Chapter 367: The Little Junior Brother
Chapter 367: The Little Junior Brother
Bail Zi Sheng and Bail Zi Xi returned to the mansion and immediately shared the good news of Master Zhuang agreeing to take on a disciple with Xue Yi.
Xue Yi, of course, was overjoyed.
She had endured many hardships to have Zi Sheng and Zi Xi accepted as Master Zhuang's disciples, and now she could finally report back to the Madam.
However, after the initial elation, she still had doubts lingering in her mind.
"Why did Master Zhuang refuse before but suddenly change his mind and agree to take on a disciple now?"
Bail Zi Sheng scratched his head, as this was something he hadn't thought about and couldn't quite understand. Master Zhuang's thoughts were beyond his grasp.
On the other hand, Bail Zi Xi seemed to have an idea as she pondered aloud, "Maybe it's because of... Mo Hua?"
Xue Yi was taken aback, "Why?"
Bail Zi Xi replied nonchalantly, "Because he values him greatly."
"Values him?"
Xue Yi was perplexed.
Mo Hua had decent talent in array formations and was quite likable, but to say that Master Zhuang valued him greatly might be an overstatement.
After all, for cultivators, the quality of one's spiritual root and physical constitution were equally important, and in both regards, Mo Hua was somewhat "lacking"...
Xue Yi thought of a polite way to phrase it.
In the Bail family, superior spiritual roots were commonplace, and even among the side branches, those with mediocre spiritual roots were considered inferior.
However, Bail Zi Xi nodded, "He values him a lot."
Xue Yi still didn't quite understand, "Because of his talent in formations? Mo Hua is indeed quite skilled in that regard..."
"Not just skilled," Bail Zi Xi shook her head, "he's exceptionally, exceptionally good!"
Xue Yi was stunned, "Exceptionally, exceptionally good?"
This was the first time she had ever heard such high praise from Bail Zi Xi.
Bail Zi Xi rarely complimented people because she herself was exceptionally talented, highly perceptive, and diligent in her cultivation. She was the perfect candidate for cultivation, and on top of that, she was extremely beautiful.
Like an uncut jade, pure and flawless.
Whether it was cultivation or array formations, there was no one among the Bail family of the same age who could match her.
Some of the Bail family descendants, both male and female, felt ashamed in her presence and didn't dare speak loudly.
Bail Zi Xi had a somewhat cold personality and had few friends within the clan. She almost never praised anyone because no one was worthy of her praise.
But now, she was praising Mo Hua's array formations as "exceptionally, exceptionally good"...
Xue Yi realized that she might have overlooked something and asked again, still somewhat uncertain, "Is he really that good?"
Bail Zi Sheng spoke up, "Xue Yi, do you know about the grand formation that killed the powerful demon?"
Xue Yi nodded, "Wasn't that Master Zhuang's doing?"
Bail Zi Sheng shook his head, "Mo Hua created that formation."
Xue Yi's face drained of color as she exclaimed, "How is that possible? He's so young!"
Xue Yi, hailing from the Bail family, usually didn't pay much attention to affairs in a small immortal city like Tongxian City.
But she never expected that Tongxian City would undergo so many changes and even experience the emergence of a powerful demon.
Whenever a powerful demon appeared, there was always a malevolent force at play. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a coincidence that such a disaster befell this small immortal city.
If not for Master Zhuang's presence, she would have taken Bail Zi Sheng and Bail Zi Xi away from this place long ago.
A powerful demon of that caliber was not something cultivators could contend with.
However, the subsequent events still shocked her.
Tongxian City had formed a grand formation, destroyed it to slay the demon, and even attracted a tribulation.
These were scenes she had never witnessed in her life.
But with Master Zhuang's presence, she felt it was only natural.
She believed that all these events were orchestrated by Master Zhuang.
When Mo Hua faced the tribulation, Xue Yi was initially very worried, but later she felt that it wasn't that big of a deal.
Since it was Master Zhuang's plan and Mo Hua was following his instructions, there was no way anything bad could happen to him.
As for why Master Zhuang had Mo Hua do something so dangerous...
Xue Yi speculated that Master Zhuang didn't want to reveal himself.
Mo Hua, as his disciple, a local cultivator from Tongxian City, and a master of array formations, was the perfect person for the task.
But now, she realized that she might have been wrong from the very beginning.
Mo Hua's skill in array formations couldn't be described as merely "mastery"...
A first-rate formation master was already considered an expert in the field, and Mo Hua had achieved this at such a young age.
"Was the grand formation really Mo Hua's doing?" Xue Yi still found it hard to believe.
Both Bail Zi Sheng and Bail Zi Xi nodded.
Xue Yi was lost in thought, and the more she thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.
Thirteen years old and a first-rate formation master...
Xue Yi couldn't help but sigh,
"No wonder Master Zhuang values him so highly."
However, Bail Zi Xi's eyes flickered, as she felt that Master Zhuang's favor towards Mo Hua wasn't solely because of his talent in formations.
It was the consensus between the Zi Xi siblings that Master Zhuang treated Mo Hua well and valued him greatly.
Even she couldn't quite understand the reason behind it.
Bail Zi Xi, as a direct descendant of the Bail family, had perused countless ancient texts since childhood.
Even if she didn't understand something, she would at least have heard of it.
Yet, the formations Mo Hua had mastered, as well as some of the techniques he employed, were completely foreign to her. She had never even heard of them, nor had she seen any records of them in the Bail family's collection of scriptures.
These obscure techniques must have been taught by Master Zhuang, and they were undoubtedly a precious legacy.
Moreover, although Master Zhuang and Elder Gui seemed to treat all three disciples equally, it was clear that they favored Mo Hua.
Master Zhuang's bamboo room was always open to Mo Hua, as if it were his own home.
Even when Master Zhuang was busy, Mo Hua could sit on the doorstep, browse through books, or go to the pond to catch fish.
Both Master Zhuang and Elder Gui treated Mo Hua with a kind of indulgent benevolence.
Xue Yi had heard about Master Zhuang's past from her mother.
He was a man of extraordinary talent and an unyielding spirit, and he had never been as amiable as he was now.
He had never treated a disciple in such a manner, especially not a nominal disciple...
Xue Yi understood what Bail Zi Xi was implying.
Master Zhuang wouldn't change his mind without reason.
Mo Hua must have said or done something, or perhaps Master Zhuang had considered something on his behalf.
That was why Master Zhuang changed his mind, first accepting them as nominal disciples and now taking them on as personal disciples.
Xue Yi sighed.
She never expected that their Bail family would receive such a great favor from Mo Hua, a child from an ordinary background.
If not for Mo Hua, they might never have met Master Zhuang, let alone become his nominal disciples and eventually his personal disciples.
"Since you are all disciples of Master Zhuang now, you are fellow disciples, sharing the same roots and branches," Xue Yi said to Bail Zi Sheng and Bail Zi Xi. "From now on, you must take good care of Mo Hua."
Bail Zi Sheng patted his chest and assured her, "Xue Yi, don't worry. I'll look after him from now on!"
Bail Zi Xi nodded slightly, her eyes gradually brightening.
...
A few days later, Master Zhuang chose an auspicious day to hold a simple discipleship ceremony.
He didn't explain why it was an auspicious day, and when Mo Hua checked the calendar, he couldn't find anything special about that day.
It was probably just a day when Master Zhuang was in a good mood.
The ceremony was indeed simple.
It involved burning incense, paying respects to the heavens, offering tea, and then addressing Master Zhuang as "Master."
Nominal disciples could only address him as "Mister," and only personal disciples could call him "Master."
Bail Zi Sheng and Bail Zi Xi both called out, "Master."
Master Zhuang nodded slightly.
Following their example, Mo Hua happily called out, "Master!"
Master Zhuang nodded again, a smile in his eyes.
With the incense burned, respects paid, and tea offered, the three of them had officially become Master Zhuang's personal disciples.
Among them were a pair of siblings from a prestigious family background, with their impressive talents and remarkable beauty.
And then there was a boy of humble origins, with a mediocre spiritual root and an unremarkable constitution, who seemed to be there just to make up the numbers—the little junior brother.
(End of Chapter)
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