Volume One, Chapter 37: News of the Senior Sister

Thinking about how his master had personally escorted him to Qingcheng just to ensure he wouldn’t be bullied, Jiang Chen felt a tightness in his chest, as if he couldn’t breathe.

“Jiang Chen, are you alright? Do you feel unwell?” Su Yike asked with concern.

“Jiang Chen?! Your name is Jiang Chen?!” Suddenly realizing, Li Jingshou sprang up from the table in delight, rushed to Jiang Chen’s side, and began scrutinizing him from head to toe.

“As expected, that old beggar didn’t lie to me—it really is you. With your sword-like brows and starry eyes, elegant demeanor, and air of nobility, you are truly a rare gem in this world!” Li Jingshou exclaimed.

Jiang Chen’s sadness instantly vanished. “Are you sure my master actually used the words ‘rare gem in this world’?”

Li Jingshou shook his head. “No, I don’t remember that part. He probably didn’t say it.”

Jiang Chen exhaled in relief. If his master had said that, his image would’ve completely collapsed.

With a sudden thud, Li Jingshou dropped to his knees. Feeling as though his lifespan was being counted down, Jiang Chen quickly pulled him up.

“Don’t, don’t! It’s not a holiday, and you’re not here to become my disciple. Why on earth are you kneeling to me? Are you trying to shave years off my life?”

Half dragged up, Li Jingshou’s knees still itched to kneel, but Jiang Chen saw through him and hoisted him upright.

“Brother, let me kneel, please! If I don’t kneel, I just feel uncomfortable inside.”

Jiang Chen wondered if there was something wrong with this guy. Why hadn’t his master picked someone a bit smarter?

“Stop kneeling, I’m begging you. You’re my brother now.”

“Let me become your disciple, and I’ll stop kneeling.”

“No way. I’m not taking on disciples.”

“Then I’ll just keep kneeling!”

Helpless, Jiang Chen could only compromise. “Fine, how about this: I’ll take you as my little brother. When you have time, you can follow me around. When you’re busy, focus on your studies and classes. You should be a college freshman by now, right?”

“Really? Big Brother Jiang Chen!” Overjoyed, Li Jingshou wanted to kowtow, but Jiang Chen stopped him.

“If you’re going to be my little brother, there are only three things you need to do well. I won’t treat you unfairly.”

Since they were going to be together, they’d better make things clear from the start.

Li Jingshou replied resolutely, “If you tell me to go east, I’ll go east. If you tell me to eat, drink, and be merry, I won’t even bat an eye.”

Jiang Chen began to wonder if taking on such an eccentric little brother might lead to trouble in the future.

“There are three things. First, listen to me. Second, listen to me. Third—”

Before Jiang Chen finished, Li Jingshou interrupted, “I know the third one! The third is still to listen to you, right?”

Jiang Chen put on a stern face. “The third is: if you get a sister-in-law in the future, you have to listen to her, too.”

Li Jingshou mulled this over and figured it didn’t matter—having one more person to listen to was no big deal. He agreed immediately, “Alright, Brother Chen!”

Taking on a little brother meant Jiang Chen’s trip hadn’t been in vain. More importantly, since his master had arranged it, he couldn’t refuse—it was a token of goodwill. If he turned it down, he’d seem ungrateful. Besides, he’d just arrived and needed someone reliable. Although Li Jingshou was a bit slow on the uptake, he seemed pure-hearted and sincere.

Li Jingshou rubbed his hands together. “Brother, do we have anything exciting coming up, like busting a criminal den or something?”

Jiang Chen waved his hand. “Not at the moment, but I do need you to keep an eye out for someone—a girl in Daoist robes, about the same age as your sister.”

While Li Jingshou was still thinking, Su Chenglong, who was listening nearby, fell into contemplation.

“I think I might have seen her before. My father went out recently and fell ill the next day for no apparent reason. When a young Daoist priestess passed our house, she gave him a jade pendant, saying he’d recover the next day. And he did—he was full of energy the next morning,” Su Chenglong recalled.

Jiang Chen grew excited at the mention of the priestess. “Uncle Su, could I see that jade pendant?”

“Of course,” Su Chenglong replied. “Wait here, I’ll go get it.”

But Jiang Chen was too impatient to wait, so he insisted on going along. The group went straight to the room where Old Master Su Zhan was staying. Su Chenglong took the jade pendant from the bedside and handed it to Jiang Chen.

The moment Jiang Chen grasped the jade pendant, he instantly recognized it as his Seventh Senior Sister’s. There was even a trace of her spiritual consciousness lingering within.

“Uncle Su, I’ll send someone tomorrow to bring you another jade pendant with the same effect. I need this one.”

Spiritual communication through jade was unique to their Dragon-Tiger Mountain sect, and Jiang Chen was certain his senior sister had left it specifically for him. She must have foreseen he’d come here, which is why she left it behind.

His senior sister must have known when he left the mountain. She probably ran into some trouble, which is why she hadn’t sought him out.

Su Chenglong readily agreed. Jiang Chen had spent the whole day helping their family, and he held this capable young man in high esteem, even developing a warm regard for him.

Promising to return in a few days, Jiang Chen took Li Jingshou and left. Since it was already late, Jiang Chen decided to stay the night at Li Jingshou’s house and examine the spiritual trace left on the jade pendant.

Li Jingshou’s family was wealthy—his private residence, though far from the city, had everything one could imagine. The sheer abundance of things made it seem like a small supermarket.

Jiang Chen casually chose a clean room and activated the spiritual consciousness within the jade pendant.

In the next moment, a faint apparition entered Jiang Chen’s mind. A young woman in Daoist robes, her face unadorned yet strikingly beautiful, appeared before him.

“Senior Sister! Do you know how hard I’ve been searching for you? What happened—are you in trouble?” Jiang Chen asked.

Since this was only a spiritual imprint, Jiang Chen’s emotions could only be partially conveyed, but his Seventh Senior Sister, Chu Xixi, was clearly delighted to see him. Still, that joy quickly faded.

“Chenchen, you’ve finally come down the mountain. If you’re seeing this, you’ve already found the Su family. Apart from Second Uncle Su, the others are trustworthy—you can befriend them. I’m currently trapped in a secret realm and can’t get out. The realm’s barrier will only open on the night of the full moon. Come then…”

With that, Chu Xixi’s spiritual imprint dissipated, tinged with reluctance.

It was already September. Jiang Chen calculated that he still had ten days before he could go rescue his senior sister.

With the assurance that she was safe, Jiang Chen finally relaxed. For his senior sister, an ordinary secret realm could be easily broken. Even if she failed, their master, the Celestial Master Zhang, would simply tear open the barrier by force if necessary.