Chapter 20: The Ninth Gentleman — Zhuge Lingyun

As the two walked into the great hall, the several masters present, including Qi Feng, could not help but frown.

The pair strolled toward the front of the room, but as they passed Ye Xiao, they suddenly stopped. The man in the green shirt offered Ye Xiao a faint smile.

"Not bad!"

With those two words, he continued forward.

The man in the linen robe, however, leaned in toward Ye Xiao with a mischievous grin. Ye Xiao paused, a sudden realization dawning on him. Looking at that familiar, cheeky face, he exclaimed, "You! Aren't you the waiter from the teahouse?"

"Heh! Your memory is truly sharp, patron! Oh, right!"

The man leaned close to Ye Xiao's ear and whispered, "The silver you gave me was taken by my senior brother. Do you have any more on you? Could you lend me some?"

"This..."

Ye Xiao was struck dumb. He had never expected this cheeky-looking waiter to be a disciple of the Yin-Yang Academy!

"Mu Bai, what are you dawdling for?"

Suddenly, the man in the green shirt spoke. His voice was calm and soothing, like a gentle spring breeze. The man called Mu Bai gave a cheeky grin.

"Coming!"

He winked at Ye Xiao before quickly walking behind the man in the green shirt, trailing him obediently.

Under the gaze of everyone present, the man in the green shirt walked up to Ao Jian. Ao Jian’s expression looked unnatural, even somewhat evasive.

"What—what are you doing?" Ao Jian asked.

The smile on the man in the green shirt did not waver as he replied softly, "What? Three years have passed, and you think you can take my seat?"

A commotion broke out in the hall. The faces of the other masters turned grim, and Ao Jian’s expression darkened to an ashen hue. Yet, he dared not lash out, only muttering in a low voice, "The view is clear from here. Who knew you would suddenly return?"

With that, he shifted a few steps to the side, effectively yielding his seat to the man in the green shirt.

This scene left everyone—save for the eight masters and Qi Feng—in complete shock. Could it be that this man’s status was even higher than Ao Jian’s?

Curious, Ye Xiao whispered to Qi Feng, "Who... who is he?"

With a complex expression, Qi Feng replied, "He is the ninth master of our Yin-Yang Academy—Zhuge Lingyun!"

"Zhuge Lingyun?" Ye Xiao looked at the man in the green shirt, his face filled with wonder.

Zhuge Lingyun sat down slowly, scanned the participants of the trial, and nodded slightly. "Not bad. The quality this time is acceptable. Hm? Why are you still standing there?"

Suddenly noticing that Ye Xiao was still standing in the center of the hall, he asked with genuine curiosity.

"Hmph, he is nothing but a piece of trash with only one year left to live. Naturally, he belongs right where he is," the cultivator in the Kai-Fu Realm, who had been waiting for a chance to belittle Ye Xiao, sneered.

Zhuge Lingyun glanced at the man. Though his smile remained, the look made the man’s heart tremble.

"Did I give you permission to speak?"

"I..." The man was so startled by Zhuge Lingyun’s gaze that he dared not answer, quickly shrinking behind Ao Jian.

Ye Xiao stepped forward and said with a wry smile, "Senior! As much as I hate to admit it, he is right. I only have one year of life left. I fear none of the masters here would be willing to take me in."

Zhuge Lingyun closed his folding fan and tapped it against his palm. "No one wants you? That only shows they are blind. From now on, you shall follow me!"

Ye Xiao froze, thinking he had misheard.

"Zhuge Lingyun, have you lost your mind? The man has only a year to live! You would waste the academy's resources to train him?" Ao Jian demanded, his voice low.

Even Qi Feng spoke up. "Indeed. While I am quite fond of this lad, you know the current state of our Yin-Yang Academy. To waste resources like this, I fear..."

"Waste resources?" Zhuge Lingyun laughed. "If it is a waste, so be it. If the Palace Master returns and complains, tell him to come find me."

The sheer arrogance of his words left everyone stunned.

"You! Zhuge Lingyun! Do not be so insolent!" Ao Jian shouted in anger.

"Insolent?" Zhuge Lingyun looked at him. "Is this your first day knowing me?"

Seeing the scholar-clad Zhuge Lingyun speak with such dominance, the stark contrast left Ye Xiao bewildered.

"Lad, what do you say? Are you willing?" Zhuge Lingyun asked again, seeing Ye Xiao standing there in a daze.

"Ah?!" Ye Xiao snapped back to reality and hurriedly bowed. "This junior is willing!"

Zhuge Lingyun nodded, glanced at the remaining participants, and shook his head. "Sigh, not a single one among the others is worth a look. Let us go!"

He stood up and walked out of the hall. Mu Bai grabbed Ye Xiao and followed close behind.

After the three departed, Ao Jian’s eyes widened, his face dark. "Qi Feng! Look at that fellow—does he have less and less respect for us every day?"

Qi Feng, though also annoyed, sighed helplessly. "And what would you have me do? Go and beat him up?"

Ao Jian was immediately silenced.

Beat him up? If he could have beaten him, would he have waited until now?

Seeing that Ao Jian had nothing more to say, Qi Feng added, "I cannot beat him, and he was personally invited back by the Palace Master. What else can I do?" He looked at the other masters. "Register your new disciples tomorrow. I will have someone come to collect the lists."

...

Ye Xiao followed Zhuge Lingyun down the Book Peak, winding through several paths until they reached the base of another mountain. Ye Xiao looked up to see a mountain of modest height, covered in lush, green bamboo.

"Hehe, let's go!" Mu Bai tugged on Ye Xiao’s clothes and led him toward the summit.

At the top, there were no luxurious palaces like on the other peaks, only a few small bamboo cottages.

"Master, are you finally taking on your first disciple?" Mu Bai asked with a grin.

Ye Xiao blinked. First disciple? Was Mu Bai not a disciple of Zhuge Lingyun?

Seeming to sense his confusion, Mu Bai explained, "I am not the Master’s disciple. I was just brought back from the outside to do chores."

"Then that 'senior brother' you mentioned..." Ye Xiao recalled that at the teahouse, there had been a shopkeeper as well. Since Mu Bai was a disciple of the academy, the shopkeeper’s identity was self-evident.

Mu Bai nodded. "Exactly. Like me, my senior brother is not the Master’s disciple either. We were just two unlucky souls who failed the trial."

"The Master took pity on us and let us help him with chores, like cleaning this bamboo mountain."

Ye Xiao realized the truth, but then it struck him: he was also a "pitiful soul"! Even though he had passed the trial, no one wanted him. Was Zhuge Lingyun taking him in just to make him another... chore boy?

"Mu Bai, you are talking more and more these days. Why aren't you off cleaning a room yet?"

Zhuge Lingyun turned around. Mu Bai ducked his head, stuck out his tongue, and hurried toward a bamboo cottage. Zhuge Lingyun watched him go with a helpless shake of his head before turning to Ye Xiao. After a moment of silence, he said, "Come with me!"