Su Mingyuan's hand holding the canteen froze in midair.
Having lived for hundreds of years, this was the first time he had ever seen someone force themselves on him as a disciple.
Some “mother's dying wish” and “beloved master.” This story was crafted quite ingeniously, but the cunning hidden beneath those bright eyes had already completely betrayed her.
Su Mingyuan took a sip of water and remained silent.
He wanted to see what other tricks this little girl could cook up.
Seeing that he was unwilling to agree, the smile on Xue Mingzhao's face gradually faded, and her tone grew despondent.
“Besides... my family has been gone for a long time. Ever since Mother passed away, I've always wanted to find a master. Seeing you today, I felt a deep sense of closeness from the bottom of my heart.”
Su Mingyuan sighed softly in his heart.
A little girl all alone, with no cultivation and no family—how could she survive in this dog-eat-dog cultivation world if she weren't a bit clever?
Telling a few harmless little lies was merely her way of trying to find a place to settle down.
He had already probed her dantian earlier; it was completely empty. She was a mortal through and through.
For a mortal to dare venture into Sunset Valley, and even use her ancestral life-saving pill to save a complete stranger like him, was testament enough to her character.
Besides, the little girl seemed much better than the five rebellious disciples under his wing, and she was obedient and clever to boot.
“What is your name?”
“Xue Mingzhao!”
“Xue Mingzhao,” he repeated, his expression turning solemn. “Today, I shall make an exception and accept you as my personal disciple. Once I have recovered sufficiently, I will take you back to the sect.”
Xue Mingzhao immediately knelt and bowed. Her cry of “Master!” was crisp and loud, as if she had rehearsed it a hundred times in her throat.
Su Mingyuan reached out to help her up, thinking that if he had truly perished in Sunset Valley, those rebellious disciples of his would probably have assumed he was just in a routine secluded cultivation.
By the time they finally thought to look for him, the grass on his grave would have grown three feet high.
Looking at the considerate and sensible Xue Mingzhao, he could hardly conceal his satisfaction.
Calling her “my good disciple” felt natural and affectionate, as if he had raised her as his own daughter for years.
Who could have guessed that this master and disciple had been complete strangers just fifteen minutes ago?
On the side, Su Ye watched, dumbfounded.
That actually worked?!
Only now did Su Mingyuan belatedly notice Su Ye, who had been standing silently to the side the entire time.
He looked at Xue Mingzhao beside him and asked gently, “Disciple, who is this?”
Before Xue Mingzhao could speak, Su Ye quickly stepped forward and approached Su Mingyuan.
With a thud, he knelt straight down and kowtowed three times with resounding thumps, his movements crisp and decisive without the slightest hesitation.
“Master, I am your disciple too!”
Su Ye raised his head, his gaze lingering on Xue Mingzhao's face for a brief moment before turning to Su Mingyuan. He said in a clear, resonant voice, “Master, just now, my... sister and I stood side by side to save you, braving life and death together. We also survived a mortal crisis under the venom of the Blood-Withering Snake. We found ourselves to be kindred spirits, and while waiting for you to awaken, we swore an oath to become sworn siblings.”
Xue Mingzhao's eyes widened slightly.
When did we swear that? How come I didn't know about this?
But Su Ye didn't give her any chance to expose him. His words poured out like rapid gunfire: “Since my sister has entered your sect, it is only natural that I, as her elder brother, follow along. Firstly, I can look after my sister. Secondly, upon meeting you, Master, I felt an instant connection, as if we were old friends. My heart feels exceptionally close to you. I beg you to accept me as well!”
He kowtowed three more times with resounding thumps, turning his forehead red.
Xue Mingzhao was utterly dumbstruck.
This guy's determination to cling to a golden thigh was practically equal to, if not greater than, her own.
Even so, she knew Su Ye was in a difficult position. If not for him, she definitely wouldn't have been able to rescue the heavily injured “Huang Siqi” on her own.
Ultimately, Su Ye was just like her. All alone, with no backer and nowhere to go, simply wishing to find a place to settle down in this dog-eat-dog cultivation world.
Su Mingyuan was also dumbfounded by this display. He turned to look at Xue Mingzhao, silently asking with his eyes: Did you two really become sworn siblings?
Meeting Su Ye's pleading gaze, she cooperated and spoke up, “Yes, he is indeed my elder brother now.”
Su Mingyuan looked at the young man before him, whose forehead was rubbed raw and red from kowtowing.
This youth's skeletal age was only sixteen or seventeen, yet he was already at the third layer of Foundation Establishment. His talent was truly exceptional.
Both children had pitiful backgrounds. Accepting them would not only repay them for saving his life, but also give them a shoulder to lean on.
He chuckled, then his expression turned slightly more serious. “There is one thing I must lay out for you first. Our sect is located in a remote corner of the Eastern Territory, where spiritual energy is sparse. The entire sect has fewer than a hundred people. Will you two look down on it?”
Xue Mingzhao and Su Ye exchanged a glance. Taking this as “Huang Siqi's” test, they replied in unison, “We will never regret it!”
Seeing their resolute attitude, Su Mingyuan felt a surge of goodwill toward them. He reached out and patted the tops of their heads.
“Very well. In this trip to Sunset Valley today, you two saved my life and faced death together—” He paused, looking at Su Ye. “Since you are sworn siblings, I shall accept both of you. Lest you accuse me of playing favorites in the future.”
Overjoyed, Su Ye immediately copied Xue Mingzhao's previous manner, kowtowing properly to pay his respects. “Your disciple, Su Ye, pays respects to Master!”
Taking advantage of “Huang Siqi” looking away, Xue Mingzhao shot Su Ye a sidelong glance and teased in a hushed voice, “Sworn siblings? When did that happen? How come I didn't know?”
Su Ye stared straight ahead, also lowering his voice. “Just now. I decided it unilaterally.”
“Fine, I agree.”
“Even if you didn't, Master has already accepted me... Wait, you agree?”
“No duh. Didn't you say we braved life and death together?” Xue Mingzhao winked and bowed to him, calling out crisply, “Senior Brother.”
Su Ye was stunned on the spot by her call of “Senior Brother.” His lips twitched as he wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to respond.
In the end, he turned his head away and gave a mumbled, “Mhm.”
Seeing this, Xue Mingzhao thought to herself that while this guy's ability to talk big was on par with hers, his skin was unexpectedly thin.
Su Mingyuan suppressed the surging injuries within his body.
Although they were already outside the valley, demon beasts roamed once night fell, and even the outer perimeter harbored many dangers.
Currently plagued by severe injuries and unstable spiritual energy, he couldn't protect the two people beside him at all. He couldn't afford to gamble on even the slightest mishap.
He immediately raised his hand and summoned a spirit boat, preparing to carry his two new disciples out of this perilous area and head straight back to the sect.
Su Mingyuan's spirit boat was crafted entirely from thousand-year-old sinkwood, possessing a warm, dark hue and a solid, heavy texture.
A faint, shimmering white spiritual light enveloped it, not ostentatious but naturally carrying the steady aura of a high-grade artifact.
Compared to Su Ye's rickety, low-end wooden boat, the difference was like a mansion versus a thatched hut.
The spirit boat soared into the sky, riding the evening wind to swiftly leave Sunset Valley.
The master and his two disciples each harbored their own thoughts.
Xue Mingzhao and Su Ye were filled with joy, believing they had clung to the golden thigh of the Heavenly Origin Sect's Sect Master.
Su Mingyuan could only marvel at his extremely good luck, having escaped a desperate situation and even gained two disciples of good character.
All three of them agreed in their hearts that this trip to Sunset Valley was a massive win.
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