Thousands of Thoughts as Disciple Yun Wan Nian

Several days later, in the serene realm of Liaoyan, Li Luoning's initiation ceremony...

Although Li Luoning disliked crowds, she still had to go through the formal process. After all, only after formally experiencing the initiation ceremony would Mi Xingzhe's name be recorded in the immortal sect.

The hall of Xuanming Immortal Sovereign looked more like a library, with many ancient texts and scriptures hanging around, as well as numerous disciples' initiation scrolls.

The hall was filled with the scent of sandalwood, and occasional glimmers of gold could be seen. Positioned to face north, the hall had seating arranged on both sides according to rank. Li Luoning's attire today was more splendid than usual. A silver hairpin adorned with a sparkling red gem was fastened in her hair, and her white robe had subtle embroidery, giving her a refined yet not overly luxurious appearance.

Li Luoning walked slowly into the hall, followed by Yun Qingyi and Mi Xingzhe. Mu Han, as a senior fellow disciple, was seated on the left-hand side.

Mi Xingzhe's attire today was slightly different from usual. He wore a tight-fitting white robe, a silver hairpin on his head, and a translucent white belt around his waist, making him look much fresher.

Xuanming Immortal Sovereign announced loudly, "The initiation ceremony begins now."

Instantly, all the disciples' initiation scrolls in the hall began to rotate rapidly. Then, Mi Xingzhe's initiation scroll flew out from among the many hanging talisman scrolls and slowly landed in the hands of Xuanming Immortal Sovereign.

Yun Qingyi stepped forward to receive the initiation scroll from Xuanming Immortal Sovereign and respectfully presented it to Li Luoning, who sat in the central position.

As the initiation scroll unfolded, several lines of shining golden characters floated in the air.

"Joining the immortal sect, honoring the master's teachings, hoping for benevolence, spreading love to all, respecting elders, sharing the same heaven, bearing the same earth, life after life, never abandoning each other."

As Li Luoning slowly read out the golden words, they gradually disappeared. Then, Li Luoning waved her hand.

"In each generation, disciples are listed in the initiation scroll. May your immortal sect be free from worries and thoughts, transcending time and space. I hope that in the future, you will find inner peace, even in the darkness, and dispel all worries and thoughts. Therefore, I grant you the name Yun Wan Nian."

After Li Luoning finished speaking, she used her fingers to write Mi Xingzhe's immortal sect name, "Yun Wan Nian," on the side of the scroll.

"Thousands of thoughts unreturned in dreams, solitary concerns expressed only in verses. From this day forth, you are my closed-door disciple, Yun Wan Nian. With this initiation scroll, you must not betray trust, deceive or harm others. As a disciple of our sect, you must possess compassion, uphold righteousness, and maintain propriety in all matters," Li Luoning declared, gently waving her finger, and the initiation scroll in front of her rolled up and flew into the many scrolls.

"Completion of the ceremony."

With Xuanming Immortal Sovereign's proclamation, the initiation ceremony was officially concluded.

Watching as the furrow on Mi Xingzhe's brow slowly disappeared, Yun Qingyi beside him beamed with joy, resembling a proud aunt. Mu Han nodded approvingly, his eyes filled with tenderness, before lowering his gaze to his tea, lost in thought for a moment.

Seeing everything come to an end, Mi Xingzhe stood up with a bewildered expression, looking around unsure of where to go. When he saw Yun Qingyi beckoning to him, he quickly walked over and stood beside him, gently tugging at his elbow, asking, "Qingyi, can we go now? There are so many people here."

Yun Qingyi knew that Mi Xingzhe had always disliked crowded places, a trait he shared with his master. He comforted him by patting his hand and said, "Just wait a little longer, and we'll be able to leave soon."

"Oh," Mi Xingzhe responded softly, then lowered his head, trying to conceal himself as much as possible behind Yun Qingyi.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Xingzhe, oh no, it should be Junior Brother Yun Wan Nian. I haven't had the chance to thank you for helping me out in the hall that day," Moon Rushan approached slowly, clasping her fists in congratulations.

"No need to be polite. I should be the one thanking you. If it weren't for your timely assistance that day, I'm afraid I would have perished long ago. Speaking of which, I should be thanking War General Rushan for saving my life," Mi Xingzhe replied, waving his hands repeatedly.

"Heh, what a polite and grateful little guy. Qingyi, where did you guys find him? He suits my temperament quite well," Moon Rushan said, patting Mi Xingzhe's shoulder with gusto.

"Today, Junior Brother officially joins our sect. Rushan, if you're free, you must find time to come to Jingyun Residence for a celebration," Yun Qingyi smiled and said.

Hearing Moon Rushan's affection for Mi Xingzhe, Yun Qingyi nudged the somewhat clueless Mi Xingzhe and whispered softly, "Hurry up and call her 'sister.' With such a female war general backing you, who would dare trouble you in the future in Liaoyan Immortal Realm?"

Mi Xingzhe finally reacted, lifted his head, and saw Moon Rushan smiling at him. Her face seemed to say: "Come and address me as sister."

"Sis... sister," Mi Xingzhe called out softly.

"Good boy, Wan Nian Junior Brother, if there's anything I can help you with in the immortal realm in the future, feel free to ask," Moon Rushan replied with a gentle smile, her voice filled with warmth.

On the way back to Jingyun Residence, Li Luoning walked ahead with a smile on her lips, while Yun Qingyi and Mi Xingzhe walked behind, chatting casually. Mi Xingzhe picked up a peach branch from somewhere and gestured with it while talking.

"Qingyi, does Sister Rushan always seem so kind to everyone?" Mi Xingzhe couldn't help but ask Yun Qingyi.

"Rushan, she... When she was young, she accidentally consumed a fairy grass and obtained an immortal core. Since then, Master Qingyuan has taken her back to Liaoyan Immortal Realm to raise her. She used to be introverted and didn't like to socialize with others. Once, Master found her crying alone in a corner and comforted her. Since then, Master has instructed me to take care of her more. Although she is a military general, she is also a kind-hearted woman. Now that you are Master's closed-door disciple, she naturally treats you differently from others," Yun Qingyi explained slowly.

"Oh, no wonder she called me 'little junior brother' today. It seems like although she is not from our sect, she sounds more like a sister you and Master have taken care of," Mi Xingzhe remarked.

"Do you know? Rushan used to be an ordinary mortal, experiencing a once-in-a-century famine. She got separated from her family and wandered alone, starving to the point of death. At the brink of death, she grabbed a piece of grass from the ground and ate it. Little did she know that one of them was the fairy grass. Thus, by a stroke of luck, she was picked up by Qingyuan passing by and brought back to Liaoyan Immortal Realm to be raised," Yun Qingyi continued to walk slowly, recounting Moon Rushan's story to Mi Xingzhe.

"Ah, can grass actually turn into immortal cores? That's really unheard of," Mi Xingzhe couldn't help but exclaim, occasionally picking up another branch from the ground, this time with a blooming peach blossom on it.

"Yes, even in a sacred place like Liaoyan Immortal Realm, fairy grass is an extremely rare and precious herb. Rushan, as an ordinary person, could accidentally consume fairy grass, which was probably predestined," Yun Qingyi agreed.

"I wonder if I could also get such a piece of grass in the future and grow an immortal core for myself. I'm not asking for much, it doesn't necessarily have to be an immortal core, just having an internal core to make myself no longer an ethereal body would be good," Mi Xingzhe muttered to himself.

After a few more steps, Mi Xingzhe seemed to suddenly think of something again.

"Do I have to call myself Yun Wan Nian from now on? And also, do I have to address Li Luoning as my master in the future?" Mi Xingzhe seemed to still have some disbelief about everything that had happened today, stepping forward to ask.

Upon hearing his question, Li Luoning stopped and turned to look at him. "Don't you like it?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"No, no, the name Yun Wan Nian sounds very nice, but... I was an orphan before. The man who raised me, Grandpa Mi, said that my name has a special meaning." Thinking of Grandpa Mi, Mi Xingzhe's face showed a hint of sadness.

"If you're not comfortable with it, you can continue using your original name, it's fine," Li Luoning replied gently, her gaze shimmering with kindness as she lightly pursed her lips.

"From now on, you're my little junior brother," Yun Qingyi smiled and responded.

After being initiated as a disciple, the happiest person wasn't Mi Xingzhe, but Yun Qingyi. He had a radiant smile on his face throughout the journey, with light and easy steps.

But it made sense. Since the first time he saw Mi Xingzhe, Yun Qingyi had a sense of familiarity with the young man, like he was his own brother. Plus, with the care he had been giving him lately, he always felt an urge to protect him. Every time he saw Mi Xingzhe looking a bit timid, Yun Qingyi couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart.

"As for the title of Master... If you're not comfortable with it, then don't call me that," Li Luoning replied lightly.

"I just... have never addressed anyone like that before," Mi Xingzhe said softly.

"It's up to you," Li Luoning smiled and replied, then turned back and continued walking forward.

Seeing that Li Luoning didn't dwell too much on his title, Mi Xingzhe suddenly thought of something else. His eyes darkened, and he suddenly looked downcast, fingers gently twirling the peach blossom branch.

"Maybe Li Luoning just needs a closed-door disciple for appearances, and he might not care much about who he takes as a disciple. That's why he doesn't mind whether or not I call him Master," Mi Xingzhe mused to himself, lost in thought.

Yun Qingyi naturally noticed the change in his junior brother's mood and the slowing pace, so he stopped and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"Qingyi, I think Master must be one of the most prominent figures in Liaoyan Immortal Realm, judging from the grandeur of today's initiation ceremony. Why would he choose someone like me..." Mi Xingzhe hesitated, his voice tinged with self-doubt.

"What do you mean?" Yun Qingyi asked, puzzled.

"You see, under Master Qingyuan's tutelage, there's Sister Rushan, and Master has disciples like you. The other disciples from various immortal families all seem to be outstanding talents. But me, I'm just a useless ethereal body. If Master takes me as his disciple, wouldn't it be embarrassing for him in Liaoyan Immortal Realm?" Mi Xingzhe spoke with a low voice, full of self-deprecation, gradually lowering his head.

Li Luoning listened quietly to everything Mi Xingzhe said, then turned her head with a serious expression, looking at him intently. She then walked slowly towards Mi Xingzhe.

"Master would never care about what others think. You naturally have your own uniqueness, so there's no need to compare yourself to others," Yun Qingyi gently patted Mi Xingzhe's head and comforted him.

"But, but... ah?" Mi Xingzhe responded softly, but he still walked forward absent-mindedly, not noticing that Li Luoning had stopped and turned to look at him.

Just as he was about to lift his head to say something, he found himself face to face with Li Luoning, who was now standing directly in front of him. Staring at Li Luoning's face so close to his own, serious and somewhat earnest, Mi Xingzhe widened his eyes and suddenly became speechless.

"As your Master, I don't care how you used to think of yourself, but from today onwards, you're no longer the same Mi Xingzhe as before. You're not worthless; you're my closed-door disciple," Li Luoning responded in a low, cold voice, her eyes shooting two firm and serious glances, imposingly staring directly at Mi Xingzhe.

"Oh, I-I understand. I just... thought..." Mi Xingzhe began to mutter quietly, each word negating his previous statements. After all, as an ethereal body, he had always been the lowest among everyone else. Now, he couldn't believe his luck at effortlessly entering the immortal sect.

Mi Xingzhe continued to mutter to himself, completely oblivious to Li Luoning's increasingly darkening expression.

Yun Qingyi, on the other hand, noticed that their Master's face was turning black, so he coughed lightly to remind Mi Xingzhe, who was still lost in self-doubt.

"Yun Wan Nian!" Li Luoning frowned, two cold lights flashing in his narrow and deep eyes, sternly reprimanding.

"Ah!" Startled by the sudden reprimand, Mi Xingzhe jumped, and the branch in his hand fell to the ground.

Lifting his head, Mi Xingzhe met Li Luoning's serious gaze. Reflexively feeling nervous, he instinctively hid his hands behind his back, avoiding eye contact, and slowly stepped back.

"M-Master..." Mi Xingzhe stammered, trying to squeeze out the words, his hands not knowing where to go.

Li Luoning approached Mi Xingzhe step by step with a solemn expression.

Mi Xingzhe, feeling trapped, kept moving backward until he bumped into the peach blossom tree behind him. Glancing behind him, then turning to face Li Luoning's stern expression, he forced a smile full of apology and slowly hid behind the tree, peeking out with half of his head, looking at Li Luoning, and continuously signaling with his eyes for Yun Qingyi to come and rescue him.

"Now that I'm your Master, let's establish a rule today. From now on, I don't want to hear you calling yourself worthless," Li Luoning's folding fan pressed against the trunk of the peach blossom tree, right next to Mi Xingzhe's face.

"I-I understand," Mi Xingzhe gently pushed away the folding fan and said slowly, "I'm just... used to it..."

"Master, perhaps our junior brother is still young, and there are many things we can teach him slowly. There's no need to rush," Yun Qingyi interjected, trying to mediate between the two.

"I understand, Master," Mi Xingzhe quickly added.

"Good," satisfied with the response, Li Luoning smiled, folded his fan, turned around, and continued walking forward.

"But as an ethereal body, everyone said I was..." Mi Xingzhe was about to continue asking when Yun Qingyi covered his mouth.

Yun Qingyi couldn't understand. Was this kid mentally deficient? Why did he always talk to their Master like a fool?

Their Master's face had just frozen the surroundings, and he had bravely tried to alleviate the tension, but Mi Xingzhe wouldn't stop asking.

Suddenly, Yun Qingyi glanced at their Master walking ahead and then turned his head with a playful smile.

"Master, it seems our junior brother hasn't remembered what you just said."

Walking ahead, Li Luoning smirked, opened his fan, turned around, and casually said, "It's okay if he doesn't remember. A few hits will make him remember."