Picking Whatever She Wanted

Huh?

Wasn't he going to do that with me?

Ya Fei was stunned by his words, her mind going completely blank. He wanted to take her as his disciple?

When it came to cultivation talent, she really wasn't cut out for it... And a Saint wanted to take her as his disciple? Wait, he'd just said he'd already seen that her aptitude was poor, but that it wouldn't be difficult to fix. Going by this sort of plot, wasn't he about to say that he had a superior dual cultivation technique that could help her make rapid progress?

Hmph. Men really were all the same!

In just a few seconds, Ya Fei's mind had practically played out an entire year's worth of drama.

"Ya Fei? Ya Fei?"

Zhang Nian was puzzled too. He'd already made his intentions clear, so why did the girl seem so distracted? Could it be that she wasn't interested in this? But on the Dou Qi Continent, wasn't the chance to cultivate something everyone yearned for?

As far as he remembered, Ya Fei had given up martial arts and devoted herself to business precisely because she lacked the talent to cultivate.

"Lord Saint, I don't have any talent for cultivation, and I'm not interested in it either. I... I still prefer the life I have now. Being your steward is quite nice, and it would be a disgrace to your reputation for you to take me as your disciple. Let's just forget it... Um... that's that, then... I just remembered I have some things to take care of... I'll be going..."

After hurriedly rattling off a long string of incoherent words, Ya Fei dashed out of the room. She moved so quickly that even Zhang Nian was left dumbfounded.

Did I just say something outrageous?

Why was she so flustered at the thought of becoming my disciple?

And was this really how a young girl acted when she was excited?

Though he was full of questions, Zhang Nian didn't mind. Ya Fei lived right under his nose. Sooner or later, she'd agree. Who could refuse the offer of a Dou Sheng Expert?

Well, at least Zhang Nian had that sort of baffling confidence in himself.

Meanwhile, Ya Fei ran back to her room as if she'd been frightened by something. She curled up under the covers, pressing both warm hands firmly against either side of the blanket as her body trembled.

I wonder if the Saint will get angry...

I turned down his kind offer...

Bah! He just wants my body! What kind offer? I don't believe it! If there really were pills that could change someone's aptitude, why would they ever be wasted on someone like me...

As the seconds and minutes passed, Ya Fei eventually fell asleep, still anxious and afraid...

The next day.

At noon.

Yun Shan arrived early at the mountain gate with Yun Yun, waiting for the others. Before long, Jia Xingtian arrived alone. The two exchanged knowing smiles, but when Jia Xingtian saw Yun Yun behind Yun Shan, a hint of surprise crossed his mind.

So he's brought the Misty Cloud Sect's future leader to get acquainted in advance? That old fox Yun Shan really knows how to plan ahead.

"Old Jia, why hasn't the Empire done anything about the Snake-People Tribe yet?"

Yun Shan made the first move, hoping to set the tone before they went inside so he'd have something to say later. It wasn't that the Misty Cloud Sect refused to cooperate; the Jia Ma Imperial Family was simply too slow to act.

Jia Xingtian raised an eyebrow. Having spent his whole life navigating the ways of the world, how could he fail to hear the implication behind those words? He immediately smiled and cupped his hands. "Hehe, the Misty Cloud Sect is a pillar of our Jia Ma Empire. Without your approval, how would the Jia Ma Imperial Family dare to make decisions on its own?"

He'd promptly kicked the ball back to Yun Shan. The two smiled at each other while cursing one another as old foxes in their hearts. They didn't bring up the Snake-People Tribe again. After a brief exchange of probing remarks, Yun Shan circulated his Dou Qi and called into the barrier, "Yun Shan of the Misty Cloud Sect has brought his disciple, Yun Yun, to pay a visit."

Jia Xingtian hurriedly added, "Jia Xingtian of the Jia Ma Imperial Family has come at your invitation to congratulate the Saint on his new residence!"

Inside the barrier, Zhang Nian nodded and spoke leisurely to Medusa beside him. "Go and bring them in. Today, we'll settle the matter of the Snake-People Tribe's living conditions."

Medusa gave a slight nod. A faint gleam flashed across her Storage Ring, and she placed the diamond-shaped emblem in her palm. Her pale purple wings beat behind her as she soared into the sky.

Before long, ripples spread across the mountain gate's barrier, and an opening large enough for one person slowly appeared. The first thing they saw was her breathtakingly beautiful face, her expression cool and carrying a trace of distaste. That was because Medusa had seen Yun Yun behind Yun Shan.

"Master is waiting for you in the main hall." She said it coldly, which counted as a greeting, then flew away. But the sharp-eared group heard the faint cold snort she let out as she left, and they felt a little uneasy. Only Yun Yun knew that Medusa had deliberately made sure she heard it.

The three of them spread their Dou Qi wings and swiftly took to the sky. The surroundings were still as familiar as ever, but many haphazardly painted designs had appeared on the stone steps leading up the mountain.

In the main hall, Ya Fei poured tea for the visitors, her eyes repeatedly darting toward Yun Yun, who stood beside Yun Shan. Her gaze was full of hope, as if Yun Yun were her savior...

"I think you all know why I invited you here today. The Snake-People Tribe's living conditions need to be settled as soon as possible. What do you think?" Zhang Nian slowly lifted the teacup before him, took a small sip, and smiled faintly as he looked at the two white-haired old men in front of him.

"Of course. Our Misty Cloud Sect naturally supports this matter. With the Snake-People Tribe joining the Jia Ma Empire, it will only add strength. Why wouldn't we welcome that?" Yun Shan smiled, raised his teacup, and tipped it slightly toward Zhang Nian in a toast before bringing it to his lips.

You old fox. You've smoothly dumped the pressure onto the Jia Ma Imperial Family.

Jia Xingtian could only smile along, though he silently noted the slight he'd suffered. "The Imperial Family is still arranging personnel. We need to make choices, too. The Jia Ma Empire may not be large, but it isn't small either. Settling the people in the city and choosing which city to use will take time. After all, we're only ordinary people. We can't do everything with a wave of our hand like you can, Saint."

Zhang Nian nodded at that. What the other man said was true. But if he let the two old men wriggle out of it just like that, how was he supposed to earn favor with Medusa?

He glanced at his good disciple behind him, then signaled to Ya Fei, who was waiting nearby. Ya Fei promptly took a scroll from the cabinet behind her, walked over, and spread it open.

This...

A map of the Jia Ma Empire?

The two old men still hadn't understood what Zhang Nian meant when, the next moment...

"I'm worried you'll wear yourselves out over this matter. How about this: as for the cities on this map of the Jia Ma Empire, my disciple can choose whichever one she likes—except for Jia Ma Holy City. That should make it easier for you to arrange the people."

He watched the two old men's awkward expressions as if he were enjoying a show, making no move to give them any say in the matter. If they managed to settle this beforehand, that would show they knew what they were doing. If they didn't, he'd step in and help. After all, Zhang Nian was a Saint who loved helping others.

"Disciple, go ahead and choose."