The child had already walked quite a distance when he suddenly heard Ji Mofan's voice and excitedly turned back.
"Immortal Master Jimo, do you remember me?" He jumped up and down twice.
“I have always remembered the immortal’s appearance since he came to our Chaogui Village to exorcise the demon!”
Ji Mo Fan was somewhat taken aback.
No wonder he had no recollection of this boy.
In his previous life, he had vaguely heard that there was a gifted young man from Chaogui Village in the mortal realm who had joined the Yuncang Sword Sect.
But for some reason, not a single elder was willing to accept him as a true disciple, and in the end, the young man became an inconspicuous outer disciple.
Later... he apparently died during a secret training expedition organized by a sect.
Ji Mofan felt something was strange at the time, but he was too busy taking care of himself to investigate the life and death of others.
Watching the boy happily follow the disciple who was leading him away, disappearing into the distance after turning the corner of the corridor, Ji Mofan's eyes gradually darkened.
The Yuncang Sword Sect has always adhered to the principle of teaching without discrimination and tailoring instruction to individual needs. Therefore, when it comes to outer disciples, they will naturally choose low-difficulty secret realms that are suitable for them as training grounds.
Putting aside the fact that the child already possessed superior talent for cultivation, and considering that no one else encountered any accidents during that training, there was no reason why he would be isolated and helpless, facing a crisis where he couldn't even send out a distress signal.
"Senior Brother, you seem to care a lot about that disciple?" Qi Fengyu's voice suddenly interrupted.
“Even if Senior Brother and that disciple are acquainted, it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to be too intimate at the recruitment conference.” He frowned slightly, a worry that was almost convincingly genuine flashing in his eyes. “Otherwise, it would be bad if others misunderstood that Senior Brother was showing favoritism.”
"Junior Brother Li, what do you think?" He looked at Li Geyue.
But the latter, unusually, didn't respond, not even raising his head, and was still staring intently at the knot in the cloak he was wearing, as if that thing was so difficult to tie.
"Xiao Yu, you're exaggerating." Ji Mo Fan chuckled lightly, his posture casual, his hands tucked into his sleeves.
"I only spoke a few words to that child, and that was in front of everyone. We were quite a distance apart. How could you say I showed favoritism?"
He shook his head with a slight chuckle. "Besides, even if I were to show favoritism, what could I do?"
"Am I, the chief disciple of the prestigious Yun Cang Sword Sect, not even entitled to choose a menial disciple?"
At this point, no one knew that the child had exceptional talent, so Ji Mofan could only tell the story as that of a menial disciple.
Ji Mofan has been a member of the sect for many years, and he has never used any servants in the courtyard. He does everything himself, so much so that everyone almost forgot about his identity.
In fact, all inner disciples have the right to employ menial disciples.
Qi Fengyu's face turned pale instantly.
The second time!
This was the second time that Ji Mofan had used his status as the chief to intimidate him!
At this moment, Qi Fengyu completely forgot that he had taken all the miscellaneous disciple slots of Ji Mo Fan by taking advantage of his illness.
It's okay if he forgets; Ji Mofan will remind him.
Upon realizing this, Qi Fengyu's expression immediately turned even worse.
He couldn't show it yet, otherwise, given Ji Mofan's current personality of always picking a fight with everyone, if he really angered him, he might dismiss the servants who were already in his courtyard, which would be terrible.
He could no longer adapt to life without his servants.
"...Of course, it's my senior brother's prerogative." The muscles on his cheeks twitched, clearly indicating a hint of clenched teeth, but Qi Fengyu still managed to give him a gentle and weak smile as usual.
Ji Mo Fandu was somewhat impressed by him.
"You're not feeling well, so don't stand at the mountain gate in the wind," he said, feigning concern. Then he turned away from him and looked at the long, seemingly endless stone steps before him.
Qi Fengyu clutched his sleeve, catching the subtle sound of fabric tearing.
“Eldest brother, your injuries haven’t healed yet either,” he said.
"Thank you for your concern, but I know what I'm doing." Ji Mofan coughed twice, pretending to be serious.
But with rosy cheeks and an upright posture, he didn't look sickly at all.
He didn't seem to be putting on any real act.
Qi Fengyu couldn't stay any longer, so she dragged Li Geyue to the venue for the second trial.
What are you pretending for? Just a few days ago, I fainted during a meeting and at a grand ceremony!
It's no wonder Qi Fengyu guessed that he was putting on a brave face, after all, Ji Mofan was a habitual offender of doing this kind of thing in the past.
He would occasionally condescend to visit that rather simple bamboo hut, and on several occasions he would encounter Ji Mofan tending to his wounds.
Although Ji Mofan never showed weakness in front of him, he would always pack up all the medicines before letting him in.
But Qi Fengyu was a real sickly person; even with a light incense burning in the room, the smell of medicine for his injuries couldn't be hidden.
He had just smelled the same spice scent on Ji Mofan.
Qi Fengyu had no idea that Ji Mofan had been truly wronged this time.
He used to only use spices to dispel the smell of blood when he was injured, not because he disliked them, but on the contrary, he quite enjoyed studying these fragrant little gadgets.
But he was poor in his previous life.
Although he didn't have much money in this life, he didn't hand over a single demon core he hunted in the Eclipse Secret Realm last time. He sold them all for spirit stones and bought some trinkets that he rarely had the chance to buy before.
Among them are tools for perfumery.
"Thump—"
The clock on the top of the mountain gate rang out a long and ethereal hum that echoed throughout the entire Yuncang Mountain.
This signifies the official end of the first stage, the bone measurement phase.
Failure to reach the summit within the time limit is considered a failure.
As Ji Mofan looked at the figures moving about on the stone steps, his mind was calmer than ever before.
He used to think that everyone who came to visit the Yuncang Sword Sect was a guest, so even if they failed the test, they should still be given appropriate care.
But having been given a second chance at life, he felt that his compassionate nature had been somewhat diminished.
Thinking about it carefully, there's nothing wrong with it. It wasn't because of him, Ji Mofan, that they failed the challenge. Why should he take time out of his busy schedule to care about them?
He turned and walked toward the arena for the second trial.
The disciples in charge of the first trial were struggling to clean up the mess in the cold wind on the mountaintop when suddenly a communication talisman was pressed against their face.
As the talisman slowly shattered in the wind, Ji Mofan's voice entered everyone's mind.
"It's not easy for all the friends who have come to pay their respects at the mountain gate. Let's set up a tent at the foot of the mountain and cook some red bean soup for them."
The disciples, who had been exhausted for most of the day: ...
What else can we do? Let's do it! After all, the chief has spoken!
Jimo Fan walked away with a carefree air.
Just because he doesn't care doesn't mean he can't send someone to care.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
