Arriving at the kitchen, they were greeted by Li Jie and Yin Jun peacefully eating. Han Zhiyun couldn't help but wish that his day was just as peaceful.
"I successfully retrieved A-Zhi!"
"Not A-Zhi but, master." Han Zhiyun reminded.
"Li Jie, two more bowls of your finest noodles please!" Of course his reminder was ignored and instead Xiamei sat herself across Li Jie.
"..."
Han Zhiyun could only sigh in resignation as he took a seat next to Yin Jun who was practically beaming since they arrived. Li Jie abruptly stood up from his seat and fetch two bowls-
"Hey make that three! I'm here too you know."
Wei Xiang grumbled, he sat next to Xiamei and they continued their banter.
"Don't listen to him Li Jie. Just two. TWO. One for me and A-Zhi-"
"Not A-Zhi, but master. Master" Han Zhiyun supplied again, and he was again ignored.
"Li Jie don't listen to her! I'm older, so my orders comes first!"
"Older my ass, I'm two times older than you brat!"
"Brat?! BRAT??? Who are you calling brat, you brat!"
"Of course it's you, you brat!"
While the two went back and forth competing for the title of brat, Yin Jun slipped a bowl of noodles to Han Zhiyun. He gave his eldest disciple a thankful nod–he turns away before he can see another drop of blood fall from Yin Jun's nose. He was hungry, and he didn't want to loose his appetite.
'I already lost my sleep and my precious time. I'm not losing Li Jie's noodles!'
Han Zhiyun began to eat, he picked up a pair of chopsticks before he dug in. After the first bite, Han Zhiyun closed his eyes, a look contempt visible on his face. As expected of their youngest's cooking–bringing the kid home from the slums was really a good impulse at that time.
As Han Zhiyun enjoy his bowl of noodles, he watched as the two–Xiamei and Wei Xiang bicker from across the table. Out of all the disciples, these two were probably the closest to each other.
"You little bastard!"
"Who are you calling little, you shitty shidi!"
And probably the two who fights the most and curse each other.
"Older? You can't even clean your room–a hikokomori can do better!"
"I don't know what hiki–hihiko-koko-AGH! Anyways they can't compare to me! Afterall I'm the one and only demo–hmph." Before the other can finish his bragging, he instinctively covered his mouth. Han Zhiyun watched how Wei Xiang's eyes widened, probably realizing that he almost yelled out his identity on impulse. Though Han Zhiyun doubts that there'll be any difference if that did end up happening.
Like any 'Wei Xiang Almost Screwing His Secret Identity Accident'–yes, the disciples named it after Wei Xiang continued to repeat the particular accidents whatsoever. There was even a betting game in the beginning, but Han Zhiyun managed to get word of this and banned it before Xiamei and Jing Chen can throw their fellow martial brothers and sisters into debt.
Wei Xiang looked anxiously around the room, Li Jie was still busy preparing another bowl while his master was busy eating and Yin Jun was–as expected busy looking at his master while having a nosebleed. So all that's left is–
"Oh~" Xiamei said amused. "Demo–what demo–were you planning to say demonic perhaps?" Xiamei teased and Wei Xiang shrieked. Han Zhiyun covered his ears–one of these days, he should really teach Wei Xiang the art of silence and how to keep a calm face–that is,if he really wants to keep his identity a secret.
"Y-You!" Wei Xiang lunged forward to cover Xiamei's mouth, but the other quickly dodged.
The girl giggled, her eyes turning crescent as he watched Wei Xiang's face turn into panic. "Demonic...demonic...demonic sect–"
"Whaaaaa" This time, Wei Xiang just lunged himself at Xiamei, effectively hitting her and the two stumbled to the ground in the process.
Li Jie sighed, he avoided the two as he placed two bowls on the table. The two were still spawled on the ground, groaning and cursing at each other.
Han Zhiyun placed his chopsticks down, he looked at Yin Jun who was intensely staring at the chopsticks he just placed down.
"Yin Jun." He called out.
"Hah-ah, yes. What's the problem master?"
Yin Jun quickly responded, his gaze lingering on the chopsticks for a moment longer before moving to face his master.
"What's a hikikomi–hikokimo–hiko–"
"Hikikomori?"
Han Zhiyun coughed, a bit embarrassed though he nodded nonetheless. "Yes, that"
"Oh, it's a term that people use in Ja–I mean in some country to adress shut-ins" Yin Jun happily answered. Han Zhiyun nodded in understanding. If Wei Xiang got along with Xiamei the most then Yin Jun probably knows Xiamei the most–based on her strange language that is.
"I see...so what's a DILF?"
"Ah, I think Jing Chen and sister Yu are awake! Excuse me master!"
Han Zhiyun watched as Yin Jun practically flew out off the room, bumping the wall in the process.
DILF, it was a word that to this day, he still found no meaning. He tried asking Yin Jun to several times, but the other would always escape one way or another. There was also Jing Chen who seemed to know the slight implication of the word, but every time Han Zhiyun asked him the other would simply blush and disappear. Apart from those two, no other disciples really knew what it meant. And there was also Xiamei who she learned the word from–in fact it was the first word she muttered when she met Han Zhiyun.
"DILF!" Han Zhiyun paused, he turned around and a girl probably age 16-17 was pointing at him. Before Han Zhiyun could ask the other what's wrong, the girl leaped towards him, hugging him in the process.
"A-Zhi my son, I finally found you!"
And that was the start of Han Zhiyun's nightmare. After hugging him, the girl didn't seem to have any intention of letting go. She kept whining about how she almost died, how she missed her "compyuter" and how much she's glad that she finally saw Han Zhiyun again.
At first Han Zhiyun thought that this was some sort of scam, but that thought quickly disappeared when tears kept falling from the girl's eyes, unable to stop. In the end, Han Zhiyun couldn't do anything but sigh. He let the girl clung to him like koala as he made his way back to his manor.
Han Zhiyun listened to her rambling, she talked about a novel then Han Zhiyun and then she just kept yelling about a psychopath and her bad luck. He settled to ask the girl how she knew him, once she became...clear headed
When they reached the manor, the girl belatedly stopped crying. Han Zhiyun observed her confused expression and the way it turned even more confused when she saw Yin Jun stepped out to greet them.
"Master welcome back, who-"
"The fuck are you? Where's Li Jie? I didn't write you!"
Before Han Zhiyun can scold the other and explain to Yin Jun, he was interrupted by his first disciple–an occurance that never happened before.
"There Was Cat Poop In My Hair?"
"A reader?"
After that, the two seemed to be lost on their own worlds as they talked about things that Han Zhiyun couldn't really understand.
"I bought the exclusive chapters and I even have a DIY figure made!"
"A fan, a fan in another world! I wasn't the only one cursed!"
The two got along pretty well and Yin Jun even convinced him to let Xiamei stay with them. Though he wanted to deny, Xiamei was faster and she demonstrated how she could be helpful in terms of money–an aspect they were lacking at that time.
After much deliberation, Han Zhiyun approved. It was one way to finally eat rice and besides, with Xiamei's presence Yin Jun stopped pestering him. Though it didn't seem to last that long–something about Xiamei hearing Yin Jun coming from a well off family with loving parents.
"She said something about not suffereing enough? Whatever that means."
Han Zhiyun sighed, seeing the two of his disciples spawled on the floor, quarelling, it's really a wonder how he still haven't had a qi deviation.