Chapter 119
Seeing his demeanor, Sun Daoyu couldn't help but ask curiously, "Has Qianyuan been wronged these past few days?"
Uncle Pang's tone carried a hint of sympathy, mixed with an undercurrent of happiness. "Wronged? Is it that Zheng Shidi has been unkind to him?"
The silver glint in Uncle Pang's eyes slowly faded, and a trace of disappointment crossed his face. "When I first saw Qianyuan on the day he arrived under Zheng Fa's tutelage, although he looked dejected, there was a flicker of expectation in his eyes. Perhaps he was even a bit happy to be away from your other senior brothers."
"But after a couple of days, the lights at Qianyuan's home burned day and night. I could see he was sleepless for nights on end."
"In recent days, he has shown even more distress. Every time he heads to Zheng Fa's place, his face is etched with anxiety and fear..."
Hearing his master say this, Sun Daoyu couldn't help but show concern. "What has Zheng Fa done to Zhou Shidi?"
Uncle Pang shook his head, anger simmering in his expression. "They often visit Zhang Shizhi's home. Each time they come out from that yard, Qianyuan looks as if his soul has been lost—he must be enduring inhumane torment."
"So, Master, you called me here?"
"Bring Qianyuan here!" Uncle Pang declared with authority. "He should know by now who truly cares for him!"
"Understood!" Sun Daoyu hurried off and soon returned with Zhou Qianyuan.
When Uncle Pang looked at his disciple, he felt a pang in his heart. Compared to the despondency of a while ago, Zhou Qianyuan now appeared almost disheveled.
His hair and face seemed neglected, strands of hair were unkempt, and he even had a bit of stubble. His Daoist robe looked like it hadn't been cleaned in days, covered in dust.
What troubled him even more was the vacant expression on his disciple's face—dazed and detached, as if he were lost in another world.
When he finally noticed his master, it took Zhou Qianyuan a moment to respond before he slowly bowed.
Uncle Pang felt a surge of anger within him. He had sent Qianyuan to Zheng Fa out of goodwill! How could Zheng Fa have turned his disciple into this?
"Qianyuan, you've suffered these days..." he softened his tone, addressing his beloved student.
"Mm..." Zhou Qianyuan seemed to recall something upon hearing this, his expression shifting from dazed to troubled, and his eyes even reddened a bit.
Seeing him like this, Uncle Pang's anger flared again, and he decisively stated, "From today onward, you won't have to follow Zheng Fa anymore!"
To Uncle Pang and Sun Daoyu's surprise, Zhou Qianyuan looked taken aback, his face contorted in conflict, and he surprisingly replied, "I want to go!" Uncle Pang furrowed his brow at his disciple's response. "You want to go?"
"Yes!" Zhou Qianyuan hesitated for a moment before adding softly, "Not every time, just thinking of going every now and then."
"Huh?"
"Master, why not talk to Zheng Shixiong and ask him to stop giving those pre-class quizzes?" Zhou Qianyuan suddenly pleaded. "I really can't keep up!"
"..." Uncle Pang began to understand that he might have misunderstood. "Tell me, what have they done to you?"
"..."
After listening to Zhou Qianyuan's account, Uncle Pang fixed his gaze on him, the sympathy in his eyes replaced by a steely resolve.
He asked quietly, "So you're saying they discuss talismans together and don't mind you listening in?"
"Yes..." Zhou Qianyuan mumbled, "After they finish discussing, they like to quiz me."
"And every time before they start discussing, they check if you understood what was said before?" Uncle Pang's expression remained neutral as he continued to question.
"Yes, he and Zhang Shijie say it's called 'teaching and learning from each other.' Zheng Shixiong even mentioned some learning method from a sage named Fei..." Zhou Qianyuan's voice was filled with despair, almost like a cuckoo crying blood, making listeners weep. "Master, these past few days, I've had to review their discussions every night, leaving me no time to sleep!"
He looked at his master with hope, pleading once more, "Master, please talk to Zheng Shixiong. It's better if he doesn't give those quizzes."
Uncle Pang stared at his disciple, silent for a long time.
Suddenly, he spoke, "So, they chat away while you stand there, dumbfounded?"
Zhou Qianyuan felt a bad premonition and lowered his voice, "Yes."
"Even if you can't keep up with them, you should be able to learn on your own at home, right?"
"Yes..."
Zhou Qianyuan's head drooped even lower.
"Then you deserve to be sleepless! There are only three Yuanying in Jiushan Sect! Three Yuanying!" Uncle Pang shouted. "There's Zhang Shizhi, and now Zheng Fa is the sect leader's disciple, and you are my disciple!"
"Out of the three, you're the least capable! Is it that you can't speak? No, it's that I can't speak!" Uncle Pang's anger boiled over. "In the future, when I see that Huang person, she’ll make me laugh to death! And you still have the face to complain!"
"Disciple... Master, you haven't taught me much!" Zhou Qianyuan murmured.
"What about Zheng Fa? He hadn't even taken a master yet!" Hearing this, Uncle Pang grew even angrier. "Do you think I don't know the sect leader? If he could teach his disciples, would any of them have fallen behind?"
"That Huang person! Pah! What can she teach? Zhang Shizhi is purely self-taught!"
"In the end, my disciple is the least impressive?"
"Well... I'm not the worst," Zhou Qianyuan weakly countered. "There's also Yuan Shijie; she's been listening longer and isn't much better than me."
"That! Is! Just! A! Bird!" Uncle Pang's lips trembled at this remark. "You compare yourself to a bird, and you still feel proud!"
Zhou Qianyuan fell silent.
Uncle Pang took a few deep breaths, slowly calming his tone. "Alright, this isn't entirely your fault."
"Master..."
A hint of gratitude appeared on Zhou Qianyuan's face.
"It's my fault!"
"Huh?"
"It's my fault for not teaching you properly and supervising you!" Uncle Pang gritted his teeth. "From now on, when you come back from Zhang Shizhi's, you come to me first!"
"Master, you mean..." Zhou Qianyuan's face slowly turned anxious.
"If my disciple can't keep up, I can only give you extra lessons!" Uncle Pang declared angrily. "I can't afford to lose face!"
"..."
After descending from the Eighth Peak, Zhou Qianyuan still looked a bit dazed.
"I was asking Master to lighten my burden..." he said to Sun Daoyu, who was beside him, feeling wronged. "Why does it feel like my burden has only increased?"
"How about I switch with you?" Sun Daoyu suggested, eyeing him sideways.
"This suffering is better suited for you, Shidi!" Zhou Qianyuan declared with righteous indignation, quickening his pace.
"Pah!" Sun Daoyu watched his retreating figure, then glanced toward Zheng Fa's courtyard, his expression tinged with a hint of longing.
...
In the market, Han Qi and his companions stood among the crowd, watching a group of senior brothers constructing a rather novel building.
Several Foundation Establishment senior brothers tossed out a few Strength Talisman (lìshì fú) and summoned several towering rock giants, who transported massive stones from the distant mountains.
In just one night, the new structure began to take shape.
The building was cylindrical, with no dome on top, and a large open space in the center.
Surrounding it were rows of seats, tiered from high to low, capable of accommodating around ten thousand people.
This was already the largest building in Jiushan Sect—considering that the entire sect, including families in the market, numbered only a few thousand.
"Building it this big, will it even be filled?" Han Qi's tall, lanky companion murmured.
"Shut up!" Han Qi scolded. "This is what Zheng Shidi wants to build!"
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 129: Trial Screening
When Han Qi mentioned Zheng Shidi, his lanky companion's face tensed up.
Not just him; even the nearby senior brothers who overheard their conversation wore expressions of unspoken reverence.
A rumor had been circulating in the market:
Zheng Fa, Zheng Shidi, had become the sect leader's disciple.
This news had initially come from Uncle Pang's faction.
At first, the market didn't quite believe it.
What good could come from Uncle Pang's faction?
They were known for spreading false information!
But neither Zhang Shijie nor Zheng Fa had appeared to deny it.
Uncle Pang's disciples spoke with conviction—most notably, they claimed that their master had tried to take Zheng Fa as a disciple but had failed.
This lent credibility to the rumor!
As the news spread, it became an unspoken secret among the people.
Affected by this rumor, the situation for Han Qi and his companions had become somewhat delicate—only the three of them could truly be considered Zheng Fa's people in the entire market.
Others had listened to Zheng Fa's directives before, but that was due to Zhang Shijie's trust in him.
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