Han Li's Sincerity and the Establishment of the Master-Disciple Bond

Han Li's Sincerity and the Establishment of the Master-Disciple Bond

Han Li focused his gaze and saw a youthful-looking man in a light gray robe standing beside the bed, watching him with a faint smile on his lips.

Light gray clothing would normally make someone look rather old-fashioned, but paired with the various small accessories on the newcomer, the overall style appeared exceptionally ornate.

Han Li narrowed his eyes, and something clicked in his mind. Ornate clothes, a youthful face, and appearing here without a trace... He instinctively looked toward the man's left eye and saw a faint icy blue glimmer beneath the silver strands of hair that partially covered it.

This was that Broad Hill Douluo? Han Li's reaction was swift. Even as thoughts surged through his mind, he had already put away his twin blades, straightened up decisively, and bowed. "Greetings, Teacher."

This time, it was Broad Hill's turn to freeze. His handsome face twitched involuntarily. Looking at the child standing on the bed, bent at the waist and calling him "Teacher," he had no idea how to respond. To be honest, in over eighty years of life, he had never expected their first meeting to unfold like this.

His eldest brother had warned him not to take out his anger on a child, but he had indeed planned to give this brat a show of force. He could understand the boy's opportunism, but it had also affected his eldest brother. If it had only involved himself, Broad Hill might not have cared. But anything that affected the Angel Faction was unacceptable. That had always been his creed.

"Get up first. I haven't said I'm taking you as my disciple."

Broad Hill quickly recovered and waved his hand impatiently, signaling for him to get off the bed.

"Alright."

Han Li put on his shoes and got down from the bed without hesitation, then stood before Broad Hill, who had already seated himself at the table and poured himself a cup of water.

"Before coming here, I went to Spirit Hall to ask about the situation. I heard the final note was added at your suggestion?" Broad Hill set down his cup and stared at Han Li.

"Yes, I asked for it to be added," Han Li answered without the slightest hesitation.

"Do you know that because of this, Worship Hall suffered losses?" Broad Hill did not specify what had happened, but his tone grew sterner.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know. It's not something I should be worrying about." Han Li paid no heed to his tone and answered unhurriedly.

Hearing his matter-of-fact reply, Broad Hill felt as though he had punched a ball of cotton, and a flicker of irritation rose within him. But remembering the boy's age, he forcibly suppressed his displeasure. "Oh? I'd like to hear why you say that. Your answer will determine my attitude toward you."

"Isn't that easy to understand?"

Han Li glanced at Broad Hill before continuing. "Because, up until now, I'm still a viscount of the Heaven Dou Empire, not a member of Spirit Hall. I only came for my awakening, and I could even pay for it. What you're talking about is like an ordinary person asking for better treatment before joining a job. Isn't that perfectly normal?"

"Spirit Hall had a problem because of one document, then shifted the blame onto me, someone who is still an outsider. Isn't that a little inappropriate?"

As Broad Hill watched the little fellow before him argue so forcefully, he could not help seeing things from the boy's perspective. He nodded repeatedly as he listened. What Han Li said did seem to make sense.

Only after Han Li fell silent did he notice that the child across from him was studying his expression, his eyes flickering. He was clearly gauging the situation; if Broad Hill's expression looked wrong, he would likely switch to another explanation immediately.

Only then did Broad Hill realize that while the little brat's words did hold some truth, reasoning with a Titled Douluo like him was rather unnecessary. After all, he could simply choose not to be reasonable.

Yet by now, the anger in his heart had unconsciously dissipated. At the very least, he no longer intended to give the boy a show of force. Then he recalled how this little brat had directly called him "Teacher" earlier. How could he not see that this was another one of his little tricks?

His temperament had always been rather lively. Looking at the boy across from him, he found himself somewhat delighted at the prospect of a worthy challenge. If he truly had to face a completely obedient child in the future, he was not sure whether he would have enough patience to teach him.

"Alright, you pass. Now, formally take me as your master."

Broad Hill looked the boy over with amusement. Seeing the delight on his face, he shook his head.

"Greetings, Teacher."

Han Li quickly walked to the table, poured another cup of tea, and respectfully offered it to Broad Hill. He also let out a sigh of relief inwardly. Though things had gone somewhat differently than expected, he had finally found someone powerful to rely on.

"Mm." Broad Hill gave him a satisfied look, took the teacup, and drained it in one gulp. Then he pointed at a nearby chair. "Sit."

Only then did Han Li realize that his back was already somewhat soaked. Without further ado, he turned the chair around, sat astride it, rested both arms on its backrest, and looked directly at Broad Hill.

As he turned around, Broad Hill saw the marks on the back of his clothes. His smile deepened. He liked this kid's personality even more now. It seemed he would not be bored in the future.

"Your courage is quite impressive. Keep it up," Broad Hill teased.

"Teacher, you flatter me. If I wanted a higher starting point, I could only take a gamble. Even if I lost, no one would deliberately hold it against a child, would they?" Han Li answered with an embarrassed laugh. Since his goal had been achieved and they would be spending plenty of time together in the future, he chose to speak honestly.

"I'm rather curious. If Spirit Hall's response hadn't met your expectations, what were you planning to do?" Broad Hill asked casually.

"In four days, I would have gone to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect," Han Li answered honestly.

Broad Hill was speechless. For a moment, he did not know what to say as he looked at his disciple across from him.

After a long while, he continued, "You're quite clear-headed. It seems I came at just the right time."

"You're so young, yet you already know what you want. That's very good. Can you tell me why you think this way?"

For a moment, Han Li felt as though he were watching The Voice of China. He gathered his thoughts slightly before saying seriously, "This is a world where the strong prey on the weak. I want to become strong. Even if I can't be the strongest, I want to be among the strongest. That way, no one can easily take what I want from me."

Watching such a little brat solemnly declare that he wanted to become the strongest, Broad Hill smiled. But when he heard the latter half of Han Li's words and recalled the information about the boy's parents, he fell silent. He was not good at comforting others.

Did he miss his parents? Broad Hill could not help wondering.

As Han Li spoke, he saw Broad Hill suddenly lower his head and could not help feeling puzzled. Hm? Why did Teacher suddenly get all emo? Did I say something wrong? He swallowed the rest of his line—"sober, I hold power over the world; drunk, I lie upon beauties' knees"—and shut his mouth.

And so, a wonderful misunderstanding was born. It was not until years later, after shouldering countless undeserved blames, that Broad Hill finally came to his senses. Back then, he had truly been foolish to believe only half of that little brat's words.

Thanks to Gechen Langshi for the reward. Here, have an iced cola!

Thanks to Daohen for the support of two monthly tickets. Here, let me light you a cigarette! Please keep reading the new book~~~~~