A Female Disciple Out of the Blue

Someone had been injured, so the police were bound to get involved.

With surveillance footage, the rights and wrongs of the incident were plain to see.

After Ma Jun struck someone, Yang Long's shouted insult had exposed him outright. It was obvious who had instigated it.

By the time Luo Yang left the Police Station, it was already noon.

Ring, ring, ring...

His phone rang.

Luo Yang took out his phone. It was an unfamiliar number. Instead of answering immediately, he turned the phone over to look at the back, and froze.

Blood-red, rootlike tendrils had extended from the Feather Blade's Eye and burrowed straight into the phone. The eye had become less conspicuous. Now that it had fused with the phone, it looked like a dark-themed 3D sticker.

The eye was closed, with no sign of opening.

That burst of "power" this morning probably put it back into hibernation, Luo Yang guessed.

He answered the call.

A familiar voice came through the phone. "Great Shaman Luo, how about a chat?"

Luo Yang recognized the voice after a moment's thought. "Miss Bai, about this morning... thank you."

Although Bai Jing's tone carried a hint of teasing, thanking her was the least he could do.

"How are you going to thank me?" Bai Jing asked with a smile.

Luo Yang suddenly looked to the right of the entrance and spotted Bai Jing standing beneath an osmanthus tree, at least twenty meters away.

Bai Jing was briefly stunned. She could hardly believe Luo Yang had heard her voice from so far away. Otherwise, why would he suddenly look over?

Luo Yang smiled. "Don't you have to pay for your calls?"

Bai Jing shrugged and lowered her phone.

Luo Yang walked toward her, pondering how to handle this woman with an IQ of 141.

"How did you know I was over here?" Bai Jing asked as soon as he reached her.

Luo Yang pointed at a nearby Telecom Service Center. "That shop keeps advertising 5G phones, and it's loud. I heard it through the phone too, so I guessed you were nearby."

Bai Jing's gaze never left his face. "What happened this morning?"

Luo Yang smiled. "You probably haven't eaten yet. How about I treat you to lunch? We can talk while we eat."

"I won't go easy on you. I want a feast," Bai Jing said with a smile.

"Sure. Let's walk around. Pick any restaurant you like." Luo Yang sounded generous, but he was inwardly nervous.

He had indeed earned a million and a half this time, but the five hundred thousand from the wager was still with Ye Yiming. He wondered whether the old man had forgotten, since he still hadn't transferred it. The million from the Museum hadn't arrived either. His WeChat balance was only a little over three hundred yuan, nowhere near enough for a feast.

They hadn't gone far when Bai Jing stopped outside a Japanese Barbecue Restaurant. "Let's eat here. I haven't eaten because I was waiting for you. I'm starving, and I can't walk any farther."

Luo Yang glanced at the lavish storefront and silently winced, but at this point he could only grit his teeth and press on. "Sure. Barbecue it is."

At worst, he could let her eat meat while he ordered a bowl of eel rice.

Ding!

His phone suddenly chimed with a text notification.

Luo Yang slowed down and took out his phone for a look. He immediately breathed a long sigh of relief.

The million from the Museum had arrived.

Bai Jing glanced back.

Luo Yang slipped his phone into his trouser pocket and gave her a small smile. "Order whatever you like. Don't hold back."

At a Japanese Barbecue Restaurant in a small place like Luo City, even if two people stuffed themselves to bursting, it would only cost five or six hundred yuan. He felt no pressure now.

Bai Jing certainly didn't hold back. She ordered all the most expensive dishes.

Beside her, Luo Yang silently thanked his lucky stars that the Museum's "service fee" had arrived in time. Otherwise, he really would have embarrassed himself.

The server set out bowls, chopsticks, and water glasses for them, then took away the menu Bai Jing had marked.

"All right, tell me about that eye," Bai Jing said, getting straight to the point.

Luo Yang smiled calmly. "I thought I'd already explained it clearly. Do you not believe me, or is there some other reason?"

Bai Jing stared straight into his eyes. "I believe that eye didn't crumble away. It was the culprit behind what happened to us, and you had no choice but to pry it off. I can't fault you for that, but you could have told me the truth."

A woman with an IQ of 141 really was difficult to deal with. Although Shi Fei had covered for him the night before, she hadn't believed it and had even guessed most of the truth.

"This morning, that guy was about to hit you, but he suddenly brought the club down on that pregnant woman's head instead. Was that because of the eye?" Bai Jing's eyes gleamed with intelligence.

Luo Yang smiled. "It sounds like you already have your answer. Why ask me?"

"I want to hear it from you."

"What if I won't tell you?"

Bai Jing immediately pursed her lips, looking thoroughly unhappy.

Just then, a waitress in her forties came over with their dishes and switched on the grill for them.

"You can get on with your work. We'll grill it ourselves," Bai Jing said.

The waitress nodded. As she left, she cast Luo Yang a sidelong glance, her eyes lighting up a little.

That was the trouble with being too handsome.

"You certainly have some charm. Even that middle-aged lady was drawn to you," Bai Jing teased.

Luo Yang gave a dry cough. "What would you like to eat? I'll grill it for you."

"Don't change the subject. Tell me, do you have that eye on you?" Bai Jing wasn't falling for it.

Her persistence was starting to annoy Luo Yang, and he said offhandedly, "If I say yes, will you want me to take off my clothes and show you?"

Bai Jing's face instantly reddened, and she lowered her head to avoid his gaze.

Seeing her blush, Luo Yang felt he had gone a little too far. He cleared his throat. "All right. Before I answer your questions, answer one of mine."

"Sure. Ask away." Bai Jing raised her head and looked at him again.

Luo Yang said, "You're asking me all these questions, and I don't believe it's just idle curiosity. There must be another reason."

"Guess." Bai Jing promptly got her revenge.

Luo Yang was speechless.

"Looks like you can't guess. All right, I'll tell you. I want to learn shamanic sorcery from you." A sweet smile appeared on Bai Jing's face.

Luo Yang froze.

He had actually been speculating just moments earlier. He had even suspected that Bai Jing wanted to use his secret to claim a share of his service fee. He had never imagined this was her goal.

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as agreement." Bai Jing's smile grew even sweeter.

Luo Yang asked curiously, "You have a master's degree in archaeology. Why do you want to learn shamanic sorcery?"

Bai Jing fell silent briefly before replying, "Precisely because I study archaeology, I'm very interested in shamanic culture. If someone likes carving, they should learn to carve. Once I understood enough about history, I realized that shamans played an extremely important role in ancient Chinese civilization. The Three Sovereigns were shamans, Xingtian was a shaman, and Yu the Great was a shaman too. The Ancient Shu Kingdom existed as early as 2800 BCE. Its first King of Shu, Cancong, was Yu the Great's son, and he was also a shaman. That square bronze mask in the Museum, the one with the two protruding eyes, depicts Cancong."

Luo Yang thought back. He had indeed seen that peculiar mask, but at the time he had had no idea it depicted Cancong, the first King of Shu, much less that Cancong was a shaman. He admired Bai Jing's depth of knowledge, but he didn't give her an answer right away.

"Before you appeared, I thought shamans had simply been given an aura of mystery by people. There was no shamanic sorcery in this world, so naturally there couldn't be any real shamans either. Then you came along and overturned everything I knew in the most direct, forceful way. Only then did I realize real shamans existed. I love shamanic culture, so I should become a shaman. I want to be as powerful as you!" Bai Jing clenched her fist in front of Luo Yang, determination in her eyes.

She wanted to look brave and resolute, but she was too pretty, her skin too fair, and her fist pitifully small. The resulting pose looked adorable, like a little white rabbit baring its teeth at a big gray wolf and putting on a brave front.

Luo Yang looked into her large eyes. "What if I won't teach you?"

Bai Jing pursed her lips. "Then I'll keep pestering you until you do."

Luo Yang felt a headache coming on. It wasn't that he feared her pestering him. She knew he had pried the eye off the Bronze Knife, and that eye had affected Ma Jun's mind, causing him to injure a pregnant woman. That alone meant he couldn't simply brush her off. On the other hand, he was actually a little tempted. Taking on a disciple well versed in history could help him too. After all, wasn't he himself seeking the origins of the ancestral shaman, hoping to gain more of its legacy and grow stronger?

"You asked me two questions earlier, and now you want to learn shamanic sorcery from me. You can only choose one." Luo Yang decided to test her after all.

Without hesitation, Bai Jing said, "I choose..."

Luo Yang interrupted her. "And even if I teach you, you might not be able to learn it."

"I still choose to learn shamanic sorcery from you." Bai Jing smiled happily.

Luo Yang sighed and nodded.

"Master, what would you like to eat? Your disciple will grill it for you." Bai Jing slipped straight into her new role.

"Don't call me master," Luo Yang said irritably.

"All right, Master."

Luo Yang was speechless.

The barbecue meal came to 528 yuan. The owner generously knocked off the final eight.

They left the restaurant and wandered aimlessly.

"Master, when are you going to teach me shamanic sorcery?" Bai Jing was eager to get started.

With a slight headache, Luo Yang said, "Don't rush. I'll go back and sort things out first, see what would be suitable for you to learn. Once your work here is finished, come find me in Ba City. I'll teach you then."

"All right. I'll follow your arrangements, Master," Bai Jing agreed.

"You should head back to the Museum. It's time I returned to Ba City too," Luo Yang said.

Bai Jing reached into her trouser pocket, took out a red envelope, and suddenly pressed it into his hand. "Master, this is my gift for becoming your disciple. Please accept it."

Luo Yang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Why are you doing this too? Take it back. I don't want it."

But Bai Jing turned and ran, laughing as she said, "Just give me a gift in return to welcome your disciple."

Luo Yang wanted to chase after her, but decided it would be inappropriate in the street and gave up.

He opened the red envelope and took out what was inside.

It was a fountain pen.

A strange expression appeared on Luo Yang's face.

Giving a fountain pen when becoming someone's disciple-where was that a custom?