Demon, come and cultivate for me.

Just then, Zhou, the wealthy man, entered the courtyard and overheard their conversation. He gave them a knowing look.

"Your niece-in-law is here too?" Zhou greeted Xie Ning, then praised her.

"I told you long ago that my nephew would definitely amount to something. Now that he has married such a lady from a respectable family, it is enough to comfort the spirits of my cousins ​​in heaven."

"Nonsense, who said I'm his wife?"

Xie Ning blushed, turned around and went back to the main room, closing the door behind her.

"This... you're still shy? It's only a matter of time." Zhou the landlord said, walking to the stone table under the shade of a tree and sitting down.

Lu Meng placed the wine and dishes brought by Zhou the wealthy man on the stone table and said to Zhou Chu:

"Master, it's time to eat."

Having said that, he stood respectfully to one side.

Zhou Chu got up from the rattan chair and sat down opposite Zhou the landlord.

He looked at the eight dishes—five meat dishes and three vegetable dishes—on the stone table, as well as a jar of fine wine sealed in earthenware, and said:

"I've troubled you again, Uncle. Just say what's on your mind."

"Hey, it's nothing serious." Zhou the landlord rubbed his hands together. "It's just that my youngest son, your cousin Zhou Yue, is about the same age as Ameng, and he also wants to learn martial arts. You see..."

Zhou Chu broke the mud seal on the wine jar, poured out a cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Want to learn martial arts? No problem."

"So, my dear nephew, you've agreed?" Master Zhou beamed with joy.

Zhou Chu said:

"Why would I refuse? Xu Yuan is coming over this afternoon, I'll just ask him to help me find a martial arts school."

"This..." The smile on Zhou Dahu's face froze.

Who doesn't know that to learn martial arts, you go to a martial arts school? Do you need to tell me?

Learning martial arts at a martial arts school, where one master teaches a dozen or even dozens of disciples, is definitely not as good as having a private master.

Furthermore, Zhou Chu is currently enjoying a great reputation in Wuyang City.

Before he was even twenty years old, his cultivation had reached its peak; he killed a mountain demon with three punches; he single-handedly stormed a wolf den, wiped out a pack of wolf demons, and saved hundreds of people...

These deeds are now known to everyone in Wuyang County.

If one were to become Zhou Chu's disciple, and later, upon completing one's studies, were to go out and say that one was Zhou Chu's apprentice, not only would one feel proud, but everyone would also give one more face.

Therefore, the wealthy Zhou insisted that his youngest son become Zhou Chu's apprentice.

The wealthy Zhou got up and poured wine for Zhou Chu:

"Uncle Yu didn't explain clearly. What Uncle Yu meant was, it depends on whether you are willing to take him as your apprentice."

"I won't accept it," Zhou Chu blurted out without thinking.

Zhou, the wealthy man, tried awkwardly to force a smile, but couldn't manage it. So he simply made a face and said:

"My dear nephew, if there is anything I have done wrong in the past, I apologize to you here."

Zhou Chu said:

"If I take my cousin as my apprentice, I'll be a generation above him, wouldn't that mess up the generational hierarchy?"

Zhou the wealthy man said, "It's alright. From now on, we'll address each other as our own. My son will call you Master, and I'll call you Uncle... no, you should still call me Uncle."

Hearing this, Lu Meng, who was eating his food in silence, burst out laughing. Luckily, he quickly covered his mouth to avoid spraying the food onto the table.

"No, no." Zhou Chu waved his hands repeatedly.

Zhou the wealthy man counted on his fingers and said:

"If we really have to go back in chronological order, we're already beyond the fifth degree of kinship. Since you took my son as your apprentice, we're now brothers. With your abilities, you'll definitely need to establish your own family tree and set up your own household in the future, so no matter how you look at it, you're not wrong..."

Having said all that, Zhou Chu could tell that Zhou the tycoon was determined to pester him relentlessly.

As the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to him, and he who takes another's money is bound to him." Now that we've taken the money and eaten the food, it's not right to just kick them out.

But if you keep arguing with him, you'll just be wasting your time.

So Zhou Chu stopped beating around the bush and said clearly:

"First, I can teach the techniques, but I don't take on disciples. Second, I only teach, I don't give guidance. Whether they can learn it and to what level they can reach depends entirely on their own comprehension and aptitude."

"That's right, that's right." Master Zhou nodded repeatedly. As long as you agree to teach, you'll be my apprentice.

What we say when we go out is our own business. You can't follow us every day, can you?

Zhou the wealthy man poured Zhou Chu another cup of wine, then got up to take his leave and walked home contentedly.

After seeing him off at the gate, Lu Meng closed the door and called out towards the main room:

"Master's wife~ Dinner's ready."

The door to the main room creaked open, and Xie Ning, who had tied up her long hair, appeared neat and tidy.

She casually sat down on the stone bench.

Lu Meng, with great perceptiveness, presented the chopsticks with both hands.

Xie Ning took the chopsticks and tapped Lu Meng on the head first:

"I'm not your teacher's wife, call me 'elder sister' from now on."

Because of her martial arts training, Xie Ning had immense strength in her hands. Even when she held back, she still managed to knock Lu Meng's head off and make him wince.

"You're the one who told me to call you 'sister,' so you'll be a generation below everyone else from now on," Lu Meng muttered under his breath.

Xie Ning heard it clearly and asked, "Who is one generation lower than me?"

"The first is a fox spirit, the second is a little fox spirit, and the third is Xu Yao." Lu Meng counted on his fingers one by one, finally holding up three fingers and saying:

"I'm a generation younger than those three. A few days ago, I called them 'teacher's wife,' and they didn't object. You're the older sister, and they're the teacher's wife. Isn't that a generation younger?"

Xie Ning's lips twitched, then she smiled and said:

"They are also elder sisters, so don't call them that anymore. You'll only have a master's wife after your master gets married. Understand?"

"I'll remember." Lu Meng picked up his bowl and chopsticks, got up, and sat down opposite Xie Ning.

Xie Ning was about to pick up some food with her chopsticks when she saw Zhou Chu's ambiguous smile, so she put down her chopsticks and said:

"And you, how did you raise your apprentice? You didn't even stop him from randomly recognizing his master's wife?"

"How can I care? Amon's mouth is his own; I can't sew it shut," Zhou Chu said noncommittally. "Besides, I'd like to find Amon a group of mistresses, but the girls might not agree. Even if they do, I'd need a big house first. I think in the city..."

"What lousy food! It looks so unappetizing, I'm not eating it!" Xie Ning interrupted Zhou Chu, slammed her chopsticks heavily on the stone table, got up and walked back to the main room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Look, you're in a hurry again.

As soon as Xie Ning entered the house, the courtyard gate was pushed open again.

This time, Xu Yao walked in carrying a large bowl, and as always, she spoke softly:

"Brother Zhou Chu, I picked some wild vegetables this morning and made a few vegetable dumplings. You guys..."

Xu Yao was halfway through her sentence when she saw the wine and meat on the table. She hid the large bowl behind her back and unconsciously swallowed, saying:

"You guys eat, I'm going back first."

After saying that, he turned and left.

"Hey, don't go." Zhou Chu stood up and called to Xu Yao, "Sit down and eat with us. We can't finish all this food. I haven't had vegetable dumplings in a long time, so I'll try yours."

"Yes, Sister Xu Yao, come and eat with us." Xie Ning came out of the main room and invited her, her expression completely different from before.

"Miss Xie is here too," Xu Yao said with a slight bow.

"Don't call me Miss, call me Sister Xie Ning, or just call me Sister."

Xie Ning strode forward, took the large bowl from Xu Yao's hand, and pulled Xu Yao's hand toward the stone table.

Zhou Chu shook his head inwardly, thinking to himself how her expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book.