Ye Xiaxuan's grandfather was none other than the current divine physician, Ye Lin, who was now over seventy.
Had Su Yi not returned, he would have been the undisputed number one in the medical world. His mastery of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Needles could be said to bring the dead back to life.
But Ye Lin knew full well that his signature art was merely something Su Yi had taught him to help him establish himself and earn a living, out of regard for their many years as master and servant.
He was not even qualified to call Su Yi his master.
Sending Ye Xiaxuan to become Su Yi's disciple had been a long shot from the start.
In Ye Lin's eyes, Su Yi would certainly not accept her as a disciple. It was just that his granddaughter was a natural beauty, so he had sent her to get close to Su Yi. If Su Yi took a liking to her, even taking her in as a servant would be enough. If he truly fancied her and something good came of it...
Then the Ye Family would probably have nothing to worry about for the next few centuries!
Naturally, he dared not tell Ye Xiaxuan outright who Su Yi was.
Hearing Ye Xiaxuan's complaints, Ye Lin merely asked with his heart hanging by a thread, "Xuanxuan, you didn't offend Su Yi, did you? He didn't throw you out, did he?"
"..." Question marks filled Ye Xiaxuan's head. Throw her out? She had left of her own accord, all right!
"Grandpa, stop playing dumb. I know you told Jiang Chao to put on an act with him. Besides, he actually told me to kneel and serve him tea to formally become his disciple! What did you see in someone like that?" Ye Xiaxuan said through gritted teeth. "Arrogant! Hypocritical! Anyway, I don't want anything to do with him!"
When Ye Lin heard Ye Xiaxuan mention kneeling and serving tea to formally become a disciple, his heart nearly leaped into his throat. His breathing quickened, and he could not speak for a long while, his whole body tingling with excitement.
"You... you became his disciple?!" Ye Lin clenched his fists. Although his granddaughter was a natural beauty, she might not catch Su Yi's eye. But even if she could not become Su Yi's woman, becoming his disciple would already mean green smoke was rising from their ancestral graves.
Ye Xiaxuan had no idea what her grandfather meant. "Of course I didn't. I've already left his courtyard."
"Xuanxuan! Go back, quickly! Since he's already agreed, this is your chance!" Ye Lin said impatiently. "If he really is willing to teach you, never mind the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Needles-you'll have a chance to learn any medical art under heaven!"
"How is that possible? How old can he be?!" Ye Xiaxuan was utterly stunned. The Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Needles were her grandfather's signature art, yet he had never passed them on to anyone in the Ye Family. Even when her father begged and pleaded, her grandfather remained unmoved.
Yet now her grandfather was actually saying something like this.
Just what was this Su Yi's background?
"That's not something you should be asking!" Terrified that Ye Xiaxuan would miss this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, Ye Lin hurriedly said, "Let me put it this way. If Su Yi were willing to accept me as his disciple, I'd gladly kneel for three days, a month, or even a year!"
"..." Ye Xiaxuan drew a deep breath and stopped in her tracks. That her grandfather could actually say such a thing was simply unbelievable.
There was actually someone in this world her grandfather would willingly kneel before to become his disciple.
Noticing that Ye Xiaxuan had fallen silent, Ye Lin feared she would be stubborn. His tone grew sterner as he said solemnly, "Do you think I'm asking you to date Su Yi? I truly have no such intention, because Su Yi probably wouldn't be interested in you. If you really are fortunate enough to become his disciple, then know your place, and don't harbor any unrealistic ideas about him!"
How was that anything like what a grandfather would say to his granddaughter?
He had all but told Ye Xiaxuan outright that becoming Su Yi's disciple would already be a blessing earned through eight lifetimes. As for dating him, she should not even dream of it. She was not worthy!
Ye Xiaxuan was intelligent enough to tell that her grandfather was definitely not simply trying to goad her. Given his current standing and status, if Su Yi were merely a young man with a little ability, he would never have placed him on such a high pedestal or said such things.
"I've already left!" Ye Xiaxuan's heart was heavy now. When Su Yi had told her to kneel and serve tea to become his disciple, she had felt he was putting on a mysterious act and had stormed out in anger. Naturally, she had rejected the apprenticeship she had previously agreed to. Was she now supposed to have the gall to go back and kneel to become his disciple?
Without a moment's consideration, Ye Lin said, "Go back right now. If he'll still accept you, you must do whatever he asks, no matter what it is. The Ye Family's prosperity for the next hundred years rests on you now!"
Ye Xiaxuan felt an immense weight on her heart. He was just a young man. How had this become tied to the Ye Family's prosperity for the next hundred years?
Still unconvinced, however, Ye Xiaxuan gritted her teeth and asked, "If he wants me to sleep with him, am I supposed to agree to that too?"
Ye Lin fell silent for a moment on the other end. As her grandfather, as an elder, he really found it difficult to answer such a question.
"If he really takes a liking to you, that will be your good fortune. But I still think he wouldn't be interested in you."
Ye Xiaxuan nearly spat blood in fury.
She had originally thought her grandfather merely wanted to set her up with Su Yi, and that Su Yi was just a young man her grandfather thought highly of. Now it seemed she really had been reading too much into it.
"Fine! I'll go back!" Although Ye Xiaxuan said that, she had also thought it through. If Su Yi made any outrageous demands, she would turn around and leave without looking back. To hell with the Ye Family's century of prosperity. She was no tool.
Her main reason for going back now was that she had become intensely curious about Su Yi.
Just what kind of person could make her grandfather say such things?
Su Yi was waiting by the stove for the water to boil.
The courtyard was old, but the house used natural gas. Su Yi had learned how to use these things on his phone, while also marveling at how much convenience modern technology had brought to people's lives.
The water was still heating when Ye Xiaxuan arrived at the doorway.
"You called your grandfather?" Su Yi was sitting idly on a stool by the stove, playing on his phone. Hearing footsteps, he asked casually.
Ye Xiaxuan gritted her teeth. "I'm willing to become your disciple."
Su Yi nodded. "Then I'll accept you as my disciple. You don't have to kneel and serve tea, either. Just listen to me in everything from now on."
He had just looked it up on his phone. People these days did not seem to like kneeling much, and he was not in the habit of forcing people to do things against their will.
She was only a young girl. Why make things difficult for her? He was only accepting her as his disciple out of sheer boredom in the first place.
In the past, he would take in a few servants. Taking in a disciple now to relieve his boredom would be nice too.
"That's it?" Question marks filled Ye Xiaxuan's head. She had thought Su Yi would give her a hard time when she came back.
Su Yi looked up and glanced at her, smiling amiably. "What else? If you want to kneel, I have no objection."