Chapter Four: It Might Hurt a Little "Out the door and to the left." Bai Qiuran looked at Tang Ruowei, his gaze complicated. "Leave this to me. I'll bring her identity jade pendant and clothes over as soon as I can." With that, he shut the door.
"My seniority is higher than theirs. Why aren't you nervous around me?"
"Come on, call me that once. I've never heard it in my life."
"Besides, doesn't the Azure Nether Sword Sect have me, a useful Martial Ancestor Uncle? Hmph. Did you really think I couldn't see you bringing your disciples to stand on the cliffs of your peaks and point at Seven Star Peak every time?"
Tang Ruowei's face flushed all the way to her ears.
Bai Qiuran didn't seem to care. "I heard there are two with Heavenly Spirit Roots this time. Who's the other one?"
The six elders broke out in a cold sweat.
"Huh? Something about that last bit feels off. Why does my heart hurt so much..."
"Oh... so you came prepared," Sixth Elder Qing Yun murmured.
"So that's how it is."
The elders hurriedly begged for mercy. "Martial Ancestor Uncle, please show mercy."
"Spirit Roots aren't anything rare. You can even replenish them by taking a few Heaven Mending Pills."
Seeing their reaction, Bai Qiuran understood at once and looked at them with a string of cold laughs.
"There, there, be a good girl."
Bai Qiuran forcibly ushered the cluster of elders out of the courtyard, then tossed the unconscious Sect Master to them.
"Take care. Work hard, and keep it up."
Bai Qiuran said coolly, "Make him understand that Heavenly Spirit Roots aren't anything special."
"That's not enough. Don't underestimate cultivation. This level of fitness won't even support a tall enough tower."
"Leave it to me. We can keep everything simple."
"Then come here."
"You can tell with just one glance?"
"Where's the bathroom?"
"Mm. There's only one way. Give me your hand."
Tang Ruowei covered her face and fled at a sprint. Watching her go, Bai Qiuran sneered. "Hmph. You little brat, picking a fight with me? You think I wasted these three thousand years? When I get serious, what girl can last ten minutes in front of me?"
Tang Ruowei puffed out her cheeks. "Then you have to change what you call me, too. If you're so capable, try calling me something!"
Bai Qiuran crooked a finger at her.
After the apprenticeship ceremony, Bai Qiuran didn't waste any time and immediately began teaching.
Bai Qiuran replied coolly.
Bai Qiuran sat up straight and regarded her at his leisure.
"Since you're my disciple, it's my responsibility to take you further. You'll definitely reach a higher realm than I have. The technique you practice is also in the Azure Nether Sword Sect's Library Pavilion. As the guardian technique of a mortal kingdom, it's certainly good enough, but compared with cultivation, it's too shallow in its handling of internal energy and doesn't devote enough attention to external training. Trying to do both means it comes up short in both, and it can't support cultivation."
"A Soil Spirit Root at the Heavenly Spirit Root level... It seems the Shangxuan Imperial Clan's talent across generations has all gathered in you."
"And you'd better change how you address each other, too. Calling Miss Tang is too distant for Martial Ancestor Uncle, while calling little Ruowei by her name is rather impolite."
Bai Qiuran clapped his hands. "You can go back now. The Azure Nether Sword Sect's daily affairs still need your attention."
Bai Qiuran looked up at Tang Ruowei.
Tang Ruowei sat across from Bai Qiuran, rubbing the rough teacup in her hands.
"Ah, now that the elders and Sect Master are gone, I feel so much more relaxed."
Bai Qiuran took Tang Ruowei through a simple apprenticeship ceremony. From that moment on, she had become his disciple—the first formal disciple in his more than three thousand years of life.
"But, Master, I've been practicing the Mysterious Dragon Technique of the Shangxuan Imperial Clan since I was six. I feel like I'm much stronger than an ordinary mortal already."
"I don't know. Maybe it's because someone insisted on making me drink with him earlier."
"Not bad. Your wings have hardened."
Tang Ruowei stared at his face, working up to it for a long while before finally managing to squeeze out two words.
"Th-this might be too much too fast. Otherwise, she could easily give up."
After living here for two days and hearing Bai Qiuran call her that nonstop, Tang Ruowei barely reacted anymore. She answered his question with an even expression. "Master, is it bone structure?"
Third Elder worked very efficiently. Before long, he had someone deliver Tang Ruowei the jade pendant that identified her as a disciple of the Azure Nether Sword Sect and her sect uniform. He also had Bai Qiuran's little courtyard expanded a bit, adding a boudoir for Tang Ruowei and a practice room for meditation.
"M-Master." Tang Ruowei had never thought Bai Qiuran's smile could look so... punchable.
Bai Qiuran gave the elders a lazy sidelong glance.
Bai Qiuran smiled at her. "Tell me."
"I-I'm going to the bathroom."
"Oh, then remind Jueyun to knock him down a peg first."
"I know, I know. Do you think I understand any less than you do?"
Bai Qiuran put on a serious expression and spoke in a deliberately tender voice. "Ruowei."
"It doesn't matter. I have plenty of time anyway. Teaching Miss Tang wouldn't be a bad idea."
He led Tang Ruowei to the newly built practice room. They sat facing each other on cushions atop the wooden floor, and Bai Qiuran asked, "Ruowei, do you know what matters most at the beginning of the path of cultivation?"
Liu Yun clapped her hands and laughed.
Tang Ruowei stared at the chipped teacup, pondering for a long while before suddenly saying, "Honestly, shouldn't we change how we address each other? I also feel like it's not right to keep calling you by your name."
"Of course we don't mind. By seniority, we ought to call her Senior Sister."
"Bone structure is certainly important, but it isn't the most important thing."
Meanwhile, Bai Qiuran returned to his room and sat down across from Tang Ruowei again.
Seventh Elder Liu Yun hesitated.
"By the rules, a personal disciple of an elder or the Sect Master wears red. Martial Ancestor Uncle may not hold an official position in the sect, but given little Ruowei's current standing, I don't think anyone would object to giving her red robes, would they?"
"Then it's settled. You call me Master."
Tang Ruowei asked curiously, "What should I do now?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Bai Qiuran suddenly felt an inexplicable sadness well up deep inside him.
Tang Ruowei's face reddened, but she stubbornly held her ground. "Fine, I'll call you that. You really think I'm embarrassed?"
Bai Qiuran took Tang Ruowei's soft, limp hand in his. "Ruowei, this might hurt a little in a moment. Don't hate your master, all right?"
"All right, I've taken her in. Happy now?"
"Then that's settled."
"If you don't even have that much fortitude, what's the point of cultivating? You might as well go home and farm."
Bai Qiuran waved impatiently.
Several elders stood in the doorway, exchanging glances. They weren't sure whether their matchmaking had worked, but they didn't dare keep bothering Bai Qiuran. They could only carry the Sect Master back to their respective peaks, full of uncertainty.
Sixth Elder Qing Yun added.
Third Elder replied.
"Not a chance."
"I only found out after I'd kept my hand on that stone for ages!" Tang Ruowei exclaimed.
Even Third Elder, who had opposed it all along, now threw himself into the matter.
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