of Duan Lingyun being the heroine. After all, in all the worlds she’d been to, her wife had never been the protagonist. Besides, if Duan Lingyun were the heroine, wouldn’t that mean she’d need a male lead to—ugh—cuckold her?

The mere thought made her furious.

"It seems the token has recognized you as its master," Helian Chi said, watching as Duan Lingyun effortlessly retrieved items from the realm. His expression was one of quiet awe.

"In that case, I’ll handle the elders and peak masters. Since the secret realm has chosen its master and the elders can no longer open it, you may keep it." He patted Duan Lingyun’s shoulder lightly, resignation in his tone.

"Thank you, Sect Leader." Duan Lingyun bowed deeply in gratitude.

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