“And what did you think of them?” The old man asked as he stroked his beard.

“I think they are quite good. They do not stand down from injustice but also do not seem to want to cause trouble. They just want to cultivate and grow stronger.” Haruhi replied. She skipped the part where she felt Yuki was too cute and wanted to take her home.

“I see… When Nishikawa came to me I had my doubts which is why I sent you to see them. You have always had a good eye. Nishikawa treasures those two so make sure to watch over them and help them when they need it. As of now, they are only outer sect disciples but I am sure that it will only take a short time before they will enter the inner sect. As a core disciple and my personal disciple, besides Elder Nishikawa, you have the most authority in the sect. So I hope you will not let me down.” The old man reached out and placed his hand on top of Haruhi’s head.

    “Don’t worry, I took a liking to them both. I will be sure to watch over them. Although Master…. As the Sect Master, are you sure playing favorites like this is okay? Won’t the others get angry?” Haruhi asked. She was worried that the other elders will rebel if her Master sided with Elder Nishikawa too much.

“Haha… Let’s just say in this sect, besides me and Elder Nishikawa, there is no one else strong enough to go against us. While she is our guardian, she also does not care too much for the inner workings of the sect. But she is someone who will watch over her disciples and protect them with an iron fist. Take Rin’s incident, for example. Back then, Rin was dragged away by those demonic cultivators, and their entire sect was wiped out the next day. As long as no one does anything stupid, nothing major will happen. However, we will need to watch Elder Shoji. Haruhi, be careful. As the next in line to be sect master, you will need to watch your back from those jealous of your position. This is why I have only taken you as my disciple.” On the surface, everything seemed fine, but when you looked in the darkest corners of the sect, waves were stirring. 

“I will remember your words, Master. Umm…” Haruhi smiled as she asked: “Well Elder Nishikawa mind if I took her discip…..”

“Please don’t! How many girls have you stolen from the men of the sect? This is why the old men all call you a succubus. You even stole the fiancee of a prince not too long ago now you wish to steal one of Nishikawa’s girls?” The sect master sighed as he knocked Haruhi on her head. She grinned and stuck her tongue out.

“I can’t help it if they all want to be with me. I do not force anything!” Hurhi pursed her lips. She did not want to get in trouble, but this did not mean she would not welcome Yuki with open arms. Although she figured it might be hard with the tall girl at her side.

“Alright. Be good and go into seclusion for the next week. Try to break through to the astral realm.” The Sect Master smiled warmly. He was proud of Haruhi. She was his first and last disciple, and he had raised her since she was young. He thought of her as his own granddaughter 

“Then I will be off!” Haruhi ran off to her immortal cave, which was just around the corner, with a smile on her face. To her, the sect master was like her father. He had raised her since young and always protected her. She could only reach the heights she was at now because of him. 

As she entered her immortal cave, Haruhi thought back to the cute girl who had argued with Yuko and smiled. “I wonder how fluffy her tail is….” Haruhi was a special child not just because of her talent in cultivation but also because her eyes were special. She had what was called the all seeing eye that could see past any illusion. Only the sect master knew of this. So even Elder Nishikawa did not know that Haruhi knew of her and her new disciple’s true forms.

 - - -

On the road heading back to the sect, Ai held onto Ami’s arm while they walked. “Senior Sister Rin, I really have to thank you. Although it was hell, you helped me a lot. I was able to grow much stronger in a short time and am no longer afraid of demonic beasts.”

“I am glad you feel that way. I was really worried for the first few days, but after seeing you start to improve quickly, I have high hopes for you. I think now, with just you and Junior Sister Ami, you will be able to go off on your own without issues. If you want to stay close to those two, keep working hard and only rest when you are about to collapse.” Rin was quite amazed at how hard both girls worked. While Ai complained a lot, she had really bloomed during this mission which also served as training for her.

“We will be sure to work hard so that both Nana and Yuki will not see us as a hindrance,” Ai replied with determination.

“Oh, speak of the devil…. Hmmm? Is it just me, or is Nana carrying Yuki?” Ami had noticed another group of people walking down the road and saw that two of them were Nana and Yuki.