Favor

Zheng Fa quickly understood why Gao Yuan said the Seventh Young Master had become like him.

This day, as the morning light had just illuminated the eaves of the roof, dewdrops still clung to the blades of grass by the roadside.

As soon as Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan arrived at the study, they saw the Seventh Young Master sitting upright, reading a copy of the Complete Explanation of Talisman Diagrams, his brush still drawing on the paper as he read, extremely focused.

Zheng Fa couldn't help but glance at Gao Yuan, who gave him a slight nod.

"How long has this episode been going on?"

"Two days," Gao Yuan replied.

"He must have had a major shock!"

Zheng Fa frowned; the Seventh Young Master's behavior was truly abnormal.

Among the three of them, it was hard to say whether Zheng Fa or Gao Yuan was the most diligent and serious, but the laziest one was definitely the Seventh Young Master.

Usually, when they arrived in the morning, the Seventh Young Master would still be asleep, let alone sitting at a desk so diligently studying on his own initiative.

Gao Yuan's description of the Seventh Young Master being like him was very accurate:

Zheng Fa had a habit of memorizing what was in books and then slowly understanding it. To outsiders, he often seemed to be daydreaming rather than reading.

Gao Yuan preferred to ponder books, reading and taking notes simultaneously. When he encountered difficulties, he would scratch his head—just like the Seventh Young Master, who was currently scratching his head in frustration.

BANG!

The Seventh Young Master at the desk angrily flung down the brush in his hand and stood up, glaring at the open book in front of him, gritting his teeth as if he wished he could fight the book for three hundred rounds.

After sulking for a while, he finally looked up and saw Zheng Fa and the other man at the doorway.

"Young Master, what is this?" Zheng Fa asked.

"Hoo... My mother told me my sister is coming back," the Seventh Young Master said, letting out a long breath.

"Eldest Young Lady? Didn't Eldest Young Lady go to the Immortal Sect? She's coming back?"

Zheng Fa had grown up in the village and didn't understand the internal relationships of the manor as well as Gao Yuan. It was only when he heard Gao Yuan speak that he learned that the Seventh Young Master's legendary elder sister, the Immortal Seed of the Zhao Manor in this generation, was ranked first in the Zhao Manor.

"But what does Eldest Young Lady's return have to do with you working so hard, Seventh Young Master?" Zheng Fa still didn't quite understand the Seventh Young Master's change.

"Although my sister went to the Immortal Sect, she writes to my mother every ten days or so. Her letters are all about urging my mother to supervise my diligent study of talisman arts, and she said she'll test me when she returns."

Understood, the Seventh Young Master was suffering from pre-exam anxiety.

"But if Eldest Young Lady is going to test you, Young Master, then let her test you. Why do you care so much?" Gao Yuan asked.

Zheng Fa understood his meaning. If the Seventh Young Master had even a shred of respect for exams or shame about his grades, he wouldn't have become Mr. Shen's secret disciple, whom Mr. Shen was reluctant to mention.

"You don't understand my sister," the Seventh Young Master said, his expression looking somewhat unbearable to recall. "When I was young, my brothers from the front courtyard and I would go out and fool around. My sister would come with a stick, find us in the front courtyard, and beat them so badly they couldn't get out of bed for three days."

"My sister was only ten years old then."

Zheng Fa had already heard some rumors about the structure of the Zhao Manor. The overall power of the Zhao Manor was largely in Madam's hands, but the front courtyard was managed by the old master of the Zhao Manor, the Seventh Young Master's father. Madam rarely interfered.

The front and back courtyards were clearly separated. The master of the Zhao Manor in the front courtyard did not concern himself with worldly affairs, was rumored to be dissolute and indulging in wine and women, and kept many beauties and illegitimate sons and daughters in the front courtyard.

The "brothers" the Seventh Young Master mentioned were likely these people, and their "fooling around" was probably a tactic within the inner chambers.

Gao Yuan, who knew the inside story even better, said with a look of emotion, "An elder sister is like a mother. Eldest Young Lady truly cares for Young Master."

The Seventh Young Master grinned. "After she returned to the back courtyard, she beat me too. I couldn't get out of bed for three months. If she knew that I have been, well, a bit lax for the past ten years..."

Zheng Fa: ...This is still a tiger mom. No wonder the Seventh Young Master is so panicked.

At lunchtime, Zheng Fa left the study and walked towards his own home. Ever since his mother and sister moved into the Zhao Manor, Zheng Fa ate at home almost every mealtime.

Watching his retreating figure in the distance, the Seventh Young Master let out a soft sigh and leaned back in his chair, seemingly much more relaxed.

"Young Master?" Gao Yuan looked at him, then at Zheng Fa, who was walking away.

"Gao Yuan..." The Seventh Young Master stood up, walked to Gao Yuan's side, and patted his shoulder. "I was too harsh on you before, Young Master."

He suddenly spoke like a normal person, which made Gao Yuan's face fill with alarm. "Young Master, I can't stop Eldest Young Lady when she comes to beat you!"

"Get lost!"

His gaze was still fixed on the direction Zheng Fa had gone, but the Seventh Young Master's mind recalled what his mother had told him earlier.

Zheng Fa... If there wasn't a Nascent Soul True Person behind him, how could he have cultivated the Crane Body Technique?

As for why Zheng Fa didn't tell him, his mother had also said: He was merely a mortal, and from a servant background, how could he dare reveal the whereabouts of a Nascent Soul True Person?

Even the Seventh Young Master wasn't too worried about that Nascent Soul True Person having any designs on their family.

There was nothing in the Zhao Family worth a Nascent Soul True Person coveting. If they really had designs, with the power of a Nascent Soul True Person, why would they need such trouble?

His mother and he had guessed for a long time, and the most likely scenario was that Zheng Fa had extraordinary talent and was taken a liking to by a Nascent Soul True Person, who intended to accept him as a disciple.

"Young Master, I used to think you were a bit petty, always comparing yourself to others, full of little schemes, and not straightforward," the Seventh Young Master said to Gao Yuan with some emotion. "I really looked down on you."

Gao Yuan: "..."

"Now I finally understand you. It's completely normal to have some petty thoughts when you're around Zheng Fa."

"Young Master, I'm not really like what you said..."

Gao Yuan tried to explain.

"Stop talking, I understand you! Sigh, now Zheng Fa is valued by the Yuan... by someone," the Seventh Young Master stopped himself from saying Nascent Soul, vaguely stating, "Before, I was the Young Master, and he was a Page. No matter how capable he was, I didn't feel anything."

The Seventh Young Master recalled the past. No matter how exceptional Zheng Fa's talent was, he still looked down on him.

After all, no matter what, Zheng Fa was his Page. Even if he had the Aptitude to enter an Immortal Sect, it would still require the Zhao Manor to pave the way for him.

But now...

"Now, it's easy for him to go to an Immortal Sect. With him by my side, I suddenly feel uncomfortable all over," the Seventh Young Master's face was full of conflict. "When I think about my sister going to an Immortal Sect, and then Zheng Fa going to an Immortal Sect... and I'm the only one left, won't I, the Young Master, seem too useless? I haven't slept well these past two days!"

Gao Yuan didn't fully understand, but he grasped one thing.

The Seventh Young Master had become so diligent not only because the Eldest Young Lady was returning, but also because Zheng Fa's talent was too good, making the Seventh Young Master anxious.

He didn't even want to be around Zheng Fa anymore!

Feeling the Seventh Young Master's trust and closeness, which was so different from how he treated him in the past, was greatly amplified by Gao Yuan's own feelings.

Gao Yuan's face broke into a smile, his heart filled with excitement:

Zheng Fa, you may stand out from the crowd! Although I can't compare to you in other aspects, from now on, I will exclusively receive the Young Master's favor!

"Young Master! From now on, I..." he prepared to express his loyalty again.

"When Zheng Fa is around, I feel like I can't compare to him in anything and feel like a waste," the Seventh Young Master interrupted him. As he spoke, he looked at Gao Yuan with gentle eyes and said emotionally, "But when I see you, I feel so much better. Your aptitude in academics isn't as good as his, and you're far behind in martial arts. You don't have any talent in talismans either. The only thing you're better at than him is your better background and that you used to be fairer... Oh, you're not fairer than him anymore."

The smile on Gao Yuan's face gradually froze.

"Looking at you, I think, if even someone as useless as you is doing fine, I'm still a Young Master. This thought instantly eases my pain." As he spoke, the Seventh Young Master sincerely sighed, "Gao Yuan, the Young Master will be unable to leave you from now on."

Gao Yuan: ... Is this favor so hurtful?