Rejected by the Cosmic Order

Chapter 3 : Body & Memory

Ling Yun brought Zhao Tian to his Sect. Upon arriving at the Sect gate, the name of that sect was clearly displayed. “Cloud Peak Sect”.

With Ling Yun's status as the Sect head, there were no guards who stopped him. They only stared at Zhao Tian who was flown by the Patriarch.

After passing the gate, Zhao Tian was brought to Ling Yun's private residence.

“Child, this will be your residence. I hope you feel at home here.”

Zhao Tian stared at his surroundings. He stood in the courtyard of a simple house which all of its parts were made of wood. In front of the house, stretched a quite spacious courtyard, with one large tree which branches hung down almost covering the entire courtyard. The shadow of that tree covered part of the house walls, making the atmosphere feel shady and quiet.

His gaze then shifted to another direction. He just realized that this house stood alone on a small hill, slightly separated from the other buildings in the sect. From here, he could see most of the area below, although faint because of the thin fog that enveloped the surroundings.

“Thank you,” answered Zhao Tian quietly.

Zhao Tian felt Ling Yun's eyes stick to him. The way that man stared at him made his chest a bit calm.

“You seem very tired, now rest. I will cook for our meal together,” said Ling Yun while walking leaving Zhao Tian.

Zhao Tian only nodded. He paid attention to Ling Yun's steps who walked towards the kitchen at the back of the house. Not long after, sounded the noise of cooking utensils touching each other. The aroma of fresh ingredients began to fill the air.

When he watched Ling Yun begin to cut the meat, suddenly a picture appeared just like that in his mind.

[Tian’er, join Mother in cooking. Even though you are a man, you must be good at cooking.]

[Mother, why?]

[Hehehe, because a woman really likes a man who is good at cooking.”

Those pictures came so clearly, however only lasted a moment before disappearing again like fog swept by the wind.

“Aaahhh!” His head felt pain again. He stopped struggling to dig into his memory.

Zhao Tian frowned. He stared at his own two hands, as if wanting to find answers there. “Actually who am I? Where am I from? Sumhong Village is not my place of origin.”

The sound of approaching footsteps made his thoughts stop.

“Zhao Tian, stop thinking what you are not yet capable to think. Now calm yourself, and we eat.”

Zhao Tian was awakened by Ling Yun's voice. He turned his head and saw the middle-aged man had arranged the food on the wooden table in the living room. That table was simple, but clean and looked often used.

“Zhao Tian, eat a lot so that you are healthy. After that, you take a bath and clean your body. I will find clothes that are suitable for you.”

Zhao Tian stared at Ling Yun's face for a few moments before finally asking, “Why are you very kind to me? You do not know me, I also do not know you. But you treat me well.”

Ling Yun smiled slightly. “Because we are both living beings. Fellow living beings must help each other.”

Zhao Tian paid attention to his every movement. Ling Yun took rice that still billowed smoke and put it in a wooden bowl. He added side dishes on top of it calmly, without talking much.

[Eat a lot, so that you grow quickly.]

That sentence sounded in his head along with the shadow of a woman's face. He did not know who, but her voice felt so real. Then everything disappeared again, as if never existing.

Without him realizing, his tears dripped.

BUZZ!!!

When his tears hit the wooden table, that table immediately got a hole and scorched in the affected part.

“Sorry,” said Zhao Tian quickly. He was startled, staring at that scorched mark with a confused face.

“It is okay, now you eat,” replied Ling Yun. He had a calm face, even the incident in front of him did not cause any ripple on his face.

However, it was different with his heart. When watching Zhao Tian's tears could make his table get a hole. His heart was already shaken violently. “Strange, I do not feel Qi at all, but his tears can cause damage. I must continue to watch him,” thought Ling Yun.

It was his first time finding a person like Zhao Tian. As the Sect head, who knows how many ancient books he had read, but he had never read there was someone who did not have Qi could have power.

Moreover… Zhao Tian's tears fell normally. If he himself wanted to do the same thing. Ling Yun had to concentrate Qi energy into his tears. But this was not, his tears fell purely.

Ling Yun was increasingly curious about Zhao Tian's body. Not because of greed, but this would be new knowledge in the cultivation world, where someone without Qi could have power.

Zhao Tian nodded slowly. He still did not understand what happened to him, who he actually was, and why every memory that appeared felt so foreign yet also so close.

After he finished eating, Zhao Tian saw Ling Yun bring some clothes for him.

“Zhao Tian, these are clothes for you. Maybe a bit worn out, but still can be used. In the future I will buy proper clothes for you,” he said.

“Thank you.” Zhao Tian was still confused how to behave, only that word came out from his lips.

However, after saying that, Ling Yun's face looked serious. There was a sharpness in his gaze. “Zhao Tian, there is something I must say,” said Ling Yun.

Zhao Tian stared at Ling Yun innocently. “I will listen,” he answered.

“This old man is called Ling Yun. I am the head of this Sect. However, even though I am the head, I also must obey the sect rules that I made myself. So that you can live here safely, are you willing if you become my disciple? I will not force you. If you are not willing to become my disciple, just consider that status only a formality to protect you here.”

“I am willing. I do not have anyone, I do not even remember my place of origin. Being able to become the Sect head's disciple is a blessing for me,” he replied without hesitation.

Zhao Tian could see Ling Yun's old face was so joyful when he said he was willing. Even that middle-aged man who looked dashing almost shed his tears.

“Good, good. Finally I have a disciple too,” he said. “Now you rest. Three days later I will register you to become an official disciple of this Sect. To fill the time, I will give some books for your reading.”

Ling Yun intentionally made that decision. He aimed to give some books regarding cultivation. That was not only for Zhao Tian's reading, but to observe his body's anomaly.

Zhao Tian nodded. He watched Ling Yun fetch some books for his reading. He shook his head. “Master did not even ask whether I could read or not.”