63 Heartwarming Advice (1/2)
The immortal chef stopped far away from Han De and kowtowed.
'You don't really need to be that respectful, really, I don't really care about manners…'
”M-Master, I-I have f-f-failed to prepare…”
Han De took a deep breath. The flagship that she was on crashed and burned, netherworld demons poured from the cracks and started killing everyone, a tentacle monster appeared from god knows where, and yet, this woman was trembling only because she didn't want to disappoint him.
'Shouldn't she be more concerned about her own well being? Did my mother really go that far? Is she brainwashed?!'
”You don't need to apologize. You should take care of your well being first!”
The woman started trembling even more. Han De recognized this was… Joy? Excitement?...
'...'
In front of his eyes, the woman's emotions kept changing. She was enthusiastic to serve him. Her passion for cooking was rekindled. She was thrilled to be able to serve a master like him. She didn't feel she deserved the incredible treatment she received so far, and she vowed to serve with her whole being.
Han De blinked a few times and observed her once more. She was still kowtowing and trembling, yet Han De was able to understand a certain intent from that alone.
”You may leave, remember, take care of yourself.”
He wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible, so he just threw some casual words. The woman stood up immediately. She was determined to do whatever it takes to follow his orders.
'Where is this weird thing coming from?! When did I start being so good at reading body language?'
Looking at the lackeys around, Han De couldn't sense anything extraordinary like when he looked at the immortal chef, or the tentacles from before. According to Yao Qing, this woman should be half netherworld demon, and a low-level one at that.
'Oh, she is definitely not some low-level demon hybrid. Her vibe is definitely similar to the tentacle monster. Is she some sort of higher being that was taking an incognito walk?'
It was definitely possible. In Xianxia, it was better to give face to any odd creatures you encountered. Even a dog might end up being a peerless god. Needless pestering could lead to death by paw.
Han De broke into a cold sweat. Even his body cultivation couldn't prevent this physical response from his body. Just a few minutes ago, he had tried to remove his bloodline and failed due to System bullshit. What would've happened if he succeeded? Would this 'immortal chef' go berserk?
'No, no, no. I don't know if she really is a higher being in hiding. The only evidence I have is her shared 'language' with the tentacle monster and her extreme enthusiasm, just like the tentacle monster...'
'...'
'... Ok that is a pretty good indicator I have to admit…'
Han De facepalmed and made a mental note to make some experimentations with beings evolved from spiritual animals as soon as possible. The effect of this bloodline was something he couldn't ignore. The sooner he understood it the better. His life, his chastity, and his everything else depended on it.
After taking a deep breath, Han De considered his options. The quest with Ning Bi was still ongoing. It still showed 25 days remaining. Things weren't over yet. He nearly made a divination out of habit, but stopped himself at the last second. His mother was nearby, and was actively monitoring the entire area. If she felt the effects of the divination, it would be extremely hard to calm her down, if not impossible.
'Let's focus on the matter in front of me first. Right, Treebeard. I didn't expect him to be an MC material. I should still have 4 slots for 28 points...'
[Disciples Panel]
[Core Disciples: 1/1]
[Requirements: 32 Points Minimum]
-------------------------------------------
[Ning Bi (35)]
[Inner Disciples: 2/2]
[Requirements: 30 Points Minimum]
-------------------------------------------
[Yao Qing (30)]
[Jin Shu (30)]
[Outer Disciples: 0/4]
[Requirements: 28 Points Minimum]
-------------------------------------------
-
'Treebeard is actually perfect, his talent is low… Compared to Ning Bi at least… His comprehension is on the high side but that is OK. He is my lackey originally, so he is unlikely to leave for higher realms once he gets higher cultivation. If I can make him my disciple, my quote problems would be solved for good.'
'His age might be a problem, he probably wouldn't want to become a disciple of a Core Formation cultivator, young master or not. But thankfully I don't need him to be sincere. Just the ceremony alone should be enough.'
Although his disciples did truly become his disciples in the end, Han De was sure that wasn't the case from the beginning. At the very least, Yao Qing should've joined with dubious intentions at the beginning, and stayed for her awe toward the System provided benefits.
'If I can dupe 3 idiot MCs I can get one more privilege level. The next privilege level requires an offline update according to the System, it should have some good stuff at least…'
Han De was looking forward to an increase in his disciple capacity. The first update allowed him to get disciples as low as 28 points. Another level might introduce a level with further reduced requirements.
'If I could complete Ning Bi's quest, I wouldn't need an MC farm, but if the first 2 days are like this, it'll probably fail somewhere down the line.'
Han De looked at the still unconscious girl at his side. Her vitals were good and she wasn't injured. She was just in a deep sleep. At first, Han De didn't want to force a high-grade awakening pill on her because he wanted her to wake up on her own. Usually, MCs would gain some sort of power-up in situations like these. But thinking about it, he decided not to risk anything.
”M-Master…?”
Han De immediately checked her with his spiritual sense and asked her if there were any weird effects of the Breach skill. Thankfully, it seemed as if the music she heard from before had disappeared. There were still many lights all around her in the distance, but they seemed to be moving away now. Han De breathed a sigh of relief.
This wasn't the time and the place to do an in-depth check-up, he couldn't only delay it. Han De shifted his focus to the people around him.
The lackeys were still looking at Han De with deep respect. Unfortunately, this display only served to strengthen his guilt. This whole situation was caused by his mother, but the true culprit was actually himself. If he hadn't left Xiao Ping alive that day, none of this would've happened. 708 lackeys wouldn't have died, 34 lackeys wouldn't have lost their cultivation. That was just his lackeys, the Han family lost many people too. Just with one half-hearted decision from him, many people died.
'There is no reason to be merciful to my enemies, these people are all F#$%&#$ psychos anyway. No more half-measures. No more half-measures…'
While Han De was giving himself a dubious pep-talk, he was reminded of the meat paste's last moments. This guy had a unique amulet, it was highly likely that item was the source of his power. Han De immediately gave the order to search for it to the surviving lackeys.
>
””YES! YOUNG MASTER!!!””
Han De ignored the overwhelming enthusiasm as much as he could and looked toward the crippled lackeys.
”What you have lost, can be regained. There are many ways to restore one's spiritual roots, or meridians. You are my own, so naturally I will take good care of you. It may take some time, but you will be able to cultivate again! Do not lose faith!”
The eyes of the lackeys' shook. Even Treebeard looked moved. Cultivation was everything to these people, naturally this promise resonated with them greatly. Han De was part glad, part concerned due to their newfound enthusiasm.
Before he left to find his mother, he took the time to talk with them individually. The ones that destroyed their spiritual roots did so voluntarily to take out their enemies. But the ones with destroyed meridians were actually victims of the enemy. Han De made a mental note to follow up on this later and looked at their potentials.
'...'
'Mom is really consistent. Pretty much everyone is near at 20s. 19, 18, 18, 17, 18, 19. It feels like there is a dividing line at 20. Treebeard is the only outlier.'
[Age: 1244]
[Roots: Water (Destroyed - 29%)]
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[Potential Points (Total: 18)]
-------------------------------------------
[Will: 4]
[Talent: 3]
[Comprehension: 6]
[Luck: 5]
[Fate]
[Cannon Fodder]
[Notes]
[Cannot be accepted as a disciple.]