"Nothing much. A few people found out I've accepted disciples and sent us some gifts to support your cultivation," Yun Wuji said dismissively.
"…Is that so?" Xiao Che and Xiao Lingxi looked from Yun Wuji to the decimated bodies scattered on the ground far away and understood what he meant.
"Xiao Qingyue broke through to the Nascent Profound Realm. I'm going to cook something special to celebrate," Yun Wuji said, patting the heads of Xiao Che and Xiao Lingxi before walking back to the palace.
The main reason he didn't instantly teleport to the Xiao Sect and start massacring people was because of these two.
The Xiao Sect is considered their ancestral lineage in a sense. Even though they don't have strong bonds with or care about the sect, killing all the high-level cultivators would be like killing their ancestors.
Yun Wuji is a cold and somewhat narcissistic man, but when he considers someone close to him, he genuinely cares for them and is considerate. However, he sometimes uses unconventional methods to achieve what he thinks are the best results.
Since he took these two as his disciples, his care and consideration naturally extend to them as well.
True, they won't provide him with any tangible benefits, but for him, relationships aren't built on such things. After countless betrayals over the years in the Azure Cloud continent, he's grown colder, but his experiences have made him value relationships more than mere benefits.
And strictly speaking, he doesn't need anyone's help to reach the peak, not even divine inheritances. With his talent alone, it's certain he could become the strongest, provided he doesn't die prematurely.
Additionally, if he really were to build relationships only with people who offer some value, there would be just two individuals on this entire planet who fit that criterion: Xia Qingyue and Feng Xue'er. These two are the only women with enough talent to stand out in the Realm of Gods.
Needless to say, Xia Qingyue's talent is unique in the universe. Feng Xue'er, on the other hand, was born with the Phoenix God Body, which is perfectly compatible with Phoenix's power. She was also trained by the Phoenix Spirit, who bestowed upon her all its power and inheritance.
In comparison, others don't have notable talent. Even Chu Yuechan, who is in her forties, only reached Emperor Profound with his help.
Yun Wuji shook his head, his thoughts drifting once again.
"Really?! Congratulations, Sister Xia Qingyue!" Xiao Lingxi and Xiao Che said, their eyes filled with awe and envy.
Xiao Lingxi had been cultivating for months before becoming Yun Wuji's disciple and had only reached the third level of the Elementary Profound Realm.
Xiao Che is even worse; he only recently healed his veins and is still stuck at the first level of the Elementary Profound Realm.
"Master's cooking!" Their envy faded when they heard Yun Wuji would be cooking. All their attention shifted to the food. They had tasted his cooking when they celebrated the day he accepted them as disciples.
They quickly followed him back to the palace, eager for his cooking...
Two days later, the trembling leader of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yunhai, arrived, accompanied by the Grand Sect Master of the Xiao Sect and all the high-ranking members of the sect.
They knelt before Yun Wuji's door, presenting him with their entire treasury and begging for his forgiveness.
-----
"Today is your weekly inspection," Yun Wuji said from the podium in a room resembling a classroom from Earth. There were only three desks in the room, with Xiao Lingxi, Xiao Che, and Xia Qingyue seated at them, all focused on him.
"This week's topic is: what should you say to your opponent after crushing them?" he asked, looking at the three.
"Teacher!" Xiao Lingxi's hand shot up eagerly, her face bright with anticipation.
"Let's start with you, Lingxi," he said, pointing at Xiao Lingxi with a nod.
Xiao Lingxi lifted her chin, placed her hands on her waist, and said arrogantly, "It's not that I'm strong; it's just that you're too weak!"
"Nice one, Lingxi!" he praised, causing her to puff out her chest in pride. He then turned to Xia Qingyue, who had raised her hand, and said, "Qingyue, your turn."
Xia Qingyue looked ahead and said in an indifferent tone, "You should be proud for making me use 10 percent of my strength."
"Very pretentious, I like it!" Yun Wuji said, praising her. "I'm going to use this next time. Good work, Qingyue!" His words made her blush with pleasure.
"It's your turn, Xiao Che," he said, addressing the silent Xiao Che.
Xiao Che hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thank you for letting me win?"
"-_-lll" Yun Wuji, Xiao Lingxi, and Xia Qingyue all facepalmed.
"Little Che, you can't say that, it too lame!" Xiao Lingxi reprimanded Xiao Che.
"But Master told us to never look down on our opponents!" Xiao Che replied, feeling wronged.
Yun Wuji always reminded them to be careful and never look down on any opponents no matter how weak they are.
"Acting cool and confident doesn't mean we're looking down on our opponents. And fighting needs to be done in style!" Xia Qingyue chimed in from the side.
"Hmmm, that's right. By showing an aggressive attitude, your enemies will think twice before acting," Xiao Lingxi added.
"Really?" Xiao Che asked skeptically. He felt there was something off about their logic but couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Xiao Che, you failed the weekly test again. You need to kill three Elementary Profound beasts on your own by tomorrow," Yun Wuji said with a serious face, resisting the urge to laugh at their interaction.
He set up this class for fun, just to see them act out of character. He especially liked seeing Xiao Lingxi, who used to be really meek, start to show more confidence.
"Understood, teacher," Xiao Che replied, his head slumped. Last time, he had failed the test and nearly died fighting the beasts if it hadn't been for Yun Wuji's protective talisman that teleported him back to the palace, things would have ended badly.
"You two did a good job today. You can have the rest of the day off," Yun Wuji told Xiao Lingxi and Xia Qingyue.
"Yes, master!" they both replied.
"Master, would you like me to accompany you on a walk around the city?" Xia Qingyue asked, her eyes shining with excitement.
Xiao Lingxi glanced at Xia Qingyue in surprise, her teeth clenched in frustration. She had also wanted to spend time with Wuji but hadn't expected Xia Qingyue to beat her to it again. Last week, Xia Qingyue had already spent the entire day with her master.
"Maybe next time. I've got plans for today," Yun Wuji said, looking at her flat figure with disappointment. He turned her down because he already had plans for the day. If it had been a more mature woman asking him out, he might have considered postponing his plans.
"Is that so..." Xia Qingyue nodded, her face showing obvious disappointment.
She had been looking forward to spending time with him, but it seemed her chance would have to wait.
Yun Wuji walked out of the classroom, deep in thought. This morning, he had managed to break through to the 10th level of the Profound Sky Realm. It had been a long time since he'd fought seriously, and he planned to head out today to find some Monarch Realm beasts to test his current limit.
"Master, wait!" Xiao Che called out as he ran toward him, breaking Yun Wuji's thoughts.
"Little Che? Why are you in such a hurry? Is something urgent?" Yun Wuji asked, looking at him with curiosity.
"…No, I just need your guidance on something," Xiao Che said, hesitating before speaking.
"I'm your master; I'll help if I can," Yun Wuji replied, giving him a reassuring look.
"It's like this, my fiancée contacted me and wants to meet," Xiao Che explained.
"What's the problem with that?" Yun Wuji asked, raising an eyebrow.
"In the past, she always looked down on me and talked me down. Sometimes, she even urged me to break the engagement," Xiao Che explained, his face reddening with embarrassment.
"Do you want me to go and flatten her clan?" Yun Wuji asked after a moment of silence, his tone casual.
"No! Don't! I didn't mean that," Xiao Che quickly protested, his face pale with fear. He could vividly recall how people from the Xiao sect trembled like vibrators in front of his master.
"I want to know how to make her respect me," Xiao Che said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Ah! You want to assert your dominance in the relationship," Yun Wuji said with a proud grin. "You came to the right person! It's easy to make your fiancée not only respect you but also cling to you like a leech."
"Really?" Xiao Che asked, pleasantly surprised, though he found the leech analogy a bit odd.
"It's simple," Yun Wuji explained casually. "Just do what she did to you, talk her down, treat her like trash, make her feel like it's the greatest privilege just to breathe the same air as you. She'll be hooked in no time."
"Master! I'm asking for help, why are you trolling me?" Xiao Che said, clearly not taking the advice seriously.
"I'm completely serious," Yun Wuji said, knocking Xiao Che on the head. "Girls like her despise the weak and revere the strong. With my backing, if you follow my advice, she'll end up like a leech clinging to you for life."
"Ouch! Really?" Xiao Che asked hesitantly, holding his head lightly.
"I'm your master; of course, I wouldn't lie to you."
"...Okay, I'll do as you said, Master. Thank you!" Xiao Che said, bowing deeply before hurrying off. He still had three beasts to hunt down.
"Well, I did say she'd become a leech," Yun Wuji watched Xiao Che run off, shaking his head. He couldn't quite connect this naive Xiao Che with the smooth/scum Che from the novel. "Anyway, she can serve as experience for him. He can always throw her away once he grows up."