“Little girl, be my disciple!” The white-bearded old man, Mi Jiu, said this after staring at Meng Xiaoyu for a while.
“Huh???” Meng Xiaoyu, who was already feeling creeped out by Mi Jiu’s stare, was completely dumbfounded upon hearing his words. And she wasn’t the only one; the Han Rubing sisters were also stunned by Mi Jiu’s proposal.
“I said, how about becoming my disciple?” Seeing Meng Xiaoyu’s blank expression, Mi Jiu thought she hadn’t heard him clearly, so he repeated himself loudly.
Shocked back to her senses by Mi Jiu’s loud voice, Meng Xiaoyu stared at him for a moment before decisively replying, “No, I don’t want to.”
Hearing her response, it was Mi Jiu’s turn to be dumbfounded. After a moment, he snapped out of it and asked incredulously, “You said no? Little girl, do you know who I am? Do you know how many people want to be my disciple? And you said no?”
Meng Xiaoyu replied, “How would I know who you are? I don’t even know you. And are you really that amazing?”
“What? You don’t know who I am?” Mi Jiu’s voice grew louder, but then he remembered what Han Rubing had just told him about Meng Xiaoyu and calmed down. He turned to Han Rubing and said, “Little girl, tell her who I am.”
Still not fully recovered from Mi Jiu’s earlier words about taking Meng Xiaoyu as a disciple, Han Rubing thought for a moment before smiling and saying to Meng Xiaoyu, “Little one, the senior in front of you is the former leader of the Beggars’ Sect.”
“Beggars’ Sect leader?” Meng Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. She then asked, “Is that really impressive?”
Seeing Meng Xiaoyu’s eyes light up, Han Rubing chuckled and said, “In today’s world, there are fewer than nine people who can match this senior in a fight.”
“Fewer than nine people?” Meng Xiaoyu’s eyes sparkled like stars. If there are fewer than nine people who can match him, then there must be even fewer who can defeat him, right? Thinking of this, Meng Xiaoyu turned to Mi Jiu with a face full of admiration.
Seeing Meng Xiaoyu’s admiring gaze, Mi Jiu was very pleased and said, “So, have you decided to become my disciple?” His expression and tone were so smug that the Han Rubing sisters standing nearby couldn’t help but twitch their mouths. Unfortunately, Meng Xiaoyu, who was already overjoyed by Han Rubing’s words, didn’t notice Mi Jiu’s smug look. Otherwise, she might not have agreed so quickly when Mi Jiu asked her again if she wanted to be his disciple.
What? You ask why she was so overjoyed? Isn’t it obvious? The old man wanted to take her as a disciple. With such a powerful master, she might one day become like the protagonists in some novels, learning unparalleled martial arts and roaming the world with a sword. If she could also attract a super handsome guy or a stunning beauty, that would be even better. Meng Xiaoyu could already imagine herself mastering unparalleled martial arts, holding a legendary sword, and standing proudly among a group of black-clad assassins, who looked at her with fear in their eyes. Suddenly, the leader of the assassins shouted, “Attack!” and they all charged at her recklessly. She would then draw her sword with a wicked smile and meet the assassins head-on. With her superior martial arts, she would easily move among the assassins, and each swing of her sword would end a life. Not far from her, a stunningly handsome man or a breathtaking beauty would sit cross-legged, gently plucking the strings of a guqin placed on their lap, playing the soul-stirring “Ambush from Ten Sides.”
Thinking of such a scene, Meng Xiaoyu almost drooled.
While Meng Xiaoyu was lost in her beautiful fantasy of mastering unparalleled martial arts, the three others watched her drooling and occasionally letting out silly laughs. They couldn’t help but twitch their mouths. Finally, unable to stand Meng Xiaoyu’s silly behavior any longer, Mi Jiu interrupted her laughter and asked, “What are you thinking about, silly disciple?”
Annoyed at having her beautiful fantasy interrupted, Meng Xiaoyu turned to Mi Jiu and said, “You’re the silly one! And who are you calling disciple? I haven’t agreed to be your disciple yet, so don’t call me that so affectionately.”
“What? You clearly agreed to be my disciple just now, and now you’re going back on your word? How can you treat me like this?” Mi Jiu said in an accusing tone, as if he were a wronged lover. He even put on a pitiful face, looking at Meng Xiaoyu like a wronged wife abandoned by her husband.
Feeling creeped out by Mi Jiu’s pitiful gaze, Meng Xiaoyu quickly said, “I was just joking, don’t take it seriously.”
“Really?” Mi Jiu still looked like a wronged wife.
“Really, really, more real than pearls,” Meng Xiaoyu quickly replied. She couldn’t stand a man in his sixties looking at her with such a pitiful expression. It was just too unbearable.
“Then call me Master,” Mi Jiu said, still looking pitiful.
“Master,” Meng Xiaoyu quickly called out, then added, “I’ve called you Master, so stop looking at me like that.”
Mi Jiu’s face immediately lit up with a smile upon hearing her call him Master.
Seeing Mi Jiu’s happy face, Meng Xiaoyu regretted calling him Master. His quick change of expression made her realize he had been faking it. Determined not to be taken advantage of, Meng Xiaoyu slyly asked, “So, Master, what powerful martial arts are you going to teach me?”
Overjoyed by being called Master again, Mi Jiu boasted, “Your Master is proficient in all eighteen martial arts. Whatever you want to learn, I’ll teach you.”
“Really? Master, you’re the best! I want to learn the Nine Yin Manual, Six Meridian Sword, Lingbo Weibu, Beiming Divine Skill, Yiyang Finger, Jade Flute Sword Technique, Falling Flower Divine Sword Palm, and also the Dugu Nine Swords, Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand, Mournful Soul Palm, and also the Dog Beating Staff Technique, Dragon Subduing Palm, and Divine Movement Technique…”
While Meng Xiaoyu happily listed the martial arts she wanted to learn, Mi Jiu listened with a face full of surprise and cold sweat. He had never heard of the names of these martial arts, but judging by Meng Xiaoyu’s expression, they didn’t seem to be made up.
Not only was Mi Jiu’s face full of surprise, but even the Han Rubing sisters were looking at Meng Xiaoyu with astonished expressions.
