“Now you are just making stuff up,” smiled Zhou Jinjiang as he scolded Cheng Xiao Xiao.

All the other elders couldn’t help but smiled. They didn’t think that the Cheng’s were truly like one big family. They were reminded of the kind of warmth only belonging to a family that they hadn’t experienced in a long time. There were no plotting or backstabbing.

His daughter was growing bolder and bolder. Cheng Biyuan shook his head helplessly and said to her, “Xiao Xiao, you must respect your elders. You cannot tease an elder like that!”

“Dad, I only have Uncle Zhou’s best interest in mind!” said Cheng Xiao Xiao with a bright smile but she stopped her teasing and asked, “Dad, Uncle Zhou, what were you talking about? I seem to have heard something about internal and external disciples?”

“Yes, that was exactly what we were talking about.”

Having said that, Cheng Biyuan scanned across everyone that was there and said in a deep voice, “Our Sacred Land Zhongyuan was about to recruit our first batch of disciples shortly. No matter how we pick them, there will exist a gradient of talents and capabilities and we will be need to put the into different classes. We can’t and shouldn’t treat them all equally. After all, there need to be ways to separate them out for there to be drive for competition and desire to improve themselves.”

“Exactly, Xiao Xiao. This is something that we are trying to define. Our first batch of disciples can only be considered as external disciples, unlike the current ones that we have, who are treated as internal disciples. Xiao Xiao, do you have any thoughts on this?” asked Zhou Jinjiang.

“I think that’s pretty standard. I don’t have anything to add to that. We can have the external disciples stay at the village not far from us. We haven’t been utilizing the area since the villagers had moved out. The area would suit our purpose perfectly.” Said Cheng Xiao Xiao, offering her thoughts.

“Yes, that’s what we have in mind as well. We were just about to start the construction on the courtyards. As for the internal disciples, Xiao Xiao, I plan to use our old house as well as the old area of the range and the vegetable garden. That location is a little bit higher geographically than the village, perfect for internal disciples!” Cheng Biyuan looked at his daughter and worried that she’d object. Afterall, that was where they had once lived.

“Right, dad. That sounds like an excellent idea!” smiled Cheng Xiao Xiao. “Looks like it will be busy around here all over again. With just three more months left, do we have enough time to have everything arranged?”

“Should be sufficient. We have so many members now, not to mention the addition of the 200 guards recently. When push came to shove, we can have them help us as well.”

Zhou Jinjiang smiled a confident smile.

“I am glad everything will work out!” said Cheng Xiao Xiao as she stood up. “I will leave the rest to you. I am going to go look for Abacus and see when he is going to finish his assignment!”

As soon as she finished saying that, she dashed out before her family could say anything else.

“Oh, what am I going to do with this child?” smiled Cheng Biyuan dotingly.

All the others there smiled as well. Cheng Xiao Xiao paid them no attention and left. After she had walked out of the main house, she headed toward the cherry forest only to run into two familiar person on her way.

“Uncle, Zixuan-jie jie. You two, hehe. Oh mi, you guys are mock dating already…”

“Xiao Xiao…” Luo Junhao was speechless, no knowing how to respond to his niece’s teasing.

Gong Zixuan, blushing, countered, “Xiao Xiao-mei mei, are you envious of us? Say, where is shi xiong Mo?”

“Envious? Zixuan-jie jie. Why would I be? Abacus has been very nice to me!” gloated Cheng Xiao Xiao.

“That’s exactly. Why would my Xiao Xiao be envious of you?”

With the voice was Mo Xuanzun in his flesh. He reached out an arm, pulled Cheng Xiao Xiao into his chest and said, “Don’t you mean you are envious of us?”