Unless You Marry Him

"Pouting won't help either!" Xiao Jinghou shot her an annoyed glare.

This girl usually charged about the Pill Tower without a care in the world, fearing neither heaven nor earth. Only in front of him did she show this girlish side of herself.

But an oath was an oath. He would never make an exception.

Han Shanshan pursed her lips, her phoenix eyes full of unwillingness.

She glanced at Lin Yu, then turned back to stare at her master. Her eyes shifted as she persistently pressed, "Then what would it take for you to accept him?"

Seeing his disciple's determination not to give up until she got what she wanted, Xiao Jinghou sighed helplessly.

Then a mischievous glint flashed through his eyes. Stroking his beard, he leisurely said, "Unless you marry him."

"Marry... Master!" Two red clouds spread across Han Shanshan's face at a visible speed. The blush burned from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, even tinting her neck a faint pink.

She instinctively raised a hand to cover her face, only to find that her palm was hot too. For a moment, she did not know where to put it.

Those phoenix eyes that were usually so haughty now darted everywhere, refusing to look in Lin Yu's direction.

Yet her embarrassment lasted only a moment. She bit her lower lip, tilted her head as though seriously considering it, and stammered, "It's not impossible, but... he's younger than me!"

Standing to the side, Lin Yu's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

The thought process of this medicine fanatic truly was beyond ordinary people's comprehension.

But Lin Yu understood perfectly well.

What kind of person was Xiao Jinghou? A dignified ninth-grade alchemist of the Pill Tower—how could he carelessly promise his only final disciple to a stranger he had just met?

It was merely a joke, a roundabout refusal. Through this half-joking remark, he was telling Han Shanshan that taking Lin Yu as a disciple was absolutely impossible and urging her to back down.

Xiao Jinghou had simply failed to anticipate that his disciple's stubbornness would far exceed his expectations.

Sure enough, Xiao Jinghou clearly had not expected Han Shanshan's reaction.

A trace of nearly imperceptible astonishment crossed his usually placid face. Then he stroked his beard, coughed dryly, and added along with the flow, "Ahem, I mean he would have to marry into your family."

"No. He's a man, and I hate men who marry into their wives' families." Han Shanshan actually gave it serious thought.

She frowned slightly and lightly tapped her cheek twice with a slender finger.

After a moment, she shook her head and decisively rejected the idea, as though marrying into her family was the true crux of the issue.

Xiao Jinghou's beard trembled. He had only said it casually to scare the girl off—why was she analyzing it so seriously instead?

Was she really considering marrying a young man she had met for the first time today?

Where had that disciple who immediately fell silent whenever marriage was mentioned gone?

"Other than that condition." Han Shanshan casually dismissed this absurd requirement and continued her offensive.

She climbed up from the ground, using both hands and feet, then clung to the white-haired old man like a koala. Her arms wrapped tightly around her master's neck as she unceremoniously hung her full weight on him.

"L-Let go! Have some propriety!" Xiao Jinghou swayed from her pounce and nearly lost his seat.

One hand braced against the ground to steady himself while the other tried to pry Han Shanshan's arms away. Yet he did not dare use any battle qi for fear of hurting her. If the other Pill Tower elders saw this flustered sight, their jaws would surely drop.

"Master, Master, just agree," Han Shanshan said. Not only did she refuse to let go, she buried her head in Xiao Jinghou's shoulder, her voice as soft and syrupy as melted honey. "I already agreed to let him study in the Holy Tower. If you refuse, I'll secretly teach him myself, even the secret arts."

Xiao Jinghou's head truly began to ache.

He had spoiled this final disciple far too much. He indulged her in everything; no rule meant anything before her. Over time, she had developed this utterly willful temperament.

It was one thing for her to rampage through the Pill Tower, but now she even dared use secret arts as bargaining chips.

All these years, he had worried whether a mad girl who feared neither heaven nor earth could ever get married.

So whenever something happened, he would usually bring out his ultimate weapon—threatening to marry her off.

This trick had always worked. The moment he mentioned marriage, she would immediately lower her banner and fall silent as a cicada in winter.

Yet today—

She was actually considering it!!!

And seriously considering it right in front of the man concerned!

The more Xiao Jinghou thought about it, the worse he felt. His gaze drifted uncontrollably toward Lin Yu, carrying an unusually resentful hint of displaced blame.

This was too much!

What kind of magic did this brat named Lin Yu possess? The disciple he had raised for so many years was taking someone else's side the very first time they met?

Noticing that her master had been silent for rather long, Han Shanshan lifted her face, blinked at him, and persistently asked, "Then what would work? Oh, Master, just tell me whatever conditions you have—other than making him marry into my family."

Xiao Jinghou closed his eyes and rubbed his throbbing temples.

At this point, he understood. If he did not relent today, this girl might truly tear apart his secret chamber.

She even dared teach secret arts to outsiders. What would she not dare do?

Rather than let her teach him in secret without even a proper title, it would be better to accept him personally. At least then, he could keep him somewhat in line.

He let out a long sigh, filled with helplessness and exasperation, though a trace of barely noticeable tenderness hid within it.

"Then let him be a registered disciple first." Xiao Jinghou waved a hand, his tone carrying the resigned compromise of someone accepting his fate.

This was exactly what Lin Yu had been waiting to hear.

He immediately straightened his robes, dropped to both knees, clasped his hands before him, and bowed with his back straight and body slightly inclined. With solemn respect, he performed an impeccable disciple's salute. "This disciple greets Master!"

"Rise." Xiao Jinghou sat upright and accepted the salute, his expression returning to its usual dignified authority.

He watched Lin Yu slowly rise. There was less of the scrutiny reserved for a stranger in his eyes and more of a teacher's expectation. In a solemn tone, he instructed, "Though you are only a registered disciple, you are still one of my disciples. You must follow the rules in all you do and must not tarnish my name."

Lin Yu nodded solemnly.

At last, Han Shanshan released Xiao Jinghou's neck, jumped down from him, dusted off her skirt, and turned toward Lin Yu.

The blush on her face had not fully faded, but she had already regained her usual bold and confident bearing.

Still, a faint excitement hid at the corners of her eyes and brows, as though she had accomplished something extraordinary. Her whole body seemed to float with delight.