chapter 353
To Take You as a Disciple
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In the past few months at Tianluo Sect, this was Mu Qingyin’s second appearance in public. Even so, it was still more than the total number of times she had shown her face in the past few years.
The ultimate homebody isn’t just a saying; if she can stay indoors, she absolutely will. The reason for her becoming this way is not only related to her master but also due to her overwhelming popularity.
With exceptional talent in sound and painting, along with stunning beauty, Mu Qingyin has always been highly sought after and admired by the opposite s*x. Before becoming the hall master, her desire to focus on her art was often interrupted. Thus, for her, the outside world was too noisy; her own little world was much quieter and more comfortable. So, after becoming the hall master, she immediately established rules to silence the raucous atmosphere in the hall, prohibiting outsiders from visiting the Sound and Painting Hall without reason.
“You all go ahead; I’ll be there shortly.” To give a public reward, it naturally couldn’t be too meager, so Mu Qingyin needed to prepare.
After Ye Yong and the beautiful painter left, she began rummaging through her room. The former hall master of the Sound and Painting Hall, Mu Qingyin’s master, had left her many treasures before embarking on a journey, saying they could be used to reward well-performing disciples.
In stark contrast to Mu Qingyin, the former hall master loved occasions like banquets. She was as enchanting as a flower, captivating countless men, skilled in both song and dance, unmatched within Tianluo Sect. Pursuers sent many rare treasures just to catch a glimpse of her.
No merit, no reward; anyway, Mu Qingyin couldn’t accept gifts without reason. After protesting to her master many times, she began to change, only accepting useful treasures and returning some trinkets in kind. In her words, it was “an equal exchange; I won’t just take things from others.”
The pursuers had no complaints, and naturally, Mu Qingyin had little more to say. After all, it was a mutual agreement, and thanks to them, the treasure vault of the Sound and Painting Hall had become much richer.
“Last time I gave the Star-Moon Ring Flute; this time, I’ll give a brush for painting. Hmm, this Qingshui Wolf Hair Brush is quite a nice gift.” Soon, Mu Qingyin found a brush faintly surrounded by a green aura, its body engraved with inscriptions, a mid-grade magical artifact.
Adding four bottles of ink made from the blood of spirit beasts in their infant stage… Mu Qingyin felt it still wasn’t enough, so she also took two volumes of third-grade spirit music scores and several high-quality canvases, ensuring the reward was ample before she contentedly left her cave.
When she arrived at the banquet venue, the lively crowd instantly fell silent, followed by waves of welcoming voices.
As soon as she entered, Mu Qingyin noticed Qin Shimeng and Liang Xiaorou sitting near Ye Yong. Their outstanding demeanor made them stand out even among the already recognized beautiful female disciples of the Sound and Painting Hall, perhaps even surpassing them slightly.
They had both visited the Sound and Painting Hall to see Ye Yong before, so Mu Qingyin knew them, but this was the first time they were meeting face to face.
Seeing a remarkably graceful woman in green enter, Qin Shimeng and Liang Xiaorou quickly stood up and greeted her.
The hall master of the Sound and Painting Hall, they had heard much about her, and seeing her today, she truly lived up to her reputation as a refined and dignified beauty.
At present, Mu Qingyin didn’t regard Ye Yong as a male at all. Qin Shimeng and Liang Xiaorou also somewhat understood that Mu Qingyin was a peculiar hall master who rarely left her quarters, so they didn’t think there would be any interaction between her and Ye Yong. With no competition among them, naturally, no sparks could fly.
The initial meeting of the three female leads was very calm.
This outcome was entirely within Ye Yong’s expectations.
As for the other two female leads, Wu Xue and Hua Ningyan—one was hiding in a corner, blushing and excitedly discussing “The Overbearing Junior Disciple Loves Me” with Lu Xiaoxiao, while the other was complaining to Xia Shijia about Xia Shiqi stealing her food. The little girl and the little fox could hardly have any interaction with the hall master, so Ye Yong didn’t consider them at all.
In any case, his thought was simple: this banquet was to allow the three female leads, who had poor compatibility, to get to know each other in advance, hoping they could talk and deepen their impressions.
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It was precisely because of the arrival of the hall master that the senior and junior sisters were not as carefree as before. Ye Yong took on the responsibility of warming up the atmosphere. With the right timing, location, and people, it all depended on whether he could seize the moment.
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Compared to Ye Yong, who was surrounded by exquisite food, fine wine, and beautiful women in the Sound and Picture Hall, Long Tian was like an ascetic monk.
The third place he received in the newcomer competition felt as fake as it could be; everyone went about their business as usual, and while the outer disciples treated him with newfound respect, the inner disciples still looked down on him.
Upon returning to his courtyard, Long Tian discovered that the door to his room had been marked with the words “Murderer.”
It was obvious that this was the work of Bai Song. Previously, when he had concealed his cultivation, Bai Song had no way to deal with him; now that his cultivation was exposed, he was sure to start making a fuss about how he had killed Bai Gui.
Of course, Long Tian had no regrets. The reward for third place would be issued soon, and given his performance on stage, entering the inner sect was a done deal. Once he became an inner disciple, his monthly stipend would increase several levels. Compared to baseless and trivial accusations, Long Tian was about to welcome a high-quality life, with a promising future ahead.
As for Bai Song, Long Tian had never regarded him highly. Without the Bai family backing him, even a few Bai Songs would be worthless. Even if Bai Song stopped causing trouble, Long Tian would still seek him out for revenge; he could not let Liu Bo’s grudge go unavenged.
Ignoring the crooked writing on the door, Long Tian entered his room, intending to digest the insights gained from his battle with Ye Yong in the mystical jade pendant’s space, when suddenly a hurried knocking sounded.
“Brother Tian! I’ve offended you in the past; please don’t hold it against me, and be generous in your forgiveness!”
When he opened the door, Long Tian saw a group of outer disciples standing outside. If it weren’t for the flattering smiles on their faces, he would have thought they were sent by Bai Song.
These people had caused him trouble more than once or twice.
Long Tian didn’t want to engage with them and was about to close the door when the leader quickly presented a jade box: “This is a token of apology from us brothers; please accept it.”
The old man with the fallen immortal’s aura scanned it with his spiritual sense—two mid-level third-grade pills, non-toxic. It wasn’t easy for outer disciples to gather two such pills; they must be sincerely apologizing.
After all, once Long Tian entered the inner sect, he would be a disciple of two levels higher than them, making it all too easy to give them a hard time.
Just when he was short on pills, something was being offered right at his doorstep. Long Tian didn’t plan to be polite and directly took the jade box: “Let’s forget about the past. Qiu Li Gao is my friend; don’t let me find out you’re bullying him, or else…”
“Absolutely, absolutely.”
“If there’s nothing else, you can leave.”
“Alright! We’ll leave right away!”
Seeing those persistent nuisances leave so quickly, Long Tian couldn’t help but sigh: “This is the benefit that comes with strength and reputation, but it only intimidates these small fry. I still have a long way to go; I need to become stronger.”
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Just as Long Tian was about to enter the house, Qiu Li Gao rushed in from the courtyard gate, breathless: “Not good! Long Tian! Elder Bai from the Sword Pavilion wants to take you as his disciple!”
Hearing the surname Bai, Long Tian couldn’t help but frown.