txolops Chapter 106 Your sister is too talented, we need to find her a powerful patron.
Chapter 106 Your sister is too talented, we need to find her a powerful patron.
These words instantly stung the boy's sensitive pride. His cheeks flushed bright red, and like a small animal whose tail had been stepped on, he retorted, "I found it! I found it, so it's mine!"
Before he finished speaking, he turned around, grabbed the baby girl, and ran desperately toward the alley entrance, his back view revealing a resolute determination to gamble everything.
Watching that hurried figure disappear into the distance, Shen Gongbao couldn't help but chuckle softly.
The confident statement, "What I find is mine," sounds so familiar. Long Kui once said the same thing when she found a child and made her own choice; and now, the wheels of fate have turned, and a choice is placed before this stubborn young man.
Since that's the case, he also wants to be like that man, a ray of light in this boy's life, giving him hope to live on.
"I need an apprentice to do odd jobs at my shop. Room and board included, and I can even find you a suitable wet nurse." Shen Gongbao's voice wasn't loud, but it pierced the wind steadily. "Want it?"
The running boy suddenly stopped and turned around.
He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving, carefully and cautiously scrutinizing the mysterious man before him. As time passed, the initial wariness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by an increasingly bright light, like a drowning man finally grasping at a piece of driftwood.
From that day on, the mortals of Tianxing City lost a desperate thief, while the Mo Family Medical Clinic gained a determined apprentice carrying his younger sister on his back.
The crisp sound of wind chimes broke the tranquility of the clinic. Shen Gongbao stepped over the threshold and slowly entered. Hearing the sound, the boy and girl who were busy with their work looked up at the same time.
Upon seeing that the visitor was the shopkeeper, the two quickly put down their work, hurried forward, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Shopkeeper!"
Shen Gongbao waved his hand slightly, his gaze sweeping over the empty hall, and said gently, "It's getting late, let's close up shop. Close the doors, I have something to discuss with you."
The boy acted with remarkable efficiency, without uttering a single question about the reason. He turned and closed the shop doors one by one, then took his sister's hand and quietly walked to stand beside Shen Gongbao.
He lowered his head slightly, clasped his hands in front of him, his expression calm and composed, waiting for the shopkeeper's instructions as usual.
Looking at the two children who had been with him for many years, a hint of tenderness appeared in Shen Gongbao's eyes.
He spoke slowly, his voice sounding particularly solemn in the quiet clinic: "We have known each other for several years, and I know your character inside and out. I have called you here today to formally accept you as my apprentices."
At this point, he paused deliberately, his deep gaze sweeping over the brother and sister as if trying to see into their souls.
Then, he said, slowly and deliberately, "It's not about learning these mundane medical skills, but about cultivating... immortality..."
"A Celestial Master?!"
These two words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly exploding in the boy's ears.
His previously composed body jolted, and his breath caught in his throat. He looked up in disbelief, his usually calm eyes now churning with turbulent emotions.
Shock, bewilderment, and ecstasy intertwined, causing his lips to tremble slightly, and he remained speechless for a long time. On his dark, simple face, the expression gradually shifted from extreme astonishment to an almost reverent awe.
The little girl next to her, however, presented a completely different picture.
She was stunned for a moment, and then her clear eyes lit up with dazzling stars, as if they were filled with the starlight of the entire night sky.
She opened her eyes wide with excitement, her mouth slightly agape, her face filled with undisguised longing and yearning, as if she could already see the wondrous scene of herself riding the wind on a sword and soaring through the heavens.
The lingering sound of the word "immortal" struck the young man's heart heavily.
He felt a surge of heat rush to the top of his head, causing his limbs and bones to tremble uncontrollably.
All the years of struggling on thin ice, the scorn and humiliation endured for a few mouthfuls of breast milk, seemed to vanish like smoke at this moment.
This is the only power in the world that can change destiny!
Without the slightest hesitation, the boy bent his knees and knelt heavily on the blue brick floor with a "thump".
"Bang!"
His forehead slammed heavily against the ground with a dull thud. He used all his strength in that bow, causing the dust on his robes to flutter slightly. Then came the second, the third, each strike powerful and heavy, carrying a resolute determination.
When he raised his head again, traces of blood had seeped from his forehead, mingling with sweat and sliding down his cheeks. But he felt no pain, only staring intently at Shen Gongbao, his eyes burning with an almost insane obsession and fanaticism.
"This disciple is willing to follow Master in cultivating immortality! Even if it means facing mountains of knives and seas of fire, or dying ten thousand times!"
His voice was hoarse and trembling with extreme excitement, and his hands were pressed tightly to the ground, his nails almost digging into the cracks in the bricks.
His appearance was just like a drowning person finally grabbing onto the only piece of driftwood, wishing he could sacrifice his soul to the man who brought him light.
"What are you still standing there for? Kneel!" Seeing his sister still standing there dumbfounded, the boy quickly grabbed her wrist, pulled her to his side, and pressed her shoulders down so they could kowtow to Shen Gongbao together.
Shen Gongbao nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the obedient appearance of the brother and sister.
With a slight movement of his fingertips, a gentle spiritual force supported the two under their armpits, steadily lifting them up.
"From today onwards, I will be your master." Shen Gongbao's voice was steady and powerful. "I will teach you cultivation techniques and guide you onto the path of cultivation. Before that, let's test your spiritual aptitude."
After saying that, a golden card appeared out of thin air in front of the boy.
The boy was clearly familiar with this process; he had seen it countless times during free clinics at the medical center.
He quickly bit his fingertip and dripped a drop of blood onto the jade pendant.
The jade pendant trembled slightly, and the four colors of light—gold, water, fire, and earth—lit up in turn, eventually intertwining together, dim and mixed.
Four types of mixed spiritual roots!
The boy's excitement froze instantly.
He stared blankly at the murky halo on the jade pendant, his lips twitching slightly, and the light in his eyes dimmed rapidly like a candle flame blown out by the wind.
He lowered his head, his lips pressed into a pale line, and an undisguised sense of loss and dejection appeared between his brows.
Mixed spiritual roots... He had seen too many such results in the clinic. Every child who learned that they had mixed spiritual roots left in tears.
The words "no future, destined for mediocrity" weighed on his chest like a boulder.
Shen Gongbao laughed.
He reached out and patted the boy's shoulder, his tone relaxed yet confident: "Not bad, four spiritual roots! And the same spiritual roots as yours."
The boy suddenly raised his head, staring at his master with disbelief.
"Cultivate yourself well, and you will surely have a bright future." Shen Gongbao's gaze was open and sincere, without a trace of perfunctoriness or pity.
The boy's throat bobbed, and his eyes reddened slightly.
He read the true meaning in his master's eyes—it wasn't comforting or just being polite, but a heartfelt recognition.
"Really?" His voice was so soft it was as if he were asking himself.
Shen Gongbao nodded solemnly: "You'll see later. This world is vast, and miracles are everywhere."
Next up was the little girl's turn.
She tiptoed and carefully placed a drop of blood from her fingertip onto the jade pendant.
In an instant, a clear blue light burst forth from the jade tablet, dazzling and illuminating the entire medical hall as if it were the deep blue and clear sea.
Shen Gongbao's pupils constricted sharply, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "An ice-attribute unique spiritual root!"
Almost simultaneously, a crisp notification sound rang in my mind: [Ding! Innate Water Spiritual Body detected, Merit +500!]
An ice-attribute unique spiritual root, and an innate water-spirit body at that! What kind of heaven-defying talent is this!
Shen Gongbao's heart skipped a beat.
He knew all too well that such talent was extremely rare in the entire cultivation world, and she was simply not suitable to be his disciple.
She should become the young master's apprentice.
But the young master only ever takes in maids and underlings; he never formally takes on apprentices…
He looked down at the little girl in front of him, her face upturned and her eyes full of expectation, and a name suddenly popped into his mind.
The most suitable candidate, a master who is worthy of this qualification.
Shen Gongbao knelt down, gently stroking the little girl's soft hair, his eyes filled with affection and solemnity: "Your aptitude is exceptional. To be honest, I'm not qualified to teach you. In some time, I'll find you a truly skilled master, okay?"
The little girl nodded as if she understood, her big eyes blinking, so well-behaved it was heartbreaking.
Shen Gongbao stood up, turned to look at the stunned boy beside him, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips: "You, your luck... is... really... good."