Love and Hate

Before the words had even left his mouth, a Daoist drifted down gracefully and appeared before Lu Chuan and Jiang Ziya.

The Daoist wore a robe. He had a fair face, a long beard, and looked to be around fifty. His eyes were as gentle as polished jade.

He also carried that air of an immortal, as though he'd arrived with all the pomp of a grand entrance.

The Daoist floated lightly to the ground. After glancing at Lu Chuan, who was still kneeling, he walked up to Jiang Ziya, clasped his hands in greeting, and smiled. "Senior Brother, it's been a long time."

Lu Chuan stared at the Daoist, both astonished and amazed.

He'd dropped out of the sky. What sort of immortal was this?

But...

Since he called Jiang Ziya Senior Brother, he must be from the Exposition Sect too, right?

"It's only been a month. Is that really so long?" Jiang Ziya said with a smile.

The Daoist smiled. "Of course it is, Senior Brother. Haven't you heard the saying, 'One day apart feels like three autumns'?"

"Oh!"

Hearing this, Lu Chuan, standing nearby, broke out in goosebumps. He covertly studied the two men with a strange look.

Why did that sound so... odd?

And setting that remark aside, the Daoist's shamelessness in saying it was almost a match for Lu Chuan, who was refusing to get up until he was accepted as a disciple.

Jiang Ziya smiled helplessly. "Enough of this nonsense. Junior Brother Shen, just tell me what you want. Why have you come to see me today?"

Junior Brother Shen?

Shen Gongbao?!!

At the name Jiang Ziya had used, Lu Chuan's eyes went round. His head buzzed, as if someone had struck a gong inside it.

He looked the Daoist up and down, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

Was this Shen Gongbao?

The Shen Gongbao from Investiture of the Gods, who trapped countless people with the line "Fellow Daoist, please stay"?

Lu Chuan couldn't help taking another couple of looks.

Shen Gongbao smiled. "I heard that Senior Brother had cause to celebrate today, so I came to offer my congratulations. I hope you won't blame me for arriving late."

"What sort of relationship do you think we have, that I'd hold a little lateness against you? Come, sit down first." Jiang Ziya smiled. With a wave of his sleeve, two meditation cushions appeared in the courtyard.

The two men sat down and began chatting like old friends.

"Strange. Why are they sitting down and chatting? Shouldn't they be enemies meeting with eyes blazing red?"

Lu Chuan wondered.

In his memory, Shen Gongbao was always at odds with Jiang Ziya. He'd stir up trouble everywhere and summon powerful cultivators to give Jiang Ziya a hard time. So their relationship...

Shouldn't have been very good, right?

But now they seemed completely at ease with each other, so familiar and affectionate that they looked like brothers born of the same mother.

"Oh, right!"

Lu Chuan suddenly realized, At this point, Primordial Heavenly Lord hasn't given Jiang Ziya the List of Conferred Gods yet.

He remembered that Shen Gongbao had originally been a disciple of Primordial Heavenly Lord's Yuxu Palace, and a fellow disciple of Jiang Ziya.

But later, their master Primordial Heavenly Lord gave the List of Conferred Gods to Jiang Ziya, and Shen Gongbao, unwilling to accept it, turned against him.

To settle who was superior, Shen Gongbao began opposing Jiang Ziya at every turn.

Jiang Ziya supported Xiqi, so Shen Gongbao went to support Yin Shang. Jiang Ziya had numerous disciples of the Yuxu Sect helping him, so Shen Gongbao persuaded extraordinary cultivators from the Three Mountains and Five Peaks of Biyou Palace to join the fight...

To sum it up, if Jiang Ziya headed east, Shen Gongbao would insist on going west. He opposed Jiang Ziya in everything.

After chatting for a while, Shen Gongbao glanced at Lu Chuan, who was still kneeling, and smiled. "Senior Brother, this young man has good natural endowments. Since he wants to become your disciple, why won't you accept him?"

"Just in time, Junior Brother. I have something I'd like to ask you to help with." At Shen Gongbao's question, Jiang Ziya slapped his thigh and spoke to him.

"Hm?"

Hearing this, Lu Chuan couldn't help freezing. Was Old Jiang planning to...

"Please, Senior Brother, go ahead. If it's something I can help with, I won't refuse." Shen Gongbao smiled.

"You know I spent forty years on Kunlun. Unfortunately, my aptitude is mediocre, and I haven't even mastered what I learned. How could I possibly teach a disciple?"

With that, he sighed deeply.

"Senior Brother, you're being far too modest..." Shen Gongbao hurried to say.

Jiang Ziya merely smiled bitterly and waved a hand, cutting off his words of comfort.

"You don't need to comfort me, Junior Brother. I know my own limits."

Jiang Ziya smiled bitterly. "Besides, when I left the mountain, Master told me that I, Jiang Shang, was born with a meager fate in this life and lacked the immortal affinity to attain the Immortal Path."

Shen Gongbao fell silent.

Jiang Ziya turned to Lu Chuan, a pleased smile appearing on his face.

"This young man is the son of the steward at the residence of my sworn elder brother. He has good natural endowments, is clever and quick-witted, and is determined to seek the Dao."

"When I look at him, I see myself back when I was seeking the Dao. I'm very fond of him, but unfortunately..."

Jiang Ziya paused, then rose to his feet. With a solemn expression, he bowed deeply to Shen Gongbao.

"Senior Brother, what are you doing?"

Shen Gongbao hurriedly stepped aside, not daring to accept such a grand gift.

"Junior Brother, I know you're gifted and resourceful, with profound knowledge of the Daoist arts and deep cultivation. You're already a True Immortal who has attained the Dao—the perfect choice for a master."

Jiang Ziya said solemnly, "The two of you meeting here today must be fate. I'd like to ask you to take him into the Yuxu Sect and teach him your skills. Will you accept him as your disciple?"

After hearing this, Lu Chuan felt both touched and alarmed.

He was touched that Jiang Ziya would humble himself and plead with someone on his behalf just to help him find a master. But he was alarmed that the master Jiang Ziya had found for him was none other than Shen Gongbao.

To be fair, Shen Gongbao's abilities were indeed no worse than Jiang Ziya's—if anything, he surpassed Jiang Ziya by a great deal in every respect.

But Lu Chuan knew what was going to happen.

Though Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao were all smiles today, chatting happily like brothers born of the same mother, in the future they would go from loving each other to fighting each other.

Shen Gongbao would not only betray the Exposition Sect, but also turn against Jiang Ziya and become his enemy. He would persuade great cultivators from the Three Mountains and Five Peaks of the Interception Sect to come after Jiang Ziya.

But the outcome never went as he'd hoped. One by one, the people he lured there died; when two came, both died.

After the Investiture of the Gods Catastrophe ended, Shen Gongbao's fate was to be seized and used to plug the eye of the sea in the North Sea, because he'd stirred up trouble during the Investiture of the Gods and caused too many deaths.

Besides,

Shen Gongbao didn't seem to have the best character either.

In the legends, he had a poor reputation. He was basically portrayed as a clown and petty villain, jumping around everywhere, stirring up trouble, and fanning the flames.

But in ancient times, people placed great importance on the rites between master and disciple.

In this world, the bond between master and disciple was extremely important, second only to that between father and son.

After taking disciples, masters in every trade would bring them into their homes, treat them as their own children and family, and spend their own money to raise and teach them, passing on their knowledge and skills.

Thus,

As the old saying went: "My parents gave me life; my master taught me."

Another saying went: "Once a master, a father for life."

The title "Master" carried almost as much weight as "Father."

Did Lu Chuan really want a man like Shen Gongbao, with his poor reputation and character, to become another father to him?

To be honest, Lu Chuan didn't want that. But did he have any choice now?

If he really became Shen Gongbao's disciple, what would happen when Shen Gongbao fell out with Jiang Ziya and the entire Exposition Sect? Where would Lu Chuan go then? He was at a loss.

"Good!"

After listening, Shen Gongbao considered it briefly, then looked Lu Chuan over a few times and nodded readily with a smile. "Since Senior Brother asks it of me, I can only agree."

"Thank you, Junior Brother!"

Jiang Ziya was overjoyed and looked at Lu Chuan. "Xiao Chuan, hurry up and pay your respects to your master!"

Lu Chuan's gaze shifted. He looked up at the deep night sky at a forty-five-degree angle. Night wind swept over him, and his mind felt clearer than ever.

I wanted to become Jiang Ziya's disciple, but now I can only become Shen Gongbao's. Is this my fate? Lu Chuan sighed inwardly, filled with emotion, and slowly closed his eyes.

Seeing his strange behavior, Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao exchanged glances. Shen Gongbao's smile faded, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Suddenly, Lu Chuan opened his eyes.

He glanced at Jiang Ziya beside him, then turned his kneeling body toward Shen Gongbao. Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at the man before him.

He knew that

if he bowed today, from that moment on, Shen Gongbao would be his master.

In this world, a master carried the same weight as a father!

Shen Gongbao was watching him too.

"Xiao Chuan, go ahead and pay your respects. Don't you trust the master I found for you?"

Jiang Ziya smiled. He was clearly delighted to have brought about this bond between master and disciple.

"Master, please accept this disciple's bow!"

Lu Chuan sighed inwardly. He knew there was no turning back now. His eyes flashed, and he didn't hesitate any longer. Clasping his fists, he called out, "Please accept this disciple's bow!"

With that, he bowed.

He wanted to cultivate the Dao, and he wanted to become a disciple. Jiang Ziya had found him a master. If Lu Chuan refused to bow, he would be ungrateful.

He would also offend both men, because he'd leave them both embarrassed.

As for the catastrophe to come...

He'd take it one step at a time!

But now that they were master and disciple, from this day onward, Lu Chuan's fate would be tightly bound to Shen Gongbao's.

So what would his future become?