Night of the Broken Gliph

Ping Chi looked out the window to see a pure black sky. 

He let out a long sigh. It was as if he had aged within a few moments. “Alright, it’s now time for me to present you with my last gift. In the future, you need not acknowledge me as your master, but that jade I’ve customised is still for you to keep. As a doctor, I’ve forged much good karma and friendly relations. The jade might help you in the future to a certain extent. 

“Go, become a Cloud Palace’s disciple, bring my medicinal knowledge to greater heights and show Mo-Yung Yin what an actual divine doctor is.” 

Chui Yim took the gift. It was something that he was no stranger to. 

The Poorest Elixir, the priceless elixir that possessed the ability to help a cultivator break through a chamber.  

Ping Chi was a far-sighted man. He was sure that Chui Yim would reach the ten-gliphic state, and the Poorest Elixir was given to him to overcome a bottleneck he might reach in the future. If everything went well, Chui Yim would at least become a hundred-gliphic gliphist; even if he didn’t turn out to become a Divine Doctor, Ping Chi believed he’d easily become a grandmaster. 

Despite his sly and cold character, he obviously cared for Chui Yim greatly. From teaching him everything he knew to the items he gifted Chui Yim—the Thirty-Six Night Lunar Needles, Nine Dragons Flame-Gatherer Cauldron and the Poorest Elixir—everything he gave Chui Yim was a priceless treasure, yet he gave them all away without hesitation. 

Ping Chi… was very old. He might be a hundred-gliphic gliphist, but he was so old that there wasn’t any room left for him to improve. He had always hoped to have a descendant to pass on all of his knowledge to, and Chui Yim fulfilled this wish. 

The title of Chui Yim being his disciple was nothing important to him. 

Chui Yim left Ping Chi’s courtyard. 

Even till now, he had never once addressed Ping Chi as his master, but the master-disciple bond they had forged was strongly engraved in both their hearts, leaving only the verbal title aside. 

A figure was waiting for him outside the courtyard. Moonlight shone onto the tiny but gorgeous figure. Maturing earlier than boys, the twelve-year-old girl looked charming despite her age. 

She was none other than Ping Ching, who had removed her male disguise. “Brother Chui, let me send you back.” She smiled thinly on seeing him. 

They went back to Chui Yim’s room without a word. Chui Yim and Ping Ching had a lot of common topics, such as alchemy and medicine, but maybe due to Chui Yim’s impending departure, they were both silent. 

After some time, Ping Ching broke the silence.

“Brother Chui, you’ll be leaving tomorrow, right?” she asked softly. 

“I’ve stayed here and freeloaded off your clan for too long. Haha!” Chui Yim nodded and laughed. 

His words made Ping Ching laugh. “With brother Chui’s skill, you’ll definitely be able to become our clan’s elder in ten years. You’re not freeloading.” 

“No, don’t say such things. I know that there’s no such thing as absolutes in this world.” Chui Yim waved his hands. 

“The Ping Clan may have the best medicinal skills in the world, but how can we say it’s an absolute when the world is so vast?” Chui Yim paused for a moment and looked up at the moon. “Since we’re alive, we should travel the world to enjoy the many beautiful sceneries. 

“Cultivation is all about exploring and seeing the world. Southern Ping is huge, but it’s not big enough for me!” 

Ping Ching stood rooted to the ground seeing how boldly Chui Yim spoke. She knew he didn’t mean to look down on Southern Ping, but his life plan encompassed the entire world, not just Southern Ping. 

After some time, she regained her senses. Indeed… the man that caught my eye. 

“I’ll be attending Cloud Palace’s enrollment a year later as well. Since brother Chui has such great ambitions, it won’t be nice to lose to a girl like me.” She laughed. 

“Don’t think I’ll let you off just because you’re a girl! Hahaha!” Chui Yim burst into laughter, speaking unromantically with a proud expression. Ping Ching laughed in reply. 

Silver moonlight shone on the both of them laughing together. 

The next day. Chui Yim, Chor Shing Chit and Bak Wun boarded the night wolf coach, getting ready to leave. 

Indeed worthy as part of the South’s Five, Southern Ping had turned the night wolf into a chubby wolf after several months. The unwillingness to part in its eyes showed how reluctant it was to leave this place where it could spend its day eating and sleeping without work. 

Many Ping Clan members sent them off from the city gate, while others sent them off from Southern Mountain. The night wolf left the city silently and headed north. Undeniably, Chui Yim had left a huge impact on Southern Ping. Thanks to him, the talents of the Ping Clan had time to breathe and grow. Moreover, he became Ping Chi’s direct disciple and experienced the Yellow Spring’s Lady battle…

And here was where the name Chui Yim started to gain recognition. 

Southern Ping, the Mo-Yung Clan residence. 

In the same living room, Mo-Yung Yin was sipping tea with Mo-Yung Kit opposite him. 

“Master, are we just going to let that kid off?” Mo-Yung Kit asked. 

“Of course not.” Mo-Yung Yin glared at him. He put down his teacup as anger washed over his face. “I sacrificed so much for the clan, but thanks to him… He will pay for this. But since the Ping Clan is still the leader of Southern Ping, there’s not much we can do. 

“I heard that he’ll be heading to South Imperial City to attend the enrollment taking place a year later. I have lots of friends in South Imperial City… That will be the time for payback. 

“And you!” Mo-Yung Yin glared at Mo-Ying Kit angrily. “How can you lose to a twelve-year-old! What’s even more embarrassing is what you did when you were drunk! It’s fine to get into trouble… but with the Crown Prince?! Are you happy that you can’t leave Southern Ping for the next three years?” 

“How would I know that the Crown Prince was there…” Mo-Yung Kit muttered softly.

Mo-Yung Yin sighed. He roughly knew about the Lam dynasty’s tradition. Now that the Crown Prince came out of the palace to attend the Outstanding Talent Competition, he was no doubt here to search for his crew and give out the legendary Crown Prince’s badge. There weren’t many members of the younger generation in Southern Ping who could catch the Crown Prince’s eyes, so it most likely ended up with Chui Yim who had beaten Mo-Yung Kit. 

The thought of this made Mo-Yung Yin’s hatred for Chui Yim grow. “When he reaches South imperial City, I will make him pay!”