Tricking an Immortal

Master Xiao gave Wang Chong a meaningful look. Little Bug's face burned as he thought, So Brother Zhu told Master Xiao about this.

When he occasionally looked back, he saw that Zhu Ying's jade-white cheeks had turned bright red, like a boiled shrimp.

Little Bug felt somewhat guilty and was about to apologize, but Zhu Ying reached out, took his hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Zhu Ying's hand was smooth as jade, his fingers long and slender. They were faintly damp now, revealing the tension in his heart. Little Bug understood that Zhu Ying was telling him not to speak, so he kept silent.

Master Xiao made a joking remark, but did not continue teasing his disciple. "Back when the southeast suffered a terrible drought, I asked your father to bring rain and save the disaster victims. I made an agreement with him: if he was willing to bring rain, I would teach you swordsmanship for three years."

"You ran away from home to study in the human world. Your master needed a secluded place to recover from his injuries, so I came to Egret Academy to teach, and taught you swordsmanship along the way."

"We should have had several years of master-disciple affinity, but Old Demon Luo uncovered my trail. I can no longer remain at the academy, so the remaining two years and nine months will have to be put on hold for the future."

"After I leave, you must study diligently day and night. Otherwise, master and disciple may never meet again."

Zhu Ying nodded slightly and said softly, "This disciple understands."

Master Xiao nodded faintly. He was quite satisfied with this disciple, but constrained by the sect rules, he could not take him as a true disciple and had only agreed to accept him as a registered disciple.

He glanced at Wang Chong, smiled slightly, and said, "I can allow this youth to study the Primordial Sword Formula alongside you."

Joy appeared on Zhu Ying's face. He hurriedly tugged at Wang Chong. Little Bug did not understand what this meant, but after listening for so long, he had guessed that Zhu Ying and Master Xiao were no ordinary people. Seeing Zhu Ying kneel, he followed suit and bowed. At his ear came Zhu Ying's soft, velvety voice, brimming with endless delight. "This disciple thanks Master for his grace."

Xiao Nan said, "The Primordial Sword Formula is a secret transmission of my sect, exceedingly precious. Aside from this youth, you may not pass it on to anyone else without my permission. Otherwise, beware—your master may be a thousand miles away, yet a flying sword can still take your head."

Zhu Ying hurriedly answered, "Yes."

But Little Bug's heart churned like a river overturned by the sea. Brother Zhu was securing for me a chance to cultivate immortality?

He suddenly recalled how, as his father's first child, he had been greatly doted upon when he was young. His father had not yet become a vice minister then, merely the magistrate of a poor little county. After settling cases each day, his father would often hold him and tell him all manner of strange tales. He had once sighed that he had never had the fortune to encounter an immortal.

Little Bug had been too young then to know better, and asked, "They all say immortals only teach those with affinity. What if Father has none?"

His father had been stunned for a long while. Seven or eight days later, he finally told him, "All people have flaws. Immortals will be no exception."

He had even told him seven or eight stories, all about immortal predecessors ascending to heaven and leaving cultivation methods, secret manuals, treasures, and immortal pills behind for those with affinity—rather like legendary tales and strange historical anecdotes.

His father had said with a smile, "If you ever meet an immortal, tell them these stories and trade them for a chance to cultivate immortality."

Little Bug had been utterly puzzled. "With the legacies those immortals left behind, we father and son could simply go take them. Why would we need to beg immortals again?"

His father said, "I made up all those stories these past few days. How could we possibly retrieve anything?"

Little Bug had been shocked. "Isn't that deceiving immortals?"

His father laughed. "Say they were recorded in ancient books, and dump the blame on the ancients."

Even now, Little Bug still remembered that after his father told him these things, his mood had been low for a long time. For several days in a row, he had been far from happy.

After hesitating for a moment, he took a deep breath and said quietly, "Teacher Xiao, this disciple is willing not to learn swordsmanship, so that I will not implicate Brother Zhu."

Xiao Nan was slightly surprised. In all his life, he had seen countless ordinary mortals. Upon hearing that they could learn swordsmanship and comprehend immortal arts, they had all begged bitterly. Never had a single one refused.

With a smile, he asked, "You will not regret it?"

Little Bug answered honestly, "I certainly will regret it. But if someone were to threaten Brother Zhu's life and force me to reveal the sword formula, then if I refused, I would be cold-hearted. If I told them, I would harm Brother Zhu. It would be a dilemma either way, so... it would be better not to learn it."

Zhu Ying was deeply moved and rebuked him softly, "Do not speak nonsense! This is a rare chance that comes once in an age. Do not be stubborn and ruin your future."

Xiao Nan found the argument between the two children amusing. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Little Bug's childish voice ask, "That day, when Teacher Xiao fought someone with magic arts, may I ask what the outcome was?"

Xiao Nan smiled faintly. "In my early years, I fought Old Demon Luo once and suffered a slight loss. These past years, I entered seclusion and gained some success in comprehending a cultivation method. Not only did I heal my old injuries, my swordsmanship also improved. I have already slain Old Demon Luo."

Little Bug pondered briefly and chose one of the stories. "This student once read in a travel journal that immortals always rode golden auspicious clouds when they traveled. Why did Old Demon Luo ride a black cloud?"

Xiao Nan smiled. "That was a mass of demonic cloud he condensed through cultivating the Black Wind Art, merely a heterodox side-path technique. In what travel journal did you read that immortals always ride golden auspicious clouds when traveling?"

Little Bug answered, "My father once happened upon an ancient travel journal. It recorded that a woodcutter was chopping firewood deep in the mountains when he saw golden clouds come and go from time to time. After returning, he told others about it. The owner of the travel journal grew curious and followed the woodcutter into the deep mountains. After waiting painstakingly for several months, he truly saw golden auspicious clouds rise and fly from a mountain peak..."

Little Bug told the story his father had invented back then with vivid detail. Master Xiao and Zhu Ying listened, utterly entranced, without the slightest suspicion.

Though Xiao Nan possessed deep self-restraint, his heart could not help but stir. After Wang Chong finished the story, he pressed him for many details, then asked again, "Does that travel journal still exist?"

As though he had done something wrong, Little Bug answered, "This student should not have become obsessed with such miscellaneous books and neglected his studies. My mother was greatly angered and has already consigned that travel journal to the flames."

Xiao Nan felt deeply regretful. Could the immortal in this story be the Red Staff Immortal? Only the Red Staff lineage's escape art manifests as a mass of golden cloud-light. I heard that before his ascension, he sealed away all the Daoist arts he had learned in his life, along with the nineteen magical treasures he had refined, somewhere in a famous mountain, to await those with affinity.

That mountain must be the treasure ground Red Staff True Person chose. Countless fellow cultivators have sought it in vain, yet I have heard such a true secret from the mouth of a mere mortal. I must be a person with affinity.

After pondering for a moment, he looked at Wang Chong and suddenly smiled. "This matter is of great benefit to me. Having obtained this secret, I cannot leave you unrewarded. What do you want? So long as I can do it, I will surely grant it to you."

Joy appeared on Zhu Ying's face as he said softly, "Quick, acknowledge him as your master."

But Little Bug could tell that Xiao Nan had no intention of accepting a disciple. If Master Xiao had wanted to take on a disciple, he could simply have said so. Why take such a roundabout path?

Father said that immortals generally dislike the greedy. Thus, if one wishes to seek immortal arts, one must not ask for oneself, but for another, luring the immortal into bestowing the teachings of his own accord.

Little Bug answered honestly, "I wish to seek a magical treasure for Brother Zhu."

At those words, both Xiao Nan and Zhu Ying were astonished.