The Profound Heaven Sword Sect had recently begun its recruitment.
This was usually the liveliest time of year, but the disciples were unenthusiastic this year.

They were all discussing one thing: Outer Sect Elder Gong Ning had fallen for a demonic cultivator’s scheme and been turned into a woman.
And the most relished part of the gossip was that this unfortunate elder was now being courted.

A month ago, Gong Ning was escorting disciples on an experiential training mission, and the demonic sect had seized the opportunity to hunt.
Under the elder’s protection, no disciple died, but the outcome was lamentable.

Elder Gong Ning was overpowered.
Not only was her cultivation crippled, but her body was also transformed into that of a woman by the demonic cultivator.

The matter didn’t end there.
It was unknown whether the she-devil had a preference for women or some other reason, but instead of dealing a fatal blow to Gong Ning, she began to tease her with words.

If the Sword Immortal had not arrived in time, Elder Gong Ning would likely have been abducted by the she-devil.

After that, Elder Gong Ning stayed at the Sword Immortal’s residence, never stepping out of the house, and the Sword Immortal also hadn’t made an appearance for a long time.

Thus, a rumor began to spread that the Sword Immortal was captivated by beauty and had lost all self-control.

This series of events certainly relieved the disciples from the boredom of cultivation, giving them some juicy gossip to enjoy.
At the same time, they were curious just how beautiful Elder Gong Ning must be now, to make people forget she was once a man, and to even make women lose their self-control.

At first, some tried to inquire with the disciples who had been on the training mission, but they all kept their mouths shut.
Still, some with big mouths couldn’t hold their tongues.

So, disciples began running to the Heart-Sword Hall.
Although most were reprimanded and sent away, there were always a few who slipped through the cracks and managed to catch a glimpse.
After returning, they would lose all appetite for food and drink, and get struck ten times by the teacher’s clapper in a single class.

Some gossips even went around constantly proclaiming Gong Ning’s beauty, claiming she was even more beautiful than the Sword Immortal, praising her to the high heavens.

As for the person at the center of the incident, she was currently sitting in a small pavilion.
She was sipping the clear tea in her cup, a hint of bitterness spreading on the tip of her tongue.

A book was tossed into her lap.

Gong Ning picked up the book and saw the two characters for “The Crippled Immortal” on the cover, flipping through it cursorily.

“She always wore a half-worn green jade hairpin, her plain white sword-sleeves frayed at the edges. Only when she was demonstrating sword techniques would a sliver of her wrist, revealed from beneath a faded bracer, dazzle the eyes like fresh snow.”

“…Her thin shirt was soaked with water, clinging to her body and revealing her silhouette. I unfastened my outer robe to drape it over her, but she clutched her collar tightly: ‘Rebellious disciple… where are you looking?’ Yet her own inner robe’s ties were askew, revealing a stretch of collarbone…

Yuyao, what is this?“

Perhaps because her cultivation had dispersed, her pupils seemed even darker, making her gaze appear like a spring infused with wisps of ink, looking dewy and wet.

The Sword Immortal, Jiang Yuyao, averted her face.
She didn’t know if it was because of that face or for some other reason, but the way Gong Ning’s eyes and brows furrowed in feigned anger was like a feather brushing against her heartstrings.

“Your situation is too novel, so some meddlesome disciple wrote this book with you as the prototype.”

Gong Ning couldn’t help but flip through it again, her brows furrowing involuntarily.

‘The aloof Master, turned into a woman and with her cultivation completely lost, is scorned by all, leaving only me, her disciple. She not only secretly develops feelings for me and throws herself into my arms, but also teaches me everything she has learned in her entire life…’

‘I can’t bear to look. What utter nonsense.’

“What are you going to do about it?”

Hearing Jiang Yuyao’s words, Gong Ning sighed and set the book aside.

“What can be done? The disciples are bored with their cultivation. It’s rare for them to have some fun, so just let them enjoy it.”

“Then what about the Sword-Riding Cottage and the Sky-Sword Pavilion? How are you going to handle them?”

The Sword-Riding Cottage was one of the seven factions of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect, specializing in movement techniques.

Half a month ago, Wang Cheng, an Inner Sect Elder from the Sword-Riding Cottage, came to the Heart-Sword Hall to visit Jiang Yuyao and happened to run into Gong Ning.

No one knew what nerve in that man’s brain had misfired, but after that, he started showing up intermittently to offer medicinal pills and rare books, fawning over her.

Gong Ning sighed and took a sip of tea.

“What else can I do? If the Sword-Riding Cottage acts shamelessly and takes the matter to the Sky-Sword Pavilion, how can I, an Outer Sect Elder who has lost her cultivation, possibly resist?”

The Sky-Sword Pavilion, the number one faction of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect, was controlled by a single family—naturally, the Gong family to which Gong Ning belonged.

Gong Ning herself had been a newly promoted Outer Sect Elder of the Sky-Sword Pavilion.
After this incident, she was bound to be gossiped about by her family, so she could only take refuge in the Sword Immortal’s Heart-Sword Hall.

“You are a reasonable person; no one understands blind loyalty and filial piety better than you. To be so pessimistic right now, is it because you believe your original ideals can no longer be realized?”

“Of course.”

Gong Ning gazed at the tea in her cup, distant memories seeming to reflect in the liquid.

She was not originally from this world.
She had likely died saving someone in her past life, accumulating some good karma, which allowed her to be reincarnated into a good family in this life.

Although she was from a side branch of the family, she never had to worry about food or clothing.
As long as she stayed away from the open and hidden struggles, her life was quite free and easy.

If there was one variable worth mentioning, it would be the Master-Disciple System she was born with.

This thing, it seemed, required her to become a master herself.

Gong Ning dared not lead any disciples astray, so she had spent years preparing to become a qualified master.
But knowledge alone was not enough; she also needed seniority and a reputation.

Looking back, she had finally scraped her way up to become an Outer Sect Elder, and the little girl from all those years ago had become the Sword Immortal.

Who would have thought something like this would happen.

Turned into a woman, subjected to slander, and not even a tenth of her strength remained.

“Look at me now. How could I dare to teach anyone? How could I dare to face anyone? I just feel that this book in my hands is incredibly heavy, as if I’m constantly on everyone’s mind, yet I’ve never done anything worthy of being remembered.”

“You are not the type to give up on yourself like this.”

Jiang Yuyao suddenly grabbed Gong Ning’s hand, staring directly into her eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“My authority as the Sword Immortal is limitless. For example, snatching an Outer Sect Elder from the Sky-Sword Pavilion. As of this moment, you are now an elder of my Heart-Sword Hall.”

“Your rules are quite domineering. I’m afraid the Sect Master will be summoning you for tea again.”

Jiang Yuyao saw Gong Ning’s unintentional smile, as gentle as it used to be, but now it held an indescribable charm on the faint curve of her lips.
It even drew one’s attention to those delicate lips and her slightly parted, pearly teeth.

If she weren’t so familiar with this person’s expressions, Jiang Yuyao might have thought she was intentionally using some kind of seductive demonic art.

Yet, it was precisely this unintentional allure that was the most vexing.

“Don’t just mope around here all day. The Heart-Sword Hall doesn’t support idlers. Today is the last day of recruitment. It’s time for you to go out and see people.”

In a daze, Gong Ning was pushed out of the pavilion and into the courtyard by a gust of spiritual energy.

Steadying her staggering body, Gong Ning once again stood on solid ground.

She could feel gazes from elsewhere.
They belonged to a few disciples who had become curious about Gong Ning because of the book “The Crippled Immortal.”
Now, upon seeing her in person, they were all frozen in place, stunned.

Gong Ning couldn’t help but shield her face with her sleeve.
She had rarely walked around since becoming a woman and had not yet grown accustomed to her completely different body, nor could she calmly face the gazes of others.

Moreover, she had a clear understanding of her own appearance and knew just how many people would stop in their tracks because of this fleshly vessel.

Even if she wasn’t ready, the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released.
Being shy and hiding would only tarnish her dignity as an elder.

“You, are you disciples of the Heart-Sword Hall?”

Perhaps her elder’s dignity had taken effect; the few disciples merely nodded but didn’t dare to look at her directly, their nervousness palpable.

“Does any of you know how to operate a flying magical treasure?”

This time, only one person nodded.

“I need to go to Profound Heaven Peak. Could you give me a ride? As you might know, I had some… issues with my cultivation a while ago.”

They all simultaneously thought of a scene from “The Crippled Immortal.”
The down-and-out Master, having lost her cultivation, had to rely on her only disciple to travel.

The two of them squeezed onto a small flying magical treasure, a mischievous breeze lifting her loosely fastened robes…

“This… this disciple is willing to be of service!”