The Wooden New Disciple

After making a trip to Small Bamboo Peak, no one knew what Shuiyue and Su Ru had discussed, but by evening, Su Ru had returned with her daughter.

"Where's that brat?" Tian Buyi asked casually when he saw that only his wife and daughter had come back.

"He stayed at Small Bamboo Peak. Those martial nieces kept insisting he remain, and I couldn't very well spoil their fun," Su Ru replied with a smile.

"He was only gone for such a short while, and you're already not worried?" Tian Buyi asked curiously when he saw his wife looking as if nothing had happened at all.

"Senior Sister said that since even Spirit Venerable didn't kill Little Ji, it probably no longer blames him. The Sect Master won't be too hard on him either."

"Exactly! And look at you earlier, worried sick and unable to sit still."

"That was me caring about my disciple. Who treats disciples the way you do?"

"All right, all right! My fault, my fault!" Seeing signs that his wife was getting angry, Tian Buyi hurriedly admitted his mistake.

"Senior Sister said she wants Little Ji to stay there a few more days. I'll go pick him up in a few days."

"Did you remind that boy to cultivate properly?" Tian Buyi asked as he looked at his wife.

"Even if I did, do you think it would help?" Thinking of her little disciple's temperament, Su Ru could only sigh.

"That rotten brat!" Thinking of his disciple's lazy nature, Tian Buyi cursed in disappointment.

That evening, Tian Buyi told Su Ru what had happened in Jade Purity Hall after she left. When he thought of that newly accepted disciple of his, he felt gloomy all over again.

"Our Big Bamboo Peak has one more person now!" Su Ru took it in stride. Since they had already accepted him, why think so much? Besides, they already had one little disciple who gave them no peace; even if there was one more, how much worse could it get?

"He's a pitiful child too. Out of several hundred people, only two children and one madman were left." Tian Buyi sighed as he spoke.

"Then treat the child a little better! If he doesn't have the aptitude for cultivation, there's no need to force him. Just teach him properly. Don't we still have the other disciples? And when it comes to cultivation, our Linger's aptitude is excellent too. There's also Little Ji. Perhaps when that child grows a bit older and learns what's good for him, he won't be so muddleheaded anymore."

"Hmph! Counting on that little brat not to be muddleheaded? In my view, we might as well count on Sixth Senior Brother to stop gambling!"

"Is that any way to talk about your own disciples?" Su Ru rolled her eyes and scolded him irritably.

Big Bamboo Peak was rarely so quiet and peaceful that night.

While things were quiet here, Small Bamboo Peak was in an uproar.

"Little Luo! Try this. Is it good?"

"Try this one. This sauce was made from freshly picked fruit."

"Little Luo, come try this. These are several new sets of clothes your senior sisters made for you."

"Wear mine. Wear mine first."

The room was filled with chattering and clamor. Luo Yunji, that little fatty, had his mouth stuffed full of food and pastries still in his hands, while from time to time his senior sisters and martial aunts asked him to taste this and try that. He himself was eating happily, and everyone on Small Bamboo Peak was happily making a fuss.

"These girls!" Outside the room, Shuiyue listened to the commotion inside and shook her head.

"Master! Junior Sisters simply adore Little Luo. Who asked him to be someone who came from our Small Bamboo Peak?" Wen Min supported Shuiyue by the arm and said with a smile.

"When he first came up the mountain, that little fellow smiled at everyone he saw, and he was plump and chubby. Everyone who saw him loved him. In the blink of an eye, he's already grown this big." Shuiyue thought back to the beginning, to the scene when a disciple who had gone down the mountain for training returned carrying an infant. The baby in the swaddling clothes would "gurgle" with laughter nonstop whenever he was awake, and everyone on Small Bamboo Peak had adored him terribly. But Small Bamboo Peak, in the end, only accepted female disciples. So they could only hand the child to her junior sister to raise. Because of that, the relationship between Small Bamboo Peak and Big Bamboo Peak had eased considerably.

"Master! How do you think Little Luo managed to break off Spirit Venerable's horn?" When Wen Min first heard Martial Uncle Su and her master talk about it, even she had been stunned.

"We'll ask him when there's time!" Shuiyue was extremely curious about it as well.

Big Bamboo Peak's newly accepted disciple only woke after sleeping for a full day and night. Eldest Senior Brother Song Daren led him to the kitchen to eat a little, then brought him before their master and mistress.

When Tian Buyi saw this disciple again and saw that he still looked somewhat wooden, anger rose in him. Thinking of how, in Jade Purity Hall, the Sect Master Senior Brother had forced him to accept this disciple only added fuel to the fire.

Tian Buyi snorted coldly and said, "Begin."

The new disciple did not understand. He only heard Song Daren whisper quietly behind him, "Hurry and kneel down. Kowtow to acknowledge your master."

After hearing this, the new disciple immediately knelt down and went thud, thud, thud, kowtowing more than ten times in a row, each one heavy and loud.

"Hehe." Junior Sister Tian Linger could not help laughing aloud.

Su Ru smiled and said, "Good child, nine kowtows are enough."

The new disciple said "Oh," and only then stopped. When he raised his head, everyone saw that his forehead was red, and they could not help laughing. But in Tian Buyi's eyes, this newly accepted disciple seemed even more unbearably stupid. At the thought that he would have to teach such an idiot in the future, he felt a burst of irritation.

"All right, that's enough," Tian Buyi said, in an extremely foul mood. He waved his hand. "Daren, you take him for now. Our sect's rules and precepts, as well as some introductory Daoist techniques, will be taught by you."

Song Daren answered, "Yes." Then, after some hesitation, he said, "But Master, he's still young. As for an introductory disciple's chores..."

Tian Buyi rolled his eyes and said, "Your Junior Brother started introductory chores when he was six."

"Didn't he never do them even once to this day?" Song Daren said quietly.

Afraid of angering his already ill-tempered master any further, Song Daren hurriedly changed the subject and asked, "Master! Should his ranking be based on the order of entry, or..."

"You're all used to calling Little Ji Junior Brother, so there's no need to change it. Besides, when you count it up, you are also ranked by age. I think we'll let this child rank after Sixth Senior Brother. Your Junior Brother can be ranked eighth."

"Yes, Mistress!" everyone answered after hearing this.

Tian Buyi had no objection to this ranking. Once Su Ru finished speaking, he rose and walked toward the rear hall without looking back. The disciples hurriedly bowed in unison. "Respectfully seeing Master off."

"How old are you?" After seeing Tian Buyi leave, Tian Linger nimbly hopped in front of the new disciple and examined him curiously.

"I... I'm eleven!" When the new disciple saw Tian Linger before him, bright-eyed and white-toothed, his heart grew dazed, and he answered somewhat nervously.

"I entered the sect before you, and I'm older than you too! So you have to call me Senior Sister!" Tian Linger said happily.

"Yes!"

"Oh, right! My name is Tian Linger! What's yours?"

"Zhang Xiaofan."

"Zhang Xiaofan!" After hearing it, Tian Linger murmured the name several times.

Zhang Xiaofan knew his name was ordinary, and he lowered his head with a hint of inferiority, not daring to look at anyone else.

"Mm! It sounds better than Little Junior Brother's!" Just as he was feeling embarrassed, he heard Tian Linger say this and froze for a moment.

"Xiaofan! Little Ji! Haha!" Tian Linger compared the two names aloud a few times, then amused herself first and started laughing.

"No fooling around!" Su Ru pulled her daughter over, then said to Song Daren, "Daren, your newly initiated junior brother is still young. I'm afraid the lessons will be a bit hard for him, so take good care of him."

"I understand, Shiniang."

"Whatever you do, don't let him become like your little junior brother. Otherwise, your master really will get angry."

"Shiniang! I'll pay attention!" Thinking of their muddleheaded little junior brother, everyone lowered their heads and laughed.