342 - Rebirth of a Star: Another Day, Another Drama

# Chapter 342: Tangled Relations - I Refuse to be the Begrudged Senior Sister! Hong Ye, who had been meditating, immediately stood up from her cushion and exclaimed, "What in the world???" At that moment, Yao Long flew inside and began circling around her. "While I was looking for my little sister Xiao Huang, I saw Huang Bu Fan flattering your senior sister. Now they're heading to the mountain protection array together—it’s obvious he has ulterior motives." Hearing this, Hong Ye couldn't stay calm. She quickly headed for the door. "Hurry, hurry! I knew Huang Bu Fan couldn’t have been behaving so well these past days. He was waiting for this moment!" Yao Long watched as her hurried figure disappeared, mumbling to himself, "This is going to be entertaining. I'll go find Xiao Huang and let her know there's a show to watch. Hahaha." With these words, he swooped out of the room and soon vanished. On the other side, Ye Ling Long had brought Huang Bu Fan near the core of the mountain protection array, where a middle-aged man with a beard seemed to be preparing for some maintenance work on the array. Intent on his task, the man angrily bellowed when he heard movement behind him, "Didn’t I say that the core of the mountain protection array is a crucial area? Who allowed you to..." His words caught in his throat as he turned to see Ye Ling Long, and he froze in place. His body visibly shook, even his face trembled. In the next instant, he rushed to Ye Ling Long's side, knelt before her with a thud, and grabbed onto her calf. Ye Ling Long: "!!!!!" Huang Bu Fan: "Let go of her immediately!" The middle-aged man wailed, "Senior, please accept me as your disciple!" Hearing the word "senior" from an older-looking face, Ye Ling Long felt fatigued. "Let go. Who’s your senior?" "A teacher by virtue, Senior! You were able to set up a nine-tier formation—clearly, you’re beyond me. Please, let me be your disciple. I am not worthy; I’ve spent my three thousand years diligently studying formations and have only achieved an eighth-tier mastery. Please, I implore you!" Ye Ling Long: "..." Three thousand years—she couldn't even match that age, even with the time flow of their training chamber. "I'm over two hundred years old," Ye Ling Long responded wearily. The middle-aged man paused, then grew more excited, "Senior, you are so young! To be a transcendent ancestor and master of a nine-tier formation—I'm truly fortunate to be taken under your wing!" Saying this, he released her leg and knocked his head on the ground three times. "Master, please accept my bow!" Ye Ling Long immediately stepped back three paces, speechless at this peculiar attempt to become her disciple. At that moment, Hong Ye’s voice rang from afar, "Huang Bu Fan, you conniving sneak! I knew you were up to something, trying to poach while my elder brother is refining pills!" Before her figure even landed, Hong Ye, along with Jiang Feng Yao, the recently alerted Hong Feng, and others like Ye Tian Ming and Feng Li arriving to see the commotion, descended upon the scene. Yao Long perched eagerly on Feng Li’s shoulder, excited for the events to unfold. Everyone was greeted by this bizarre scene. Ye Ling Long: "..." "What's with today? Is it a group tour to see the core of the mountain protection array?" "What’s going on here?" Both Ye Ling Long and Ye Tian Ming asked simultaneously. Ye Tian Ming hurried forward, trying to help the still-kneeling middle-aged man, "Brother Xuan Yuan, why are you kneeling, especially before my disciple? This is inappropriate." The middle-aged man named Xuan Yuan Wen, once a well-known formation master, had been a rogue cultivator. Despite his exceptional formation skills, his straightforward nature often led to conflicts. Over a century ago, he offended a prestigious sect and was rescued by Ye Tian Ming, subsequently joining the Glazed Sword Sect as an elder and sworn brother to Ye Tian Ming. Xuan Yuan Wen brushed Ye Tian Ming's hand aside. "Brother, let me be! I must show my earnest intentions to my master-to-be; do not hinder me," he declared grandly. Ye Tian Ming looked bewilderedly at his disciple, silently questioning the situation. Ye Ling Long shrugged helplessly, just as confused, especially since she thought everyone had their own matters to attend to. The onlookers were riveted by this new unfolding drama. Even if it wasn't the anticipated revelation, they figured any spectacle was worth watching. One's disciple being the sworn brother of one’s master... Question: What should one's disciple be called then? Onlookers: This relationship is indeed quite tangled. It was clear that both Ye Ling Long and Ye Tian Ming pondered this conundrum too. "Uh, Uncle Xuan Yuan, please stand up. You’re my master’s sworn brother, you shouldn’t become my disciple—it’s too complicated. But if you want to discuss formations, I’m happy to help however I can," Ye Ling Long suggested politely. Ye Tian Ming nodded repeatedly. To everyone's surprise, Xuan Yuan Wen waved his hand dismissively, unconcerned, "It’s not complicated at all!" He even patted Ye Tian Ming's shoulder, "Once I become the senior's disciple, you can call me brother, and I’ll call your disciple master. Your disciple will still call you master. Look how simple and neat that is!" Ye Tian Ming: "..." Ye Ling Long: "???" Everyone present: "!!!" It actually made a bizarre sort of sense. While everyone was absorbed in Xuan Yuan Wen’s twisted logic, Hong Ye and her parents maneuvered Huang Bu Fan to the back. Huang Bu Fan, outmatched, could only watch helplessly as he was distanced from Ling Long. In this moment, Ye Ling Long was entirely preoccupied with Xuan Yuan Wen—a three-thousand-year-old uncle she absolutely did not wish to take on as a stubborn disciple. Fortunately, at a critical moment, Mo Lao arrived to rescue Ye Ling Long. He descended calmly in front of her and, in full view of everyone, stated something that bewildered them all. "Time is up."