The master and disciple sat cross-legged on futons, facing each other, yet neither spoke for a long time.
In the entire small hut, apart from the faint crackling sound of the oil lamp, the only noise was the intermittent sound of chewing and swallowing from the fifth senior brother Guo Tao, who was eating in the corner.
After a long pause, Guo Tao stopped eating and asked in a muffled voice, "Does that mean I'll be an Uncle-Master soon?"
Ji Yuan and Zhang Zhiya, almost simultaneously, shot him annoyed glances, shattering the carefully cultivated atmosphere.
"If you have already made up your mind, then go ahead and do it with peace of mind."
The old Daoist stretched his waist and flicked his horsetail whisk, "Hasn't this Xuan Tian Temple already been passed on to you?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan flipped his palm and took out the iron token inscribed with 'Xuan Tian · Ten', a look of realization appearing in his eyes.
So this was the token of the Xuan Tian Temple's abbot. When his master Zhang Zhiya handed it to him, he had already become the new abbot of Xuan Tian Temple.
Although the temple was now dilapidated and he was the only one holding it together, with just a nod, an immense opportunity would descend upon him.
"Actually, Jiu Xuan Sect is also quite good. It's a place for immortal cultivation, where one can see fairies flying through the sky with just a glance upwards."
The old Daoist chuckled and winked at his young disciple.
Ji Yuan pretended not to see it, put away the iron token at will, and had already made a preliminary decision in his heart.
"Disciple, bring me a hundred or eighty taels of silver."
Just as he was about to get up and leave, Zhang Zhiya suddenly spoke, "Not snowflake silver, nor banknotes from the bank, only common silver ingots will do."
Despite his doubts, Ji Yuan produced one hundred and fifty taels of silver ingots and placed them before his master.
He did not inquire about their purpose. After respectfully bowing, he turned and left the hut.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to toss a small bundle, purchased from the San Dao Society, to his fifth senior brother in the corner. It contained medicinal pills specifically for martial practitioners.
These pills were designed to replenish qi and blood, provide abundant essence, and were supplemented with grain essence. Just one pill was enough to sustain an ordinary martial practitioner for an entire day's consumption.
If sold outside, each pill could fetch over ten taels of silver.
Upon returning to the small courtyard, Ji Yuan saw that everyone was mostly meditating, recovering their depleted essence and magical power. He moved quietly and crept towards his own room.
Looking through the door, he saw Zhao Yuebai still asleep. He sat down directly on the steps outside the door and beckoned a middle-aged guard.
"Can you tell me something about Zhao Yuebai?"
He pondered for a moment before turning to the guard squatting beside him.
The guard was first taken aback, then his face lit up with excitement. He had been present during the conversation in the room and had naturally heard everything clearly.
Without hesitation, he recounted everything he knew about Zhao Yuebai, omitting no detail.
His words revealed an undisguised fondness for the young master, with no need for concealment.
In the years after Zhao Wuhen returned from his travels and brought Zhao Yuebai back, the entire Zhao family was very concerned about the young master, but more so due to the elder's command.
However, when Zhao Yuebai was about five or six years old, he began to scurry about the residence, bringing an unprecedented liveliness to the usually solemn and quiet Zhao family.
Over the years, Zhao Yuebai would almost daily sneak to the training grounds to watch them, the guards, practice martial arts. He would often secretly bring some pastries from his own room or food pilfered from the kitchen.
It seemed that for this precocious young master, watching them eat the food he secretly brought and listening to their boasts was the happiest moment of the day.
In reality, they also knew that the young master was well aware that less than one or two out of every ten words spoken by the guards and martial artists before him were believable, the rest being mere exaggerations.
Moreover, the remaining nine and a half sentences were interspersed with a large amount of vulgar and coarse curses.
But these never affected Zhao Yuebai's sincere admiration when listening to their stories.
It was as if, for this boy, even though he knew the adults before him were bragging, he still felt that this was the true martial world, and the guards in his household were all heroic figures who had learned peerless martial arts.
They had merely grown tired of their travels in the martial world and had come here to rest for a while, likely to depart one day and continue their heroic deeds of righting wrongs and vanquishing demons.
"The reason we guards like the young master has nothing to do with status or position; it's simply because he is always so sincere towards everyone."
The middle-aged guard chuckled, his expression equally sincere.
In truth, they had all suffered much hardship and ridicule in the martial world, some even living rather miserable lives, otherwise, they would not have been willing to serve as guards.
After all, the position of a guard, to put it bluntly, was a form of servitude, and in the curses of ordinary people, they were even called 'dogs guarding the house.'
Only in the presence of this young master did they experience a sense of respect and admiration that was almost foreign to them. There were moments when they felt as if they were truly living out the personas they boasted about.
After a long while, Ji Yuan nodded, his eyes flashing with thought.
Some of Zhao Yuansong's words held much wisdom. If Xuan Tian Temple were to eventually return to the Jiu Xuan Sect and reclaim its inherited mountain peak, it would undoubtedly require someone to preside over it.
And relying solely on himself would be an incredibly arduous task.
If there were even one or two more people, after enduring the initial few years and with their cultivation gradually increasing, they could then be considered to have established a firm foothold.
Zhao Yuebai was indeed an excellent choice. His innate talent for cultivation was quite good, otherwise, Zhao Wuhen would not have considered him a candidate for soul possession and spent nearly ten years nurturing him after bringing him home.
Coupled with the vital energy accumulated by the old locust tree over centuries within his body, and his cultivation at the peak of the Second Realm, it would only take a few years for him to reach at least the Second Realm as a cultivator.
He would not even require much direct teaching, relying solely on the gradual process of cultivation.
If he were to also benefit from the accumulated knowledge in the Jiu Xuan Sect's library, and even cultivate the Xuan Tian Dao Scripture, he might not be invincible amongst peers, but at the very least, he would not be comparable to ordinary cultivators.
However, the matter of taking a disciple involved not only mutual willingness but also many intricate details. The most crucial aspect was whether the two parties were of the same path.
Otherwise, it was possible for them to be outwardly united but inwardly divided, or even to betray their master and eliminate their own kin.
Beyond these considerations, the best choice for Zhao Yuebai at this time was indeed to join Xuan Tian Temple and return to Jiu Xuan Sect with them.
If he were to go to another sect without any foundation, Zhao Yuebai's future would be truly unpredictable, for better or worse.
"The young master is awake! The young master is awake!"
From the room behind them, Liao Qiming's excited voice suddenly rang out, "The young master has awakened!"
Upon hearing this, the few people in the courtyard opened their eyes. After a moment of thought, they closed them again and continued meditating, not getting up to join the commotion.
Aside from a few Zhao family guards, only Ji Yuan, after a brief contemplation, got up and walked into his room.
Zhao Yuebai had now woken up. His eyes were somewhat dazed as he sat on the bed, looking at the familiar faces before him, appearing momentarily at a loss.
After a full quarter of an hour, he slowly came back to his senses, but the expression on his face suddenly darkened.
"Young Master Yuebai?"
Liao Qiming stepped forward and softly called out.
After a long pause, Zhao Yuebai finally raised his head, a forced smile appearing on his small face, "I know everything now."
Before Zhao Wuhen decided to slaughter the entire Zhao family, he had already restrained him and placed him on a black platform underground.
It was at that time that Zhao Yuebai learned the truth of his origins from the person he had called 'father' for years.
Later, when the rich soul energy from the old locust tree merged with his soul within the tree trunk, he finally remembered the appearance of the young couple from his infancy.
"I really want to find my biological parents..."
Zhao Yuebai had intended to be strong, but the moment he thought of the faces in his memory, he almost burst into tears.
His wronged expression seemed to tug at the hearts of everyone present.
A group of burly men suddenly became flustered, gathering around the boy, wanting to comfort him, but after opening their mouths for a long time, they could not utter a complete sentence.
The scene was somewhat comical.
Fortunately, Zhao Yuebai quickly collected himself. Although with some effort, he still managed to smile at those around him, shaking his head gently to indicate he was fine.
"Zhao Yuebai, there are some things you need to know now."
Once the boy's emotions had stabilized, Ji Yuan pulled over a chair and sat in front of him.
He pondered for a moment and then, under Zhao Yuebai's bewildered gaze, meticulously explained the subsequent events of the Zhao family and his current situation.
To prevent him from being confused, he patiently clarified some crucial points.
In this way, Ji Yuan spoke for a full half-hour, recounting the events of the past period, and briefly, yet concisely, mentioned the future situation.
This included the matter of Zhao Yuebai becoming a disciple.
"At least from my perspective, becoming my disciple would be the best choice."
Ji Yuan thought for a moment and then added, "If you feel I am too young, I can also invite my master here. This way, we will be like fellow disciples from now on."
He plainly stated that whether he became his disciple or a fellow disciple, it would only bring him benefits and no harm, nor should he worry that they were merely using him.
Because once he joined Xuan Tian Temple, they would form a relationship where their fortunes would rise and fall together. They needed Zhao Yuebai to grow strong and be able to preside over a region in the future, while Zhao Yuebai would also need the vast resources of Jiu Xuan Sect.
Thus, Ji Yuan would only wish for their bond to be deeper, not to harm him in any way.
"Or, if you don't wish to join Xuan Tian Temple, I will certainly not force you."
Under the gaze of those clean eyes, he finally could not help but add this last sentence.
As Ji Yuan's words fell, the four guards beside them all signaled to Zhao Yuebai, urging him to agree.
Even without the vast resources of Jiu Xuan Sect, a disciple taken in by a cultivator who had already entered the realm, even if just a reclusive hermit, would be enough to make wealthy families in the secular world scramble to offer money, even if that cultivator was only in the First Realm.
This was different from martial practitioners, who, with perseverance and sufficient silver, could achieve the skin and flesh realm.
To become a cultivator, one needed not only to diligently study various sage texts to nurture their soul but also required an enlightenment mantra and cultivation methods that were extremely difficult to obtain on the market.
Although given Zhao Yuebai's current situation, he would surely cross that threshold in the future and become a powerful cultivator, it was not a guarantee of a worry-free future.
Cultivators in the world placed great importance on their lineage and background; there was never a concept of a hero emerging from obscurity. Whether one belonged to a prestigious sect was one factor, and whether one's origins were orthodox was another. Lacking either often led to being ostracized.
Jiu Xuan Sect, however, was not only a prestigious sect but also a legitimate immortal lineage, commanding the cultivation forces of an entire commandery.
But Zhao Yuebai ignored the expectant looks of the four guards and simply looked calmly into Ji Yuan's eyes.
Under those clean and pure eyes that seemed to see through people's hearts, Ji Yuan straightened himself and met his gaze without flinching.
After a long while, Zhao Yuebai suddenly smiled gleefully, then climbed down from the bed.
After putting on his shoes and socks, he walked a few steps towards Ji Yuan, straightened his clothes, and then knelt down on both knees.
"Disciple Yuebai pays respects to Master!"
He kowtowed three times, respectfully calling out, and then looked at his 'master' with curiosity.
Ji Yuan was also taken aback. He hadn't expected such a swift agreement, and several carefully prepared speeches were rendered useless.
He quickly helped Zhao Yuebai up, and after thinking for a moment, he found himself unsure of what to say. After all, this was his first time accepting a disciple, and he truly lacked experience, so he could only unconsciously scratch his head.
Seeing this, the guards beside them couldn't help but chuckle, and even Zhao Yuebai couldn't help but let out a silly laugh.