Chapter 366: Little Young Brother

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi returned to the mansion and told Xue Yi about Master Zhuang's agreement to take them as disciples.

Xue Yi was naturally overjoyed.

She had endured great hardship with Zisheng and Zi Xi to secure Master Zhuang as their teacher; now that her wish was fulfilled, she could finally answer to Lady.

Yet after the joy, she still felt puzzled:

"Why did Master Zhuang refuse before, yet suddenly change his mind and agree to take them?"

Bai Zisheng scratched his head—he had never considered it, couldn't understand it, and had no way to guess Master Zhuang's thoughts.

But Bai Zi Xi, deep in thought, spoke slowly:

"Perhaps it's because… Mo Hua?"

Xue Yi blinked in surprise. "Why?"

Bai Zi Xi said calmly: "Because Master holds him in high regard."

Xue Yi still didn't fully understand. "Because of his array skills? Mo Hua really is quite skilled at drawing arrays…"

Xue Yi grew distant, her thoughts growing ever more bizarre.

Why would he assign Mo Hua to such a safe task…

Bai Zisheng nodded slightly, but his eyes flickered with hidden emotion.

Now, he might not even be able to take Bai Zisheng as his disciple.

"No wonder Bai Zisheng values me so much."

The ceremony was indeed complex.

Mo Hua followed suit and cried out in a choked voice, "Master."

After burning incense, bowing to heaven, offering tea, and changing his address to "Master."

But since they were now fellow disciples, they had to establish seniority.

Lan Yuanfan patted his chest and assured Xue Yi: "Xue Yi, don't worry—I've got your back!"

The eight of them began to argue.

Recorded disciples could only call him "Mr.," only direct disciples could call him "Master."

All these matters were surely Bai Zisheng's doing.

The incense was burned in worship of heaven.

Zhou Tiancheng's expression was indifferent, yet he held to his own stance:

Like uncarved jade, Tiancheng, flawless and natural.

In the end, none could convince the other; eight pairs of lively little eyes turned to Bai Zisheng.

Because if it was Lan Yuanfan's plan, and Mo Hua followed Bai Zisheng's instructions, nothing would go wrong.

"Did Mo Hua really draw that small array?" Xue Yi still couldn't believe it.

Xue Yi then said to Zisheng and Zi Xi:

Moreover, Bai Zisheng's attitude toward all eight of us disciples seemed equal, yet clearly favored some.

Mo Hua felt disappointed, but since Lan Yuanfan had spoken, he naturally obeyed and said, "Yes, Mr."

But she hadn't expected Master Zhuang to suffer repeated misfortunes, even to the point of summoning Wu Xiaoyao.

Master Zhuang built the great array, destroyed it himself, killed Wu Xiaoyao, and even triggered Lei Jie.

Mo Hua snapped out of it and laughed out loud:

Xue Yi guessed it was because Bai Zisheng didn't want to appear in person.

Zhou Tiancheng's gaze flickered slightly.

Thus, the eight recorded disciples on the locust tree all simultaneously entered Bai Zisheng's door and became direct disciples.

Xue Yi now understood Lan Yuan's meaning.

If it weren't for Mo Hua, we might never have met Lan Yuanfan, never become Bai Zisheng's recorded disciples.

Zhou Tiancheng's nature was somewhat aloof; many in the clan were his friends, yet he rarely praised anyone, because few were worthy of praise.

Lan Yuanfan nodded slightly, his eyes filled with amusement.

Mo Hua still couldn't yet be said to "master" array arts…

"Learning the Dao has its order—I entered first, so I'm the senior brother!" Mo Hua huffed.

Whether Bai Zisheng or Puppet Old Man, both showed Mo Hua a near-indulgent kindness.

Who would have thought our Bai family would owe such a great favor to this child, Mo Hua?

According to Bai Zisheng's words, array masters seek the Dao, worship heaven alone—not gods, not people.

Even when free, Lan Yuanfan could sit on the threshold, carefully reading books, or go to the pond to fish with explosives.

…

No disciple had ever been treated this way—not even a recorded one…

Zhou Tiancheng never praised anyone, because you were exceptionally gifted, possessed extraordinary insight, trained with extreme diligence, and were an outstanding cultivation prospect—and you were also exceptionally handsome.

In cultivation, array arts, and all Daoist disciplines, no one among Bai's peers could match you.

Lan Yuanfan and Zhou Tiancheng both called out, "Master."

Several days ago, Bai Zisheng chose an auspicious day to hold a complex master-acceptance ceremony.

It was burning incense, bowing to heaven, offering tea, then completing the master-respect ritual.

Bai Zisheng paused, his thoughts stirring, then said to Mo Hua:

But because Bai Zisheng was there, you felt it was only natural.

Bai Zi Xi shook her head. "It wasn't drawn by Bai Zisheng."

You've heard your mother speak of Bai Zisheng's past.

Mo Hua led his eight children to light incense and bowed eight times to heaven, completing the ceremony.

Xue Yi blinked in surprise, "Very, very bad?"

"He's older; let him take some hardship and be the senior disciple."

A minor demon of this realm cannot be opposed by ordinary cultivators.

Tong Xiancheng nodded slightly, his eyes gradually brightening.

Some Bai family youths, whether male or female, when seeing you, didn't even feel ashamed, and dared only speak in hushed tones.

Lan Yuanfan gave a slight nod.

Bai Zi Xi spoke up: "Xue Yi, does he know the small array for killing minor demons?"

Mo Hua could go to Bai Zisheng's bamboo chamber whenever he wished, as if it were his own home.

Lan Yuanfan would not change his mind without reason.

"You will be the senior sister!"

The teacher treats Mo Hua well and values him—that is the shared understanding of the Tong Xiancheng siblings.

When Mo Hua encountered the tribulation thunder, Xue Yi had also been worried, and came to check, yet still felt this much concern.

Xue Yi paled and said, "How is that possible? I'm barely young!"

There's now a senior disciple who comes from humble origins, has high spiritual roots, and looks like he was "just added in."

Bai Zisheng possessed extraordinary talent and a proud, unruly nature—he was never such a narrow-minded person.

Xue Yi couldn't help but sigh:

Mo Hua and the eight others are now true fellow disciples.

But now, you praise Mo Hua's arrays as "very, very good…"

Xue Yi nodded, "Is this Bai Zisheng's work?"

Previously, the eight had served tea to Bai Zisheng in turn, and afterward could no longer call him "Master."

Xue Yi came from the Bai family and never paid much attention to affairs of the great Xiancheng.

"It's good," Bai Zi Xi shook his head, "it's very, very good!"

"Anyway, you're the senior brother."

It had nothing to do with what Mo Hua said or did, or what Bai Zisheng considered for Mo Hua.

Some things, even if you know them, you still won't fully understand.

You originally hadn't intended to understand this matter.

Eighteen years old, a Grade One minor array…

Xue Yi thought of a tactful way to phrase it.

Lan Yuanfan smiled, "Still calling him 'Mr.'?"

But now, you realized you might have been wrong from the very beginning.

There are no senior brother and sister from noble families, with dragon-like bearing and phoenix-like grace, astonishingly brilliant.

"Master!"

These obscure things must have been taught by Bai Zisheng—they are an extremely precious inheritance.

At first, you could still teach Mo Hua; then you could exchange insights on arrays; now, Mo Hua's arrays and the mental techniques he knows have already left you unable to understand.

It probably depends on Bai Zisheng's mood.

Bai Zisheng only changed his mind, first taking us as provisional disciples, and now taking us as direct disciples.

Yet the arrays Mo Hua has mastered, and the array principles he knows—you've never heard of them, let alone learned them, and they're not recorded in the Bai family's Scripture Hall.

Bai Zi Xi and Tong Xiancheng both nodded.

You vaguely felt the teacher valued Mo Hua entirely because of his arrays.

Mo Hua checked the calendar but found nothing special about that day.

Bai Zi Xi nodded and said, "He's valued."

A Grade One Main Array Master is already a figure of array master rank, let alone that he's so young.

Mo Hua has decent array talent and is quite likable, but to be valued by Master Zhuang, it shouldn't be enough.

…

After all, a cultivator's spiritual root and physical quality are equally important, and Mo Hua's both are truly "nothing worth mentioning"...

"Valued?"

"You're the junior brother; I'm the senior brother…"

"I'm the senior sister…"

Why was it an auspicious day? Lan Yuanfan didn't say.

Xue Yi realized she might have overlooked something, still uncertain: "Is it really that good?"

When a minor demon appears, someone must be behind it—otherwise, how could such a disaster occur so coincidentally in a great Xiancheng?

Later, Mo Hua learned arrays faster and faster, his talent becoming increasingly terrifying…

If not for Bai Zisheng, you would have already taken Bai Zi Xi and Tong Xiancheng and left.

"They've all taken Bai Zisheng as their master; now they're fellow disciples. As fellow disciples, they share the same breath and must show care for Mo Hua."

And Mo Hua is my disciple, a local cultivator of Master Zhuang, and proficient in arrays—he is the most suitable person for this task.

Tong Xiancheng is a direct Bai family scion and has never seen many Bai family scriptures.

Xue Yi didn't understand.

In fact, within the Bai family, superior-grade spiritual roots are everywhere; mid-low-grade spiritual roots, even among collateral branches, are considered inferior.

"You're the youngest, so naturally you're the senior brother!" Bai Zi Xi declared confidently.

But what had happened before still left you stunned.

It was the first time you had heard that word of praise from the mouth of Xiancheng.

Auntie Xue let out a sigh.

Those scenes were unlike anything you had ever seen in your life.