“Alright, our new disciple has just arrived. There’s no need to start with lectures right away!” The young woman, noticing Han Li’s unease, flashed a hint of amusement in her eyes and spoke softly to Li Huayuan.
“Fine, I understand. Regardless, this fine disciple is my wife’s savior. As his master, I must properly compensate him!” Li Huayuan cast a tender glance at the young woman before turning to Yu Kun, who was still standing nearby. “You may leave now. Your mistress and I need to speak with Disciple Han privately. No one else should be present.”
“As you command, Master.” Yu Kun responded respectfully, stealing an envious look at Han Li before quietly exiting.
“Savior? Compensation?” Han Li was utterly bewildered. He had no idea why these terms were being applied to him. When had he ever done such a thing? Why didn’t he remember any of it?
Seeing Han Li’s dazed and confused expression, the young woman couldn’t help but cover her smile. “Husband, you should explain properly. Your disciple knows nothing about this. Don’t leave him in the dark.”
Li Huayuan smiled at his wife’s words and nodded toward Han Li. “Han Li, you should understand now why I accepted you as my disciple that day. There’s no shame in admitting it—I coveted those heaven-defying spiritual medicines. Using the pretext of taking you as my disciple, I forcibly took half of your share. Otherwise, you should have received two Foundation Establishment Pills, not just one.”
“However, I believe that although I reduced your reward unjustly, I’ve provided you with my name as shelter in the days to come, preventing others from easily bullying you. That should make us even. After all, given your aptitude at the time, even an extra Foundation Establishment Pill wouldn’t have given you much hope of successfully establishing your foundation.” Li Huayuan spoke without changing his expression, as if he saw nothing wrong with his actions.
“But later, things changed. Shortly after I obtained those medicines, just as I was about to refine some pills to enhance my spiritual power, my wife suddenly suffered a deviation during her cultivation and was on the brink of death. Fortunately, the heaven-defying medicines I took from you hadn’t been used yet, so they were able to temporarily preserve her life. Over the next few years, I used the remaining medicines to refine life-saving pills, and my wife finally recovered recently!”
“When my wife learned the origin of these medicines, she insisted that we compensate you. After all, she owes her life to these medicines, and you could be considered her savior.” As Li Huayuan spoke of his wife’s brush with death, his expression shifted several times, as if recalling the peril of that time. It was clear he held deep affection for the young woman beside him.
“After hearing her words, I thought it made sense. Even if you hadn’t successfully established your foundation, I intended to formally accept you as my disciple. But before I could take action, I received news of your successful Foundation Establishment. This truly surprised me! After all, I had previously said that once you reached Foundation Establishment, I would formally accept you. So, that can no longer be considered compensation. It seems I’ll have to find another way to compensate you within my means.” Li Huayuan finished recounting the story, leaving Han Li stunned.
He never expected such a stroke of luck to fall into his lap. Even after hearing Li Huayuan’s words about compensation, Han Li could hardly believe it. He stood there, still somewhat dumbfounded.
“In that case, since you haven’t had time to think it over, why not stay in the cave abode for a day and a night? You can make your request to your master tomorrow morning. Think carefully—your master isn’t usually this generous. This is a rare opportunity!” The young woman shot a glance at Li Huayuan before speaking gently to Han Li.
Li Huayuan chuckled awkwardly, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Finally coming to his senses, Han Li hesitated. He had initially intended to request cultivation techniques, but after his mistress’s words, he felt it would be impolite to refuse her kindness. So, he nodded in agreement.
Li Huayuan then called Yu Kun back in and instructed him to show Han Li around the vast cave abode.
The senior brother immediately agreed with a smile and led Han Li out. Before they even left the hall, he began enthusiastically describing the entire cave abode.
“Master’s Green Wave Cave covers hundreds of acres, with buildings…”
As Han Li and Yu Kun gradually walked away, the young woman smiled and said to Li Huayuan, “Do you think our new disciple can handle Kun’er’s pestering? Just the thought of Kun’er opening his mouth gives me a headache! His long-windedness is truly exhausting.”
“Ah, don’t even mention it. Even I can’t do anything about him now! Han Li definitely won’t last long.” Li Huayuan wore a helpless expression.
“That’s true. But what do you think your disciple will ask for?” The young woman widened her round eyes, a sly glint in them.
“What else could it be? Probably pills, cultivation techniques, or magical instruments. If it weren’t for your insistence on compensating this obedient disciple, I wouldn’t be so generous.” Although he hadn’t given anything away yet, Li Huayuan already seemed to be feeling the pinch.
“What do you mean? If I don’t repay this life-saving grace, my Ice Heart Art will have flaws in my mental state, and I’ll never achieve perfection! How could I possibly reach the Core Formation stage and spend eternity with you?” The young woman first rolled her eyes at Li Huayuan, but her next words were filled with deep affection, moving Li Huayuan greatly.
He immediately patted his chest and promised to fulfill Han Li’s request, ensuring his wife’s cultivation would remain unimpeded.
Han Li, of course, had no idea that this windfall was related to the young woman’s cultivation technique.
For now, he was following Senior Brother Yu around, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that this good fortune had come too suddenly, leaving him with an uneasy, peculiar sensation.
“Hey, Senior Brother Yu, what brings you to the Sword Discussion Hall? How about a sparring session with some spells?” As Yu Kun led Han Li near a very large stone house, a robust man walked out and casually greeted Yu Kun, though his eyes kept scanning Han Li.
“Who doesn’t know that Fourth Junior Brother’s mastery of the Five Elements spells is unmatched among Master’s disciples? I’d rather not embarrass myself!” Yu Kun’s expression shifted slightly at the man’s words, but he laughed it off and declined.
However, he suddenly turned and pointed at Han Li, smiling. “I haven’t introduced you yet, Fourth Junior Brother. This is the new formal disciple Master is taking on—soon to be our Eighth Junior Brother, Disciple Han!”
“And this is Fourth Senior Brother Song Meng. You can address him as Senior Brother Song! Come and greet each other. After all, you’ll be fellow disciples from now on.”
“Eighth Junior Brother!” The Fourth Junior Brother’s eyes lit up with intense focus, staring fixedly at Han Li.
Han Li’s expression remained unchanged, but he sighed inwardly. This guy was clearly a battle maniac. Being targeted by him wouldn’t lead to anything good.
Before the other could speak, Han Li quickly said, “Greetings, Fourth Senior Brother. I’ve only recently established my foundation. I hope you’ll guide me in the future.” He followed up with a respectful bow.
Han Li’s words, however, disappointed the man, who immediately lost interest. He nodded indifferently a few times and ignored Han Li thereafter. Then, he coldly walked past the two without another word.
Left alone, Han Li and Yu Kun stared at each other in silence for a long while.
“Haha, don’t mind him, Junior Brother Han. Junior Brother Song has a peculiar temper. He might seem cold, but he’s actually a good person!” Yu Kun was the first to regain his composure, dispelling the awkward atmosphere with a few words.
Han Li naturally played along, and the two continued their tour with laughter and conversation.
Although the cave abode was spacious, aside from Li Huayuan, his wife, Yu Kun, and Song Meng, there were no others present. Han Li didn’t meet any of the other five fellow disciples. He later learned that the other five, like him, had their own cave abodes outside and only occasionally visited to pay respects to Li Huayuan and his wife.
As for Yu Kun and Song Meng, they had grown up under Li Huayuan’s care since childhood and had developed deep bonds, so they naturally remained there without establishing their own abodes.
Through his conversation with Yu Kun, Han Li gradually learned about the other fellow disciples while unknowingly completing the tour of the entire abode.
But Senior Brother Yu, seemingly invigorated by the talk, pulled Han Li toward his bedroom to continue their lengthy conversation.
Though slightly surprised, Han Li didn’t mind and followed along. After all, this was the senior brother—he had to show some respect.
At first, Han Li listened attentively to everything Senior Brother Yu said, hoping to glean some useful information.
But it didn’t take long for him to experience the horror of Senior Brother Yu’s loquaciousness.
The endless stream of words felt like a demonic noise drilling into his brain. After listening for several hours, Han Li developed a headache.
It was then that Han Li realized Senior Brother Yu’s initial enthusiasm wasn’t out of warmth—it was merely the excitement of having a new audience to indulge his verbal habits.
After a while longer, Han Li could no longer endure it. Pleading exhaustion, he hastily escaped the bedroom and found a guest room to rest in.
Listening to Senior Brother Yu’s verbal assault was mentally draining!
Han Li was thoroughly impressed by this man. He had never imagined there could be someone so talkative and long-winded in the world. It was truly an eye-opener!
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