Old Jack's face instantly broke into a wide grin. "Then I'll trouble you! Little San, Sui Sui, hurry and follow this teacher. You must be obedient, understand?"
The siblings nodded, both quiet.
The Great Master, however, turned his head slightly and cast a cold glance at the gatekeeper. "If there's a next time, you won't have to stay here."
The gatekeeper flinched, nodding repeatedly in a subservient manner.
Tang Sui, holding Tang San's hand, followed the Great Master into Nuoding Academy.
After they had moved a safe distance from the gatekeeper, Tang San suddenly spoke, addressing the Great Master, "Teacher, thank you for helping us out just now."
"Teacher? I am not a teacher at the academy." The Great Master looked down at Tang San, his gaze pausing on the quiet Tang Sui, and said indifferently.
"Not a teacher? Didn't you say you represented the academy earlier?" Tang San's eyes showed surprise.
The Great Master shook his head. "Who says only an academy teacher can represent the academy?"
Tang San suddenly understood. "I get it. Then you must be the principal, or a leader of the academy."
The Great Master chuckled. "You're just a half-grown child, yet you're quite clever. However, you've guessed wrong."
Tang San asked, puzzled, "Then who are you?"
The Great Master sighed lightly. "I'm just a guest here, freeloading. You can call me 'Great Master' like everyone else. Everyone calls me that. I've even forgotten my own name."
He changed the subject. "I saw your names on the proof given by the Spirit Hall. You're Tang San, and your sister is Tang Sui, right? San, you need to understand that 'Great Master' and 'Teacher' are worlds apart. Don't call me the wrong thing in the future."
He paused here, his eyes flashing with a fervent light. "Unless you are truly willing to let me be your teacher."
Tang San's heart stirred. He glanced at the quiet Tang Sui and said, "If I call you teacher, will you teach me how to cultivate my spirit?"
The Great Master stopped, facing the siblings. "And are you willing?"
He used "you all" (plural) instead of "you" (singular).
Tang San, holding Tang Sui's hand, stopped. He looked up at the Great Master, whose eyes sparkled with interest, and remained silent.
The Great Master looked into Tang San's eyes, his somewhat stiff face contorting. A rather rigid smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "You truly are a clever child."
By not speaking, he wasn't explicitly agreeing or disagreeing, but waiting for the one who wanted to be his teacher to show sincerity first.
With that thought, a smile flickered in the Great Master's eyes. He turned around, exposing his vulnerable back, and slowly walked towards the academic affairs office.
"Although your sister seems to have some congenital deficiencies, the fact that you two came to the academy together shows that you both have extraordinary talent and are intelligent. It seems I will have to be persistent this time. After all, you are the third person with twin spirits in the past hundred years."
Upon hearing the Great Master's words, Tang San's pupils contracted. His gaze towards the Great Master shifted, and his left wrist was subtly raised, where he hid his self-made hidden weapons. His eyes revealed a look of uncertain astonishment.
Unlike Tang San's wariness, Tang Sui felt a pang of disappointment.
It was because the Great Master had addressed them using a singular pronoun, not a plural one.
As expected, only the protagonist shines. The insignificant and the cannon fodder are merely tag-alongs.
Just as Tang San had secretly disengaged the safety catch on his hidden weapon, the Great Master, who had been walking away with his back to them, suddenly turned around and looked at the silent Tang San with an air of seasoned wisdom, smiling.
"Are you perhaps wondering how I knew you had twin spirits?"
As he spoke, he shook the proof Old Jack had given him. "It's because of this proof. Others might not see through its flaws, but if I can't see through it, then I wouldn't deserve the title 'Great Master'."
He explained his investigation and analysis to the siblings. Midway, Tang San tried to argue, but the Great Master countered each point with more practical analysis and explanations, met with his smile.
Tang San's expression gradually shifted from struggle to calmness. "You are right."
He said this frankly, then stepped back with Tang Sui, releasing her hand. Before parting, he scratched the palm of her hand, a small secret signal between them.
Tang Sui, who understood Tang San's intentions even without the secret signal, blinked and, following Tang San, knelt on the ground on both knees, bowing respectfully to the Great Master three times.
This time, it was the Great Master's turn to be taken aback. "What are you doing?"
"Teacher," Tang San called respectfully, "please accept my sister and me as your disciples."
The Great Master's gaze fell upon the determination in the young faces of the two children. A smile appeared on his face, and he bent down to help them up from the ground. "Silly children, why would you kowtow to become disciples? Don't you know this is a ritual only for emperors and parents? A bow is sufficient."
Tang San shook his head and said solemnly, "Once a teacher, always a father. You deserve our kowtow."
The Great Master's pupils contracted slightly. For the first time, his stiff expression showed a trace of emotion.
"Once a teacher, always a father... Good, good. It seems I didn't make the wrong choice."
He stepped forward, taking each of their hands, one in his left, one in his right. His broad, warm palms enveloped their small hands, which felt so different. "Let's go. I'll take you to the academic affairs office to complete your enrollment."
Tang Sui looked at the large hand that had taken hers, her eyes somewhat dazed.
Although different from Father's, they... felt just as warm...
— Author's Note —
See you tomorrow~