Chapter 18 - Introducing the Two New Members

Xue Yang entered the guest room. He saw that both Guo Xianhu and Guo Lingxin had woken up.

"Oh, both of you are already awake?"

"Mas- Ah, Senior Brother," Guo Xianhu said.

"Hello, Senior Brother." Guo Lingxin also greeted him.

"Are you feeling any pain?"

Xue Yang had checked their bodies, and he didn't think anything was wrong. But just to be sure, he decided to ask.

Guo Xianhu looked at Guo Lingxin, and they both shrugged their shoulders.

"Senior brother, we are fine," Guo Lingxin said.

"Well, that is good to hear. All right, follow me," Xue Yang said. "Bring your luggage with you."

They both nodded and followed Xue Yang.

Xue Yang's intention was to introduce the brothers and sisters to the other children. So, he took them to the dormitory courtyard.

"Senior Brother, what is the name of this place?" asked Guo Xianhu on the way.

"This place was called the Silk Sword Sect."

"Was?" Guo Lingxin muttered.

"There was a small sect with the name of Silk Sword Sect in this place. I was a disciple of that sect. Now that sect is no longer around. And I am in charge of this place," explained Xue Yang.

"Then what is the name of this place now?" asked Guo Xianhu again.

"Hmm... I haven't thought about it."

Xue Yang never thought about it. But now that there is an opportunity for a name change, it might be a good idea to do so. But what should he call his new sect?

'I will ask the children for their opinion.'

"Besides the two of you, there are three other children in this place right now," Xue Yang said. "They are training right now. You two will also train. But it will wait until we solve the issue you have."

"An issue?" Guo Xianhu frowned. He had no recollection of any problem Xue Yang was talking about.

Xue Yang looked at Guo Xianhu. Then he remembered, "Right! I haven't told you about your problem. I will explain it in detail later.

"For now, I will introduce you to the three children."

***

When they reached the dormitory courtyard, they could see a boy resting under the tree. His body is drenched in sweat.

"Zhang Hao, have you finished your training?" asked Xue Yang.

Zhang Hao looked at the source of the sound and replied, "Senior Brother, you are back".

Zhang Hao then noticed two children older than him standing next to Xue Yang. Using his remaining strength, he tried to stand up and greet the two new faces. But when he tried to stand up, his leg gave out.

Seeing this, Xue Yang moved immediately. He grabbed Zhang Hao's left arm and held him up in mid-air.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Zhang Hao smiled in embarrassment as he was caught in such a manner.

Xue Yang then used a sliver of Spiritual Energy to check Zhang Hao's body.

"Your energy is depleted. Don't move recklessly. Just sit down for now," Xue Yang said. "Plus, these two are... new friends."

"Hello, older brother, older sister. I am Zhang Hao," Zhang Hao cupped his hand as he sat back on the ground.

Guo Xianhu and Guo Lingxin mimicked the hand cupping and returned the greeting. Guo Xianhu then said, "Senior, I am Guo Xianhu."

The other three, Xue Yang, Zhang Hao, and Guo Lingxin, all looked at Guo Xianhu. They all felt strange about a nine-year-old boy calling a younger boy 'Senior'.

"What? If he entered this place before me, then he is a senior, right?"

"Just call me Little Hao," said Zhang Hao. He didn't expect to be called senior by someone older.

"But—"

Before he could continue, Guo Lingxin cut him off.

"Hello, Zhang Hao. I am Guo Lingxin. We will call you Little Hao, okay?" said Guo Lingxin. She looked straight into Zhang Hao's eyes.

She guessed why her brother had chosen to call Zhang Hao Senior. In the past, Guo Xianhu lived on the street, full of authority and seniority. And in that environment, it was normal to call others senior and junior. The junior would always do what the senior said.

It didn't matter who was older, the one who joined the group first was the senior. Of course, Guo Xianhu had several juniors who were older than him.

But different from Guo Xianhu, Guo Lingxin didn't want to call someone younger a senior.

"Hello Sister Lingxin," Zhang Hao replied. He noticed that Guo Lingxin was looking directly at him. The color of his cheek was slowly turning red. His eyes were also diverted to another place, unable to look into Guo Lingxin's eyes.

Xue Yang noticed Zhang Hao's unusual reaction. But he decided to ignore it. He then looked at the brother and sister pair.

"I just remembered it now, but have you eaten anything today?" asked Xue Yang.

An ordinary person needs to eat in order to meet his energy needs. For a cultivator to be able to abstain from eating, he must learn how to absorb natural energy. Zhang Hao and the two children are still unable to do so.

"Senior Brother, we haven't eaten since this morning. Is there a place where I can cook?" asked Guo Lingxin.

"There is. But for now..." Xue Yang fished a glass bottle out of his pocket. Inside the bottle were numerous fasting pills.

This pill is usually used by low-level cultivators like Zhang Hao. It gives the user a little bit of energy and the feeling of a full stomach. This little bit of energy is not enough to be used for cultivation, but it is more than enough to satisfy one's physical needs.

"Here, take a pill. You too, Guo Xianhu. I have more bottles in my room, take them later."

From a distance, the group can see two girls running toward them. One of the girls is still fine, while the other one is having a bated breath.

"Yu Guanyu, Liu Mei, have you finished your training?" asked Xue Yang. Looking at Yu Guanyu's condition, which is still full of energy, Xue Yang knows that they are not finished with their training.

"Senior Brother, please wait a moment," Yu Guanyu said. She then greeted Guo's two siblings. "Hello, I am Yu Guanyu. The one behind me is Liu Mei. And that boy over there is Zhang Hao."

"Greeting seni—" Guo Xianhu wanted to say hello back, but he was cut off by his sister once again.

"Hello, Yu Guanyu and Liu Mei. I am Guo Lingxin. You can call me Sister Lingxin. Can I call you Little Yu and Little Mei?" Guo Lingxin smiled as she asked the two children, who were not far apart in age.

"Sure! Sister Lingxin, and the older brother?" asked Yu Guanyu.

"His name is Guo Xianhu, call him Brother Xianhu, okay?"

All the while, Liu Mei just looked from the side. She was still trying to regain her energy. Looking at Liu Mei, Xue Yang felt that he would have to teach her the breathing technique soon.

***

Later that night. Inside the Sect Master building.

A few candles light the room in a warm orange glow. A young man sits alone in the room. He is waiting for someone to come.

"Senior Brother, we are here." Guo Xianhu's voice can be heard from outside the building.

"Come in," Xue Yang said.

A few seconds later, Guo Xianhu and Guo Lingxin enter the room. They sat down in front of Xue Yang.

"Senior Brother, what do you want to talk about? Is it about the issue, er, the problem you talked about this noon?" asked Guo Xianhu.

"Yes, mostly about that."

Xue Yang then explained their problem in detail. From what caused it to what solutions are possible. Of course, to make sure they both understood, Xue Yang also explained the process of opening the first acupoint. To a certain extent, Xue Yang also explained the process of cultivation.

"But I will need time to get the item that could solve the problem. Is this all right for both of you?" asked Xue Yang.

There were some parts that Guo Lingxin still didn't understand. But she nodded, "We'll follow Senior Brother's instructions."

"Okay then, that is all. I wanted to explain to you what your problem is," Xue Yang said. "Then you should take the next few days to get used to this place.

"Right. Before you leave, take the bottles of fasting pills with you. They can be found on that shelf."

Guo Xianhu went to the mentioned shelf and took out two bottles. "Are these the right ones?"

"Yes, they are filled with fasting pills."

Guo Xianhu went to the door, but Guo Lingxin was still standing in front of Xue Yang. She then asked, "Senior Brother, would you mind if I cooked instead?"

Xue Yang's eyebrow twitched a little. He does not have a good memory when it comes to cooking in this world.

He then replied, "Yes, of course. I can show you the kitchen tomorrow. Is that okay?"

"Yes, thank you, Senior Brother."

With her request granted, Guo Lingxin happily heads for the exit. She then closes the door, leaving Xue Yang alone in the room.

Xue Yang has already planned the solution in his mind. And the first step is to use the seed of the Spirit Essence Lotus Flower.

The Spirit Essence Lotus Flower is an aquatic flower that grows in an area where there is a high concentration of Spiritual Energy around it. It grows by absorbing the Spiritual Energy around it.

According to the manual he received from the system, the Spirit Essence Lotus seed can help awaken the first acupoint. Not only that but for someone whose first acupoint has already been awakened, it can enhance the first acupoint's ability to sense spirits.

"I can buy the seed of Spirit Essence Lotus Flower from the [System Shop]. But I don't have enough Spirit Stone," Xue Yang muttered.

"That means I only have one choice."

Xue Yang looked at the [Quest] menu in his system.