Chapter 109
"This is just perfect for you, Master..."
Such social anxiety usually doesn't invite any danger.
"He doesn't like people; in fact, he goes to places where no one dares to tread!"
"Huh?"
"He prefers ancient ruins and secret caves." The Master’s tone could only be described as mournful. "It's either getting trapped in a maze of ancient immortal caves or unearthing some sealed evil entity from the past. Every time, I have to go rescue him!"
"…"
Zheng Fa was at a loss for words, but he finally understood the Master’s fear of his disciples.
He even felt a twinge of sympathy.
Forget the Master’s trouble-averse personality.
Even an ordinary person would find it a headache to deal with these two prodigies.
"What about your other disciples, Master…"
"Two isn't enough?" The Master looked at Zheng Fa with a strange expression. "With these two disciples, no matter how wicked I was in my past life, I should be done with it in this one! So, I absolutely cannot take on a third disciple!"
Seeing the Master’s resolute attitude, Zheng Fa paused for a moment and nodded. "I understand what you mean, Master."
"You understand?" The Master was taken aback by his calm demeanor and asked, "You’re not going to… try to negotiate again?"
"Will begging you change your mind?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Then I won’t put you in a difficult position, Master."
Zheng Fa said decisively.
"You really are a good disciple." The Master hesitated for a moment before speaking dryly.
"Then I have a request."
"But we really aren’t suited for each other!"
"I’m not asking you to take me as a disciple; I just want to discuss a few stories I’ve written with you."
"Oh? You’re interested in this?" The Master readily agreed. "That’s fine; I’ve read most of the stories in the Xuanwei Realm. I can give you some guidance!"
…
As Zheng Fa stepped out of the thatched cottage, Senior Sister Yuan looked at him with a hint of concern.
Zheng Fa shook his head at her.
Senior Sister Yuan pouted at the cottage but said nothing, as if she had anticipated this.
Unlike when they first arrived, she wasn’t in a hurry now and didn’t insist on giving Zheng Fa a ride back.
The two walked side by side down the mountain.
"Zheng Shidi, how about I try to persuade the Master again?"
"You’ve already done your best, Senior Sister Yuan." Zheng Fa shook his head in refusal. "If I say more, I might just annoy him."
"It’s fine; this old man is actually quite nice. At most, he just won’t listen to me—he finds getting angry too troublesome."
Zheng Fa nodded.
Despite the Master claiming to dislike trouble, when he actually took on a disciple, he worried quite a bit.
Let’s not even mention the senior brother who tried to redeem a demoness with love.
Even that adventurous second disciple, who repeatedly found himself in peril, the Master was always willing to go rescue him.
Often, people avoid taking responsibility not because they are irresponsible, but because they see the weight of responsibility as too great, causing them to hesitate.
A person like the Master makes for a wonderful teacher!
"Actually, it’s not just you." Senior Sister Yuan sighed. "The moment I transformed, this old man kicked me down the mountain and told me to stick with Senior Sister Zhang, saying he wouldn’t take care of me anymore—he just likes being alone, playing in his little world."
"Speaking of which, I should thank you for your kind words, Senior Sister."
Zheng Fa suddenly straightened up and sincerely thanked her.
"That day, you spoke well of me in front of Senior Sister Zhang. It’s only right for me to say a few good words for you in return," Senior Sister Yuan waved her hand. "But I didn’t really help much."
Zheng Fa turned back to glance at the thatched cottage on the mountainside and suddenly said to Senior Sister Yuan, "There’s something I need to ask of you."
"What is it?"
"I promised the Master I’d show him a few stories, so I’ll need you to deliver them to him."
"Just that little thing? No problem!"
Seemingly feeling a bit guilty for not being able to help more, Senior Sister Yuan readily agreed.
…
"Zheng Fa! The Master wants you to come again!"
About ten days later, Senior Sister Yuan burst into Zheng Fa’s study, excitedly telling him.
"Go again?"
"Yes!" She grabbed Zheng Fa, ready to take him up the mountain. "Haven’t I been delivering your stories these past few days? The Master suddenly told me today that he wants you to come again!"
"Wait!"
"Wait for what?" Senior Sister Yuan urged. "It must be that your stories impressed him, and he’s changed his mind about taking you as a disciple!"
"Senior Sister, please tell the Master that I’ve come up with a new story and don’t have time to go up the mountain—there’s a new one, and I’d like you to bring it to him as an apology!"
Zheng Fa struggled to break free from Senior Sister Yuan’s grip.
"No time?" Senior Sister Yuan looked at him suspiciously, narrowing her eyes. "Why do I feel like you’re scared?"
"Scared? I’m not scared!" Zheng Fa immediately shook his head, then seemed to remember something and asked Senior Sister Yuan, "Do you think if I wanted to stay in Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard for a couple of days, she would agree?"
"…" Senior Sister Yuan sized him up for a moment, puzzled, before taking the new book he handed her and flying up to the Ninth Peak.
…
"Where’s Zheng Fa?"
What Senior Sister Yuan didn’t expect was that as soon as she reached the mountain, she found the Master, who hadn’t left his abode in a thousand years, waiting at the door of the thatched cottage.
"He said he’s busy."
"Busy?"
The Master scoffed, about to say something, but then noticed the book in Senior Sister Yuan’s hand, and a flicker of hesitation crossed his face.
"What do you have there?"
"Zheng Shidi said this is a new story—he’s offering it to you as an apology!"
"Apology?" The Master gritted his teeth. "Bah! Keep it away! The stories he sends, not even a dog would look at!"
With that, he waved his sleeve and kicked open the wooden door of his cottage, storming inside.
"…"
Senior Sister Yuan glanced at the book in her hand, then at the tightly shut door of the cottage.
She finally understood why Zheng Fa was reluctant to come.
But… why?
Unable to contain her curiosity, she waved her hand, and the plants on the mountainside grew rapidly, intertwining to form a single-person nest-like chair.
Senior Sister Yuan lay back in the nest and began to read the storybook, quickly becoming engrossed.
After all, she was a cultivator, and her reading speed was incredibly fast. After a short incense stick’s time, she realized her fingers had run out of pages, only to find she had reached the last page.
But…
"What’s next?!"
A frantic voice came from the cottage.
"Master! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t read it?"
Senior Sister Yuan was taken aback, finally realizing that the old man had been squatting in the cottage, using his spiritual sense to read along with her.
"I didn’t want to read, but you were sitting at my door reading! How could I resist?"
The Master pulled open the door, his face dark with frustration.
"Zheng Shidi… does he always send stories like this?"
Senior Sister Yuan said, a dawning realization hitting her.
The Master nodded.
"No wonder he didn’t dare to come up!"
"I’m going down!" The Master suddenly gritted his teeth.
"You’re actually going out?" Senior Sister Yuan looked a bit startled.
"Lead the way!"
Senior Sister Yuan guided the Master directly to Zheng Fa’s courtyard.
But by this time, Zheng Fa’s home was already empty.
The Master swept his spiritual sense across the area, sneering, and with a flick of his hand, he and Senior Sister Yuan vanished from Zheng Fa’s home. The next moment, they appeared in the main hall of Senior Sister Zhang’s house.
Zheng Fa was still packing his belongings, chatting with a somewhat confused Senior Sister Zhang, and hadn’t even had time to settle in when he suddenly saw the two of them appear before him.
"Master?" Senior Sister Zhang exclaimed in surprise. "You came down the mountain?"
The Master completely ignored her, only coldly sneering at Zheng Fa, "Running away? Where do you think you can go?"
"… I just felt a bit tired of staying at home." Zheng Fa’s voice was low.
"Tired of staying at home? Then you should finish writing the stories for me!"
The Master scoffed:
"In the first one, you wrote about a male protagonist who took on a treacherous disciple, only to have that disciple steal his secrets and conspire with his partner to slander him as a name-dropper. After a lot of trouble, the protagonist falls into a cave, learns a supreme skill, gets a divine weapon, and finds a stunning beauty to accompany him, ready for revenge…"
Senior Sister Zhang and Zheng Fa listened intently, thinking the story sounded quite good.
"But then you just stopped writing before the revenge battle?"
"…"
Senior Sister Zhang glanced at Zheng Fa, as if understanding why he had run away.
"In the second story, the protagonist is even worse off. He’s a great sect leader, a renowned hero! But he’s actually a descendant of the demon race, betrayed and slandered by his subordinates, and on top of that, he’s framed by the mastermind behind the scenes—after enduring all sorts of hardships, he’s finally about to see the true face of the mastermind, and you stop writing again?"
"I haven’t left every story unfinished," Zheng Fa muttered defensively.
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