In her eyes, Li Hongjiu was indeed just a minor character.

But then again, if even she knew of Li Hongjiu, it proved that Li Hongjiu wasn't just any ordinary minor character.

However, she was genuinely curious as to why, out of so many available choices, Li Hongjiu was chosen. It seemed somewhat incomprehensible.

But after spending some time in the library, sitting in Dongliang Ying's position, she could probably guess where Dongliang Ying's perception of Li Hongjiu came from—likely related to those readers in the library who had lofty ambitions yet exaggerated prowess.

However, for the rest of the family, they knew very little about Li Hongjiu's situation. For example, Miss Dong Liangyi was always busy with life in the backyard, rarely interacting with outsiders, and at most overheard family discussions about outside matters.

Second Miss Dong Liangyu was also secluded on the second floor, with a similar situation.

The family head, Dong Wenshu, rarely discussed such matters with people he interacted with.

Apart from Dongliang Ying, who frequently sat and listened to discussions, it seemed that only the fourth son, Dong Liangze, had heard a little more, given the youthful nature of being dazzled by the outstanding figures of the new generation, yearning for the same for himself.

But Dong Liangze was also bewildered, not believing that Li Hongjiu had more qualification than those notable figures to become a mentor.

Totally perplexed as to why Third Sister would consider taking Li Hongjiu as a mentor.

Feeling a bit embarrassed under everyone's gaze, Dongliang Ying mumbled back, "A distinguished master is good, but those with insight have said my cultivation talent is not great. All it would be is a good backer, but does it truly lead me far on the cultivation path?"

There was something she felt uneasy confessing: Can one rely on others throughout life?

She recalled her father saying that the favor from the ancestors had already been used; it couldn't be relied upon forever.

She had already witnessed her cousin's unbearable condition post-punishment and her father's scars after being punished, things seemed past, yet still left her fearful.

The sense of helplessness experienced twice in a short span impacted her greatly — if she encountered the same situation in the future, what would happen?

The Affinal relationship with Cousin Jun in front of her is Cousin Jun's concern, not the future reliance of their whole family.

These words left everyone at the table silent.

Indeed, if there truly was cultivation talent, one wouldn't be stuck here for so long; they'd have been scouted by someone with sharp insight long ago.

Cultivation talent is two-fold, one involving the mind, the other involving physique and bones.

Even the Red-clothed Woman had to admit that the family's cultivation talent wasn't great, especially the second miss Dong Liangyu, who was sickly and not fit for cultivation at all.

After thinking, the Red-clothed Woman added, "Since you're aware your cultivation talent isn't great, and it doesn't matter who you find, why not choose someone who can be a strong backer?"

However, Dongliang Ying tried to say, "Sister Jun, it might not be the same; I've heard Li Hongjiu is the foremost figure among the new generation, a genius, able to rival Earth Immortal Realm experts with High Martial Cultivation, and he's said to have created his own cultivation method."

The Red-clothed Woman lightly patted her hand on the temple's mouth, "On the long road of cultivation, there have been countless who once shone brightly, but how many truly grew? The more stunning they are early on, the tougher the road ahead. Whether it's heaven's will, I don't know, but being unwelcome by others is inevitable, and only a few can withstand and stand firm. If his backing wasn't strong enough, someone would have crushed him long ago."

The family members seemingly grasped her message, but Dongliang Ying pondered a bit and still somewhat insistently said, "I heard Li Hongjiu's cultivation mode doesn't heavily depend on physique prerequisites. I also heard he's not diligent in cultivation, yet he can still become an outstanding figure, emphasizing more cultivation method understanding."

The Red-clothed Woman remarked, "So many people in Yanbao Sect can't comprehend his cultivation method; are you sure you can?"

Dongliang Ying replied, "Sister Jun, since even following a high-master may not lead to any cultivation success, why not try a potential path? If one year doesn't work, I'll try for ten years, and if ten years don't work, thirty years to fifty years. As long as there's a path, I'll follow it. My greatest advantage is having countless books at home; seeking solutions through them can be highly beneficial; it might aid me in achieving enlightenment!"

There was another aspect she didn't mention. Like her eldest sister, choosing an Artifact Refining Sect was partly due to the Extreme Fire Sect's influence. But she knew she wouldn't have any interest in Artifact Refining, realizing that any task she isn't willing to do won't be done well.

Her words left the family quite surprised.

Dong Wenshu began to show a trace of guilt, pondering whether he cared too little about his children's thoughts.

The Red-clothed Woman was also silenced by these words, looking at Dongliang Ying with deep astonishment, realizing these were not casual remarks — this girl had deeply pondered.

Probably, when she mentioned helping them find high masters, this girl was already formally considering this matter.

Ignoring whether there's cultivation talent, just based on these words, the Red-clothed Woman felt a bit moved, wanting to personally take her as a disciple but, alas, being a demon cultivator, she couldn't teach this girl and could only silently lament.

She had to secretly admire, not in vain being born into a scholarly family, nourished under a house full of books, they developed a deep-rooted insight, having unique perspectives at a young age.

Because of this, she also made a decision, deciding to do her best to fulfill this girl's desires, to see if she could live up to these words in the future.

After thinking a bit, she mused, "Becoming Li Hongjiu's disciple seems somewhat beneath you; he isn't qualified enough for my cousin to intercede. Fortunately, Li Hongjiu's mentor is the Sect Leader of Yanbao Sect, becoming his disciple makes you Li Hongjiu's junior sister, which should be a similar arrangement."

Dongliang Ying, however, hesitated and said, "Sister Jun, I've heard Li Hongjiu is quite lazy, and it's said his mentor has broken countless sticks beating him, punished frequently. If I become his junior, lacking any master-disciple duty, would he be motivated to teach me following his mentor's words?"

The Red-clothed Woman slightly frowned, "As you said, even his mentor can't control him. If he's lazy, being his disciple doesn't help either."

Dongliang Ying responded, "That's different; the title of master and disciple is there."

Everyone present could see it; the girl had her own ideas and had made a firm choice.

The Red-clothed Woman didn't continue the conversation either, sipping from her wine jug, having to consider a concern: requesting Yanbao Sect to do her the favor of accepting a disciple was plausible enough, but doing so to just become Li Hongjiu's disciple — what sense would that make?

Even Yanbao Sect probably couldn't understand it, it'd be suspicious, leaving acceptance even in question.

After taking a sip of wine, she licked the corner of her lips, glanced over at the Eight-cornered Tower Book Pavilion, and slowly agreed, "Let's give it a try."

Then she looked at Dong Liangyu and Dong Liangze and asked, "What about you two?"

Dong Liangyu said softly, "I'm fine with anything."

Knowing her own situation, being able to change her physique for cultivation is already good enough; she doesn't have the luxury to be choosy.

Dong Liangze glanced at the Book Collection Pavilion and tentatively asked, "Will Mr. Fu accept me?"

The Red-clothed Woman replied, "He's hard to figure out. He won't be leaving anytime soon; let's talk about it later. You eat first."

Some things were difficult for her to say openly. At the end of the day, it was because this family's cultivation roots were insufficient.

To be frank, tasty food is easy to swallow; making people swallow a lump of dung is understandably tough.

So, the family began to eat.

After just a few bites, Dong Liangze suddenly chuckled.

Dongliang Ying glared at him, "What are you laughing at? Whether Mr. Fu will accept you is still uncertain."

Dong Liangze, however, glanced at Dong Liangyi and teased, "I wasn't laughing about that, I was laughing about Wang Ping. Honestly speaking, he influenced our family quite a bit. For my sister's cooking skills to advance leaps and bounds, resulting in this delicious feast, we owe him thanks. Otherwise, we would have had to pinch our noses and swallow for who knows how long."

The whole family smiled knowingly, while Dong Liangyi lowered her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

The Red-clothed Woman, unaware of the story, curiously asked, "Does that Wang Ping have good cooking skills?"

Dong Liangze couldn't hold back his laughter and said, "When he left, he probably couldn't hold it any longer and said my sister's cooking was bad..."

Before he could finish, he couldn't hold back his laughter, nearly spitting out his food.

The Red-clothed Woman didn't understand the humor, but as Dongliang Ying whispered the full story in her ear, she finally got the joke. She also realized how tough it had been for Wang Ping, who seemed fine on the surface but hadn't lived a single good day here.

It forced the fellow to express his grievances even as he was leaving; how petty is he? How long was he holding in his frustrations? She couldn't help but smile and shake her head.

Seeing the family so happy together, she sipped her wine slowly, showing envy in her eyes. Her thoughts drifted elsewhere as she looked at the large stone with engraved characters in the courtyard.

After the meal, the sky turned completely dark, and the family was surprised to find that the Red-clothed Woman, this time, did not go into her room to shut the door after dinner as usual but went toward the Eight-cornered Tower.

Dong Liangyu was slightly worried, fearing Shi Chun hidden in the Book Collection Pavilion might be discovered.

The Red-clothed Woman indeed lifted her skirt and climbed the Book Collection Pavilion steps, finding the gentleman in a blue shirt reading by the lamp.

She walked to a nearby bookshelf, casually picked a book, and flipped through it, directly casting a sound-transmitting spell, "I'm recommending two apprentices to you."

The gentleman in a blue shirt didn't even lift his head, sound-transmitted his refusal immediately, "No."

The Red-clothed Woman sound-transmitted back, "I haven't even said who they are, and you're already denying it."

The gentleman sound-transmitted back, "You've hinted there's a lot of books here, and now you're talking about accepting apprentices. Besides the people in this library, who else would there be?"

The Red-clothed Woman: "The five members of this family aren't bad; take a look first."

The gentleman: "I can guess which five they are; I've met them all. Their aptitude is too poor, none are suitable. Forcing it won't work."

The Red-clothed Woman: "Four juniors have been arranged out; two are left. I spoke about this, and it's hard to go back on my word. Help me resolve one, and I'll find others for the rest."

Upon hearing this, the gentleman curiously lifted his head, looked at her, and sound-transmitted, "With their bones, anyone can tell at a glance they're unsuitable. Who would take them? Let alone two at once. Who have you recommended them to?"

He thought that those capable of making her speak ought not to be ordinary people; the more extraordinary, the less likely they'd take apprentices casually.

The Red-clothed Woman: "It's not that I recommended them; it's that they have chosen an object of apprenticeship in their hearts. I'm just helping a bit."

The gentleman: "Who are they?"

The Red-clothed Woman: "The eldest girl admires Situ Gu of the Refining Heaven Sect, while the third girl admires the disciple Li Hongjiu of the Yanbao Sect."

"..." The gentleman stared at her blankly for a while before coming to his senses and asking, "Did Situ Gu agree?"

The Red-clothed Woman: "Not yet. We were discussing this at dinner; haven't approached them yet."

The gentleman laughed, "Women do not know whether they're suitable for learning Fire Attribute Skills. What were they thinking? Besides, Situ Gu would never agree to forced apprentices. And who is this Li Hongjiu anyway? What an odd family. If you agree to this, what are you thinking?"

The Red-clothed Woman sighed, "I didn't expect them to make such choices either. If I knew, I should have been more cautious with my promises. It's been many years, and I have the feeling of talking big again. I don't care; you help me resolve one of them."

The gentleman snorted, continuing to bury his head in his book, "Don't say I didn't give you face. If you can get Situ Gu and that person to agree, I'll take one too. Otherwise, it's just talk, and me refusing is no different."

He lifted his eyes again, adding, "With Situ Gu's temperament, if something doesn't fit, even if you separate his head from his body, he won't agree. Even your family speaking won't help."

"Hmph, wait and see!" The Red-clothed Woman gave him a big eye-roll, tossed the book back to the shelf, gently adjusted the red flower at her temple, flicked her red skirt, turned, and headed directly for the stairs to the third floor of the adjacent building.

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