After Transmigrating as an Immortal Master, I Hold a Group Meeting - Chapter 87

“You two know each other?” Ning Mingmei asked, feigning ignorance.

“Of course,” Lian Zhao replied with a forced smile. “Isn’t this Lian Yue?”

The noble young master’s eyes held no kindness whatsoever.

“You’re called Lian Zhao and he’s called Lian Yue.” Ning Mingmei acted as if he had just realized something. “So he’s also from the Lian family? But when I met him, he told me he was an orphan.”

“He was an orphan at Compassionate Orphanage,” Lian Zhao said. “Three months ago, the Lian family kindly took him in, letting him cultivate and study alongside me. But two months ago, he disappeared without a word, vanished without even saying goodbye. And along with him, a bag of silver was also missing.”

Lian Zhao looked at him with feigned concern. “Lian Yue, where have you been these past few months? The whole household has been so worried about you. Who would’ve thought you’d turn up as a little servant by Immortal Master Ning’s side?”

Just like that, he pinned the accusation of stealing and running away onto the child.

His words came on strong but the child merely blinked his long lashes and remained silent. He offered no explanations in response to those accusations. Instead, he said, “Lian Zhao, do you want me to tell Immortal Master Ning the real reason I left the Lian family?”

Having set his own trap, Lian Zhao suddenly felt it turning against him. His breath caught in his throat.

The Lian family’s cultivation techniques were an unspeakable secret. In the eyes of righteous cultivators, they were even considered heretical.

The child had spoken just a single simple sentence, yet he had precisely grasped Lian Zhao’s only weakness.

“It seems there are still quite a few misunderstandings between you two,” Ning Mingmei remarked, his gaze shifting between them before finally settling on Lian Chengyue. “Kid, thank you for helping take care of things these past few days.”

The child smiled but his eyes remained fixed on Ning Mingmei. “Not at all. Being able to assist Immortal Master Ning already makes me very happy.”

Those words made Lian Zhao, who had been caught in a crisis, suddenly sense a sliver of hope.

The crisis was that Ning Mingmei and Lian Yue had met before Qi Miancheng arrived at the Lian family’s residence.

The hope was that Ning Mingmei and Lian Yue’s relationship still seemed distant and that Ning Mingmei had not yet decided to take him back to the Supreme Clarity Sect.

Seeing Lian Zhao’s grim expression, the child’s smile only widened.

Just then, he heard a faint sound near his ear.

It wasn’t so much a sound he heard as it was a special kind of perception, like a bubble rising to the surface of a dark river.

Apart from the river itself, no leaf, no gust of wind, could have known about the bubble’s emergence.

And so, in that moment, with Ning Mingmei present, he instinctively turned around.

Behind him, aside from a single willow leaf on the ground, there was no one and no other sound.

The child frowned slightly in rare puzzlement. He stared at the leaf for a moment before shifting his gaze to Ning Mingmei’s sleeve.

In an unnoticed corner of the courtyard, long, slender fingers picked up the fallen leaf. The owner of those fingers observed the group in the distance and murmured softly, “Oh?”

Quite sharp.

“But… why does he look like this now?” The voice carried no emotion. “Did something go wrong?”

Even as he spoke, his eyes only lingered on the child for a brief moment before shifting to the immortal beside him.

Dressed in a black robe, hair hanging just past his shoulders, with his arms crossed, the immortal carried an air of unapproachability.

And yet, the observer narrowed his eyes with rare interest.

***

At that point, words were useless. Lian Zhao made a polite excuse to leave. On his way back, he wore a dark expression, contemplating how to deal with Lian Yue.

The Golden Core cultivator who often acted as his strategist idly waved a fan and said, “Right now, the key issue is Lian Yue.”

Lian Zhao pressed his lips together, his gaze shadowed with gloom.

The female cultivator lounged in a rosewood chair intricately carved with six chi dragons. Her pale green robes were fastened high at the collar but in her hand, she leisurely waved a fan painted in ink wash. Compared to the other Golden Core cultivators in the Lian family’s household, her posture was relaxed and her delicate brows arched slightly like two crescent moons, carrying an unreadable smile.

The fact that she could come and go freely from Lian Zhao’s chambers was proof that her status in the Lian family was anything but ordinary.

Lian Zhao knew that his father held the woman in high regard. She had served the Lian family since his father’s youth, helping him seize the patriarch’s position from his older brother. Despite being a wandering cultivator with no known sect, she had defeated several highly paid Golden Core cultivators using only her fan.

Like his father, Lian Zhao trusted her deeply.

“What do you think we should do?” he asked.

She pressed the tip of her fan against her chin. “Two options. Either bring him back to the Lian family and push him out of Immortal Master Ning’s favor, or make sure he never speaks again.”

Lian Yue knew the Lian family’s secret.

Lian Zhao made his decision immediately.

“We cannot allow Lian Yue to leave the Lian family’s residence alive,” he said firmly.

The female cultivator lazily waved her fan. “Sect Master Qi and his group are leaving at dawn. If we’re going to act, tonight is our only chance.”

Lian Zhao’s expression darkened. He summoned his personal guards for a discussion.

The woman in green continued to wave her fan, saying nothing, her arched brows carrying an enigmatic smile as she watched him.

***

That night.

For some reason, as soon as darkness fell, the child’s heart began to race.

Like a bird sensing an oncoming storm, circling low in anxious restlessness, longing to fly yet unable to rise.

The child rarely experienced such feelings. The last time his heart had raced like that was on the way up the mountain with Ning Mingmei. He remembered the cold moonlight under his feet that night and the way Ning Mingmei walked up the stone-paved path in the silent town without looking back at him even once.

But this time, the feeling was even more unsettling. The child had a vague sense that something was about to happen.

“A’Yue, so you’re here,” he heard the fifteenth disciple call him. “Master wants you to go find him.”

It was late at night and the other disciples who had gone out had also returned. The child followed the fifteenth disciple, knowing they would be leaving tomorrow.

He felt a bit nervous, a bit afraid, and even a little excited. He thought that kind of restless mindset was irrational for someone like him.

But ever since meeting Ning Mingmei, his emotions had never been what he would call ‘normal.’

The wooden window was half-open. As always, Ning Mingmei was sitting by it, holding a book. Perhaps because the day of judgment was near, the child found himself unable to say a single word after stepping inside.

Even his breathing was extremely cautious.

After a long pause, he softly greeted, “Immortal Master.”

Ning Mingmei: “Mm. Sit.”

The child sat on the chair beside him. In that moment, time seemed to rewind, taking him back to the first day he met Ning Mingmei.

How fast! How had a month passed in the blink of an eye?

“A’Yue,” Ning Mingmei said, “Don’t be so tense. Relax a little.”

With just that one sentence, the child’s eyes lit up.

Big, bright eyes, like a little monkey in a cave seeing the stars, or like a student opening their exam results and seeing the first digit of their high score.

Such a warm introduction, was this not an acceptance letter?

Lian Chengyue was clearly unaware of the cruelty of reality.

Only rejection letters begin with pleasantries. True acceptance letters always start with ‘Congratulations!’

Ning Mingmei noticed the shift in Lian Chengyue’s expression and continued, “Over the past month, I’ve observed your performance closely.

“You have some talent, your spiritual roots are suitable, you’re highly motivated, and you have a keen sense for detecting potential dangers. You also show great care for your fellow disciples. In taking care of my senior brother, I’ve seen your patience and confidence. I would say, overall, I’m quite satisfied with you.”

Lian Chengyue: “…Mm!”

Why was the kid blushing a little?

Ning Mingmei went on, “So, I have made my decision. I have decided to accept Ren Miao as my newest personal disciple. And I will only be taking her.”

Thank you, Immortal Master, for accepting me… huh? Wait a second?

The child blurted out, “…What?”

Wow, the protagonist could actually make such a sharp sound.

Ning Mingmei still had the leisure to comment to the system, [His voice sounds exactly like my roommate’s when he got rejected from his backup choice school.]

The system: …

The child clenched his fists. “Immortal Master, I don’t understand. You just said so many things but…”

Lian Chengyue, the undisputed genius of the world, had now instinctively mastered a new skill: writing an appeal letter to his dream school to contest the admission decision.

And Ning Mingmei was not one to hold back from teaching a lesson.

“Because, compared to you, she has greater potential for growth,” Ning Mingmei said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. “Potential is intangible, boundless, and limitless. Besides, even if you leave my side, you could still join another reputable sect, couldn’t you?”

Lian Chengyue: …

Ning Mingmei continued, “And your health isn’t great. Here, physical well-being is extremely important. Sometimes, talent isn’t the most crucial factor in cultivation.”

Translation: Expect sleepless nights. The school is insanely competitive.

Lian Chengyue: “But…”

“But I have already observed your performance carefully. After much consideration, I have found a better, more suitable path for your background, which is the Embracing Simplicity Temple, which specializes in researching the fundamental theories of cultivation. I recall that Master Yicun of the Embracing Simplicity Temple has just taken his position this year. He has no other disciples, no achievements, and no ongoing projects. However, as I said, a blank slate holds the most potential and is the best environment for your development. Don’t think about staying in your comfort zone, idling away your days. Sometimes, if you don’t push yourself, you won’t know how much you can truly grow.”

Without even blinking, Ning Mingmei had chosen the worst possible mentor for Lian Chengyue.

A new mentor with no background, no connections, no family support, no accomplishments, only an ambitious heart. Ning Mingmei was certain Lian Chengyue would experience significant growth.

He continued, “And, considering how outstanding you are, I will write you a recommendation letter. In it, I will say that you are more exceptional than half of the disciples I have met.”

It was well known that when applying to foreign schools, the recommendation system often required the recommender to answer a multiple-choice question.

‘In your opinion, which top percentage does this student rank among all of the students you have encountered?’

Typically, there were four available options: 1%, 10%, 20%, or 50%.

Which meant that Ning Mingmei’s recommendation letter was a backhanded slap in disguise.

So underhanded it practically gleamed with darkness.

Lian Chengyue: …

Unfamiliar with the tricks behind recommendation letters, that was the only part of Ning Mingmei’s words that could bring him any comfort tonight.

“Look at you, so happy you forgot to speak,” Ning Mingmei said gently. “Go back and rest well. Tomorrow morning, we set off. I’ll arrange for someone to escort you to the Embracing Simplicity Temple.”

With that, he dismissed him.

Outside, the cold wind howled. On that night, for the first time, Lian Chengyue tasted the brutal reality of academia.

As the saying goes, an offer isn’t real until it’s in your hands.

Unfortunately, Lian Chengyue only truly understood that that day.

He stood outside the door, his face alternating between pale and flushed. After a while, he went up and knocked again, trying to say something to Ning Mingmei.

But an invisible force pried his fingers away.

In that instant, Lian Chengyue finally understood that Ning Mingmei did not want to see him.

Ning Mingmei had already obtained everything he needed, completing his worldly journey. Lian Chengyue was now insignificant to him.

Lian Chengyue had never felt this way before. It was as if someone had pushed him into pitch-black water and he was sinking deeper and deeper, caught in a swirling current. Every ripple carried a bone-chilling cold. He didn’t know where to go, so he simply wandered aimlessly.

At last, he reached a secluded spot where no one could see him. Only then did a fierce anger surge in his chest.

He stomped his feet hard on the ground and let out a silent scream, baring his teeth.

Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!

Ning Mingmei didn’t want him!

Ning Mingmei actually didn’t want him.

“So after all that… After saying so much, doing so much—it was all just to make a fool of me?” The child gritted his teeth, his fingers digging deep into the cracks of a tree, veins bulging on his forehead. “I suffered so many injuries, did so many things… and in the end, I was nothing more than something he could throw away at will?”

If that were all, he might have endured it.

But Ren Miao… Why Ren Miao?

She wasn’t as talented as him. She wasn’t as capable as him. Why was she the one chosen by Ning Mingmei?

As his fury burned, Lian Chengyue suddenly heard the sound of bubbles rising from the depths of the dark water.

Gurgle.

Gurgle.

“How pathetic.”

He heard a voice, one that sounded vaguely familiar.

“How did the younger version of me end up looking like such a pathetic mutt? Did something go wrong during reincarnation?”

The voice carried a hint of curiosity but it lacked any emotion that a human should have.

It was something almost human, yet not quite.

However, the man seemed to make a decision quickly. “In that case, let’s beat him to death and see what happens.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he struck. His movements were swift and ruthless, showing no mercy.

The wind from his attack slashed through the air like a blade, catching the boy off guard.

There was no reason the boy should have been able to dodge it. Yet, just as the blade’s light was about to reach him, his body moved instinctively, evading the deadly strike with a precise motion.

It was not an action he consciously performed.

Rather, it felt like an innate instinct buried deep in his bloodline, awakening at the moment of crisis to steer him out of harm’s way.

Before he could fully process what had happened, another attack was already coming at him.

The young man walking toward him was silhouetted against the light, making his face impossible to discern. His steps were unhurried, yet his strikes were sharp and merciless, aimed directly at the boy’s vital points.

But his expression remained composed, as if killing the child, or anyone, for that matter, was as effortless as sipping tea on a quiet autumn afternoon.

Utterly trivial.

Swish!

Rip!

Blood gradually began to seep from the boy’s body. With his current abilities, evading such an assault was nearly impossible.

At last, he was gravely wounded. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

The young man approached him and reached out. At his fingertips, moonlight gathered.

Cold and pure, yet it struck directly toward the boy’s fatal point.