Chapter 22
He said it was just a discussion, but both Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan understood that he was essentially saying, "You two should fight, and I'll watch."
The Seventh Young Master sauntered out of the study.
Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan stood frozen in place.
No one spoke.
Zheng Fa turned to look out the window, pondering the Seventh Young Master's intentions.
To him, it made no difference whether there was one or two book boys, but for Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan, the distinction could completely shatter their already precarious relationship.
To him, this matter was merely like tossing a bone to two dogs and watching them scramble for it.
Just for fun.
"Why don't you stay?"
In the midst of his thoughts, Zheng Fa suddenly heard Gao Yuan's quiet voice.
"Huh?"
Zheng Fa was taken aback by this statement. He turned to look at Gao Yuan, whose expression was a mix of self-deprecation and gloom.
Gao Yuan, however, didn’t meet his gaze; he was staring at the shelves filled with books.
"Honestly, if we really had to choose a book boy, it should be you," he said calmly. "You have more talent than I do, whether in martial arts or studies."
Zheng Fa shook his head.
To be honest, if it weren't for modern times, he would find it hard to say he was more talented than Gao Yuan.
Moreover, would someone like the Seventh Young Master care about a book boy's talent?
"I’m injured," Gao Yuan's next words made Zheng Fa understand why he suddenly gave up.
"It's kind of funny, I actually wanted to compete with you," Gao Yuan said with a hint of self-mockery. "You mastered the Songhe Stance in just three days, while I practiced for three or even four hours every day, ignoring my father's advice. Now my leg's meridians are injured, and I need half a year to recover before I can train again."
"So, it’s not that I’m letting you win; I just don’t want to humiliate myself any further."
Gao Yuan's gaze finally met Zheng Fa's, filled with pain but also a hint of relief.
Zheng Fa opened his mouth to speak.
But Gao Yuan interrupted him: "Don’t pity me. Even if I go home, my father has plans for me. If you go home, you’ll have nothing left."
Zheng Fa: ... Well, you sure know how to persuade someone.
When the Seventh Young Master entered, his curious eyes darted between Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan.
It seemed he was trying to figure out if they had come to blows.
To his slight disappointment, both of their faces were calm, their clothes neat, and the atmosphere between them was even more harmonious than before.
"So, how did you two come to an agreement?"
"Seventh Young Master, I’m not very knowledgeable, so I willingly—"
"Stop!"
The Seventh Young Master raised his hand, interrupting Gao Yuan.
"Who said you could decide who stays and who goes?"
"…"
"My book boy, of course, I’ll choose myself!"
He looked at the two of them, his eyes narrowing with a hint of delight in playing with their emotions. "Actually, if you two had fought just now, I might have enjoyed it enough to let you both stay."
"But now, since the show I wanted to see is gone, I’m quite unhappy." He crossed his legs and sat back in the chair at the desk. "How about you both just get lost!"
"You!" The Seventh Young Master squinted at Gao Yuan. "You haven’t even mastered the Songhe Stance yet, have you? Wait, your leg is injured?"
His gaze swept over Gao Yuan's leg, and he seemed to see right through it.
Gao Yuan replied quietly, "Yes."
"You seem to have some talent?" The Seventh Young Master turned to Zheng Fa. "You mastered the Songhe Stance in just three days."
This person usually didn’t say much to Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan.
But he seemed to know everything about them.
"Even Coach Xu said you’re a talent and wanted to take you as a disciple." The Seventh Young Master tapped his fingers on the desk, smiling. "But the Songhe Stance is too weak, and you started training too late. You’re not qualified to stay by my side."
Zheng Fa didn’t even know that Coach Xu had any intention of taking him on as a disciple.
The Seventh Young Master stood up and walked around Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan.
"One has an injured leg, and the other can only throw a few punches..." He shook his head and suddenly said, "Gao Yuan!"
"Yes!"
"I don’t want him, but you, I’ll give you another chance! Didn’t you get those talismans that that fool copied secretly? How well do you understand them?"
"Seventh Young Master..."
Gao Yuan's face turned pale; he hadn’t expected the Seventh Young Master to know about this.
He even suspected that the book boy who had secretly copied the talismans he had been studying for days might have been known to the Seventh Young Master all along.
Now Zheng Fa had a hunch that those drawings might have been intentionally leaked by this Seventh Young Master.
"If you can learn something from them, don’t say you’re injured; even if you were a cripple or a fool, I’d still keep you around!"
The Seventh Young Master's gaze was unusually serious.
Zheng Fa knew he truly cared about this matter.
The Seventh Young Master picked up the talisman book he always carried and opened it, placing the familiar patterns in front of Gao Yuan.
He then set out paper and pen, gesturing for Gao Yuan to begin.
"You’ve been looking at these for days. What have you figured out?"
Gao Yuan looked at him, his expression a mix of longing and resignation.
He knew that if he could show even a hint of talent in this, he could stay.
But...
"I'm just a dullard..."
Gao Yuan didn’t even pick up the pen; he simply lowered his head.
"Fool!" The Seventh Young Master shook his head, somewhat disheartened. "You two..."
Suddenly, Zheng Fa stepped forward and picked up the brush in front of Gao Yuan.
"Huh?"
The Seventh Young Master frowned at Zheng Fa.
He knew very well that Gao Yuan had spent several days studying those drawings.
But Zheng Fa... he had only glanced at them a few times!
On the blank paper in front of him, Zheng Fa began to draw the two patterns that Teacher Bai had given him.
Gao Yuan watched from the side as Zheng Fa made very simple strokes, which looked nothing like the complex drawings.
Just doodling?
But seeing the expression on the Seventh Young Master’s face, he knew it was something more!
The Seventh Young Master furrowed his brow, staring at the tip of Zheng Fa's brush, as if it revealed something he hadn’t anticipated. After a long moment, his gaze shifted from the paper to Zheng Fa's face.
"Did you figure this out on your own?" His voice had taken on a slightly sharp tone.
Even Gao Yuan could see that the two patterns Zheng Fa had drawn were significant. He couldn’t help but smile bitterly to himself: it turned out he had been a bit too self-important... Zheng Fa probably didn’t need his help at all.
"No."
Zheng Fa set down the brush as if it had been a casual sketch.
"Who taught you this?" The Seventh Young Master quickly pressed on.
"No one taught me; it’s something I worked on with Brother Gao," Zheng Fa said, smiling at Gao Yuan. "Right?"
"Ah?" Gao Yuan stared blankly at Zheng Fa.
"Oh?" The Seventh Young Master squinted, scrutinizing Zheng Fa for a long time before suddenly turning to Gao Yuan. "Go get my lunch. And make sure to bring him an extra portion!"
He pointed at Zheng Fa.
Gao Yuan hesitated, glancing at Zheng Fa, who nodded before he got up and left.
---
**Chapter 26: No Deference at All**
After Gao Yuan left, the Seventh Young Master's gaze turned icy as he looked at Zheng Fa.
"Playing the brotherly bond in front of me? Do you think I’m a fool? Those two talismans were your own insights, weren’t they?"
"Talismans?" Zheng Fa’s focus shifted slightly.
"Yes, you don’t understand anything, no wonder you’re willing to say you both figured it out together." The Seventh Young Master laughed in anger. He pointed at the book in front of him. "Gao Yuan should have told you that the patterns in this book are talismans from the Immortal Sect."
"He mentioned it."
Zheng Fa nodded.
"What he said wasn’t accurate. I’ll tell you the truth: these things aren’t talismans from the Immortal Sect at all, and they have no real power. In fact, they’re called talisman diagrams, and only by comprehending the essence of these can you prove you have talent in talisman arts."
"No wonder the Zhao family isn’t pursuing the matter of these being leaked." Zheng Fa realized.
He had suspected this before.
If they were truly talismans from the Immortal Sect, Gao Yuan’s father could easily obtain them; that would be too trivial.
Now it seemed his earlier guess was correct.
The Seventh Young Master, or rather the Zhao family, had intentionally allowed these talisman diagrams to circulate among the servants.
"There’s a bit of intention behind it," the Seventh Young Master seemed to read his thoughts. "If someone in our Zhao family has the talent for talisman arts and can comprehend the essence from these diagrams, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for us."
"The two patterns I drew are the essence?"
"Exactly!" The Seventh Young Master said with a smile. "What you deciphered are the two simplest essences, and the minimum requirement to become a talisman master is to master at least one hundred and eight essences."
Zheng Fa looked at the Seventh Young Master and hesitantly asked, "Seventh Young Master, are you studying this book because you want to become a talisman master?"
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