I Didn't Want to Take on a Disciple, But He Gave Me Too Much

"Senior, this is my betrothal gift!"

The young man respectfully placed three rosewood boxes in front of Li Xuan.

"You've misunderstood. I'm not some reclusive master, and I don't take disciples. Please take it back!"

Li Xuan said with a slight headache.

The young man was named Xu Yan, a rich young master from the commandery city. Li Xuan, who had transmigrated to this world, was quite envious of his background. Unfortunately, the other party wasn't very bright and mistakenly believed he was a reclusive master, insisting on becoming his disciple.

Li Xuan had been in this world for over ten years. No system, no cheat, he couldn't even leave the small mountain village. Even worse, he was now the only person left in this small village.

The small mountain village was surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides, with only a narrow passage about ten feet wide for entry and exit. It was a good place for seclusion. The ancestors of the village had moved here to escape war.

Now that there was no war outside, the younger generation in the village, unwilling to live a mediocre life in this small village, began to leave to venture out.

The village was a hundred miles away from the nearest town, and the journey was fraught with danger, especially the need to pass through a dense forest where ferocious tigers and beasts often roamed.

Over the past decade or so, the village's population had dwindled. By the time Li Xuan transmigrated, there were only a dozen households left in the village, mostly elderly people who stayed behind.

Including Li Xuan, there were only five young and strong men in the village, and none of them were willing to stay in the small village, all eager to leave and make a living in the city. Li Xuan was no different.

However, the journey was perilous, especially the thirty-mile stretch through the Evil Fiend Forest, where fierce tigers and beasts lurked. Several young men who had left the village had died in the Evil Fiend Forest.

One day, ten years ago, a villager who had previously ventured out returned to the village, intending to take his mother to live in the city. He claimed to have learned the art of tiger slaying and was not afraid of the fierce tigers in the Evil Fiend Forest.

So, Li Xuan and several other young men left the village with him.

Although the thirty-mile Evil Fiend Forest was inhabited by fierce tigers and beasts, it was possible to pass through safely if one was lucky and did not encounter them.

Li Xuan and his companions were not so lucky.

A magnificent striped tiger appeared.

The man who claimed to have learned the art of tiger slaying immediately gripped his sharp knife, roared, and charged forward with a slide tackle...

Only Li Xuan managed to escape with his life and return to the small mountain village. He had always believed that the reason he survived was because he had decisively turned and fled the moment he saw the other man slide tackle, a step ahead of him.

This tiger-slaying technique was too unreliable, directly sending himself into the tiger's maw!

Since then, Li Xuan was the only young and strong man left in the village. The elders who had lost their loved ones passed away one after another over the ten years, until half a month ago, Li Xuan sent off the last elder in the village.

Looking at the empty small mountain village, with only himself left, Li Xuan felt grief and indignation. Other transmigrators either rose against the odds or had extraordinary backgrounds.

But what about him?

He couldn't even leave the small mountain village!

No system, no cheat, he might end up growing old alone in this small mountain village.

"Sigh, I thought I could also become one of those characters in web novels, traversing thousands of miles with a single sword, slaying demons and vanquishing fiends, achieving sainthood, and looking down on all eternity. It seems I was overthinking it."

Li Xuan sighed inwardly, then mocked himself, "I can't even leave the small mountain village, and I still want to traverse thousands of miles with a single sword? Heh!"

It was because of this self-mockery that Xu Yan, who had somehow arrived at the small mountain village, heard the latter part, "traversing thousands of miles with a single sword," and mistakenly believed he was a reclusive master. He immediately knelt down with a thud and begged to be taken as a disciple.

"Senior, I've finally found you! Please take me as your disciple and teach me your peerless divine skills!"

"What?!"

Li Xuan was startled, his eyes wide open. He looked at the sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, dressed in splendid clothes and with a long sword at his waist, and was somewhat bewildered.

"This junior is Xu Yan from Donghe Commandery. From a young age, I aspired to seek true martial arts. Today, by chance, I have met a senior. It is my great fortune. I hope the senior will accept me as a disciple. This junior will surely cultivate diligently and will not fail the senior's legacy!"

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Looking at the boy with fervent eyes and respectfully kowtowing, Li Xuan was completely dumbfounded. His first thought was: this kid's brain isn't working right!

No matter how Li Xuan refused or denied being a reclusive master, Xu Yan wouldn't believe him and insisted on becoming his disciple. His fervent demeanor gave Li Xuan a terrible headache.

"I am not a reclusive master, nor do I understand the methods of martial arts cultivation. You've found the wrong person. I'm the one looking for someone to teach me martial arts cultivation methods!"

"Impossible!"

Xu Yan's gaze was firm. "Senior, don't lie to me. You must be a reclusive master!"

"Look here, surrounded by cliffs, the scenery is pleasant. It's clearly a place for seclusion. If the senior were not a reclusive master, why would he live alone here?"

"Senior, please take me as your disciple. I will never fail your legacy!"

Xu Yan continued to kowtow, his eyes fervent and his gaze resolute.

"I am not a reclusive master, I don't know cultivation methods, and I won't take disciples. You've really found the wrong person..."

Li Xuan was helpless. Why was this kid so stubborn? He didn't know how he managed to pass through the Evil Fiend Forest and arrive at the small village.

Had he searched so hard for a reclusive master that his brain had gone bad?

"I understand!"

Xu Yan suddenly stood up, a look of sudden realization on his face.

"Taking a master is a major event, how can it be done hastily? This junior will return to prepare a betrothal gift!"

In Li Xuan's bewildered state, Xu Yan sprinted away and soon disappeared from sight.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

For the past half month, Li Xuan had been regretting not seizing the opportunity to ask Xu Yan about information from the outside world, or even using this chance to see if he could leave the small mountain village.

He hadn't expected Xu Yan to show up again.

And he'd brought gifts for becoming a disciple!

He was dead set on taking him as a master!

No matter how much he denied it, Xu Yan firmly believed he was a reclusive master.

Li Xuan didn't want to deceive anyone, especially someone with an extraordinary background. He had no cheat, no system, and the consequences if he were found out would be unimaginable.

So he refused again and again, denied it again and again, but Xu Yan was stubborn, convinced he was a reclusive master, the kind you couldn't budge with nine oxen!

"Senior, this is three hundred taels of gold. I know that mere metal and jewels are beneath your notice, but the gifts for becoming a disciple cannot be omitted. This is a small token of my sincerity!"

Xu Yan opened one of the boxes, revealing thirty gold ingots neatly arranged inside.

Li Xuan looked at the gold ingots, swallowed, feeling a bit tempted, but finally gritted his teeth and said firmly, "I'm not taking disciples! I'm not a reclusive master either. Take it back quickly, I'm not much older than you!"

"Although Senior's appearance is young, you must have achieved great cultivation, which is why you remain youthful!"

Xu Yan still firmly believed he was a reclusive master and opened the second box.

"This is a Thousand-Year Ginseng treasured by my Xu family. It is my second gift for becoming a disciple. I hope Senior will accept it!"

Li Xuan swallowed, looking at the Thousand-Year Ginseng in the box. Its roots were intact, and it had taken on a human-like form. The faint scent of ginseng entered his nostrils, and he felt invigorated.

Thousand-Year Ginseng was undoubtedly a rare treasure. The elders in the village had once said that a Hundred-Year Ginseng could prolong the life of a dying person for three days, greatly strengthening their vitality and extending their lifespan.

If a Hundred-Year Ginseng had such miraculous effects, a Thousand-Year Ginseng would naturally be even more potent.

Li Xuan felt a pang of temptation, but he gritted his teeth and continued, "Take it back. I really am not a reclusive master, and I don't have any cultivation methods!"

Xu Yan opened the third box, "Senior, this is a Nine-Leaf Spirit Ganoderma, my third gift for becoming a disciple!"

Nine-Leaf Spirit Ganoderma!

Li Xuan found it hard to look away. The elders in the village had spoken of it, passing down legends that among all Spirit Ganoderma, the Nine-Leaf variety was the most exceptional. Consuming Nine-Leaf Spirit Ganoderma would prevent all illnesses, keep one's mind sharp, restore black hair to graying, and extend one's life by twenty years!

A treasure medicine hard to find in the world!

Li Xuan looked at the Nine-Leaf Spirit Ganoderma in the box. It was jade-white, shaped like a lingzhi mushroom, with nine purple leaves growing on its stem. He took a deep breath, forced himself to look away, and pretended to sigh profoundly.

"Enough! It is fate that you have come here. I, your master, shall accept you!"

It was simply that Xu Yan had given too much, and he couldn't bear to refuse!

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