The orphanage nestled on the outskirts of Maple City suddenly grew lively.
The orphanage, once an unvisited haven apart from the world, suddenly received many visitors in luxurious clothes, each clearly possessed of an extraordinary bearing.
They all said they wanted to adopt children from the orphanage, the sooner the better.
Whether from their manners or their clothes, anyone could tell at a glance that these people were far from ordinary.
Every gesture carried an air that inspired trust, and their words made people believe them despite themselves.
Even many of the orphans were moved by their promises, or longed for a complete family, so they readily agreed.
These past few days had also seen the orphanage director at his most thunderous. Watching the smiling Great Cultivators arrive each day, he felt as though yellow-haired punks had come to root up the cabbages he had raised.
When faced with these visitors, the director not only mocked them and made barbed remarks, but would even throw them out at the slightest disagreement.
They did not get angry either. If one visit failed, they came twice. If two visits failed, they came every day.
They would wear him down through sheer persistence to take away a suitable disciple.
One bald Daoist in particular even declared boldly that he would take five or six.
With the influx of these people, the orphanage's once-peaceful days became unbearably noisy.
The boy sat on the steps, watching the newly bustling orphanage with a foxtail stem between his lips, bored out of his mind.
"Big brother, do you want a mom and dad? If you do, I'll ask them to adopt both of us!" Ou Ye stood beside the boy, hugging his precious Firewood Stick as he spoke.
"Oh? What's this? Someone's come to adopt you too?"