Chapter 90 Accepting Disciples on Behalf of the Master

Fortunately, the situation she feared did not occur. After hearing Lu Yusheng's answer, Kang Guangling's smile widened, and his fellow disciples behind him also stroked their beards and nodded in agreement.

“The eight of us from the same sect are not unknown figures in the martial arts world. You have helped us a great deal this time. If there is anything we can do to help you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

These words came from the bottom of his heart, and Lu Yusheng finally felt relieved after realizing that they were indeed the "Eight Friends" that Doctor Xue had mentioned earlier.

"this……"

She was somewhat troubled, as she really couldn't think of any way she could use these people.

Some trivial tasks can be done by family members, so it seems a bit of a waste to ask these people to do things like changing light bulbs or buying cutting boards.

As for major events...

The biggest trouble Lu Yusheng had ever encountered was Ding Chunqiu, but clearly if these eight people could handle a problem of this magnitude, they wouldn't be here to thank her right now.

Although she was tempted by the offer of help, after thinking it over, she realized that she was not really capable of using it and simply refused.

"I said it was just my duty, and I didn't expect anything in return. You don't need to worry about it, sir. I'm already very happy to know that my unintentional act was of help to you."

"That being said, but..."

Clearly, they hadn't expected that after traveling so far to seek their help, the people there didn't need their assistance. Before the old man could even respond, two people in the crowd behind him already looked somewhat embarrassed.

However, given their age, they maintained a semblance of composure outwardly, out of respect for their status.

“In that case…” one of the men, seemingly unable to bear it any longer, stepped forward and asked, “Miss Lu, what kind of business are you running?”

As soon as he spoke, the woman in the crowd's eyes lit up, clearly having thought of something: "Second Brother is right. Since you're running a shop and doing business, it's all about making money. How about we help you open one or two branches in the nearby cities?"

Of course, many people in the underworld open shops to gather intelligence, but regardless of the purpose, expanding the size of the shop would always be beneficial to her.

The seven people in front of me, along with Doctor Xue who is still elsewhere, are all capable. Even after leaving their master's school, they can support themselves and each has their own family business.

Now that Lu Yusheng has replaced Ding Chunqiu, who is a major concern for them, although it was not intentional, they cannot help but feel indebted to him.

Since we can't help Miss Lu much, and we won't have much time to keep an eye on things going in the future, it would be best if we could offer her some assistance with her business operations.

Unexpectedly, the shop manager in front of him looked troubled upon hearing this, and after some hesitation, he said, "Thank you all for your kindness, but my energy is limited, and this shop is enough for me to run right now."

Thinking she didn't understand the implications, Kang Guangling, who was in charge, advised again: "Branch stores are different from main stores. Just hire one or two capable managers to take care of them."

Lu Yusheng shook his head seriously and said helplessly, "My shop is different from others. This kind of business cannot be started simply by finding a storefront. Moreover, because the business is quite special, I have to do everything myself for each new customer. I cannot delegate this task to others for the time being."

The two worlds are different after all. In order to ensure that it does not have too much of an impact on this era, the projects that can be recommended are very limited, and one must have a thorough understanding of the products.

As for cultivating a trusted confidant to manage things... perhaps it's not entirely impossible, but it's clearly not necessary right now, as we've only just started to have one or two repeat customers.

Besides, the system doesn't have that requirement, and it's still unknown whether the branch's performance can be entered into the accounts of another world, so it's better not to make things difficult for yourself.

Thinking of this, Lu Yusheng bowed again and said, "Thank you for your kindness, seniors, but I think it's unnecessary."

He couldn't help at all, and even though he was called a senior for no reason, Kang Guangling, with his rich experience, was at a loss for what to do.

"Then we can only settle for second best... Do you have any goods that you can sell to us?" It was the second son, Fan Bailing, who spoke up again.

Seeing that the other person was looking at him, he continued, "Please don't think that our gratitude is insincere, young lady. It's just that after this trip, my fellow disciples and I will be returning to our sect together, and we probably won't have time to take care of this place anymore."

But if you don't pay something in return, you'll always have this on your mind. So, what you're doing now is just a way of saying goodbye to that humiliating experience of hiding and running away.

“Yes.” Kang Guangling also came to his senses and replied, “I have a few lost musical scores here. If you don’t mind, I can give them to you as well.”

Fan Bailing agreed, saying, "There are also my chess manuals, my third brother's calligraphy, and my fourth brother's paintings. If you find anything you like, please accept them all."

As for what wasn't mentioned... Xue Muhua isn't here, so he can't make that decision.

Before arriving, Fan Bailing knew that the shop owner was also a master of mechanical arts and had a very good relationship with Zhu Ting. If his sixth brother were to use his mechanical skills at this time, it would be a real case of showing off his limited skills in front of an expert.

Just as I was thinking that Seventh Sister was quite skilled at tending flowers and plants and wondered what kind of help she could provide, she said, "I have several bottles of highly poisonous pollen and flower sap here..."

Unable to refuse their hospitality, the table was soon filled with various collectibles. Lu Yusheng opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, but did not refuse.

She finally had a chance to answer: "Our store mainly provides internet access."

However, seeing that none of these people matched the target group, Lu Yusheng quickly added, "Accommodation and meals are also provided."

As she spoke, she recalled that Young Master Murong had bought camellias from her before, and added, "Small flowers and seedlings are also available for sale."

To be honest, she managed to run the internet cafe business in such a haphazard way that if it weren't for the significant limitations imposed by the technology of the time, the system would probably have intervened long ago.

The first two sentences did not elicit a strong reaction from these people. It was only when she mentioned "flower seedlings" that Kang Guangling said, "Seventh Sister likes flowers and plants. Do you have any that are blooming properly? Pick out the expensive ones and bring them out for us."

At this point, Lu Yusheng finally showed a happy expression. He didn't try to squeeze every last drop of profit out of the shop. He simply picked out a few items that were in bloom and earned a small commission, which made him quite content.

After four pots of exotic flowers and plants were brought down from upstairs by Boss Lu, and seeing that she also said that all the ones she liked were here, the group finally stopped.

Feeling that they had consumed enough, the man in theatrical costume who had been silent before finally asked, "Do you have any hot food here right now?"

Although the business scope includes meals, this is mostly determined by Lu Yusheng's mood and how tired he is that day. Fortunately, there aren't many customers who need this service, so making one or two meals a day is enough.

These people had come all this way from afar, and since there weren't many customers today, the previous table had only had some tea and left, so she couldn't bear to refuse them.

He agreed, "I can cook it fresh, but I can't choose the ingredients; I can only use what's available. Would anyone like to come with me to the kitchen to see how we're putting together the dishes?"

Fan Bailing waved his hand generously: "Just stir-fry everything. The boss can decide on the ingredients."

"Okay, there aren't many kinds left anyway... Are there any dietary restrictions?"

"We're all people of the martial arts world, there's no need for so many formalities. It's just that my eighth brother can't eat too much spicy food. He's an opera singer, and it might hurt his voice. Please remember to leave him a few light dishes."

The speaker was still the only woman in the group. Lu Yusheng had already learned from the few whispered conversations within their group that this beautiful woman's surname was Shi and her given name was Qinglu. Seeing her smiling and gentle appearance, he felt even more favorably disposed towards her.

Upon hearing her remarks again, I couldn't help but admire her thoughtfulness.

After noting down the requirements, she went to the kitchen alone. She had just ladled a spoonful of water into the pot when she suddenly seemed to remember something and returned to the living room.

By then, the seven people had already found their places and sat down around the table. She smiled and said, "Please sit for a moment, and I will serve you some tea later."

Then, facing the bar, I saw Lin Pingzhi still standing there, seemingly lost in thought.

Lu Yusheng felt he had wronged him, and after reflecting on his actions, he went up to continue talking to him.

Considering the few people waiting for their food, she tried to keep it brief, asking, "Is Xiaolin still leaving today?"

Having been ignored for a long time, Lin Pingzhi was somewhat impatient, but he was not a bad person after all. When he saw Lu Yusheng coming over to show concern, he softened his expression.

"No rush, the goods have already been delivered, it's time to head back. It's rare for me to go out, I want to stay outside a little longer."

After saying that, he looked away shyly. Lu Yusheng understood and said gently, "Then let's stay here tonight. It's been a long time since we last met, and I haven't had a chance to properly entertain you."

Then, as if casually, he asked, "You still have the game progress you made last time, shall I bring it up for you to continue playing?"

After saying this, he saw that Lin Pingzhi was indeed all smiles, and knew that he had guessed correctly.

They're still just kids, and those who don't enjoy playing are in the minority, especially in this era of limited entertainment. It's understandable that they'd be interested when they first come into contact with electronic devices.

After settling everyone in, Lu Yusheng finally felt at ease and went back to the kitchen to clean up.

As I started cooking, I couldn't help but sigh. Back when I lived alone in modern times, I mostly relied on takeout or pre-packaged meals to get by. Now that I'm here, my cooking skills have improved significantly.

The broth is homemade, and time-consuming items like steamed buns and pastries are also made by hand...

Fortunately, there was still plenty of rice simmering in the pot, so there was no need to bother steaming it anymore.

Of course, this wasn't Lu Yusheng's doing. She's a veteran in the kitchen area and wouldn't make such a mistake.

Sikong Zhaixing was in charge of steaming rice for lunch today. At first, he tried to argue that he had a big appetite, but after eating three bowls and burping a few times, he humbly accepted Lu Yusheng's lesson about "wasting food".

There are still quite a few brown sugar rice cakes left from yesterday. I'll keep the loose pieces and pick out the neat ones to make a plate of snacks.

She arranged all the vegetables and meats on the table, and after a brief thought, she decided on several dishes, including braised fish, radish and pork rib stew, blanched spinach, steamed egg custard, and stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork slices.

Fortunately, Hua Manlou and his companion would bring back some more ingredients when they went shopping today, so even if they cooked all of what they had, it wouldn't affect their lives later.

By the time all the prepared dishes were served, the tea on the table was already empty.

Lu Yusheng placed the bowls and chopsticks in front of the group one by one. After filling the teapot, she hesitated for a while before bringing out two bottles of wine.

Judging from their eagerness, they didn't seem to want to stay overnight. Fearing that drinking too much might affect their safety, I simply offered them two bottles to liven things up.

Of course, even if you wanted to stay overnight, there weren't enough rooms, so you'd have to travel a bit further to reach a nearby city.

However, since there were many of them, even if they drank too much, they could look after each other on the road and nothing would go wrong.

Perhaps because they didn't have high expectations for the food at this remote little shop, they were already satisfied when they saw that the dishes were clean, bright, and appealing.

But after tasting it, I realized I had underestimated the shop manager.

Of these dishes, only the braised fish was seasoned with dried chili peppers. Knowing that this was to cater to his taste, Li Kuilei, who was the eighth among them, took a bite of the winter bamboo shoots first and said in a colloquial tone, "No wonder you run a shop in this desolate place; you must have real skills."

He was used to singing opera, and even his normal speech had a subtle, peculiar rhythm.

Lu Yusheng nodded after hearing this, and politely replied with a smile, "You flatter me." He then ceded the main stage to them and went behind the partition to chat with Lin Pingzhi.

After the shop owner left, the group indeed felt much more at ease.

Although they were fellow disciples, they rarely gathered together to guard against Ding Chunqiu's persecution. Today, with their great worry gone and fine wine and food to enjoy, they were naturally overjoyed.

They each poured themselves a glass of wine, toasted each other again, and then drank it together with a relieved feeling.

But after they finished drinking, their expressions changed again.

The liquor wasn't particularly strong, but its flavor was indescribably mellow and lingering, prompting everyone who drank it to murmur their praises.

Except for Li Kuilei, who dared not drink too much, the remaining six people almost simultaneously took another sip, and then they all savored the aroma of the wine in their mouths with satisfaction.

After the sound reached the partition, Lu Yusheng's last worry subsided.

She completely focused her attention on the screen in front of Lin Pingzhi, observing his game status.

Lin Pingzhi has now explored the third city in the game. Although the Church of Light in the starting village is still important, it has to be divided into different areas by other functions, which has diverted the player's attention.

Lu Yusheng thought that this would stop him from worrying about Xiaolin picking up any strange verbal tic, but he didn't expect that the game's copywriting team would make such a blunder.

...refers to chuunibyou (middle school syndrome).

Alarm bells rang in her mind, and she pointed at the character she was controlling on the screen, tentatively asking, "Where are you going now?"

Lin Pingzhi had clearly been immersed in the game for a long time and was still in the rhythm of the game world. He subconsciously said, "The court music has already begun. I should withdraw from the chaos and deliver the divine decree of the God of Light before the banquet dance begins."

Lu Yusheng sighed, "My God, Your Honor, please restrain yourself."

"What does 'God' mean?" Lin Pingzhi asked curiously, his mind finally briefly detached from the game.

"...that is, the Jade Emperor."

Lu Yusheng hesitated for a moment when asked his question, but to prevent his "condition from worsening," he was too lazy to explain too much and simply gave a perfunctory answer.

But seeing that he seemed to have returned to normal, I tentatively asked, "By the way, you seemed to be in a bad mood before, did something happen?"

This question wasn't simply meant to distract Lin Pingzhi; it was a genuine feeling that Lin Pingzhi was hiding something.

Lu Yusheng and Lin Pingzhi had spent quite a bit of time together, and Lu Yusheng had a fairly good understanding of each other's personalities. In addition, Lin Pingzhi was not a person who was good at hiding things, so Lu Yusheng easily figured it out.

"You noticed?"

Lin Pingzhi sighed knowingly, his tone less excited than before: "It's nothing to brag about, but there's nothing to hide either..."

He briefly explained the reason, which was related to his plan to study at other orthodox schools after his previous setback.

The matter is not progressing smoothly.

Although Lin's father believed that his family's Seventy-Two Styles of Evil-Repelling Sword Technique was sufficient, he could not bear to see his son's desire to learn be stifled. He sent generous gifts to the Qingcheng and Emei sects, whom he had previously tried to befriend, but not only did they not reply, the gifts were also returned unopened.

Lin Pingzhi was well past the age for building a solid foundation. Although the Lin family's swordsmanship was not bad, it would most likely be impossible for him to switch to other schools' internal cultivation methods.

Now that there was no way to go through the back door, and seeing his father's worried look at home, Lin Pingzhi felt bad himself, so he took the opportunity to leave Fuzhou.

"Unfortunately, although I have many friends, none of them have any sect background, so I'm afraid I can't help you."

Lu Yusheng sighed as well. At this moment, she actually hoped that the rumors about her possessing "extraordinary firearms" were true, so that even two simpler weapons would provide a lot of help.

However, considering the impact it would have on those around them if used, it might be a good thing not to take it out.

The two people by the window were still looking worried, and no one noticed that the voices of the people drinking and eating in the hall had strangely dropped a few decibels.

Although the people present were not young, they were all sharp-eared and sharp-eyed. Although the two were not speaking loudly, they could hear each other clearly.

"Brother, you said..."

Shi Qinglu had just started speaking when Kang Guangling met her gaze and waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to say anything more.

But he remained expressionless and silent, clearly conflicted.

Eliminating the Star Constellation Old Monster is a great achievement for the entire Free and Unfettered Sect. Not only those few, but also the disciples who had fallen into Ding Chunqiu's hands earlier, it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were half-dead.

Although these people had been expelled from the sect by Su Xinghe, it was only because they were persecuted by Ding Chunqiu that they had no choice but to do so. Now that Ding Chunqiu is dead, it is only a matter of the master nodding his head to let them return to the sect.

However, since they were not yet qualified to accept disciples on behalf of their master, they were unsure whether to take the young man in as their own.

Li Kuilei saw their unspoken meaning but didn't dwell on it. He quickly said, "I think this young man is quite handsome and has some of the demeanor and style of our Xiaoyao Sect. If we take him back to Master, he'll surely like him."

"If all else fails, he can come with me to learn opera, and that will guarantee him a comfortable life." After saying that, he changed his tune and hummed a few lines of Yu Ji's lyrics from "Farewell My Concubine".

"yes."

Feng Asan, who had been silently observing the furnishings of the room for a while, finally turned his attention back to his fellow disciples and said, "I think this kid's martial arts skills are mediocre, but he can distinguish right from wrong very well. Everything else is trivial; what matters most is that his character is acceptable. Besides, he has a good physique, so his potential might not be bad. He might be a promising talent."

However, he couldn't bring himself to say that his junior brother, Prajna, had asked someone else to learn his skills after failing to become his disciple.

Feng Asan ranked sixth among his fellow disciples. The Eight Friends of Hangu Pass were all proficient in various fields of knowledge, and he was no exception. However, his specialty was mechanical engineering.

The furnishings inside were unlike anything in the mortal world: lamps that could be lit without candles, fluorescent signs everywhere, boxes on the walls constantly emitting hot air...

These ingenious designs amazed even himself; how could he claim to be an expert in such a mechanism?