Chapter 50: A Single Letter of Recommendation, Widespread Debate

Jiang Youling's eyes stung slightly, but she shook her head, choosing to share the good news and hide the bad. "Don't worry, Grandmother. Everything is fine with me in the sect."

Hearing this, Old Lady Cui's brow furrowed even deeper. "If everything is fine, then why did you suddenly take leave to come home?"

Jiang Youling calmed her emotions and fished a letter out of her inner pocket. "Grandmother, look at this. What is it?"

Old Lady Cui took the letter. Once she clearly saw the three characters written upon it, she froze in shock, and her heart began to race uncontrollably.

"Is this... a letter of recommendation?"

She immediately held the letter as if it were a precious treasure, flipping it over and over again.

Having stayed in the Taixuan Sect for decades, she naturally knew what this was, but it was precisely because she knew that she found it even harder to believe.

Ling-jie'er had only joined the sect for two short months, and she had actually managed to obtain such a precious item? Was she dreaming?

Giving her thigh a hard pinch, Old Lady Cui grimaced in pain, but her expression could not hide her excitement.

"Ling-jie'er, tell me quickly, where on earth did you get this?"

Jiang Youling skipped the process and said briefly, "I helped a True Disciple senior brother, and out of gratitude, he gave me this letter of recommendation."

Old Lady Cui had an intuition that this "help" was not easily given, but seeing that Youling was unwilling to elaborate, she did not press further. She merely patted Jiang Youling's shoulder with an uplifted spirit.

"Good child, I truly did not misjudge you."

Jiang Youling only smiled faintly. "There is only one such letter. As for the recipient, I will leave the decision to Grandmother."

"Let your mother go."

Old Lady Cui said without a second thought. "The eldest is a failure; not only has he read little, but his temperament is blunt and honest, and he lacks a filter when he speaks. If he goes to the immortal gates, he will surely offend people. Your mother's temperament is more reliable. As for the two younger ones, they are still young and will have chances in the future. As for your father—"

At this point, Old Lady Cui glanced cautiously at Jiang Youling. "If we obtain another letter of recommendation in the future, we shall give the opportunity to him. What do you think, Youling?"

Jiang Youling thought for a moment. "Whatever Grandmother decides is fine."

As the two were speaking, Jiang Mingyu had hurriedly returned with Chen Ling. Seeing that his daughter was not in sight, he asked urgently, "Where is Youling?"

"Grandmother called her into the room to talk."

As soon as the words fell, Old Lady Cui and Jiang Youling pushed the door open and stepped out.

Seeing how much thinner Jiang Mingyu had become, his clothes covered in dust, Jiang Youling felt a mix of sadness and irritation.

Father was being too disobedient, actually sneaking into the mines behind her back! She would have to have a serious talk with him later!

Before the father and daughter could converse, Old Lady Cui had already ordered the courtyard gates to be closed tight, only then informing everyone of the shocking news regarding the "letter of recommendation."

"What? Youling came back this time and actually brought such a wonderful thing?"

"With a letter of recommendation, one can enter the immortal gates directly without taking the grand examination... That's too good!"

"But a letter of recommendation can only recommend one person. Who among us should go?"

That single sentence caused the crowd to fall silent instantly, all eyes turning toward Old Lady Cui.

Old Lady Cui cleared her throat before looking at Chen Yong and saying, "After careful consideration, I have decided to give the recommendation slot to your younger sister..."

Before she could finish, Chen Yong grinned. "Fine, but I have one condition."

Old Lady Cui was stunned. "What condition?"

"Once my sister enters Taixuan, Mother can never force me to practice martial arts again!"

Old Lady Cui didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Thinking of the hardships her son had endured over the years, she ultimately agreed. "Fine."

However, just as the words left her mouth, another voice suddenly rang out, "Mother, I do not agree."

Chen Yong froze, looking at his own sister with a strange expression. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

Old Lady Cui's expression darkened as she looked seriously at her daughter. "You don't want to enter the Taixuan Immortal Gate?"

She did! How could she not?

But thinking of the hardships and bitterness of the past dozen years, as well as the ridicule and disdain she faced after failing the exams, Chen Ling was absolutely certain: she would not let her daughter suffer the same pain she had!

Thus, after a moment of silence, she finally said

"I am already in my thirties. To go to the immortal gates for cultivation at this age is actually to have missed the best timing. I want to give this opportunity to Yu-jie'er."

Hearing this, Chen Yu had not yet reacted, but Chen Yong, the eldest uncle, refused to accept it.

"If Mother gives this chance to my sister, I have nothing to say. But if it is for my niece, why can it not be for my son?"

Chen Ling frowned. "Big Brother, this is something Mother gave to me. What is wrong with me transferring it to my daughter?"

"If it's given to you, you can keep it. But if it's for Yu-jie'er, then I also want to fight for Rui-ge'er!"

Seeing the two about to argue, Old Lady Cui's brows shot up. "Enough!"

She first looked at Chen Yong, her expression one of disappointment. "You, as a father, are so useless, yet now you are making plans for your son?"

Chen Yong offered a conciliatory smile. "It is my fault. Mother is right to lecture me."

Both sides were her own flesh and blood; Old Lady Cui felt a headache coming on, thinking her daughter was also being too inflexible.

If you wanted to give the qualification to Yu-jie'er, you could have done it privately. By then, the matter would be a done deal, and even if the eldest son wanted to make a scene, there would be no logic to support him.

Instead, she had to make it an open issue.

If she were to decide right now to give the letter to Yu-jie'er, it might leave the eldest son and Rui-ge'er feeling resentful.

In her distress, Old Lady Cui instinctively looked toward the young girl beside her.

"Youling, do you have any good ideas?"

Jiang Youling thought calmly. "Why not first ask for the thoughts of Cousin and my sister? Let us hear what the two of them think."

Old Lady Cui nodded slightly. "Rui-ge'er, Yu-jie'er, what do you think? Don't be afraid; speak your thoughts out loud. Grandmother won't blame you."

Chen Rui was not a man of many words, but he was reasonable. Hearing this, he simply shook his head.

"Since Grandmother gave this letter to Aunt, and Aunt is passing it to my cousin, then let my cousin go."

"You!"

Upon hearing this, his father nearly fell over in rage.

The opportunity he had worked so hard to fight for had been discarded by such a casual sentence!

Chen Yu, however, said with a bitter face, "Don't! I don't want to go! Cultivating in the immortal gates sounds exhausting. I'd rather stay home and be an honest mortal."

Old Lady Cui could not stand such lack of ambition, and her face immediately darkened. "Yu-jie'er!"

But Chen Yu muttered, "Am I wrong? So many people joyfully ascend the immortal mountains, only to descend them at sixty with hair as white as snow. Aside from having a slightly stronger constitution and knowing a few spells, I don't see any other benefits. Even Grandmother is the same, isn't she?"

"Chen Yu!"

Chen Ling's expression changed drastically, glaring at her as a warning.

Old Lady Cui also seemed to be struck by something; her body trembled slightly, and she suddenly looked ten years older.

The courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

After a long while, only the sound of Old Lady Cui's bitter laugh could be heard.

"Fine. Since she does not wish to go, then you, as the mother, shall go."