"Sister Cui Lan!" Zhang Ergou did not expect Liu Cui Lan to react so strongly.
Thinking of the imminent separation from Liu Cui Lan, Zhang Ergou's face lost all its previous excitement.
The atmosphere at the scene instantly became heavy.
"Master, Sister Cui Lan is the kindest person to me in Xinshan Village. I don't want to leave her."
Zhang Ergou suddenly looked up at Chunyang Sanren in mid-air.
"Ergou, I can't leave you either. I've already made one mistake, and I don't want to lose you again this time."
Liu Cui Lan boldly spoke her heart.
Her beautiful, large eyes stared at Zhang Ergou without blinking.
As if trying to memorize his appearance.
"Sister Cui Lan!" Zhang Ergou called out again, his face flushing slightly.
The nascent emotions erupted completely with the prospect of leaving.
"Ergou, will you stay? I'll let you watch me bathe!" Liu Cui Lan hugged Zhang Ergou's arm and whispered into his ear.
"But I promised Master that I would cultivate with him." One of his hands quietly reached out to touch Liu Cui Lan's slender, boneless body.
Zhang Ergou circled her, a conflicted look on his face.
"Esteemed immortal, can you please not take Ergou away? This humble woman, Liu Cui Lan, will kowtow to you!"
Saying this, Liu Cui Lan was about to bow down to Chunyang Sanren.
"Sister Cui Lan, no!" Zhang Ergou tightly grasped Liu Cui Lan's arm, preventing her from kneeling.
"Hahaha, what a pair of devoted lovers. This young lady, do you truly not wish to leave my disciple Zhang Ergou?"
Chunyang Sanren slowly descended from the void, his white hair fluttering in the wind, giving him an ethereal aura.
"I've already missed Ergou once. This time, I will absolutely not leave Ergou. Even if I die, I will be with him."
Liu Cui Lan gritted her teeth, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Sister Cui Lan, don't talk nonsense. I don't want you to die. You must live well."
Zhang Ergou held Liu Cui Lan's arm tightly. At this moment, he finally understood how deeply this woman, who often chased him with a stick, cared for him.
"Without you, what's the point of living?" Liu Cui Lan's tears flowed more profusely.
"Master, can you also take Sister Cui Lan with you to cultivate?" Zhang Ergou suddenly thought of a possibility.
Since he could cultivate, it meant others could too.
Why not have Master also take Liu Cui Lan as a disciple? That way, they wouldn't have to be separated.
Zhang Ergou looked at Chunyang Sanren, who was now standing before him, with a face full of hope.
Hearing Zhang Ergou's words, Liu Cui Lan, who had been crying, suddenly looked up.
She quickly broke free from Zhang Ergou's embrace and knelt on the ground: "Master, please accept this disciple, Cui Lan!"
As she spoke, she had already kowtowed three times.
Chunyang Sanren was also taken aback by everything that was happening.
By the time he reacted, Liu Cui Lan had already finished her kowtows and was kneeling on the ground, looking up at him.
It was as if she wouldn't get up unless he agreed.
"Haha, haha, good, very good!" Chunyang Sanren laughed twice. "I didn't expect such two extraordinarily gifted seedlings to emerge from this small mountain village."
"My trip out for leisure this time was truly not in vain! Haha!"
Chunyang Sanren laughed heartily, stroking his beard.
"Master, you've agreed to take Sister Cui Lan as a disciple?" Zhang Ergou asked nervously.
Liu Cui Lan also held her breath, looking at Chunyang Sanren with a tense expression.
"Of course. Since your affection for each other is so deep, and you are both destined to be with me, how could I bear to separate you."
Chunyang Sanren nodded with a smile.
"Cultivation is not about severing emotions and desires, but about achieving clarity of mind."
"If I were to forcefully separate you today, it would undoubtedly become your inner demon, affecting you every time you broke through."
"As you reach higher realms of cultivation, the backlash from the inner demon will grow stronger, and it is very possible to become a demon yourself in an instant."
Chunyang Sanren said with a grave expression.
Although the concept of inner demons was still too early for Zhang Ergou and Liu Cui Lan, it was best to leave no regrets when one could achieve clarity of mind.
Cultivation itself was an act against the heavens, and it was common to fall into demonic ways.
Chunyang Sanren did not want his disciples to fall prey to demonic influence.
"Thank you, Master!" Zhang Ergou said excitedly, quickly kneeling down to kowtow to Chunyang Sanren again with Liu Cui Lan.
"Thank you, Master, for fulfilling our wish!"
"Come, disciple Cui Lan, since you have now become my disciple, I cannot be stingy. Take this bead."
Chunyang Sanren reached into his sleeve and produced a crystal-clear bead, handing it to Liu Cui Lan.
"Master, what is this?" Liu Cui Lan asked, holding the bead with a puzzled expression.
"This bead is called the Body Protecting Bead. It has the effect of strengthening the body. While you have not yet cultivated Qi, holding it while cultivating will yield twice the results with half the effort."
Chunyang Sanren explained.
"Hurry up and thank Master!" Zhang Ergou urged.
"Thank you, Master, for your bestowal." Liu Cui Lan's face was also filled with joy.
What girl doesn't like shiny things, especially a bead with such powerful effects.
"Rise!" Chunyang Sanren made a gesture in the air.
Zhang Ergou and Liu Cui Lan's bodies slowly rose without their control.
This astonished Liu Cui Lan, who was experiencing it for the first time.
"Is this the ability of an immortal?" Liu Cui Lan's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.
"Master, will I also possess this ability like you?"
With her worries resolved, Liu Cui Lan's lively personality returned.
She spoke to Chunyang Sanren familiarly, as if he were an old friend.
"Naturally. These skills are just superficial. Once you truly get started, I will naturally teach you more profound techniques."
Chunyang Sanren said slowly, stroking his beard.
"Master, I want to learn the technique of standing in the air."
Zhang Ergou's slightly darkened face was filled with excitement.
"I've told you before, only cultivators at the Golden Core stage can fly on swords and stand in the air. You have only just begun to learn. It's too early to talk about these things!"
Chunyang Sanren took out a whisk and gently tapped Zhang Ergou with it as a mild punishment.
"This time, I will not make things too difficult for you as it is your first offense. But you must remember, on the path of cultivation, never aim too high."
"On the path of cultivation, powerful cultivation is supported by a solid foundation. There are never shortcuts to building a foundation. I hope you will always remember this!"
Chunyang Sanren said with a serious expression.
Seeing that Zhang Ergou and Liu Cui Lan had calmed down and were listening attentively, Chunyang Sanren smiled with relief.
"Since all matters here are settled, you two should pack up and follow me back to the sect!"
Chunyang Sanren spoke again.
"Master, you haven't told us which sect it is yet?"
Zhang Ergou asked curiously.
"Misty Sect..." Chunyang Sanren said faintly.
"Ah! Misty Sect!" Zhang Ergou and Liu Cui Lan exclaimed in unison.
They both saw shock in each other's eyes...