Chapter 250 - 249: Yin Sect
Seeing Guo Ming coming over, Yiyi hurriedly smiled and greeted him, "Master, how come you have time to visit today?"
"I haven’t seen my little apprentice for a long time, so I naturally had to come see you."
Guo Ming smiled at Yiyi, then curiously asked, "I heard you talking about preparing a gift for a master earlier, could it be that you are going to become someone else’s apprentice?"
Hearing this, Yiyi quickly explained, "Master, I’m planning to apprentice myself to an old Chinese medicine doctor to learn medical skills, not to any other martial arts teacher."
Seeing Yiyi’s nervous appearance, Guo Ming couldn’t help but laugh, "I was just casually asking. Moreover, since you’re studying traditional Chinese medicine, apprenticing under an old Chinese doctor would be perfect." At the end, he beckoned Yiyi, saying, "Come on, let’s practice a few moves in the courtyard first."
Naturally, Yiyi immediately followed.
The mentor and apprentice duo practiced passionately, finally stopping only when Ding Yuejun urged them to.
"Alright, hurry up and eat, if you keep practicing like this, the meal will get cold."
With Ding Yuejun’s urging, the two of them entered the dining room together. After finishing the meal, they sat and chatted. Guo Ming also spoke of his plans, "Yiyi, in the next two days, you’ll accompany me to a place."
Yiyi didn’t ask where, just nodded and said, "Okay."
Ding Yuejun slightly frowned, "Yiyi, you need to attend school then."
"It’s fine, I’ll ask a classmate to help me apply for leave. Anyway, it will only be two days and I’ll be back."
Hearing her daughter say this, Ding Yuejun didn’t say anything further.
The next day, early in the morning, Yiyi went to find Guo Ming, "Master, I’m here."
Seeing Yiyi, Guo Ming nodded and immediately asked, "Have you had breakfast?"
"Not yet."
"Alright then, let’s have breakfast first before setting off."
Mo Ping knew they’d be gone for two days, and although a bit curious, he didn’t ask further and simply waved goodbye to the two.
After having breakfast, the mentor and apprentice set off directly.
Yiyi kept following Guo Ming, without asking much initially, but when she realized they had walked a long distance, with the area becoming increasingly deserted, she couldn’t help but curiously ask, "Master, where are we going? If it’s far, we could take a car."
"No need, we must go on foot."
Guo Ming, without turning back, continued leading the way ahead.
Upon hearing this, Yiyi didn’t ask further, continuing to follow quickly behind Guo Ming.
Although they were walking, they were walking quickly, so their speed wasn’t slow. Guo Ming led at the front and noted that his young apprentice could still keep up, nodding approvingly, and kept leading the way. The further they went, the more isolated it became, until they finally entered a forest.
It was early winter, and the biting cold wind was sharp, yet Yiyi was sweating profusely from the morning exercise; it was indeed somewhat hot.
Fortunately, Guo Ming slowed his pace, allowing Yiyi to finally catch her breath.
"We’ve arrived, Yiyi. Let’s go in."
Yiyi stopped, looking ahead in disbelief; there wasn’t even a house here, only a cliff in front. How were they supposed to get in, and where?
As Yiyi pondered, Guo Ming knocked on a tree three times, and then... a door actually opened on the cliff ahead.
Seeing such a scene, which usually only appeared in martial arts films, Yiyi opened her mouth wide in surprise.
Seeing his young apprentice’s dazed expression, Guo Ming couldn’t help but laugh, "What are you waiting for? Come on."
Hearing this, Yiyi snapped back to reality and continued following Guo Ming ahead.
"Yiyi, this is the Yin sect, my sect. However, there were some issues before, and I almost lost it. Fortunately, things have been resolved, and the troublemakers have been cleared out." Guo Ming spoke with a tone of emotion, but more with relief; luckily, he was determined to reclaim the Yin sect, or who knows what state it might have been reduced to now.
As they talked, Guo Ming narrated the origins of the Yin sect to Yiyi.
It turns out that the Yin sect has been inherited for five to six hundred years, specializing in martial arts. The people within the sect are very detached, so the sect has always stayed away from the secular world, allowing it to continue its legacy. But when it came to Guo Ming’s generation, two exceptionally talented individuals emerged, one being Guo Ming, the other his sworn brother.
Both were exceptional. To choose a successor, the previous Sect Leader went to great lengths, ultimately choosing Guo Ming.
Guo Ming not only had an exceptional talent for martial arts, but was also very methodical in his actions. Under his leadership, the Yin sect flourished. However, a crisis arose when someone Guo Ming considered a brother conspired with outsiders and betrayers within the sect, aiming to eliminate him.
Fortunately, Guo Ming managed to escape, using a diversion to make them think he was dead.
Afterwards, Yiyi encountered Guo Ming.
"Master, what happened to the sworn brother who stabbed you in the back? Such a person should be dealt with mercilessly."
Yiyi hated those who, under the guise of being like siblings, would stab you in the back.
Referring to the person he once held dear, Guo Ming’s expression turned slightly cold, and finally, he said flatly, "He will never appear again."
Hearing this, Yiyi was relieved. When her master had been cooped up in her little herbal shop, he had finally managed to reclaim his former sect, returning to its former glory. She naturally hoped her master would never again face such troubles.
While talking, they walked through a long tunnel and, after taking one more step, were greeted by bright sunshine.
Once Yiyi’s eyes adjusted to the light, she was left agape by the stunning scenery before her.
In front of her was a picturesque village, with houses in traditional Ming and Qing dynasty style, making one feel as though they had traveled back in time. "Master, is this... the Yin sect?"
"Yes, this is the Yin sect, where I grew up."
Guo Ming’s eyes were filled with warmth, and he continued leading Yiyi forward.
Soon, several people came out and, upon seeing Guo Ming, warmly called out Sect Leader, then curiously looked at Yiyi. Nobody asked much, however, and they all followed them to the center of the village, the martial arts arena.
"Sect Leader, you’re back."
In the martial arts arena, a pair of youths were sparring. Upon seeing Guo Ming, they quickly stopped.
"Luo Hu, Pei Jin, just in time, you’re here. Let me introduce you to my disciple, Mo Yiyi; from now on, she will be your Young Master."
Luo Hu and Pei Jin are competent leaders within the Yin sect, and Yiyi certainly needed to become familiar with them.
Those around, hearing Guo Ming’s words, all looked at Yiyi with astonishment, eyes filled with disbelief. "Sect Leader, is this truly your disciple? You’ve even taken in a disciple outside, but... such a delicate young girl, can she really learn your true essence?"