Chapter 17: Cursed Effigy
The remaining 21 recruits had all woken up. The moment they did so, they crumpled weakly to the ground. One among them was vomiting profusely, the one whom the skeleton had attacked at the last. He was deeply wounded, but he hadn't died.
"Elder Ku, they've all awoken!" one Taiqing disciple called out.
"Quick, ask them what they encountered in that illusory realm!" Elder Ku urged.
It was then that the recruits learned that those that had died in the illusion had also perished in reality.
"How could this be? This trial was actually deadly?!"
"Wasn't it supposed to be a trial? How could recruits have died? That means, that means the rest of us almost died, too!"
The recruits did want to join the Taiqing sect, but not at the cost of their lives! They were shocked to no end by their close shave with death.
"Don't worry. All of you have already been accepted as formal disciples, and you're one of us now. What happened today was an accident, nothing more."
"Alright, juniors, what exactly happened within the illusion?"
As the recruits calmed down, they began recounting the series of events that had occurred.
"A skeleton? A skeleton with bleached bones, you said?" Elder Ku's face suddenly seemed to blanch.
"That's right. If not for someone leading us against the skeleton, we would all have been killed, one by one. All twenty of us worked together to hold it down, but we only barely made it!"
Elder Ku murmured to himself, "Has that cursed effigy finally returned...?"
"Elder Ku? Do you know what that is?" one Taiqing disciple asked.
"No one is to speak of what happened today. You are all sworn to secrecy!" Elder Ku called out gravely. He didn't explain what the bleached skeleton meant, but his expression alone made it clear how serious this matter was.
"Yes, Elder!"
Xiao Nanfeng, however, was internally quite upset. They had almost died—weren't they going to receive an explanation as to what happened?
"A cursed effigy...?" Xiao Nanfeng mouthed what he had overheard from Elder Ku.
Just then, the remaining recruits all looked toward Xiao Nanfeng.
One of them, still weak and quivering, got up and walked to Xiao Nanfeng's side.
Everyone watched his actions in confusion as he bowed toward Xiao Nanfeng.
"Thank you for your aid, Senior Brother! I won't forget what you've done." The young man gave Xiao Nanfeng a deep bow and held that position for long moments.
Xiao Nanfeng was a youth himself, and clearly younger than the bowing recruit. Even so, the recruit had addressed him as his senior. He understood that, if not for Xiao Nanfeng's efforts in rallying all of them together, they would all have perished in that illusory realm.
The other recruits who had survived that calamitous trial all mirrored the first recruit's actions and bowed deeply to Xiao Nanfeng.
"Thank you for saving our lives, Senior Brother!" they called out.
Xiao Nanfeng got up and returned their bow without saying a word.
At that moment, he was the center of attention. Everyone had mentioned a leader who had directed them to kill the skeleton—and his name was Xiao Nanfeng!
The Taiqing disciples all around the square looked toward him ardently. Xiao Nanfeng boasted peerless will and had displayed courage and leadership against an opponent far beyond him. He was clearly the top recruit of this batch.
Even if his talent were below average, his nature and will were top-tier. This was a recruit that everyone wanted at any cost.
There were only two groups of onlookers who were discomfited by this turn of events.
The first was Ye Dafu and his clique, who felt as though they had just swallowed a fly. How angry, how incensed, how frustrated they were to see Xiao Nanfeng receive the reverence and adoration of all these disciples! How had he done it?
The second was Zhao Yuanjiao. Zhao Yuanjiao, certain that Xiao Nanfeng was a demonic spy, frowned to see him having won all the disciples' respect and regard. This spy seemed to be even more exceptional than he had anticipated.
"You're Nanfeng? I'm responsible for recruiting disciples for the Mortal division. I'll recommend you to the division leader myself, and you'll be provided with cultivation pointers from the best of the best!"
"No, he'll join the Earth division!"
"Ha! The Heaven division has set its eyes on him. Don't you dare fight us!"
Everyone suddenly wanted a piece of Xiao Nanfeng. As Ye Dafu and the others watched all manner of senior disciples fight over him, they grew more and more enraged until they had to look away.
Xiao Nanfeng, however, looked toward Elder Ku. "Elder Ku, I heard one of the senior disciples mention that the top recruit of each batch would be able to choose a master with whom to apprentice under? I'm Nanfeng. Would you be willing to accept me as a student?"
Everyone looked at Xiao Nanfeng in surprise. Apprenticing under Elder Ku?
Even Elder Ku himself seemed taken aback. "I'm old and blind. You want to apprentice under me?"
"Yes, Elder Ku! Please, accept me as a student!" Xiao Nanfeng bowed deeply toward him.
Everyone quieted down and looked toward Elder Ku.
Elder Ku took a moment to think. "You were the one who organized all the recruits against that cursed effigy? What prompted your actions?"
Xiao Nanfeng replied, "I wasn't thinking of anything special, Elder. I simply wanted to live. Rather than wait as the skeleton killed us one by one, why not combine our strength and chance it?"
"You simply wanted to live? Very good, very good! An excellent answer. You did live, and you saved everyone else while you were at it. However, it's been a long time since I last took a disciple, and I don't tend to have much time for apprenticeships. Neither can I see, so I wouldn't make a good teacher. How about this? I'll take you as a student in name for now. A year later, if you still wish to apprentice under me, I'll take you as an official apprentice," Elder Ku suggested.
"Yes, Master! Your student Nanfeng greets you!" Xiao Nanfeng bowed down to Elder Ku once more.
"The matter is settled, then. In a year's time, if you wish to remain my apprentice, we'll formalize the matter."
"As you will, Elder!"
The senior disciples who had wanted to recruit Xiao Nanfeng were all disappointed—except for those of the Ascended division. Elder Ku was an elder for the Ascended, and even if Xiao Nanfeng chose not to remain Elder Ku's disciple, he would still belong to the Ascended division himself.
"Very well. The recruitment test is now over. Would you help me carry my guqin? It's time for us to leave," Elder Ku told Xiao Nanfeng.
"Yes, Master!" Xiao Nanfeng replied respectfully.
He hefted up the guqin with a snapped string and walked up to Elder Ku. Elder Ku waved a hand, causing a crane to descend from the heavens.
"Call another one to fetch my new disciple," Elder Ku commanded.
The crane flew toward the mountains and quickly returned with another of its kind. The two cranes lowered themselves, allowing Elder Ku and Xiao Nanfeng to mount them, before setting off.
"Farewell, Elder Ku!" The Taiqing disciples bowed in respect.
Elder Ku didn't leave immediately. Rather, he said calmly, "The accident was caused by the re-emergence of that cursed effigy, and it will surely make a reappearance in the future as well. I regret that I can no longer participate in such trials for disciples as a result. Please find a substitute."
"Elder Ku? You mean that the skeleton didn't die? It'll reappear?!" a Taiqing disciple cried out.
"If it were so easy to kill, it wouldn't be considered a cursed effigy. However, it's grown significantly weaker compared to the past, but for it to have returned at all..." Elder Ku grimaced. "Report the incident to the sect master. He'll be aware of what needs to be done."
"Now, let's go." Elder Ku patted the crane.
The two cranes flapped their wings and flew off toward the fog-covered mountains of the Taiqing Island.
The elder and apprentice left, but the tasks of the Hall of Immortal Recruitment were far from over. Everyone was still shocked by the deaths of nine potential recruits.
Ye Dafu and his clique were fuming mad. What right did a poor bastard like Xiao Nanfeng have to such good fortune? How could he have presented himself so well?
Meanwhile, Zhao Yuanjiao narrowed his eyes as he watched Xiao Nanfeng depart.
"Senior Brother? That youth called Nanfeng, has he really apprenticed himself to Elder Ku? And Elder Ku's bringing him straight to the vault of scriptures! What do we do now?" a junior disciple asked.
"No matter. The vault of scriptures is filled with disciples among the Ascended division. Inform them to keep an eye out."
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
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