Qiao Chu was genuinely angry, but he didn't let his rage cloud his judgment.

He knew his senior brother well enough to understand that there had to be a special reason for today's incident, where his senior brother disregarded all sense of propriety and insisted on taking the disciple from him. It wasn't that their brotherly bond was so poor to result in such a conflict, and from what he knew of Jiang Heng's character, it wasn't like him to act without reason. As for Zhang Yiyi, who ultimately "broke her promise" and chose another master, Qiao Chu had lived for nearly a thousand years, so although he was displeased, he didn't truly blame the young girl.

At the heart of it, the problem lay with his senior brother. It was no fault of the girl. Who knew what Jiang Heng had said to her in private?

Jiang Heng, seeing Qiao Chu's expression, didn't rush to explain himself. Instead, he called for his eldest disciple, Wuji, and instructed him to take Zhang Yiyi to choose her new living quarters and get settled.

"Yiyi, this is your eldest senior brother, Wuji. Your second senior brother, Wuzhong, is currently traveling and you'll meet him when he returns. In the future, if you need anything, just go to your senior brothers. No need to be shy. If they don't take good care of you, I'll handle them myself," Jiang Heng said with a smile.

Jiang Heng had a natural bias toward his youngest disciple from the start. Perhaps it was the difference between raising a boy and a girl; unconsciously, he doted on her more, almost like a cherished daughter.

Wuji heard these words but didn't show any signs of dissatisfaction. He gave a silent glance at his new little junior sister, thinking to himself that such a delicate and petite girl would indeed require extra care. What if someone bullied her?

"Master, don't worry. I will take good care of little junior sister," Wuji said.

Wuji was usually a man of few words, in stark contrast to his chatty junior brother, Wuzhong. The fact that Wuji spoke so much upon meeting his little junior sister for the first time showed that he already had a good impression of her.

"Thank you, Master. Thank you, Senior Brother. Don't worry, Master. I'll get along well with my senior brothers," Zhang Yiyi said.

She sensed the goodwill from her eldest senior brother, which reassured her further.

The atmosphere between the master and his disciples was so harmonious that Qiao Chu, who had been sitting on the side waiting for a response from Jiang Heng, found it unbearably sweet. Especially that ungrateful little girl! Not long ago, she had been so adamant about becoming his disciple, and now she was happily calling someone else 'Master' and 'Senior Brother' right in front of him. Did she really think he had such a big heart that he wouldn't be angry at all?

"You all make things so complicated! Why does becoming my disciple have to involve so much trouble?" Qiao Chu grumbled in dissatisfaction, feeling a little bitter on his own behalf. His closest senior brother had snatched away the disciple he had his eye on, and there was nothing he could do about it. All he could do was sit there and watch their harmonious interactions.

What on earth had he done to deserve this frustration?

"I'm sorry, Grand Master Qiao..." Zhang Yiyi awkwardly apologized. Her usually thick skin was now flushed with embarrassment, and she felt incredibly guilty toward Qiao Chu.

This was her fault, after all. She hadn't been able to stick with her original choice, and she had surely disappointed Qiao Chu.

But she couldn't disregard what Jiang Heng had told her. Besides her own circumstances, choosing Qiao Chu as her master would have only brought him harm. She was sure Jiang Heng wasn't speaking nonsense. Even though she didn't fully understand the reason, she ultimately made her decision after weighing the situation.

"Yiyi, don't call him 'Grand Master Qiao' anymore. He's my only junior brother and your direct Martial Uncle. Don't make that mistake again," Jiang Heng interjected, instructing his little disciple to call Qiao Chu her uncle-master instead.

He couldn't resist the urge to twist the knife a little further. After all, his junior brother had flaunted his own seniority when he was feeling smug earlier.

Qiao Chu's face darkened even more.

If only he hadn't bothered with that competition and just accepted Zhang Yiyi as his disciple from the start. Then Jiang Heng wouldn't have had the chance to get to him like this!

"Alright, Wuji, take your junior sister to settle in. Your uncle-master and I still have important matters to discuss. Once you've settled, come back," Jiang Heng said, sensing that his junior brother had endured enough for now. He waved his hand to dismiss the two disciples.

Zhang Yiyi obediently followed her senior brother out. Just before turning around, she sneaked a glance at Qiao Chu, only to be caught his gaze. Startled, she quickly turned away and hurried off as if nothing had happened.

Seeing the little girl skittishly scurry away like a frightened rabbit made Qiao Chu feel a mix of exasperation and amusement.

Forget it, he thought. Maybe it was for the best that she wasn't his disciple. If she was this timid without any scolding, who knew what kind of temper he'd have if he really started teaching her! With this bit of self-consolation, Qiao Chu's mood lifted slightly. However, Jiang Heng still owed him an explanation, and Qiao Chu wasn't going to let him off easily. After all, his senior brother was the true culprit behind all this.

"Alright, now that there's no one else around, I'm listening," Qiao Chu said after taking a sip of spirit tea, finally regaining his usual cool and indifferent demeanor.

Seeing this, Jiang Heng's expression became more serious.

Even though there were already protective arrays in place, Jiang Heng still cast a spell to prevent any eavesdropping or prying, ensuring their conversation would remain secret.

"Before our master ascended, he performed a divination for both of us. He said that Yiyi and I are fated to be master and disciple, but that your disciple won't appear until after your ascension. However, that's not the main point," Jiang Heng said solemnly.

"The most important thing is that Yiyi's fate is extremely unusual. If our master's calculations are correct, in a thousand years, this world will face a great catastrophe, and Yiyi might be the key to changing that fate. So, junior brother, while Yiyi has yet to grow, as her master, I, a True Saint of the Grand Ascension Stage, can provide her with the greatest protection and guidance."

"At the same time, you should know that your future responsibilities are far greater than anyone else's. You simply won't have the time to spend on teaching or protecting Yiyi. If you forcibly take her as your disciple, it will only harm both of you in the end," Jiang Heng finished.

After hearing these words, Qiao Chu fell into deep thought.

Their master's divination skills were unmatched in this world, and the great catastrophe had been vaguely mentioned to him in the past. He hadn't expected that Zhang Yiyi, the little girl, might be the variable that could change the outcome.

In that case, it really was the best arrangement to entrust such an important person to his senior brother's care and protection.

After all, Qiao Chu had chosen a path different from his master and senior brother. His cultivation had been stuck at the Nascent Soul Perfection Stage for several centuries. Even if he broke through to the Divine Transformation Stage soon, it would take at least a few hundred more years to reach the Grand Ascension Stage. And besides cultivating, he needed to spend a great deal of time and energy searching for clues and uncovering the truth.

"Why didn't Master ever tell me that he had divined our future disciples?" Qiao Chu asked casually after a moment, though he didn't press for more details about Zhang Yiyi's role as the variable.