Chapter 351 - 306: He Is in the Xiao Mansion, the Son of Fifth Madam Zhou Ruoxi, Named Xiao Mo

After returning home, Xiao Mo told his mother that Tutor Huang wanted to take him on as a disciple.

When Zhou Ruoxi heard this, her expression was tinged with surprise.

At first, Zhou Ruoxi had known nothing about this Master Huang.

But after her son began studying martial arts under him, Zhou Ruoxi grew concerned and often made inquiries, wanting to understand the master’s temperament.

But as it turned out, no one knew the background of this seemingly ordinary master, which was highly unusual.

And after seeing Master Huang’s attitude toward the First Madam today, Zhou Ruoxi was certain he was no ordinary man.

He had to be a man of some ability, at the very least.

He even dared to speak the Prince’s name directly.

So, after careful consideration, Zhou Ruoxi felt it might not be a bad thing for Mo’er to become his disciple.

If he learned some real skills, he would have a trade to fall back on in the future.

Even without the Xiao Mansion’s protection, Mo’er could one day become a tutor or a guard and be able to support a family.

"Mo’er, if you want to take Master Huang as your master, Mother has no objections," Zhou Ruoxi said to her son, giving her consent. "What do you think of Master Huang, Mo’er?"

"I want to become his disciple!" Xiao Mo declared.

"Good." Zhou Ruoxi nodded with a gentle smile. "In that case, we will go visit Master Huang tomorrow."

"Yes, Mother."

「Early the next morning」 Zhou Ruoxi took her son and left the Xiao Mansion. Following the address Master Huang had given Xiao Mo, they headed for a small courtyard in the eastern part of the city.

Before the visit, Zhou Ruoxi took out more than half of her saved allowance money and bought a number of apprenticeship gifts for Master Huang to show their sincerity.

Just as Zhou Ruoxi knocked on the door, Master Huang opened it.

"You’re here. Come in."

Without any unnecessary chatter, Master Huang invited them inside.

"Master Huang, this is just a small token of our sincerity. Please don’t refuse it." Zhou Ruoxi gestured to Cuicui, who immediately stepped forward with the gifts.

"That’s not necessary. I accept disciples based on my own judgment, not gifts. Take these things back with you." Huang Shan didn’t accept a single one of Zhou Ruoxi’s gifts, his tone exceptionally blunt.

Seeing Master Huang’s firm stance, Zhou Ruoxi didn’t insist, lest she displease him.

"Alright, enough chatter." Master Huang looked at Xiao Mo. "Kid, perform the ceremony."

"Yes, Master!"

Xiao Mo nodded earnestly.

In the courtyard, Huang Shan sat on a chair as Xiao Mo knelt before him. Xiao Mo kowtowed three times, then served him tea.

After Huang Shan drank the tea to his satisfaction, he led Xiao Mo into a room where they paid their respects before a portrait of the lineage’s founding master.

With the ceremony complete, Xiao Mo was now, from this day forward, truly Huang Shan’s disciple.

Watching her son act with such solemn maturity, Zhou Ruoxi, who stood to the side, felt a faint stirring in her heart.

’It’s as if my son is going to walk a long, long road,’ she thought, ’and I can only watch quietly from behind, unable to keep up...’

"From now on, I’m your master. Go on, kid, let me hear you say it," Huang Shan said with a smile.

"Master!" Xiao Mo called out, his young voice crisp and clear.

"HAHAHA! Good! Good! Good!" Huang Shan declared, saying the word three times in a row.

It was clear he was genuinely fond of his new disciple.

"Master, am I your only disciple? Do I have any senior brothers or sisters?" Xiao Mo asked curiously.

"You’re my only one," Huang Shan nodded. "Our lineage, while not having any strict rules, generally only takes on one disciple per generation. Of course, if you kick the bucket, that’s a different story. Then I’d take a second one."

"Then Master, what if we both die?" Xiao Mo asked.

"If we both die, the Spear Technique will still survive. The original texts of our lineage’s Spear Technique are kept in our ancestral land. Sooner or later, a fated person will find them.

So if we die, we die.

It just means the world might not see our lineage’s Spear Technique for several hundred or even a thousand years, that’s all."

Huang Shan glanced at the boy and gave him a light rap on the head.

"Why are you always thinking about the worst-case scenario? Isn’t living a good thing? What’s with all this talk of dying?"

Xiao Mo rubbed his head. "I was just worried about the continuation of our school’s legacy."

"Get out of here. Instead of worrying about that, you should be training." Huang Shan waved his hand dismissively. "Go home. Rest well today, and be at the training grounds on time tomorrow."

"Yes, Master!" Xiao Mo said, cupping his fist in a salute.

"I’ll be entrusting my Mo’er to you, Master Huang," Zhou Ruoxi said, stepping forward and giving a slight bow.

"Rest assured, Madam," Master Huang said heartily. "This boy becoming my disciple is the luckiest thing that could ever happen to him!"

Hearing Master Huang’s boast, Zhou Ruoxi simply offered a faint smile.

Cuicui, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. She felt this Master Huang was just an ordinary Martial Artist. ’Has my lady been deceived?’ she wondered.

Zhou Ruoxi led Xiao Mo back to the Xiao Mansion.

「The next day」 Xiao Mo went to the training grounds to practice as usual.

After becoming Master Huang’s disciple, Xiao Mo could definitely feel that his master was more attentive to him. However, the things he was learning didn’t seem all that different; the focus was still entirely on building a solid foundation.

The biggest benefit was that Xiao Mo now received his own specially prepared meals every day. They were much better than what the other disciples at the training grounds received, and he could eat as much as he wanted.

Not that Xiao Yang or the others minded. ’He’s our big brother, after all,’ they thought. ’And he’s so incredible, so what’s wrong with him eating better than us?’