novelraw Chapter 48 Call Me Senior Brother!
Chapter 48 Call Me Senior Brother!
Upon hearing that Zhuge Yan had finally agreed, Zuo Ruotong's eyes suddenly lit up with a bright light, and her usually calm and detached demeanor was instantly replaced by immense joy.
He abruptly stood up, his moon-white Taoist robe fluttering without wind, and laughed loudly:
"Good! Good! Good! Zhuge Yan, I am very pleased that you have made this decision!"
This is a blessing for our Trinity Sect, and also a blessing for your path!
At this moment, Zuo Ruotong's joy was almost indescribable.
Having twice humbled himself to seek talent, he has finally achieved his goal today.
This joy even overshadowed his usual composure, so he immediately called out towards the door, "Jin'er!"
The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly penetrated the door and reached Lu Jin, who was talking quietly with Zhuge Yun not far outside the door.
Upon hearing the sound, Lu Jin immediately pushed open the door and entered, bowing respectfully.
"Master, did you call me?"
"Jin'er, quickly gather all your fellow disciples within the mountain gate, whether they are practicing or not, and assemble immediately in the square in front of the main hall!"
Zuo Ruotong's tone was filled with undeniable joy and eagerness.
"Today, I, your master, will publicly accept Zhuge Yan as my disciple and perform the formal apprenticeship ceremony!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Jin was taken aback at first, but then a genuine smile bloomed on her face, and her eyes were filled with joy and congratulations as she looked at Zhuge Yan.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately clasped his hands in response:
"Yes! This disciple will take care of it immediately!"
However, just as Lu Jin turned around and hadn't taken two steps, he stopped in his tracks, a hint of hesitation on his face.
He slowly turned around, carefully considering his words before speaking:
"Master, I am overjoyed, but... the Lower Academy's trial will not end for another two days. Senior Brother Zhang is currently leading those children through the assessment."
As is customary, every year when new disciples formally enter the sect, they all bow and are offered tea before you.
Lu Jin cautiously glanced at Zuo Ruotong's expression and continued:
"How about... we wait a couple of days? After the Lower Academy trials are over, we can hold the apprenticeship ceremony together with the junior brothers who passed the trials?"
Lu Jin's suggestion was reasonable, taking into account both the sect's rules for accepting disciples and the feelings of the children in the lower courtyard who had not yet entered the sect.
Imagine those children who have worked so hard to pass the trials in the lower academy and finally entered the sect, only to be told that someone else had not only been exempted from the trials, but had also been accepted as a disciple by the master in public.
What will they think at that time?
They are all seven or eight-year-old children, and their minds are especially sensitive. It's hard to guarantee that they won't harbor resentment because of this.
Thinking of this, Zuo Ruotong's excitement faded slightly, and she fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat quiet for a moment.
Zhuge Yan stood aside and watched all of this.
He could sense Zuo Ruotong's eagerness to bring him under her wing, and he also understood Lu Jin's care for the junior disciples who had not yet joined the sect.
In fact, Zhuge Yan was not in a hurry at all. Becoming a disciple was a big deal, and following the rules of the sect was a matter of course. There was no need to make special arrangements just because he had a little talent.
"Master, I think it's better to enter the sect with the other disciples in the lower courtyard. Let's not break the rules of our sect because of this."
Master...
This address was very natural, carrying the disciple's sense of belonging to his master, and clearly reached Zuo Ruotong's ears.
Zuo Ruotong was taken aback at first, but then the joy that had been slightly subdued by Lu Jin's suggestion spread like a stone thrown into a deep pool, instantly revealing a warmer smile that reached her eyes.
A deeply gratified smile crept onto his lips, a smile that conveyed genuine satisfaction and joy.
"Good! Good boy!"
Zuo Ruotong's voice was even more excited than before, filled with barely suppressed joy.
"Yan'er, your consideration for the overall situation and your understanding of your fellow disciples have greatly pleased me!"
Since Jin'er's words make sense, then so be it. We will hold the initiation ceremony together after the lower academy trials are over!
He changed the subject, his gaze fixed intently on Zhuge Yan. His joy had not diminished in the slightest due to the postponement of the ceremony; on the contrary, it had deepened because of Zhuge Yan's initiative in addressing him as "Master" and his humble attitude.
"However..."
Zuo Ruotong stepped forward and gently patted Zhuge Yan's shoulder, a natural gesture full of elder's affection.
"Since you have already called me Master, then from this moment on, our master-disciple relationship is established."
Secular etiquette can wait, but the passing down of knowledge from master to apprentice need not be delayed.
"Starting tomorrow, Yan'er, you will stay by my side, and I will personally teach you the Threefold Reversal of Life!"
"Yes! This disciple thanks Master!"
"Jin'er, since you know Yan'er, you and Yun'er can go together to help Yan'er collect his daily necessities."
"Yes, Master."
The two bowed respectfully and then left the side hall together.
After leaving the side hall, before Zhuge Yan could speak, Lu Jin suddenly punched him on the shoulder with a grin.
"Good lad, back when we were in the Wuhou Sect, my master wanted to take you as his disciple, but you refused outright."
Unexpectedly, a year later you finally joined our Sanyi Sect and became my junior brother!
"What, so all you descendants of Zhuge Liang have to follow your ancestor's example? If we want you to come out of seclusion, we all have to make three visits to your thatched cottage, right?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yan smiled slightly.
"What 'three visits to the thatched cottage'? I dare not compare myself to my ancestor Zhuge Liang."
"Oh, of course you didn't visit the thatched cottage three times, you visited it twice~"
Oh, by the way, now that you've joined the Sanyi Sect, come on, call me "Senior Brother" and let me hear it~
Zhuge Yan rolled his eyes and ignored him.
When he first met Zuo Ruotong, he naturally couldn't tell him about the existence of Xuanji directly.
Zuo Ruotong was unaware of his concerns and therefore could not offer any solutions.
But things are different now. Zuo Ruotong, who helped him resolve his doubts, was a great benefactor to Zhuge Yan, so he naturally let down his guard.
It was precisely because of this that he was able to learn from Zuo Ruotong about the hope that Xuanji and the Reverse Life Triple could coexist.
"Brother Yan, Senior Brother Lu, you're out! How did it go? What did Master say to you?"
Looking at Zhuge Yun, who was still clueless, Lu Jin's lips curled into a strange smile.
"Junior Brother Zhuge, from today onwards, you'll probably have to call your cousin 'Junior Brother'~"
"ah?!!"
Zhuge Yun opened his mouth wide, a big question mark appearing above his head.
No, are you serious?
"Senior Brother Lu, please stop joking with us."
Zhuge Yun was clearly still somewhat skeptical, thinking that Lu Jin was simply joking.
"Who's joking with you? Just now, Master personally accepted Zhuge Yan as his disciple."
"If it weren't for having to take care of those junior brothers in the lower courtyard who haven't yet entered the sect, Master would have already told me to gather all the fellow disciples and say that he wanted to publicly accept Zhuge Yan as his disciple."
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yun's mouth gaped open even wider.
He stared blankly at Zhuge Yan, his eyes filled with a desire for confirmation.