Chapter 88: Ten Disciples

An Yue’er said at once, “Senior, there have been great changes throughout the entire Martial Heaven Realm lately. In places like the Western Sands and the Northern Wastes, natural disasters have brought suffering, and many people have died.”

Hearing this, Zhu Xiaoyuan could not help but grow solemn.

“Is it the same as before?” he asked.

Only recently, an earthquake had struck the Southern Ridge Mountains, and now troubles had arisen in other parts of the Martial Heaven Realm as well. It seemed this world was truly beset by calamity after calamity.

When An Yue’er heard his words, she immediately understood: the senior had taken everything to heart.

“Forgive my frankness, Senior, but yes, it is just as you said.”

Zhu Xiaoyuan let out a long sigh.

That was the way of disaster: each time it came, it carried away countless lives.

At this moment, Leng Qianxue still felt somewhat uneasy. Seeing Zhu Xiaoyuan sigh, she said, “S-Senior... Qianxue has done something. I asked the two seniors, Spirit Chronicle and Purple Sun, to open the gates of the Southern Barbarians wide and admit all the refugees from the disasters there. I wonder... was that wrong of me?”

She truly could not bear to see so many people present suffer harm. Those people had done nothing wrong. For that reason, Leng Qianxue had decided to give the Extreme Path Sacred Land and the Purple Sun Sacred Land her advice, but now, looking back, she felt she had been somewhat rash...

After all, she had not obtained Senior Zhu’s permission.

Zhu Xiaoyuan merely smiled carelessly. “What is wrong with that? People ought to be kind to begin with. So long as what you do is an act of kindness, then there is nothing wrong with it.”

“Your heart is very kind!”

He praised Leng Qianxue at length, and at once her face reddened, two clouds of blush rising on her cheeks.

An Yue’er, however, felt somewhat complicated inside.

So there was a reason Leng Qianxue could win Senior Zhu’s regard...

“However!” Zhu Xiaoyuan’s voice sounded again. “Though there is nothing wrong with saving people through kindness, one must always act within one’s means. Do not end up dragging yourselves down as well.”

He spoke gently.

An Yue’er and Leng Qianxue both nodded and agreed.

“System: Beep! New mission issued: take in ten disciples, teach them your skills, and let them survive the chaos!”

At that moment, the system’s voice suddenly rang through Zhu Xiaoyuan’s mind.

Zhu Xiaoyuan was instantly stunned. Take disciples?

He had to take disciples again!

Perhaps because the natural disasters had caused many people to lose their homes, the system wanted him to help them properly.

After thinking it through, Zhu Xiaoyuan began to worry again. Ten disciples, each of whom had to learn different skills? That was far too difficult.

Besides, among all his skills, the only ones that were somewhat presentable were music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

The rest were all embarrassing party tricks...

For example: insights into tree planting?

How to cultivate super vegetables?

A hundred ways to entice a peach tree into blooming?

A guide to pig breeding?

...

Who would want to learn such things?

And even if they did learn them, how were they supposed to survive with them? Let alone in a time of chaos!

Even Zhu Xiaoyuan himself did not believe he could rely on those things to keep surviving.

If one were to ask what his current situation was like, it was simply that he already had two little disciples, both beautiful beyond measure, and every day he only had to wait for them to sweetly call him Master.

If he truly took on ten disciples, he would be busy to death every day.

The pressure on his shoulders was enormous!

But since that damn system had said so, he could not just do nothing. He still wanted to cultivate immortality!

Seeing that Zhu Xiaoyuan’s expression was not good, An Yue’er hurried forward and asked, “Senior, is something troubling you? May we be of assistance?”

Only then did Zhu Xiaoyuan suddenly realize something. He had always lived in a small mountain village; where on earth was he supposed to find ten disciples? But An Yue’er and the others were different. They had always been outside, so surely they had abundant resources!

They could definitely help!

Just as Zhu Xiaoyuan was about to speak, he suddenly remembered that, in these people’s eyes, he was supposed to have a lofty image. He could not just blurt it out like that; he had to maintain a little of an expert’s dignity.

“I do indeed have some matters to attend to. Now that this age of chaos has just begun... I have a few small techniques in hand and wish to find several successors, but... having hidden myself from the world for so long, I am not very familiar with affairs beyond these mountains...”

An Yue’er and Leng Qianxue immediately understood.

Senior Zhu wanted to take disciples!

At once, they grew excited.

This was someone who could casually kill a true immortal. If they could remain by his side, it would be their fortune!

A tremendous fortune!

If this were made known to the outside world, it would surely set everyone cheering with joy.

By then, whatever Supreme, whatever Quasi-Immortal, they would all have to kneel and cower.

Even now, the image of Ye Qingchen earnestly seeking an audience with Senior Zhu still lingered in their minds.

Even after being refused, she had not been willing to leave and had instead settled down in the small mountain village with him.

And the things the senior spoke of—how could they possibly dare to treat them as mere little tricks?

These were surely supreme opportunities.

“Senior, do you truly wish to take disciples?” An Yue’er asked excitedly, almost unable to believe it.

Zhu Xiaoyuan nodded and let out a long sigh. “Yes. In this age of chaos, I have no choice.”

Since the system had issued the task, he could not refuse to fulfill it.

If the Martial Heaven Realm had not been suffering disaster after disaster, the system would not have asked him to take disciples either.

All he was doing was being forced into it.

Leng Qianxue and An Yue’er, however, did not know all that. What filled their hearts was only delight.

“Although Senior has secluded himself here, his heart still embraces the world. Even now, with heaven and earth in turmoil, Senior remains so humble and open-minded! We truly admire you!”

Leng Qianxue said, and Zhu Xiaoyuan’s image in her heart grew even more towering.

“I think Senior Zhu’s board is about to begin, and the pieces should be prepared as well...” An Yue’er took a deep breath and finally understood.

Senior Zhu wanted them to help spread the word about his taking disciples.

After all, Senior Zhu was an unparalleled expert. How could he possibly go out himself to seek disciples?

Thinking of this, An Yue’er felt everything had become crystal clear. “Senior, rest assured. Today we will make sure this matter is spread throughout the Martial Heaven Realm! By then, countless outstanding people will come!”

Hearing this, Zhu Xiaoyuan could not help but blush.

But he did not show it. Who knew that An Yue’er and Leng Qianxue were such devoted little fans of his, even going so far as to say they would spread the news throughout the entire Martial Heaven Realm...

It was truly embarrassing.

“W-We should... keep a low profile,” he said weakly.

This Martial Heaven Realm was full of hidden talents! He was nothing more than a humble mortal, a waste with no aptitude for cultivation. How could he dare be so arrogant?

And when he thought of all those trivial skills of his, Zhu Xiaoyuan was too ashamed to even mention them...