The brocade-robed youth saw Shen Qingmang and hurriedly jumped off the bed. He wiped away his tears, a look of hope in his eyes. "Master? You're here. Could it be... could it be that there are still people among us who can be promoted to the inner sect?"
"No." Shen Qingmang saw the light in the boy's eyes dim and said, "But I am still your teacher."
The little girl repeated to him what Shen Qingmang had just said. The boy was stunned for a moment and said, "Can we also learn the inner sect skills?"
"certainly."
"Well... well, well, well! Master, are you going down the mountain to buy anything? I'm Lin Wei, and my family runs a shop! I'll take care of all the pens, ink, paper, and inkstone for everyone!" The young man burst into laughter, his face glowing again.
When Gu Sui Han, Si Rong and Hao Xin received the master's order and rushed to the outer disciples' residence, they found Shen Qingmang surrounded by a group of children.
"What are they doing?"
"What are you doing?"
The voices of Si Rong and Hao Xin were heard one after another. The difference was that Si Rong's face was full of curiosity, while Hao Xin was a little angry. He wanted to step forward and push others away, but was stopped by Gu Sui Han.
"Big Brother..."
Shen Qingmang noticed their movements and waved with a smile. "You're here, let's go down the mountain now."
"Are these brothers and sisters here to help us carry our things?" Si Rong asked. "My Qiankun bag is quite large, so I probably don't need to bother them."
Shen Qingmang felt that the outer disciples were getting depressed, so he took a child beside him and said, "They are going shopping with you. You are all my disciples and will study together in the future."
"Master is so amazing that he can teach so many people!" Si Rong exclaimed in amazement.
Hao Xin was furious. "They are outer disciples, how can they learn the same skills as us? If inner and outer disciples are all the same, then what's the point of me working so hard to get second place?"
Shen Qingmang walked up to him with a cold look on her face. Hao Xin subconsciously took a step back, feeling that he was inferior in momentum, so he stiffened his neck and looked at her.
"Why do you think they are not qualified?"
"They can't get through the customs as fast as I can."
"You think you're amazing just because you're second, but if I only want to take one apprentice this year, will it be your turn?"
Shen Qingmang's voice was icy. Hao Xin felt a little aggrieved and whispered, "Then you might not necessarily choose the eldest brother, right?"
"Why?" Shen Qingmang looked at Gu Suihan, who smiled at her.
Hao Xin also glanced at the eldest brother and whispered, "I am younger than the eldest brother."
Shen Qingmang almost burst out laughing, then tightened his face and said seriously, "You also know that there is no single standard for accepting disciples. It all depends on the master's will. In this case, you may be selected, and so may these people. If I only want to accept female disciples this time, you will also become an outer sect disciple. Are you willing to accept that?"
"Of course not." Hao Xin said without hesitation.
"What about you?" Shen Qingmang turned and looked at the outer disciples. "Do you think you are definitely inferior to the inner disciples?"
The children looked at each other. Lin Wei was the first to speak up, "I don't think so! As long as Master is willing to teach me, I won't be any worse than them!"
"I...I will also study hard!"
The children rushed to express their opinions. Shen Qingmang then asked Hao Xin, "Are you afraid that if they study with you, they will surpass you in the future, and you will be embarrassed?"
"How is that possible?" Hao Xin immediately retorted. "Master, please stop trying to provoke me. I understand what you mean."
Shen Qingmang relaxed his brows and patted his shoulder in encouragement.
In the original novel, because Qiongju had previously failed to defend Haoxin when he was criticized by the elders, Haoxin later clashed with several outer disciples. Having witnessed Haoxin's lies, they felt he was unworthy of being Qiongju's disciple, taking up their quota, and began to mock him. Haoxin, however, felt he was inherently superior and that they were simply jealous. A brawl ensued between the two groups, and ultimately, Qiongju placed Haoxin under house arrest.
Shen Qingmang has always felt that corporal punishment is a bad idea for adolescent children, as it will only make them more rebellious, and only the most incompetent teachers would resort to this approach.
"Okay, now everyone come in front of me, boys stand in a row, girls stand in another row." She clapped her hands.
Gu Suihan came over. "Master, do you need my help to lead them down the mountain?"
Shen Qingmang felt somewhat relieved. The eldest disciple was indeed the most mature and steady. Not only did he have no objections, he also took the initiative to help the teacher share the work.
"No need, I have another solution." She pulled out a stack of talismans from her sleeve. "Line up, each person gets one."
"This is... the Floating Talisman?" Gu Suihan asked in surprise, "Master bought something from the Fang Yuan Sect?"
The Fangyuan Sect is a sect that excels in the art of deduction and talismans. It is relatively far away from the Taichu Sect, but their sales are spread across the entire continent, and there are people in every sect who want to buy the Fangyuan Sect's talismans.
"I drew these myself," said Shen Qingmang.
Last night, she saw a bamboo slip containing the basic talismans of the Fangyuan Sect on Qiongju's bookshelf. She was overjoyed and tried several talismans and found that they were all very useful.
It would take a long time to teach outer disciples how to fly in the clouds, but as long as they had the floating talisman, even mortals could travel a thousand miles a day, which was most suitable for use in today's occasion.
Everyone put on their talismans, and sure enough, they soon reached the foot of the mountain. Shen Qingmang let the children do their own shopping, but if they wanted to visit their families, they could, and they would gather in an hour.
Led by Lin Wei, the outer disciples went to his shop to purchase pens, ink, paper and inkstones. Si Rong found everything new and asked Hao Xin to introduce them to her. Hao Xin was dragged away by her with a reluctant look on her face, and the two of them gradually walked away.
"If you want to go home to visit your parents, you can go. I remember your home is in Beijing." Shen Qingmang said to Gu Suihan, the only one who stayed with her.
He shook his head. "No need. I'll follow Master."
"Well... okay." Shen Qingmang thought to himself: I hope you won't regret it later.
A quarter of an hour later, Gu Suihan stood in front of the coffin shop with a confused look on his face.
"Master, are you sure you want to buy here..."
"I've asked the kids from the outer sect, and this store sells the best quality wood in the city," Shen Qingmang said excitedly.
She thought the wooden board against the wall was a good choice for her blackboard. And since coffins were made with corrosion protection in mind, this blackboard would surely last a long time.
After purchasing the blackboard, Shen Qingmang walked around for a long time and found talc, a substitute for chalk, in a tailor shop. He also bought a large pile of paper from a bookstore, intending to compile his own teaching materials.
She found that the books in Qiongju's study were either bamboo slips or folded books, which were very inconvenient to read. The thread-bound books that modern people are accustomed to using have not yet appeared in this world, but she can make them.
Gu Suihan followed her silently. After Shen Qingmang finished shopping, he said, "Master, your impression of me seems very different from mine."
Shen Qingmang's heart tightened.
She thought that except Si Rong, no one else had seen Qiong Ju before, and Si Rong and Qiong Ju were just acquaintances, so she did not hide her true nature in front of these children.
But listening to Gu Suihan's tone...why does it feel like I've seen her before?
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