Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 3 Little Junior Brother of the Star Constellation

Ding Chunqiu laughed heartily, put his hands behind his back, and said proudly, "Jiang Mingzhe, the immortal in your dream guided you to my Starry Sea to become my Starry Sea Immortal's disciple. It is clear that your fate is not shallow. I am usually very picky about accepting disciples, but today I will make an exception for the sake of the immortal. Kneel down!"

Do I really want to become Old Master Ding's apprentice...?

Jiang Mingzhe pursed his lips slightly. Ding Chunqiu had a terrible reputation; he was a notorious villain in the martial arts world, and the atmosphere within the Xingxiu Sect was indescribable. If he had a choice, he would not submit, but at this moment…

"Your disciple thanks you for accepting me as your disciple! Your master is all-powerful and possesses boundless magical abilities. It is my greatest honor to be accepted as your student!"

Since he had no other choice at the moment, Jiang Mingzhe simply bowed down and began spouting Confucian sayings.

"Hahahahaha!"

Ding Chunqiu laughed triumphantly, pointing with his feather fan: "Azi, from now on you will be the senior sister. Explain the rules of our sect to your junior brother to prevent him from going astray and causing trouble. As for..."

Halfway through his sentence, a very sharp cry suddenly came from the far northwest.

Ding Chunqiu's expression changed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "A six-winged iron centipede! How strange! My precious cauldron has not yet been used, so how could it have caused this beast to roar?"

It seems he's been eyeing this six-winged iron centipede for a long time. Although somewhat puzzled, a look of joy appeared in his eyes, and he hurriedly said, "Azi, take your junior brother back and arrange his lodging and food. We'll discuss the rest when I return!"

As he spoke, he leaped up, stepping on waist-high wild grass, his sleeves fluttering, and shot straight to the northwest like a plume of white smoke!

Jiang Mingzhe, disregarding whether Ding Chunqiu could hear him or not, loudly exclaimed, "Master's supernatural powers are unparalleled! Your disciple's horizons have been broadened, and you have been fortunate enough to join the ranks of the immortals!"

Azi rolled her eyes and said irritably, "You flatterer, Master has long since gone! Immortal? There are no immortals in this world. Master was using our sect's lightness skill, the Moon Chasing and Star Chasing Technique!"

Jiang Mingzhe stood up, brushed the dirt off his knees, and laughed freely: "Having reached this level of martial arts, what's wrong with calling someone a god? Besides, are there really no gods in this world?"

Azi scoffed, "You big ginger, do you think I'm a child? Then tell me, what are immortals really like? Don't tell me you met immortals in your dreams. Humph, your old master is senile and believed you, but I don't."

Big ginger?
Jiang Mingzhe's face darkened. He thought to himself that the girls in ancient times were really boring. Di Yun from Liancheng Jue was called hollow cabbage, Shi Potian from Xia Ke Xing was called a big rice dumpling, Zhang Wuji from Yitian was called a big ox... and now there's this big piece of ginger, Jiang Mingzhe. Is he going to be cooked?

With a sigh, Jiang Mingzhe said, "Master said you should take me back. How about we talk as we walk?"

Azi glanced at the northwest corner unwillingly, stomped her foot and said, "I begged my master for a long time before he agreed to take me with him to catch the Six-Winged Iron Centipede, but you ruined it. I was originally planning to... Humph, let's go, you big ginger who's not even wearing clothes!"

The girl hesitated, and Jiang Mingzhe's heart stirred slightly: In the original story, Azi stole the Divine Wood King Cauldron and escaped from the Starry Sea. Could it be that she already has this idea now?
What was she originally planning to do? Most likely, she wanted to spy on how Ding Chunqiu used the Divine Wood King Cauldron!

His face remained expressionless as he respectfully said, "Please wait a moment, Senior Sister. My current appearance is indeed rather unseemly. Please allow me to cover myself up."

After saying that, he began to break off grass. The surrounding weeds were tall and lush, and he soon broke off a lot. He sat down on the spot and quickly began to weave them.

Jiang Mingzhe learned his straw weaving skills from his neighbor when he was a child.

His family wasn't well-off at the time, so he would weave dragonflies and butterflies every day to sell to his classmates. Little by little, he managed to save up enough money for his parents to not have to worry about his school fees.

Recalling the past, Jiang Mingzhe sighed silently. He had been a troublemaker since childhood, and had finally achieved some success, but he never expected to encounter such a "strange encounter".

Alas, I wonder how heartbroken my parents, who are so proud of me, will be when they find out about this.

Shaking his head slightly, Jiang Mingzhe knew that thinking about problems that couldn't be solved was pointless. He calmed himself down and focused on weaving the straw garment.

Azi initially thought he was just tying the grass into bundles and haphazardly hanging them on his body to cover his shame, but Jiang Mingzhe's fingers flew across the paper. At first, there was some hesitation, but soon he became more and more fluent, and a rather exquisite grass-woven long robe gradually took shape under his fingers.

Curious, she tugged at it and found it to be quite sturdy. Azi was somewhat impressed and praised, "I didn't expect you to be so skillful. Practicing hidden weapons would be quite suitable for you."

Jiang Mingzhe casually replied, "There's no other way. Senior Sister is like a fairy. If I don't dress properly while following her, wouldn't I be disgracing her?"

Azi chuckled: "You big ginger, you really are a flatterer, but I'm not falling for your tricks."

Jiang Mingzhe praised, "Senior Sister is wise! But Junior Brother is speaking from the heart."

I think flattery will spread like wildfire, so hold back your laughter first, and then we'll see if you'll fall for it.

After finishing weaving the clothes, Jiang Mingzhe first went to the lake to wash off the mud. Shivering, he put on the straw clothes. Although his arms were exposed, his upper body and thighs were covered. However, there were no buttons, and the clothes would open if he didn't hold them with his hands.

Jiang Mingzhe went to pull weeds again: "I'll twist another grass rope. Please wait a moment, senior sister."

Azi frowned and said, "Do we need to tie our clothes? We don't need any straw rope, just wait!"

He turned and walked away, but soon returned, holding out his hand and saying, "Here, this is for you to use as a belt."

Jiang Mingzhe felt a chill run down his spine. In A Zi's fair little hand, a beautiful snake as thick as a wrist was being held!
The snake's back is grass green, and the front sides of its body have orange and black stripes. The orange stripes fade towards the rear, turning into black and green stripes. Its triangular head resembles an arrowhead.

Jiang Mingzhe recognized this type of snake.

The tour guide had previously mentioned the venomous snakes in the area, including this tiger snake, locally known as the pheasant neck or bamboo green snake, which likes to live near water.

According to the tour guide, this type of snake can only grow to about one meter in length, but the one in front of us is more than two meters long. We don't know if it is a mutated species.

Jiang Mingzhe was afraid and hesitated to take it. Azi said impatiently, "What are you afraid of? Afraid I'll poison you? If I wanted to do it, would I need all this trouble?"

Jiang Mingzhe thought to himself, since he had joined the Xingxiu Sect, he would have to come into contact with poisonous creatures sooner or later. Now that Azi was by his side, even if he was bitten, she probably wouldn't ignore it.

With a determined heart, I reached out and took it. When I touched it, I felt that the snake was limp and weak. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly still alive, but it was motionless as if it were drunk.

Jiang Mingzhe knew that it must have been Azi's doing. He suppressed his fear, gathered his straw clothes, and tied the snake around his waist like a rope.

Seeing his pale face, yet he silently tied the snake, Azi couldn't help but show a hint of appreciation: "That's more like it. If you don't even dare to touch a snake, you probably won't live long even if you enter the sect. Let's go."

Before leaving, Jiang Mingzhe subconsciously glanced back at Zaling Lake, thinking to himself, "I left my phone in the lake, and now I can't find it. If I can really learn some amazing kung fu in the future, I can come back to look for it and keep it as a souvenir."

Then I thought: I crossed this lake, and perhaps it holds some secret. If I can figure it out, maybe I can go home.

He was doing very well in the modern world, and if possible, he really didn't want to stay in this terrible world where human life was as cheap as grass.

He took a deep look at the terrain, memorized the spot where he had landed, and hurried to catch up with Azi, only to hear her say, "Tell me, what are immortals really like?"

Jiang Mingzhe casually said, "There are many gods and immortals, including monks and Taoists, men and women, and even demon immortals. I have an uncle from Hangzhou who told me a story about a thousand-year-old white snake who, to repay a debt of gratitude, transformed into a beautiful woman and married the reincarnation of her benefactor. That white snake was a demon immortal."

Azi had grown up in the Xingxiu Sect and had never heard any stories before. When she heard about the White Snake repaying a debt of gratitude by transforming into a man to get married, her eyes lit up and she eagerly asked for more details.

Jiang Mingzhe, employing his childcare skills, calmly recounted the story of the White Snake: "...Later, the monk Fahai said that humans and demons could not marry, so he hid Xu Xian in Jinshan Temple. The Green Snake and White Snake were furious and unleashed their magic, creating a massive tidal wave that flooded Jinshan. Fahai, also possessing great supernatural powers, flew into the air to meet the attack, summoning his magic cassock and shouting: 'Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon, Prajna Paramita!' The Green Snake and White Snake each released a flying sword, and the battle caused the heavens and earth to tremble..."

The short story made Azi tremble all over. At times she was jumping and laughing, at other times she frowned and cursed Fahai for abusing his power, and finally her eyes were slightly red.

She lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then suddenly became excited: "Since Lady White Snake is imprisoned under Leifeng Pagoda, when I finish my skills and leave the mountain, I will go and tear down this pagoda. Lady White Snake will be grateful and may even teach me magic."

Jiang Mingzhe, unsure if Leifeng Pagoda still existed at this time, casually remarked, "She's a demon immortal; she flew away in a flash. Where are you going to chase after her?"

He chuckled inwardly. Just a moment ago he was so materialistic, insisting there were no gods, and now he's suddenly become a idealist?
He remembered that a certain scene appeared several times in the original work—

When characters in the book encounter a master who is far superior to themselves and cannot understand how they were subdued, they immediately speculate: How can there be such martial arts in the world? Could this person be using demonic magic or evil arts?
This proves that at this time, most people probably believed in the existence of gods and ghosts.

Moreover, the story of the White Snake originated in the Southern Song Dynasty, was completed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and was further developed by many drama and film creators, making the characters and plot incredibly solid. When told in this era, it is so captivating that it is truly unbelievable.

Azi frowned angrily: "Oh dear, I saved her, doesn't she know how to repay my kindness? If that's the case, I'll prepare realgar beforehand. She can teach me magic, but if she wants to fly away, hmph, hmph!"

Jiang Mingzhe found it amusing that she was taking it so seriously, but he also admired her courage to threaten even a thousand-year-old snake demon. He laughed and said, "But then again, this Lady White Snake married Xu Xian to repay a debt of gratitude, so she is not an ungrateful person. She is probably willing to teach you magic."

Azi was overjoyed, nodding repeatedly. With her hands behind her back and chin raised, she imagined, "If I master magic, hmph, who else but me will be the senior sister of the Starry Constellation Sect? At that time, hmph, hmph..."

For some unknown reason, he shrugged his shoulders and chuckled mischievously.

Jiang Mingzhe couldn't help but smile. Little Azi had beautiful features and skin as white as snow. She was also at the age of budding innocence. Even if she deliberately imitated that sly smile, she didn't seem cunning at all. She just seemed mischievous and cute.

Azi daydreamed for a while, then suddenly remembered that Jiang Mingzhe was beside her. She glanced at him and said generously, "Big Jiang, you're the one who told me this news. I, Azi, am not an ungrateful person. I'll take you with me so you can get some benefits too. From now on, when I become the eldest senior sister, you'll be the second senior brother. I'll be Bai Suzhen, and you'll be my Xiaoqing. Hmph, if anyone dares to bully you, just mention my name, senior sister!"

She made a grand promise, patting her small chest loudly.

Jiang Mingzhe was secretly delighted. With veteran employees protecting him at the new company, he would avoid many detours. As for Xiao Qing, well, let her be Xiao Qing. It seems the original version of Xiao Qing was a boy. He immediately decided, "Okay, then junior brother will rely entirely on senior sister to protect him!"

Azi had never heard of the phrase "protecting" before, but she could roughly understand what he meant. She thought the word sounded quite heroic, and patted her chest again: "Don't worry, your senior sister will definitely protect you!"

His expression immediately turned serious, and he said earnestly, "However, if Senior Brother wants to bully you, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you. Our Xingxiu Sect's rules don't emphasize who entered the sect first or who is ranked by age. Whoever has the highest martial arts skill is the senior brother, and junior brothers must obey what the senior brother says. Especially the senior brother, who also serves as the Enforcer. If anyone violates the sect rules, he is the one who deals with them. Tsk tsk, he's incredibly powerful!"

Although Jiang Mingzhe had read Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, he couldn't remember all the details. After hearing what Azi said, he immediately remembered that the Xingxiu Sect did indeed determine status based on martial arts skills.

He frowned: "Wouldn't that mean our disciples would be fighting every other day?"

Azi laughed and said, "What, are you afraid of being beaten up? Don't worry, according to the rules of our sect, within the first two years of a new disciple's entry, only you are allowed to challenge others. No one else can challenge you. Even if someone doesn't like you, they can only obediently wait for two years! If you work hard and learn some real skills, even the senior brother won't dare to challenge you casually!"

A two-year newbie protection period? That's an unexpected surprise.

Jiang Mingzhe felt slightly relieved, but remained modest: "It's only been two years. Even if I didn't eat or sleep, how much skill could I possibly acquire? How could a senior disciple like myself not dare to take on the challenge?"

Azi, displeased that he didn't believe her, said, "Hmph, would your senior sister lie to you? It's not that I'm afraid of you, but I'm afraid of the other junior brothers seeing through his true strength! Unless he's absolutely certain he can subdue you in one move, he will never make a move easily."

He chattered on and on, recounting several cases of junior brothers overthrowing senior brothers and senior brothers suppressing junior brothers. Among them, the losers were either killed or maimed, suffering terrible fates.

She deliberately exaggerated the miserable state of the losers, constantly glancing sideways at Jiang Mingzhe to see if he was frightened.

In Azi's mind, ordinary people would be terrified upon hearing this. This was no longer a sect; it was simply a vessel for raising Gu poison.

However, Jiang Mingzhe felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity upon hearing this.

On second thought: Damn it, the strong rise, the mediocre fall, cliques form, backstabbing and infighting, flattery and backstabbing, sweet talk and daggers, shifting blame and stealing credit... Isn't this just a modern workplace?

I stood out at the age of twenty-five, dominating the sales department with over a hundred employees, yet I still couldn't outmaneuver those ancient sycophants from the Xingxiu faction.
(End of this chapter)