Siblings

The night was peaceful, with moonlight streaming through the pavilion's window. In the main room, Yu Ze sat cross-legged on a cushion, cleaning the old weapons left by his late master. Some weapons were in good condition; others were damaged and needed repair.

Yu Ze wasn't particularly skilled or fond of weapon maintenance. He was merely passing the time tonight, his mind filled with thoughts of how to revive the Black Dragon Sect, with this pavilion as the base.

The pavilion was maintained by three strange siblings who, oddly enough, were not part of the sect.

According to Jing Jing's story, his parents were traveling merchants who moved from town to town, seeking fortune by selling goods of little value. They became involved with the Black Dragon Sect when Shen Tian saved them from bandits while crossing Long Shan Mountain. Since then, Shen Tian allowed the couple to settle in the sect's pavilion as garden keepers.

When the Cultivator World War broke out, Shen Tian tasked them with guarding the pavilion until his return, though he never came back. Nevertheless, the couple continued to fulfill their duty as instructed, from the birth of their three children to their own passing.

Now, that duty was continued by their three children—Jing Jing, Ping Ping, and Yue Xi.

Yu Ze was always impressed whenever he recalled that story.

"Their dedication cannot be underestimated. I must repay them properly. I'm sure Master would think the same."

Yu Ze may have been an unorthodox cultivator, but his late master always said to repay kindness with kindness and never disappoint those who have been good to you. Bad karma is real. It can come at any time and be worse.

In the midst of the silence, Yu Ze caught the scent of something delicious. His suppressed hunger arose like an alarm.

"Master Yu Ze, dinner is here!"

Jing Jing and Ping Ping came in carrying trays of food. As they placed the foods on the floor, Yu Ze's mouth began to water.

"You must be very hungry," teased Jing Jing.

Realizing his impolite behavior, Yu Ze quickly wiped his mouth. However, Jing Jing and Ping Ping already knew he was starving. They giggled quietly, covering their mouths.

"Thank you, Jing Jing, Ping Ping," Yu Ze said, trying to sound stern.

"Hahaha, don't worry, Master Yu Ze. Just enjoy the food," replied Jing Jing.

"Hau haa hu haa," chimed Ping Ping.

As Ping Ping handed a bowl of rice to Yu Ze, their younger sister arrived. Like her siblings, she brought food for dinner. Yu Ze was slightly impressed to see how Yue Xi walked with the food without stumbling, considering she couldn't see.

With gentle and graceful movements, Yue Xi placed the dish before Yu Ze. For a moment, Yu Ze was not interested in the steaming food in front of him. His eyes were fixed on the beautiful girl.

"Your bowl of rice is waiting for you, Master Yu Ze. It will get cold if you don't eat it right away," Jing Jing teased.

Yu Ze blushed and then quickly cleared his throat to appear more dignified. He took a piece of stir-fried beef and placed it on the rice. As he tasted it, the spicy and sweet flavors of the beef blended perfectly with the warm, fluffy rice. His eyes sparkled as he chewed.

"Hehehe, it seems you like the stir-fried beef. By the way, I cooked it," Jing Jing said proudly.

"Really? I didn't know you were such a good cook," Yu Ze said. "It's hard for me to admit, but you have a talent for it."

"Thank you, Master Yu Ze."

Jing Jing puffed out his chest, clearly pleased with the compliment, and touched his nose with his finger. Despite his blunt and slightly cheeky demeanor, Yu Ze acknowledged this guy's cooking skills.

"Hau haa huu hu!"

Ping Ping also didn't want to be outdone by his older brother. He offered Yu Ze a plate of char siu (red roasted pork). Of course, Yu Ze happily accepted the polite offer. Just like the previous dish, a delicious flavor spread throughout his mouth as Yu Ze tasted it.

"Haha, my brother is also good at cooking! His dishes are even better than mine," said Jing Jing proudly.

Although Ping Ping couldn't hear it, the man smiled shyly while rubbing the back of his head.

"You two are amazing!" Yu Ze praised.

On the other hand, Yue Xi frowned when she heard her two brothers had pleased the pavilion's new owner. She seemed to want praise from Yu Ze too.

"Master Yu Ze, try my cooking as well," said Yue Xi enthusiastically, offering her dish. "It's stir-fried water spinach."

"Of course."

As Yu Ze was about to taste her cooking, his hand suddenly stopped. Squinting, he examined the dish. Normally, stir-fried water spinach has a fresh green color with a drizzle of oyster sauce and an enticing aroma. But this looked black, like burnt leaves—more aptly called charcoal than food.

Naturally, Yu Ze thought twice about eating it. He glanced at her two brothers, intending to ask if the food tasted as good as it looked. However, Jing Jing crossed his arms, and Ping Ping shook his head. That was enough to tell Yu Ze not to eat it.

"How is it? Is it good?" Yue Xi asked curiously.

Jing Jing and Ping Ping quickly nodded.

"Ugh, yeah. It's very delicious," Yu Ze lied.

Yue Xi beamed at the praise. "How does it taste?"

"Well..." Yu Ze glanced at Jing Jing and Ping Ping, but they looked away. "Ugh, spicy, sweet, and the oyster sauce flavor is quite delicious. Everything blends perfectly."

Yu Ze concocted his answer as best he could, hoping Yue Xi would buy his lies. He didn't want to make her sad after all her hard work, even though it looked inedible.

However, Yue Xi frowned.

"Really? I don't remember adding oyster sauce to the dish. I only added dark soy sauce and light soy sauce," she said innocently, rubbing her chin.

Swallowing hard, Yu Ze worried that his lie had been uncovered. He didn't know how to respond if he was caught not eating her cooking.

Yue Xi pursed her lips. "It seems the dried shrimp and squid I added changed the flavor to taste like the sea."

Yu Ze's eyes widened. He hadn't seen any shrimp or squid in her cooking. There were only burnt leaves and black charcoal pieces on the plate.

"It seems so," Yue Xi continued, seeming pleased with her conclusion.

While Yu Ze was baffled, her two brothers struggled to stifle their laughter.

Jing Jing approached Yu Ze and whispered, "Thank you for making my sister happy, Master Yu Ze. Besides her vision problems, her sense of taste and smell are also off."

Yu Ze just nodded in response. In his mind, he wondered why they let her cook if she couldn't taste or smell. Letting a blind person cook already sounded odd.

"Well, let's eat."

They then enjoyed the evening meal. Yu Ze tasted every dish except Yue Xi's cooking. Not only him, but the two brothers also didn't dare touch it. But somehow, all the food was finished, leaving only the plates.

Everyone looked stuffed. Jing Jing burped several times, Ping Ping rubbed his full belly, and Yu Ze busied himself cleaning his teeth with a toothpick. Only Yue Xi maintained her manners.

"Master Yu Ze, you said you wanted to revive the Black Dragon Sect, right? By the way, how will you do that?"

The abrupt question from Jing Jing snapped Yu Ze back to reality. He couldn't provide an answer because he hadn't thought it through yet. What he was doing now was just going with the flow.

"Well, we'll see," Yu Ze replied.

Furrowing his brow, Jing Jing seemed unsatisfied.

"Master Yu Ze, I don't mean to undermine you," Jing Jing pursed his lips. "To be honest, you look very young. I might be older than you even though I'm small. Do you have enough experience to manage a sect?"

SLAP!

Yue Xi slapped Jing Jing right across the mouth. Naturally, he got angry, but his sister ignored him. She bowed to Yu Ze instead.

"Please forgive my brother's rudeness," Yue Xi said politely. "He's just too blunt."

"It's alright," Yu Ze spoke genuinely.

He wasn't offended by Jing Jing's words because what the little guy said was true. He wasn't sure if he could manage a sect. Let alone manage it, he wasn't even sure how to recruit new members.

This pavilion was located in a valley deep within Long Shan Mountain, hidden in a dense forest and surrounded by high cliffs. It was far from human civilization. The nearest settlement was a small town with perhaps no more than 1,000 people, and the difficult terrain made reaching the pavilion a formidable challenge.

Yu Ze didn't know how to recruit new members in such an unstrategic location. If the Black Dragon Sect were still in its heyday, perhaps thousands of people would flock here. But now, the Black Dragon Sect was just a legend. Its name was no longer echoed in the cultivation world.

"It seems I really have to start from scratch."

His journey in rebuilding the sect couldn't be instant. Yu Ze had to start from the basics and go through the process gradually. He needed to begin with a small group. Besides being unable to recruit new members en masse, he needed disciples to gauge his ability as a master.

In other words, he needed someone to be a guinea pig.

As Yu Ze thought about this, his eyes landed on Jing Jing and Ping Ping. Seeing them made a smile spread across his face.

Yu Ze suddenly stood up.

"I've made a decision," he announced.

The three siblings looked at him curiously.

"You three have taken care of this pavilion with all your heart. It wouldn't be right to still consider you not part of the sect."

Of course, his words piqued Jing Jing and Yue Xi's curiosity.

"Sorry, Master Yu Ze, I don't quite understand," Yue Xi said politely. "Do you want to make us sect members?"

Yu Ze grinned. "Yup."

"But we don't have any cultivation," Jing Jing replied. "I don't think we're qualified to join the sect."

"That's right, Master Yu Ze," Yue Xi agreed. "We've barely touched weapons. We're too weak to be sect members."

Jing Jing and Yue Xi seemed reluctant to become cultivators. For ordinary people like them, the cultivation world was a dangerous realm they could never reach. Only those who thirsted for power and pursued immortality ventured there.

However, that didn't mean they had no chance.

"Don't worry," Yu Ze said casually. "I'll train you."

"WHAT!" Jing Jing and Yue Xi exclaimed simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Ping Ping could only scratch his head with a confused look. He couldn't hear their conversation but could see the panic on his siblings' faces.

"I'll make sure you become unbeatable cultivators like me."

What Yu Ze said might have sounded a bit exaggerated, maybe even arrogant, but he was serious about it.