"Grandma," Wang Li asked, "how sure are you about letting Xiaolin become Mister Gale's apprentice?"
"It's not about me letting her," Grandma Wang said with a sigh. "I'm only there to shelter her from any fraud, but in the end, the final decision is hers to make."
What her grandma meant was that she was playing the role of a guardian, and she deferred that Gale was genuine about what he meant.
"Still, considering soul oaths are involved. . . Is it absolutely necessary to take a soul oath?"
"Silly girl, it isn't like your neighbourhood teacher giving free teaching in spirit arts," Grandma Wang explained. "You don't know what makes one a Master, do you? Just accepting a disciple doesn't make one a master. If that were true, I would be a master a hundred times over."
"Is it a rank?"
