Ren Wei's Intentions

When Qiusheng heard Ren Tingting's request, his brows furrowed slightly.

At first, he'd been ready to refuse outright. But after hesitating for a while, he finally agreed.

After all, the world was far too dangerous now. It wouldn't be a bad idea for Ren Tingting to learn a few ways to protect herself.

That way, if she ever ran into danger, she wouldn't be completely ignorant of even the most basic precautions.

"Fine. I'll go talk to Master."

After saying that, Qiusheng pushed his bowl, which he'd cleaned out completely, toward Ren Tingting, then went to find Uncle Nine, who was resting in his room.

Uncle Nine was sitting cross-legged, slowly restoring the vital energy within him.

Although subduing the zombie this time hadn't left him with any serious injuries, it had still depleted his vital energy, so he would need several days of recuperation.

"Master."

Qiusheng came to his master's side. Seeing that he was still meditating, he stood quietly beside him without moving.

Only after Uncle Nine finally opened his eyes did Qiusheng call out softly.

"Hmm? What is it?"

Uncle Nine had only just opened his eyes when he saw his eldest disciple standing beside him. He immediately asked in a quiet voice.

"Master, I have an unreasonable request. I hope you'll grant it!"

Seeing his master look at him in question, Qiusheng immediately spoke up.

"Go ahead. What is it?"

"Uh, Tingting said she wants to become your disciple. I was wondering if you'd be willing to take her in."

"That... might not be appropriate. I've never taken a female disciple."

Uncle Nine hesitated as he looked at the hope in his disciple's eyes.

"Master, this is an emergency! Why not take her as an unofficial disciple? You don't even have to teach her much—just show her how to stay alive if she ever encounters ghosts or monsters."

Qiusheng spoke helplessly. It really was asking a lot for Uncle Nine to take a female disciple.

If their Martial Aunt Zhegu were here, it would be perfect. Tingting could become her disciple instead.

Unfortunately, not only was Martial Aunt Zhegu's home far from Ren Family Town, but Uncle Nine was so wary of her that Qiusheng had almost no hope of that happening.

He was just thinking about this when he suddenly heard his master speak.

"Qiusheng, that really wouldn't be appropriate."

"How about you write a letter to your martial aunt and ask her to come stay in Ren Family Town for a while? She could take Ren Tingting as her disciple. What do you think?"

"That's no problem. I'll write to her right away."

Hearing his master say that, Qiusheng agreed without hesitation and turned to leave the quiet room.

He knew where Zhegu lived. After discussing it with Tingting, he could invite his martial aunt to come over.

As he walked, though, Qiusheng's brows furrowed. Then his expression relaxed, and he turned to look back at the quiet room where his master was, a strange smile on his face.

"Huh? What's going on? Master used to avoid Zhegu at all costs, and now he's asking me to invite her over. Could it be that Master's heart is stirring?"

At the thought, Qiusheng couldn't help laughing, and his pace quickened.

"Tingting, Tingting! It's all settled!"

Qiusheng hurried over to Ren Tingting. As he spoke, he took her little hand and pulled her toward his bedroom.

"Brother Sheng, Brother Sheng, it's not even dark yet. What are you doing?"

Qiusheng dragged Tingting into his bedroom. Her face flushed red as she spoke in a coy voice.

Seeing her reaction, Qiusheng was taken aback. Then his heart skipped a beat as he realized the girl had gotten the wrong idea.

He flicked her on the nose and laughed.

"You little rascal, what are you thinking?"

"I brought you in here to help me with my writing. I need to write a letter."

Hearing her Brother Sheng say that only made Ren Tingting blush even more. She hurriedly tried to explain herself while wandering around Qiusheng's room.

"I wasn't thinking anything, Brother Sheng. Don't say that."

"By the way, Brother Sheng, where's your ink and brush? I'll grind the ink for you."

Seeing how adorable and coy Tingting looked, Qiusheng couldn't resist any longer. He pulled her into his arms and cuddled her for a while before sitting properly at his desk. Then, as he chatted with Ren Tingting, he wrote the letter.

"Tingting, Master said that it really wouldn't be appropriate for you to become his disciple, since you're a girl."

"But don't worry. I have a martial aunt who's always been close to Master. This time, Master's asked me to invite her to Ren Family Town. You can become her disciple instead."

"Brother Sheng, you have a martial aunt? How come you've never mentioned her?"

"Heh, Tingting, you don't know this, but my martial aunt really likes our master."

"But Master has always been thinking about his childhood sweetheart, so he's been avoiding her."

"I never thought Master would ask her to come out here because of you."

Qiusheng bent over his desk, writing as he told Ren Tingting all the gossip about Uncle Nine.

Tingting propped her chin on both hands and gazed dreamily at Qiusheng. For a while, the room was filled with a particularly warm atmosphere.

Before long, Qiusheng finished writing. He turned his head and saw that Tingting had fallen asleep beside him, her head resting on the table. He smiled, shook his head, and carried her to the bed, taking off her shoes and socks.

After that, Qiusheng didn't linger. He left Uncle Nine's public mortuary and headed toward Ren Family Town.

When he reached Ren Family Town, he found Ren Wei and told him he wanted to send a letter.

Ren Wei immediately thumped his chest and promised to make sure Qiusheng's letter was delivered. Qiusheng then prepared to take his leave.

But just then, Ren Wei suddenly grabbed him and put on a fawning smile.

"Heh-heh, well... Master, please accept this disciple's bow!"

Watching Ren Wei's performance, Qiusheng froze, then quickly reached out to help him up.

"Ren Wei, what are you doing? I'm not qualified to take disciples yet. If you really want to cultivate the Dao, go ask my master to take you in."

"No. I only want to become your disciple, Master."

Despite Qiusheng's refusal, Ren Wei remained insistent.

Naturally, he had his own little reasons for being so persistent.

You see, Qiusheng and the others were currently of the twenty-third generation of Maoshan.

If Ren Wei became Uncle Nine's disciple, he would just be an ordinary twenty-third-generation disciple, with countless senior brothers and sisters ahead of him.

But if he became Qiusheng's disciple, wouldn't that make him a leading disciple of the twenty-fourth generation? Just imagine how impressive that would sound.