Chapter 2: The Cliff

Turning his head, he saw a few children following behind. Taking a deep breath, he increased his speed and moved forward.

Even using all his strength, the distance between him and the children ahead did not decrease.

His body grew heavier, and before his eyes, the sun was heading towards the zenith, and Wuye had already reached the end of the massive cliff.

At the top of the cliff, a dozen ropes hung down, with knots the size of fists tied on them.

Wuye was now slowly climbing up one of them towards the top.

Han Li felt a bit disheartened as he watched Wuye. He knew he could neither catch up with the children ahead nor had enough time.

As this thought crossed his mind, the wound on his elbow suddenly became very painful, and he felt his strength drain from his body. His hands, which were gripping the rocks, trembled, and he almost fell.

Han Li was so startled that his heart raced. Even when he tried to move his body, he couldn't muster the strength.

After a moment, Han Li regained his composure, grabbed a protruding rock in front of him, and felt relieved.

Below, Fourth Brother was on one knee with his arms spread, ready to catch Han Li if he fell.

After a moment, he moved forward again and continued climbing towards the ropes hanging over the cliff. Finally, he reached an empty rope, but the sun was already at the zenith.

Turning his head, he saw a few children panting heavily on the rock wall behind him. They seemed to have used up their last bit of strength, just like him.

Han Li thought he had underestimated this test. Even if he couldn't reach the top by noon, he knew he couldn't stop here. He extended his already stiff hands and slowly climbed up the rope.

After a while, Han Li felt his body become slightly lighter, as if it was automatically rising a bit.

Fourth Brother was holding him with one hand and climbing the cliff nimbly with the other hand and his feet.

Han Li also saw the sun at the zenith. He was very disappointed that he had not passed the test.

In a blink, they reached the top of the mountain, where six children were resting on one side. On the other side, Wuye was talking to an old man.

Next to Wuye were Headman An and Li Houshi, and behind them were many people and Fourth Brothers waiting for the other children to arrive.

After a moment, all the children had arrived, and Headman An stepped forward and said to them,

"There are seven qualified this time. Six of them will enter the main hall, Bai Duan Hall, and become formal disciples of the inner sect."

He continued slowly,

"And Wuye, who arrived first, showed outstanding performance, so he will go to the Seven-Color Hall to learn martial arts."

Headman An turned to look at the old man in a Daoist robe, who stroked his beard and nodded with a very satisfied expression.

After checking the children, Headman An lightly touched his chin, pondered for a moment, and then continued,

"Zhang Shixie, Han Li. You two come forward. Although you didn't reach the top on time, you showed outstanding performance, so I believe you can endure the pain of martial arts training. You two will first train with the instructors and build a foundation. In half a year, you will take another test. If you pass, you will become formal disciples of the inner sect; if you fail, you will become disciples of the outer sect."

"Li Houshi, send the rest of the children home with a few silver coins."

Headman An looked coldly at the remaining children and said,

"Yes, Headman."

Li Houshi stepped forward, accepted the order, and led the children who did not pass the test down the mountain.

"Zhang Jun, Wu Chengming. You two take the qualified children to the main hall and deliver them to the deputy headmen and instructors."

The two Fourth Brothers came forward and accepted the order, and the children were divided into two groups and led down the mountain. One of them was Zhang Jun, who had been following Han Li.

While descending the mountain, Han Li couldn't help but look at Wuye, who was still talking to the old man and hadn't moved.

"You and he are different. That child will become a core disciple of the Seven-Color Hall. After he completes his training, he will at least become a protector."

Another Fourth Brother, as if reading Han Li's mind, immediately answered, but there was envy and jealousy in his words.

"It's all thanks to his cousin! If his cousin hadn't become the wife of the sect leader, how could he have entered? He's already past the age requirement for entry."

"Zhang Jun, you're really asking for trouble. Can you just talk about the sect leader as you please? If you say this to other disciples, both of us will face punishment!"

The two Fourth Brothers looked around and, seeing no one else besides the children, felt relieved.

And they didn't say anything more, as if something was bothering them.

* * *

After passing through a dense bamboo forest, an old man slowly emerged from inside.

This old man was tall and very thin, with long white hair reaching his shoulders.

Seeing the old man, the two Fourth Brothers hurriedly stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and greeted him.

"Sir Wen, are you well? What brings you here?"

Zhang Jun's cold expression had turned into one of respect.

"Hmm, are these the new disciples who just climbed the mountain?"

The old man stopped coughing and slowly asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, that's right. Six of these children are formal disciples, and the other two are named disciples."

Zhang Jun answered in detail.

"I'm short-handed now. I need a child to make medicine and another to collect herbs. I'll take two of the children."

Sir Wen casually chose two, and the fingers pointed at Han Li and Zhang Shixie, who were named disciples. He did so without hesitation.

"Quickly show respect to Sir Wen. It's an honor to receive his teachings."

The two Fourth Brothers echoed the old man's words and shouted at the children.

* * *

The old man led the two children into a small path in the forest and turned east and then west.

When they emerged from the forest, the scene suddenly brightened. In front of them was a small, vibrant green field and a residence.

Entering the old man's residence, they saw various herbs planted in one corner of the garden, and several large and small rooms connected to each other. Looking around, there was no other way out except the entrance they had come through.

"This place is called Shen Shu Valley. No outsiders come here except for the inner sect disciples. From now on, you two will live here. You must be tired from the test, so rest first and come see me in the evening. I'll tell you what you'll be doing."

The old man pointed to the room where they would stay and said.

"You can call me Elder Wen or Sir Wen."

After saying this, Elder Wen left the two children and entered the largest room, coughing.

When Elder Wen entered, Han Li went into the room and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Wake up, wake up!"

A faint voice called out from somewhere. He couldn't tell if it was in his dream or a real call.

Due to the tension and fatigue, his eyes felt as heavy as if a piece of metal was placed on them.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he opened them to see a giant face staring at him and shouting. It was Zhang Shixie, who had come with him.

"The sun has set. It's time to go see Sir Wen."

Still dazed, Han Li took a steaming hot bun from Zhang Shixie.

"Where did you find food?"

"The person working here brought it. They come here twice a day to take care of Sir Wen's meals."

Zhang Shixie smiled at Han Li, a simple but clear smile. Seeing the buns, Han Li suddenly felt very hungry.

Perhaps due to hunger, he finished a bun in just a few bites. Two large buns disappeared in an instant.

"We're running late. If you're done eating, let's go."

Urged by Zhang Shixie, Han Li looked at the sunset outside the window and estimated the time. The sun had set, and darkness was filling the outside. There was no time to waste. Zhang Shixie and Han Li arrived in front of the room where Elder Wen stayed.

"Sir."

"Sir Wen."

They made a few more attempts to get his attention, but there was no response from inside. The two decided to open the door bravely.

When they opened the door, they were so surprised they lost their words. The room was more like a small library.

The walls were lined with books, and Elder Wen was among them, seemingly lost in his own world, as if he couldn't hear anything.

Han Li and Zhang Shixie couldn't say anything more, seeing Elder Wen like this. They had to stand like wooden statues until he acknowledged them.

After some time, Han Li felt restless. His body was twisted, and his legs ached, making him want to sit down. They had endured a tough test, but they were still young children.

Finally, Elder Wen closed his book and looked at the two as if nothing had happened. He then took a few sips from a teacup next to him and finally spoke.

"From today, you two are my named disciples. Starting tomorrow, I will teach you how to gather herbs and make medicine. You will also learn the art of healing and treating patients. However, I will never teach you martial arts."

Elder Wen continued with a cold expression.

"I will teach you cultivation techniques and moral principles. Although they won't help you defeat enemies, they will strengthen your mind and body. If you really want to learn martial arts, I will allow you to learn from other instructors. However, the test in half a year will only cover what I have taught you. If you fail, you will have to leave the sect and become an outer sect disciple. Do you understand?"

"Yes, we understand clearly."

Han Li and Zhang Shixie answered in unison. Elder Wen seemed to place great importance on the cultivation techniques.

"Good. It's late today, so come back early tomorrow morning."

Elder Wen gestured for them to leave and started reading his books again.

As Han Li left, he glanced at Elder Wen's book but could only make out three large black characters.

Feeling frustrated and angry at not recognizing the characters, Han Li couldn't hide his excitement for several days. He had finally become a disciple of the Seven Strings Sect. Although he was a named disciple now, if he passed the test in half a year, he could become a formal disciple, and even if he failed, he could still become an outer sect disciple.

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