Chapter 2 – Heart-Stitching Art (II)

Chapter 2

Heart-Stitching Art (II)

I have always been somewhat versed in the art of depression, having first succumbed to its wild ways when I was sixteen.

However, there had to be another word for this, this incessant feeling pressing against my chest, like there’s an elephant stomping on it. There were just shy of three or four hundred kids situated atop the plaza, and for the past hour, not only had none of them selected me… they didn’t even look at me.

I was a ghost!

A damnable, flesh-and-blood ghost!

Aii, I know that my (body’s) reputation was in the gutter, but wasn’t this too much? Do I have to go out of the sect myself and chart the slums looking for some gullible, desolate kid to join under me?

No, no, no, it’s still too early–there were still around forty kids that have yet to choose a Master and I just need one of them, just ONE, to be stupid enough to ignore the rumors. I just need one, and the future would be—well, it’d be better than it would be without one, that was for certain.

I took in a deep breath and closely looked at the remaining ones, trying to plaster on the kindest, most benevolent, giving, and masterful face I could; whether it came off that way or just like some old guy was making a stupid face… I didn’t know.

“I, Gu Bei, choose Elder Swordlight for my Master!” A boy stepped forward and knelt in front of the Elder right beside me, an old man with long hair and a beard and a wrinkled face. Why?! The guy looks two breaths away from dead!

“Ho ho ho, welcome. Stand beside your brothers and sisters.”

“Yes, Master!”

I’s and Aye’s continued between the Disciples and Elders… sans me. I was alone. So, so, so alone that I nearly started crying. Would my journey end before it even began? I mean, it’s unlikely that the system would kick dirt if I failed the first quest, but still… even if I’m not a superstitious person, wouldn’t that be cursed or something?

I watched as the crowd of Disciples thinned out… until there was just one left. Since I wasn’t allowed to goad the Disciples, just like all other Elders, I had to stay silent and just watch.

Perhaps the most depressing part, if at all possible, wasn’t even that I was alone—but that nobody was mocking me. Nobody was even looking at me, as though I were a ghost. I can only sigh to the heavens and get down to undoing this godawful reputation as quickly as possible.

That being said–

Strange murmurs interrupted my moaning session, and I finally felt some eyes on me; they were strange and wrong, but at least it confirmed that I wasn’t actually a ghost.

“I, Long Tao, choose Elder Lu Qi for my Master!”

…

Wait, that’s me! Lu Qi is my name!

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Shuffling my eyes down at the plaza, I saw a thirteen-year-old kid bowing semi-respectfully. His words elicited shock and awe, of sorts, both within and without me. It was marvelous, indeed, that there was a moron stupid enough to choose me! Thus–

“I accept!” Before other Elders could warn him and reprimand him, I accepted. Which, well… elicited yet another wave of shock and awe, perhaps even more than when the boy requested it.

I kind of missed being treated as a ghost, to be honest. Nonetheless, seeing as I finally had a disciple, it was high time I inspected him. Truthfully, I don’t care whether he was the most worthless nobody with zero talent; for saving me the embarrassment of not unlocking my system, I would treat him as my son ’till I no longer could.

[–Creator’s Eyes used]

[Target: Long Tao]

[Age: 13]

[Talent: Jade(+) (Mortal -> Earth -> Sky -> Heaven -> Jade -> ???)]

[Traits (Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary, ???)]

[Heavenly Chosen (Legendary) — as someone chosen by the Heavens, he will always get favorable outcomes no matter what]