Chapter 146: Bringing Gifts in Person

The new chief senior disciple of the Xuanwu Hall is Yang Xing!?

After a long while, everyone finally regained their senses, their faces filled with utter disbelief.

As one of the rare Elixir-勁 masters in the Xuanwu Hall, it was impossible for Yang Xing to have zero presence, but compared to Yu Baoquan and Shao Qiuju, he lagged quite a bit behind.

Shao Qiuju was the second senior sister of the Xuanwu Hall with the highest seniority, while Yu Baoquan usually formed factions and held the highest reputation.

Logically speaking, no matter how one looked at it, the turn would never come to Yang Xing, whose seniority was still shallow.

Yang Xing himself felt somewhat incredulous at first, but then he quickly came to his senses.

Others might not know his true strength, but Huang Zhen did. Yuan Feizhang, the former deacon of Wuniu Ridge, had died at his very hands.

Moreover, he possessed sharp perception and understood Huang Zhen's mindset thoroughly.

This was perhaps the most crucial reason.

After all, Huang Zhen clearly did not care much about the development of the Xuanwu Hall. For him, the prosperity of the hall was merely the icing on the cake, so it made no difference to him who served as the chief senior disciple.

Naturally, what he needed was a "clever" chief senior disciple.

With his hopes dashed, Yu Baoquan could only take a deep breath and forcefully compel himself to remain calm.

Meanwhile, Shao Qiuju's expression turned extremely unsightly.

She had been in the Xuanwu Hall for several years, and now she was expected to address a disciple who had joined only a year or two ago as her senior brother—it somehow felt rather grating.

Although the others were somewhat shocked, they quickly returned to normal.

After all, no matter what, the title of chief senior disciple was never going to fall upon their heads.

Yet a trace of doubt inevitably arose in their minds: the position of chief senior disciple concerned the reputation of the entire Xuanwu Hall; could Yang Xing possibly shoulder such a heavy responsibility?

Among all the disciples of the Xuanwu Hall, the one most overjoyed was undoubtedly Wang Dong.

Lu Shaoyou had once confided in Wang Dong: Yang Xing was the person he "trusted the most."

In other words, a trusted aide. And he, too, was Lu Shaoyou's trusted aide.

The two of them belonged to the exact same faction.

At this thought, Wang Dong was the first to cry out, "Congratulations, Senior Brother!"

At this, the others also snapped out of their daze and hurriedly stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

"Congratulations to Yang... Senior Brother!"
"Congratulations, Senior Brother!"
........

Yu Baoquan and Shao Qiuju also stepped forward to utter a few polite remarks.

Yu Baoquan's expression remained calm, and his words were entirely superficial.

Shao Qiuju, however, appeared visibly unnatural, her tone even carrying a hint of reluctance.

Ordinarily, a newly appointed chief senior disciple would host a banquet for all the disciples in the hall, but with Lu Shaoyou having just died, this banquet was naturally canceled.

Shortly after, the crowd dispersed.

Guo Cuicui approached Yang Xing and said warmly, "Senior Brother, if you have free time, you are welcome to visit my Guo residence. We fellow apprentices can have a good chat and exchange pointers."

She was an exceptionally clever woman whose own martial prowess could not advance further, so she relied on connections to befriend powerful figures everywhere, which would serve as a resource for her future.

Yang Xing nodded. "Very well."

Having said this, Guo Cuicui cupped her fists and departed directly.

***

Once everyone else had left, Wang Dong leaned in closer and whispered, "Senior Brother, Senior Sister Shao seems somewhat dissatisfied."

"I know."

Yang Xing nodded.

If even Wang Dong could perceive it, how could he possibly fail to notice?

If Shao Qiuju had acted completely normally, that would have been what truly surprised him.

Wang Dong nodded, then offered a quiet suggestion, "Senior Brother, how about the two of us celebrate properly?"

Yang Xing shook his head. "There is no need. Focus on your martial cultivation."

Wang Dong's aptitude was not poor; he was even considered a genius in the eyes of ordinary people, but he lacked perseverance and was prone to reaching too high too fast.

"Understood!"

Wang Dong acknowledged the command and retreated to a corner by himself to practice the *Xuanwu Scripture*.

***

The small Yang courtyard.

The branches and leaves of the jujube tree were lush, already bearing fruit that would fully ripen by autumn.

"Who is it?"

Madam Chen was cooking meals in the kitchen when she suddenly heard footsteps approaching from outside the house.

"Mother, it's me."

Yang Xing stood in the center of the courtyard, carrying several parcels.

"You're back."

A trace of joy appeared at the corners of Madam Chen's lips. "Have you eaten? I'll cook a bit more."

Yang Xing smiled. "It's fine, I've already eaten. I'm not hungry at all."

Madam Chen hurriedly hurried back into the kitchen. "Even if you're not hungry, eat a little."

Yang Xing shook his head, then carried the parcels into his own room.

These were the treasures obtained from Jade River Mountain; once the limelight blew by, he would exchange them for silver banknotes.

Afterward, he walked into the kitchen.

"Mother, what have you been up to lately?"

"What could I be up to? When you're home, I cook meals for you; when you're away, I occasionally go to the 'Jishitang' pharmacy to chat with your master's wife."

"Your wedding with Yumin is coming up soon. During this time, go visit her family more often. Aunt Zhang has been mentioning you frequently lately; she's just a woman who likes to covet petty advantages, but she doesn't have a malicious heart."

Madam Chen chattered on while stir-frying the dishes.

Her life was exceptionally simple—so simple that two names were enough to summarize the whole of it.

At that moment, Yang Xing noticed that Madam Chen had white hair.

That strand of white hair was hidden among the black tresses, faintly visible, resembling a trace left behind by the passage of time.

"I understand."

Yang Xing nodded.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the lattice window, spilling into the kitchen, while mother and son chatted back and forth about ordinary things.

As evening approached, an uninvited guest arrived at the small courtyard.

***

Yang Jie burst through the door and asked dubiously, "Junior Brother Yang, I heard you've become the chief senior disciple of the Xuanwu Hall. Is this true?"

Word of Yang Xing becoming the chief senior disciple of the Xuanwu Hall quickly spread throughout the Four Absolute Sect.

To many within the sect, this name was completely unfamiliar.

After all, he was neither like Ding Jianyong of the Azure Dragon Hall, whose supreme aptitude caused a sensation the moment he entered the Four Absolute Sect, nor like Gu Xuan of the Vermilion Bird Hall, whose brilliant battle record earned her immense fame throughout the pugilistic world.

By what virtue or ability did this person become the chief senior disciple of the Xuanwu Hall?

Disciples from the other three halls were all inquiring into Yang Xing's background.

Upon hearing the news, Yang Jie had rushed over to Yang Xing's home without stopping, still holding a skeptical attitude toward the rumor.

Yang Xing nodded. "It is true."

"What!?"

Hearing this, Yang Jie froze on the spot, inexplicably feeling a sense of grievance rising in his chest.

Yang Xing asked, "Did you come to deliver a gift?"

This remark undoubtedly made Yang Jie feel even more aggrieved. He pulled several silver banknotes from his bosom and said, "Take them all."

"So generous?"

Yang Xing took the silver banknotes and smiled. "Care for a drink tonight?"

"No. From this day forward, you and I belong to 'two different worlds'."

Yang Jie looked up at the sky, then shook his head, sighed, and departed.

He was pondering how to dispel the melancholy and loneliness pent up in his heart tonight.

Not long after Yang Jie left, Qi Ruolan arrived.

Accompanying her was a young man of average appearance with a warm, gentle smile at the corners of his mouth, giving off a very approachable aura.

"Junior Brother Yang, your senior sister is here to offer her congratulations first."

Qi Ruolan introduced him, "This is the chief senior disciple of our White Tiger Hall."

Even without Qi Ruolan's introduction, Yang Xing recognized the identity of the man before him: Jia Kui, the chief senior disciple of the White Tiger Hall.

It was said that his cultivation was at the mid-Elixir-勁 stage, and having unblocked six primary meridians last year, his internal Qi was profound, making him a formidable expert within the inner court of the Four Absolute Sect.

Moreover, the Cloud-Skimming Tower and the Camellia Society were both organized by him.

Although his strength did not rank among the very top of the younger generation in the Four Absolute Sect, his network of connections was exceptionally deep.

Jia Kui produced a red gift box and smiled. "Junior Brother Yang, congratulations. A small token of my regard, please do not refuse."

Yang Xing replied, "Senior Brother Jia, you are too kind."

"Junior Brother Yang becoming the new chief senior disciple of the Xuanwu Hall is a major event; this is the proper etiquette. I still remember when Junior Sister Gu became the chief, Senior Brother Ding, Senior Brother Lu, and I all paid personal visits to demonstrate our respect."

Jia Kui smiled and continued, "You and I are both chief disciples of our respective branches; we should look out for one another in the future."

Yang Xing smiled faintly. "Naturally."

Jia Kui's "subtle" words were clearly an insinuation toward Yang Xing.

The chief senior disciples of the other two halls had not come, yet he had come himself—obviously, they did not value you, whereas he, Jia Kui, was different.