Chapter 68: The different treatment of the two sisters

A few days ago, Liu Qingxian received a summons and rushed back to Qingyun Sect.

Her first action wasn't to report back to the Sect Master, but to find him. Li Qingfeng remembered clearly that Liu Qingxian, with an excited expression, had said there was an extremely important woman from the Xu family in Solitary Boat City who absolutely had to join Qingyun Sect.

With the Sect Master's daughter giving the order personally, how could Li Qingfeng refuse? Therefore, he altered his itinerary and arrived at the Xu family earlier than planned. Under Xu Zhengyan's enthusiastic invitation, he entered the main hall and took a seat.

After some pleasantries, he finally couldn't help but smile and ask, "Yining, please introduce me to your family members."

Xu Yining's spirits lifted, and the Xu family members straightened their backs, secretly thrilled. Undoubtedly, Li Qingfeng also wanted to take the opportunity to assess the other members of the Xu family. If anyone met his criteria, they would be brought back to Qingyun Sect as well.

Xu Zhengyan was secretly excited and quickly urged, "Yining, hurry and introduce them to Elder Li."

Xu Yining nodded. "Elder Li, these are my parents. This is our family elder. This is my cousin, Xu Xiangyang. This is my younger cousin, Xu Wenqing. And this is..."

She introduced them one by one. Li Qingfeng patiently listened until she had finished all the introductions. He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Are all the Xu family members here?"

"Why isn't Xu Youran here? Is there another Xu family in Solitary Boat City? Did I come to the wrong place?"

Xu Yining glanced hesitantly at Zhong Qizhen and said, "Reporting to Elder Li, I have an elder sister named Xu Youran."

The stone in Li Qingfeng's heart lifted, and he pressed, "Is she not with the family?"

The entire hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked in unison at Zhong Qizhen. Zhong Qizhen froze. He never imagined that his master would care so much about Xu Youran. Under the scrutiny of many gazes, Zhong Qizhen dared not lie in public. He could only bite the bullet and say, "Reporting to the Elder, I asked her to step aside."

"What?" Li Qingfeng shot to his feet. He had never seen Liu Qingxian care so much about anyone in his life. Furthermore, Liu Qingxian had said something that profoundly shocked him: if Xu Youran could be recruited as a disciple, Qingyun Sect would become the foremost among the Nine Sects in the future.

Such an important disciple, and his foolish apprentice actually made her step aside? If Liu Qingxian knew, she would be absolutely furious, wouldn't she? He couldn't help but explode in anger, slapping him across the face and reprimanding sharply, "Who gave you permission to send her away? You fool! Get out!"

Zhong Qizhen trembled with fright. In all his years under his master's tutelage, he had never seen him so angry. Not daring to delay, he quickly bowed and backed out of the main hall, leaving the Xu family estate.

The people in the hall dared not breathe. Xu Zhengyan swallowed hard and whispered, "Yining, quickly go and invite your elder sister out so Elder Li can see her."

Not long after, Xu Youran returned, looking bewildered. Jiang Fan accompanied her. On the way, after hearing Xu Yining explain the reason, he too looked puzzled. "It sounds like Elder Li specifically came here for Xu Youran. But she has never been on Qingyun Sect's radar. How would Elder Li know about her? Moreover, her previous strength was quite ordinary; it should have been difficult for her to attract attention."

Jiang Fan scratched his head in confusion, then his heart sank. "Could someone be interested in her looks?" Thinking carefully, this seemed the most plausible reason.

"No, I must also find a way to enter Qingyun Sect," Jiang Fan murmured worriedly.

With Xu Youran's arrival, Li Qingfeng's smile grew wider, becoming remarkably amiable. "Are you Xu Youran?"

This attitude couldn't help but make Xu Yining, who was standing nearby, feel a little dejected. Li Qingfeng hadn't been this kind to her. Why did he seem to care so much about her elder sister? Seriously, wasn't she the officially designated disciple?

Xu Youran's nervous hands didn't know where to go, and she stammered, "Yes, I am Xu Youran."

Li Qingfeng, with a curious gaze, said gently, "Don't be nervous. I'm here to take you as my disciple. Are you willing to join my tutelage?"

Everyone in the hall, without exception, was stunned! He had merely met her once and asked her name. No spiritual root test, no cultivation level assessment, and she was just taken as a disciple like that?

Xu Zhengyan was initially astonished, then quickly became overjoyed and urged, "Youran, quickly prostrate yourself and acknowledge him as your master!" How glorious would it be for both his daughters to enter Qingyun Sect?

Xu Yining, however, felt a sense of unfairness. Why her? She was a prodigy, who had undergone various assessments before finally gaining recognition. Yet her elder sister simply showed up and was directly taken as a disciple? The clear disparity made her feel upset.

As Xu Youran stood bewildered, Jiang Fan patted her shoulder, happily giving her an encouraging look. He had always worried that Xu Youran wouldn't be able to enter Qingyun Sect. He didn't expect Elder Li to accept her immediately. Only then did Xu Youran quickly kneel to perform the discipleship ceremony.

Li Qingfeng smiled, gently raising her without touching, and said, "There's no need for such formalities. To become a disciple, sincerity of heart is enough; there's no need for so many tedious rituals."

Xu Youran respectfully said, "Elder Li... Master."

Li Qingfeng chuckled, stroking his beard, and pulled out a bracelet from his robes, which faintly emitted a spiritual glow. It was a magic artifact! "Here is your master's welcoming gift. Take it."

Xu Youran received it with delight. "Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!"

This scene made Xu Yining feel even worse. Xu Zhengyan saw this and said, "Elder Li, shouldn't my younger daughter also formally acknowledge you as her master now?" Previously, she was only designated as a disciple. Since it wasn't yet the official recruitment day for Qingyun Sect, she hadn't been formally accepted. Now, it was time.

As if only just remembering Xu Yining, Li Qingfeng subtly nodded. "Yining, you may also perform the discipleship ceremony."

Xu Yining was delighted and, imitating her elder sister, bowed respectfully. Unexpectedly, Li Qingfeng frowned slightly. Xu Zhengyan, skilled at reading expressions, saw his subtle reaction and quickly poured a cup of tea, handing it to Xu Yining while admonishing her, "Elder Li holds such an esteemed position. Quickly kneel and offer the tea of discipleship!"

But... but it wasn't like this when her elder sister became a disciple! Why was it different for her? Biting her red lip slightly, she took the tea, knelt respectfully on the ground, performed three bows and nine kowtows, and presented the tea, saying, "Master, please drink the tea."

Only then did Li Qingfeng nod, take the tea, and sip it lightly, saying, "From today, you are my disciple. You may rise."

Xu Yining rose and stood to the side, but she waited for a long time. She still didn't receive a welcoming gift like her elder sister's. She felt deeply wronged. Why was this happening? Wasn't Li Qingfeng supposed to have come specifically to take her as a disciple? Why did it seem as if he had come for her elder sister, and she was merely an afterthought?

Li Qingfeng's gaze flickered between the two sisters, then he said, "My disciples are divided into true disciples and inner disciples. As the names suggest, true disciples receive more personal instruction from me. Inner disciples will be provided with sufficient resources, but their cultivation relies more on individual effort. Each year, I can only accept one true disciple."

This made Xu Yining feel a little better. After all, she was the true disciple who had been designated long ago.

"Therefore..." Li Qingfeng paused, then continued, "This year, Xu Youran will be accepted as a true disciple. Xu Yining, you'll have to bear with it for a bit. Next year, I will make you a true disciple."