Watching the Mountain

He even saw a few people handing Wang Xiaohu several bottles of Elixirs, their posture like they were presenting a tribute.

Xu Ran frowned at the sight. He had first met Wang Xiaohu when the boy came to Teacher Qing Xuan seeking justice. The life-saving Thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng he had dug up for his father had been stolen by the descendant of an Elder.

’So what was this display supposed to be?’

’The Dragon Slayer eventually becomes the dragon?’

Xu Ran shook his head slightly. He had only seen this one scene, and even though it left a bad taste in his mouth, he couldn’t pass judgment yet. Besides, it wasn’t as if he knew the boy well.

When he saw Teacher Qing Xuan, he wondered if it was just his imagination. His teacher’s appearance hadn’t changed, yet Xu Ran felt he had aged a great deal.

He voiced his concern, but Teacher Qing Xuan seemed unwilling to elaborate, simply brushing it aside and changing the subject.

Xu Ran explained his reason for coming, and Teacher Qing Xuan agreed without a second thought, not even asking why.

Xu Ran was deeply moved by this trust. He was nearly three hundred years old—an age longer than entire dynasties in his past life.

And yet, even at his age, he was still a student cherished by his teacher.

’How nice.’

As Xu Ran was lost in his thoughts, Qing Xuan True Monarch suddenly rose. He clasped his hands behind his back and gazed out the window at the Sect’s entrance, his eyes glinting with an unreadable emotion.

After a long while, he turned back to Xu Ran and said, "I’m planning to take on a personal disciple soon."

Xu Ran was taken aback for a moment. Then, his expression shifted. ’For Teacher to mention this now... could it be...?’

But before he could speak, Qing Xuan True Monarch saw the look on his face and waved a dismissive hand.

"Not you," he said. "Though you have a sense of justice in your heart now, you are not suited for my Dao."

"Er..." Xu Ran was momentarily speechless. "In that case, Teacher, you probably shouldn’t have mentioned it to me at all."

His tone was tinged with resignation. ’How could I not get my hopes up when you say it right to my face?’

Qing Xuan True Monarch gave a faint smile. "It would be nice to have a contemporary Shennong as my disciple, but after thinking it over, I decided against it. You should walk your own path. I won’t hold you back."

"Everything I’ve learned, I learned from you, Teacher. How could you possibly be holding me back?" Xu Ran said with a serious expression.

Qing Xuan True Monarch shook his head. "The past is the past, and the future is the future."

He didn’t continue on that topic, instead changing the subject. "I want to ask you, what do you think of Wang Xiaohu?"

Xu Ran was taken aback. "Teacher, are you planning to take Wang Xiaohu as your disciple?"

Qing Xuan True Monarch nodded slightly. "I’ve been considering it."

After a moment of silence, Xu Ran cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. "I don’t know how to judge him right now. I just think that if you truly wish to take a disciple, Teacher, you should observe him carefully before making a final decision."

Hearing this, Qing Xuan True Monarch fell silent for a long time. He then tilted his head back and sighed, his voice filled with sorrow as he lamented,

"I see. It seems Wang Xiaohu has changed, too?"

"’Too?’" Xu Ran picked up on the word.

Qing Xuan True Monarch glanced at him and nodded lightly. "I had a few candidates in mind before. But looking at them now, I find they’ve changed a great deal. It’s not that they’ve become evil, but... they no longer meet my expectations."

"They’re just... missing something."

Xu Ran fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then recounted the scene he had witnessed involving Wang Xiaohu on his way over.

"I only caught a brief glimpse, so I don’t know the full story. What I saw might not be the whole truth. Perhaps you could observe him a while longer, Teacher."

He could clearly sense his teacher’s melancholy. He found himself hoping that what he’d seen wasn’t the full picture—that there was some hidden context, and that Wang Xiaohu hadn’t truly changed.

That way, his teacher could finally find a disciple to his liking.

Qing Xuan True Monarch was silent for a long time after hearing this. He waved his hand, his enthusiasm clearly dampened. "We’ll see."

*

*

*

Seeing Qing Xuan True Monarch’s enthusiasm for taking a disciple wane, Xu Ran felt a tightness in his chest. He could tell that his teacher truly longed for a suitable successor.

After much thought, he decided to investigate Wang Xiaohu and find out what had happened to him.

After about ten days of observation, he discovered there was no hidden context to what he’d seen. Wang Xiaohu had indeed been accepting "tribute" from those people.

The Wang Xiaohu of today was like the leader of a small clique among the Outer Disciples. He had a certain amount of prestige; while you couldn’t call him a tyrant, he wasn’t far off.

One thing, however, was contradictory: when dealing with Servant Disciples, Wang Xiaohu was extremely approachable. He was also willing to lend a hand to disciples in need. According to his mission logs, he had also helped mortals he encountered on his travels on multiple occasions.

From that perspective, he seemed to be a bastion of righteousness.

Faced with this contradictory behavior, Xu Ran mulled it over for a long time before approaching Wang Xiaohu directly to ask about the discrepancy.

Faced with Xu Ran’s question, Wang Xiaohu was silent for a moment before replying, "My usual behavior is the norm in the Cultivation Realm. I exist within the Cultivation Realm, and I survive by its rules. I don’t see anything wrong with that."

"As for not bullying those whose station is too far beneath my own—that is the kindness the Sect taught me, and it is the last line I have drawn for myself."