"Elder Zhao, they're gone…" Han Dapeng carefully tried to remind him.
"No one is allowed to spread a word about today's incident!" Elder Zhao immediately ordered after regaining his dominance. He had actually been rejected when he tried to take in disciples. If those of his generation were to find out, he would definitely become a laughingstock.
"Got it."
"Also, I won't come back to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion anymore. Get someone else to be the examiner." After saying that, Elder Zhao returned to his seat.
…
"Brother Su, where are you headed to?" Mu Xiaoxiao asked while fiddling with the Spirit Medicine Master's medallion.
"I'm preparing to head home. What about you? By the way, where are your parents?" Su Yu curiously asked as he thought to himself, She's so young, and she's out to collect herbs on her own. It's really hard on her.
"I don't know…" Mu Xiaoxiao replied in a low voice.
Su Yu berated himself for asking about such an obvious matter. He hurriedly said, "I happen to be alone too, and I live in the mountains over there. Why don't you come home with me?"
"Really? Thank you, Brother Su," Mu Xiaoxiao immediately answered happily.
Su Yu smiled and said, "Aren't you scared that I might be a crook? You're not worried at all."
"No, I have sharp senses and instincts, which I rely on to avoid the beasts when I go to the mountains to collect herbs." Mu Xiaoxiao continued cautiously. "I think you're a kind person, Brother Su. A very, very kind person."
Indeed, she's born with a spiritual body! A figure trembled violently behind them.
"What about Elder Zhao? Why didn't you acknowledge him as your master?" Su Yu asked curiously.
"He's a nice person too, but I prefer you, Brother Su. I want to follow you." Mu Xiaoxiao blushed and continued to ask, "In this case, Brother Su, why didn't you acknowledge him as your master?"
"I'd have a brighter future trying to figure out life than acknowledging him as my master."
The figure behind them fell to the ground, headfirst…
"Xiaoxiao, are you tired?"
An hour later, they had already reached the Great King Mountain's foot. Mu Xiaoxiao had never been exposed to martial arts, after all. Her face was flushed, so Su Yu was a little worried.
"Brother Su, I'm not tired. I go to the mountains very often, and this journey is not a big deal." Mu Xiaoxiao shook her head.
Su Yu was finally at ease upon noticing that Mu Xiaoxiao's tone was normal.
"Brother Su, it's strange. We've been climbing for so long, but we haven't seen a single herb," said Mu Xiaoxiao, disappointed. She had been looking around for some herbs out of habit while climbing.
"Could someone else have picked all of them?" Su Yu asked with a smile, not bothered by it.
"That can't be. Even if someone had picked them, there would still be traces. We've already climbed the mountain for such a long time, but I haven't found any traces of herbs' growth at all. The trees here are actually the same, and there isn't a single fruit tree. In the past, I used to rely on wild fruits to curb my hunger when I went to the mountains. It's unreasonable that no fruit trees grow here. Besides, there isn't a single living being. So strange…" Mu Xiaoxiao said in bewilderment.
Su Yu had to admit that Mu Xiaoxiao was extremely meticulous. He finally realized that all the trees on the mountain were exactly identical, and there were very few types of plants too. There were no herbs, no fruits, no vitality, and no birds at all.
Could it be that only I can plant some vegetation on this mountain and rear some system cubs? Su Yu couldn't help but think of the Mountain Great King System.
"Brother Su, how did you find this place? I've never seen this mountain before. It's really odd…" Mu Xiaoxiao continued to mutter.
Su Yu gasped.
Surely, this mountain was not created by the system, was it?
Given the nature of the system, Su Yu felt that it was very likely to be the case as he dwelt on it.
Mu Xiaoxiao often went to the mountains to pick medicinal herbs. The Great King Mountain was enormous, and there was no reason for her to have never seen it before. The only reasonable explanation would be that the mountain had suddenly appeared!
Mu Xiaoxiao's senses were acute, and she was very observant. It was a pity that she wasn't a detective.
"Maybe you didn't pay attention to it before. My home is just a little further ahead," Su Yu said immediately, not daring to continue with that topic.
They continued to walk for 20 minutes, and they soon saw Su Yu's small wooden hut.
At that moment, the sun had just set in the west, and the sunset's afterglow scattered on the wooden hut, giving it a gilded exterior that was stunning yet simple.
"Brother Su, is this your home? It's beautiful!" Mu Xiaoxiao exclaimed in awe, after which she looked at the rice paddies near the hut. She scurried over excitedly and asked, "Did you plant these? You're brilliant."
Su Yu was a little embarrassed because there was only one type of rice, which seemed a little shabby, growing on the Great King Mountain.
Bark, bark, bark…
A small black and white figure dashed out of the wooden hut when it heard his voice and continuously rubbed itself against Su Yu's feet.
"Ah, so adorable!"
Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up immediately, and she squatted down to look at Furry. Although she was a stranger whom it had never met, Furry did not keep its distance. It crouched beside Su Yu's feet and tilted its head to look at Mu Xiaoxiao with its distinct pupils.
"Brother Su, may I carry it?" Mu Xiaoxiao asked expectantly.
"Of course you may. Its name is Furry." Su Yu picked up Furry and placed it in Mu Xiaoxiao's arms, ignoring Furry's attempt to play cute.
"Hello, Furry. My name is Mu Xiaoxiao." She squinted and patted Furry incessantly. "Its fur is so smooth and comfortable to stroke it."
"Okay, hurry up and go in. I'm going to cook," said Su Yu.
He got ready to head inside when Furry suddenly began getting restless. It struggled in Mu Xiaoxiao's arms while barking at the empty mountain roads. From time to time, it would grimace. However, it didn't look menacing at all. Instead, it looked rather cute because it was still young.
"Brother Su, what's wrong with Furry?"
Su Yu frowned and calmed down Furry. He said while looking at the mountain road, "Who's there? Hurry and come out."
"Strange. Kid, what exactly is your dog made of? It's clearly not emitting any spiritual power, nor is it a magical beast. Yet, it could find me," Elder Zhao said as he revealed himself unwillingly and walked toward Mu Xiaoxiao to size up Furry.
Bark, bark, bark…
Furry was still seething and flaunting its teeth at Elder Zhao, not in the least bit intimidated at all. If not for the fact that Mu Xiaoxiao was carrying it, it would have definitely dashed at him.
"Wow, it's really fierce." Elder Zhao was slightly stunned. He was a Martial Saint powerhouse, after all. Even if he did not deliberately show his might, most ordinary magical beasts would be afraid of him. However, that did not work on Furry.
"Furry, he's one of us." Furry finally calmed down after hearing Su Yu's words, and it began to look cute again.
This is an extraordinary dog!
Elder Zhao chuckled and walked straight into the wooden hut, not bothered by it.
Su Yu shook his head with a wry smile.
Elder Zhao really wants to take us as his disciples. He actually came all the way here.
"Kid, the layout of your place has a sense of novelty," Elder Zhao said after scanning his surroundings in the wooden hut.
The wooden hut layout was inclined toward a modern decor style, as it had two rooms and one hall, which was the standard. There were wooden planks laid on the ground and wallpaper on the walls. Although it was not spacious, it looked luxurious and presentable. The rooms' wooden doors were also European style, which was definitely not present in alternate worlds, not to mention the modern furniture inside the house.
"Wow, Brother Su, your home is so beautiful!" Mu Xiaoxiao exclaimed in awe, her tone full of envy.