It didn’t take long for Yun Bei Fen’s uncle and his family to get up. The farewell was a short one, too. In the end, even though this was the child of his brother he was still quite relieved to not have to take care of him any longer.
Seeing his attitude, Baili Chao didn’t feel bad about taking the boy away either. He would certainly have a better life in the Teng Yong Sect than he’d have in this Xiao Xi Town. He only had to make sure that he taught the child well.
Thus, on a sunny morning an old man in a pristine white robe left with a small boy on his arms that was huddled up in an oversized gray coat. The boy was happily looking around when they left, curiously taking every new sight in from the streets to the houses to the trees outside of the town.
"What? Have you never been out of your house?" Baili Chao couldn’t help but wonder. This was a young child. Normally, he should be running around with other children and discover everything around them. Why did his little disciple seem as if he knew nothing outside of the house where his uncle and aunt lived?
Yun Bei Fen shook his head. "I’ve stayed with uncle and auntie."
"You’ve never gone to play with the other children?"
Yun Bei Fen shook his head once again, very much like a rattle drum. "No. The other children don’t like me. They said I’m cursed." He lowered his head and tugged at the gray coat.
"Why that?"
"Because of father and mother! We went out when there was a storm once but then he never came back and it was only me from then on. So other children said I’m bad luck. Do you want the coat back? If you don’t, something might happen to you, too."
Baili Chao shook his head. "No, there’s no need. Didn’t I tell you that I’m a cultivator? A cultivator won’t have a problem dealing with a measly little storm. So, you can just keep the coat. Someday when you’re a mighty cultivator as well you can give it to somebody else."
"Mn. I will." Yun Bei Fen pulled the coat tighter around him. If his first father had had something like that, then maybe he would still be alive. It was a pity his second father had only come to the door of his uncle’s house yesterday. Now it really was too late.
Seeing a small child this dispirited really made one’s heart ache. Baili Chao stopped walking and looked up at the sky. "Fen’er, did you ever wonder what it’s like to fly?"
"Fly?" Yun Bei Fen looked up, too, and shook his head. "No, never."
"Would you like to know?"
Yun Bei Fen pondered a while and finally nodded. Flying sounded like it might be fun.
Baili Chao smiled and put him down. "Alright, then watch this!" He took out his sword, stepped on it and willed it into the air.
Yun Bei Fen’s mouth formed an O and he watched how his new-found father floated through the air around him.
Baili Chao laughed at his dumbfounded expression. "Your master is really dashing, ah?"
"Father, why are you flying on a big kitchen knife?" Yun Bei Fen pointed at the sword.
Baili Chao lost his balance. "Kit… Kitchen knife?!"
Yun Bei Fen nodded. He had grown up in a village. Where would he have seen a sword prior to this? Thus he could only think of the knives used in the kitchen. He curiously examined the sword that had fallen to the ground. "But your kitchen knife is really big. Mother never had such big knives."
"I bet." Baili Chao smiled wryly and picked up the sword. "So, how about your master brings you to the Sect on this kitchen knife?"
Yun Bei Fen nodded and lifted his short arms. Baili Chao smiled, picked up the child and stepped back on the sword. He circulated his spiritual energy and the sword rose higher into the air.
Baili Chao really would have liked to slowly travel to the Teng Yong Sect to get to know his new disciple better and show him a bit of the world. Unfortunately, that would have to wait until later.
The admission of the new disciples would be held in two days. If he didn’t bring Yun Bei Fen back until then, who knew what that shameless sect master of theirs would do? Maybe he would end up with some strange child as another disciple. He definitely couldn’t risk that!
Thus he hastened back to the sect as fast as possible. In the morning of the second day, the Teng Yong Sect could be seen at the horizon.
Yun Bei Fen who had already fallen asleep in Baili Chao’s arms didn’t notice until his master gently shook him.
"Fen’er, look ahead! That’s the Teng Yong Sect." He pointed ahead and smiled.
Yun Bei Fen rubbed his eyes and yawned before sleepily looking ahead. As soon as he did his eyes grew wide.
Lakes dotted the rolling hills and meadows, elegant buildings overlooking the scene. It truly seemed like the dwelling place of immortals.
"This is your sect?"
Baili Chao laughed and accelerated. "That’s the Teng Yong Sect, yes. Your new home. You like it?"
Yun Bei Fen nodded hurriedly. This place looked really nice. He only hoped that the other people there would like him, too. After all, he was someone who brought bad luck. Everyone said that. But then again the people living here should all be cultivators like his new father. They probably weren’t afraid of storms. Thus, they wouldn’t be afraid of him either.
Yun Bei Fen happily hugged his new father and waited for him to bring him down to the place where they would be living from now on. He couldn’t wait to have a look at everything and finally get to know some other children!
Baili Chao landed, put his sword away and set the little guy down onto the ground. He hurriedly held his hand though. After all, the admission of the new disciples would begin soon. He couldn’t risk having the child run around and be abducted by one of the other elders.
This was his cute disciple. Nobody else would get him!
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