Hearing Bai Qiuran's words, Tang Ruowei felt a mix of anger and resentment in her heart. After pausing for a moment, she whispered, “Please don't call me Miss Tang anymore. Now that I’m part of the sect, I am its disciple. Since you are an elder here, I should address you properly; I cannot lose the etiquette.”
“Little girl.”
“Alright, stop standing outside. Come in.” Bai Qiuran turned to look at the silently sipping tea Tang Ruowei, who seemed too shy to speak.
“Don't mind it. If we're to rank by generations, not only you, but even Jue Yun and the others wouldn't be able to talk to me properly,” Liuyun said, turning to his fellow disciples, trying to give them signals.
Elder Wu furrowed his brows and said, “How come Ancestral Martial Uncle has broken through another level so calmly?”
"This means that during this time, Ancestral Martial Uncle has nothing much to do?" Even though she did not care for the title of princess of Shangxuan Kingdom and didn't want to leave her fate in the hands of her father, she had traveled a great distance, giving up her past life and enduring numerous selections just to enter Azure Nether Mountain's gates and see Bai Qiuran again.
“I just wanted to see what kind of sect the Qinming Sword Sect is,” she said, her curiosity driving her to see her benefactor's sect after all those events that saved her life, family, and country.
“Why not leave little Ruowei to your tutelage?”
“Hmm?” Many of the reasons that brought her here were rooted in curiosity and a subtle affection for the one who saved her.
“Yes, my True Qi can certainly break through more than one layer.”
“Hmm.” Bai Qiuran had a stoic expression on his face.
“My amount of True Qi is immense, and it's hard to find any real remedies in this world that would work for me. Rather than waste precious heavenly materials, it’s better to stimulate my own True Qi to grow naturally.”
The elders nodded rapidly in agreement.
However, it seems now that she met them, and after exchanging only a few words, this person asked her if she had traveled such a long way to come and threaten him, all while rolling up his sleeves.
“By catalyzing my own True Qi, with Ancestral Martial Uncle's circumstances, it wouldn't just break through one layer but could even be enough to reach Foundation Establishment.”
Although she did not care for the title of princess of Shangxuan Kingdom and didn't want to leave her fate to her father’s whims, she had traveled a long distance, given up everything, and gone through arduous selection processes just to re-enter Azure Nether Mountain and meet Bai Qiuran once again.
"I’m not angry anymore."
“Indeed, the seven of us have achieved our current status only because of Ancestral Martial Uncle's teachings,” Bai Qiuran said, rolling up his other sleeve as well.
“Hmm.”
In front of the sect leader and the elders of the Qinming Sword Sect, Tang Ruowei resolved to maintain her image.
Liuyun suggested, “Miss Tang has the same level of Heavenly Spiritual Root as you did back then, her temperament is decent enough, so becoming your disciple is barely qualified.”
“I didn’t want to make a move against you.”
“And Bai Qiuran, as a gentleman, shouldn't fuss over trivial matters with women, right?”
In Bai Qiuran's residence, he had already brewed a pot of tea using his magical skills. He carried the teapot himself and poured tea into nine cups on the table, while the elders and Tang Ruowei entered, inhaling the rich aroma of medicine that filled the air.
“Not at all. Women are the same as men; both are born of heaven and earth, able to run, jump, and cultivate. In my eyes, men and women are equal,” Bai Qiuran replied, his face still showing no signs of warmth.
"That’s why I now feel I’m close to breaking through again."
The princess of Shangxuan suddenly choked up, unsure of how to proceed with her words.
“Women and men are equal, born of the same world, capable of the same things,” Elder Qingyun chimed in at the right moment, “Ancestral Martial Uncle speaks the truth; I can attest to that.”
Seeing their actions, Bai Qiuran asked suspiciously, “What are you all conspiring behind my back?”
“Is it true?”
“I’m not quite sure what you are up to, but considering that you are prominent figures in the sect, I suppose I should cooperate with you for now.”
Bai Qiuran's expression was still stern as he saw Tang Ruowei, who slightly covered her forehead with her hand.
“Thank you, but I currently do not wish to break through,” she sighed weakly.
“Little girl, would you be willing to take me as your master? But just to make it clear, I am truly just at Qi Refinement Stage,” Bai Qiuran said.
Surprised, Tang Ruowei glanced at the elders and noticed they were all exchanging looks except for the relatively honest elder and the fainted sect leader.
The surroundings were filled with whispers of admiration as she realized the gravity of the moment. "Yes, I just wanted to know what the Qinming Sword Sect was like."
Bai Qiuran smiled at her enthusiasm, “Hmm, you’re now a member of the Qingming Sword Sect, and even though you are only a candidate disciple in black clothes, welcome to the sect, Miss Tang.”
Throughout this conversation, various ideas floated, and the elders discussed methods and opinions on the situation. Bai Qiuran then addressed the group, “So who among you will take her under your wing?”
Receiving no immediate answers, he continued, “In any case, this matter still requires the individual’s consent.”
“Indeed, indeed.”
Tang Ruowei remained noncommittal, trying to navigate this unexpected turn of events while considering her true opinions about joining the Qinming Sword Sect alongside her benefactor.
As conversations continued and everyone expressed their excitement at welcoming her, she felt the warmth of acceptance within this gathering of gifted individuals.
“Just like holding in one’s need to relieve oneself.”
In the end, the elders gathered to draft their plans and opinions while Bai Qiuran silently analyzed the Tea's brewing, preparing for the future challenges they would face.