Chapter 17 - A Cheap Master

"Old Master," the toddler beside Leng Ruoxue called out first before the noble man replied.

"Old Master? Didn't he die?" Leng Ruoxue glanced over at the toddler and then at the noble man in doubt.

"Child, I am indeed dead. What you see now is merely a wisp of my divine sense that I left behind before I died," the noble man explained.

Child… am I that young? Leng Ruoxue felt awkward. It felt strange being called a 'child' by someone who didn't look much older than her.

"In my eyes, you are a child." The noble man saw her thoughts.

Whatever, just call me a child then, Leng Ruoxue thought. I shouldn't fuss over it with someone already dead..

"Erm… Uncle." Since he's calling me a child, I have to call him uncle to show my respect, Leng Ruoxue retaliated in her head.

"I am Yu, but you should call me Master." Yu was a bit exasperated. This little fellow really doesn't want to suffer any loss.

"Master? But I don't intend to acknowledge you as my master!" She sounded totally uninterested. All of what she was going through now was too bizarre. It felt as though she was being schemed against, and she hated this feeling. Moreover, her gut feeling was that this noble man in front of her was definitely big trouble.

"Don't you want to become a powerhouse? Don't you want to protect your loved ones?" Yu didn't feel offended by Leng Ruoxue's indifferent attitude. In fact, he felt some appreciation for her. Worthy of being the disciple I chose. She's still so calm. Someone else would have been so overjoyed that they would have already forgotten everything and wouldn't have been able to refuse after finding the magical bracelet and given a chance to be my disciple.

"I do, but I hate trouble," Leng Ruoxue answered honestly. In this world where the strong were respected, only by becoming a powerhouse would she not be at the mercy of anyone and be in control of her destiny. However, she was rational. She knew that all good things came with a price, so she wasn't willing to put her future in the hands of a complete stranger.

"What a paranoid little fellow." Yu smiled. Of course, he could tell what Leng Ruoxue was thinking.

Paranoid? Perhaps! At least I won't believe that a complete stranger would be so good to me for no rhyme or reason. As the saying goes, 'what goes around comes around'. Who knows what sort of traps may be waiting for me if I accept his benefits? After all, she was a shrewd businesswoman in her previous life, so she would find it hard to believe a stranger who didn't want anything in return. Moreover, after being reborn in this world and obtaining the familial love she had always wished for, she was more cautious and cherished her life even more. How could she risk it by willingly getting herself into trouble?

"Child, if you want to become strong to protect your loved ones, you must become my disciple. After all, you are now the owner of the Heaven and Earth Bracelet," Yu said.

"What do you mean?" Leng Ruoxue looked at Yu in confusion. What does owning the Heaven and Earth Bracelet have anything to do with becoming his disciple?

"I'm sure you know what the saying 'a man's wealth is his own ruin by causing another's greed' means. The Heaven and Earth Bracelet is no ordinary divine artifact. How can the person who wants to obtain the Heaven and Earth Bracelet spare you? If you're not strong enough, how can you protect yourself and your loved ones? I can tell you clearly that your enemy is formidable, far beyond your imagination. Even if you become a Spiritual Deity, you're not on par," Yu explained.

"All because of this bracelet?" Leng Ruoxue was hesitant. What kind of lousy bracelet is this? Why does becoming its owner attract a powerful enemy? If I knew it would cause so much trouble, I would have thrown it away. She really hated her curiosity now.

"I'm not a lousy bracelet!" Due to becoming the owner, Leng Ruoxue couldn't hide her thoughts from the toddler. After saying this, he looked at his owner pitifully with tears welling up in his black eyes. He knew that his owner was shunning him. Wuuu wuuuu…

Leng Ruoxue stared at him speechlessly. Why does this artifact spirit cry so much?

"Well, you can say that everything is fate," Yu said meaningfully as he looked at the little black beast lying on Leng Ruoxue's shoulder.

Of course, Leng Ruoxue understood the principle of 'a man's wealth is his own ruin by causing another's greed.' But isn't there a better way? She wasn't ambitious at all… She wanted to be a powerhouse, but that was just because she hoped to safeguard her loving family better. But according to what Yu said, even if she became a Spiritual Deity, she wouldn't be strong enough to face that powerful enemy…

"Child, the conditions for the Heaven and Earth Bracelet to recognize its owner are very stringent. You must possess a Body of Chaos, which is what you call having spiritual power of all the attributes. Furthermore, the bracelet can't be taken off after it recognizes an owner until the owner dies. And this death means even your soul will vanish. Do you know what that entails? You won't even have the chance to be reborn," Yu continued explaining. His words thoroughly dispelled Leng Ruoxue's thoughts of wanting to get rid of the bracelet.

Unable to be taken off? So I can only accept this hot potato? Even if I don't want it, I have no choice but to accept it?

Fine then! After all, she was already the owner of the bracelet. She had never been someone who ran away from her problems. Although she hated trouble, it did not mean that she feared trouble. Since she would be facing a powerful enemy, she had no choice but to become even stronger. She would absolutely never be at the mercy of others.

"Fine, I will be your disciple. But before that, I have a question!" Leng Ruoxue said after deliberation.

"I know what you're thinking. I can tell you that my 'Heaven Defying Art' is a top-tier technique. As for that enemy… you will understand in due time," Yu said lightly. Although Leng Ruoxue hadn't officially become his disciple yet, he already considered himself her master.

Seeing that he didn't want to say more, she didn't pry any further. Without any reluctance, she respectfully kowtowed to him three times and formally acknowledged him as her master.