How Did These Two Even Become Master and Disciple?

It's simply a choice between the Scarlet Bird Immortal and his fellow disciples... Based on my observation, I'm afraid the latter is more likely to win.

After all, this fairy lady is completely inept at education compared to her own Lord God.

If Lord God were to come...

Tsk, this kind of thinking is always a mix of pride and anger.

Otto's feelings were somewhat complicated, but the next moment, Otto Liu Bai's voice brought him back to his senses.

"Ask Wanzang if he'll take on charging jobs?"

(I'm not answering! Get lost!)

The Imaginary Archive immediately roared in Otto's consciousness.

—That's right, Liu Bai's method is to find the Imaginary Archive to recharge the Book of Cang Xuan Profound.

"..." Otto shrugged helplessly. Although he didn't say it outright, the meaning was quite clear.

"It's alright if it doesn't work out." Fu Hua was quite open-minded.

Anyway, the Book of Cang Xuan has been shut down for seven or eight hundred years, so it's not a big deal if it's not working now.

"However, since it cannot be repaired for the time being, Master, why don't you temporarily use the body of the Book of Cang Xuan?"

"...?"

"?"

Otto and Cheng Lingshuang were both shocked.

But Otto was thinking, "There's even this way of playing?"

Cheng Lingshuang was thinking, "Master's master... Grandmaster?"

Wait, wait, wait! Why did a grandmaster suddenly appear?!

Even though Cheng Lingshuang has a somewhat eccentric personality, she is still a thirteen-year-old girl, and this time she couldn't hide the shock on her face.

"Moreover, the original form of the Book of Cang Xuan was the Soul Steel figurine that Danzhu bought with extra money after the cooking competition."

Fu Hua smiled slightly as she recounted the past.

"It wouldn't be presumptuous of you to possess me in this way."

"... Alright then."

Liu Bai hesitated for a moment but nodded. Then, without further pretense, he directly possessed the Book of Cang Xuan.

However, since the Book of Cang Xuan has many non-soul steel parts, Liu Bai could only change its appearance. As for clothing and such... well, it seems to be hand-sewn?

—And then the puppet came to life in an instant.

Fu Hua's gaze then shifted to the dazed Cheng Lingshuang.

"Ling Shuang, why haven't you paid your respects to the patriarch yet?"

Chapter 257 How did these two become master and disciple?

"Grand-disciple Ling Shuang greets the Ancestor."

Fu Hua's reminder brought Cheng Lingshuang back to her senses, and she called out in a clear voice.

Then, Cheng Lingshuang raised her head with some curiosity, looking at this "doll" who was both her grandmaster and her ancestor.

"Have I unknowingly reached the point where people call me that...?"

Although there was nothing wrong with the title, Liu Bai still felt rather complicated at the thought of suddenly becoming a grandfather.

"Ah, you don't need to look at me. I, the patriarch, don't have any gifts to give you."

To be honest, Liu Bai wasn't initially planning to give his seventh disciple a friendly look, but since the disciple actually called him "Grandmaster," there must have been some affection involved.

Su Mei, the mastermind behind the Seven Swords' murder of their master, may have planned it all along, but the wedge that caused the other six swords and Fu Hua to drift apart was likely the future Jiang Wanru incident.

The eldest sister Lin Chaoyu, wavered first, which gave the second sister Su Mei, an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. Lin Chaoyu held a position in the hearts of the others like a sister or a mother. In addition, Su Mei herself was eloquent and had the ability to persuade everyone to change their minds.

At least for now, apart from Su Mei, none of these people have any rebellious intentions.

Ah... So, in order to build a good relationship with the Seven Swords, should I prepare a small gift for our first meeting?

Okay, Liu Bai admits that he has been somewhat preoccupied with the consequences of killing his master these past few days, and has overlooked quite a few things.

Moreover, perhaps because of his own inner conflict, he inadvertently led Otto astray a little.

Now it seems I don't need to place all seven swords in the enemy's position?

"...?"

Liu Bai's words made Cheng Lingshuang feel rather strange.

Teachers giving gifts to students...?

Although it seems reasonable in some respects, Cheng Lingshuang glanced at her master for no apparent reason.

Well... the only one who would bring them gifts is Senior Sister Lin Chaoyu.

Aside from giving each of them a Xuanyuan Sword, their master never mentioned giving any gifts to their senior or junior sisters... though they certainly wouldn't dare to bring it up.

After all, who would dare to offend a real person's ears with such vulgar things?

"My Lord God, you forgot about this."

Otto noticed the slightly awkward situation and handed over a small bag with a smile.

Liu Bai took it and saw that it contained a pile of gold and jade jewelry.

Where did Otto get all these things?

But that's fine too. With Otto helping out, Liu Bai doesn't have to feel awkward.

Liu Bai glanced at the jewelry, took out a jade hairpin, and handed it to Cheng Lingshuang.

"Here, a small gift for meeting you, though it's not really useful for martial arts..."

"Ling Shuang thanks the Ancestor."

Although Cheng Lingshuang had little material desire, receiving such a heartfelt gift from an elder was truly novel for Cheng Lingshuang.

Cheng Lingshuang gently grasped the jade hairpin, and her voice of thanks became much more respectful.

The fact that martial arts are useless to Cheng Lingshuang is not a problem at all.

Anyway, to be honest... the Xuanyuan Sword bestowed upon her by her master wasn't really of any use to her, right?

She had no idea about the meaning of the Five Elements of the Tai Xu Five Aggregates; to her, the Xuanyuan Sword was simply a weapon that was sharp enough.

—The meaning of the Five Elements of the Tai Xu Five Aggregates has nothing to do with martial arts. The meaning refers to the connection with the Xuanyuan Sword... To put it more simply, it is the mechanism by which the Keys of Domination concentrates energy and changes shape.

Since she already knows all the sword techniques, whether she comprehends their meaning or not is actually not important, and no one will say anything about it to her.

Liu Bai glanced at the well-behaved Cheng Lingshuang, then at his own student.

... At this point in time, this girl seems like a good kid, doesn't she?

As expected, Fu Hua really has no experience in taking care of children, whether it's the Seven Swords or the future Shibao... Sigh.

"Let's go, Hua, continue leading the way and let me meet the other little ones."

"Yes."

Fu Hua nodded.

Cheng Lingshuang's eyes lit up again—so her master's real name was "Hua"?

Although it's not the best way to put it, having such a humane patriarch made Cheng Lingshuang somewhat curious about her own master.

—Why is my master so different from my ancestor?

Hmm... although the senior and junior sisters don't resemble their master at all.

It seems I don't have any reason to be curious about this.

Moreover, when it comes to curiosity, shouldn't I be more curious about what state the founder was in?

How could it possess a doll? Once it possesses someone, even the doll's appearance changes.

If my master possessed me, would I also turn into a man?

If you possess a sword, will the sword become a sword-person?

As Cheng Lingshuang followed her teacher, she began to indulge in the whimsical thoughts of a child.

As I kept thinking, I arrived at my destination.

All her senior and junior sisters were here, and the eldest senior sister was lecturing them with a helpless expression.

"Second brother, why did you bring your junior sisters and brothers to join in this fun? Those two are Master... Master!"

Lin Chaoyu, who was teaching her second junior sister Su Mei, saw Fu Hua and immediately bowed.

"Greetings, Master."

The second disciple Su Mei, and several other disciples also bowed and greeted her.

"... Second Junior Sister, it was really inappropriate for you to bring your junior brothers and sisters to join in the fun today. Chao Yu has already reprimanded you, so I hope Master will be lenient."

Although he had been scolding her, Lin Chaoyu took the initiative to plead for her when he saw Fu Hua arrive.

After all, this was the first time in nearly thirty years of serving his master that Lin Chaoyu had heard the word "friend" from his master's mouth. Although his master had never cared much about many things in the past, this time... Lin Chaoyu himself was a little unsure.

What if Master really gets furious?

He has five junior sisters and one junior brother. Even though Xiao Qi came to get close to him in plain clothes, he had raised them all. He would feel sorry for any of them if he hurt any of them.

Although Su Mei the second oldest, she is actually fifteen years younger than her and was taken care of by her when she was young. She is more like a mother and a teacher than a senior sister.

Lin Chaoyu kept her head down, feeling quite uneasy, and didn't even notice that there was something next to her master.

"I brought my junior brothers and sisters along just for the novelty. It's rare for our Fuyun Temple Tai Xu Mountain to have guests. I certainly didn't mean to disturb our distinguished guests. However, this was indeed something I shouldn't have done. Please punish me, Master."

Su Mei also bowed in greeting, but as the person involved, her tone was more relaxed and unrestrained compared to Lin Chaoyu's.

The two people lowered their heads, and the four little ones behind them followed suit.

However, Fu Hua glanced at his two disciples who had bowed their heads, then turned his gaze to Liu Bai —the meaning was clear: it was up to you, Master, to decide how to deal with them.

She herself didn't care. After all, firstly, it was just something to watch; secondly, the parties involved hadn't shown up yet; and thirdly, her teacher obviously had more say in the matter between Kallen and Elinor.

"Master, what do you suggest we do?" Fu Hua asked softly, noticing that Liu Bai seemed somewhat lost in thought.

?????

All six apprentices, regardless of age, had question marks appearing above their heads.

Wait, wait, wait! Did Master slip up, or am I hallucinating?

Master?

Master's master?

Grandmaster?

Does our Tai Xu Sword Sect have a grandmaster?

Su Mei glanced at her senior sister almost imperceptibly.

They discovered that their senior sister also looked surprised and confused.

Well, even the eldest sister doesn't know, so there's no point in hoping for her.

But this grandmaster...

Su Mei's lips were a little dry.

This person has been hiding their abilities for far too long!

No, it's possible that he didn't hide at all, but simply went out. After all, the grandmaster came out as soon as these guests arrived. What a coincidence!

Moreover, judging from the eldest sister's expression, she didn't see the grandmaster when she went out to greet him. It seems that the master and the guest beside him went somewhere, which is why the grandmaster came out.

This is really...

Su Mei... no, not just Su Mei, everyone was subconsciously picturing an old man with a sage-like air, but with a serious and rigid expression.

Hmm, no, according to the Tai Xu Sword Sect's techniques, their grandmaster is a woman, so she might be even taller.