Chapter 260: Formally Becoming an Apprentice

Translated by Kollumceti of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

When Ning Jing-daoshi left, Ling Xiao arrived and walked towards You XiaoMo, “Didn’t you say that she gave you a jade drive? Take it out and see if the old geezer’s information is there.”

“Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about that.” You XiaoMo was reminded, and promptly took out the jade drive. Using a hint of soul power, he rapidly scanned through the information on the jade drive before passing it to Ling Xiao.

The jade drive from Ning Jing-daoshi did not just contain profiles on all the high level mages, but it also included information on the other teachers. Most of the teachers were mentioned on the drive, and the data was quite complete.

Besides the data, the jade drive also included portraits of a couple of the teachers. You XiaoMo recalled the information, but did not find any images that matched the old geezer. In addition, the highest level mage included was that of a peak level nine mage. The old geezer said that he was a level ten mage, but the jade drive did not even contain a single level ten mage.

“Could that old geezer have been lying to me?” You XiaoMo could not help but hold some suspicions.

“He didn’t lie to you. He really is a level ten mage.” Ling Xiao said. Even though his level was deeply hidden, Ling Xiao saw through him in an instant when they met in the morning.

“Then why isn’t his profile on the jade drive? From his tone, he seems to be from DaoXin Academy.” You XiaoMo asked.

“What’s so strange about that? Qiu Ran was also from DaoXin Academy. It’s highly likely that his master would be a teacher in the academy. That old geezer’s level is quite high. your Ning Jing-daoshi probably doesn’t have the authority to know of him.” Ling Xiao lazed about on the chair with no indication of surprise.

You XiaoMo walked over at once and sat on another chair next to him, “Then should I take him as my Master?”

That old man was very strange and erratic. You XiaoMo really did not know if taking him as a master would be good or bad. He was currently very cautious about apprenticing to a master.

“In my opinion…” Ling Xiao stroked his chin.

“Well?” You XiaoMo immediately moved closer and looked at him expectantly.

Ling Xiao grinned at him, and suddenly grabbed his neck. Before You XiaoMo could even let out an exclamation, Ling Xiao kissed him, and taking advantage of You XiaoMo’s opened mouth, thrust his tongue in.

When You XiaoMo saw Ling Xiao smile at him, his mind sounded an internal alarm. This guy really had some sort of objective! However, You XiaoMo did not have the time to retreat before his neck was grabbed, and a tongue thrust into his mouth. In a flash, a burst of intense pleasure coursed through him, and only when he was panting heavily did Ling Xiao release him.

Ling Xiao licked off the saliva at the corner of his mouth, and with a hint of satisfaction, said, “That old geezer would be very useful to you right now. There’s no harm in apprenticing to him. If you really dislike it, just wait until he is of no more use before kicking him away.”

You XiaoMo rolled his eyes. Do you think apprenticing is like paying house? If he really does that, he would really have to carry a criminal charge of ‘deceiving master, shaming ancestors’ for the rest of his life. “Let’s put the matter of apprenticing to the side. I feel that Ning Jing-daoshi knows that old geezer. I’ll find another chance to ask her. First, I need to apologize to the teacher from Class Three.”

“I’ll go with you.” Ling Xiao said, and without waiting for a reply, he picked You XiaoMo up and walked toward the exit of the pavilion.

You XiaoMo started struggling when he saw that Ling Xiao wanted to walk out while carrying him. “Put me down, I will walk by myself.” If someone saw this scene, his image and reputation, that took much so effort to build, would be destroyed.

Ling Xiao loosened his grip, and You XiaoMo dropped down. Fortunately, he was prepared but with a height of less than fifty centimetres, it would be hard to fall flat on one’s face.

You XiaoMo spent a lot of effort to find the teacher’s residence as he did not know where he lived.

The teachers and elders in the academy lived in a different area from the students. However, both areas were not too far apart. The teachers for Block Two lived in the Chrysanthemum Courtyard. The place was very scenic, with mountains on one side and bodies of water on the other. The environment and living conditions were much better than the Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter Courtyards.

When the Class Three teacher heard that the student who played truant this morning came to look for him, he did not want to see You XiaoMo, and instead, wanted to demonstrate his authority. But when he thought of You XiaoMo’s potential, he reluctantly allowed You XiaoMo to enter.

You XiaoMo did not deliberately conceal his level. Thus when he entered, the teacher discovered his advancement. His plan to severely reprimand You XiaoMo was disrupted, and his heartbeat increased. Could it be that since You XiaoMo advanced, he went to Class Four for lessons?

You XiaoMo did not have any mind-reading abilities. But even if he knew what the teacher was thinking, You XiaoMo would not dare to lie as the truth of the matter could be easily found. Thus he sincerely apologized and explained the things that happened in the morning.

In the end, the teacher had the same reaction as Ning Jing-daoshi. His expression changed and he impatiently dismissed You XiaoMo. Since the teacher did not seem prepared to look into You XiaoMo’s truancy, You XiaoMo was very happy and relaxed as he left the teacher’s residence with Ling Xiao.

The time limit of three days passed in a flash. You XiaoMo did not even have the time to investigate the identity of the old man before he came knocking on their door early in the morning.

As the old man could not enter the pavilion, he stood outside and loudly shouted You XiaoMo’s name. As a result, he woke up the person who was bundled up in bed and having a nice dream. Streams of loud curses were suddenly heard, and this frightened You XiaoMo out of bed. Thus he hurriedly ushered the old man into the pavilion.

As SheQiu and the rest were put into his dimension, there were only Ling Xiao and him left in the pavilion.

Seeing a yawning Ling Xiao descend from the stairs with rumpled clothes, the old man’s eyes bulged and he pointed at Ling Xiao while shouting in anger, “Who are you?! Why are you in my disciple’s pavilion?!”

You XiaoMo suddenly realized that this turn of events was far from good.

But Ling Xiao was already energized by the shout. He lazily leaned against the stairs while casting a sidelong glance at the old geezer, and with a beaming smile, he said, “Because I am sleeping here ah!”

“Sleeping? Isn’t this my disciple’s pavilion?” The old man had not caught onto Ling Xiao’s implication.

“But this is also my pavilion.” Ling Xiao boasted with exuberance.

The old man still did not get the hint, “Isn’t this a single person pavilion?”

Ling Xiao smiled and nodded, “Yes, it’s a single person pavilion.”

The old man stared blankly, “? ? ?”

“That’s why we sleep in the same bed.”

“… …” The old man fell silent for a second, before he abruptly exploded, “You-you-you… …Why are you sleeping in the same bed as my disciple?! What ambitions do you have?! You better heed my warning and move out immediately! If not, there will be consequences!”

Ling Xiao let out an infuriating smile, “Well then, I’m sorry to say that I not only slept on the bed, I also… …”

“Ling Xiao, you shut up!” You XiaoMo bellowed as he was finally shamed into anger.

This time, Ling Xiao obediently shut his mouth. His wifey looked as if he was about to shoot flames at him if he did not.

The old man was shocked by You XiaoMo’s roar and was startled out of his temper. But he was very pleased, as the one that his disciple bellowed at was not him. The old man was so gratified that he lost his sense of measure and put on airs as he needled Ling Xiao, “Did you hear that? He told you to shut it, ne. You can leave now.”

“You also shut up!” From the side, You XiaoMo’s menacing voice immediately floated over.

The old man immediately shut his mouth. This disciple’s temperament was even worse than his.

Seeing the two finally quiet down, You XiaoMo calmed his temper and walked towards the tea table to pour a cup of tea. The old man thought that You XiaoMo ‘saw the light’ and had decided to apprentice to him. He cleared his throat while waiting for You XiaoMo to offer tea and was raising his hand to accept the cup… …but in the next moment, his glass heart was shattered into numerous shards.

You XiaoMo heard a laugh. He turned his head and saw Ling Xiao leaning against the railing of the stairs. His shoulders were shaking, and he looked as though he was about to burst into gales of laughter. Following Ling Xiao’s gaze, You XiaoMo saw the old man’s expression after he was dealt a heavy blow and was immediately puzzled. He put down the cup of tea he drank a mouthful from, and asked in surprise, “What happened?”

“Nothing happened. When are you going to accept me as your master?” The old man was afraid that Ling Xiao would blab about his gaffe, and hurriedly changed the topic.

You XiaoMo pursed his lips, “I can be your disciple, but you must earnestly teach me!” He specifically emphasised the word ‘earnestly’, in hopes that the old man would immediately pass the Heavenly Soul Scripture to him.

The old man promptly patted his chest and guaranteed: “Do not worry, if you become my disciple, I will not let you suffer any losses.”

The words did not have a guarantee, but You XiaoMo was not afraid that he would not be ‘earnest’. As Ling Xiao said, if the geezer really duped him, he would just have to fire this master.

You XiaoMo was not very clear on the formalities of becoming an apprentice, so he just kow-towed to the old man a few times. The old man did not nit-pick on his actions and was extremely happy to take in this apprentice. He also gave You XiaoMo a ‘meeting for the first time’ gift. It was a beautiful white jade box with unknown contents.

After sending his master off, You XiaoMo returned to the pavilion and immediately opened the gift.

Just by opening the lid a crack, an extremely rich herbal fragrance rushed out. It caused the sleepy Ling Xiao’s eyes to widen and he muttered, “A level nine magic pill?”

You XiaoMo set the lid of the jade box to one side. Inside the box was a bright yellow magic pill. At a first glance, it is mostly likely a middle grade level nine magic pill.

“That old geezer is really quite generous to just hand over a level nine magic pill to his disciple without any conditions.” Ling Xiao took a deep breath – only magic pills of level nine and above were of use to him.

You XiaoMo swallowed. This was an unexpected turn of events, seemed like it was quite a good decision to take the old geezer as his master. You XiaoMo then passed the jade box over to Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao raised his eyebrow in surprise, “Are you giving this to me?”

You XiaoMo blushed and rubbed his nose, “I know that my level is too low and the magic pills that I refine are not much use to you. Anyway, since I don’t need this level nine magic pill, I might as well give it to you.”

Ling Xiao silently looked at him, and suddenly pulled You XiaoMo into his arms. He gently exclaimed, “I’m very touched that you gave the magic pill to me. To repay you, I have decided that tonight we will do it one more time, ba.”

“… …”

You XiaoMo’s head was momentarily filled with a pile of spider webs.