“I want to change my fate.” The girl bit her lips and held her sleeves tightly. She looked up at Li Qiye and eventually spoke with hesitation.
It was quite sad since she was a little girl wandering in destitute. Her life was as thin as a piece of paper.
“Why?” Li Qiye smiled.
The girl still had some fear, not daring to look at Li Qiye for long. She quietly answered: “I just wish to stay alive with some dignity.”
Her voice was as feeble as a candle in the wind on the verge of extinguishing. However, she was determined to keep it going even with just one spark left.
“It’s possible. Do you really want to cultivate?” Li Qiye nodded.
“Yes!” She said without any hesitation this time.
“Very well. Go wash your face. We’ll start tomorrow.” Li Qiye waved his hand.
“Rea-really?” She couldn’t believe her own ears.
After numerous misfortunes, she became an evil portent in everyone’s eyes. They chased her away and she didn’t have a place to stay.
She didn’t dare to come into the city because once spotted, others would jeer or even thrash her.
Because of this, she had to sleep outside in the wild, lacking food and shelter. Nonetheless, this was still better than being in the city. At least she didn’t have to face continuous disdain and bullying.
She desired a place she could call her own despite knowing how impossible this was. No one in the world would ever take her in or let her have her own place.
Thus, the concept of home became foreign to her. Alas, the desire for this still existed in the deepest crevices of her mind.
Since she had no place to go, cultivation became impossible. No one would ever teach her until now.
Li Qiye took her in and even agreed to teach her. She thought that this was just a dream. She secretly pinched her thigh and the pain told her otherwise.
“I’m a man of my words.” Li Qiye replied.
The girl paused but still decided to tell the truth: “Everyone calls me the Foredoomed Star that, that will kill everyone around me… that’ll happen to you too if you take me in.”
She had a hard time dealing with this cruel reality. It has happened several times before so she couldn’t hide it in order to not hurt a good person.
Li Qiye disagreed and smiled: “Cultivation is about going against the heaven, rebelling against it. Who cares about this Foredoomed Star? If you’re afraid of such a thing, then there’s no point talking about cultivation.”
Even the old attendant nodded approvingly after hearing this.
“But, but I will really cause your death. Many have died already.” She revealed her traumatic past.
“If such a thing can kill me, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. Go wash your face.” Li Qiye shook his head.
She couldn’t believe it. People had always run away from her out of disgust. Some even banished her yet Li Qiye didn’t mind.
“I…” This moved her to tears. She tried to speak but nothing came out.
“Call me Young Master.” Li Qiye said.
She secretly wiped away the tears in her eyes and took a deep breath. She bowed and said: “Yes, Youn-young Master.’
The old servant then took her away and prepared a place for her to stay.
Once she appeared again before Li Qiye, she had finished bathing and had a refreshing aura. Her hair was still messy since she had cut it herself. Nonetheless, it looked cute and delicate when draping down.
Her skin was tan from being out in the sun too long but this didn’t diminish her good features. Her eyes were round and tall. Her emotion could easily be seen through them, especially fear.
“Young Master.” She bowed, not knowing what to say while standing before Li Qiye.
“Have a good rest tonight, we start tomorrow.” Li Qiye got straight to the point.
The girl started absorbing the events today. She realized that this was her new reality now. All the unhappiness in the past seemed so distant, at least for now. She had a home right now and a great opportunity to cultivate.
Thus, she woke up very early the next day, waiting for Li Qiye. She cherished this once-in-ten-thousand-years chance.
“Let’s get started.” Li Qiye smiled and took her to an open spot up the peak. He taught her a few chants to start.
These lines were very simple. The girl wasn’t supremely talented or anything but she carefully memorized the words.
In the past, she did everything she could with the cultivation lines she found, repeating them multiple times. She had a heart yearning for learning so she absorbed everything he taught her.
The old attendant stood there since Li Qiye didn’t explicitly forbid him. He also carefully listened to the chants.
After she finished memorizing one line, he taught her a simple movement. Nonetheless, it would take several times before she could copy the move due to her average talents.
Strangely enough, Li Qiye had plenty of patience this time and repeated the move for her. Afterward, he said: “The lines and the movement happen in unison so study them together. Take your time.”
“I will try my best.” She nodded with determination.
Li Qiye didn’t say anything else and went to chant in front of the wall painting.
She was freed from any distraction and earnestly trained.
At first, the old attendant found the lines to be very simple, the same with the movement. This could be considered an elementary mantra for new learners.
However, the latter part attracted his attention. When he combined both the lines and the movement, he immediately noticed the innate profundity.
He was a true genius, unlike Fan Bai, so he was capable of learning top merit laws in no time at all. Combining the lines and the movement opened a new world for him. Each breath he took during this process was immensely useful.
It felt as if he was learning from a sacred scripture. It was up to the learner to see how many pages they could open.
Li Qiye didn’t teach her anything else beyond this. She never asked either and repeated the training without finding it boring.
She stopped to rest and drink water whenever she was fatigued and thirsty. She persevered like this for days after days.
Eventually, her movement was flawless and she could easily recite the lines.