Mu Family Residence
Mu Hong sighed to himself as he sat down in the living room. Before him stood a large man with a rowdy appearance. He had long hair and a beard that seemed to be purposely left messy. His green robe showed his status properly, but he looked more like a rogue rather than a teacher.
"You seem down, Mu Hong," the man laughed.
Mu Hong glared at the man. "Sheng Ming, you should know how stubborn that lass is. I have told her that it's impossible to find Ye Jiao when even the best expert couldn't find her, but she just didn't want to listen."
The man called Sheng Ming shook his head. "It seems that your daughter is attached to the person named Ye Jiao. She wouldn't want to believe the word circulated outside without any filter."
"I know that."
"Besides, who would know if she somehow manages to find that girl. From what you say, I can deduct that Ye Jiao is quite interesting," Sheng Ming added.
Mu Hong didn't rebut the man's words as he sighed to himself. That girl was the only person who didn't falter in the face of hardship despite the young age she had. Many people lived in a sheltered house, so the girl's peculiarity was noticed by Mu Xin right away.
"Anyway, I want to thank you for accepting Wang Jun as your disciple."
"It's not a big deal," Sheng Ming waved his hand. "With his talent, he wouldn't have any problem to become an inner disciple in multiple academies."
"I'm glad to hear that."
Sheng Ming paused for a moment before adding. "Your daughter too."
"I know."
The two of them stopped speaking as a servant walked in. "Master, Miss has returned from her trip."
"So quick?" Mu Hong was astonished. He thought that Mu Xin would surely search until it was late at night, but it has only been an hour or so since that girl left home. Why did Mu Xin give up so quickly?
He was still confused until he saw the three of them enter the living room. The sight of a young girl in front of him made him freeze as he didn't expect to see her again. Many people reported that she had died because of living in the forest alone, but now she stood in front of him.
"Ye Jiao," Mu Hong muttered her name.
Ye Jiao quickly bowed down formally. "Ye Jiao greets General Mu."
"You... There's no need for formality," Mu Hong tried to suppress his astonishment as he inspected the girl's body. There was no abnormality whatsoever that he found from her as she just stood quietly.
"I understand General Mu."
Ye Jiao straightened herself and looked back at the general. For the first time, she saw the large man standing not far from Mu Hong. Sheng Ming was looking at Ye Jiao with eyes full of interest while Ye Jiao frowned internally. She couldn't understand why someone like Sheng Ming would pay any attention to her.
"Mu Xin greets Senior Sheng."
"Wang Jun pays respect to Teacher Sheng."
"Ah... Ye Jiao greets Senior Sheng," Ye Jiao followed suit when she saw the two greeted the man.
Sheng Ming waved his hand to allow them to stand up again. He scrutinized Ye Jiao up and down while the girl stood stiffly.
"You're Ye Jiao?"
"Yes," Ye Jiao replied.
Wang Jun stepped forward. "Ye Jiao, this is my teacher, Master Sheng Ming. He's a teacher in one of the academies in the north."
Because of some reasons, he was not allowed to tell the name of the academies to other people. This was the reason why he only told Ye Jiao that Sheng Ming came from an academy in the north.
Sheng Ming nodded. "You're truly a troublemaker, little lass. My old friend here is worried about his daughter so much that he cries."
"I didn't cry!" Mu Hong rolled his eyes. "Don't spout nonsense when you don't mean it."
Mu Xin stood quietly and formally. "Father, may we return back to our room first? I still want to spend the day talking with Jun Ge and Jiao'er."
Mu Hong recalled that Wang Jun would leave soon enough. He hadn't asked Sheng Ming when they would leave, but he knew that his friend would never allow Wang Jun to stay for a long time.
Time is extremely precious for Eon Energy Master.
"Sheng Ming, do you have any plan to return...."
"We're going to return back tomorrow," Sheng Ming cut off Mu Hong's words. "Before that, may I have a talk with this little girl?"
"With Ye Jiao?"
"Yes."
Mu Hong didn't have any reason to refuse. He nodded his head and beckoned for Mu Xin and Wang Jun to follow after him. As soon as the two of them left, Ye Jiao looked up to see the man better.
Sheng Ming waved his hand and Eon Energy flew to cover up the entire room. He looked at Ye Jiao with interest.
"It's hard to believe that a young girl like you managed to survive in the forest filled with beasts for a long period of time, Ye Jiao."
"I'm lucky that I can stay in a secluded place," Ye Jiao racked up her brain and came up with the most plausible excuse. She didn't know what Sheng Ming wanted from her, so she tried to be cautious.
"You seem to be very careful with your action," Sheng Ming nodded his head. "It's not without reason that you can survive in Wei Family despite living there for a long period of time."
Ye Jiao didn't answer. She knew that many people already heard her story inside Wei Family Residence as it was not a secret anymore. What she didn't understand was why Sheng Ming brought it up.
"You see, I'm already surprised when I hear how a young girl like you can stay alive in the forest. But after seeing that you've become Eon Energy Master rank 1, I can say that I understand a bit."