Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 283 Sect Master! Please execute Yang... no, please take in Shi Liulang!
Since it's a gold card, of course I should personally step forward to accept him as my personal disciple!
This disciple's inner demons and his background... it's a bit too familiar...

Zhang Chengdao racked his brains for a long time, and finally, a flash of inspiration struck him—

Isn't this the template for Yang Liulang in the story of the Yang family generals?!
The story of the Yang family generals has always been widely circulated and is very popular. There are many TV series adaptations, and different opera genres in various regions also have their own versions. However, what they all have in common is that Yang Liulang is really miserable. His parents and brothers all died on the battlefield, leaving only him. Together with the famous Old Lady She, he struggled to support the Yang family business.

Of course, there was no such person as Yang Liulang in history, nor was there any so-called Yang Family Generals, let alone people like Yang Zongbao and Mu Guiying. There was only the "Yang Family" consisting of three generations of Yang Ye (Yang Jiye), Yang Yanlang (Yang Yanzhao), and Yang Wenguang in the early Northern Song Dynasty, who guarded the border for generations.

However, the character of Old Lady She does indeed have a prototype, but her surname is "Zhe" and her real name is unknown. In various operas and modern derivative works, she is called "She Saihua".

The so-called "Yang Liulang" is Yang Yanlang. He did not have five older brothers, but rather six younger brothers. Of course, he was not the sixth son, but rather the eldest son of Yang Ye.

As for why he was known as "Sixth Son" even though he was clearly the eldest son...

The reason was that the Liao people believed that the sixth star in the Big Dipper was specifically meant to bring them down, and Yang Yanlang was a fierce warrior who instilled fear in the Liao people, hence the nickname "Yang Liulang" (Sixth Yang).

Regardless of the circumstances, the "Yang Family Generals" symbol is one that inspires trust and goodwill.

For example, in a novel about Psyduck's northern expedition that Zhang Chengdao read before his time travel, the protagonist Psyduck's most trusted confidant was a descendant of the legendary "Yang Family Generals." However, because he was too close to Psyduck, some ministers would indignantly shout things like "Please execute Yang Yizhong"...

In short, Zhang Chengdao still had high hopes for the sixth disciple, who was about to become his youngest personal disciple.

His mind was filled with countless thoughts, but his face showed none of them.

Zhang Chengdao asked with a smile, "You have exceptional talent and have performed admirably in the trials. Would you be willing to become my disciple?"

Shi Yizhi was so flattered that his mouth dropped open, and he almost couldn't come to his senses. He quickly knelt down on one knee and clasped his hands in the military salute he was most familiar with, saying, "Disciple Shi Liulang Shi Yizhi greets Master!"

Zhang Chengdao chuckled and said, "Hehehe, alright, no need to kneel!"

Then, Shi Yizhi felt an irresistible force lift him up. Only then did he remember that before entering the "Inner Demon Illusion," Immortal Ye... no, now he should be called Senior Brother Ye, had specifically instructed that there was no kneeling ceremony in the sect.

Ye Shuyun's words still seemed to echo in my ears: "The world is so vast that there is no need for people to express submission. There are countless living beings, and they are not distinguished by rank or status. Therefore, there should be no kneeling in the world, and the White Stone Immortal Sect naturally has no kneeling ceremony."

Thinking of this, Shi Yizhi immediately said with remorse, "It was my fault for being so disrespectful!"

"It's alright, come and meet your senior brothers and sisters."

As Zhang Chengdao spoke, he led Shi Yizhi into the Lingxiao Palace. Inside, there were many tables and chairs, and four people were sitting there, chatting and laughing.

Upon seeing Zhang Chengdao bring Shi Yizhi into the hall, Ye Shuyun was the first to stand up, smiling and cupping his hands in a friendly manner, saying, "This must be Master's newly accepted sixth junior brother, right? We've met before. My name is Ye Shuyun, and you can call me Third Senior Brother!"

Murong Ruyan nodded slightly, the smile that had been on her face when she looked at the other stunning woman vanishing the moment she saw Shi Yizhi. She said calmly, "I am your second senior sister, Murong Ruyan." The beautiful woman beside Murong Ruyan winked mischievously and laughed, "Second senior sister is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, junior brother, don't let her fool you! I am your fourth senior sister, Tang Xiaoyu. Fourth senior sister, senior sister Tang, call me whatever you like, or you can call me 'senior sister Xiaoyu' like the outer disciples do!"

Finally, a middle-aged man with a rather honest-looking face stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute to Shi Yizhi, and said, "Hehe, my name is Huang Wu, and I'm also the fifth in my family. I'm your fifth senior brother!"

Seeing this warm atmosphere, Shi Yizhi felt a little embarrassed and bowed, saying, "Greetings, fellow disciples. My surname is Shi, and my name is Shi Yizhi. I am the sixth child in my family."

Huang Wu's eyes widened: "What a coincidence! After you join the family, you'll also be the sixth child! Just like me!"

"You also have a senior brother, but he went to give a lecture at the White Stone Immortal Dao University in Chang'an City today, so you'll have to wait for him to return later. If you have any questions, feel free to ask your senior brothers and sisters. As for where to stay..."

As Zhang Chengdao spoke, he recalled the dormitories in the disciples' quarters. There were still many empty rooms. If it were an adult, he could naturally choose whichever room he wanted. But this child was still too young. In modern times, he would only be in high school. He wasn't too comfortable letting him live alone...

Sensing Zhang Chengdao's concerns, Ye Shuyun took the initiative to speak up: "Master, let him live in the same courtyard as me. There happens to be an empty room in our courtyard."

Zhang Chengdao nodded: "That's right, then you should take good care of him."

After the newly acquired gold cards were distributed, it wasn't long before a number of people who met the requirements to "pass the level" appeared.

Zhang Chengdao finally realized that it wasn't that there were more purple cards among this batch of disciples, but rather that purple and gold cards had stronger talent and temperament than blue cards. Therefore, they completed the "task" earlier in the "Trial Array," which is why it seemed that there were more purple cards among those who had passed the "Trial Array."

But in reality, even after hundreds of people entered the "Inner Demon Illusion," there were only four purple cards. Blue cards made up the majority, and there were even two green cards that were stuck in the "Inner Demon Illusion" for five hours before they came out. Zhang Chengdao had hesitated about whether to use underhanded tactics to eliminate these two incompatible green cards, but after thinking it over, he decided not to do so.

Even ordinary people have the right to work hard, and they should have the opportunity to climb higher and open doors through their efforts.

Perhaps they got their "pass key" by luck, but given the design, we have to acknowledge the effort they put in.

After all, Zhang Chengdao had designed many "tasks" in the so-called "trial array," and participating in and completing these "tasks" actually required a great deal of courage.

Most of these "tasks" are designed for people with noble virtues such as selflessness, compassion for the weak, etc. Of course, some require advantages such as responsibility, loyalty, and intelligence to complete.

However, these "tasks" were not designed by Zhang Chengdao to simply collect "truth, goodness, and beauty" and "saintly virtues," or to create a moral standard.

Rather, considering the impending spiritual revival and even more chaotic order, it is necessary to have a group of people who are responsible enough, broad-minded, and possess noble qualities such as integrity and kindness to control the situation. Otherwise, if we take in people who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, who knows if we might end up raising something like Fang the Old Demon!
If, by then, other worlds have upgraded but collectively gone astray, turning into a mafia-style cultivation world, then the losses outweigh the gains.

Isn't a highly developed, modern world of cultivation appealing?

(End of this chapter)