Fu Shouci beckoned to Tang Yan. "Today, you have become my disciple, making you my fifth direct disciple."
"You already know your eldest senior brother, Xiao Jixue. Come, meet your other senior brothers and sisters."
"Yes, Master."
His second senior brother, Li Mo, wore a gentle smile.
"Junior brother, my name is Li Mo. I'm your second senior brother."
As he spoke, Li Mo took an ice-blue whip out of his Sumeru Ring.
"This is my welcome gift to you, junior brother. I hope you like it."
Tang Yan took it and inspected it, surprise flashing in his eyes. This whip was actually a Superior Spirit Treasure.
Just as he was about to return it, Li Mo pressed the whip firmly into his hands, leaving no room for refusal.
Tang Yan could only thank him. "Thank you for such a generous gift, second senior brother."
Before Li Mo could reply, a woman in flamboyant red robes shoved him aside.
"Junior brother, junior brother! I'm your third senior sister."
Feng Sheng's voice was just like her clothes, brimming with exuberance and boldness.
Tang Yan smiled. "Hello, third senior sister."
"Here, this is a little trinket from your third senior sister."
Feng Sheng pressed a top-tier Purple-Gold Jade Token into Tang Yan's hands, a flicker of excitement flashing through her eyes.
Hehe, my gossip gold mine was right in front of me! This was so exciting!
Tang Yan stared at the purple-gold token in his hands, his lips twitching violently.
This Purple-Gold Jade Token was the equivalent of a top-tier black card in the modern world.
The body's original owner had also possessed a Purple-Gold Jade Token when he was the Tang Family's young master, with a limit of one million Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones.
Something so valuable felt like a hot potato in Tang Yan's hands. Without another word, he tried to give it back.
Xiao Jixue spoke beside him. "Keep it. It's a gift from your third senior sister. She's so poor that all she has left is spirit stones."
Xiao Jixue still remembered how, when their third junior sister had become Master's disciple, she had extravagantly handed him and their second junior brother a Purple-Gold Jade Token each.
Feng Sheng nodded emphatically. "Exactly! Hurry up and take it, junior brother. I just like giving money to people I take a liking to."
Seriously, her junior brother was going to be her source of happiness from now on!
Tang Yan: "..." As expected of a woman whose family owned mines. Talk about loaded!
I used to like giving money to children in impoverished mountain regions, too. Third senior sister and I really are kindred spirits.
Feng Sheng: Children in impoverished mountain regions? Independent cultivators?
She hadn't expected her junior brother to be such a bleeding heart. She only ever gave money to people she liked.
"Junior brother, my name is Cui Yishu. I'm your fourth senior sister."
A woman in long blue-green robes approached Tang Yan. Her voice was soft and gentle, yet full of resolve.
"Hello, fourth senior sister."
Cui Yishu's welcome gift to Tang Yan was a large stack of Formation Plates, all above the fifth grade.
Tang Yan was a little surprised again.
Holy crap! Didn't they say sword cultivators were all broke? Why are my senior brothers and sisters so loaded?
His senior brothers and sisters: We aren't ordinary sword cultivators! We're sword cultivators with all sorts of side hustles!
Such wonderful senior brothers and sisters. It's a shame that every last one of them ends up meeting a bad end.
Xiao Jixue and the others froze. "???" Huh?
Fu Shouci was baffled. What the hell?!!
What kind of bad end? Just tell us! You're killing us here!
When Tang Yan went quiet again, Fu Shouci couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
Tang Yan then respectfully completed the formal ceremony of accepting Fu Shouci as his master.
After receiving his initiation gift, he also received several Sumeru Rings filled with gifts from the Peak Masters.
I went from a penniless nobody to a rich man in one go. Tang Yan laughed happily to himself.
As soon as the ceremony was over, Fu Shouci spoke.
"All right, your eldest senior brother will arrange your accommodations. I still have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."
With that, before anyone could react, he turned into a streak of light and vanished from the Council Hall.
Tang Yan: ...There's something wrong with that lover Master's so fond of... Oh well, what if Master already knows?
The other Peak Masters instantly perked up. Juicy gossip! They could smell juicy gossip.
Feng Sheng's eyes shone. Aaaah! Straight into juicy gossip about Master! How exciting! (ง ˙o˙)ว
Tang Yan stepped back to Xiao Jixue's side.
Master and she have been together for almost ten years. Surely he would've noticed some clues over those ten years?
The Peak Masters gripped their teacups so tightly that deep finger marks appeared on them.
Every one of them looked utterly indifferent, but inwardly, their excitement had already sent their adrenaline soaring.
Yet they had to work hard to suppress that overwhelming excitement, doing everything they could to keep Tang Yan from noticing anything amiss.
Feng Sheng, Zhu Hua, and the other disciples were practically dying of impatience.
What exactly was wrong with Master's—the Sect Leader's—lover?
Tell us! Hurry up and tell us!
But they waited and waited, until the flowers might as well have wilted, without hearing that familiar voice again.
Tang Yan tugged on Xiao Jixue's sleeve and asked quietly.
"Is there anything else we need to discuss?"
What's with the martial uncles? They're all sitting ramrod straight with cups of tea in their hands. Hasn't Master already left? Is the tea that good? Do they have to finish it before they can bear to leave?
Xiao Jixue glanced at his martial uncles and junior brothers and sisters, who were practically clawing their teacups to pieces, and his lips twitched hard.
"No, we're done. If you want to head back, we can leave now."
Tang Yan said, "Then let's go."
He waved to the Peak Masters with a radiant smile.
"Martial uncles, senior brothers and sisters, I'll be heading back with eldest senior brother."
The Peak Masters sighed inwardly with regret. "Go ahead."
Alas! They had missed out on their senior brother, the Sect Leader's juicy gossip yet again.
Who could understand how they felt?!!
Feng Sheng and Zhu Hua stretched out their hands in desperate pleas for him to stay, tears shimmering in their eyes and smiles looking worse than sobs.
Juicy gossip! My juicy gossip! It just flew away right before my eyes! (´⌒`｡)
They were suffering! Suffering so much!
It felt like being so hungry that your eyes gleamed and stars danced before them.
Then someone promised to make you a spectacular feast, letting your imagination run wild.
Next, they served you a delicious appetizer.
You ate it, and it tasted wonderful, making you look forward to the lavish feast even more.
But then!! The goddamn cook said those appetizers were enough for you, and the feast could wait until next time!
Aaaah! Screaming! Faces twisting! Souls wounded! ٩(๑`^´๑)۶
But no matter how indignant these gossip hounds felt, they didn't dare reveal anything suspicious.
They could only watch helplessly as their gossip gold mine strode away on his long legs.
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