Eldest Sister and Little Senior Sister

Could something truly be wrong with the Celestial Master? What impact would that have on Celestial Master Mansion as a whole?

Lei Jun first reined in his wildly wandering thoughts.

He spoke calmly. "Eldest Sister guided me onto the path, and not being able to enter her lineage was already a regret.

"Over this time, Elder Yuan and Senior Brother Wang have given me much guidance in my cultivation. If Elder Yuan does not disdain me, this disciple still hopes to enter Elder Yuan's lineage."

Wang Guiyuan was surprised.

Yuan Mobai's smile did not fade. "A master chooses disciples, and disciples choose masters. Who would reject such a fine disciple? I've picked up a huge bargain from Sect Leader Senior Brother and Disciple Yuan Zhen."

Xu Yuanzhen said, "Don't include me."

"Congratulations, Master, on gaining such an excellent disciple." After recovering from his surprise, Wang Guiyuan smiled. "Junior Brother Lei, now we truly are fellow disciples."

Lei Jun said, "From now on, I ask Master, Eldest Sister, and Senior Brother Wang for your continued supervision."

The formal change in forms of address would actually have to wait until he attended the Chuan Du Initiation and his lineage was officially confirmed.

But with only the four of them here in private, it did no harm for Lei Jun to change how he addressed them.

"The Celestial Master is emerging from seclusion for the New Year. For this Ordination Ceremony, I imagine quite a few people will strive their utmost to become the Celestial Master's Personal Disciples?" Wang Guiyuan asked softly.

Yuan Mobai said, "Only natural."

He smiled at Xu Yuanzhen. "Xiao Tang can finally have her wish fulfilled. She has had a hard time waiting nearly ten years."

Xu Yuanzhen said, "She chose this road herself. As long as she can accept it, that is enough."

Wang Guiyuan said, "I remember Junior Sister Tang had gone into seclusion before as well. Has she already emerged?"

Xu Yuanzhen said, "Two days ago."

At first, Lei Jun did not realize whom they were discussing, but after listening a little longer, he recalled a legendary figure from the Dao Child Courtyard whose name he had heard but whom he had never met.

Tang Xiaotang.

Back at Green Cloud Ripple River Beach, because of the uproar over the great brawl at the Talisman Ink Building, the other Dao children had mentioned this Senior Sister Tang as well.

A legendary peerless genius, the foremost monstrous prodigy who had made the sacred Taoist land, Celestial Master Mansion, break its rules for her more than once.

Of the Dao Child Courtyard's eight courtyards, the First Courtyard had, in recent years, always been the private preserve of the Li Clan Disciples.

The sole exception was Tang Xiaotang, because wherever she went, she liked being first.

As far as Lei Jun knew, this girl had entered the Dao Child Courtyard roughly ten years ago. During that time, she had missed three Ordination Ceremonies and had never formally become a True Disciple of Celestial Master Mansion through Chuan Du Initiation.

Of course, it was not that she lacked the qualifications to undergo Chuan Du Initiation. She simply had her heart set on becoming a Personal Disciple of the Celestial Master.

Yet the Contemporary Celestial Master Li had remained in seclusion throughout the past decade or so. Thus Tang Xiaotang had kept waiting, becoming a Dao child for ten years.

That was only because the Contemporary Celestial Master was still alive. Otherwise, everyone might well have accepted a disciple on his behalf outright.

It was said that the mansion could not bear to hold back such a peerless genius, so quite a few elders had privately made exceptions to give her special instruction.

When Li Family disciples received special treatment, it was generally only in the form of receiving a little more resources and enjoying a few more advantages.

But this genius girl was rumored to have encountered many true transmission secret arts and divine abilities that Dao children could previously never access...

Yet no one brought such matters into the open. Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning them.

No one knew who had started it, but she had been given the nickname "Little Senior Sister," corresponding to Eldest Sister Xu Yuanzhen. It was half teasing, half respectful.

Before Lei Jun entered the mansion, Tang Xiaotang had already begun appearing less often at the Dao Child Courtyard. Gradually, she became a legendary figure in the mouths of the other young Dao children.

It was only after she left that the other talented youths began to shine anew.

For example, this year's rising star, Chen Yi of the Eighth Courtyard.

"Lei Jun, you haven't met Xiao Tang yet, have you?"

Elder Yuan smiled at Lei Jun. "Speaking of which, the two of you do share a certain karmic tie. Over these ten years, Disciple Yuan Zhen has only brought the two of you back to the mountain."

Lei Jun was somewhat surprised and turned to look at Xu Yuanzhen.

Xu Yuanzhen said, "Two is already a lot."

Lei Jun suddenly recalled that just after Xu Yuanzhen had brought him back to the mountain, when they went to the Dao Child Courtyard, the Instructor there had complained that the person she had brought back had bullied the other Dao children—one person bullying a whole group.

So the Instructor had been talking about that legendary Tang Xiaotang?

"I'll take Junior Brother Lei to meet her."

Wang Guiyuan said, "It truly is a karmic tie. At the Ordination Ceremony after the New Year, the two of you can participate together and formally enter the mansion together."

"I'll do it. They are both people I brought back." Xu Yuanzhen rose to her feet.

After she and Lei Jun bade farewell to Yuan Mobai and his disciple, they left the cave abode together.

Xu Yuanzhen seemed to know where Tang Xiaotang was at the moment. The two returned to the Dao Child Courtyard at the foot of the mountain and headed straight for the First Courtyard.

When they arrived, the Instructor looked as though he had seen a savior upon spotting Xu Yuanzhen.

"Eldest Sister, you've finally come. That... Junior Sister Tang has not returned to the Dao Child Courtyard for so long, and now that she has returned once, she... she..."

Xu Yuanzhen said, "She did what?"

The Instructor said, "She deleted, altered, and scribbled all over our lesson plans."

Xu Yuanzhen said, "How exactly did she alter them?"

The Instructor said, "...They are more profound, more precise, and more convenient for the Dao children to learn from."

Hearing this, Lei Jun gained a more direct understanding of that peerless genius's level of ability, as well as her showy, flamboyant style.

The Instructor smiled bitterly. "Eldest Sister, she certainly has the ability to do that, but ordinarily, how could the other Dao children have the chance to encounter higher-level Talisman Scriptures and Taoist classics? The mansion's rules and regulations have always been very important..."

Receiving exceptional treatment in private was one thing.

Shouting it out in the open until everyone knew about it was another.

Xu Yuanzhen neither confirmed nor denied it. "We'll wait for her here."

There seemed to be no need for any special notice. A streak of light flashed through the Taoist courtyard ahead before long.

The next instant, a tall figure landed before them.

"Senior Sister!" the newcomer greeted with a grin.

Her beauty was dazzling, and she was so tall that she surpassed even many men. She stood only half a head shorter than the tall Lei Jun, making the already petite Xu Yuanzhen seem as though she were younger than her.

Xu Yuanzhen said, "Are you that afraid the Dao children will forget you?"

The tall girl chuckled. "Before formally saying goodbye, I wanted to leave everyone another memento."

She looked at Lei Jun beside her. "Senior Sister, who is he?"

"Lei Jun," Xu Yuanzhen said. "You never met him before. I guided him back to the mountain and onto the path over a year ago. He is preparing to enter Little Martial Uncle's lineage."

The girl named Tang Xiaotang immediately looked at Lei Jun and smiled.

"Then he's one of us. Come, call me Senior Sister first and let me hear it."

Hearing that, Lei Jun first glanced at Xu Yuanzhen, then turned his gaze back to Tang Xiaotang. "Little Senior Sister."

Tang Xiaotang's eyes widened.

Xu Yuanzhen said, "You have already taken advantage of him. Lei Jun is two years older than you, and as for who entered first, neither of you has formally taken a master yet."

Lei Jun said, "I'm two years older?"

Xu Yuanzhen said, "When I brought her back to the mountain, she was not yet eight years old. Before that, she was climbing trees in her village to steal bird eggs..."

"Senior Sister!"

Tang Xiaotang grabbed Xu Yuanzhen's sleeve. "That was ages ago! Why are you still bringing it up?"

She looked at Lei Jun again, cleared her throat, and coughed. "Age means nothing. As they say, learning has no order of arrival; those who achieve mastery come first."

Lei Jun said, "Little Senior Sister makes sense."

Tang Xiaotang puffed out her cheeks. "...Fine. In any case, after the New Year, I'll accomplish the first step of my plan. The second and third steps will not be far off either. By then, you will naturally drop the word 'Little.'"

Lei Jun said, "A plan? The first step?"

"The first step is becoming a True Disciple of the Celestial Master. The second is becoming the foremost under the Celestial Master. The third is taking over the position of Celestial Master and becoming the next Celestial Master."

Xu Yuanzhen calmly introduced Tang Xiaotang's three-step plan. "She can try the others, but the second step is hopeless."

Tang Xiaotang chuckled. "It is normal for you to be afraid now, Senior Sister. I'll soon catch up to you and surpass you, starting next year!"

After pondering briefly, Lei Jun spoke. "Could it be that the Celestial Master is at a critical juncture in comprehending his profound art, and will still not emerge from seclusion this New Year?"

Tang Xiaotang's eyes went round. "Are you deliberately trying to anger me?"

"I mean, perhaps you should lower your expectations a little," Lei Jun said. "Then if things exceed your expectations, you will feel pleasantly surprised."

Tang Xiaotang waved her hands repeatedly. "No need. Since the Celestial Master has issued a decree, how could it possibly be an empty jest?"

Thus, one month later.

The first New Year's gift for the genius girl.

The Celestial Master did not emerge from seclusion as scheduled.