Chapter 34 The Bond of Master and Servant

"Hoo." Watching the eastern sunrise, Ji Ning let out a soft breath. "Come then, if you must come, I'll face it all."

After winning two matches in a row last night, the words spoken by Senior Apprentice Brother Bu Ying and Senior Apprentice Sister Jiu Lian made Ji Ning understand... no matter what, those old disciples would never let it rest; they would find a way to win back. Ji Ning also admitted that some of the most outstanding disciples in the Black-White College might be beyond him.

But still, he wouldn't give in easily. If he was to lose, it would have to be a loss he accepted wholeheartedly.

"To beat me, you'll need strength that convinces me completely." Ji Ning's eyes blazed with battle intent. He had spent the night studying the 'Lesser Five Elements Sword Manual', knowing that challenges were coming, so he naturally had to make the most of his time.

Whoosh.

With a thought, a small boat appeared beside him. He planned to visit his master, Immortal Diancai... after all, he had many doubts about the 'Lesser Five Elements Sword Manual', and asking his master might clear some of them.

Swoosh!

Stepping onto the boat, he shot into the sky.

"Senior Brother Beiming." A voice suddenly rang out.

Ji Ning, aboard the boat, turned to look. In the distance, a middle-aged man came flying on a flying sword, his face showing a hint of fawning reverence. The edges of his long sleeves bore a black-and-white trim. Seeing that trim... Ji Ning knew this man was a servant of some formal disciple.

Each formal disciple could take on ten servants. These cultivator servants handled tasks like cleaning, messaging, and guarding.

"What is it?" Ji Ning looked at him.

"There's someone outside the college gate, calling himself Beishan Baiwei, who wishes to see you, Senior Brother Beiming." The middle-aged man said respectfully.

"Beishan Baiwei?" Ji Ning nodded. "I'll go right away."

Swoosh!

He immediately steered the boat toward the main gate of the Black-White College. Soon, he saw the gate, where Beishan Baiwei was sitting ostentatiously on his Nine-Star Immortal Carriage, with his puppet maidservant beside it.

"Ji Ning." Beishan Baiwei, seeing Ji Ning approach on the boat, got down from the carriage.

"Baiwei." Ji Ning landed. "What brings you to the college so early?"

Beishan Baiwei smiled and pointed to the side, where three people stood, all of impressive bearing. "I mentioned before that I wanted five servant slots from you. These three count as three of them. The other two... will come in a while."

"These three?" Ji Ning looked them over carefully.

Each formal disciple had only ten servant slots. Once the master-servant bond was set, it usually lasted a hundred or even several hundred years.

"These three are quite good." Beishan Baiwei pointed to the tallest, a lean, tall youth. "He's called Yun Zhou, from the Yun tribe. He's at the early Zifu stage."

Yun Zhou's eyes were bright, and he said respectfully, "Yun Zhou pays respects to Senior Brother Ji Ning."

"This is Yun Zhou's sister." Beishan Baiwei pointed to a tall, willowy woman in white gauze, with large, watery eyes as bright as her brother's. She gave Ji Ning a deep look, then bowed. "Yun Lu pays respects to Senior Brother Ji Ning."

Beishan Baiwei pointed to the last, an ordinary-looking youth. "He's called Wang Wei, formerly my bodyguard, very loyal."

"Wang Wei pays respects to Senior Brother Ji Ning." The plain youth bowed respectfully.

"Yun Zhou, Yun Lu, Wang Wei." Beishan Baiwei smiled. "They are your servants now, Brother Ji Ning. If they show any negligence, you can expel them from the Black-White College directly. I, Beishan Baiwei, will not see them again. Handle them as you see fit, no need to consider my face."

Ji Ning nodded.

"And these hundred or so mortals are carefully selected for their skills. They are adept at gardening, cooking, and the like." Beishan Baiwei pointed to a group of mortals nearby.

The mortals were mostly women, with only a dozen or so men.

When Beishan Baiwei pointed at them, they all knelt, reverent and careful not to show any disrespect.

"Thank you for the trouble, Brother Baiwei." Ji Ning nodded.

"If you're not busy, how about I invite you and Mu Zishuo out for a gathering in a few days?" Beishan Baiwei asked.

"Good." Ji Ning quickly added, "Oh, there's something I need your help with, Brother Baiwei."

"Oh? Speak freely." Beishan Baiwei said.

Ji Ning nodded. "It's like this. On my way to Anchan City, I met three people—three early Zifu cultivators from the Meng tribe, named Meng Xin, Meng Yan, and Meng Jun. Later, they were with an elder of their tribe, a bald middle-aged man called 'Uncle Ming'. One of them, Meng Yan, used a forbidden technique and damaged his foundation. I doubt he managed to join any sect. So I want to give him one of my servant slots. But I don't know where he lives, so I'm asking you to help."

"That's a small matter." Beishan Baiwei said confidently. "The Meng tribe is a major clan. The movements of their members are surely recorded in the Tianbao Mountain intelligence. I'll look into it."

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I won't linger." Beishan Baiwei then boarded his Nine-Star Immortal Carriage. The two exchanged farewells with a bow, and the carriage turned into a streak of fire, vanishing into the distance.

With a thought, Ji Ning made the boat expand into a large vessel dozens of feet long. "All aboard." The three servants and the mortals climbed onto the boat, which then shot into the sky, heading toward Beiming Peak.

...

Beishan Baiwei rode his Nine-Star Immortal Carriage and soon arrived at Tianbao Mountain.

"I heard that the new disciple Ji Ning of the Black-White College defeated two long-standing disciples last night!"

"Who is this Ji Ning? So formidable?"

"I don't know, only that he was taken as a disciple by Immortal Diancai."

Just as he got off the carriage, Beishan Baiwei overheard two cultivators talking. Tianbao Mountain was a place of mixed company, with news spreading fast.

"Oh?" Beishan Baiwei smiled. "My brother Ji Ning made such a big move last night, and I didn't even know. Well, first, I'll check on this Meng Yan for him. For him to catch my brother Ji Ning's attention, this Meng Yan must have something special."

...

In the eastern district of Anchan City, inside an exquisite mansion.

Meng Yan sat there drinking alone, drowning his sorrows.

"Xin Mei, let me."

"Xin Mei, I'll help you pack these." Meng Jun was busily helping Meng Xin organize her belongings. These days, they had been staying at their third uncle's house. Now that they had joined a sect, the sect gave them three days to prepare before leaving Anchan City for the sect's mountain gate, millions of miles away.

Meng Jun glanced at Meng Yan, who was drinking gloomily, and sighed. "Stone, just bear it. In a few years, when the injury no longer shows, you can join a sect too. Xin Mei and I were fated to meet and join the same sect by chance. Haha, truly fated."

Meng Yan's face darkened as he drank, and the beast-head wine cup in his hand shattered into pieces.

"Hmph." Meng Jun snorted and turned away.

"Petty man." Meng Yan shot him a look.

He had guessed it—Meng Jun was following Meng Xin. After Meng Xin joined a sect, Meng Jun followed suit. Their aptitudes were similar, so it wasn't strange that they joined the same sect.

He had loved Meng Xin since childhood, and so had Meng Jun. This made Meng Yan's pain even worse.

"Petty man!" Meng Yan gritted his teeth. "But I..."

"Stone Brother." Meng Xin stood beside him.

Meng Yan looked up at her.

"Don't give up. I believe you can make it." Meng Xin's eyes were red.

Meng Yan felt a warmth in his heart and nodded firmly.

"Make it? Hmph."

A sarcastic voice sounded nearby. "Xin Mei, let's go. We need to head to our Qianchuan Sect." Meng Xin gave Meng Yan a long look, then had to leave, setting out on her path of cultivation.

Meng Yan watched silently.

"Xiao Xin, wait for me." Meng Yan said silently, but the past three days of being rejected by every sect he approached only deepened his pain and anxiety.

...

Inside the Black-White College.

Ji Ning carefully observed Yun Zhou, Yun Lu, and Wang Wei.

Though Beishan Baiwei had sent them, if Ji Ning found them displeasing, he would expel them all the same. After all, the master-servant relationship would last a long time.

Yun Zhou, Yun Lu, and Wang Wei were also a bit nervous.

"This Wang Wei was a bodyguard? Very loyal?" Ji Ning immediately felt a liking for Wang Wei. "That Yun Zhou greets me with a smile right away—he's quite the flatterer. His sister 'Yun Lu'... I wonder what Beishan Baiwei was thinking, sending such a seductive woman."

Yun Lu was truly alluring. In terms of looks alone, she was not inferior to Meng Xin and even surpassed Senior Apprentice Sister Jiu Lian. Her whole body exuded a charm, and her watery eyes were very captivating. From the moment she saw Ji Ning, she had been subtly trying to seduce him.

"Wang Wei, how did you get that name?" Ji Ning asked.

Wang Wei said solemnly, "I originally had no name. Later, my master gave me a name, and I served him for many years. He must have thought me worthy, so he gave me this chance to rise. He also bestowed the Daoist name 'Wang Wei'—'Forget Guard'—telling me to forget about being a guard and truly become a powerful cultivator."

Ji Ning nodded.

Whoosh.

The boat descended toward Beiming Peak below. Yun Zhou and Yun Lu waited anxiously for Ji Ning to question them, but he didn't.

"Uncle Bai." As soon as they landed, Ji Ning called out.

The Whitewater Hound leaped into view.

Ji Ning looked at the three servants and the mortals behind him and announced, "Listen carefully. This is Beiming Peak of the Black-White College. On my Beiming Peak... you will all obey my Uncle Bai in everything. Whatever he says, you do. No defiance."

"Yes." Yun Zhou, Yun Lu, Wang Wei, and the mortals all replied respectfully.

"Uncle Bai, these three are servants; the rest are mortals." Ji Ning looked at the Whitewater Hound. "I leave Beiming Peak to you. Also, tell them the rules of the Black-White College."

The Whitewater Hound instantly turned into mist, which then condensed into a white-robed, white-haired man.

The white-robed, white-haired man had gentle eyes and a natural warmth that made one feel at ease. He smiled and said, "Ning'er, go ahead. Leave this to me."

"Mm."

Ji Ning then turned into a streak of light and soon left Beiming Peak. As for the others, even the servants, they could only go to limited places within the Black-White College.

A moment later.

Ji Ning arrived above his master Immortal Diancai's peak.

"Ji Ning, come in." The indifferent voice sounded directly in his ear.

"Yes, Master." Ji Ning immediately descended.

...