Chapter 4: Virtue Inherits the Ancestral Rhythm of Xuan Ying, Wisdom Reveals the Finest Talent of Clarity

It was called an invitation to three or five companions to witness the master-disciple ceremony, but both sides invited very few people.

The Wang family sent their prodigy outside to study the arts of auxiliary Dao, naturally not wanting to draw too much attention—secrecy ensures success.

Thus, Uncle Rongyuan invited only Tang Nianqiu, the chief shopkeeper of Weizhi Shop, who would oversee the two young lads in Qingxi Fang.

On the Red Eyebrow Master’s side, he invited his only close friend in Qingxi Fang: Wu Jinyan, patriarch of the Qi-refining immortal clan Wu.

As a hermit who survives by his expertise in alchemy, the Red Eyebrow Master’s Huafeng Cottage needed a reliable supplier of golden stone and spiritual materials.

The Wu family, a Qi-refining immortal clan, possessed a ninth-rank Luanshi Well that consistently supplied all its output of golden stone and spiritual materials to Huafeng Cottage.

The two sides maintained a tightly interwoven upstream-downstream relationship, thus forging a solid friendship.

By the way, the Red Eyebrow Master also had a daughter named Zhong Ningyao, who attended today as well.

A simple altar was set up in the center of Huafeng Cottage’s main hall, where the rotund Red Eyebrow Master, Zhong Tianshuo, sat calmly in his elegant red ritual robe.

The morning light was dim; inside the dim room, several specially made Eternal Glow Candles illuminated the figures, making them appear drowsy.

Seeing the assistants had nearly finished setting up, Tang Nianqiu whispered a few words to Wang Rongyuan, who then turned to the Red Eyebrow Master.

“Ready? Shall I call them in?”

“Too formal, Old Wang—you’ve got me nervous...”

The Red Eyebrow Master sighed.

We’ve cultivated half our lives—what’s there to be nervous about?

Zhong Tianshuo realized he’d been tricked by Wang Rongyuan!

He finally saw clearly: this was simply a transaction—Wang family paid, he taught.

But yesterday, that old fox Wang Rongyuan seized the moment and urged him to hold a formal master-disciple ceremony, to make it lively.

He hadn’t thought it through and naively agreed.

A master-disciple ceremony sounded grand—foundation establishment clan scions bowing to me, a Qi-refining hermit—how prestigious!

Now, seeing how Tang Nianqiu had arranged everything, Zhong Tianshuo realized the trouble.

An altar erected, guests invited to witness, then three prostrations and three bows...

If these two boys bowed to him as disciples...

He’d been swindled!

I’m still aiming for foundation establishment—Wang family wants to trap me!

Zhong Tianshuo’s mood was like a maiden tricked onto a bridal sedan—numb.

Of course, he was a three-hundred-pound fat man, not a maiden.

“Come, Yulou, Yuan, stand in the center of the altar.”

Tang Nianqiu, the ceremony’s master of rites, directed the two youths to the altar’s center and announced loudly:

“Wang Yulou, thirteen years old, inherits the ancient grace of Xuan Ying, embodies the rare talent of clear wisdom.

Wang Yuan...

Offer tea!”

At Tang Nianqiu’s words, an assistant hurried forward with a tea tray to the youths’ sides.

Yulou took the tea; Yuan paused, then tore his gaze from Zhong Ningyao and quickly lifted his own cup.

Both knelt before the Red Eyebrow Master’s knees, raised their teacups, and spoke in unison:

“Master, please partake of this tea!”

This was the first bow, signifying their acceptance of the Red Eyebrow Master as their master.

Glancing at Wang Rongyuan seated beside him, the Red Eyebrow Master smiled and nodded, accepting the tea.

What could he do?

As long as one hasn’t become an immortal, there is no true freedom—the Red Eyebrow Master sought foundation establishment, and thus needed sufficient resources and support, and must consider his future standing in the Red Lantern Illumination.

In Wunan’s cultivation world, hermits and clan cultivators who reach foundation establishment must join the Ten Sects to contribute to the Immortal Alliance’s stable development.

Though Zhong Tianshuo had a good relationship with the Red Lantern Illumination’s outpost commander in Qingxi Fang.

But that man was no ordinary person—he even called Zhong Tianshuo “younger brother”—a title not lightly given, but a matter of social conduct!

That outpost commander was a tiger and wolf who devoured others whole and licked the bowl clean.

Zhong Tianshuo dared not join his faction!

The Wang family’s foundation establishment ancestor, however, had become a direct disciple of a Purple Mansion Great Immortal within the Red Lantern Illumination, ranked among the True Disciples.

Thinking of the future, Zhong Tianshuo drank two sips of tea with mixed emotions, then placed the cup on the side table and looked at the two youths, speaking gently:

“Rise, rise.”

Seeing the first bow completed, Tang Nianqiu announced:

“A fine art is lightly bestowed—it is not right to receive it without offering proper tuition!”

Zhong, we Wang family won’t let our children study with you for free—we pay.

Yulou and Yuan each pulled from their robes the tuition gifts prepared by their clan uncle, knelt again before Zhong Tianshuo’s knees, and bowed deeply:

“Master Zhong, please accept our humble offering!”

This was the second bow—the first recognized the master, the second offered tuition.

Seeing the eighth-rank spirit donkey shoulder bone in Yulou’s hand and the two ninth-rank Cold Steel Irons in Yuan’s, Wu Jinyan thought:

“Humble offering? How dare you say that!”

An eighth-rank donkey shoulder bone was prime material, worth at least two hundred and fifty spirit stones.

Ninth-rank Cold Steel Iron was a spiritual metal—more valuable than spiritual bone; though no larger than a fist, each piece was worth over a hundred spirit stones.

Though ninth-rank and eighth-rank differed by only one grade, Cold Steel Iron was as expensive as eighth-rank donkey bone!

The wealth of a foundation establishment immortal clan was immense—Wu Jinyan felt a pang of envy.

Surprised, Zhong Tianshuo accepted the tuition gifts from his two disciples; his petty resentment toward the crafty Wang family vanished entirely.

Good boys!

The eighth-rank donkey bone could be used to test the crafting of bone-based magic artifacts.

“Good, good, excellent boys—rise.”

Yulou and Yuan stood; Zhong Tianshuo then began the third step of the ceremony himself, turning to his friend Wu Jinyan and asking:

“Jinyan, should I accept these two as disciples?”

This was the prelude to the third bow—the master feigned consultation with witnesses, and all joined in praising the disciple, offering the elders’ witness and blessing.

“Brother Zhong, your Dao art must be passed on—these two are the perfect heirs!”

Wu Jinyan nodded slightly in agreement.

“Tang Daoist, you know your own children best—what flaws do they have?”

The Red Eyebrow Master asked Tang Nianqiu; he called Wu Jinyan “Jinyan,” but addressed Tang as “Daoist”—a subtle distinction in intimacy, though ultimately unimportant.

After all, Tang Nianqiu would never dare mention any flaws.

Though he resented the Wang family’s lavish allocation of resources to their direct heirs, he lacked the courage to voice it.

Relaxing his face—whether tense from presiding over the ceremony or from hidden discontent—Tang Nianqiu declared solemnly:

“Young lads’ temperaments are still forming; some foolish behavior is natural. But with a virtuous master like Red Eyebrow Daoist to guide and refine them, they will surely become true jade.”

Wang Rongyuan nodded inwardly.

Nianqiu is good—he’s covering for that useless Yuan!

Since entering Huafeng Cottage, Yuan had stolen glances at Zhong Ningyao more than once.

Yet in this main hall, even the assistants had higher cultivation than he—anyone with half a mind had noticed Yuan’s behavior.

Young lad, temperament still forming.

Uncle Rongyuan turned his gaze to Yulou and saw him with lowered eyes, perfectly obedient, awaiting elders’ inquiry.

Thank heaven—Yulou truly is a qilin!