Chen Lingjun would never dare pat that man on the shoulder. He refused no matter what, stopping just short of throwing himself on the ground and kicking up a fuss. The old scholar had to let it go. He asked Chen Lingjun to lead him out of town, skipping both Immortal's Grave and the Civil and Military Temple. Instead, they took a detour to the Dragon Whisker River to see the stone arch bridge, then stopped by the ruins of a little temple that resembled a Rest Pavilion.
Chen Lingjun ventured, "Venerable Master Confucius, was that tall old Immortal from the Daoist tradition at a really, really high realm?"
The old scholar nodded. "Very high. If his realm weren't high, the Dao Ancestor wouldn't have taught him Daoist arts. And in the early years, that Fellow Daoist did our human race a great kindness. That's why, among the twelve zodiac animals the Sage of Ritual established in accord with the Earthly Branches, his ranks very high. It's just that bullheaded temper of his... Never mind. Talking about someone behind his back wouldn't be decent."
Chen Lingjun looked worried. "But from his tone, it sounded like he had some bad blood with my master?"
What was he supposed to do? He certainly couldn't beat that old Daoist priest, and Venerable Master Confucius had said he would be intimidated by a fight with the Dao Ancestor. No matter how he looked at it, their side was at a disadvantage.
Obviously, he and Venerable Master Confucius were on the same side. A person couldn't let his elbow bend outward. What did it mean to roam the jianghu? It meant that when two gangs came to blows, even if your side was badly outnumbered and bound to lose, you stood with your friends and