He Can't Master It

He Can't Master It

Zheng Fa opened the <Complete Explanation of Talisman Diagrams, Book One> at Seventh Young Master's side. He looked at it this way and that, and finally saw four densely packed words between the lines:

"Save the child..."

He turned to look at the room filled with bookshelves and felt a little panicked. No matter how good his memory was, even growing another head would not be enough to handle a whole roomful of books.

Exhaustive enumeration had to die!

"Then how can I prove that I've mastered one hundred and eight Basic Origin Talismans?" Zheng Fa asked the question he had long wanted to ask.

He remembered that becoming a Talisman Master required being able to decipher one hundred and eight Origin Talismans. If that was all they tested, it did not seem like there would be so much to study.

Seventh Young Master sat down and began explaining to Zheng Fa. "I just said that the number of Talisman Diagrams is constantly increasing, right?"

Zheng Fa nodded.

"But the number of Origin Talismans is limited. No, that's not right." Seventh Young Master frowned. "Immortal Sect cultivators still aren't sure exactly how many Origin Talismans there are. But one thing is certain: there are far fewer Origin Talismans than Talisman Diagrams—far, far fewer. Some cultivators have even said that a single Origin Talisman can correspond to countless Talisman Diagrams. Basic Origin Talismans are the simplest and most common kind of Origin Talisman."

Zheng Fa vaguely understood what Seventh Young Master meant.

"For example, you deciphered two Basic Origin Talismans from those few Talisman Diagrams before. The Talisman Master examination is actually the same. It's just that there are too many newly created Talisman Diagrams, so you could never possibly see them all in these books. You can only analyze them on the spot based on your own understanding of Basic Origin Talismans. And not all Basic Origin Talismans are as simple as the two you deciphered."

"So memorizing all these books is impossible." Zheng Fa sounded a little disappointed.

"Memorize them? A whole room of books?" Seventh Young Master stared at him. "Are you joking?"

The innocent expression on Zheng Fa's face made Seventh Young Master slowly open his mouth.

"You... you're serious?"

Zheng Fa really was not joking.

If he memorized them, it would torture his memory.

If he did not memorize them, the only possible method was to keep learning Topology from Old Man Bai. That would torture his intelligence and self-respect instead.

But memorizing them was useless now, so he could only give Topology a try. Zheng Fa was not sure whether Topology could truly decipher every Origin Talisman, but at least it was a method with potential.

Thinking of Old Man Bai, Zheng Fa gently shook his head.

That old man—Zheng Fa had hoodwinked him for half a day last time, only for Tang Lingwu to shout "zoo"... The old man seemed to be growing disenchanted with martial arts again, as though he had lost his passion for them.

That would not do. A student growing weary of learning would affect this teacher's progress.

Early in the morning, Seventh Young Master yawned as he stood with Gao Yuan, watching Zheng Fa hold a stance on the training ground.

The sky had only just begun to brighten. Dew clung to Zheng Fa's hair and trouser hems, making it clear that he had been standing there for quite some time.

"When did he start practicing?"

Seventh Young Master asked Gao Yuan beside him.

Gao Yuan shook his head. "He was already here when I came to practice this morning."

Over the past few days, Gao Yuan had felt that his Pine Crane Stance was close to entering the beginner stage. He had been practicing even more diligently, often coming to train before morning lessons began. Yet when he arrived this morning, Zheng Fa had already been like this.

Seventh Young Master stared at Zheng Fa's face for a long while, his brow knitting slightly as though he were worried.

Looking at Gao Yuan beside him, Seventh Young Master patted his shoulder.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"I... I slept all right?" Gao Yuan answered hesitantly, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

"Zheng Fa has more talent than you and works harder than you. He got up before dawn to practice, yet you still slept so soundly?"

"..."

Here it came!

Gao Yuan wore the calm expression of someone who had long grown used to this and found it entirely unsurprising.

"Practice!"

"Oh!"

Gao Yuan took up a position beside Zheng Fa, his expression calm and utterly unbroken.

He assumed the Pine Crane Stance as well, silently reciting the Nine-Character True Words he had recently comprehended: Can't fight, treat it as a fart, this lord is trash.

The two practiced while Seventh Young Master did not leave. He simply watched them, seemingly lost in thought.

"Uncle! I was sleeping so well!"

A wail came from outside the training ground.

Then Instructor Xu's voice followed. "Sleep? Sleep what sleep! Zheng Fa has more talent than you and works harder than you. How can you still sleep?"

Those strangely familiar words made Gao Yuan unable to resist opening his eyes and looking toward the entrance of the training ground.

With one kick, Instructor Xu sent a bleary-eyed young man stumbling into the training ground.

Hearing how Instructor Xu addressed him, Gao Yuan knew that this young man was probably his nephew.

Instructor Xu's nephew still refused to accept it. "He's talented—he improves every day he practices. Give me his talent, and I'd be willing to practice every day too! But I don't have that talent. What harm is there in sleeping a little longer?"

Gao Yuan found himself thinking that made perfect sense. This man possessed great wisdom indeed.

"Are you going to practice or not?" Instructor Xu asked, clenching his fists.

"I'll practice! All right, I'll practice!"

Instructor Xu's nephew assumed a stance. It did not look like the Pine Crane Stance, but another martial art.

Seeing how unwilling he was, yet how he dared not resist, Gao Yuan could not help feeling a sense of shared misery. He offered the other man a friendly smile.

"What are you smiling at?" The man actually snorted when he saw Gao Yuan's smile.

Gao Yuan froze, then heard the other man glance at him, look at Zheng Fa, and let out a soft snort through his nose.

"Getting up so early—you're birds of a feather!"

The calm on Gao Yuan's face could no longer hold.

This lord is already so useless, and I still have to endure the jealousy that only geniuses should suffer. Is there any justice in this world?!

As the three practiced, Seventh Young Master and Instructor Xu exchanged a glance. The same worry surfaced in both their eyes.

The two walked to a corner and began speaking in low voices.

"What do you think, Instructor?" Seventh Young Master asked, glancing at Zheng Fa.

"He's too anxious." Instructor Xu frowned and shook his head. "I told them before that martial arts training cannot be greedy. Haste makes waste—the greedier one is for more, the easier it is to get injured. I thought Zheng Fa was a fairly steady child, so I never expected him to have this problem."

"Was he like this before?" Seventh Young Master asked, as though something had occurred to him.

"No..." Instructor Xu's expression shifted as he looked at Seventh Young Master. "Young Master, are you talking about Spirit Crane Body?"

Seventh Young Master nodded, his face heavy. "He probably has barely slept these past few days. He said he was comprehending Spirit Crane Body."

Instructor Xu looked toward Zheng Fa too, shaking his head with a sigh. "I said he was more free and easy than I was. Who would have thought... he's just like me. Things went too smoothly for him before, so when he met a setback, it was hard for him to let go."

Seeing that Seventh Young Master still looked worried, Instructor Xu reassured him. "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him."

Seventh Young Master nodded. He looked once more at Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan before turning and leaving.

In Madam's small tower, Seventh Young Master sat facing Madam. Each held a cup of tea.

"I never expected that after choosing two book attendants for you, you would be willing to visit me more often." Madam smiled.

"Mother!" Seventh Young Master huffed.

"Yes, yes, I know. It isn't because of those two."

"Speaking of which, Mother, find an accounting teacher for Gao Yuan." Seventh Young Master suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?"

"He studies well, has some aptitude for martial arts, and knows how to work hard and improve himself." When Gao Yuan was not around, Seventh Young Master no longer showed any disdain for him. "Find him a teacher to learn bookkeeping from. In the future, he'll be good enough to become the estate's chief steward."

Madam nodded and asked, "What about the other one?"

"Zheng Fa..." A hint of complaint appeared on Seventh Young Master's face. "He has talent in the Talisman Dao. He might even be able to enter the Immortal Sect... It's just that Spirit Crane Body you gave him, Mother. It would have been fine if he could master it, but now that he can't, he's been acting as though possessed these past few days."

"He was never going to master it." Madam lowered her eyes, looking at the steam slowly rising from the teacup before her.

"Mother?" Seventh Young Master slowly turned his neck and looked at his mother. "What did you just say?"

"He can't master it."

(End of chapter)