Cheng Xiaofan's steps faltered as Shen Ruobing knelt before him, a strong urge to turn and leave seizing him.
Hadn't she already performed this ritual? Why the sudden need for another round? It felt like an excessive display of etiquette.
Truthfully, seeing Shen Ruobing in such a posture filled Cheng Xiaofan with a sense of dread. He worried that if he emulated her, the two beauties, Ling Qingcheng and Gu Shishi, would soon be kneeling by his side as well.
"Xiaofan, what are you waiting for? Help Ruobing up!" Bai Yiling, seeing her man seemingly stunned by the kneeling beauty, couldn't help but cover her mouth to stifle a giggle and urged him on.
With his own Bai Goddess giving the command, Cheng Xiaofan had no room to refuse.
He stepped forward, took Shen Ruobing's arms, and said, "Ruobing, your breakthrough in craftsmanship is a result of your usual hard work. There's no need to be so formal; please rise!"
"And you don't need to call me 'Master.' Just call me by my name, like everyone else!" Cheng Xiaofan added.
Shen Ruobing replied with a touch of apprehension, "That won't do. You are my Master. I would never dare to address you by your name!"
"..." Cheng Xiaofan found himself unable to argue this point.
He quickly changed the subject, deliberately asking, "I heard from Yiling that something happened at your home. What exactly is it that requires you to rush back immediately?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Ruobing's eyes reddened, and she said, "Reporting to Master, the matter that has occurred at home is quite complex. I will report the specific details to Master once I have a clearer understanding of the situation upon my return."
In truth, Shen Ruobing was also bewildered by the dream she had experienced the previous night.
She could never have imagined that in her dream, she would visit the Shen family ancestral hall in C City to announce her breakthrough in craftsmanship to her ancestors.
Craftsmanship, much like martial cultivation, was divided into nine realms of Innate cultivation.
Although Shen Ruobing had just entered the Innate realm, this represented a significant breakthrough in her craftsmanship and indicated her potential to reach the level of her ancestors.
It was only natural for Shen Ruobing to report her progress to her ancestors.
What she hadn't anticipated was that in her dream, her ancestor would impart the 'Thirty-Six Secret Techniques of the Shen Family Bridal Bed' to her.
Even more surprisingly, immediately after receiving the secret manual, she was ambushed, and the shock of the attack jolted her awake from her dream.
At that moment, Shen Ruobing woke up drenched in sweat.
Initially, she dismissed it as merely a dream and paid it no mind. However, as she turned, she encountered a familiar brocade box by her bedside.
Shen Ruobing was utterly stunned!
She opened the brocade box and immediately discovered a piece of yellow silk within.
Taking out the yellow silk and unrolling it, Shen Ruobing saw the 'Thirty-Six Secret Techniques of the Shen Family Bridal Bed' drawn by Shen Yanwang.
She finally understood that everything she had experienced in her dream was real.
As dawn broke, Shen Ruobing received a call from home, informing her of the death of Ye Kezi and the escape of her second uncle, Shen Lixia, in the early hours of the morning...
This news struck her with immense force.
Shen Ruobing could not fathom that her second uncle, Shen Lixia, who had always treated her as his own, would secretly arrange to have her killed for a mere secret manual.
She was fortunate to have been saved by an unknown divine object in her dream; otherwise, she would not have seen the sunrise that morning.
However, Shen Ruobing didn't know how to convey these events to Cheng Xiaofan.
Naturally, Cheng Xiaofan understood Shen Ruobing's predicament.
He nodded, took out a jade pendant from his person, and handed it to Shen Ruobing. With a smile, he said, "This is a protective jade pendant I made. I originally intended it for my Bai Goddess, but I'll give it to you now. Perhaps it can protect you when it matters most. Wear it!"
"Thank you, Master Cheng!"
Shen Ruobing knew that anything Cheng Xiaofan gifted her would not be ordinary. She immediately accepted it and put it on.
Just as Cheng Xiaofan had predicted, as soon as Shen Ruobing fastened the protective pendant, Ling Qingcheng and Gu Shishi rushed forward impetuously.
"Master Cheng, please accept my bow!" Ling Qingcheng said.
At the same time, Gu Shishi exclaimed, "Master Cheng, accept my bow too!"
"No, please don't kneel before me!" Just as the two beauties were about to fall to their knees, Cheng Xiaofan extended his hands. From a distance of three meters, a force stopped them abruptly.
'Master' was merely a title. Nowadays, anyone, be they alive or dead, could be called a Master.
In the realm of calligraphy, someone who could write a few characters would be hailed as a calligraphy master.
Those who could perform a few dances on stage would be called dance masters.
Individuals who published a few articles in newspapers and magazines were immediately proclaimed as masters of the novel, essays, poetry, and so on.
Nowadays, Masters were as common as wheat, appearing everywhere. One could even find several Masters in the most disreputable establishments.
In Cheng Xiaofan's mind, titles like 'Master' could be bandied about casually, but the act of kneeling was something he would absolutely not accept lightly.
"Ah, Master, please release us..." At this moment, Ling Qingcheng and Gu Shishi, suspended in the air by an invisible force, flailed their legs, genuinely terrified.
Cheng Xiaofan chuckled and said, "It's not difficult to release you two beauties, but you must agree to one condition: please stop calling me 'Master' and refrain from performing any kneeling rituals before me!"
Ling Qingcheng became anxious, asking, "Then why can Sister Ruobing call you Master?"
"Exactly, didn't you accept Sister Ruobing's kneeling bow?" Gu Shishi chimed in.
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and replied, "People are different. Shen Ruobing has entered the ranks of craftsmanship, and the cultivation method she practices shares the same origin as something I control."
"It is for this reason that I can accept her kneeling bow, but you cannot!"
With that, he suddenly retracted his hand. The two women, losing the support of the force, tumbled to the ground with a thud.
"Ouch, that hurt!" The two women were so pained that tears almost welled up.
Having suffered such a setback, Ling Qingcheng and Gu Shishi no longer dared to pester Cheng Xiaofan.
Simultaneously, they seethed inwardly, thinking, This guy is truly not a gentleman, lacking any tenderness or consideration for beauties.
Hmph!
How are we any less than Shen Ruobing?
What nonsense about sharing the same origin in cultivation methods! It's a pure excuse!
Cheng Xiaofan paid no heed to the two women. He hurried to the boat, retrieved golden tea from his spatial storage, and went ashore, presenting two bags to each of the beautiful women who had traveled from C City.
Upon receiving the golden tea, all the women beamed with delight.
"Thank you, Cheng Xiaofan!" Ling Qingcheng and Gu Shishi's resentment towards Cheng Xiaofan instantly vanished, and they said with broad smiles.
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and replied, "You are all good sisters of my Bai Goddess. There's no need to be so formal."
He then turned to Bai Yiling and said, "Yiling, escort them out. I won't be accompanying them!"
Bai Yiling piloted the helicopter, taking the six women into the air.
After watching the aircraft disappear from view, Cheng Xiaofan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, hoping that Shen Ruobing would not encounter any danger during her trip back to C City.
He had a premonition that Shen Lixia had not left C City.