Xu Feng had been joking, though he had other considerations of his own. He had not expected his master to speak so sincerely this time. If the gap between them had been smaller, his master might still have half-jokingly said something like, "Just don't throw me into the Yellow River."
It would have been a way to put him at ease.
But after saying his piece and seeing the ox-headed corpse, his master was utterly convinced. Even if the corpse had been laid right before him, he would never have dared pick up a needle.
He simply was not capable of it. Yet his apprentice had brought the corpse back, worked his needle and thread on it, and come away unharmed. Looking at the body on the table, his master said, "How could I cut your life short?
"The fact that I'm still alive is thanks to you—"
He let out a long sigh. "Do you think I didn't know what Liu Family Grandpa said?
"When I took you as my apprentice, I knew I was walking a knife's edge, through fire.
"How could my Eight Characters possibly hold down yours? I took you in because I wanted to take that risk. I wanted to use my Yin Virtue and Eight Characters to hold back the fate in yours that harms those close to you and your masters, so I could bring your grandmaster out. If I've remained safe until now, it must be because I borrowed your good fortune."
His master had more to say, but he left it unspoken and merely cupped his hands toward Xu Feng.
That startled Xu Feng.
"Master, what are you doing?"
His master laughed and scolded him. "What are you afraid of? Even if I knelt and kowtowed to you right now, it