The infant cradled in the grey-robed elder's arms appeared to be only a few months old — plump and fair-skinned, exquisitely sculpted, utterly endearing.
At this moment, the baby was giggling uncontrollably, craning his head upward, a pair of tiny fists like little steamed buns tugging with all his might at the white beard that hung from the elder's chest.
The elder was perfectly content to let him play.
*Pluck.* A single beard was torn clean from the root. The baby dissolved into gleeful laughter as though he had stumbled upon the most wonderful game, yanking even harder and snapping off several more white strands in quick succession.
Qing Kui and Su Yingxue watched with cold sweat trickling down their spines. Others might not know this elder's identity, but how could they possibly be ignorant? This was none other than an Inner Elder of one of the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands — a Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator.
Under ordinary circumstances, it would be difficult for even notable figures to secure an audience with him, yet now a swaddled infant had plucked out his beard? If word reached the disciples of that Blessed Land, the uproar would be unimaginable.
The two of them didn't dare delay and hurriedly bowed in greeting: "Greetings, Uncle-Master Yu!"
The grey-robed elder merely offered a slight nod, cast a glance toward Yang Kai, then turned to the woman he had brought here through his power and said: "Fear not. This is Lingxiao Palace, and the one before you is the Palace Master!"
Without any visible effort to channel his energy, his words carried a soothing force that quieted the heart. The woman indeed stopped trembling and slowly turned her gaze toward Yang Kai. Seeing the figure seated above, his features were identical to the portrait her family had worshipped for years. She hastily dropped to her knees and kowtowed: "This foolish woman greets the Lord!"
The grey-robed elder stood to the side, brow furrowed ever so slightly, but made no move to stop her.
Yang Kai extended a hand, and the woman found herself unable to kneel. Utterly bewildered, she looked to the grey-robed elder. Yang Kai, meanwhile, was just as confused: "Senior, what is the meaning of this..."
He still did not even know which Cave Heaven or Blessed Land this elder hailed from, let alone why the man had brought an infant and a woman to his doorstep.
The grey-robed elder was succinct: "This old man wishes to take a disciple."
Yang Kai looked in surprise at the woman he had helped to her feet, genuinely unable to perceive anything remarkable about her that would warrant a Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator's interest.
As though reading his thoughts, the grey-robed elder patted the bundle of swaddling clothes in his arms and sighed with a leisurely air: "It's this one!"
As he spoke, yet another beard hair snapped free. The once impeccably trimmed white beard now hung in ragged disarray, robbing the grey-robed elder of every last shred of his sage-like bearing.
Yang Kai was even more startled than before. Had the elder said he wanted to take the woman as a disciple, Yang Kai might not have understood it, but he could have accepted it — perhaps the man possessed some extraordinary means of perceiving hidden qualities others could not. A Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator had capabilities beyond ordinary imagination, so it was only natural. But the grey-robed elder claiming he wanted to take the *infant* as his disciple — that, Yang Kai simply could not fathom.
The baby was barely a few months old, utterly oblivious to the world. How could anyone judge aptitude or spiritual roots from so young a child? And yet the grey-robed elder clutched him like a precious treasure, not caring one whit even as his beard was being ripped out strand by strand.
He cast a helpless glance toward Xu Linggong.
The tall, imposing Xu Linggong had been watching the spectacle from the side with squinted eyes and a broad grin. Meeting Yang Kai's gaze, he volunteered the explanation: "Kid, this is Yu Changdao from Carefree Blessed Land — you should call him Uncle-Master Yu."
"So it's Uncle-Master Yu. This junior was rude!" Upon learning that the grey-robed elder hailed from Carefree Blessed Land, Yang Kai's manner became considerably warmer.
Ning Daoran had originated from Carefree Blessed Land and was on close terms with Yang Kai. Moreover, since Yu Changdao had been brought by Xu Linggong, the elder must also be on good terms with the latter. Given any of these connections, Yang Kai would not dare stand on ceremony.
"Might I ask what relationship Uncle-Master Yu has with Brother Ning Daoran?" Yang Kai inquired respectfully.
Yu Changdao replied flatly: "He is the disciple of my second senior brother."
Yang Kai understood — so Ning Daoran and this Yu Changdao stood in a martial uncle-and-nephew relationship.
"May I ask, Uncle-Master Yu, what exactly is going on here?" Yang Kai asked, glancing between the woman and the infant.
A trace of helplessness crossed Yu Changdao's face: "This child is born with the Heavenly Dao Physique, perfectly aligned with the Great Dao that this old man cultivates. Therefore, I wish to take him as my closed-door disciple."
The words stunned even Xu Linggong, who stared at Yu Changdao in open surprise: "Old Yu, are you serious?"
A closed-door disciple was no mere figure of speech. Once such an oath was taken, it meant Yu Changdao would never accept another disciple for the rest of his life. The infant in his arms would be the final student he would ever teach.
Back in the day, with Xia Ningshang's innate Medicine Spirit Sacred Physique, she had more than qualified to study the Dao of Alchemy under Grand Emperor Miao Dan. However, Grand Emperor Miao Dan had already taken his fifth disciple Ji Ying as his closed-door disciple. Consequently, no matter how extraordinary Xia Ningshang's aptitude, she could not become Grand Emperor Miao Dan's formal disciple.
That said, Grand Emperor Miao Dan had not been stingy with his guidance in the Dao of Alchemy. The two shared no formal master-disciple title — only the bond of one.
Yang Kai naturally understood the weight of a closed-door disciple, and he could not help but study the infant more closely. Yet he still saw nothing noteworthy, to say nothing of any so-called Heavenly Dao Physique.