Fooling Zi Yan

Zi Yan shot him a glance. Zhang Nian looked much younger than that old geezer Su Qian, and the aura he gave off wasn't nearly as threatening. It had to be because she'd been eating too much lately, and Old Man Su Qian was feeling the pinch!

What a nasty old man!

Little Zi Yan was furious inside. The two tiny fists hidden behind her back clenched tightly. Suddenly, she fixed her eyes on Zhang Nian and asked in a childish voice, "You want to be my teacher?"

Medusa, standing behind Zhang Nian, gazed at Zi Yan with her beautiful eyes. For some reason, she felt a trace of fondness for the girl. As a Snake-Person, she quickly realized that Zi Yan wasn't human. She looked like a magical beast that had eaten a Humanoid Pill—or perhaps swallowed Humanoid Grass?

Su Qian, who was holding Zi Yan's hand, and the Qian and Bai Elders standing on either side knew full well how powerful Zhang Nian was. He looked harmless, but he was capable of destroying Jia Nan Academy with a flick of his wrist.

Oh, my little ancestor, please watch what you say!

"That's right." Zhang Nian smiled faintly. Taking Zi Yan as his disciple was a certainty. This little female dragon would play a crucial role. The key to breaking through the final barrier on this continent was the Source Qi of the Emperor. The only way to obtain it was to enter Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion and get the Emperor Grade Embryonic Pill. The guardian was Zi Yan's father, the Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragons.

He still didn't know much about the system. For now, all he could do was plan for his future. The main events hadn't unfolded yet, but the Soul Clan's plot had been in the works for a long time. He had no real strength at the moment; his only means of self-defense were the two Dou Sheng Experience Cards the system had given him when it awakened. He'd already used one to take on a disciple, and only one remained. Zhang Nian wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary.

"Hmph!" Zi Yan might not be mature for her age, but she understood a thing or two about how people got along. She could tell from Su Qian's and the elders' expressions that this young man was probably no ordinary person. Still, she didn't want to go with Zhang Nian. She scrunched up her little nose, pulled her hand away from Su Qian, planted her hands on her hips, and challenged him, "You say you want to take me as your disciple, but I eat a lot! Look at Old Man Su Qian—he's so scared of how much I eat that he wants to send me away."

Hearing such childlike words, everyone struggled to hold back their laughter. Medusa gave Zi Yan a tender look. Seeing how wary the little girl was, she seemed to guess what had happened and thought with a sigh, This little one must have had a hard life before coming to Jia Nan Academy.

That was true. The world of magical beasts was simpler than the human world, but also more dangerous. Magical beasts without strength were bullied, especially ones like Zi Yan, who was weak to begin with and had eaten a Humanoid Pill or Humanoid Grass. Her strength wasn't enough for her to return to her true form.

Su Qian could only smile bitterly. This man could get you whatever you wanted to eat. He's a Dou Sheng Expert, after all.

"Don't worry. I know you can eat a lot, but..." Zhang Nian flipped his hand, and a brown pill appeared above his palm.

"Gasp! What a powerful aura! That pill must be at least Eighth-Tier!" The Qian and Bai Elders were astonished. As expected of a Dou Sheng Expert—he could produce such a powerful pill with a flick of his wrist.

The scent of medicine spread through the air. Medusa stared at the pill in Zhang Nian's palm. For some reason, she felt filled with anticipation. It was an instinctive feeling: if she could swallow that pill, she would undergo a completely new transformation.

As she gazed at the extraordinary pill, a few clear, sticky drops of drool slipped from the corners of Zi Yan's mouth.

"Slurp."

She raised her tender little hand to wipe away the drool and spoke again in her childish voice. "But why do you want to take me as your disciple? We've never met before, and how did you know I was here? There's something fishy about you!"

Zhang Nian was at a loss for words. Of course, he couldn't tell anyone that he had the story all planned out in his head. And showing up out of nowhere and demanding to take her as his disciple was indeed a bit rash.

He scratched his nose awkwardly and slipped one hand behind his back. Gazing up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, he put on a wistful expression, then spoke in a voice rich with emotion:

"Here's what happened. About fifteen years ago, I was eating dumplings by the roadside when a master fortune-teller passed by and took a long look at me. Then he told me that I was destined to become your teacher. He said I should come to Jia Nan Academy fifteen years later, find a little girl named Zi Yan, and take her as my disciple. Otherwise, my cultivation would be ruined, and I'd even suffer a backlash from the heavenly lightning. That's why this is happening today."

"Oh, my..." Su Qian covered his mouth in disbelief. From his horrified eyes and trembling eyelashes, he seemed to believe the story. He was even eager to find the mysterious fortune-teller Zhang Nian had mentioned. He wanted to know where his own destined opportunity lay.

The Qian and Bai Elders exchanged glances. They saw confusion, shock, and bewilderment in each other's eyes. Since when had there been such a thing as fortune-telling on the Dou Qi Continent? Was it unique to the Central Plains? They'd never heard of it. Could they have been at Jia Nan Academy so long that they'd lost touch with the outside world?

Perhaps only Medusa understood what was really going on. She gave an exasperated smile. Well, Master really does have a thick skin. He's fooled two disciples with the same excuse: whenever he can't explain something, he says it was destined. She shook her head. Considering her own position, she chose to keep quiet.

Naive as she was, Zi Yan tilted her head, seeming to ponder something. After a moment, she cautiously asked, "Then did that fortune-teller ever say where my people—or my family—are?"

"Hoo..."

Zhang Nian slowly let out a breath and gazed at Zi Yan tenderly. "His exact words were: 'This concerns a world-shaking secret. I can't reveal it, or I'll suffer the wrath of the Heavenly Dao, be struck by five thunderbolts, and leave not even a corpse behind.' But he calculated that I'm the destined person who'll help you find your people and your family. So we, master and disciple, can help each other achieve our goals. Do you understand what I mean...?"

After fooling—no, after finishing his explanation, Zhang Nian fell silent. He glanced at the experience time remaining in his mind: less than twenty minutes. He was starting to panic. The system was strict; once the time ran out, his strength would probably disappear completely. He couldn't exactly use his last Experience Card. That was his life-saving trump card.

"Is that so..." Zi Yan rested her cheek on one hand, deep in thought. After a moment, she nodded firmly. "In that case, I'll go with you! From today on, you're my master!"

"Hoo..."

Zhang Nian breathed a sigh of relief. He said no more. While he'd had the chance, he'd already stored the Fallen Heart Flame in his space. Now he only needed to take Zi Yan back and carve out a place in the Jia Ma Empire where they could all live.

[Beep! Detected that Zi Yan sincerely wishes to become a disciple. Binding...]

[Beep! Disciple accepted. Current number of disciples: 2. Remaining disciples available: 0. Updating Zi Yan's attributes...]

[Name: Zi Yan]

[Strength: One-Star Dou Ling]

[Bloodline: Ancient Void Dragon]

[Items: None]

[Beep! Successfully accepted Zi Yan as a disciple. Reward: Portable Herb Repository (contains one hundred random medicinal herbs of each tier, from First-Tier to Ninth-Tier). Note: System-guaranteed herbs from the repository that are given to disciples will not be returned.]