Chapter 139: Eldest Disciple

Mu Hongru had originally come to Divine Maple Mountain on a whim, hoping that the immortals recorded in that ancient manuscript truly existed here. To his surprise, he had actually encountered an immortal.

"I have contracted muscular sclerosis and have only three years left to live. After reading an ancient manuscript that recorded a celestial mountain said to be inhabited by immortals, I came here to beg an exalted being to save my life!" Mu Hongru quickly explained, not daring to conceal the slightest detail.

Xiao Cheng wore a look of realization. No wonder Mu Hongru kept addressing him as an exalted immortal; it turned out to be a preconceived notion, and seeing his mysterious appearance had led the man to mistake him for a deity.

At the same time, Mu Hongru's words gradually aligned with the legends of his past life.

In his past life, Mu Hongru had suffered from a terminal illness, which led him to seek immortal destiny here. He had then gone rock climbing, accidentally stumbled into a cavern dwelling by the lake, and obtained the Heavenly Origin Fruit and the Scripture of the Bell's Spiritual Essence and Radiance. Not only had this cured his terminal illness, but it had also forged a spiritual body for him. From then on, he had risen abruptly to prominence, becoming the youngest Golden Core expert in the cultivation world in a century.

Seeing that Xiao Cheng remained silent for a long time without expressing his stance, Mu Hongru grew somewhat anxious. If one encountered an immortal yet failed to seize the opportunity, death would be the only outcome.

"Exalted Immortal, I beg you to save me! I will be your beast of burden in the next life to repay your kindness!" Mu Hongru blurted out, kowtowing to Xiao Cheng over and over again.

Xiao Cheng looked at Mu Hongru and swept his spiritual sense over the man once more. He found that Mu Hongru's meridian atrophy was not yet too severe. While this condition was incurable in the mortal world, it was nothing to a cultivator; it only required channeling genuine Qi to clear Mu Hongru's meridians a few times for him to fully recover.

Hearing Mu Hongru offer to be a beast of burden in the next life, the corners of Xiao Cheng's mouth curved upward. Those who practiced the Dao focused only on the present life and gave no thought to the next. Even if he needed someone to act as a beast of burden, he did not need to wait for the next life—this lifetime would suffice.

"I am no immortal, but curing your illness is not a problem at all!"

Overjoyed to learn that the person before him could genuinely cure his ailment, Mu Hongru hurriedly kowtowed. "Thank you, Exalted Immortal!"

"However, you and I have no ties whatsoever. Why should I save you?" Xiao Cheng asked with a slight smile, a glimmer of mischief flashing in his eyes.

Mu Hongru was stunned and subconsciously muttered, "Aren't immortals supposed to be filled with mercy and compassion?"

"That would be monks you are talking about. I am no monk, and certainly no immortal!"

Mu Hongru had not expected Xiao Cheng to hear him speak in such a soft voice, and he quickly kowtowed to beg forgiveness.

"I can give you money! I have one million in this card!" Mu Hongru produced a bank card and offered it to Xiao Cheng with both hands.

Xiao Cheng did not take the card. To him, money was merely a number and completely useless.

"I don't need money. Money is of no use to me."

Panic set in. Mu Hongru carefully weighed Xiao Cheng's previous words. What did having no ties mean? He was no fool; he knew that if he wanted the immortal to save him, he had to find a way to establish some connection.

But how could one be considered connected?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. He immediately kowtowed and pleaded, "Greetings, Exalted Immortal! Greetings, Master! Please accept me as your disciple, and this disciple will surely honor and serve you with utmost devotion."

Xiao Cheng smiled. Mu Hongru's comprehension was quite good; a slight hint from him had led the man to figure out a solution. Recalling how Mu Hongru had just climbed several hundred meters of sheer rock face, he recognized him as someone with a resolute and persevering nature. As for anything else, it could not be determined for the time being, but taking him on as a disciple would indeed be a decent choice.

"Extend your hand," Xiao Cheng said noncommittally.

A look of joy crossed Mu Hongru's face, knowing his words had taken effect. He obediently extended his hand.

Xiao Cheng pressed his fingers onto Mu Hongru's wrist, channeling genuine Qi into the body to carefully perceive his condition. He discovered that Mu Hongru's innate aptitude was actually quite good, even a few shades better than his own had been in the past. Although the meridians were somewhat atrophied, they were also broader and sturdier than those of ordinary people, while his Dantian was vast, clear, and utterly devoid of impurities.

No wonder that in his past life, after consuming the Heavenly Origin Fruit, Mu Hongru had been able to reach the Golden Core realm in a mere five years. With such a solid physical foundation to begin with, once molded into a spiritual body, his cultivation speed would naturally be extraordinary.

"Mm, your aptitude is quite good. I will take you on as an intern disciple," Xiao Cheng said, nodding and agreeing to the request. However, instead of taking him directly as an official disciple, he coined a new term: intern disciple.

The so-called intern disciple meant temporarily letting him intern as a disciple, and if he proved unsatisfactory, he would be cast out without hesitation.

"Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!" Mu Hongru hurriedly performed the ritual of three kowtows and nine prostrations, fearing that Xiao Cheng might go back on his word.

Originally, when he blurted out the request to become a disciple, he had held no hope at all. Never had he expected the immortal to actually agree. Being accepted as a disciple by an immortal meant he would henceforth be able to learn extraordinary skills—capable of soaring through the skies and traveling through the earth...

Mu Hongru was left somewhat dizzy by the sudden windfall bestowed upon him by Xiao Cheng. As for why Xiao Cheng was willing to take him in, he chose not to ponder it too deeply; what could an immortal possibly covet from him? Perhaps the master simply found him pleasing to the eye.

"An intern disciple, nothing more. If I am not satisfied after three months, I will cast you out!"

Xiao Cheng needed three months to observe Mu Hongru's character. Although Mu Hongru had been a generation of genius experts in his past life and was indeed worth recruiting for his own use, moral character mattered above all else. In his previous life, he had seen far too many traitors who betrayed their masters and destroyed their sects.

If Mu Hongru truly became his disciple, he would be his very first disciple, so he had to be extremely cautious.

"This disciple will definitely serve Master well, study hard, and strive not to disappoint Master!"

Lost in a momentary trance, Xiao Cheng found it felt somewhat surreal that he had subdued a future powerhouse with such effortless ease.

If Mu Hongru's character proved sound, and he was further given a Heavenly Origin Fruit to consume, it might take even less than five years for him to become a major pillar of support.

At this thought, an absurd notion suddenly popped into Xiao Cheng's mind. If he could take all those formidable experts who shook the world in his past life under his wing while they were still growing up, what kind of magnificent sight would that be?

After carefully analyzing the feasibility of the idea, Xiao Cheng finally nodded. Although it would be somewhat difficult, it was entirely achievable. However, wanting to subdue such individuals without overwhelming strength was simply out of the question.

***

High atop Divine Maple Mountain, Liu Yiyi had finished washing up early in the morning and purposely let her hair down. The dark, glossy hair cascading over her shoulders added a touch of feminine charm to her naturally cute and alluring appearance, diminishing a bit of her childishness.

Liu Yiyi walked outside Xiao Cheng's room and called out, "Brother Xiao, it's time to get up! The sun is already high in the sky!"

There was no reply for a long time. Liu Yiyi's smile stiffened slightly. "Brother Xiao, are you inside? I'm coming in!"

Pushing the door open, she found the stone room completely empty, devoid of any trace of Xiao Cheng.

"Eh? Where did Brother Xiao go?" Liu Yiyi hurried outside, searching all around, yet there was still no sign of him.

Could Brother Xiao have left without saying goodbye? A wave of anxiety washed over Liu Yiyi, and her heart suddenly felt hollow and intensely painful.

"Brother Xiao!" Liu Yiyi cried out at the top of her lungs.

"Yiyi, come here. Master has something to ask you!" Master Hui'an appeared by Liu Yiyi's side at some point, wearing a solemn expression, her aged features fully exposed.

"Master, do you know where Brother Xiao went?" Liu Yiyi hurried over to Master Hui'an and asked anxiously.

Watching Liu Yiyi's anxious expression, Master Hui'an felt a pang of heartache. Yiyi was simply too innocent. Could it be that whatever Xiao Cheng had done to her yesterday had passed completely without her even realizing it?

And yet, she was still worrying about a beast in human clothing like Xiao Cheng.

"Yiyi, let me ask you: if Young Master Xiao were to take you away from here, would you go with him?" Master Hui'an asked expressionlessly.

"Eh? Why is Master asking this?" Liu Yiyi looked suspiciously at her master, a vague suspicion stirring in her heart.

"Just answer Master's question directly, never mind the rest!"

The reason Master Hui'an bypassed everything else and asked this question directly was to ascertain Liu Yiyi's true feelings. If she had immediately brought up the base and unseemly actions committed by Xiao Cheng, she worried it would burden the girl's mind too heavily.