Chapter 1: Qing Zhu Jun Has Taken Another Disciple!

A youth with very messy hair was found sleeping at the entrance of the Eternal Forest, sheltered in the shade of the sun, while a calming breeze blew over him.

When he opened his eyes, he felt disoriented, as if he had just awoken from a very deep dream. Memories escaped from his mind, slipping away like sand through his fingers. His body felt numb, yet gradually, that numbness faded away. The non stop chirping of birds and the gusts of wind were too loud it tormented his senses. It became unbearable, causing him to instinctively shield his ears. After a while, everything sounded fine.

As he attempted to rise his feet, his legs weighed him down, defying his will. But in no time at all, he regained control over all his limbs.

The youth mustered the strength to budge, then he suddenly felt the fabric clinging to his skin. It struck him then, his garments were damp, though almost on the verge of drying. Had it rained? But there was no trace of post-rain ambiance in sight. It was sunny. Had he been asleep for days? How could that even be possible?

As his thoughts began to overpower his senses, it was then that he noticed a slip of torned paper tucked beneath his robe. The message on the paper was brief but cryptic as if it was written in a rush of time;

To the green leaf of my mind,

Find the Qing Shan Sect and fit yourself under a master renowned as Qing Zhu Jun.

I hope you will grow just like how the leaves sprout and flowers bloomed in my mind, gracefully unfolding under the sunlight. Wishing you everlasting health and happiness.

However, the lack of a signature or return address left him questioning the identity and motives of the sender.

The youth, plagued by forgotten memories, discovered an unfamiliar name. Despite his confusion, he embraced the name as his own, forging a path through the enigmatic maze of his existence.

Green Leaf. Lu Ye. The youth, Lu Ye, was apparently on his way to the Qing Shan Sect.

So without wasting any time, he set off deeper into the forest, leaving behind the tree he had just made friends with. Though his memory was hazy and fragmented, he felt a compelling urge to seek out the Qing Shan Sect, as if some unseen force was guiding his steps. Without looking back, Lu Ye walked towards his destination, his mind focused on the road ahead.

After a long time walking, Lu Ye finally caught a glimpse of the mountains that encircled the forest. Unlike the forest entrance, which had emitted a sense of warmth and hospitality, the trees and bushes here seemed to recoil from his presence. But Lu Ye mustered up his courage and walked in anyway.

As Lu Ye walked deeper into the forest, his sense of direction became muddled and uncertain. His feet started to give in. He had no food. In utter loss, Lu Ye leaned against a tree, losing his will to live, jokingly.

"Huh?"

His eyes widened at the sight of a pink-furred fox with yellow colored eyes. It was bizarre. The color of the fur. Dark, bright pink. Lu Ye was dazed. Was that an illusion people saw before they lost their lives? But Lu Ye blinked so he was sure he wasn't seeing things.

Lu Ye decided to ignore the pink-furred fox as it only watched him intently from a distance. He assumed it was just a curious forest creature and paid it no mind, resting against a nearby tree for a moment.

However, his peaceful break was shattered when the fox suddenly stood up on two legs, fixing him with an unnervingly human gaze. When Lu Ye took a step back as he retreated, the fox followed his lead. That only lasted for three steps before the fox started approaching him faster. The previously starving Lu Ye mustered up all last bit of his energy to run and get away from the fox sight. Tears streamed down his face as he ran blindly, desperate to escape the bizarre creature's grasp.

"HELP HELP HELP!" He shouted. But nobody came to his rescue so he continued to run.

For two whole days, Lu Ye ran in terror, driven by an unyielding fear that the fox would catch him. Exhausted, he felt as though he was on the brink of death, his breaths coming in shallow gasps as he stumbled blindly through the forest.

"He…help.. someone…help me…"

Lu Ye wondered bitterly how he had ended up running for his life from a strange fox. All he had wanted was to reach the Qing Shan Sect and ask Qing Zhu Jun to be his master.

Lu Ye slumped against a nearby tree, drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted. For two long days, he alternated between running and taking brief, desperate breaks, all while the pink-furred fox stalked him relentlessly, chasing after him in a humanly manner. It was a harrowing experience that had left him exhausted and on the brink of collapse.

"Am I…going to die here…?"

But as he opened up his eyes, the pink-furred fox that had changed in size, the same size as a regular human crouching before him, staring intently into his eyes. Lu Ye's face darkened right away. The situation had just become even more bizarre that he had no idea what to expect next.

This time, Lu Ye was unable to move any longer. He couldn't escape it anymore.The exhausted Lu Ye was helpless as the pink-furred fox grabbed him by his back collar and dragged him along. Despite his confusion, he could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness as he was dragged away.

.

SPLASH!

Lu Ye stirred up after the disciples had splashed cold water onto him.

"Good gracious. You smell! So we had to do this. So don't hold anything against us!" One of the disciples spoke.

Lu Ye was jolted back to consciousness as he found himself in a completely different environment. The lush forest was replaced by a sprawling complex of palace-like buildings, concealed within the mountains. As he tried to get his bearings, he was approached by several disciples who seemed to be in awe of him, praising his skills and abilities before he could even ask any questions.

"You are amazing. Nobody ever lasts later after dusk in the forest when hiding from Qing Zhu Jun!"

"Right, the victory should be yours!"

Lu Ye was still bewildered.

"Qing Zhu Jun…?"

"HAHAHA!"

Suddenly, a tall man with flowing, unbound hair and a hand fan suddenly arrived before them, emitting a hearty laugh.

"I can't believe there is actually a winner in this hide-and-seek game!" He said as he looked at Lu Ye excitedly.

This bright and joyous person should be Jin An, a literature master that studied in the same timeline as the glorious Qing Zhu Jun.

"Where am I?" Lu Ye asked.

"QingShan Immortal Sect. We noticed your appearance was out of place so we assumed you are here seeking for a master?" Jin An replied.

"That's right. I was chased by a bizarre type of fox and—"

Just as Lu Ye was about to complete his sentence, the said Qing Zhu Jun appeared. He was a striking figure with long, flowing white hair and a hair crown, which held his bun tightly on top of his head. Although he was taller than Jin An, his face had a stern expression, giving the impression that he had never once smiled in his life.

"Qing Zhu Jun!" The disciples bowed as to pay their respect.

"You are here, Damu Lan." Jin An said as he clapped his hand fan on the other hand.

Damu Lan stood beside Jin An. His face remained with not a single muscle moved so Jin An tapped on Damu Lan's shoulder as to ease the tense and made a conclusion for Lu Ye.

"He is who you were searching for. The glorious Qing Zhu Jun, Damu Lan. And he was the fox that chased after you for two days in the Eternal Forest ha ha ha!"

"Fox…?"

"Our Qing Zhu Jun has a pretty crappy imagination you see, so he thinks shifting into a bright pink-furred fox and slowly shifting bigger in size would entertain others! He himself thinks the image was cute! "

Damu Lan slapped away Jin An's hand that was still resting on his shoulder. "Shut your trap."

"Hide-and-seek?" Lu Ye asked again.

"Oh. That was a penalty game. Whoever lost in the drinking challenge last time should be one to be the seeker! Everybody knows our Qing Zhu Jun can't stand liquor but he still accepted."

"How come I even participated?"

"Hahaha! It was so random too! Damu Lan thought he wanted to greet you but you ran away from him as he approached you so you ended up participating unintentionally!" Said Jin An.

Lu Ye let out a sigh of relief. He felt it was unbelievable but it was what it was.

"Qing Zhu Jun never fails to catch us before dusk. But since it took him two days to catch you, does it mean you are a match to him?!" A disciple spoke excitedly.

"Don't say trap! Qing Zhu Jun is the glorious one. There will never be anyone that can be his match!" Another disciple interfered.

"You both, go back to your study!" Jin An scolded them so they quickly left and went about their daily routine.

"He is the only match to you, huh?" Jin An sighed as he smirked.

Seeing how Damu Lan didn't react to his teasing, Jin An decided to change the topic.

"Hahaha! Damu Lan, you starved your disciple. Make it up to him."

"..."

"Wait- Disciple? Am I already accepted?"

"Most of his disciples changed masters because they couldn't stand the heavy training he gave them so he currently has no disciple but anyone is always welcome to try!" Jin An explained in his stead.

"You'll start tomorrow. For now, get some rest." Damu Lan ordered as he snapped his finger. Two of his junior assistants came to his call and led Lu Ye to his room.

That left Jin An and Damu Lan by the entrance of the sect.

"Two days…huh. I recall there was someone that took you a whole week to catch…" Jin An said as he rolled his eyes while hiding his smile behind the layer of his hand fan. Damu Lan's eyes squint at the sight of Jin An's behavior. But he did not say anything and left.

"So you really have moved on, Damu Lan." Jin An murmured solely.