Chapter 118: Nangong Yu: 'Uncle-in-law, I’ve got a surprise for you later”

Chapter 118: Nangong Yu: “Uncle-in-law, I’ve got a surprise for you later” “Master, why do I feel like this disciple recruitment guideline you gave us is a bit... strange?” Inside the Miscellaneous Dao Institute, Xiao Chen put down the sheet of paper in his hand and asked with a puzzled expression. The recruitment guideline had only two conditions. Anyone meeting either could be accepted into the institute—but both conditions left him quite baffled. Chu Feng replied casually, “What part do you find strange?” Xiao Chen said, “Why do the recruitment targets have to be limited to the surnames Lin, Ye, Chen, and Long?” The others nearby also nodded in agreement, expressing their confusion. Chu Feng chuckled. “Didn’t I add a note? If you can’t find disciples with those surnames, Han, Xu, Li, and Fang are acceptable too.” He had originally thought of the four great families of destiny—Xie, Xiao, Lin, Ye, and Chu—but considering that the Miscellaneous Dao Institute already had him as Chu and Xiao Chen as Xiao, he replaced the rest with Chen and Long. After all, in the ancient era, Long Aotian types were undeniably children of destiny. They might be rare now, but what if he happened to come across one? Silence. The crowd responded to Chu Feng with a long, wordless pause. After a moment, Cao Youqian continued, “Master, setting aside the surname thing—why are ‘surviving great calamity’ and ‘being good at running away’ listed as evaluation criteria?” Chu Feng laughed. “Let me answer your questions one at a time. First, the surname thing—it’s just a bit of my personal obsession. I want to gather disciples with those surnames. As for the second, that’s even simpler. As the old saying goes: ‘Those who survive great disasters are destined for future blessings.’ That has to do with what we often call fortune or destiny. Take Xiao Chen as an example—his dantian was shattered, he was rejected in a marriage proposal, and yet he still managed to return to the path of cultivation. That alone proves his extraordinary fortune. The same goes for Qiner.” After Chu Feng explained it that way, everyone began to notice similar traits among their fellow disciples. Only Elder Bing looked at Chu Feng with astonishment and asked, “Chief Chu, have you perhaps mastered the long-lost fortune-sight technique of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute?” “Not quite,” Chu Feng replied with a grin. “But I’ve picked up a few things. Read enough storybooks and you’ll understand—every great destiny bearer throughout history went through countless trials before becoming a saint.” “I see.” Elder Bing murmured thoughtfully, a contemplative look appearing on her face as she started considering whether to model her next recruitment after Chief Chu’s guideline. Xiao Chen and the others all put down the guideline and said respectfully, “Master, we’ll definitely follow your instructions when evaluating future junior disciples.” Chu Feng said, “Good. Then it’s settled.” ... The Wendao Academy’s disciple recruitment ceremony was held as scheduled. Early that morning, Chu Feng brought his four core disciples to the mountain gate. Compared to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute, the other eight institutes mostly sent outer court elders to handle recruitment. Occasionally, an inner court elder would appear—but only to receive disciples they had already preselected. Though the Miscellaneous Dao Institute had taken first place in both the inner and core disciple competitions, they were still assigned to a spot in the corner. While the testing areas for the other seven institutes were bustling with people, the Miscellaneous Dao Institute’s side was desolate. From time to time, a few disciples would come to try out, but the four disciples simply asked them two casual questions before declaring them unqualified. This left many hopefuls completely confused. We haven’t even begun any actual testing—how are we already disqualified? Chu Feng had shown up at the recruitment site, but he had no intention of evaluating anyone himself. He reclined on a vine chair, quietly reading a storybook, completely embodying the image of a hands-off master. Xiao Chen and the others weren’t in any rush either. After all, the dean hadn’t said how many disciples the Miscellaneous Dao Institute was expected to take in. At the Law Institute’s recruitment pavilion, a long line of cultivators stretched across the grounds. Every year during the disciple recruitment ceremony, the Law Institute drew the highest number of applicants, followed by the Sword and Body Cultivation Institutes. After all, most of the other institutes required some specific skill to pass the test. At the end of the long queue, an elder respectfully said to the young girl in front of him, “Ninth Princess, Elder Qi will be arriving shortly. You should summon those people to your side soon. It would be discourteous to keep Elder Qi waiting.” Nangong Yu smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Elder Zhao. I’ve already memorized their auras. I’ll send them a message with paper cranes.” As she spoke, she took out four small objects from her storage ring—each one carried the aura of one of the four individuals. With her other hand, she summoned four paper cranes. Placing each crane onto one of the items, she said, “Go find your masters and tell them I’m waiting for them here.” With that, the paper cranes flapped their wings and flew off into the crowd. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, two women and one man appeared before Nangong Yu. As soon as they saw her, all three bowed. “Li Qingqing greets the Ninth Princess.” “Zhao Shan greets Miss Nangong.” “Hu Haitao greets the Princess.” “No need for formalities.” Nangong Yu looked at the three before her with a slight upward curve of her lips—a smile belonging to someone in a position of power. Li Qingqing was dressed in green, with a matching gourd at her waist—clearly an alchemy cultivator. Zhao Shan held a long sword, unmistakably a sword cultivator. As for Hu Haitao, he was a burly man who followed the body refinement path. “Thank you, Princess/Miss,” the three said in unison. Nangong Yu spoke, “I trust you all know why I’ve summoned you. In a little while, my uncle-in-law, an inner court elder of the Law Institute, will be coming to meet me. I’ll bring you with me to participate in the evaluation—it will save you a great deal of trouble. Of course, if you prefer to rely on your own strength to enter Wendao Academy, you may leave.” The three were no fools; they understood the deeper meaning behind her words. Hu Haitao was the first to step forward and declare his loyalty. “I, Hu Haitao, am willing to serve the Princess.” Seeing this, the other two quickly followed suit. “We are also willing to serve the Princess.” Before them stood the Ninth Princess of the Great Yu Empire. With a Half-Saint guarding the royal family and direct ties to Wendao Academy, only a fool wouldn’t choose to side with her. Nangong Yu smiled. “Very good. Now we only need to wait for the last person.” The three didn’t show any reaction. Matters concerning the one in power were not theirs to interfere with. Just then, a figure suddenly descended from the sky. “Xiao Yu, is the one you said we were waiting for... me?” Hearing the voice, Nangong Yu turned around with a radiant smile and greeted the newcomer. “Yu’er greets Uncle-in-law.” Elder Zhao and the other three also bowed respectfully. “We greet the senior.” “No need for courtesy.” Elder Qi ignored the four and looked fondly at his niece. Nangong Yu giggled and said sweetly, “Of course not! The one I mentioned is a truly exceptional talent. I wanted to surprise Uncle-in-law by bringing him here today!” Upon hearing that, the three people previously recruited by Nangong Yu looked a little uneasy. Deep inside, they swore to themselves that once that person showed up, they’d make sure to give him a harsh welcome. “Oh?” Elder Qi, who doted heavily on his niece, smiled indulgently. “Then I shall wait a little longer today and see what kind of outstanding young man has managed to earn your attention, Xiao Yu.” ==================================================================================== Get access to 20 chapters in advance and enjoy 2 daily updates by supporting the series. Available on Patreon: /Alex_Cruise or Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/anish_44