Sorry but I only accept female disciples!

Ming Yuelin stood up from her seat "Master I think this bitch has some screws loose on her head..."

"One time she says you are her master, but now she is saying.. you didn't accept her as disciple."

"She is just wasting our time, let's leave."

Xue Hua also nodded her head "Yes Master... I agree with Senior Sister on this one."

Seeing this, Feng Xinyi sighed in her heart and whispered to Hong Shi "Shi'er… what are you saying? You told me yourself that Master Yuan was your master. But now, you're saying he didn't accept you? What's going on?"

Hong Shi took a deep breath and raised her voice "Stop... I still have things to talk about with Master."

Huh? Ming Yuelin slammed her hand on the table "No more talks, we just returned from a long journey and Master needs to rest."

Hong Shi's frustration boiled as they were not cooperating with her and seeing this, Zhang Yuan smiled dryly.

Hong Shi glanced at Zhang Yuan and asked "Master Yuan, think again.. you don't know me? Did you... really forgot about me?"

Hearing the desperation in her voice, Zhang Yuan tilted his head "Hmm.. I have never met anyone with the name of 'Hong Shi'."

H-Huh? Hong Shi's eyes trembled in shock and an immense pain swept through her heart 'Did he really forget about me? I thought he was just teasing, playing some kind of mind game… but…'

Feng Xinyi also noticed Hong Shi's body quivering and facepalmed, sighing 'Haa.. Shi'er... what are you even thinking.'

Ming Yuelin smirked upon hearing this "You hear it, right? YOU HEARD IT RIGHT? Hong Shi? My master clearly said it... He. don't. know. you."

"So, piss off now..."

However, at this time, Hong Shi understood the play in his words and glimpsed at the playful smile dancing on his lips.

'You bastard Master of mine...'

She couldn't help but chuckle out loud and seeing her laugh, everyone looked at each other in confusion.

Uh?

Ming Yuelin, more exasperated than confused, leaned toward Zhang Yuan, whispering, "Master… I think she's lost her mind. We should leave before things get worse."

But Hong Shi's laughter gradually subsided, and she placed her hands on the table, leaning toward Zhang Yuan with a knowing look in her eyes.

Her tone was teasing now, yet there was a sharpness in her words. "Oh, I'm sure you don't know 'Hong Shi,' Master Yuan. But do you remember… Mei Lian?"

Mei Lian?

The others were quite confused and Feng Xinyi raised an eyebrow 'Who is Mei Lian?'

Zhang Yuan had a thoughtful look on his face as he remembered about something in the past "Hmm... Mei Lian."

-_-

Seeing his thinking face, Ming Yuelin was dumbfounded "M-Master.. don't tell me, you actually know this... Mei Lian?"

Xue Hua also looked at him curiously while Long Yue was drinking the juice in front of her.

Looking at Hong Shi, Zhang Yuan nodded his head "I do know a certain... Mei Lian."

Hong Shi's eyes glimmered in hope "It's me.. I am that Mei Lian, I kept following you for you to accept me as your disciple."

Letting out a soft chuckle, Zhang Yuan gave a nod "Now I remember you..."

Eh? Ming Yuelin blinked her eyes and placed her hands on his shoulders "M-Master.. think about it again; maybe it's someone else or maybe you are dreaming."

Before Zhang Yuan could respond, Hong Shi stood up abruptly from her seat, circling the table and grabbed Ming Yuelin's wrist, pulling her away from him. "Now, you piss off," Hong Shi said, her voice filled with frustration.

"Ah!" Ming Yuelin gasped in surprise as she was tugged away, losing her balance for a moment before straightening herself.

With Ming Yuelin no longer clinging to him, Hong Shi took her place beside Zhang Yuan at the table.

Her expression softened immediately as she sat down close to him, her voice lowering to a tender tone. "Master Yuan..." she murmured, her gaze full of warmth.

Feng Xinyi blinked her eyes in confusion and asked "But.. Shi'er, when did you become Mei Lian? I never knew you had that name..."

Upon hearing this, Hong Shi's face froze, how could she tell that she was actually from another world?

U-Uh...

She cleared her throat and forced a calm smile. "Well… when I was small, my name was Mei Lian," she began, improvising a story on the spot.

"And at that time, I met Master Yuan whom I asked to accept me as his disciple."

"However, he refused me at that time... but I relentlessly pursued him."

Glancing at the others, she continued "Maybe because I am grown now and changed my name.. he didn't recognize me till now."

Feng Xinyi's eyes softened in understanding.

What Hong Shi said made sense...after all, Hong Shi had been taken in by the Yu Hong Holy Land when she was already fifteen. The idea of her having a past before that wasn't too far-fetched.

"Oh…" Feng Xinyi nodded, satisfied with the explanation.

Now that she was seated comfortably beside Zhang Yuan, Hong Shi's heart was pounding with excitement.

She fought the urge to throw her arms around him and hug him tightly.

Keeping her composure, she smiled sweetly and asked, "So, Master… how about you keep the promise you made me all those years ago?"

As she spoke, she felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to look at Ming Yuelin "Get off from my Master."

Hong Shi shook her head "No, now that he has finally recognized me... why should I get off from him."

Ming Yuelin's lips twitched "Even though he recognized you, you are still not his disciple... so go away."

Hong Shi scoffed at Ming Yuelin's words. "Actually, Master promised me long ago that he would accept me once I was grown. He didn't accept me then because I was just a child."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuan rolled his eyes 'Well I did promise that I would accept her as my disciple.'

Ming Yuelin still didn't give up "But you already have that woman as your Master, so how can you have my Master as your Master?"

Hong Shi couldn't help but chuckle and turned to Feng Xinyi "Xinyi? My Master?.. I have never once accepted her as my Master."

Feng Xinyi smiled dryly in her heart 'Why are you embarrassing me?'

Hong Shi continued "She is simply a teacher assigned to me by the Worships of the Yu Hong Holy Land and I never acknowledged her.. She is like a great friend to me."

At this, Feng Xinyi's forced smile faltered slightly. 'I guess that's one way to put it…' she thought with a sigh. Still, she couldn't help but feel a bit stung by Hong Shi's words.

Ming Yuelin, however, was less than amused. "Friend or not," she growled, her temper flaring, "you still can't just waltz in here and claim Master as your own!"

Hong Shi raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips as she leaned back in her chair, clearly enjoying the chaos she was stirring.

"Why not? Master already promised me. It's not my fault he took so long to remember."

Zhang Yuan, sensing that the argument was about to escalate, raised his voice to stop them. "Enough," he said calmly.

He glanced at Hong Shi and spoke "We will talk about this later.. clearly."

Hong Shi nodded, satisfied that she had gotten her point across, but Ming Yuelin looked like she was about to explode. "Master, you can't be serious-"

"Lin'er...,"

Ming Yuelin reluctantly bit back her words, fuming silently as she sat down, though the frustration was still evident on her face.

Hong Shi, however, was already smiling to herself, victorious in her little skirmish.

She glanced at Zhang Yuan from the corner of her eye, her heart fluttering at the thought of being accepted as his disciple.

'Finally...'

Zhang Yuan turned back to Xue Hua who was sitting silently through the whole conversation and he could see that she was dissatisfied with him.

As he was about to pat her head, Xue Hua suddenly stood up from her seat "I am going out for a while.. I... uh want to wash my face."

However, Ming Yuelin and Zhang Yuan know about her past conflict with Hong Shi and sighed in their hearts.

'Junior Sister...'

As she left, Hong Shi was quite confused, but she didn't linger on it and turned to Zhang Yuan "Master... let's order something to- huh?"

Zhang Yuan suddenly stood up and glanced at Hong Shi "Wait a little... I will be back."

"H-Huh, Master?"

Ming Yuelin smiled seeing this and glanced at Hong Shi "Don't think the world revolves around you... you genius bitch."

Hong Shi stared at her blankly because she already knew that she cared for his disciples the most.

Her gaze narrowed as she spoke "It seems like you hate me.. what was your name again?"

Ming Yuelin scoffed "Of course, did you forget that you molested me when I first entered the Inheritance ground?"

"Eh?"

"Huh? Don't 'Eh' me.. you bitch..."

"Hold your tongue, little girl."

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I hope you guys liked this chapter!