The Immortal received new information from the Golden Finger.

He then stood up.

Without a moment's hesitation, the Immortal, who was just holding his own demeanor, rushed down the mountain in an instant.

The test was all about how quickly one could regret.

When he found Rong Zheng at the foot of the mountain, the girl was still angry, squatting by the roadside, pulling at the grass.

Tao Mian: ...

"If you keep pulling, they'll go bald."

"Who cares enough to stop me from weeding... Immortal?"

To her surprise, it was Tao Mian who had followed her. Rong Zheng was so shocked that her mouth fell open, and she bounced up lightly.

"Why are you down the mountain again, Immortal? Weren't you..."

She suddenly remembered how she was just firmly rejected by him, puffed her cheeks with her hands on her hips, and let out a couple of "hmphs" before speaking.

"Didn't you say you'd rather pick up stones than take me as a disciple? Regretting it now, huh?"

"That's a misunderstanding," Tao Mian corrected her earnestly. "I only said I don't take disciples lightly, not that I was comparing you to a stone."

"Are you saying I'm not even as good as a stone? Is that what you mean?"

"…"

Tao Mian quietly asked the Golden Finger in his heart, is this really the disciple he's supposed to take? She doesn't seem very bright.

Is her identity real? The supposedly formidable leader of the Twelve Shadow Guards... could it have been decided by drawing lots?

Or maybe the poison even affected her intelligence?

A series of questions, none of which received a response. The Golden Finger had no intention of paying him any mind.

While Tao Mian was lost in his rich inner thoughts, Rong Zheng vented her grievances, reducing her resentment considerably.

She turned back and found Tao Mian lost in thought, which reignited her anger.

"Immortal, you weren't listening to me—"

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I was, I was. Didn't you just say, 'I don't care for a disciple as gifted as you, there's nowhere to cry if you regret it'? If you want, I can cry for you right now."

"…"

His willingness to comply left Rong Zheng speechless.

She muttered something to herself, too softly for Tao Mian to hear.

"What?"

"I said," Rong Zheng took a deep breath, as if all her earlier complaints had vanished, and smiled brightly, "it's nice to have someone who will always remember me in the future! I agree to be your disciple."

Her temper flared and faded quickly. She was outgoing and sunny, not one to hold grudges.

If it weren't for the Golden Finger providing accurate information, Tao Mian couldn't possibly associate her with the identity of "leader of the Shadow Guards."

In his impression, weren't those trained as assassins from a young age supposed to lead dark and bloody lives?

Moreover, Rong Zheng's experience was unusual; she sacrificed herself yet became a discard...

"Immortal? Immortal!"

While Tao Mian was deep in thought, Rong Zheng had already walked quite a distance, waving her arm high to urge him to catch up.

"Aren't we going back to the mountain? Let's go, let's go."

Tao Mian shook his head, casting aside the chaotic thoughts.

Forget it, overthinking some things is just troubling oneself.

He quickened his pace, catching up to Rong Zheng, and they walked side by side.

"What's the Immortal's name?"

"My name is Tao Mian."

"Oh, oh, is it the 'mian' that means soft?"

The Immortal's steps faltered slightly, but he continued forward as if nothing had happened.

"No, it's the 'mian' that means peaceful sleep."

Rong Zheng immediately understood which character it was, tracing it in the air with her finger, probably writing his name.

Tao Mian knew he shouldn't ask, but he couldn't help himself.

"Have you ever heard the poem 'Mian Mian Si Yuan Dao'?"

"Huh? Is that 'mian' in the poem your 'mian'?"

"No... never mind."

Rong Zheng appeared rough on the outside but was actually quite perceptive, sensing the Immortal's tone was a bit downcast.

"Oh," she said, holding up a wildflower she picked by the roadside and handing it to the Immortal, "I don't understand poetry, not very cultured."

"But you're good at reading letters."

"Oh, that was because someone forced me to learn to read before. Learning to read was so painful, I wished I could eat all those books."

Recalling some unpleasant memory, Rong Zheng frowned, her features scrunched together.

Seeing her reaction, Tao Mian couldn't help but laugh.

"Rest assured, at Peach Blossom Mountain, we don't study poetry and books, and we won't force you to do anything you dislike."

"That's great," Rong Zheng returned to her lively self, "looks like I've come to the right place."

When they returned to the mountain, Rong Zheng asked Tao Mian what she should do.

Tao Mian looked off into a certain direction on the mountain.

"According to tradition, I'll introduce you to your senior brothers and sisters."

Rong Zheng was a bit excited.

"So I have senior brothers and sisters? Where are they? Where are they? Take me to meet them, Little Tao."

"Don't rush, don't rush, just follow me now."

They walked a bit, turned a few corners, passed through several peach groves, and finally arrived at a cemetery.

Tao Mian gestured with his hand.

"Come, disciple, meet your senior brothers and sisters."

"…"

Rong Zheng's silence was deafening.

She looked at the few graves before her and quietly stepped back two paces.

"Little Tao, I just remembered there's something urgent at the foot of the mountain, I'll be going first."

"Where are you going? Didn't we agree you'd become my disciple?"

Rong Zheng was on the verge of tears.

"No one told me when I came that all the disciples of Peach Blossom Mountain were buried in the ground! Little Tao, why don't you just throw me away like a stone."

"Too late."

The Immortal smiled slightly, a smile that seemed rather ominous.

"Now that you're on our... spiritual mountain, leaving won't be so easy."

Tao Mian reassured her that as long as she didn't court death, death wouldn't come easily to her.

"Everyone lives until they die."

Rong Zheng nodded stiffly, believing his nonsense.

Then Tao Mian added.

"I'm an open-minded person, never forcing others. If you're really unwilling to be my disciple, I can let you go."

"Little Tao, before we talk about letting go, can you let go of my neck..."

In short, after some coercion and inducement, Rong Zheng became the fifth disciple of Peach Blossom Mountain.

Yi Gou, Er Ya, San Tu, and Si Dui, since Rong Zheng held a little purple flower, they called her Wu Hua.

"Come, Little Hua, say hello to your four senior brothers and sisters."

Tao Mian beckoned, leading the reluctant Rong Zheng to take a couple of steps forward.

What followed was a lengthy recount of the four disciples' life stories.

By the time Rong Zheng's ears were about to grow calluses, Tao Mian finally decided to let her off.

"Now that you're at Peach Blossom Mountain, I won't let you come for nothing. Naturally, I will teach you cultivation techniques."

Tao Mian cleared his throat and looked seriously at his fifth disciple.

"But your body is special and can't be over-cultivated. Little Hua, I have two cultivation techniques here. Whether to cultivate or not, it's up to you to decide now."