Spirit Reaper - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Apprenticeship? She Won’t Commit Betrayal!

“How much do you know?!”

The moment Song Miao finished speaking, Yu Wuyi’s pupils shrunk. She “swished” upward from her seat, instantly drawing the gaze of everyone in the classroom.

“Oh my, oh my! Why such a big reaction? Sit down, sit down quickly.” Becoming the center of attention was embarrassing for Song Miao too; she hurriedly tugged on Yu Wuyi’s sleeve to pull her back onto the stool.

“Your identity and background have long ceased to be a secret in this circle. Although an ‘Extreme Yin’ body is easy for those things to target, it is also more spiritual and talented than that of an ordinary person entering the Path.”

“So, since the day you were born, the Great Masters of Lincheng have been watching you, just waiting for today.”

“Waiting for today?” Yu Wuyi’s mind was a complete mess. She never imagined that she wasn’t just coveted by ghosts, but also by humans.

And what did Song Miao mean by “waiting for today”?

Tramp, tramp, tramp— Urgent footsteps echoed from outside the empty classroom. Song Miao, who had been chatting away like family, suddenly wiped the smile off her face. She became tense and sat upright, behaving herself perfectly.

The footsteps grew closer. Before long, the classroom door opened, and in walked a woman in her fifties with silver hair, wearing a “New Chinese Style” outfit with an ink-wash pattern. Following behind her was a group of men and women dressed similarly, ranging from old to young.

These people all had one thing in common: hanging from their waists was a wooden plaque carved with the character for “Dao” (The Way).

“Are you little brats the good seeds we recruited this year?” The woman leading the group paced in front of the five students, including Yu Wuyi, her gaze sweeping over them with feigned indifference.

Though her head was lowered, Yu Wuyi could feel the other woman’s probing gaze linger on her for several seconds longer, making her extremely uncomfortable.

“I am the Dean of the Dao Academy, Liu Yan. Since you chose this major, you are part of the Dao Academy. You can just call me Aunt Liu.”

“The people behind me may become your direct senior sisters and brothers in the future. I brought them today just so you can get familiar with their faces.”

“I won’t waste words. The first class of the semester begins with the apprenticeship ceremony.”

As she finished, three women and one man stepped forward from the crowd behind Liu Yan and stood before the students.

This major… starts with an apprenticeship right away? The development of events had already exceeded Yu Wuyi’s expectations, heading into the unknown.

She had assumed that a Taoism major established in a materialistic society would involve nothing more than picking up the sutras and proverbs left by ancestors. Who could have guessed it would start with taking a master?

If it were just a standard professor-student relationship, she wouldn’t mind. But she had followed Yu Song since childhood and later stayed by Ming Qingxuan’s side; she already belonged to a lineage. If she were to casually acknowledge someone else as her master now, wouldn’t that break the rules of the craft?

No way. She absolutely wouldn’t do something as dishonorable as betraying her sect!

“Yu Wuyi.”

“She’s calling you! She’s calling you!” While Yu Wuyi was still dazed, Song Miao nudged her with an elbow and whispered.

“Ah! Oh, yes! Here!” Snapping back to reality, Yu Wuyi looked up and realized she and Song Miao were the only ones left. She hurriedly stood up and bowed to Liu Yan and the others.

The moment she stood, the four people behind Liu Yan began to whisper among themselves, and their eyes grew increasingly fervent as they looked at her.

“Little girl, look at me. My talisman-drawing technique is top-tier in all of Lincheng. Young people nowadays love beauty; if you come to me, I’ll give you high-quality Rejuvenation Talismans every day. How about it?” The youngest-looking woman among them spoke first.

As if afraid Yu Wuyi wouldn’t believe her, she pinched her own cheek and whispered: “My skin is pretty good, right? But actually, I’m already in my fifties.” She gestured the number ‘five’ toward Yu Wuyi. “So, consider it? Besides talismans, I have plenty of things you’ve never seen. If you come, I’ll teach you everything.”

“You! How can you resort to bribery?” The others couldn’t sit still. They all stood up and crowded around Yu Wuyi, forming a “human wall.”

“Don’t listen to Li Xin’s nonsense! If her talismans were that effective, her vanity wouldn’t be covered in so many skincare products! Look at me—I’m the 18th generation descendant of the Mao Mountain Sword Style. Follow me, and I guarantee you can cleave ten ‘dirty things’ with one strike!”

“Move aside, all of you! Such a good seed naturally belongs to me! Little girl, are you interested in formations? I have tens of thousands of mechanical arrays. If you come, they’re all yours!”

The people fighting over Yu Wuyi had completely lost their previous air of aloof, otherworldly immortals. They bickered and argued, each trying to outshout the other.

Yu Wuyi sat there, feeling the various gazes fixed upon her, feeling as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

“Enough. Look at yourselves. You’re making a laughingstock of us.” Liu Yan, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up, rescuing Yu Wuyi from the fire.

She pushed aside the crowd and looked directly into Yu Wuyi’s eyes with a smile. “I apologize for the spectacle. They just haven’t seen a good seed in too long and got a bit too excited.”

“To cut the root of their argument, why don’t you join my lineage?” As she spoke, she handed Yu Wuyi a pure black wooden plaque with a gold border. The slight ridges on the surface formed the character “Liu.”

“With this plaque, you can attend any of these people’s classes as you please; no one can stop you. You can also use the academy’s equipment and resources at will.”

The entire room froze. The arguing masters instantly fell silent and looked at Liu Yan in disbelief. In unison, they cried: “Dean Liu! You’re snatching her away too? You’re actually using a ‘True Disciple’ slot as a bribe?!”

Liu Yan didn’t answer. She just waited quietly for Yu Wuyi’s response with a smile.

As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face—especially when that face belongs to a powerful authority. Yu Wuyi was in a bind. How could she politely decline Liu Yan’s kindness?

After much thought, she couldn’t find a perfect solution. Finally, she steeled herself and said directly: “Dean Liu, I studied under Ming Qingxuan of Mount Xuan. I already belong to a sect. I appreciate your kindness, but please take this back…”

“Hahahaha! You’re a little brat who sticks to the rules.” Being rejected in public didn’t make Liu Yan angry; instead, she laughed. She pressed the wooden plaque into Yu Wuyi’s palm. “Don’t worry, we don’t have that many rules here. This ‘apprenticeship’ is just a process for assigning a mentor, like any other major. There’s no ceremony, and we won’t be reporting to the Ancestors.”

“This ‘True Disciple’ status is just a title. It just provides more convenience than ordinary students.”

“Are you at ease now?”

“This is Liu Yan we’re talking about! She’s a major figure on par with my grandmother. You’ve hit the jackpot, you lucky girl,” Song Miao whispered, poking Yu Wuyi’s arm.

Having received an unexpected answer, Yu Wuyi breathed a sigh of freedom. She tied the wooden plaque to her waist and bowed to Liu Yan.

“Since you’ve put it that way, I can’t refuse. Please look after me in the future, Aunt Liu.”

“Good, good. Truly a seed I have high hopes for.” Liu Yan nodded, whispered a few instructions to the people beside her, and then beckoned to Yu Wuyi. “Come, let’s go somewhere else to talk.”

…

Liu Yan took Yu Wuyi to her office. As soon as she stepped inside, a strange fragrance greeted her. Following the scent, Yu Wuyi saw a bronze incense burner slowly smoldering.

“This incense has a calming effect. I often have nightmares, and lighting this helps a lot. Over time, it became a habit,” Liu Yan explained. “Come, sit. Don’t be so stiff.”

“Extreme Yin body, excellent bone structure—a natural seed for the Path. It’s just a pity you wasted so much time. Hmph, Ming Qingxuan is still his old conservative self.” Mentioning Ming Qingxuan, Liu Yan’s tone carried a hint of something Yu Wuyi couldn’t quite grasp.

That nonchalant yet slightly mocking tone made Yu Wuyi instinctively frown. “Dean Liu, let’s get down to business.”

“Ming Qingxuan really did raise a treasure. You’re quite protective of your own, aren’t you?”

“Fine, let’s talk business.” Liu Yan’s expression turned serious.

“As you can see, L University is the only school to open a Taoism major in nearly a century. As for the purpose of opening this major, I think you can guess.”

“You mean… it has to do with the turmoil in the Underworld?”

“Exactly. In recent years, people with hidden motives have been making small moves behind the scenes. More and more ghosts are escaping from the Underworld. Our current manpower is struggling to deal with them, so we opened this major to recruit capable new blood.”

“You are the most talented one in years. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility. I called you here to make sure you’re prepared ahead of time.”

“Our standards for you will be far higher than for anyone else.”