Boom! Boom! Boom!
The gongs and drums resounded three times, deafeningly loud.
The dark-faced elder standing beside the Principal called out in a loud voice, “The master-apprentice ceremony officially begins!”
“His talent can rival my master's? Hmph, our Senior Brother Chief, please don't disappoint me...” Zhou Ziruo thought with a faint smile on her lips, looking out toward the entrance of the hall.
On the broad stone steps, a cold, aloof, and otherworldly figure slowly emerged.
He walked against the light, making it impossible to see his features clearly.
Yet Zhou Ziruo gradually dazed off. Her heart began to race for some inexplicable reason, and her pupils focused solely on that approaching figure as it slowly grew larger.
As the figure stepped from the light into the shadows, the sunlight brushed over half of his body. His peerlessly handsome face, resembling a celestial descended to the mortal realm, gradually became clear.
Lin Qingsu's pupils dilated slightly, and a blush crept onto her pale face. She averted her gaze guiltily, like a thief. But seeing that everyone around her was staring straight at the youth, she immediately felt at ease and shifted her gaze back.
Is this Senior Brother Chief? He looks... so handsome.
I heard he has only been practicing martial arts for a little over a month.
Yang Ling's gaze turned solemn.
Although they hadn't fought a single match, just by looking at Bai Yujing's gait, he knew the other party was terrifyingly strong.
“He really is a celestial! Uh, why did a celestial come to our martial academy to be the Chief?” Shi Kaishan looked puzzled, his eyes wide, making them appear even rounder.
At this moment, the hall was dead silent, with only the sound of Bai Yujing's footsteps echoing.
On both sides, the gaze of every disciple followed Bai Yujing as he walked down the center. When Bai Yujing passed before them, they would subconsciously hold their breath.
Further out, the heads of the great families, presidents of merchant guilds, and even the First Rank expert from the City Lord's Manor who had come to watch the ceremony... all lost control of their facial expressions.
They had heard from their subordinates that the newly appointed Chief Disciple of the Wanxing Martial Academy, Bai Yujing, was extraordinary, but they never expected...
Him to be this extraordinary!
The portraits didn't even capture one percent of his real appearance.
Was this really someone Zechuan City could produce?
On the high seat, the Principal looked at these people who behaved like they had never seen the world, feeling immensely smug, a grin nearly splitting his face.
When he saw Bai Yujing kneel on one knee before him, his expression suddenly turned solemn.
“Bai Yujing.”
His solemnity lasted only a few breaths before he smiled again. “Hahaha! From this day forth, you are the Chief Disciple of our Wanxing Martial Academy, and my disciple.”
With a wave of his hand, a token representing the identity of the Chief Disciple floated in front of Bai Yujing.
Zhuang Xun remained silent, catching the token with one hand.
Thud.
The sound of someone kneeling suddenly came from behind him.
“Junior Sister Zhou Ziruo pays her respects to Senior Brother Chief!”
“Junior Sister Lin Qingsu pays her respects to Senior Brother Chief!”
“Junior Brother Shi Kaishan pays respects to the celestial... pays respects to Senior Brother Chief! Senior Brother Chief, are you a celestial?”
Yang Ling, the only one among the four true disciples at the front who was still standing, was stunned for a moment. He glanced at Zhou Ziruo, who was the first to kneel, and knelt down a beat late, speaking with slight awkwardness:
“Junior Brother... Yang Ling pays his respects to Senior Brother Chief.”
Thud!
The disciples in the hall all knelt down together.
“Disciples of the Wanxing Martial Academy pay their respects to Senior Brother Chief!!!”
The unified shouts of the disciples were heart-shaking and incredibly resonant, clearly audible even far away in the Outer Court.
...
“Damn it!”
Chen Jinzhu lightly bit her handkerchief, looking toward the Wanxing Hall at the mountaintop. “Why aren't Outer Court disciples allowed in? I wanted to watch Senior Brother Bai become the Chief from up close, ahhhh!”
Even I didn't get to go in myself. Does thinking about it that way make you feel a bit better?
Controlling Yan Pingsheng, Zhuang Xun picked up two pieces of braised pork shoulder he wanted to eat and quickly retreated without even glancing at Chen Jinzhu.
It was better to avoid her throwing a tantrum as a young lady and taking it out on him if he got caught in the crossfire.
Delicious, delicious...
Zhuang Xun shoveled fried rice into his mouth. Suddenly, his eyes met those of Zhang Tie, who was also shoveling fried rice, and an invisible battle began.
The two competed, simultaneously speeding up the rate at which they shoveled fried rice into their mouths.
In the end, Zhang Tie won by a narrow margin.
He smugly showed his gleaming, empty plate to Yan Pingsheng.
How childish. How old are you...
Zhuang Xun ignored him, stuffed the last bite of fried rice into his mouth, and went to the buffet tables on the other side to grab some pastries.
Heh, this feeling of eating at my own banquet is truly novel. Is it the first time... Actually, it doesn't seem to be the first time.
Zhuang Xun recalled the memory of holding a funeral for Yan Qingshan.
Looking back now, it was still a bit hard to keep a straight face when he had used Yan Pingsheng to kowtow to a portrait that was ninety percent identical to Yan Pingsheng.
At that time, he had almost lost it. He had to kowtow with all his might, using the pain to suppress his laughter, even knocking his forehead until it bled and tears streamed down from the pain.
This resulted in the neighbors praising him as an incredibly filial son whenever they brought him up for a long time afterward.
...
As the sun set, the master-apprentice ceremony concluded, with a dinner banquet scheduled to follow.
After briefly getting acquainted with his junior brothers and sisters at the banquet, Zhuang Xun took his leave of his master and followed a plump, prosperous-looking deacon out.
He disliked these kinds of social situations where he had to get to know strangers, and just staying there made him feel uncomfortable all over.
Zhuang Xun followed the deacon up a winding mountain path. At the very end, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a quiet, elegant three-entry courtyard.
Beside the courtyard stood a crooked old tree.
Behind it was a cliff. Looking forward, one could see rolling mountains covered in lush greenery. Looking down, one could see a panoramic view of the Outer Court, with the disciples looking like tiny ants.
The deacon bowed slightly and asked with a smile, “Chief, this courtyard is the most tranquil. No disciples will come up here on ordinary days. Are you satisfied with it?”
“Or would you like me to show you some other places?”
Not bad, not bad. It's quiet, spacious, suitable for practicing martial arts, and has great scenery. This is the place...
Zhuang Xun sized up his surroundings.
Now that he had become the Chief, it was no longer appropriate for him to live in the Outer Court. He needed to change his residence, and this courtyard suited his tastes perfectly.
“This is the place.”
Hearing this, the fat deacon beamed. He clapped his hands, and eight women of various figures—some plump, some slender—walked out from the courtyard.
Zhuang Xun was taken aback. The fat deacon smiled obsequiously and said, “Chief, from now on, these eight will be responsible for taking care of your daily life. If you have any requests, you can instruct them directly. Of course, you can also call for me; I will be at your beck and call!”
“No need. I am used to being alone. Having people around me makes me feel uncomfortable instead.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the women, who had been filled with joy, immediately wore pitiful expressions.
Zhuang Xun remained unmoved.
Was he joking? He had so many secrets; how could he possibly keep people around him?
He would have to hide everything he did in the future, which would be so inconvenient.
Besides, there might even be spies planted by others among them, specifically watching him to pry into his information or even look for an opportunity to assassinate him.
The fat deacon gave the women a look, gesturing for them to leave quickly.
“Hehehe, the Chief is single-mindedly devoted to the martial path. No wonder you have achieved such success at such a young age. You are truly a role model for us all! In the future, I must learn from you as well. I'll dismiss all the servants around me as soon as I get back!”
The fat deacon wore a look of adoration, acting as if he wanted to take Bai Yujing as his benchmark.
Afterward, he mentioned where he lived and repeated several times that the Chief could command him for anything before finally taking his leave.
Rate on N.U.
