In the dead of night, the Luo Yun Mountain, which had been bustling with over a hundred little demons during the day, returned to tranquility once more.
Yun Qingxue sat alone in her room and swallowed the medicinal pill that the Purple Song Sage had brought back for her in one gulp.
Instantly, she felt her body grow heavy, as if countless ants were crawling deep within her bones.
The sensation felt familiar.
But before she could recall when she had experienced this same feeling before, the strange sensation in her body vanished entirely.
She exhaled deeply and decided not to dwell on it—after all, her master would never harm her.
For many days, her cultivation had been hindered due to her physical condition.
Now that she had taken the medicine, she might as well begin cultivating to test its effects.
With this thought, Yun Qingxue took out the three gemstones that Huan Ling had helped her find, sat cross-legged, and began absorbing the energy contained within them.
By the time she opened her eyes again, it was already dawn.
A night of cultivation left her feeling refreshed and invigorated, and the pain that had previously obstructed her progress did not return. This filled Yun Qingxue with an irrepressible joy.
Remembering how hard her master had worked to obtain this medicine for her, and how much he had enjoyed the cake she made yesterday, she decided to bake another one today as a gesture of filial piety.
The Purple Song Sage rose early—not out of habit, but because someone had knocked on his door at the crack of dawn.
Standing outside was a wild boar demon who had recently arrived on Luo Yun Mountain. He recalled that his precious disciple, Qingxue, had given this boar demon a name—something like “Bajie.”
“Bajie, what brings you to your master so early in the morning?” the Purple Song Sage asked kindly.
Bajie grinned sheepishly, his tusks not yet fully retracted, giving his face a rather distinctive appearance.
“Well… Master, I’ve come to seek your guidance! I’d like to spar with you and receive your instruction!”
“No problem!” the Purple Song Sage agreed readily. Though Bajie was a new disciple and they hadn’t yet formed a deep bond, he was still family.
Seeing his disciple so diligent filled the Purple Song Sage with a sense of pride.
Bajie was overjoyed and quickly thanked him before following his master to a more open area, where the two began their sparring session.
Mindful of Bajie’s limited cultivation, the Purple Song Sage held back, dutifully guiding him through the practice.
Even so, Bajie couldn’t last more than ten moves against his master.
Defeated but hopeful, Bajie listened attentively as the Purple Song Sage offered his post-spar advice, committing every word to heart.
After instructing Bajie, the Purple Song Sage smiled in satisfaction.
Having risen unusually early, he decided to return to his room for a little more sleep.
But before he could take a step, he was stopped again—this time by a monkey demon who shared a courtyard with the boar. Yun Qingxue had named him “Xingzhe.”
This monkey was clever.
He had woken up when Bajie did and followed him all the way to the Purple Song Sage’s residence.
From a distance, he had watched the entire sparring session, including the master’s post-match guidance.
Now, the monkey couldn’t hold back any longer.
Hadn’t he come to Luo Yun Mountain to seek the wisdom of a master? Now that the boar had received instruction, surely it was his turn!
With this thought, he mustered his courage and stepped forward.
“Master,” he said with a grin, “this disciple also wishes to learn from you.”
“Of course!” the Purple Song Sage replied without hesitation. He hadn’t expected these newly recruited disciples to be so diligent! Even if it meant sacrificing a bit of sleep, he couldn’t dampen their enthusiasm for cultivation.
With this in mind, he patiently sparred with the monkey demon, pointing out his flaws.
The monkey left happily, but before the Purple Song Sage could catch his breath, a cat demon appeared.
Indeed, this was none other than Tom, who lived with the mouse Jerry.
The two resided right next to the Purple Song Sage’s quarters.
A cat and a mouse sharing the same space was a recipe for chaos.
Cats were natural hunters of mice. Though Tom and Jerry were both demons, their instincts were unlikely to change even in death.
During the day, things were manageable, but at night, once the doors were closed, Tom’s glowing eyes would fixate on Jerry.
Under that predatory gaze, Jerry lost all confidence. Fortunately, he had taken Yun Qingxue’s advice and secretly dug a mouse hole in the room while Tom was away.
Still, whenever Jerry emerged, Tom couldn’t resist chasing him.
The commotion of cat and mouse wasn’t noticeable during the day, but at night, it was deafening.
As their neighbor, the Purple Song Sage was the first victim of this nightly disturbance.
Thankfully, his profound cultivation allowed him to set up a soundproof barrier around his quarters, sparing him from the racket.
Now, seeing Tom approach, the Purple Song Sage spoke first.
“Tom, look at you—you’ve taken on human form. Can’t you resist chasing mice in the middle of the night?”
“Apologies, Master,” Tom said sheepishly. “I’ll try my best to control myself. But, uh… would you have time to instruct this disciple now?”
The Purple Song Sage waved a hand and sparred with Tom, offering his guidance.
Tom left satisfied, but before the master could rest, Jerry appeared.
Jerry had come to Luo Yun Mountain to become stronger—especially now that he was living under the same roof as a cat.
For the sake of his survival, his motivation to learn had never been higher.
With a sigh, the Purple Song Sage sparred with Jerry and gave him pointers.
Jerry departed contentedly, only for Bear One, Bear Two, and Cuihua to arrive in a group, seeking instruction.
As wave after wave of new disciples came forward, the Purple Song Sage finally let out a groan of despair. For the first time in his life, he found himself missing his two ungrateful disciples, Jin Lin and Mo Changxing, who had actually shown consideration for him in the past!
Back when he had proposed taking on disciples to train Yun Qingxue’s judgment, those two rascals had objected. But he had insisted.
Now, seeing how troublesome disciples could be, he regretted not heeding Jin Lin and Mo Changxing’s advice. It would have spared him this endless parade of little demons seeking guidance!
One after another—would they ever give him a moment’s peace?
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