Life after becoming an elder was not as busy as Chen Yu had imagined; one might even call it leisurely.
Cyan Cliff Hall was situated beneath a secluded precipice on Cyan Cliff, with its back to a sheer cliff face and front overlooking a deep pool in a tranquil valley.
The hall itself consisted of a few rustic structures built from bluestone and raw timber. Their upturned eaves were covered in thick moss and vines, blending them seamlessly with the surrounding mountain rock and forest. Though inconspicuous, they possessed a tranquil and otherworldly air.
Looking through the window lattice each day, one could see a waterfall cascading down like a silver ribbon. The water roared, its spray catching the sunlight to form rainbows. Beside the falls, a sparse but well-arranged grove of plum trees was budding in the cool autumn breeze.
In the distance, one could occasionally spot two or three figures. Some sat cross-legged on the bluestone rocks by the pool, meditating and practicing breathing exercises. Others practiced Sword Techniques and Daoist Skills in the forest clearings. These were disciples who had come here on their own to cultivate in seclusion and seek enlightenment.
Typically, only disciples who had committed violations of sect rules—and not especially serious ones—would be punished by being sent here to reflect on their actions. Managing them was not difficult. It was mostly a light touch, relying primarily on the disciples’ capacity for self-reflection.
Upon speaking with them at length, one would find that although these disciples were young and impetuous, they were well-spoken and fundamentally good-natured.
During this time, Elder Hong from the Law Enforcement Hall would often bring one or two like-minded friends to visit Chen Yu, brewing tea at the stone table before the hall as they chatted and discussed the Dao.
Over time, they grew quite familiar with each other.
Elder Hong was an upright and straightforward man, vastly knowledgeable and able to recount the sect’s history and anecdotes as if he were reading from a book. Chen Yu, on the other hand, presented himself as quiet and studious. He spoke little, but his words were always incisive, and he possessed unique insights into the path of cultivation. The two gradually became close friends, despite the gap in their ages.
During one of their idle chats, Chen Yu casually mentioned the idea of taking on disciples to pass on his teachings. The other elders immediately took the hint. Before long, they each brought several of their own talented younger relatives or promising disciples to pay their respects at Cyan Cliff Hall.
Chen Yu refused no one, accepting them all as his disciples—’After all, this Elder Guo identity is just a tool for convenience. It doesn’t matter if I take on a few more nominal disciples.’
Then, he "casually" selected a few ordinary Outer Sect disciples from among those sent for reflection or reclusive cultivation—disciples who seemed to have good temperaments, were diligent and down-to-earth, but had no connections. He took them in as well.
Among them, of course, was his Gel clone from Yunshen Cottage. As an aside, he also arranged for Shao Qingsong to be stationed at Cyan Cliff Hall, assigning him the post of a steward disciple responsible for assisting with daily miscellaneous tasks and receiving visitors.
This made Shao Qingsong ecstatic. He assumed he had landed this wonderful post because his fellow disciple, Chen Yu, had put in a good word for him with Elder Guo. He worked diligently every day and would often visit Chen Yu, bringing fine tea and snacks.
What no one knew, however, was that Elder Guo and Chen Yu were one and the same person all along.
He had taken on many disciples this time—nearly fifteen in all—so his clone blended in without attracting any notice.
It would only make people think that the sight had stirred up old emotions in this elder from Beichaotian. They would assume that in these ordinary, even somewhat clumsy disciples, he saw a reflection of his own past, of his arduous cultivation in a bitter, cold land. That was why he made an exception to accept them, marking him as a sentimental and kind-hearted senior.
However, among the disciples he accepted, there were indeed a few interesting individuals, each with their own unique strengths in temperament and comprehension. Chen Yu found them rather amusing, and guiding them was proving to be anything but dull.
「Four days slowly passed.」
Once Chen Yu had completely familiarized himself with life at Cyan Cliff Hall, arranged for his disciples’ cultivation, and delegated daily affairs to Shao Qingsong and a few other reliable disciples, he finally left his residence for the first time in a while.
His destination was the Scripture Pavilion, located in an annex of Yunxiao Hall, one of the three great halls of the Inner Sect.
The Three Elements Sect, across both its Inner and Outer Sects, was divided into three great halls: Yunxiao Hall, Chongshan Hall, and Mingxin Hall, which corresponded to the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Man, respectively.
And these Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and Man—were the very origin of the Three Elements Sect’s name, as well as the sect’s core philosophy and the foundation of its legacy.
Furthermore, the sect’s core Cultivation Techniques were also divided into three scriptures.
...
Yunxiao Hall, Scripture Pavilion.
Accompanied by Elder Hong, Chen Yu stepped into this ancient and magnificent library, a veritable sea of books.
The space inside was extremely spacious, with astonishingly high ceilings. It was surrounded by towering bookshelves that seemed to reach the clouds, densely packed with innumerable books, jade slips, leather scrolls, and other forms of written records.
A careful sniff of the air revealed the faint fragrance of old books, mingled with the scent of herbs used for preservation and pest control.
Even more astonishingly, countless books were floating in mid-air, drifting and circling slowly as if alive. Occasionally, one would automatically fly over to a disciple who was in the middle of their research.
This was the effect of the book-finding and reshelving Magic Arrays arranged within the Scripture Pavilion.
Some Inner Sect Disciples were in the midst of borrowing or copying texts. When they saw Chen Yu and Elder Hong enter side by side, they noticed the special wooden plaques at their waists that identified them as elders. They politely rose and bowed in greeting from afar, their expressions respectful.
Hong Changtian had more or less figured out Chen Yu’s temperament over the last few days. He knew the man preferred peace and quiet, was single-mindedly devoted to the Dao, and disliked excessive formalities and social niceties.
So, instead of stopping to instruct the disciples or exchange pleasantries as he usually would, he simply waved his sleeve, gave a slight nod of acknowledgment to the bowing disciples, and led Chen Yu straight up the spiral wooden staircase to the second floor.
Contrary to what Chen Yu had imagined, the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion was not as grand and magnificent as the exterior. Instead, it was more like a simple, rustic wooden structure, embodying a return to unadorned fundamentals.