Master, I am in your presence.

“Could it be Brother Fengyun? Did he really get rid of those unclean things?” Zhang Qingyan suddenly exclaimed in shock.

Earlier, they had heard various noises coming from the backyard, including the voice of a female ghost and the old Taoist begging for mercy, followed by Chen Fengyun's sudden command for them not to be afraid or move, before he jumped from the third floor. At the time, the three women were terrified, fearing that Chen Fengyun had been influenced by the ghost and jumped to his death, but then they heard a series of violent sounds from the backyard. Now, with the sudden return of peace and normalcy, it seemed that those unclean entities had indeed been eliminated.

At the same time, the mist in the backyard vanished completely. An Mingzhen and the old Taoist saw Chen Fengyun walking toward them, with the bright moon shining in the sky and stars scattered across it. Except for the disorder in the backyard, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“Young man, did you destroy that female ghost?” The old Taoist was the first to rush out, looking around before running up to Chen Fengyun and asking.

“It was merely a vengeful ghost, nothing worth mentioning,” Chen Fengyun replied with a wave of his hand, his tone calm, though inside he was delighted—not only had he acquired the Soul-Nurturing Wood Arrow, but he had also gained six attribute points, a considerable reward.

“Brother Chen, is everything truly alright?” An Mingzhen emerged timidly, glancing nervously around as he asked.

“Uncle An, rest assured. Jingru is fully recovered now, and your home is absolutely safe. You can live here without worry,” Chen Fengyun nodded.

“Master, my name is Zhou Fuhai. I wish to become your disciple. Please accept me,” the old Taoist suddenly knelt before Chen Fengyun, startling everyone by requesting to be his apprentice.

“Master Zhou, what are you doing?” An Mingzhen was taken aback by Zhou Fuhai's actions and asked in confusion.

“You do not understand, President An. Master Chen is a true expert. I have learned only minor skills, yet I am renowned throughout the southwest. Compared to my teacher, I am but a child playing at sorcery,” Zhou Fuhai said, remaining kneeling.

An Mingzhen stared dazedly at Chen Fengyun. He was unfamiliar with his daughter's friend and didn’t know much about their relationship, but he was well aware of Zhou Fuhai’s status—he was a frequent guest in the homes of the wealthy across the southwestern provinces, well-connected and respected.

“Dad, Chen Fengyun, what are you two doing?” At that moment, the three women came downstairs and, seeing the scene in the backyard, Jingru grabbed her father’s arm and asked in confusion.

“Master Zhou performed a ritual and forced out a vengeful ghost, but he couldn’t deal with it. At the critical moment, your friend stepped in and destroyed the ghost, so Master Zhou wants to become his disciple,” An Mingzhen explained, his expression complicated.

Although he didn’t know Chen Fengyun’s background, the fact that he could exorcise ghosts meant his future prospects were limitless. Chen Fengyun was so young, and An Mingzhen realized this was an opportunity—if seized, it could be greatly beneficial for the An family.

“Daughter, who is this friend of yours? What’s your relationship with him?” With that in mind, An Mingzhen pulled his daughter aside and asked in a low voice.

“Dad, actually, I’ve only met him once before. His name is Chen Fengyun, this year’s top scholar in the province for the liberal arts college entrance exam, already admitted early to Capital University. In fact, Chen Fengyun and Qingyan have been neighbors and friends since childhood. I met him at Qingyan’s family banquet last time, and today Qingyan brought him to visit me,” Jingru explained, a strange sense of loss stirring in her heart.

“Ah, so he and Zhang Qingyan are dating?” An Mingzhen asked, a little disappointed. He knew his daughter’s character—she wouldn’t compete with her best friend for a boyfriend.

“I don’t think so. Qingyan told me her parents wanted her to date someone named Wang Junguang because his father is a department manager at Imperial Group’s southwest branch, and Qingyan’s father happens to work under him,” Jingru replied, shaking her head.

“Is that so? Daughter, since Qingyan and Chen Fengyun aren’t dating, you must seize this opportunity! You may not know this, but Master Zhou is a guest of honor in the homes of the wealthy across the southwest provinces. Chen Fengyun is even more remarkable, so young and so capable—his future is boundless. If you win him over, you’ll have a lifetime of happiness,” An Mingzhen said cheerfully, encouraging his daughter.

“Dad, we’ve only met twice. How can you talk about such things?” Jingru said bashfully, sneaking a glance at Chen Fengyun. Knowing he had saved her, she felt a strange emotion stirring within her.

“People fall in love at first sight, and you’ve met twice already. You can certainly take things further. Besides, Chen Fengyun saved you, didn’t he? Thank him a few more times, invite him out, and I don’t believe my daughter can’t win over a young man,” An Mingzhen urged his daughter to pursue Chen Fengyun.

“Oh, let’s talk about this later,” Jingru replied shyly, but nodded gently and ran to her mother’s side, though her gaze toward Chen Fengyun was noticeably different.

“Master, please get up. I cannot accept you as my disciple,” Chen Fengyun said, seeing everyone’s eyes on them. He flicked his hand, and a powerful force lifted Zhou Fuhai to his feet, preventing him from kneeling further, shaking his head as he spoke.

It wasn’t that Chen Fengyun was unwilling to accept a disciple, but as a cultivator, his methods for exorcising ghosts relied on cultivation, which he could not teach others. Moreover, he possessed a cultivation system that no one else could replicate, so he naturally couldn’t accept Zhou Fuhai as a disciple.

Besides, Zhou Fuhai was over sixty, while Chen Fengyun wasn’t even twenty. Taking such an old disciple would surely attract attention wherever he went, and Chen Fengyun disliked trouble.

Still, Zhou Fuhai had expected Chen Fengyun’s refusal. True experts rarely took disciples lightly, which only made him more eager to become one.

“Master Zhou, how should we handle the compensation?” After returning to the living room, An Mingzhen asked Zhou Fuhai, while his wife prepared tea.

“I sincerely apologize for today’s incident—I nearly made things worse for the An family. Let’s not speak of compensation. Fortunately, Master Chen was here to eliminate the vengeful ghost, turning calamity into blessing. Now the An family can rest easy. As for compensation, if President An insists, please give it to my teacher,” Zhou Fuhai replied, maintaining a respectful attitude toward Chen Fengyun, continually referring to him as ‘teacher,’ which gave Chen Fengyun a headache, unsure how to respond.