Collecting Disciples for a Hundred Years [Transmigration] - Chapter 11

Song Junyu had been exceptionally diligent in her recent artifact forging, working nearly day and night with little rest. Now that she had the chance, she intended to fully recuperate.

Initially, she slept soundly, but later she suddenly fell into a nightmare. In the dream, she was trapped inside a massive steamer, suffocating from the heat.

Fortunately, she eventually found a block of ice. Hugging it brought her immense comfort. The ice seemed alive. At first, it tried to escape, but she wrapped her limbs around it tightly. The ice grew colder in response, yet wisely ceased its struggles.

When Song Junyu awoke the next day, she found Ji Chan gazing blankly at the ceiling, her face flushed red, held tightly in Song Junyu’s embrace.

So, it was Xiao Chan she had been clinging to in her dream.

Still somewhat groggy, Song Junyu slowly withdrew her limbs and adjusted her collar.

Almost the moment Song Junyu released her, Ji Chan swiftly sat up, turning her back to Song Junyu as she stood by the bed.

Watching Ji Chan’s movements, Song Junyu finally snapped to full alertness. Worried that the child she had so painstakingly soothed might take offense at her unrestrained sleeping habits, she quickly greeted Ji Chan with a smile and began praising her once more.

“Xiao Chan! You truly are a reassuring child! Sleeping beside you brings me such peace that I completely forgot about my appearance.”

“Xiao Chan, let your master take a look—have you grown taller recently?”

…

Ji Chan’s body, still turned away, seemed to stiffen for a moment. After a long pause, she finally turned around, lowering her eyes to face Song Junyu.

Though her expression remained unreadable, the bright red tips of her ears betrayed her inner turmoil.

Excellent! The child must have been appeased, otherwise she wouldn’t have obediently turned around.

Song Junyu breathed an inward sigh of relief but continued to scrutinize Ji Chan carefully.

“Xiao Chan, you really have grown taller! But you’re still too thin. In the coming days, I’ll cook some nourishing dishes for you. Today, we have important matters to attend to, so don’t go practice your sword later.”

Ji Chan remained slightly bent, her spine taut like a drawn bowstring. At these words, she pressed her lips together, and her long, lowered eyelashes trembled faintly.

Song Junyu finally sensed something amiss: although Ji Chan had always been reserved, she had never been this shy and guarded, avoiding eye contact entirely.

It must be because they hadn’t seen each other for so long that Ji Chan had grown distant.

She needed to reconnect with Xiao Chan as soon as possible!

“Xiao Chan, wait for me outside for a moment!”

With that thought, Song Junyu shook off her lethargy, quickly rose, washed up, and went out to find Ji Chan.

She planned to take Ji Chan down the mountain after breakfast. On one hand, she wanted to test her newly forged flying artifact; on the other, Ji Chan’s diligence was beyond doubt. The young girl had likely been training day and night for months. Today would be a good opportunity for her to rest properly. A child so young, without peers to play with, wasn’t ideal either.

Song Junyu changed swiftly back into her usual neat attire and stepped out of her room. Elder Wan placed great emphasis on propriety while she could be more relaxed within her own courtyard, appearing disheveled outside would likely earn her a night kneeling outside her father’s door under Elder Wan’s reprimand.

Outside, Ji Chan glanced up at her briefly, seemingly having mustered her composure. While preparing the meal, she finally dared to lift her head and look at Song Junyu again.

After breakfast, Song Junyu led Ji Chan into the alchemy room.

She had long prepared to teach Ji Chan medical skills and basic talisman techniques, and now was the perfect time.

“Our cultivators’ bodies are stronger than those of ordinary mortals, so we are unafraid of extreme cold or heat. However, during the harsh winter snows, mortals—being physically weaker—often struggle. Without intervention, many elderly, women, and children would not survive the season.”

Every winter, Song Junyu would refine pills to strengthen the body and distribute them to the villagers of Lijia Village after descending the mountain.

With the intention of testing Ji Chan, Song Junyu brought paper and brushes and asked her to identify medicinal herbs.

She had expected Ji Chan to recognize about seventy to eighty percent of the herbs, which would have been quite impressive. To her surprise, Ji Chan identified every single one correctly!

“Xiao Chan, you’re truly amazing!” Song Junyu gazed at Ji Chan with shining eyes. “I knew you had a great memory and could excel at anything you do.”

Witnessing Ji Chan’s unexpectedly sharp ability to distinguish herbs, Song Junyu suddenly had an idea: perhaps Ji Chan could even succeed in pill refining.

Holding onto this thought, Song Junyu stepped back completely, merely observing from the side.

Ji Chan did not refuse Song Junyu’s suggestion.

She glanced at Song Junyu, hesitating for a moment between hiding her abilities and showcasing her brilliance. After all, the cultivation world had many narrow-minded elders who feared being outshone by their disciples.

But looking at the carefree woman before her, Ji Chan quickly dismissed her doubts and chose to reveal her true capabilities in front of Song Junyu.

Just like sword practice, pill refining usually involved some degree of waste. Unless one was a highly skilled alchemist, novices would inevitably squander some ingredients to varying extents.

Yet, without any prompting from Song Junyu, Ji Chan handled the herbs with ease, checking their potency as if she were a seasoned expert.

While refining, Ji Chan kept an eye on Song Junyu’s reactions.

As Ji Chan proceeded, the smile on Song Junyu’s face grew wider and wider, and she once again began showering Ji Chan with praise.

Song Junyu had long decided on Ji Chan’s training path: unlike her two previous genius disciples who could solve problems with their swords, Ji Chan couldn’t cultivate spiritual power. Coupled with her troubled background, she needed extra love and care to grow confident and optimistic.

Moreover, Ji Chan was genuinely outstanding.

Song Junyu was sincerely happy for her: medicine and poison were two sides of the same coin. If Ji Chan mastered medical arts, she would also gain the ability to protect herself in the cultivation world.

Amidst Song Junyu’s praises, Ji Chan swiftly finished refining two batches of pills.

The temperature in the alchemy room was too high, and sweat beaded on Ji Chan’s forehead. However, it was bitterly cold outside, and Ji Chan lacked spiritual energy. Worried that Ji Chan might feel cold later on the flying boat, Song Junyu urged her to put on a cloak before they boarded the vessel together.

–

The people of Lijia Village were no strangers to Song Junyu.

The young sect master of Qing Ping Sect rarely descended the mountain, but she made a trip every winter to offer free medical consultations and distribute the body-strengthening pills she had crafted.

This year, Song Junyu came down later than usual.

With the Spring Festival approaching, every household in Lijia Village had begun pasting up festive couplets.

The village chief was both surprised and delighted to see Song Junyu, never expecting her to visit again.

He actually felt somewhat ashamed to see Song Junyu: she had long taken care of Li Family Village, yet the village had produced wicked people who dared to harm the young girl entrusted to her care.

He had driven out those with ill intentions from Li Family Village, thinking that Song Junyu would now despise the village. To his surprise, she still came down the mountain.

It had been over half a year since they last met. Song Junyu looked just the same, but Ji Chan had grown much taller since their previous encounter.

Though aware of Ji Chan’s talent in medicine, Song Junyu dared not let her diagnose or treat patients, as healing was a serious matter. Instead, she brought out the snacks she had prepared earlier and sent Ji Chan to Li Xuan’s home first.

Ji Chan had no desire to join Li Xuan and the other children. Those runny-nosed kids only knew how to climb trees for bird nests or wade into the river to catch fish.

However, since Song Junyu emerged from her seclusion, Ji Chan had been feeling increasingly peculiar. Thinking it best to temporarily avoid Song Junyu and reflect on her future path, she complied with the arrangement.

Despite Ji Chan’s aloof nature and having spent less than a month with them before, the other children were still thrilled to see her. After all, Ji Chan was exceptionally beautiful!

Seeing how warmly the children welcomed Ji Chan, Song Junyu felt a weight lift off her mind and finally set off into the village with peace of heart.

Ji Chan retreated from the noisy children and sat beneath a tree. Reflecting on her recent strangeness, her thoughts were in turmoil: she had a vague premonition that staying with Song Junyu any longer would only make her more peculiar. But if she weren’t Song Junyu’s disciple, where else could she go.

Her mood grew increasingly gloomy.

Just then, the village children wouldn’t leave her alone.

A chubby boy with two trails of snot under his nose, Dun Dun, rushed up to her, his cheeks flushed, and handed her a roasted sweet potato. “Little Chan, my mother says I can get married in a couple of years! Will you marry me then…?”

Before he could finish, a tall, thin boy shoved him aside, cleared his throat, and said, “Little Chan, I’m better-looking than him. Pick me, pick me—”

…

“Don’t mind them,” Li Xuan tugged at Ji Chan’s sleeve, leading her behind the tree. She glanced at Ji Chan hesitantly, a noticeable blush spreading across her cheeks, and handed her a small embroidered pouch.

“Little Chan, how long will Immortal Song be staying in the village this time?”

“This… this is something I embroidered recently. Could you give it to Immortal Song for me? She… she has always been so kind to our family…”