Shocked, Zhuang Xiao’er (NT: Zhuang ‘little second) was almost jaw-dropped: "Isn't this a bit too arrogant?"

Wen Yuan sighed, "Second Junior Brother, don't you know the style of the disciples from Shang Qing Immortal Sect? They are all overbearing and don't take disciples from other sects seriously. I had a lot of contained anger, and it was truly satisfying to see Hua Che vent it out with a punch. Regardless, I deeply admire him."

Zhuang Xiao’er said, "What's the use of your admiration? Is it good to offend Shang Qing Immortal Sect? Is it easy to deal with master Zuo Qi? That Hua Che has stirred up a hornet's nest!"

Zhuang Xiao’er looked at Zhuang Tian and said, "Master, Hua Che has offended Shang Qing. He might not have good days ahead. Even if Shang Qing, self-proclaimed as orthodox, doesn’t retaliate directly, they might create trouble for him later on. If you take him as a disciple, it might jeopardize the entire Lingxiao Palace."

"Second Junior Brother, are you suggesting we abandon Hua Che?" Wen Yuan frowned.

"It's not that I don't want to intervene, but I can't. Shang Qing Immortal Sect is powerful, and our Lingxiao Palace is in a vulnerable position. If something happens, not only will we fail to protect a junior disciple, but the entire sect will suffer!" Zhuang Xia’er explained.

Wen Yuan solemnly said, "If he doesn't have a sect to back him, won't he be more vulnerable? If Shang Qing Immortal Sect decides to target him in the future, as a lone cultivator, who will care about his life or death?"

Zhuang Xiao Er: “Master.”

Wen Yuan: “Master!”

Zhuang Tian slumped in his chair, unwilling to move.

Was this fate?

Zhuang Tian looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought. Lingxiao Palace had never been glorious since its establishment. Suddenly, three troublesome disciples dropped from the sky, two from prestigious backgrounds, and one fearless of authority.

Sigh!

" In addition,”," Zhuang Xiao’er continued, " Both Yuntian Shuijing and Feng Ming Valley, are not on the same level as our Lingxiao Palace. How will Master control Chu Tianyu and Mu Zhaoyao? If you soften your heart for a moment, it won't be accepting three disciples but three bundles of trouble!"

Zhuang Xiao’er asked, "Furthermore, if Sect Leader Chu and Master Mu come knocking at the door, how will Master respond?"

"How to respond?" Zhuang Tian straightened up, saying firmly, "They are my disciples. Whatever they want to do, do they want to take them away?"

Zhuang Xiao’er was stunned.

Wen Yuan exclaimed, "Master, are you going to take them as disciples?"

"Why wouldn't I accept them if they come all the way to Lingxiao Palace and pass the assessment? One is a young master of Yuntian, the other of Feng Ming. If I don’t accept them, wouldn't that be ungrateful?" Zhuang Tian chuckled. "And Hua Che..."

"He fears no authority and has a sense of justice. I really like that! Moreover, if we let him go, he'll be all alone, facing Shang Qing Immortal Sect. Isn't that like hitting a rock with an egg? His arrival at Lingxiao Palace is fate, and it's my duty to protect him. The entire Lingxiao Palace will be his support." Zhuang Tian laughed heartily. "I don't have many virtues, but I will protect the young ones."

*

Except for Wen Yuan, Zhuang Tian's other four disciples were all orphans he had picked up. In order, they were named Zhuang Xiao'er, Zhuang Xiao San (NT: Zhuang little third), Zhuang Xiao Si (NT: little fourth), and Zhuang Xiao Wu (NT: little fifth).

The immortal crane was named Ji Xiang (NT: auspicious), it was Zhuang Tian's spiritual pet, as Zhuang Tian was a spiritual beast tamer.

The apprenticeship ceremony was simple, just kneeling and three bows on the ground and sharing a cup of tea.

Mu Rongsa struggled to be the first and became the sixth junior brother of Lingxiao Palace. Chu Binghuan followed, then Hua Che, with Lin Yan at the last one.

Lin Yan successfully entered the sect and was very excited, respectfully addressing from Mu Rongsa onwards, "Sixth senior Brother, Seventh spiritual Brother, Eighth spiritual Brother."

Hua Che patted Lin Yan's head affectionately, "Ninth Junior Brother, you're good."

Hua Che looked at Chu Binghuan. They were fellow disciples in their previous life, and now they shared the same Master. Did it feel closer this time around?

*

On the first day of apprenticeship, it wasn't about sword practice or studying; it was... cleaning.

Because the decline of the sect was too severe, and Zhuang Tian felt that receiving new disciples was a cause for celebration, he arranged for his disciples to work together—fixing houses!

Hua Che skillfully climbed onto the roof, thinking of Chu, the young master, who had been pampered since childhood. He probably hadn't done this kind of rough work before!

Sure enough, Chu Binghuan stood below the house, his expression hard to describe.

Seeing him like this, Hua Che couldn't help but want to laugh. After Chu Binghuan jumped onto the roof, Hua Che took two tiles and demonstrated, "Just lay them like this, stack them together. Got it?"

Chu Binghuan, dressed in white, elegant and ethereal, was completely out of place with the mud and sand. However, he listened very seriously and imitated Hua Che's technique meticulously when he picked up the tiles.

He was from a prestigious family but never afraid of hardship.

Hua Che smiled cheerfully.

As for that young Master Mu, he was truly a pampered aristocrat. Not only did he avoid any labour, but he also had people serving him food at meals and dressing him for sleep. Now, he seemed completely clueless, unwilling to do anything, let alone learn.

On that very day, he used a spiritual seal to send a letter, and called all the servants who had served him since childhood to come. He made them lay bricks and build walls, commanding them like a general.

But the most adept was Lin Yan. He put quicklime into a large iron pot, added water, and boiled it to make lime paste. Whenever Wen Yuan and the others encountered something they didn't know how to do, they had to ask him.

Zhuang Xiao Wu said, "Impressive, Ninth Junior Brother, you're skilled in all eighteen martial arts."

Lin Yan laughed, "Our family's clay house is always falling apart, so I often repair it."

Mu Rongsa sat in the courtyard, drinking tea and eating fruit, looking unsatisfied with the roof, "These clay tiles are too plain. We should use glazed tiles. And the bluestone ground is not good enough; we should use jade stone!"

Hua Che almost tripped over himself, "Using jade stone for the ground, that's extravagant!"

Mu Rongsa didn't think it was extravagant at all; he thought it was only natural. He turned to Zhuang Tian, "Master, is Lingxiao Palace really this poor? Not providing uniforms for the disciples—is that a sign of poverty?"

In order to demonstrate orthodoxy, cultivation sects usually issued standardized uniforms for their disciples to wear. However, Lingxiao Palace was too poor to provide clothing.

Zhuang Tian fanned himself with a banana leaf, chuckling, "How could we? We mustn't overlook your appetites. You get meat once every ten days. Hahaha, am I not good to you?"

Mu Rongsa: "..."

Hua Che: "..."

Chu Binghuan, becoming better and better g at being a mason, interjected, "According to historical records, the founding ancestor of Lingxiao Palace took countless treasures from the palace and had land deeds and titles."

Hua Che was shocked, "Master, did you waste all the ancestral assets?"

"What waste? That's nonsense!" Zhuang Tian felt a bit embarrassed and covered his face with the banana leaf, laughing helplessly, "We have land deeds, and the land is leased to the villagers downhill. But they haven't paid the rent."

Mu Rongsa became anxious upon hearing this, "How is that fair? Are they in debt?"

The wealthy often bully the weak, and even ordinary people can bully cultivators when they become arrogant. In short, Lingxiao Palace rented land to farmers, collecting rent while also demanding enough food from them for the sect. But Lingxiao Palace's situation was well known. Over the years, the major farmers would default on the rent.

Zhuang Tian empathized with the hardships of the people; if they didn't pay one year, he thought maybe it was because of a poor harvest. If they didn't pay for two or three years, they simply refused to pay. Every year they would come up with new excuses, and Lingxiao Palace disciples couldn't do anything about it.

For a prestigious cultivation sect to use force against commoners?

It would damage their reputation if things got out of hand, so they had to let it be.

The landlords lived in leaky houses on the mountainside, eating meager meals, while the farmers lived in brick houses downhill, eating delicacies, each one fattening their own belly.

Hua Che couldn't help but laugh at this—truly, the good are bullied by others, and the capable are exploited by others!

Before Hua Che could react, Mu Rongsa became impatient and led his men downhill. Without saying a word, they surrounded several estates, setting up barriers at each household. Whoever didn't pay their debts would never be able to leave the village again.

This stirred up quite a commotion, and many villagers were frightened. But after years of benefiting from Lingxiao Palace, they weren't about to back down. They cried out, accusing the cultivators of using force against ordinary people, of Lingxiao Palace bullying them.

Would Mu Rongsa, so arrogant and overbearing, be afraid of this? He stood at the village entrance, shouting with momentum that could swallow the mountains and rivers:

"Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father is?"

It was said that when Mu Rongsa revealed the famous name of Fengming Valley, the farmers were all dumbfounded. Then he pushed a cart full of gold, silver, and jewels up the mountain, along with a basket of poultry.

Hua Che was quite satisfied; tonight, they would have meat to eat!

At the dinner table, Zhuang Er, San, Si, and Wu, were tearfully moved, they hadn't tasted meat for several months, deeply touched and speechless.

Zhuang Tian watched his nine disciples, gobbling down their food, contentedly stroking the feathers of his immortal crane.

Living in peace and contentment, life was truly beautiful!

"Little Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, tell me what you all like." Zhuang Tian gave them nicknames on the spot, thinking about his newly acquired disciples. As their Master, he had to give them a little welcoming gift.

Hua Che shovelled rice onto his plate and said sincerely, "Playing with cats, teasing dogs, eating, drinking, and having fun."

"..." Zhuang Tian felt a bit awkward.

Chu Binghuan set down his chopsticks, took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his mouth, and said, "Helping the world."

"..." Zhuang Tian felt a bit helpless.

Lin Yan thought seriously for a moment and said, "Children."

"..." Zhuang Tian felt a bit overwhelmed.

Mu Rongsa spat out a chicken bone, took off his silk robe stained with grease, and threw it aside, saying, "Spending money!"

"..." Zhuang Tian felt like he was haemorrhaging blood.

Well, he couldn't provide any of those things either.

 

Alright then, he can’t give something to any of them.

 

Translator : DarNan