Chapter 25: Are you really that stingy?

"Teacher, you're back!" A young man hurried into Gu He's courtyard, his voice tinged with excitement.

Hearing the voice, Gu He immediately knew who it was. Among his disciples, only the Little Doctor and his eldest disciple, Liu Ling, would address him as "Teacher."

"Why are you disheveled and unruly! How unbecoming!" Without even turning his head, Gu He scolded Liu Ling as soon as he entered.

Normally, Gu He wasn't particularly strict with Liu Ling, often treating him with kindness. But today was different.

Gu He had just brought the Little Fairy Doctor back, and in front of his newly accepted disciple, he didn't want to give the impression of a lax and undisciplined household.

Thus, seeing Liu Ling's careless and reckless demeanor, Gu He couldn't help but reprimand him.

"Uh…" Liu Ling, who had rushed into the courtyard with an excited expression, was taken aback by the scolding. He chuckled awkwardly, "Teacher, it's been so long since I last saw you. I guess I got a little too excited."

Hearing this, Gu He slowly turned around, his face stern. When his eyes fell on Liu Ling, he couldn't help but frown. "What's with that thing on your face?"

Liu Ling was wearing a black mask that covered half of his face.

'What on earth is this kid up to?'

The Little Fairy Doctor also turned her gaze toward Liu Ling, her eyes filled with curiosity. 'Is this my senior brother, the eldest disciple of our teacher?' she wondered. 'He doesn't seem particularly sharp-witted.'

Looking at Liu Ling's disheveled appearance and the mask covering half his face, the Little Fairy Doctor couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"Teacher... I..." Hearing the displeasure in Gu He's voice, Liu Ling instinctively touched the mask on his face and forced a bitter smile. "Teacher, promise me you won't laugh when I take this off."

Gu He was momentarily stunned. "Laugh at you? Why would I laugh at you? Do you have some kind of sore on your face?"

"It's not that... It's because of the Purple Eagle Flame you gave me, Teacher..."

Liu Ling shook his head and, under Gu He's watchful gaze, slowly removed the mask.

On Liu Ling's right cheek was a strikingly vivid purple bird pattern.

"You…" Gu He was momentarily speechless, his mouth twitching as he struggled to suppress a laugh. "A purple eagle pattern? Why is it on your face?"

What is this? Some kind of tattoo?

The Little Fairy Doctor was also startled, but soon a smile crept onto her delicate face. 'This senior brother is... quite something, isn't he?'

"I don't know what happened either... After refining the Purple Eagle Flame, this thing just appeared on my face," Liu Ling explained, his face darkening as he quickly put the mask back on.

Hearing this, Gu He couldn't help but laugh. He wasn't surprised by the appearance of the purple eagle pattern.

The Purple Eagle Flame was a peculiar beast fire, and anyone who refined it would be marked with a purple eagle pattern somewhere on their body. When Gu He had refined it himself, the pattern had appeared on his chest.

What surprised him was why Liu Ling's pattern had appeared on his face. Normally, it would manifest on the chest or shoulders, not the face.

"Teacher, you promised not to make fun of me..." Liu Ling protested softly, noticing the amused smile on Gu He's face.

"Ah... ahem!" Gu He quickly composed himself and tried to comfort Liu Ling. "It's fine, it's just a pattern. It's actually quite striking."

To be fair, the purple eagle pattern wasn't ugly—it was rather elegant. If it had appeared on Liu Ling's chest or shoulders, it would have looked mysterious and impressive.

The problem was that it had appeared on his face, and to make matters worse, the eagle's beak extended all the way to the tip of his nose. It wasn't mysterious; it was downright intimidating.

Imagine having a giant bird tattooed across your face—it was anything but subtle.

"Really?" Liu Ling asked, slightly taken aback by Gu He's words.

"Really. If you don't believe me, ask her," Gu He said, nodding toward the Little Fairy Doctor, who had been quietly observing the scene.

Liu Ling quickly turned to the Little Fairy Doctor, his eyes filled with hope.

The Little Fairy Doctor blinked her beautiful eyes, glanced at Liu Ling's expectant expression, and reluctantly nodded, suppressing a smile.

"Is it really that good-looking?" Liu Ling wondered aloud, touching the mask on his face. However, as he looked at the Little Fairy Doctor, he suddenly realized something and turned to Gu He with a suspicious expression. "Teacher, who is this?"

"Ah, I almost forgot to introduce you," Gu He said, gesturing to the Little Fairy Doctor. "This is my newly accepted disciple. From now on, she'll be your junior sister." He then turned to the Little Fairy Doctor and said, "This is your senior brother, Liu Ling."

Hearing this, the Little Fairy Doctor composed herself and greeted Liu Ling respectfully, "Greetings, Senior Brother."

'A new disciple? My junior sister?' Liu Ling was momentarily confused. 'The teacher went out for a trip and came back with a junior sister?'

"What are you standing there for, kid? Didn't you hear your junior sister greet you?" Gu He scolded, his mouth twitching in annoyance. 'Why is this kid acting so foolish today?'

Snapping out of his daze, Liu Ling awkwardly smiled at the Little Fairy Doctor and said, "Hello, Junior Sister." After a moment's thought, he took out a luminous pearl from his storage ring and handed it to her. "Junior Sister, this is our first meeting. Please accept this luminous pearl as a token of my goodwill. I hope you don't find it too shabby."

The Little Fairy Doctor's eyes lit up at the sight of the luminous pearl. 'Such a beautiful bead!' Just as she was about to reach for it, Gu He's voice interrupted.

"A mere trinket like this? Is this all you have to offer as a meeting gift? Are you really that stingy?" Gu He's tone was filled with disdain, as if the luminous pearl in Liu Ling's hand was nothing more than a worthless trinket.

Hearing this, the Little Fairy Doctor immediately withdrew her hand.

Liu Ling's mouth twitched, his face flushing with embarrassment. He looked down at the luminous pearl in his hand, suddenly doubting its value. 'A worthless trinket? Is this pearl really as bad as the teacher says?' He had bought it specifically to gift to Junior Sister Nalan.

After a moment of hesitation, Liu Ling awkwardly put the luminous pearl away. "Junior Sister, I apologize. I didn't prepare properly. How about I make it up to you tomorrow with a proper gift?"

Gu He chimed in. "Your junior sister could use a convenient medicine cauldron. Why don't you just give her yours?"

Liu Ling's face fell. 'My Pill cauldron?' He sighed inwardly, realizing he had no choice but to comply.

…

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