Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Staring at the Oiled Paper Umbrella for a long time, we remained silent. I glanced at Mu Xue's Living Soul, which seemed to have recovered significantly after being nurtured by the Soul-keeping Umbrella, though it was still much weaker than when I had played with it in Li Da Ye's room.
Liu Bi seemed to sense the significance of the two old men and said nothing, merely fixating on the umbrella in their hands, as if afraid it would be taken away. After about three minutes, I heard Master Pan speak gravely to his master, "Do you think it is...?"
"What are you two being so mysterious about? If there's something to ask, just inquire with that ghost. The umbrella belongs to it; it must know its origins," Master Xiao interjected, unable to resist butting in.
Master Pan shot a glare at Master Xiao before turning to Liu Bi. "You are Liu Bi, right? Wizard Master—what kind of person is he? Is he doing well now?"
I found this a bit puzzling. Another mention of Wizard Master? They had just referred to this as Wizard Master's Soul-keeping Umbrella. What was going on? I remembered asking Liu Bi about the origins of the Oiled Paper Umbrella before, but he hadn’t told me anything, only saying we could discuss it later. It seemed that the mystery surrounding this umbrella was about to be unveiled.
Liu Bi nodded and bowed respectfully to Master Pan. I quickly introduced them: "This is Master Xiao's master, Master Pan. That is my master, Master X. This is Liu Bi, and this little girl is Mu Xue. Alright, you may continue."
Liu Bi said, "Hello, Master Pan. Hello, Master X. Do you both know my master?"
Both my master and Master Pan were taken aback simultaneously, clearly not expecting that Liu Bi was the disciple of the Wizard Master they mentioned. Master Pan remained silent for a moment before looking at my master, who spoke up: "As far as I know, Wizard Master has never taken on disciples. We met him a few years ago; how come we never heard he took on a student?"
From my master's words, it was clear they indeed knew Wizard Master and had a significant relationship; they just didn’t know why they lost contact later. As for Liu Bi, I only knew that his Birth Date and Time clashed with Mu Xue's; she couldn't see him after turning five. To ensure Mu Xue's stability, a Taoist priest kept him close by. That was all I knew. If that Taoist priest Liu Bi mentioned was indeed Wizard Master, then it made sense why my master was confused when I hadn’t clarified this part earlier. However, Liu Bi hadn’t told me that the priest later took him as a disciple.
Just as I was about to explain, Liu Bi respectfully said, "Master X, my master took me in four years ago because my Birth Date and Time clashed with my sister's. Afterward, I found Wizard Master. Once he had sorted things out for me, he let me stay by his side and eventually took me as his disciple to learn some Daoist Arts in hopes of changing my fate through certain means, but..." Liu Bi trailed off into silence.
"But what? You should say it," Master Pan urged anxiously.
Liu Bi felt a heaviness in his heart as he replied, "But my fate had not yet been altered when my master passed away."
"What?" Master Pan and the Wizard Master were momentarily stunned by the news, nearly stumbling to the ground. Their reaction clearly indicated a deep bond between them.
Upon hearing about the passing of a senior, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy. I felt a pang of sorrow as well; in this comfortable era, masters in this field were becoming increasingly rare. It could be said that with each one that left, another was lost.
Seeing the tension in the air, Master Xiao spoke up, "Master, who exactly is the Wizard Master? I've never heard you mention him before."
With a grave expression, Master Pan replied, "The Wizard Master was a longtime friend of ours. He was an expert in divination, and we often collaborated on challenging tasks. He was a master of the Southwestern witchcraft community and held great respect. However, some issues arose later that caused us to lose contact. We had significant disagreements over that matter, which led to an unpleasant fallout. Who would have thought that our argument would turn into a permanent farewell? It's truly tragic."
Listening to Master Pan's words filled me with an inexplicable sense of loneliness. The last encounter with a longtime friend ended in conflict; it was hard not to feel sorrow, regret, and heartache. My master sat on the sofa, unable to find peace for a long time. His wrinkled face was etched with sadness, and his gaze flickered with uncertainty. I noticed his eyes starting to glisten with tears. It had been a long time since I had seen him so distressed. I wanted to offer some comfort but didn't know where to begin.
After a while, Mu Xue seemed to sense that everyone in the room meant no harm and appeared less frightened. She floated over to where the coin had fallen after being knocked down by Master Pan, crouched down to pick it up, and then adorably hung it around her neck. Once she had it secured, she smiled sweetly at me.
Just as we were all enveloped in our sorrowful thoughts, I suddenly felt a buzzing in my head as the world around me began to spin. Oh no, the Imposter Yincai within me was stirring again.
Seeing my sudden distress, my master rushed over without a moment's hesitation and began performing various hand spells on me—on my fontanelle, my chest and back, and even on the hard lump on my inner thigh. After a flurry of activity, I gradually started to feel better; the pain subsided. I was astonished that he managed to suppress the restless Imposter Yincai within just a few minutes—his skills were indeed formidable. If it had been Master Xiao, it would have taken at least half an hour.
From start to finish, this was the most relaxed I had ever felt during such an episode. While I felt at ease, my master did not seem so; after finishing with me, he leaned on his hands for support and moved his waist around for a while before slowly saying, "I can only temporarily suppress it. If we want to eradicate it completely, there's still something we need to do tonight."
Lying on the bed and watching my master's weary demeanor made my heart ache. As the saying goes, "A master leads you through the door; your cultivation is up to you." By that time, I had already graduated from being his apprentice; as an independent individual, I had little connection with my former sect. Especially regarding business matters—yet I repeatedly troubled my master for my own issues and recklessly stirred up trouble everywhere. Whenever I found myself unable to resolve these messes on my own, it always fell upon him to clean up after me. To be honest, I wasn't an easy apprentice; at least in these matters, I had acted quite irresponsibly.
Master Pan approached and patted my master's back gently. "Ah, you old bones shouldn't worry about this anymore; I'll handle things before tonight."
"What else could possibly happen before tonight?" I asked in confusion.
"Do you think it will just stay quietly inside your body waiting for us to deal with it tonight? You have two choices now. The first is that I can set up a Yang Gathering Formation for you, and you can lie in it until evening. The second is that you go outside and stay under the sun until it gets dark."
I glanced at the clock; it was still early, and there were several hours until dusk. If I had to stay out in the sun for that long, it would be quite unbearable. I quickly replied, "Then I'll choose the first option, Master Pan. Thank you! Hehe." Staying inside would definitely be much more comfortable than being outside; only a fool would choose the second option.
As soon as I finished speaking, Master Pan chuckled and said, "But I don't have anything to set up the Yang Gathering Formation with; I'd have to go out and buy the materials, which is quite troublesome. So you can only choose the second option."
That old fox! He was just like Master Xiao, presenting a choice that wasn't really a choice at all. Fortunately, at that moment, my good brother Master Xiao stepped forward with a kind heart and said, "Master, what do you need to buy? I'll go get it for you. It's so hot outside; if Brother Liu has to stay out there all afternoon, he might suffer from heatstroke."
Master Xiao was still so understanding. I admired his willingness to endure hardship as he smiled cheerfully. Even Master Pan found it amusing; he had originally wanted me to suffer a bit to annoy my master, but now his "plot" was thwarted by his own disciple. At this moment, he felt quite helpless. He sighed and said to Master Xiao, "How come we, as proper Daoist teachers and disciples, are being bullied so thoroughly by you wild path Daoists?"
Comment 0 Comment Count