It was Li Chengzhi or my peace and sleep. Of course, I sacrificed Li Chengzhi. Sixth was happier to hear I had taken on a Prince as a disciple than if he were to have taken one on. Sixth had always been concerned about Mount Daluo. In order to make up for Shifu and I tarnishing Mount Daluo’s good na, he tirelessly strove to build our reputation into what it is today.
Sixth dedicated his life to Mount Daluo’s betternt. It was understandable for him to be concerned about Mount Daluo’s future when selecting a successor was a critical decision for any sect. Grandmaster’s sole disciple was Shifu. I was Shifu’s senior disciple, but I had yet to accept a disciple, and none of my five juniors were willing to before . Now that I had accepted a disciple, they could also begin the process of taking their own disciples, which ant that Mount Daluo’s expansion had been set in motion.
Holding onto my hands, Sixth asked, “We now have a next-generation pupil? Wonderful. May I ask who the talented individual you have chosen is?”
In consideration of Sixth’s personality, I chose my words carefully. “Uh… He is the scion of the noblest bloodline in this great land.”
“A mber of the imperial family?”
Just as I was, Sixth was hesitant to tie Mount Daluo up with the imperial family, though that was only for a mont.
“That is not too bad. Grandmaster is an old family friend of theirs. It is nice to have a descendent of Li Clan join our sect. It is admirable soone from the imperial family is willing to forego their privileges to join us.”
Sixth’s response showed his imnse prudence. At the sa ti he responded to my answer, he also reminded that anyone who joined as a direct disciple had to forfeit their political privileges and abide by Mount Daluo’s rules. He had discussed the plausibility of Mount Daluo becoming a supporter of a Prince back in Nanjiang. Shiniangs also encouraged to seek a Prince to support. While they sounded similar, they were two distinct goals, sothing Sixth made clear in a single sentence.
“You can rest assured. I know what I’m doing. I guarantee the individual in question has severed their ties to the imperial family.”
Unable to wrap his head around it, Sixth queried, “His Majesty has seven sons. Which of them have you taken under your wing?”
“Second eldest.”
“… The rebellious Prince Li Chengzhi, who was behind the Emperor Chengkong revolt? First Brother, that’s…”
“Wait, wait, wait! Hear out first. Li Chengzhi, uh… isn’t evil… villainous… heinous… at his core. Even if he’s rotten, he’s not rotten to the core. His Majesty can’t bear to lose his son, and he gave the order, so I’ve taken him under my wing. You can say we’re doing His Majesty a favour. Besides, since he’s been exiled from the imperial family, he’s no longer a mber of Li Clan, so he’s out of the political arena. Most importantly, he’s malleable.” I knew I almost had it set in stone once Sixth showed disproval with his expression. “Sixth, you think my choice is rash and thoughtless, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, I shall entrust this first disciple of ours to you.”
“To ?”
“Li Chengzhi has been spoiled rotten from the day he was born, and then he was fooled. He may have done mountains of foolish things, but he’s not evil by nature. You should…”
After I told Sixth a strict teaching plan to make Li Chengzhi wise up, Sixth finally relaxed.
“His future and Mount Daluo’s future lies in your hands now.”
“I will not let you down. I shall not return to Mount Daluo until he shows promise!”
“That’s overkill!”
“You need not talk out of it. I do not fear hard work.”
You may not fear hard work, but I fear being annoyed!
“Where is he now? Actually, I shall go find him myself. Tonight is the perfect night to train qinggong. If he trains well, he can sleep two hours and still make it in ti for internal discipline training at dawn!”
I did not know what to say when Sixth was so full of vigour, so I just said, “Break a leg… As long as he doesn’t die, I’ll leave you alone.”
Sixth gave a big nod and headed for the door, only to then stop and say, “One more thing.”
“Which is?”
Wearing the most serious look I had seen from him, Sixth answered, “Shifu is not on the mountain and probably not in Beiping.”
That explained Sixth’s expression without the need for another word. Due to Mount Daluo’s mission to watch over Six Evils, the patriarch was not permitted to leave Mount Daluo unless there was no other option. Besides taking around to expand my horizons, Shifu had never left the mountain out of the blue since I joined. Therefore, it was certain that sothing serious enough to require his intervention was imminent. If you placed yourself in my shoes, though, you would realise the severity was on another level.
Shifu… hasn’t found out about what I did and is looking for … is he?
“Does anyone know where Shifu has gone?”
Sixth shook his head. “Shifu enjoys travelling, but he has seldom left the sect in recent years. He would not leave ho without a word even if he wanted to catch a glimpse of Pangu’s ho in Nieyao, let alone knowing that it is inappropriate for him to interact with Six Evils as Mount Daluo’s patriarch. I believe Shifu would not make such a mistake.”
Great minds think alike. After hearing the report on the skirmish in Nieyao, Shifu could not have been less interested in Pangu. Based on what I knew, however, the longest he was ever interested in anything besides won was three days, so he had probably forgotten how to even spell “Pangu”. I could not imagine him being bored enough to tour Nieyao.
Sixth sped off to find Li Chengzhi, lest they missed the perfect night for qinggong training.
If Shifu cos for … what do I do?
Thankfully, Liu Shan n was still the sa Liu Shan n I knew it as, and nothing in my world had changed the next day. Unfortunately, I could not stop feeling paranoid that Shifu was lurking sowhere and waiting to make my life miserable.
Think as I may, I could not think of a way to locate Shifu. Dragons liked sleeping. Phoenixes liked wine. Shifu liked won. Those were three unchanging truths of the world. You could not pay to make believe he would go sowhere without beautiful won. Half of the beautiful won in the world were at…
“Could it actually be true that heaven on earth is in Suhang?”
Ever since Suzhou was placed in the hands of monks, the number of famous beauties from Suzhou did drop sowhat; or rather, there were less and less famous brothels. Consequently, Hangzhou, Suzhou’s neighbour, benefited.
Night Fortress kept the Seven Champion White Princes in check. Wutong Jin Yuxuan kept Night Fortress in sect. Thus, Hangzhou was a free city, allowing brothels to flourish.
“Shifu wouldn’t have gone straight to Hangzhou, would he…?”
“Hangzhou?” Lass Yu, who was quietly eating congee beside , gave a smile. “Brother Feizhen, are you coming with to Hangzhou?”
Glossary
Suhang – This is the na for Suzhou and Hangzhou combined. It is an actual na.
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