Chapter 36

The disciple gently comforted Jiang Luo a few times. Jiang Luo tucked away his melancholy and forced a brave smile. 'I'm fine.'

The grief he forced down made his expression fragile and beautiful. The disciple squinted at him, pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to Jiang Luo, saying warmly: 'The dead cannot return to life.'

Feng Li happened to call out: 'Jiang Luo.'

Jiang Luo took the handkerchief from the disciple, dabbed at tears that weren't there. 'Thank you, Senior Brother. Who should I call you?'

The disciple said: 'Just call me Senior Brother Qiao.'

Jiang Luo thanked Senior Brother Qiao, walked over to Feng Li. 'Mr. Feng.'

Feng Li looked at the lingering sorrow in his expression, his handsome brows furrowing, and said directly: 'Would you be willing to take me as your master?'

Take Feng Li as his master?

Of course Jiang Luo was willing!

If the protagonist's gong from the original text became his shifu, it would be the hardest life-saving card in his hand. Jiang Luo also understood why Chen Pi had brought him to Tianshi Manor, but he didn't agree immediately. 'Mr. Feng, I already have a shifu.'

Chen Pi hurried to say: 'It's fine, don't mind your shifu. You've grown up and your shifu hasn't taught you anything—he really hasn't fulfilled a shifu's responsibility. The Heavenly Master is originally your shishu. With the Heavenly Master teaching you, your shifu will be at ease and happy for you in his heart.'

Feng Li quietly waited for Chen Pi to finish.

Jiang Luo's expression was troubled. Chen Pi, afraid he wouldn't agree, lowered his voice and persuaded Jiang Luo a few more times. Feng Li had never had the experience of actively taking a disciple who was unwilling. He couldn't name what he felt, but beyond displeasure there was also a certain novelty.

After a moment, Jiang Luo finally nodded. 'Alright, I'll take Mr. Feng as my shifu.'

The apprenticeship ceremony was both complex and simple. A Heavenly Master taking a disciple wasn't much different from an ordinary person taking one. Jiang Luo followed the others' prompts step by step, finally pouring a cup of tea and offering it to Feng Li.

Feng Li took a small sip, and the master-disciple bond was sealed.

Once the idle onlookers had left, Feng Li brought Jiang Luo to The Study. 'You should already know the location of the Third Trial.'

Jiang Luo nodded. 'Only that it's in the Xiangxi Region.'

Feng Li sat down. 'I cast a hexagram for you yesterday. The omen is extremely inauspicious.'

Jiang Luo's smile froze.

Feng Li spoke as evenly as if he were remarking on the weather, not saying anything frightening. 'The Third Trial will be very dangerous for you. From now on, aside from school, you must spend all your remaining time at the Feng Clan, strengthening your abilities.'

Jiang Luo nodded crisply. 'Understood.'

Feng Li said: 'All the books to your left must be finished within ten days.'

Jiang Luo turned to look left and saw an entire bookshelf of books—from Classic of Mountains and Seas to Book of Changes, from The Qingwu Classic to Zangshu, plus several brick-thick volumes of Local Customs and Folkways. A full bookshelf, looking like it weighed at least several dozen jin.

'...' Jiang Luo. 'Ten days to finish all of them?'

Feng Li nodded without changing expression. 'Start reading now.'

After saying this, he left The Study.

Jiang Luo had reasonable grounds to suspect Feng Li was retaliating for his hesitation about taking him as master, but he couldn't disobey what Feng Li had said. So he took two unread books from the top of the shelf, sat down on the carpet, and began reading.

Fortunately, he'd already supplemented some of the titles before. Overall, the pressure was great but not impossible.

By the time Jiang Luo finished one book, it had grown dark. The Feng Clan disciples had prepared a room for him, and Jiang Luo didn't stand on ceremony—he stayed the night at Tianshi Manor.

Early the next morning, before dawn, Jiang Luo was woken by a knock. He got out of bed and went to open the door. 'Who is it?'

Outside stood Senior Brother Qiao, whom he'd met once before. Senior Brother Qiao wore a loose daoist robe. 'Shidi, time for morning practice.'

Jiang Luo: '...'

What kind of ridiculous rules did Tianshi Manor have?

He reluctantly changed clothes, pulled up his collar, and followed Senior Brother Qiao out for morning practice.

Senior Brother Qiao looked thin, but his breathing didn't change while running. Jiang Luo's stamina had recovered well after days of training. Perhaps out of boredom during the run, Senior Brother Qiao asked curiously again: 'Shidi, why would you fall in love with an Evil Presence?'

Jiang Luo had already classified Senior Brother Qiao as a fellow gossip enthusiast like Ye Xun, and replied smoothly: 'It's a long story.'

Senior Brother Qiao said: 'We need to run ten laps. You can tell it slowly.'

Five minutes per lap. Jiang Luo told him the story of himself and Chi You. Senior Brother Qiao listened with great interest, and at the end his eyes flickered slightly, seemingly moved by their tale. He said with genuine feeling: 'You two are such a pity.'

Jiang Luo sighed.

On the last lap, the two of them shifted from jogging to walking. Senior Brother Qiao, apparently not sated by the story, enthusiastically pointed at The Artificial Lake they were passing. 'Have you two dated by Lake Side too?'

Jiang Luo nodded casually. 'There are lots of couples by Lake Side at night. When he brought me, he'd specifically find a spot with no one around.'

'I see,' Senior Brother Qiao's smile deepened. 'How romantic. Lake Side at night—the moonlight must be lovely?'

'Who says it isn't?' Jiang Luo's eyes grew distant with memory. He smiled bitterly. 'That's the most beautiful scene in my memories.'

Senior Brother Qiao said warmly: 'I can imagine it.'

For the rest of the way, Senior Brother Qiao's interest showed no sign of flagging, and he asked many more questions. 'What intimate things have you done with the Evil Presence?'

Wenren Lian had once asked this same question. Jiang Luo curled his lips wickedly. 'Everything that should and shouldn't be done, we've done.'

His brows and the corners of his eyes were full of rich laughter and a hint of captivating mischief. 'Although I'm not a man of strong desires, when my partner has that need, how can a man back down? Even if he's a ghost, doesn't he still have to perform?'

A double entendre—subtly indicating his position on top, while quietly smearing Chi You.

Jiang Luo was extremely satisfied with his answer.

Senior Brother Qiao suddenly laughed aloud. Meeting Jiang Luo's puzzled gaze, Senior Brother Qiao barely held back his laughter and waved a hand. 'Nothing, nothing. Shidi, look ahead—someone seems to have broken into Tianshi Manor without permission.'

Jiang Luo looked in the direction he pointed. Sure enough, behind the trees there was indeed a human-shaped shadow hiding.

He and Senior Brother Qiao exchanged a glance. The two of them crept closer and discovered that the person hiding behind the tree was a woman with exquisite makeup. Her face frequently appeared in various TV dramas—she was a currently popular A-list celebrity. Jiang Luo thought for a moment and remembered this person seemed to be called Bai Qiu.

'Miss,' Senior Brother Qiao spoke. 'How did you end up in Tianshi Manor?'

The female celebrity was startled, nearly screaming. Fortunately her reason overcame her physical reaction—she covered her mouth in time and turned her head, her face ashen.

Looking closer, one could read her true condition through her makeup. Dark circles under her eyes, unnaturally bright blush on her cheeks—the obvious work of cosmetics. Her lips were cracked, her eyes threaded with red veins. Even heavy makeup couldn't conceal her exhaustion.

Jiang Luo remembered—Bai Qiu had seemed to carry this troubled look for some time now. When he occasionally used his Mobile Phone, he could see unscrupulous media outlets questioning whether Bai Qiu was on drugs.

Senior Brother Qiao seemed not to have recognized at all who this woman was. 'Miss, Tianshi Manor doesn't permit unauthorized entry.'

Bai Qiu's tears fell at once. She cried softly: 'Shifu, please, please let me see the Heavenly Master, I beg you.'

Whatever cosmetics she used, crying so piteously hadn't ruined her makeup. Instead she looked pitifully lovely, making one's heart soften involuntarily.

Jiang Luo had expected Senior Brother Qiao to soften, but unexpectedly—though his tone was kind—Senior Brother Qiao refused without mercy: 'If you want to see the Heavenly Master, please wait outside the gate.'

Bai Qiu was stunned, then fixed Senior Brother Qiao with a heartbreaking gaze. 'Shifu, I truly have an extremely urgent matter. Please make an exception for me.'

She tried to grab Senior Brother Qiao's leg for a tearful plea, but she hadn't expected this plain-looking man to be far more ruthless than she'd imagined. The moment her hand rose slightly, Senior Brother Qiao stepped back preemptively. 'I'm sorry, these are the rules of our Tianshi Manor.'

He looked lenient, his tone polite, but Bai Qiu sensed a certain cold cruelty. She shivered inexplicably and couldn't help but stop crying, forcing herself to say: 'Shifu, I know the Heavenly Master isn't easy to see. Actually, I didn't necessarily have to see the Heavenly Master. There are so many capable people in Tianshi Manor—I just want to find someone who can solve my problem. Shifu, can you solve my problem? I can give you a lot of money! I have money, I really have money!'

Senior Brother Qiao looked down at the woman, his eyes holding no warmth. He was about to refuse, but something seemed to occur to him, and he suddenly smiled. 'Why don't we go sit aside and talk? If I can help you, I'll certainly do my best.'

There happened to be a Pavilion nearby. Seeing the woman's delighted expression, Jiang Luo couldn't help but marvel at Senior Brother Qiao's kindness. 'Senior Brother Qiao, do you know what trouble she's in? Isn't it a bit unwise to agree to help without knowing anything?'

Senior Brother Qiao: 'It's fine. If it's beyond my ability, I'll just refuse her. Just listening won't cost me much time.'

Jiang Luo sighed inwardly—this person was too kind-hearted.

The three of them moved to the Pavilion. The female celebrity instinctively looked around, then realized she was in Tianshi Manor, where there were no paparazzi, and relaxed with a complicated expression.

She clutched the bag in her hands, her expression somewhere between hatred and intense love. 'I... fell in love with a man.'

'I love him so much. I love him so much that when he asked me to retire from the industry, I wanted to nod in agreement without hesitation.' Bai Qiu lowered her head, looking at her fingers, murmuring. 'For the cuisine he likes, I specifically signed up for classes to learn it. Whatever style he likes, my clothes and styling move toward that style. He doesn't like having other men in my phone, so I cut off contact with all my colleagues, male friends, and precious connections... I...'

She suddenly looked up, her eyes desperate, at Jiang Luo and Senior Brother Qiao. 'I suspect I've been cursed.'