Farming In The Eastern Cultivation World-Chapter 69: The First Disciple

She stretched her small hand out, reaching for the half-shredded meat, but suddenly pulled it back.

The burly man pounding the meat had just raised his mallet high to smash down again when he noticed a little girl sticking out her hand nearby. Startled, he barely managed to stop the downward swing in midair.

"Whoa there! Where’d this little girl come from? Get back! Don’t you know how dangerous this is?"

Bok Taejin had already chased after her and quickly scooped Yoon Areum up into his arms.

He was panting and had to catch his breath before he could speak, then hurriedly apologized to the man.

"Brother Taegeon, I’m sorry about that. She came back with me. I wasn’t watching her closely just now."

He had actually seen Yoon Areum running over earlier, but after walking such a long mountain road back to the village, the moment he relaxed, fatigue hit him hard.

His legs just didn’t want to move anymore.

The little girl, having ridden in the cart the whole way, obviously still had energy.

"She came back with you?" Heo Taegeon’s eyes widened. "Weren’t you, Beomhyeon and Taehyeon just off at the market? How’d you end up bringing someone back?"

Yoon Areum squirmed in Bok Taejin’s arms, twisting and turning, her hands grabbing at the air—clearly still trying to snatch some meat to eat.

Bok Taejin smiled bitterly. "I bought her. I’ll explain everything to you all tonight. Brother Taegeon, let me take her to get something to eat first. Rumi’s completely starving."

Heo Taegeon waved him off. "Go ahead. Hey! Looks like our village has one more person now!"

He grinned and the arm holding the mallet seemed to move with even more vigor.

The villagers of Hwayang Village had always wished for more people in the community, but because of the village’s unique environment, even though living conditions were decent, it was still difficult to attract brides from other villages.

On top of that, for some unknown reason, the birth rate in the village wasn’t high.

And when children were born, they were usually boys—girls were few and far between.

As a result, the number of bachelors remained high and population growth was always a struggle.

Lately, the village had suddenly gained two new people—what a joyous event!

Bok Taejin had originally planned to let the little girl eat something first, then take her to see Second Uncle.

But some villagers who saw Yoon Areum—and then learned about the whole situation from Im Beomhyeon—happily ran straight to the house where Second Uncle was sorting medicinal herbs to share the good news.

When Second Uncle came to see the little girl, she was sitting just outside the main kitchen, cradling a large bowl of minced meat porridge and slurping it down with loud gulps.

This so-called "porridge" had very little rice.

It was made by taking the crushed meat left over from making jerky, adding in leafy greens and water, cooking it down until thick, then tossing in a small amount of millet.

Once the millet softened, it was ready.

The greens and millet balanced out the richness of the meat, making the whole thing fragrant and flavorful.

Second Uncle looked on and nodding his repeatedly. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Being able to eat was a blessing! Being able to eat meant good fortune! For someone from Hwayang Village, not being able to eat well simply wouldn’t do. They weren’t afraid of someone eating too much—only afraid someone couldn’t eat at all!

Bok Taejin felt like the light around him dimmed slightly. When he looked up, he saw Second Uncle standing nearby, his face beaming with satisfaction.

He immediately spoke up. "Second Uncle, I’d like to trouble you to be a witness for something!"

Im Beomhyeon, who was also sipping on minced meat porridge nearby, heard this and burst out laughing again. "What’s your hurry? You’ve already bought your little bride, do you afraid someone’s going to snatch her away? Don’t worry. If anyone tries to steal her, I’ll help you beat them up!"

Second Uncle stroked his beard thoughtfully and said with some hesitation, "Little bride? Taejin, you and that girl are both still very young..."

Yoon Areum, for her part, acted like she hadn’t heard anything. She kept slurping her porridge, not paying attention at all.

With Second Uncle present, Bok Taejin felt emboldened. He shot Im Beomhyeon a glare and then spoke with all seriousness, "Second Uncle, I plan to take Yoon Areum as my disciple. That’s why I asked you to come as a witness. Once the girl finishes the formal bow and becomes my first disciple, if anyone in the village keeps joking around, I’ll be counting on you to help discipline them."

Im Beomhyeon was stunned. When he saw Second Uncle happily agree, he practically exploded in outrage.

"Bok Taejin! What do you mean by that? If you’ve got the guts, call out who exactly’s been joking!"

Bok Taejin grinned cheerfully at him. "Whoever speaks up is who I’m talking about. Anyway, the little girl will be my very first disciple. I’ve got to train her well so she can bring honor to the sect in the future."

Im Beomhyeon snorted and turned his head away, no longer speaking.

Bok Taejin then gave Second Uncle a brief summary of Yoon Areum’s situation.

He also explained that the little girl was a special case, and since he wasn’t currently at the sect, there was no need for a formal ceremony—just having her bow in front of Second Uncle would be enough.

Yoon Areum happened to have just finished her porridge.

Second Uncle waved her over and told her to kneel and kowtow to Bok Taejin.

The little girl, now with a full belly, was completely content.

She didn’t really understand what kowtowing meant, but she knew Bok Taejin was the one who had bought her, so she obediently completed the ritual.

Bok Taejin didn’t feel much different at first—but the glowing point between his brows had already begun to cheer with excitement.