This little girl was none other than Cong Huaijin, the member of the Cong Household who had come to mourn Cong Ya several days earlier.
Jiang Yang held his thoughts in check and smiled, reaching out to support her delicate arm as he said:
"Good, good. Huai Jin, was it? Get up, there's no need for such ceremony."
Still smiling, he turned toward his senior sister and asked in surprise:
"Senior Sister, you... took her as your disciple?"
Foundation Establishment cultivators lived for more than two hundred years and naturally qualified to take disciples. The sect also encouraged cultivators at their level to leave disciples behind to carry on their legacy, but younger cultivators with ambition were rarely enthusiastic about teaching.
After all, once they took a disciple, they had to teach her, carving time out of their own cultivation. Generally, only those who had reached a certain age with no hope of another breakthrough would consider it.
This realm placed great importance on Dao Lineage and tutelage. If someone came from an illustrious line, others would think more highly of them even if their cultivation was shallow, making the relationship between master and disciple particularly important.
Thus, taking a disciple or accepting a master was, strictly speaking, a solemn and serious affair. One could not casually become a hands-off master.
Jiang Yang had only wanted Chu Qingjian to look after the little girl so she would not suffer mistreatment upon returning to her Lineage. He had never expected his senior sister to be so decisive, bringing her back as a disciple outright.
"Yes. Jin'er will be my Founding Disciple from now on."
Chu Qingjian gently patted Cong Huaijin's little head with her right hand and declared this openly.
"Senior Sister, there was no need to go so far..."
With