Yu Wanxi’s heart, which had just settled, lurched right back up.
Something was wrong. Very, extremely wrong. Were they plotting to harm someone as beautiful, cute, generous, kind, and gentle as her?
Her heart quaked with fear, and she stammered, “Th… this… isn’t this a bit much…?”
Xu Yanxue ignored everything she’d just said and cheerfully cut in. “What? You said yes? Wonderful! Then it’s happily decided.”
Then he burst out laughing, grinning like a fool with no dignity to speak of.
Shen Jianghuai and Nian Jingyu had never seen their master wear such a face. The two senior brothers began to gossip.
The more they talked, the more excited they got. The more they thought, the more off it seemed. The more they talked, the louder they got. After a heated discussion, they finally reached a conclusion.
There was only one explanation for that wicked look on Master’s face: he’d been possessed by something unclean.
The thought that his master might have been possessed sent Shen Jianghuai into a panic. He even summoned his life-bound sword, leveling it straight at Xu Yanxue, face grave, tone more serious than ever. “Bold demon! From this moment on, I don’t care who you are or where you came from. Get out of my master right now, this instant, or don’t blame me for what happens next.”
As the saying goes, you can’t judge a person by their looks, and today Yu Wanxi got to see it firsthand.
Because Nian Jingyu went even further than Shen Jianghuai. He slapped a dozen talismans onto Xu Yanxue, then started doing a shaman dance.
All the while chanting, “Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, Taishang Laojun, show your power quickly. Demons and monsters, begone at once, stop haunting my master. My master, that old man, doesn’t like bathing, doesn’t keep clean, he’s stinky. Go find someone else, quickly.”
Shen Jianghuai jumped right on board. “Yes, yes, my master’s flesh is old and tough, not tasty at all. Hurry and leave.”
The first time Yu Wanxi had laid eyes on Nian Jingyu, with his cold, otherworldly air, she’d assumed he was the gentle, taciturn type.
She’d thought he was the aloof-and-dignified sort, but it turned out he was just as absurd as Shen Jianghuai.
Over here Yu Wanxi covered her face, shoulders shaking, quivering. Xu Yanxue saw it and immediately imagined how his youngest disciple must have been frightened, frightened to tears, able to do nothing but cover her face and cower in silence.
In truth, it was because she was laughing so hard tears had come out.
She just didn’t want to make it obvious. She was afraid that laughing out loud would wound the child’s pride.
“It seems you two haven’t been doing enough lessons, if you’ve got the free time to dance around here. When we get back, I’ll have Old He assign you more.”
Hearing that, the two senior brothers danced even harder.
Xu Yanxue watched his two silly disciples dancing so happily and nodded in satisfaction. “Good, good. It seems you’re still good children who know how to better yourselves. Your master didn’t misjudge you.”
“Senior Brother, put more effort into your dancing. Master’s about to turn into a demon.”
“What? Wicked demon, you’ve already devoured Master whole. Take ten more talismans from me.”
At that, Yu Wanxi couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. “Hahaha, I can’t, I’m dying of laughter.”
As she laughed, she started honking like a goose.
So the two senior brothers began gossiping loudly right in front of her. “Junior Brother, why do I get the feeling our junior sister’s brain isn’t quite right?”
“I reckon so too, Senior Brother. How about you give our junior sister a few talismans as well? I think her condition can’t be put off any longer. She urgently needs a few.”
“I think that’ll work.”
No sooner had Nian Jingyu said it than several talisman papers appeared in his hand. He fixed his eyes on Yu Wanxi, poised to strike.
At that, Yu Wanxi’s bared teeth snapped shut in an instant, a spectacular change of face.
But before the talismans could leave his hand, Nian Jingyu was kicked flying.
As an elder, Xu Yanxue knew well the importance of treating everyone equally, so he raised his foot, ready to give Shen Jianghuai a kick too.
But something seemed to whoosh past his eyes.
Oh, oh, it was Little Five being flung away by Little Four. Nothing to worry about, then.
He paid no mind to the injured Little Four and Little Five over there, entirely forgetting how he’d originally lured these two boys back, and how he’d solemnly promised to cherish them like his own sons.
If Nian Jingyu and Shen Jianghuai knew he thought that way, the two senior brothers would surely start gossiping loudly again: which of the Moonbright Sect’s five personal disciples hadn’t been lured back by you?
Cherish them like his own sons? He’d said that to a dog, too.
“Senior Brother, just you watch. In a bit, Master will definitely tell Junior Sister he’ll cherish her like his own daughter.”
“Ha, you get used to it. How many of Master’s big fat promises have we swallowed?” Nian Jingyu patted Shen Jianghuai’s shoulder. “Master just pulls this crap. You know that as well as I do.”
Xu Yanxue suppressed the urge to beat these two brats black and blue and approached Yu Wanxi with a kindly face.
“Little Six, don’t be afraid. Your master is actually very gentle.”
“Since you’ve joined my sect, here, this is a gift for our first meeting from your master.”
Yu Wanxi had meant to say something, but when she saw the mountain of gifts piled on the ground, her words took a turn. “Thank you, Master. In the future, I’ll be sure to honor you in your old age.”
Being called “Master” sent Xu Yanxue’s heart blooming with joy. His hands moved faster and faster, and in the end he gave everything to Yu Wanxi.
“Time was too rushed. Your master didn’t prepare anything good. Take these for now, make do with them. After a while, your master will find you some better ones.”
Finally, uneasy, he added one more instruction.
“Don’t be reluctant to use them. Our sect doesn’t have much else, just lots of money.”
Shen Jianghuai stared at the things on the ground, mouth hanging wide open, eyes round as saucers.
“By the way, you don’t have a residence yet. Come, look at those peaks over there. Which one do you like? Tell your master.”
Xu Yanxue thought it over, feeling that girls ought to be raised richly, lest she be lured away by another sect someday.
So he changed his mind. “Forget it, forget it. No picking. Little Six, take them all, rotate between them as you like.”
Then he pulled two burlap sacks of spirit stones from his mustard-seed bag. Yes, two whole sacks, and every one of them high-grade spirit stones.
“Little Six, spend these first. Another day, when your senior brothers come back, I’ll take you down the mountain to buy things. Your First Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Third Senior Brother have all gone out for training. When they return, I’ll introduce you.”
“You see that one in white? That’s your Fourth Senior Brother, Nian Jingyu. The one sitting on the ground like an idiot is your Fifth Senior Brother, Shen Jianghuai.”
Yu Wanxi listened to these names and found them more and more familiar, but just couldn’t remember where she’d heard them.
Over there, Nian Jingyu and Shen Jianghuai, seeing those two sacks of spirit stones, could no longer sit still. This was their yearly allowance.
Shen Jianghuai reacted fast. Without caring about anything else, he blurted out whatever came to mind. “Master, actually I’m also a little girl. Can I have some of these too? Half is fine. I’m not picky.”
He was an artifact cultivator. In his free time, he loved to tinker, so his expenses naturally ran high.
And heaven only knew the helplessness he felt when he saw good components and had no money to buy them.
Hearing Shen Jianghuai’s words, Nian Jingyu couldn’t help but give him two thumbs up.
“Junior Brother, you’re so awesome even the ox dropped dead.”
“Because you’re so awesome, it died.”