Chapter 751: Summer Song Changes Her Mind

If that were the case, things would be easy for him. The only tricky part was that Xia Chaoge's and Liu Qingxian's masters might not agree to their new disciples joining a new team with Jiang Fan. After all, their senior disciples undoubtedly belonged to extremely formidable teams, and following them would clearly make it easier to earn merits than following Jiang Fan.

He could only brace himself and approach Ye Cangyuan, cupping his hands in greeting. "Vice Pavilion Master Ye, I'd like to form a team and invite Xia Chaoge to be a member. Would you permit this?" He had already braced himself for Ye Cangyuan's merciless refusal.

To his surprise, Ye Cangyuan's eyes lit up. "Oh? You want to form a team? How many more people do you need? I have several disciples who aren't in very good teams; would you be willing to take them all?"

He had personally witnessed Jiang Fan's performance during the war between humans and demons. It was no exaggeration to say that anyone who followed him, even a spirit beast, had gained enviable good fortune. Nangong Xiaoyun's little white cow, Xiaobai, had seen its strength skyrocket after just one outing with Jiang Fan. Upon returning to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, it constantly clamored to find "Brother Jiang Fan," much to Nangong Xiaoyun's exasperation. Now that Jiang Fan was forming another team, how could Ye Cangyuan let this opportunity slip by?

"Uh—" Jiang Fan was stunned for a moment, then said, "Let Chaoge join first. We're completely unfamiliar with the underground world, and it wouldn't be good if we became a burden to the Pavilion Master's disciples."

Ye Cangyuan nodded. "Alright, one by one then. Chaoge, what do you say?"

Xia Chaoge's lips had already curved into a sweet smile. "Then I'll gladly accept... your care, Senior Brother."

"Senior Brother?" Objectively, as they were both disciples of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion now, calling each other "senior brother" and "junior sister" was not an issue. But Jiang Fan found it odd. He said, "It's better to call me 'Martial Uncle' instead." After all, Shangguan Yun was still alive. It was best to stick to the original relationships to avoid messing up the generations.

Xia Chaoge pouted slightly and muttered under her breath, "Martial Uncle hasn't taken enough advantage of me yet. We're practically the same age, but he always makes me call him Martial Uncle."

Jiang Fan's lips twitched. Pretending not to have heard, he approached Chen Zhengdao. "Vice Pavilion Master Chen?"

Chen Zhengdao had already overheard Jiang Fan and Ye Cangyuan's conversation. He was somewhat exasperated. "You sly dog, you can really hide well! Finding you was harder than ascending to heaven!"

Jiang Fan blinked, looking bewildered.

Liu Qingxian covered her mouth and chuckled. "Vice Pavilion Master Chen was looking for you when your nine-grade spirit root was detected. You were just very good at hiding."

Chen Zhengdao glared at her, half-amused, half-annoyed. "Pot, meet kettle. Why do you think Jiang Fan became your father's disciple? Wasn't it because you guessed he was the one with the nine-grade spirit root? So you hid it from me and kept the benefit for your father?"

Liu Qingxian's face flushed, and she stuck out her tongue. "Master, you guessed?"

While Chen Zhengdao might not have realized it at first, once he knew Jiang Fan's true identity, he could piece things together by reviewing past events. Thus, he said, somewhat grudgingly, "You two are truly a pair, working in perfect concert. I've given up on trying to understand you. Go on, go on. If I were to stop you from being on the same team, who knows how you'd grumble about me behind my back."

Liu Qingxian giggled. "Thank you, Master, for your blessing."

Jiang Fan cupped his hands. "I will certainly take good care of Qingxian."

"Jiang Fan!" Just then, You Yunzi and Gu Huaxi approached, their faces grim. Behind them followed the uneasy Xu Youran and Chen Siling.

Jiang Fan's scalp tingled. The two people he felt most sorry for had appeared. He cupped his hands and said, "Vice Pavilion Masters, events have unfolded beyond this junior's expectation. Please forgive me." These two Vice Pavilion Masters had put the most effort into recruiting Jiang Fan, especially You Yunzi.

As a result, while the four competed, Shang Shiqiu had unintentionally benefited. You Yunzi and Gu Huaxi walked over, their faces grim, glaring at Jiang Fan without saying a word. This made Jiang Fan feel even more apologetic.

He took out the Tortoise Breath Cloak and returned it to Gu Huaxi. "Vice Pavilion Master Gu, this junior has failed to live up to your kindness. I return your precious item as it was." Then he looked at You Yunzi and said, "Vice Pavilion Master You, your three copper coins have been used up. This junior offers you this protective necklace from the Demon Moon Priest as compensation." He produced the bone necklace. Its crystals could withstand a single strike from an eighth-level Core Formation cultivator. Although its effect wasn't as good as the copper coins, it compensated with its greater quantity.

Seeing Jiang Fan's sincere attitude, the two Vice Pavilion Masters found it hard to express their frustration. After a long silence, You Yunzi finally sighed. "Never mind. It's due to the rules of our Heavenly Secret Pavilion, so we can't blame you. If we must blame someone, it should be a certain short-sighted junior." Gu Huaxi agreed wholeheartedly, glaring fiercely at Shang Shiqiu.

The more they thought about it, the angrier they became, and the angrier they got, the more they dwelled on it. Especially when even the Dharma Seal Vajra intervened to "convert" Jiang Fan, their anger reached its peak. It turned out Jiang Fan was on the Dharma Seal Vajra's list for conversion, meaning he was absolutely capable of reaching the peak of ninth-level Core Formation! If fate allowed, he might even leap to the Nascent Soul realm. Just imagine, when a bunch of old-timers were basking in the sun at the entrance, bragging about their glorious achievements in life, you could casually remark, "So-and-so Venerable is my disciple." How much face would that give you?

It was infuriating that Shang Shiqiu had snatched Jiang Fan away! Their dream of a comfortable old age was shattered on the spot. Thinking of this, the two Vice Pavilion Masters' gazes sharpened even further as they stared at Shang Shiqiu.

Shang Shiqiu shivered involuntarily. "No, what did I do wrong? Why are you two always looking at me like that?" She dared not remain under the watchful eyes of the two Vice Pavilion Masters any longer and said, "Junior Brother Jiang, I'll take you to form your team."

Jiang Fan nodded. He handed the Tortoise Breath Cloak to Gu Huaxi and the bone necklace to You Yunzi. Then, he departed with Xia Chaoge, Liu Qingxian, and Liang Feiyan.

Led by Shang Shiqiu, they arrived at the Mission Hall. Seated within the hall was a stern-faced, harsh-looking young man who exuded an air of "do not approach." This was none other than Agent Luo Dongcheng. It was his turn on duty today. Seeing it was him, Shang Shiqiu's face twitched. Agent Luo was notorious for his bad temper. He frequently clashed with disciples from the Nine Sects and had many conflicts with disciples within the Heavenly Secret Pavilion itself. The reason was simply his terrible temperament.

She cautiously asked, "Agent Luo, are you available now?"

Luo Dongcheng was not in a good mood at the moment. His old partner, Lin Yuheng, could now even select disciples, while he remained just an agent. He was living a life of mediocrity with no end in sight. Hearing that disciples had come, he naturally became extremely irritable. "I'm busy!"

Shang Shiqiu was left feeling awkward and turned to Jiang Fan, saying, "Junior Brother Jiang, perhaps we should come back another time?" She couldn't handle this kind of agent; only senior disciples could keep him in check.

Jiang Fan touched his nose, stepped forward, and said, "Agent Luo, I want to form a team. Would it be convenient for you?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Luo Dongcheng suddenly looked up. His face immediately lit up with joy. "Oh, it's you!" He quickly came out from behind the counter and walked towards Jiang Fan, pushing Shang Shiqiu aside because he found her in the way. "Junior Brother Jiang, what a surprise! Please, have a seat, have a seat. Someone, bring tea!" He welcomed Jiang Fan so warmly, even more attentively than he would the Vice Pavilion Masters. This left Shang Shiqiu a bit bewildered. For a moment, she couldn't tell which of them was the new disciple.