Love and Hate

Before the words had even faded, a Taoist drifted down and appeared before Lu Chuan and Jiang Ziya.

The Taoist wore a set of Taoist robes; he had a fair face and a long beard, appearing to be around fifty years old, with eyes as gentle and lustrous as jade.

Furthermore, he carried an air of ethereal grace, the very image of a transcendent immortal, the moment he arrived.

The Taoist landed lightly on the ground, cast a glance at Lu Chuan kneeling on the floor, then approached Jiang Ziya, performed a formal obeisance, and smiled. "Senior Brother, it has been a long time."

Lu Chuan watched this Taoist with both astonishment and wonder.

Descending from the sky—which deity was this?

However...

Since he addressed Jiang Ziya as Senior Brother, he must also be a member of the Exposition Sect, right?

"It has only been a month; is that a long time?" Jiang Ziya laughed.

The Taoist chuckled. "Long, of course it is long. Senior Brother, have you not heard the saying: 'To be apart for one day is like three autumns'?"

"Ugh!"

Hearing this, Lu Chuan, who stood to the side, couldn't help but get goosebumps, and he stole a strange look at the two of them.

Why did that sound so... odd?

Of course, aside from the words themselves, the sheer shamelessness with which the Taoist spoke them was a match for Lu Chuan's own determination to stay on his knees until he was accepted as a disciple.

Jiang Ziya felt a bit helpless and laughed. "Enough of this nonsense. Junior Brother Shen, just say it—what have you come to me for today?"

Junior Brother Shen?

Shen Gongbao?!!

Upon hearing Jiang Ziya's address, Lu Chuan's eyes widened, and his head buzzed as if someone had struck a gong inside his skull.

He scrutinized the Taoist before him carefully, earnestly, from head to toe.

Was this really Shen Gongbao?

The Shen Gongbao who, in the List of Conferred Gods, would send people to their deaths with the phrase, "Fellow Daoist, please stay"?

Lu Chuan couldn't help but take a few extra looks.

Shen Gongbao smiled. "I heard that you were celebrating a joyous occasion today, Senior Brother, so I came specifically to offer my congratulations. I hope you do not blame me for arriving late."

"What is there to blame between us brothers? Come, sit." Jiang Ziya laughed, and with a wave of his sleeve, two meditation cushions appeared in the courtyard.

The two men sat down and began to chat familiarly.

Strange, why are they sitting down and chatting? Shouldn't they be like enemies meeting, eyes burning with hatred?

Lu Chuan was puzzled.

In his memories, Shen Gongbao was always working against Jiang Ziya, stirring up trouble everywhere and bringing in powerful figures to make life difficult for him. So, their relationship...

It shouldn't be very good, right?

Yet, looking at them now, it was the exact opposite; they appeared so close and intimate, as if they were brothers born of the same mother.

Oh, right!

Lu Chuan suddenly realized: "At this point, the Primordial Heavenly Lord has not yet given the List of Conferred Gods to Jiang Ziya."

He remembered that in the beginning, Shen Gongbao was also a disciple of the Yuxu Palace under the Primordial Heavenly Lord, and he and Jiang Ziya were indeed fellow disciples.

It was only later, when their master, the Primordial Heavenly Lord, bestowed the List of Conferred Gods upon Jiang Ziya, that Shen Gongbao became resentful and dissatisfied, leading to their falling out.

To prove who was superior, he began to oppose Jiang Ziya at every turn.

When Jiang Ziya supported Xiqi, he went to protect Yin Shang; when Jiang Ziya had the help of the many disciples of Yuxu, he went to lobby the strange talents of Biyu Palace and the various mountains and rivers to come and help the other side...

In short, if Jiang Ziya wanted to go east, he would insist on going west; he was the type to oppose Jiang Ziya in everything.

After the two had talked for a while, Shen Gongbao suddenly glanced at Lu Chuan, who was still kneeling, and smiled. "Senior Brother, this boy has quite a bit of potential. Since he wishes to take you as his master, why won't you accept him?"

"Ah, Junior Brother, your arrival today is timely. I have a favor to ask of you." Hearing Shen Gongbao's question, Jiang Ziya slapped his thigh and spoke to him.

"Oh?"

Lu Chuan, standing to the side, was stunned. Could it be that Old Jiang was planning to...

Shen Gongbao smiled. "Please speak, Senior Brother. As long as it is something I can help with, I will certainly not refuse."

Jiang Ziya said, "You know that I spent forty years on Kunlun, but my aptitude is mediocre. My own skills are not refined, so how could I possibly teach a disciple?"

Having said this, he let out a long sigh.

"Senior Brother, you are being too modest..." Shen Gongbao said quickly.

Jiang Ziya merely gave a bitter smile and waved his hand, cutting off his words of comfort.

"Junior Brother, there is no need to comfort me. I am well aware of my own limitations."

Jiang Ziya smiled bitterly. "Besides, when I descended the mountain, Master told me that I, Jiang Shang, was born with a thin fate in this life and lacked the affinity for immortality; I would never attain the Dao."

Shen Gongbao fell silent upon hearing this.

Jiang Ziya turned his head to look at Lu Chuan, a gratified smile appearing on his face.

"This child is the son of the steward at my sworn brother's estate. He possesses quite a bit of natural aptitude, is clever and quick-witted, and his heart is steadfast in seeking the Dao."

Jiang Ziya said, "Looking at him, I see the version of myself that first set out to seek the Dao. I am very fond of him, but alas..."

At this point, Jiang Ziya paused. He stood up, his expression solemn, and bowed deeply to Shen Gongbao.

"Senior Brother, what are you doing?"

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

"Junior Brother, I know that your natural talent and intellect are extraordinary, your Daoist arts are profound, and your cultivation is deep. You are already a true immortal who has attained the Dao; you are the perfect choice for a master."

Jiang Ziya said solemnly, "That you two met here today is a stroke of fate. I would like to ask you to take him into our Yuxu sect, teach him your skills, and make him your disciple. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chuan felt both moved and panicked.

He was moved that Jiang Ziya would lower himself so much to beg someone on his behalf just to help him find a master. He was panicked because the master Jiang Ziya had found for him was none other than Shen Gongbao.

In all fairness, Shen Gongbao's abilities were indeed superior to Jiang Ziya's in every way, far surpassing him in many aspects.

But Lu Chuan knew what was to come.

Do not be fooled by how Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao were acting today—talking and laughing together like brothers—for in the future, their love would turn into a blood feud.

Shen Gongbao would not only betray the Exposition Sect, but he would also become Jiang Ziya's mortal enemy, lobbying high-level experts from the Jie Sect across the mountains and rivers to come and deal with him.

Yet, the results were never what he hoped; he would lure one in only for them to die, or bring two only for both to perish.

After the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods concluded, Shen Gongbao's fate was to be seized and stuffed into the sea eye of the North Sea for all the chaos he had stirred and the lives he had ruined.

Furthermore, Shen Gongbao's character did not seem particularly good either.

In legends, his image was poor—essentially that of a clown and a villain who jumped about, stirring up trouble and fanning the flames everywhere he went.

However, ancient times placed great importance on the etiquette of master and disciple.

In this world, the master-disciple relationship was of immense weight, second only to the bond between father and son.

Once masters of any trade took on a disciple, they would bring them into their own homes, treating them as their own flesh and blood, raising them as family, and spending their own money to nurture, educate, and pass on their craft.

Therefore, An ancient saying goes: "Those who give me life are my parents; those who teach me are my masters."

Another says: "A master for one day is a father for a lifetime."

The weight of the word "master" was almost equal to that of the word "father."

To have someone with such a poor reputation and character as Shen Gongbao become his other father?

To be honest, Lu Chuan was unwilling, but did he have any other choice now?

Yet, if he truly became Shen Gongbao's disciple, where would he stand when the time came for him to break away from Jiang Ziya and the entire Exposition Sect? Lu Chuan felt a sense of bewilderment.

"Very well!"

Shen Gongbao, standing to the side, pondered for a moment after hearing the request. After casting a few glances at Lu Chuan, he nodded readily and smiled, "Since it is my Senior Brother's request, I have no choice but to agree."

"Many thanks, Junior Brother!"

Jiang Ziya was overjoyed and looked at Lu Chuan, "Xiao Chuan, why haven't you paid your respects to your master yet?"

Lu Chuan's expression shifted. He looked up at a forty-five-degree angle toward the deep night sky. A gust of night wind blew past, making his mind feel clearer than ever before.

I wanted to apprentice under Jiang Ziya, but now it has turned into apprenticing under Shen Gongbao. Is this my fate? Lu Chuan sighed with a touch of melancholy and slowly closed his eyes.

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

Suddenly, Lu Chuan's eyes snapped open.

He glanced at Jiang Ziya, then turned his body to face Shen Gongbao, slowly lifting his head to gaze at the man before him.

He knew that, If he performed this kowtow today, from this moment on, Shen Gongbao would be his master.

In this world, a master represents a weight equal to that of a father!

Shen Gongbao was watching him as well.

"Xiao Chuan, go ahead and pay your respects. Do you not trust the master I have found for you?"

Jiang Ziya said with a smile, clearly delighted to have facilitated this bond between master and disciple.

"Master is above!"

Hearing this, Lu Chuan sighed inwardly, knowing there was no room for retreat. His gaze flashed, and without further hesitation, he cupped his hands and said loudly, "Please accept your disciple's bow!"

With that, he bowed low.

He wanted to cultivate the Dao, and he wanted a master; Jiang Ziya had found him one. If he refused, he would be ungrateful.

It would also deeply offend both men, as it would cause them both to lose face.

As for the future Great Tribulation...

He would just have to take it one step at a time!

However, with this master-disciple relationship established, his fate was now inextricably linked to Shen Gongbao's.

And so, what would his future become?