The Bright Moon Sect.

Under a thick tree, a bald boy was meditating with his eyes closed. He was surrounded by curious villagers who lived in the simple huts nearby.

An old farmer approached him and said, "Young man, why don't you come to my home and rest a little? You have been sitting here since morning."

The boy shook his head and said, "No, I must wait for my master here."

"If someone comes looking for you, we will let them know where you are. Come on, get up and eat something."

The boy insisted, "No, I must wait for my master here."

"Who is your master?"

"No, I must wait for my master here."

"When will he arrive?"

"No, I must wait for my master here."

The noise attracted the attention of four men who were passing by the village. They wore different clothes from the villagers.

They walked over to the tree. A white-haired old man without a beard was leading the group. He stopped and asked, "What is going on here, Pan Heng?"

Everyone whispered as they looked at the four men who had just come.

"Cultivator Su, there is a boy who came to our village today and he has been sitting there all day, he won't budge."

The villager who was called answered, he was the chief of the village.

The old man waved his hand and said, "Step aside."

The villagers parted and revealed the bald boy who was sitting cross-legged under the huge tree.

The old man asked, "What is your name, youngster?"

The boy opened his eyes and said, "No, I have to wait for my…" He noticed the old man who was dressed in a white robe and had a refined aura. "Wait! Are you a cultivator?"

Suddenly the boy's eyes sparkled as he asked, "Can you help me find my master?"

The old man gazed at the suddenly joyful child and asked, "Who is your master?"

"He is a cultivator like us," the boy replied, his voice turned sad. He continued, "My master said he was going to hunt down some evil cultivators nearby and then come back to me here." Tears welled up in his eyes.

"What does he look like?" The old man asked.

The boy looked at the old man with his teary eyes and said, "He looks exactly like you but he is more handsome."

"So, he is old…what did you just say?" The old man was astounded.

The villagers suppressed their laughter and acted as if they didn't hear anything.

A young man wearing a sky blue robe behind the old man whispered, "Master, I don't think he is insulting you, he really thinks what he said is true."

The old man glanced at the bald boy who seemed clueless. He sighed and decided to focus on the important issue first. He asked, "Where did your master leave you?"

"Skyreach forest." The boy answered.

"That's impossible, there is no evil cultivator in Skyreach forest, that's the territory of the Silver-Dragon Sect." Another young man in a sky-blue robe behind the old man said.

The old man looked at the young man who spoke and then at the bald boy again. He asked, "What is your master's cultivation level?"

The boy's tears dried up and he said happily, "My master is at the foundation building stage!" His sound was proud.

The old man sighed as understood what had happened.

The boy's master was near the end of his life and left him to seek opportunities. He was not a bad person if he chose to leave him in the relatively safe Skyreach forest. But this wasn't the right way to do it.

The old man smiled at the bald boy and said, "I think your master will not return anytime soon. How about joining our sect, youngster? We will assist you in finding your master."

The bald boy's eyes lit up, "Really?"

"Of course." The old man confirmed.

The bald boy got up and walked towards the old man, he knelt down and said, "I'm grateful, senior."

The old man was pleased by the boy's sincerity. He asked, "What is your name, youngster?"

"I'm called Li Ying, senior."

…

In the wilderness, the old man led the way with his three disciples and Li Ying following him.

The old man was Su Zhi, an elder of the Bright Moon Sect. His disciples were Wang Huo, Xuan Ping, and Tian Cheng. They all wore sky blue robes except for Su Zhi who wore a white one.

"Li Ying, I am called Tian Cheng. I am an inner disciple of the Bright Moon Sect just like my senior disciples." A disciple named Tian Cheng said while smiling. He introduced his senior brothers and continued, "You are fortunate. We came here to inspect the village, but we discovered you. Do you have any idea how many people want to join our sect?"

"Really?" Li Ying smiled innocently. The disciples liked him, he was too polite.

"Why are you bald, are you a Buddhist?" Xuan Ping asked curiously.

"Fool, how can he be a Buddhist? Look at his luxurious robe." Wang Huo scoffed.

Li Ying looked at them and said with a grin, "Seniors, my master always said that if I stay bald, one day my hair will grow like the legendary heroes." He soon became gloomy, he sighed. "My master…"

The disciples exchanged glances, one of them asked, "How did you meet your master?"

Li Ying looked at him, his face still sad. He answered, "Four years ago when I was eighteen, my village was raided by an evil cultivator. When my master came to rescue, I was the only survivor in my village. He said I had a good cultivation talent and took me under his wing."

Su Zhi, who was ahead, was touched by Li Ying's story. So, that was the reason he was so loyal to his master.

It was better to divert the topic as it only made Li Ying more depressed, one of the disciples said cheerfully, "Li Ying, you have reached the Fifth-stage of Qi Condensation in four years, you must have a great cultivation talent like us."

Another disciple added, "Why don't you acknowledge our master and become our fellow disciple?" By Su Zhi's actions, they had guessed the situation as well. Li Ying had nowhere to go now, it was good to recruit a talent like him.

Li Ying looked hesitant as he said, "But I already have a master."

The third disciple said, patting Li Ying's shoulder, "Your master would want that too, our Bright Moon Sect is a prestigious sect, who knows how long your master will chase those evil cultivators. You should cultivate with us until your master returns."

Su Zhi who was still ahead was smiling as he heard his disciples recruit a talent, he turned around and gave the final nudge. "Do you want to accept me as your master?"

Li Ying pondered for a while and finally knelt down, "Disciple pays respect to the master."

'I have taken masters as Liu Bei* had adopted godfathers in that novel.' Li Ying recalled the book he had 

read long ago.

It was true, first he had accepted Mu Xuanyin as his master, then an imaginary master who died at foundation building level and now Su Zhi.

But this solved his identity dilemma. After restoring his youth, Li Ying had no identity left. If he wanted to join a sect, a grown young man like him would be suspected as an evil cultivator without an identity.

…

They eventually reached the Bright Moon Sect. It was enclosed by solid walls.

They went inside easily with Su Zhi leading the away, everyone showed respect to him.

Inside the sect, small wooden huts were closely arranged in lines. It was not as majestic as the Silver-Dragon Sect where Li Ying had resided before, but it was still peaceful.

Su Zhi advanced ahead, and the sect disciples bowed and greeted him.

After Su Zhi vanished, everyone crowded around Li Ying and his group and inquired about him. After he was introduced, the crowd dispersed slowly.

Wang Huo wrapped his arms around Li Ying and said, "Let's go have a meal, you must be exhausted." 

Wang Huo was stout, and his hair was crimson. Li Ying glanced at him and replied, "Yes, senior brother."

The Dining Hall was spacious with many tables. Li Ying and Wang Huo sat on one desk while Tian Cheng and Xuan Ping sat on the opposite one, with a table in between them.

Meat and wine were served on the table. They chatted while eating.

Tian Cheng who sat across from Li Ying said, "Li Ying, you will get your own wooden cabin, you don't have to sleep under the sky and wander anymore. You just have to cultivate and reach the foundation building stage like us." Tian Cheng looked elegant and his smile was pleasing.

Li Ying looked astonished, "Senior brothers, you are at the foundation building stage!"

They nodded, Xuan Ping who was beside Tian Cheng said, "Yes, you will soon reach the foundation building stage with your third-grade aptitude too." He looked ordinary but he was still a genius and an inner disciple of the sect.

Li Ying looked delighted, "I will be like Master then." His senior brothers smiled as well.

Wang Huo looked at Li Ying and said, "There are things you need to know. First, there are ten elders in our sect. You must greet them politely every time you see them, our master is one of them. They all have their own disciples. Our master only has four disciples including you."

Wang Huo leaned in and whispered as if he didn't want to be heard, "Our master does not accept disciples with one or two grade aptitude. He says, they are wastes who can't go beyond the foundation building stage."

Li Ying blurted out, "But my master is second grade aptitude too."

The atmosphere became awkward. Li Ying saw his senior brothers who were avoiding his gaze. He continued, "I'm kidding, my master is great. He must have at least fifth grade aptitude."

"Hehehe…"

"Yes…yes."

"Of course."

Wang Huo resumed talking about the sect.

...

It was evening, Li Ying sat on a bed with his legs crossed. The cabin was small with only a bed and a small table. There was a window that let in some light.

A voice echoed in his mind. "Your acting is really good, but why did you accept such a feeble old man as your master?"

'She can communicate with me through voice transmission even though she is far away from me.' Li Ying thought as he took out his jade token.

He poured his qi into the jade token and said, "I saw that he cared for his disciples, I can use that to my advantage later. Besides, he helped me enter the sect. Taking him as my master was the least I could do to repay him."

Li Ying suddenly remembered something and said, "Master, I will go to the library with Wang Huo tomorrow, you can sense the best manuals, please help me choose one."

"No." a voice came back.

With her cultivation, she could surely sense the best manual in the library, but she refused which made Li Ying annoyed.

"Then leave me alone." Li Ying said disdainfully.

It was the first time he was disrespectful to his master. Surely, his master could not hurt him if he was so far away from her.

Bang! The earth shook violently. The light from the window vanished.

Disciples ran out of their rooms, panic broke out. Li Ying heard voices from outside.

"What's happening!"

"Th-this… has never happened before."

A voice echoed in his mind, "Li Ying, you don't have to conceal anything from me. If you want to die, just say so."

Li Ying came to his senses. 'This is too absurd'. He was stunned.

"Please forgive me, master." Li Ying said in a soft voice with his fist clasped. He had underestimated his master.

****

*Liu Bei was a descendant of the Han dynasty and the founder of the Shu-Han kingdom. He had many sworn brothers and foster fathers in his lifetime, such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Liu Biao, Yuan Shao, and Liu Qi. He also asserted that he was the son of Emperor Xian, the last Han emperor. He took in so many godfathers because he wanted to obtain political and military support from various warlords and factions in the turbulent era of the late Han dynasty.