Chapter 4325 — A Sisterly Pact
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
Watching from below, Wei Zhao quickly nodded to Huang Xiaotao in signal. He had urged her to choose Ling Yuanqing only because he thought him better than Wei Hebei; but since East Sea Divine Nun also wished to take Huang Xiaotao as a disciple, then East Sea Divine Nun was naturally the most suitable choice—that way, the moment Huang Xiaotao entered the sect, she could advance and retreat together with Wang Xinyan.
"Yes. Your disciple Huang Xiaotao pays her respects to Master." At Wei Zhao's signal, Huang Xiaotao hastily performed the ceremony of taking a master, and in her heart, besides the reluctance of parting from Wei Zhao, there finally stirred a trace of delight and excitement—for this was to become the personal disciple of an Opening Mountain titan, and no one alive could truly remain calm at such a thing.
"Good, good, good—rise, my disciple, quickly rise." East Sea Divine Nun hastened to raise her up with both hands. Even with her disposition and cultivation, she could scarcely conceal her joy at this moment. This was not merely a genius of dual fire-and-wind spiritual roots, but also a flawless Golden Core cultivator such as appears once in ten thousand; and more than that, the kindly air about Huang Xiaotao made her feel a genuine affinity for the girl.
The higher one's station, and especially at a realm like the Opening Mountain stage, the more clearly one perceives the elusive workings of fate and fortune. East Sea Divine Nun had studied this deeply. Taking a disciple depended on affinity—only when both parties felt that pull could fortune align and all be well pleased. So it had been when she took Wang Xinyan, and so it was now with Huang Xiaotao.
Gentle and warm, East Sea Divine Nun held Huang Xiaotao's hand and pointed to Ling Yuanqing and Wei Hebei beside her: "Come—from this day forth, these two are your martial uncles."
Though East Sea Divine Nun had not come from the same sect as the two of them, they were now all pillars of Morning Star Academy, a community of shared interests advancing and retreating as one, and so might well be counted as fellow disciples.
"Your disciple pays her respects to both martial uncles." Huang Xiaotao understood at once and saluted the two of them.
"No need for such courtesy—rise, martial niece, quickly rise." Ling Yuanqing and Wei Hebei nodded with smiles, though each felt a pang of regret. She might have been a personal disciple, and now she had become a martial niece instead. That feeling of letting a genius slip through one's fingers was like missing the grand prize by a hair's breadth in a lottery in the mortal world—truly enough to make one sigh.
"This is Wang Xinyan. She entered the sect a year before you, so she is your martial senior sister," East Sea Divine Nun then introduced.
"Xiaotao greets her senior sister." For the first time, Huang Xiaotao studied Wang Xinyan at close range, and even as a woman herself, she could not help being moved by the other's beauty and bearing. No wonder she was one of the Three Fairies of the Gaolin Sea Region; no wonder she had been able to be with Wei Zhao back in the mortal world.
"Greetings, junior sister Xiaotao." Wang Xinyan returned the salute with grace, then came over and affectionately took Huang Xiaotao's arm, turning to ask East Sea Divine Nun: "Master, your disciple would like to go out for some fresh air—and it happens to be a good chance to take junior sister Huang back to the inn and settle her into a room."
"Mm, go on, then—but best not to leave Zhenduan City, lest anything go amiss." East Sea Divine Nun nodded in assent. She truly doted on Wang Xinyan; whatever this disciple asked, she almost invariably granted, and her words were filled through and through with warm concern. (To be continued...)