Youth Must Be Seized Early; How Could One Remain Young Forever? Chapter 132: Teacher and Student Meet

The next day.

Bai Qingzhou was in the courtyard, checking the books in his hands. This was his first time conducting a lesson, so he could not afford to be careless. Three days after the four new disciples had entered the sect, the time scheduled for formal instruction—today—had finally arrived.

Looking at the books in his possession regarding the introduction to Lizhou, Bai Qingzhou steadied his mind and began walking toward the Pavilion of Clarification. The primary reason he had initially resisted becoming a teaching deacon was his fear of failing as a mentor or leading his students astray. However, due to the high esteem in which the two elders held him, he had been pushed into this position, forced to accept the responsibility.

During this period, he had diligently crammed his knowledge of general cultivation and the customs of the surrounding regions. He had also mentally rehearsed the content of his lectures, striving to provide the new junior disciples with a vivid and engaging learning experience.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he approached the Pavilion of Clarification. Yet, as he neared, his keen hearing picked up voices coming from ahead...

"Big brother, I’d like to ask, how long will it take for my Huzi to finish his class?"

"Bah, how should I know? Just wait patiently, won't you!"

Bai Qingzhou stopped and looked up to see four commoners dressed as servants standing at the entrance of the Pavilion of Clarification, chatting.

"Hey! You really don't know how to read the room, do you! Is 'Huzi' a name you can just throw around anymore?" an older middle-aged servant scolded the youth who had asked the question.

"Ah? But Huzi is my younger brother, and I've always called him Huzi," the youth replied with a flustered expression.

Upon hearing that the cultivator was the brother of the servant before him, the older man’s tone softened slightly. "That was in the past. Now that your brother has become an Immortal Master, you must address him as such when you are outside. If you keep calling him Huzi, you’ll only bring trouble upon yourself!"

"Yes, yes, you are right to teach me, big brother..." the youth realized, nodding hurriedly.

"Truly lacking in manners..." The middle-aged servant held his head high and said proudly to the other three, "Just wait slowly. I heard that lectures usually take two or three hours."

Seeing this, a middle-aged woman nearby spoke up: "This brother, you are so well-informed—is it because someone in your family is..."

Before she could finish...

"Ahem!" The middle-aged servant coughed violently, then immediately knelt down and shouted toward the approaching figure, "This humble one greets the Immortal Master!"

The other three were startled and immediately followed suit, kneeling in unison with expressions of awe.

Bai Qingzhou saw these new faces and understood that these four were the servants brought up the mountain by the four newly ascended disciples.

"Rise. There is no need for such kneeling in the future," Bai Qingzhou said, looking at the four gently. "And you do not need to wait here the entire time. Come back in two hours."

"Yes..." the servants hurried to their feet.

Bai Qingzhou nodded slightly, unbothered, and stepped inside. The Pavilion of Clarification remained unchanged. In truth, Bai Qingzhou had not visited the pavilion in a long time. He had studied under Chen Li for nearly a year, but toward the end, he had mostly read books on his own in the courtyard. Being here again felt somewhat strange.

He walked into the classroom with practiced ease. The moment he entered, the previously noisy room fell instantly silent. The disciples inside turned one after another to look at Bai Qingzhou.

Bai Qingzhou kept his gaze forward, walked slowly to the podium, and sat cross-legged on the cushion.

"Greetings, Deacon Bai!"

Seeing him sit, the disciples all rose to bow and offer their respectful greetings. Bai Qingzhou scanned the room and found a fair number of attendees—about a dozen disciples. Aside from the four newcomers, he saw the familiar faces of He Zuo and He Li, as well as other earlier disciples like Shi Zhichen and Tang Si. He even spotted Chen Lin and Qin Yihan in the crowd; they were looking at him with expressions of anticipation. They had come to listen to the lecture as well.

"Everyone, please be seated!" Bai Qingzhou gestured downward.

The disciples sat in unison.

Bai Qingzhou gave a light cough and said in a clear voice, "As you all know, I will be serving as your teaching deacon from now on."

His voice carried effortlessly throughout the room, and everyone listened in silence.

"However, I imagine some of you junior brothers have yet to meet me..." Bai Qingzhou turned to look at the four newcomers and smiled. "My name is Bai Qingzhou. You may address me as Deacon Bai."

The four youngsters nodded blankly.

"By the way, why don't you introduce yourselves first, so everyone can get to know you," Bai Qingzhou said, looking at the four. Helping the new disciples integrate into the group was the first lesson he needed to teach.

Hearing this, the four youngsters exchanged glances, clearly having not expected such an order. But before long, the only girl among them stood up and said loudly, "My name is Ying Chu! My father's surname is Ying, and my mother's surname is Chu, so they named me Ying Chu..."

After speaking, the young girl paused. She didn't know what else to say, stuttering as she struggled for words, her fair face flushing with embarrassment.

Seeing this, Bai Qingzhou prompted, "You can say where you are from and how old you are."

"I am from Shaqi Province! I am nine years old," Ying Chu replied immediately.

Bai Qingzhou nodded and smiled. "Good. That will do. Next."

Ying Chu sat down happily, and a boy beside her immediately stood up, shouting, "Greetings, Senior Brother! My name is Zhou Tao, I am ten years old, and I am from Xingdong Province!"

He sat down immediately after speaking, and another boy stood up.

"My name is... Zhu Xin. I am from Luogu Workshop," a swarthy-faced boy said, his voice stuttering.

"From Luogu Workshop, of all places..." Bai Qingzhou was surprised for a moment. He had not expected someone from Luogu Workshop to make the trek to participate in the Ascension Conference within the territory of the Profound Yang Sect.

"Are your parents cultivators?" Bai Qingzhou asked. Although Luogu Workshop was only a few hours away from the Profound Yang Sect by flight, that was for cultivators using flying artifacts. For a mortal, without a cultivator's help, the journey was incredibly long, not to mention the various fierce beasts and natural hazards along the way. It was very difficult for ordinary people to travel such a distance.

"Yes... My father knows you, Senior Brother..." Zhu Xin said, keeping his head down.

"Oh?" Bai Qingzhou asked with immediate curiosity, "What is your father's name?"

"Zhu Lian..."

Upon hearing this, Bai Qingzhou nodded with a smile. So, it was Zhu Lian... Back when he had first sold meat at Luogu Workshop, Zhu Lian, as a rogue cultivator, would often enter the forest to hunt demonic beasts and frequently collaborated with him. Over time, they had become quite familiar with each other. He had not expected Zhu Lian to send his son to the Profound Yang Sect to seek immortality.

"So it is Fellow Daoist Zhu. I understand. You may sit," Bai Qingzhou said with a slight wave of his hand.

Once Zhu Lian sat down, the last boy, fair-skinned and handsome, stood up and shouted, "My name is Cao Mo! I am from Shaqi Province, nine years old..." He paused, looked at the girl beside him, and shouted again, "I like Ying Chu!"

At these words, laughter immediately erupted in the classroom, and even Bai Qingzhou couldn't help but laugh.

The little girl from before turned bright red and buried her head in her desk.