Pick as You Please

Huh?

He doesn't want to do that with me?

Ya Fei was stunned by his words, completely dumbfounded. Take her as his disciple?

When it came to cultivation talent, she was truly lacking... and a Dou Sheng would want to take her as a disciple? Wait a second, he seemed to have just said he already saw that her aptitude was poor, but that it wasn't a difficult matter. Following this kind of trope, was the next sentence going to be about how he had a top-tier dual cultivation technique on hand that could make her cultivation progress by leaps and bounds?

Hmph, men really are all the same!

In just a few short seconds, Ya Fei had almost staged an entire annual blockbuster drama in her mind.

"Ya Fei? Ya Fei?"

Zhang Nian was also filled with confusion. He had already expressed his good intentions, so why was this girl acting so absent-minded? Could it be that her ambitions didn't lie here? But on the Dou Qi Continent, wasn't the opportunity to cultivate something everyone yearned for?

In his impression, Ya Fei had only abandoned martial arts for literature and focused on business because she lacked cultivation talent.

"Master Saint, I have no talent for cultivation, and my ambitions don't lie here. I... I still like my current life. Being a manager for you is quite good, and me being your disciple would truly be a disgrace to your sect. Let's just forget it... er... that's it... I just remembered I have some things to deal with... I'll be going first..."

After hurriedly finishing a long string of nonsensical words, Ya Fei trotted out of the room, her speed so fast that Zhang Nian was left somewhat dumbfounded.

Did I just say something outrageous??

Becoming my disciple... is it worth panicking like this?

And is this what a young girl looks like when she's excited??

His heart was full of doubts, but Zhang Nian didn't mind. Ya Fei lived right under his nose; sooner or later, she would agree. Who could refuse the recruitment of a Dou Sheng powerhouse?

Well, at least Zhang Nian possessed this kind of mysterious self-confidence.

On the other side, Ya Fei acted as if she had been frightened by something. She trotted all the way back to her room, curled up under her quilt, her two soft palms pressing tightly against both sides of the blanket, her body trembling uncontrollably.

I wonder if the Saint will be angry...

I actually rejected his good intentions...

Pah! He's just lusting after my body! What good intentions! I don't believe it! If there really were pills in this world that could change one's aptitude, how would it ever be my turn...

Time passed minute by minute, and Ya Fei fell asleep amidst her fear and anxiety...

The next day.

At noon.

Yun Shan brought Yun Yun to wait at the mountain gate early. Not long after, Jia Xingtian arrived at the gate alone. The two exchanged smiles, tacitly understanding each other, though Jia Xingtian felt a bit surprised when he saw Yun Yun behind Yun Shan.

Is he bringing the future sect leader to get familiar with the scene early? This old guy Yun Shan really knows how to calculate.

"Old Jia, why has there been no movement from the Empire regarding the Snake-People Tribe?" Yun Shan took the initiative to strike, wanting to set the tone for this matter so that he would have a ready excuse once they went inside—it wasn't that the Yunlan Sect disagreed, but that the Jia Ma Imperial Family was too inefficient.

With a raised brow, Jia Xingtian, who had spent his whole life in the world of martial arts, could easily hear the hidden subtext in those words. He immediately smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Hehe, the Yunlan Sect is the pillar of our Jia Ma Empire. Without your consent, how would our Jia Ma Imperial Family dare to act on our own?"

With that single sentence, he kicked the ball back. Both men smiled, inwardly cursing the other as an old fox, but neither mentioned the Snake-People Tribe again. After a brief probe, Yun Shan circulated his Dou Qi and called out toward the barrier: "Yun Shan of the Yunlan Sect, accompanied by my disciple Yun Yun, has come to pay a visit."

Jia Xingtian quickly added: "Jia Xingtian of the Jia Ma Imperial Family has come by invitation to congratulate the Saint on his housewarming!"

Inside the barrier, Zhang Nian nodded and said to Medusa beside him, calm and composed: "Go and welcome them in. Today, we shall resolve the issue of the Snake-People Tribe's living environment."

Hearing this, Medusa nodded slightly. A faint light flashed from the Storage Ring on her fingertip, and a diamond-shaped emblem appeared in her palm. Her pale purple wings fluttered behind her, and her figure shot into the sky.

Before long, ripples spread across the mountain gate's barrier, and an opening large enough for one person to enter slowly opened. What came into view was that beautiful face, her expression cold and tinged with a hint of disgust, simply because Medusa had seen Yun Yun behind Yun Shan.

"Master is already waiting for you in the main hall." She spoke coldly, which counted as a greeting, then immediately spread her wings and flew away. However, the sharp-minded individuals all heard the cold snort Medusa let out before leaving, and they felt a bit flustered. Only Yun Yun knew that the snort was directed specifically at her.

The three of them unfurled their Dou Qi wings and quickly shot into the sky. The environment was still as familiar as ever, only the stone steps leading up the mountain now had many patterns scribbled onto them.

Inside the main hall, Ya Fei poured tea for the group, her eyes constantly darting toward Yun Yun, who was standing next to Yun Shan. Her gaze was filled with hope, as if the other woman were her savior...

"I invited you here today because I believe you are all aware that the issue of the Snake-People Tribe's living environment should be resolved as soon as possible. What do you think?" He slowly picked up the teacup in front of him, took a light sip, and curled the corners of his mouth slightly, watching the two white-haired old men before him.

"That goes without saying. Regarding this matter, our Yunlan Sect naturally supports it. The addition of the Snake-People Tribe will only add new strength to the Jia Ma Empire; why wouldn't we do it?" Yun Shan smiled, picked up his teacup, gestured slightly toward Zhang Nian in a toast, and then brought it to his lips.

You crafty old thing, shifting the pressure onto the Jia Ma Imperial Family. Jia Xingtian could only force a smile, though he secretly noted this underhanded blow in his heart: "The Imperial Family is still in the process of personnel deployment. We have to make choices, after all. Although the Jia Ma Empire isn't huge, it isn't small either. The resettlement of the commoners in the cities and the selection of the cities themselves all take time. After all, we are just ordinary people; we aren't like you, Saint, who can accomplish all this with a wave of your hand, right?"

Hearing this, Zhang Nian nodded. As the other party said, the facts were indeed as stated. However, if he really let these two old men muddle their way through, how was he supposed to farm favorability in front of Medusa?!

Glancing at his good disciple behind him, Zhang Nian gave a wink to Ya Fei, who was waiting on the side. Ya Fei took the hint, retrieved a scroll from the cabinet behind her, and walked over to spread it out.

This is...

A map of the Jia Ma Empire?

The two old men hadn't yet understood Zhang Nian's intention when, the next second...

"I'm afraid you two are putting too much effort into this matter. How about this: on this map of the Jia Ma Empire, except for the Jia Ma Holy City, my disciple can pick whichever city she takes a fancy to. It will also make your personnel deployment easier."

He stared at the awkward expressions of the two old men as if watching a play, not intending to give them any room to choose. If they facilitated this matter beforehand, it would count as them being sensible; if they didn't, he would step in to help. After all, Zhang Nian was a Saint who loved to help others.

"Disciple, come and choose."