Sorry but I only accept female disciples!

Jin Wei glanced over at Zhang Yuan and with a smile on her face, she walked towards him.

Behind her, Chen Zin let out an exasperated sigh but followed closely, her eyes flicking back and forth between the people gathered.

Ming Yuelin who noticed them raised her gaze as a frown appeared on her face "Master..."

"Um, Senior Taoist..."

Hm? Zhang Yuan passed the beast core to Xue Hua's hand and she stored it in her storage ring.

With a slight bow, Jin Wei spoke in a respectable tone "Thank you for helping me earlier, Senior Taoist."

Zhang Yuan smiled faintly and gave the sword back to her "Not really, you are the one who saved everyone."

Jin Wei accepted the sword, her fingers brushing the hilt as if it brought her some comfort.

After a moment of silence, she looked up with a bit of hesitation, "Senior Taoist… have you also comprehended the Dao of the sword?"

Zhang Yuan gave a simple nod. "Yes."

A soft smile appeared on Jin Wei's face as she admired anyone who uses sword intent and uttered "It is really rare to come across someone who uses sword intent. I am glad I met you..."

As they were speaking, Ming Yuelin glared at Chen Zin and she shot back with the same glare.

Chen Zin's lips moved without sound, her eyes sharp as daggers. 'If your master hadn't shown up… I would have torn you apart, you little cunt.'

Seeing her lip movements, Ming Yuelin understood her words and smirked 'If my Master didn't come... that woman would have been dead by the beast.'

'You should be grateful, you useless bitch...'

Chen Zin gritted her teeth in frustration 'You damn.. see what I am doing to you later...'

Keeping her smirk, Ming Yuelin raised an eyebrow 'What can you do whore?'

Chen Zin shot back 'I am not a coward like you... hiding behind your Master's back.'

'HUH? Who is hiding behind Master's back...'

Hearing this, a grin appeared on Chen Zin's lips 'Then you dare to challenge me on a one on one?'

A cold glint passed through Ming Yuelin's eyes 'Of course bitch... Just wait.'

'Tch... bitch.'

'Watch your mouth. You'll regret it later.'

Chen Zin shot back, 'Try me. I'll be waiting, whore.'

Xue Hua could see the tension between Ming Yuelin and Chen Zin as she sighed in her heart 'I hope things will get better...'

Zhang Yuan glanced at her clothes which had been stained by her blood and spoke "You should treat your internal injuries... and change your clothes."

Jin Wei looked down at her blood stained clothes and gave a nod "Yeah... I need to rest, and I'm also starving," she added with a small laugh.

"Um, Senior Taoist.. if you don't wind after cleaning ourselves, can we have lunch together?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yuan gave a nod and glanced at Ming Yuelin "I am okay with that, Lin'er, Hua... what about you?"

Ming Yuelin glimpsed at Chen Zin in the corner of her eyes "I am also joining Master."

Xue Hua also gave a nod "Hmm, me too..."

Jin Wei glanced at Chehn Zin for confirmation "Zin'er-"

"I am in!"

...

*splash* The cool water rippled gently across the surface of the serene lake as Ming Yuelin and Xue Hua bathed, washing away the grime and exhaustion from the hours of intense battle.

The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting golden hues over the water.

Ming Yuelin stretched her arms above her head, letting the cool water cascade down her body. "Haah, it's so nice to finally wash off all that sweat and dirt... the water feels amazing," she sighed, her voice a mixture of relief and satisfaction.

She waded further into the lake, submerging herself up to her shoulders, her long black hair floating around her like a dark cloud.

Xue Hua who was beside Ming Yuelin on the lake gave a faint nod "Yes, Senior Sister and you should not slack on your training..."

"You missed a lot of shots today and one almost killed that woman."

Ming Yuelin clicked her tongue and splashed water toward Xue Hua, frustration evident on her face "That bitch, when we fight next.. I swear on Master.. I am going to punch that damn face of hers."

Xue Hua shook her head helplessly "No.. Senior Sister, it was your fault in the first place."

"I know that.. but that bitch bad-mouthed me. How can I let that slip huh?"

Xue Hua stayed silent and Ming Yuelin smirked "She challenged me, you know. That bitch actually had the nerve to challenge me to a duel."

"When we fight next, I'm going to burn her to a crisp. I'll make sure she regrets every word she said."

Xue Hua turned to face Ming Yuelin, her expression serious. "Revenge is not going to make you a better fighter, Big Sister."

"You need to stay focused on improving your technique. If you let your emotions cloud your judgment in battle, you're going to make mistakes. Dangerous ones. I am talking from my own experience."

Ming Yuelin sighed softly. "Well, I have already promised to.. fight her, I can't back away now because she will call me a coward."

"We can only settle this with a fight."

Xue Hua didn't reply and clenched her fist 'I am also weak... right now. I need to train harder.'

'Master taught me not to make rash decisions in spite of emotions. Revenge shouldn't be the only thing I should think of...'

'I need to focus on how to improve myself, how can I make myself stronger.'

'And most importantly, I need to repay my master.. he has done so much for me, but how could I...'

As she muttered, she suddenly remembered "Wait, Senior Sister.. do you remember the fruit I talked about? The one I wanted to give Master as a fee for joining as his disciple."

Hearing this, Ming Yuelin nodded her head "Yeah... I remember. you also said that the fruit is protected by a powerful spirit beast."

Xue Hua gave a nod "Yes, that... now because of this beast tide, there are no beasts in the forests at the moment."

"And that beast must have also been left, so, it is very easy for us to find that fruit..."

Ming Yuelin floated in the lake as she replied "Then we can go now, there is still time for the afternoon... so after getting that, we can go with master to eat with that women."

"Hm.."

...

As the afternoon light began to dim, Ming Yuelin and Xue Hua walked through the dense forest cautiously.

The soft rustle of leaves under their feet was the only sound in the quiet surroundings.

The forest, usually alive with the sounds of beasts and creatures, was eerily silent.

"Haah, there are no beasts.. haha.. so silent."

The air grew cooler the further they went, and the trees themselves seemed to change, gnarled, ancient trunks twisted in strange patterns, their bark etched with claw marks.

The path grew narrower as they walked, the trees pressing closer together.

Sunlight filtered through the dense roof above, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the forest floor.

The deeper they went, the more the atmosphere seemed to change and the air grew heavier, almost suffocating, and an odd scent lingered, sweet, yet unfamiliar.

Ming Yuelin glanced around at the place and muttered "Junior Sister, is this the place?"

Xue Hua nodded her head "Yeah... that day, while running away from the guards in the city and trying to hide in the forest, I found this place."

"However, after seeing the beast I immediately retreated and... then master found me."

Ming Yuelin still remembered the night when she was having a usual walk with her Master and a sudden corpse fell from the tree 'That was a scary experience.'

After what felt like some minutes, they finally spotted the mouth of a cave, half-hidden by vines and foliage.

The entrance was so dark, with only the faintest hint of light coming from deep within.

Ming Yuelin smiled dryly 'She is bold to enter a dark cave like this at night... for shelter.'

Without a word, Ming Yuelin and Xue Hua exchanged a glance as they silently stepped inside.

The cave was vast and the sound of their footsteps reverberated through the hollowed stone.

*woosh* The air was cool, and a faint breeze seemed to flow through the tunnel, guiding them forward.

As they ventured further, the natural light from the entrance began to fade, replaced by a strange, soft glow emanating from the deeper part of the cave.

"There's light ahead," Xue Hua said quietly, her voice almost swallowed by the cave's vastness.

They continued on, navigating the twists and turns of the tunnel.

The deeper they went, the more the air seemed to change, growing fresher, almost fragrant, as if the cave itself was alive.

Finally, after some minutes of walking, they emerged into an open area at the very heart of the cave.

At the far end of the cavern, sunlight streamed in through a wide opening in the ceiling, illuminating a single, magnificent tree.

And what truly caught their attention was the fruit hanging from one of the branches.

It was a single, large, reddish orange fruit with some strange featherlike patterns on it "is that it?"

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I hope you guys liked this chapter!