[Ragdoll Cat: Respect, seriously. I never thought he would actually go kneel outside Master Lin's shop!]
[Hahaha: I'm a new fan. Just curious, what did Wandering Geomancer do?]
[Ninety Below Zero: Last time Master Lin told Han Lei's fortune, he kept saying he didn't believe it. He even said that if Master Lin got it right, he'd kneel here for three days and nights.]
"You... really don't have to."
Lin Fan gave a wry laugh. He hadn't expected the man to take it so seriously.
It had only been an offhand remark online. Lin Fan himself hadn't thought anything of it, yet the man had taken it completely to heart.
"No. I will always keep my word."
The Daoist priest declared solemnly, "Once I've knelt for three days and nights, I hope Master Lin will accept me as his disciple."
At those words.
Lin Fan froze for a moment. A disciple?
He immediately caught on. The man had probably come here intending to become his disciple all along.
"I don't take disciples."
Lin Fan shook his head. "Besides, you're twenty-three years older than me. You want me to be your master?"
He could tell the man's age at a glance from his face.
"Master! I've come sincerely to become your disciple. Please accept me!"
The Daoist priest said earnestly, "I can cook, sweep, and do laundry. I can even help you undress and bathe. And if you need it, Master, I can introduce you to some female Daoist friends."
The longer Lin Fan listened, the more something seemed off.
Introduce me to female benefactors?
With looks as handsome as mine, do I need you to introduce anyone?
Besides, you're a middle-aged man in your forties. Aren't all the female Daoist friends you know probably in their forties too?
"Stop!"
Lin Fan's expression darkened. He turned and walked into the shop, leaving one remark behind. "If you can get inside my shop, I'll consider it."
It was practically a polite refusal.
Everyone knew that unless someone was fated to meet him, they couldn't set foot inside Lin Fan's shop.
[One Punch Each Yinging Monster: I'm dying. Look, the priest is dumbfounded. Obviously, even he knows there's no way he can get inside.]
[Cat Who Doesn't Like Eating Fish: He's that old and still wants to become Master's disciple? Only someone as outstanding as me deserves Master!]
[Boss Xiu: You're so full of yourself, but I like it!]
[Cat Who Doesn't Like Eating Fish: Boss Xiu, I'm not into guys!]
Outside the shop.
The Daoist priest lowered his head. He hadn't expected Lin Fan to reject him for being too old.
But on second thought, Lin Fan's reaction was understandable.
After all, when he took disciples himself, he chose children under ten. Raising them from childhood allowed him to gradually shape and change their outlook on life and the world.
"Hahaha, stop dreaming, priest. Just go home!"
"Thousands of people come to Taihe Street every day, and hardly any of them have managed to enter Master Lin's shop."
"Master Lin won't take you as his disciple. Quit fantasizing."
Listening to the mockery around him, the Daoist priest silently rose, lifted his head, and walked toward the shop's entrance.
Even knowing it was impossible, he still had to try.
Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, he wouldn't give up.
Twenty meters.
Nineteen meters.
Two meters, one meter!
The Seven-Star Soul-Confusing Formation hadn't affected him!
The Daoist priest's eyes widened, disbelief flashing across his face. He wasn't walking backward.
"I did it!"
His hands trembled with excitement. Suppressing his emotions as best he could, he slowly pushed open the shop door.
[Boss Xiu: Holy shit, am I seeing things? Wandering Geomancer got inside Master Lin's shop?]
[Cat Who Doesn't Like Eating Fish: I must still be asleep. Someone slap me so I can see whether I'm dreaming!]
[Ninety Below Zero: I'm so jealous!]
The viewers were filled with envy and jealousy.
On Taihe Street, everyone who had been mocking the Daoist priest fell silent.
None of them had imagined he would succeed. Something that should have been impossible had actually happened.
Inside the shop.
Lin Fan was about to draw some talismans to burn off his excess energy when he heard the door open. He looked up, saw the Daoist priest enter, and froze.
"You're someone fated to meet me?"
He frowned. Was he destined to have a middle-aged Daoist priest as his disciple?
Chapter 54: The Master's First Refusal!
He made a calculation on his fingers.
Lin Fan fell silent.
He had divined who the Daoist priest's future master would be.
The answer was plain: it would actually be him.
"Master, I did it. What you just said still counts, right?" the Daoist priest asked cautiously.
He worried that Lin Fan had only said it casually.
At those words.
Lin Fan sighed. "It counts."
"It's just that I finished my own apprenticeship less than a week ago, and now I'm taking a disciple myself. This has caught me a little off guard."
Usually, he told other people's fortunes and never his own.
That was why he hadn't known he would have a disciple, much less a Daoist priest in his forties.
"If it puts you in a difficult position, Master, you don't have to take me as your disciple yet. Just let me stay here and do odd jobs."
"Once you think I'm qualified, it won't be too late to accept me."
The Daoist priest mustered his courage and voiced his thoughts.
When he first came to Taihe Street, he hadn't expected Lin Fan to accept him as a disciple outright.
He had only planned to do odd jobs in Lin Fan's shop, then ask Lin Fan to teach him a trick or two once they had grown closer.
Just one or two tricks would benefit him for the rest of his life.
"All right."
Lin Fan nodded and said softly, "You can stay in the shop from now on. There are plenty of empty rooms. Pick one to live in."
Beside him, Xiao Tuantuan watched the scene unfold.
She couldn't help muttering, "Even the newcomer gets to stay. I wish I could live here too."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for Lin Fan to hear.
"Men and women should keep a proper distance. Besides, staying here would seriously affect your reputation," Lin Fan refused outright.
Xiao Tuantuan was cute and had plenty of male fans.
If she stayed here for any length of time, the rumors and drama would probably be endless.
[Boss Xiu: Hahaha, Xiao Tuantuan got ahead of herself!]
[Apple Flavor That Likes Eating Tuantuan: Tuantuan, don't chicken out. Just go for it!]
[Chu Yi: If they could, who wouldn't want to have Master Lin's babies?]
[I Want to Give Master Lin Monkeys: Look at me, look at me!]
After a good while.
Lin Fan finally calmed down. Having an extra disciple might not be a bad thing.
At least he could focus on his work. From now on, he wouldn't have to do his own laundry or cooking.
Just then.
The door opened again, and two young girls walked in.
"Huh, there are quite a few people fated to meet me today."
Lin Fan sounded surprised. The previous two days had been very good for meeting such people; yesterday, he had even gone out himself to find someone whose fortune he could tell.
He hadn't expected them to arrive one after another today.
"Xinxin, we got in!"
"Xiao Bai, can you show a little restraint?"
Both girls were excited. They had only meant to give it a try, never expecting to make it straight into Lin Fan's shop without any trouble.
Before you continue