Chapter 31: Acknowledging the Master

Seeing me frozen in place, Old Man Jiang did not rush to deal with me again. Instead, he sat down in an unhurried, composed manner, took a sip of tea, and slowly said, “When you were a child, you were tormented by a hundred ghosts. Saving you was originally a simple matter, but I did not find it troublesome. I boiled spiritual cleansing soup, set up a formation, used three major hand seals in succession, drew a soul suppression talisman, and helped you overcome the hundred ghosts, sending you a share of merit. If you were not my disciple, why would I go to such trouble? Which of those steps was not something that grinds away at one’s skill and effort? Especially using three major hand seals in succession, for someone with shallow cultivation…” he let out a cold chuckle.

At that moment, I was still a bit confused, but I vaguely felt that Old Man Jiang had done a great deal for me as his disciple. My parents, however, had already grasped the implication in his words. Back then, when I was tormented by a hundred ghosts, he could have handled it in a much simpler way. But in order to give me a share of merit, he chose an extremely difficult method instead.

Just like the evil ghost currently haunting my second sister, he could also resolve it simply. But he was unwilling to casually create new cause and effect for me, and instead wanted to help me accumulate more merit.

That kind of intention was truly moving.

Moreover, my father, at certain times, was quite shrewd himself. He instinctively began to consider things for me. He knew that this matter of taking in a disciple could no longer be refused, but after careful thought, it actually seemed like something worth being happy about.

First, Old Man Jiang clearly had deep intentions toward me. This was not just teaching skills, but something closer to a master and father relationship. Under such a master, I would be well taken care of.

What my father did not know was that Daoist metaphysical arts place great importance on inheritance and cannot be casually passed on. But once a direct disciple is taken in, that disciple is treated like a half son, or even a real son. Old Man Jiang had lived a lonely life, and now that fate had brought him a son, how could he possibly treat me badly?

Second, my father vaguely suspected that Old Man Jiang’s identity was not ordinary. He remembered the so-called high ranking official style clothing Old Man Jiang had worn when he left seven years ago. More importantly, he remembered that dedicated phone call made to Beijing, and the extraordinary voice that came from the other end of the line. If his son followed such a person, it would surely be better than staying in a rural village. As long as the child had prospects, then the small matter of family attachment was not something to cling to. After all, a capable man should aim for the wider world. How could home become a shackle?

One can only sigh at the boundless love of parents.

As for the third reason, my father did not look down on Daoists or mystics at all. Although he was uneducated, he had heard many folk tales and quite a few proper stories, including Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He knew that in ancient times there were often important people beside emperors who were highly respected. These people could observe stars, read geomancy, or use various secret arts, and even emperors had to treat them with respect.

Especially founding emperors often had such figures beside them. Was Zhuge Liang not one of them? He simply felt that someone like Old Man Jiang, a true expert, would definitely be valued. The reasoning was simple. If ancient emperors respected such people, there was no reason modern leaders would not recognize the traditions passed down by their ancestors.

After my father, who was usually very sharp in critical moments, had sorted out these three points, he did not even wait for me to speak before loudly scolding me.

“Third Child, what have I taught you? If you do not repay kindness, you are worse than an animal. Master Jiang in front of you is your savior. Not to mention taking you as a disciple, even if he told you to go and be his son and support him in old age, you would not be allowed to say a single word against it! Do you hear me? Kneel down and call him Master!”

Indeed, the education I received since childhood was exactly like this. I deeply despised those who repaid kindness with ingratitude. In my eyes, such people were worse than pigs and dogs. The old, calm man in front of me had saved my life. If I did not repay him, then I really would be worse than a dog.

Fine then. My Red Army dream, goodbye. My heroic warrior dream, Chairman Mao, I have failed you. I could not become a glorious soldier of the Liberation Army under your command.

My heart was in complete turmoil at this moment. But as a man, one must have principles.

After silently mourning my dream for a while, I walked forward and shouted, “Master.”

I was about to kneel.

“Wait…” Old Man Jiang suddenly held me up and said, “The formal bowing ritual cannot be done so casually. Our lineage has proper apprenticeship rites. It must be done properly. But this address of Master, I accept it. Before the formal ritual is completed, you are only half my disciple. That is all.”

Heh. Who said I actually wanted to kneel? Since he stopped me, I was more than happy. Half disciple, full disciple, it made no difference. I would still eat, sleep, and go to school as usual. What could this old man do to me?

That was the childish part of me. I did not yet understand that Daoist apprenticeship was not something so comfortable, and I underestimated the weight this master would have in my life.

“Disciple, go pour me some tea and give my shoulders a massage.” Old Man Jiang instructed me.

I wanted to refuse, but when I turned around, I saw my father’s stern gaze. Thinking about it again, I was already his disciple now. What else could I do?

As the saying goes, when you are under someone’s roof, you have to bow your head. Even if this was a cheap master, I still understood the principle of being filial to one’s teacher. I had also heard enough stories from Journey to the West to know that even the capable Sun Wukong had to listen to the powerless Tang Monk.

So I obediently went to pour tea, handed it to him, and then, full of reluctance, stood behind him to massage his shoulders. I was angry, so each press was quite heavy.

But the harder I pressed, the more comfortable he seemed.

“Yes, a bit more strength. Harder,” he said.

Damn it, why was this old man so shameless? He was even asking for more force. I gritted my teeth and pressed harder and harder, practically venting my frustration on him, but he remained as steady as iron, completely unaffected.

While I was panting from exhaustion on one side, Old Man Jiang casually said, “Actually, I came back to the village yesterday. Last night I was already at that graveyard, and I saw what happened to your second sister.”

“You were there yesterday?” My father was extremely surprised. He could not understand how Old Man Jiang could see through everything at a glance.

“Yes. I am not an actual immortal. I cannot instantly deduce the full cause and effect of everything. Last night I originally intended to act, but there were ordinary villagers nearby. It would have been hard to avoid prying eyes. Some things are better left unknown to ordinary people. Moreover, this matter originated from Third Child. I did not want to create additional karmic burden for him, so I held back and planned to come today to discuss it with you all.”

Old Man Jiang slowly explained the situation.

At this moment, my mother finally could not hold back. Ignoring my father’s repeated eye signals and attempts to restrain her, she rushed in front of Old Man Jiang and asked, “Master Jiang, since you have taken Third Child as your disciple, are you going to take him away?”

My father sighed and said nothing. He could not blame her for asking, because this was also what pained him most.

Old Man Jiang was momentarily stunned and had not yet replied when my eldest sister suddenly stepped forward.

“Master Jiang, then let me become your disciple instead. Please do not take my younger brother away. If there is no boy in the family, my parents will have a hard life in the village when they grow old.”

My eldest sister was very sensible. It was difficult to imagine she could think this far, and even more difficult that she would be willing to become a Daoist apprentice for my sake. She was proud and academically excellent, with many dreams in life, none of which involved becoming a Daoist nun.

As for me, I could no longer even bother to be angry at Old Man Jiang. I wanted to say something, but I could not find the words.

First, although I was disrespectful toward Old Man Jiang, I did believe he had real ability.

Second, I did not remember his life saving kindness clearly, but deep inside I had already accepted that I should repay him. I was simply not good at expressing emotions, and always hid them behind jokes and defiance.

Third, the tiger claw amulet around my neck had truly saved my life. The sound of that tiger’s roar was something I could never forget. I knew it was not an ordinary object. The fact that Old Man Jiang gave it to me when I was so young proved he truly cared for me. As the saying goes, one does not give without receiving.

I did not want to leave my parents at all, but I also could not bring myself to refuse. So I simply stood there blankly in front of Old Man Jiang, unable to speak.

Old Man Jiang let out a long sigh. He stood up, patted my eldest sister on the head, then patted my head as well, before finally speaking.

“Little girl, I know you are sensible, but this kind of master-disciple fate cannot be replaced by just anyone.”

Then he turned to my mother.

“I will not take Third Child away right now. I will stay in this village and live on the mountain nearby with him. He can still stay with you normally. However, after he turns fifteen, he will have to leave with me. This is not because I am cold-hearted and want to separate mother and son. It is because some things are destined. Forcing him to stay would only bring harm. Third Child does not have strong parental destiny. This does not mean he cannot be with you, only that he cannot stay by your side all the time. It does not mean you will never see him again, nor that he cannot support you in your old age. There will still be time together. Do not think too pessimistically.”

Old Man Jiang never lied. My parents knew this well. Just like when he once said I had a disaster that would affect the family, which later proved true.