Apprenticeship Ceremony

"Ugh... my head hurts. I really shouldn't have drunk last night." Zhou Yi sat up in bed, clutching his head with both hands.

Zhou Yi was about to get out of bed. When he reached out to lift the blanket, he did not find the blanket—instead, his hand touched something hard. Turning his head, he saw a saber. Zhou Yi stared at it and fell into deep thought.

"Hiss, last night... what did I do last night?

Zhou Yi's thoughts gradually drifted back to the previous night.

After Zhou Yi became his apprentice, Cheap Master had dragged him off to drink, calling it an Apprenticeship Ceremony.

At the time, Zhou Yi had been full of confusion. Wasn't the Apprenticeship Ceremony supposed to be his treat? But he was poor as a church mouse, his pockets drier than his face. Where could he possibly get the money to buy Cheap Master a drink? In the end, however, he could not resist his master and was forcibly dragged along.

Once they arrived, Zhou Yi relaxed instead. It was not as if he had any money anyway; at worst, he could stay behind at the tavern and work as a waiter.

Thus, Zhou Yi ate with his master in peace. As they ate, the two began drinking. Having been tempered by his previous life, Zhou Yi's alcohol tolerance was nothing to scoff at. Yet who would have thought that, after drinking for a while, Cheap Master would begin to cry? Looking at Zhou Yi, he said, "I've been here for nearly ten years. Heaven has eyes—it has finally sent me such a promising seedling. After I'm gone, Qingzhu Village will have to rely on you."

At that moment, Zhou Yi was utterly dumbfounded. He had no idea what had provoked Cheap Master, but seeing his master cry so sorrowfully, he took the initiative to drink with him. Drink after drink, even with Zhou Yi's capacity, he was beginning to struggle.

When he looked at Cheap Master again, well then—he was like a boiled crab, his face so red it looked ready to bubble.

Zhou Yi went to settle the bill, but after searching himself for ages, he only found a few copper coins. He smiled awkwardly at the waiter. Seeing the waiter's expression grow increasingly hostile, Zhou Yi could only reach toward his drunken master and search him. Whoa—so he was a rich man after all. Zhou Yi pulled a silver ingot from Cheap Master's money pouch, paid the bill, and prepared to take his master home.

Supporting his master by the arm, Zhou Yi headed outside. Once they were out the door, Zhou Yi wanted to ask where he lived, but the drunken Cheap Master only kept muttering that he wanted to go to the Patrol Team's storeroom and pick out a weapon for him as a real "Apprenticeship Ceremony."

The moment Zhou Yi heard there was such a good thing, he immediately hauled Cheap Master to the Patrol Team's storeroom.

At the entrance to the storeroom, Zhou Yi saw an old man sitting there with his eyes closed. This old man was none other than the talisman master Zhou Yi had met earlier that day.

Hearing footsteps at the door, the old man opened his eyes. When he saw Zhou Yi and the drunken Qu Yong, his brows furrowed. "How did you get so drunk?"

Zhou Yi scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. "Master insisted on dragging me out for drinks today. I-I couldn't stop him, and so... he ended up like this."

Hearing the talisman master's voice, Qu Yong, who stood beside Zhou Yi, regained a little clarity and said, "Today is my first day taking this brat as my apprentice. As his master, I have to show some sincerity. I was just about to give him a weapon that suits his hand."

The old man smiled. "I knew it. I knew you would take this boy as your apprentice. All right, all right, go in."

Qu Yong gave the old man a salute. "Then, Old Qin, we'll be going in."

As he spoke, Qu Yong pulled Zhou Yi inside. Zhou Yi also saluted Old Qin. "Talisman Master, we're going in."

Old Qin waved a hand. "Now that you've become Qu Yong's apprentice, don't call me Talisman Master anymore. Call me Old Qin as well."

Zhou Yi nodded. "All right, Old Qin."

After saying that, Zhou Yi followed Cheap Master toward the storeroom.

Upon entering the storeroom, Zhou Yi was stunned. Weapon racks hung along the walls, and the dazzling variety of weapons upon them made his eyes swim. Racks also stood in the center of the storeroom, but they held not weapons, but all manner of objects: hairpins, embroidered shoes, vases... Most absurdly, Zhou Yi even saw a red dudou.

"These are all items tainted with Yin Energy. Every single item you see has claimed at least one human life.

"Although Yin Energy is harmful to people, weapons handled by Old Qin can not only absorb Yin Energy, but can also let that Yin Energy nourish them. That way, these weapons can harm the strange without the support of qi and blood or talismans, and the wounds they inflict on the strange will not heal easily. Normally, they must be exchanged with merit. Today, pick one. Consider it my gift to you."

Qu Yong explained this to Zhou Yi.

The moment Zhou Yi heard about Yin Energy, his eyes lit up. Qu Yong thought Zhou Yi was shocked by his "lavish generosity," never realizing that what Zhou Yi was thinking about was how to fleece all that Yin Energy in a "fair and aboveboard" manner.

Zhou Yi racked his brains for a long time. He needed to touch an object to siphon away its Yin Energy. If he touched them directly, his master probably would not allow it. He wondered whether he could use a weapon to touch the objects and absorb their Yin Energy.

Forget it. I'll give it a try. As Zhou Yi thought this, he began carefully examining the weapons on the wall. After all, these could be considered the "divine artifacts" of the beginner village—no, Qingzhu Village.