A sure thing? You just had to touch a sore spot!

This woman...

Could she be trying to become my master's wife?

As Huo Yudie looked toward Xian Lin'er, a faint sharpness crept into her eyes.

Her cute expression grew a little more serious, and she silently stepped in front of Chu Ge to shield him.

Having only one master meant she still had no master's wife, didn't it? It wasn't impossible that the woman before her had that very idea!

Gradually, an air of danger began to show in her expression, creeping in almost imperceptibly.

"What are you talking about, little girl?"

Hearing that, however, Xian Lin'er paused abruptly, her expression turning blank.

Her gaze shifted to the handsome, youthful Chu Ge beside the girl, surprise showing on her face. She hadn't expected this young man to actually be the girl's master.

But more than anything, she felt wistful.

Although becoming the girl's master's wife would certainly be one way to teach her well, it was absolutely out of the question for Xian Lin'er. She belonged to the previous generation, after all.

No matter how youthful she kept her appearance, her actual age was at least several times that of this little girl's master. Becoming his wife would be far too inappropriate.

Besides, for certain reasons, she had married Qian Duoduo long ago, and many years had passed since then. Although they had never truly lived as husband and wife throughout those decades, they still held that status. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't become this girl's master's wife.

Wait.

I'm actually giving this serious thought...

Xian Lin'er smiled and shook her head.

The child had really led her astray. Perhaps it was also because she had never encountered anything like this before.

What an extraordinary little one.

She thought this silently as she looked at Huo Yudie.

"Yudie."

Faced with the scene unfolding before him, Chu Ge couldn't help giving a helpless smile as he gently stroked her head.

Should he call his disciple thoughtful, or should he call her a little too adorably clueless?

Thoughtful, of course, because she had actually asked someone whether they wanted to become his wife. How very thoughtful... yet that was precisely what made her adorably clueless, too.

Who went up to a stranger and asked them to become their master's wife?!

Your master and she aren't even from the same generation.

How could she possibly become your master's wife?

He couldn't help sighing inwardly.

He swallowed those remarks about Xian Lin'er being old without saying a word. After all, calling a woman old was a cardinal taboo.

"You're not going to become my master's wife?"

Upon learning the answer, Huo Yudie's expression froze for a moment, but her heart relaxed again, and her cute smile returned.

"Good, as long as you're not."

Light sparkled in her eyes once more.

Although she bore Xian Lin'er no ill will, at that moment, her mood still brightened completely.

This young man really is so very young...

At that moment, although Xian Lin'er was thinking about Huo Yudie, her gaze kept drifting toward Chu Ge, studying him.

It was truly hard to imagine that a man who looked about the same age as the Inner Court students had already taken in a genius disciple.

"Hmm?"

"You're here too, Xiaotao."

Only after focusing her gaze on Chu Ge did she quickly notice Ma Xiaotao behind him. She couldn't help smiling as she spoke, clearly not having expected her to be there.

Her relationship with Yan Shaozhe was indeed nothing special, but that had nothing to do with his disciple.

Besides, this little girl had practically grown up under the eyes of the Inner Court elders. Their affection for her went without saying.

"Dean Xian, Chu Ge was the one who wanted to see you. I only showed him the way, so you can pretend I'm not here."

Ma Xiaotao answered respectfully, then shook her head, clearly having nothing else to add.

She was only their guide. She had no intention of getting involved in whatever Xian Lin'er was going to discuss with Chu Ge. Besides...

His little disciple's earlier question, "Do you want to become my master's wife?" had certainly set her heart pounding in alarm.

After all, Dean Xian Lin'er's temper wasn't exactly good.

Had anyone else said something so presumptuous, they would probably have been shown the door already. It was fortunate that Xiao Yudie was such a cute girl.

"Senior, what did you mean earlier, then?"

At that point, Huo Yudie sized up Dean Xian Lin'er again and voiced her question once more.

From Brother Sky Dream's sensing earlier, she had already learned that the woman before her possessed the cultivation of a Titled Douluo. She was undoubtedly powerful.

And since she wasn't trying to become her master's wife, there must be some other explanation for her earlier question.

"What I meant was..."

"Since you only have one teacher, would you be willing to take another master in the field of Soul Tools?"

A kind smile rested on Xian Lin'er's face. Her gaze settled on the girl, carrying a glimmer of anticipation as she spoke slowly.

"The Soul Tool Department's development is soaring like the sun climbing the heavens. With your talent, joining the Soul Tool Department would certainly give you excellent prospects and a bright future. I can absolutely guarantee that."

She spoke with a continuous smile.

This little one wasn't merely a genius. She also possessed advantages in the spiritual field that others lacked, which truly appealed to Xian Lin'er and would be tremendously beneficial to the Soul Tool Department's development.

If possible, she had to take this disciple. Even if the girl already had another master, she still had to do everything she could. Who knew? She might succeed.

"I won't interfere with your existing relationship or the progress of your training. What do you think, Xiao Yudie?"

After some thought, Xian Lin'er added another sentence.

She had clearly noticed how unusual this master-disciple pair's relationship was. The girl undoubtedly held her young master in the highest regard. Guaranteeing his position like this might improve her chances.

"No."

However, Huo Yudie refused without even thinking.

She didn't think much of the proposal at all.

"I only have one master."

She spoke slowly.

Her cute voice was full of earnest seriousness. She had one master, and one master alone: the man beside her.

Other than him, there would never be a second.

Never! Ever!

As expected, that won't work.

At this outcome, Xian Lin'er felt a little disappointed, though she had already prepared herself for it.

On the Douluo Continent, the principle of having only one master was widely accepted. If the girl had truly agreed just like that, Xian Lin'er would instead have felt somewhat let down. Still, what did it matter if she already had a master? It was no great obstacle.

"Xiao Yudie, that's perfectly fine..."

"What I'd like to ask is, are you interested in Soul Tools? Would you like to join the Soul Tool Department and learn to become a Soul Engineer?"

Xian Lin'er spoke with a calm expression and a smile.

Taking her as a disciple wasn't the only way to bring her into the Soul Tool Department. As long as she was willing to study Soul Tools, she would still become one of the department's students.

Once that happened, the Soul Tool Department might even begin to surpass the Martial Soul Department in this era.

This choice doesn't require her to take another master. I'm sure her master will consider what's best for her and speak up to persuade her.

Xian Lin'er looked toward Chu Ge as she thought.

Surely he would agree, for the sake of giving his disciple a better future!

"Soul Engineer..."

Huo Yudie was slightly taken aback by those words, murmuring them under her breath. For some reason, she felt a powerful, mysterious attraction to them, as though they ran through the course of her life.

But the moment she thought of that particularly nasty teacher who had once thrown her weight around in front of her master, abusing the Soul Tool Department's name to do whatever she pleased, Huo Yudie fell silent.

"I'm not going to the Soul Tool Department."

She quickly came back to her senses and refused again.

"Huh?"

Xian Lin'er froze at once.

Seeing the girl look tempted just now, she had thought this was practically a sure thing. She hadn't expected to be rejected again.

How could that possibly happen...?

"I'm the dean of the Soul Tool Department. If you join, I'll make every effort to nurture you and allocate tremendous resources to you."

"Even the Ultimate Individual Soldier Plan recently launched by our department head could be centered around you."

Thinking that she had failed to identify herself and therefore lacked credibility, Xian Lin'er hurriedly spoke.

"This Ultimate Individual Soldier Plan..."

"Is a Soul Engineer training program initiated and led by Fan Yu, the head of our Soul Tool Department. Oh, and his wife is even the homeroom teacher of your first-year Class One..."

Xian Lin'er explained again. As she spoke, her eyes suddenly lit up. If she remembered correctly, the student before her was in Zhou Yi's class.

Surely there wouldn't be any problem now!

A sure thing!

Upon hearing this, however, Huo Yudie slowly raised a question mark in her heart, and her already firm resolve became even firmer.

(End of chapter)