Asking Someone to Arrange an Apprenticeship

After everyone had dispersed.

Only Mr. Mengfei and Old Daoist Master Xiao remained in the room.

"Why do you keep picking on that child? He's Old Fu's young disciple, the one that young lady introduced to us." Old Daoist Master Xiao looked at Mr. Mengfei, a little puzzled.

Mr. Mengfei smiled. "Old Xiao, in all these years, have you ever seen me make things difficult for anyone?!"

At Mr. Mengfei's words, Old Daoist Master Xiao's eyes suddenly lit up. The two exchanged a smile, and no one spoke again in the room.

The Daoist Medicine Clinic was still busy.

Su Ziyang's consultation room had become the quietest place in the entire Daoist Medicine Clinic.

Fairy Li was still sitting in her chair, fuming. "That guy is awful! He's driving me mad!!! No! Xiao Su, we're not working here anymore. If they won't have us here, there's bound to be somewhere else that will. I'll go find my master. He has a friend who runs a private hospital, and I'll introduce you there!"

Fairy Li had thought Su Ziyang would readily agree, but his reaction surprised her.

Su Ziyang rubbed his eyes, which felt a little swollen, then said something that shocked Fairy Li. "Don't you think Mr. Mengfei is impressive?"

His words startled Fairy Li, and she jumped up from her stool. "Su Ziyang, do you have a fever? He picked on you in front of all those people, and you're actually saying he's impressive!"

Su Ziyang, who had been furious just moments ago, had now calmed down completely. "It's true that he picked on me, but it's also true that he's impressive! Most importantly, he was right! My skills really aren't as good as his."

His words calmed Fairy Li, who had been angry on his behalf. "Sigh! It's all right. You only just graduated! Once you've had more time and experience, you'll naturally get better at treating patients! There's no rush. No rush!"

Next, Su Ziyang said something that surprised Fairy Li even more. "Fairy Li! I... I want to learn from Mr. Mengfei. I want to take him as my master. Do you think that would be all right?"

Fairy Li, who had been trying to think of a way to comfort Su Ziyang, froze on the spot when she heard him.

Then she immediately shook her head like a rattle drum. "No, no! He's a man of bad character. My master said that someone with talent but no virtue is a devil on the Dao, and he won't come to a good end! Hmph!"

Fairy Li thought Su Ziyang had simply acted on impulse, stunned silly by the blow he had suffered.

So she began comforting him nonstop.

But in the end, Su Ziyang stared straight at Fairy Li and said expectantly, "Fairy Li, Young Master Li! Please. Just help me ask Old Daoist Master Xiao if I can learn from Mr. Mengfei?"

Fairy Li looked at Su Ziyang helplessly. "Are you serious?!"

Su Ziyang widened his bright, big eyes and nodded emphatically.

"Sigh!" Fairy Li sighed softly. "All right! What can I do when this little fairy cares so much about you? Wait here while I ask around for you!"

With that, Fairy Li turned and left.

Seeing that Fairy Li had agreed to his request, Su Ziyang finally felt the stone in his heart drop to the ground, and he slumped into his chair.

As Fairy Li came out of the Daoist Medicine Clinic, she muttered under her breath, "Su Ziyang must be crazy. He must have Stockholm syndrome. He's addicted to being bullied! He actually wants to take a bad guy as his teacher. He's driving me mad! Driving me mad!"

Fairy Li walked toward the Daoist temple with her head down, muttering. Distracted, she ran headfirst into Daoist Master Xiao Yang's chest.

"Ouch!"

Daoist Master Xiao Yang cried out as Fairy Li ran into her.

Fairy Li rubbed her own head too.

"Zijun?" Daoist Master Xiao Yang looked at the distracted Fairy Li. "Where are you going in such a fluster?"

When Fairy Li saw Daoist Master Xiao Yang, whom she had run straight into, she immediately took her arm. "Yangyang, you have to do me a favor!"

Daoist Master Xiao Yang rubbed Fairy Li's head and chuckled. "What favor? Why be so formal? We're close, aren't we?"

Old Daoist Master Xiao was the master of Daoist Master Xiao Yang, Yang Yang.

Fairy Li's name was Li Zijun, and Li Zijun's master, Daoist Master Fu, was Old Daoist Master Xiao's junior martial brother.

Yang Yang and Fairy Li had both entered monastic life as children. They had practically grown up as playmates, studying and being punished together, and were extremely close.

Fairy Li smoothed the hair Yang Yang had mussed. "Oh, it's that bad guy again. Your master's friend. He kept picking on Xiao Su today, and I don't know what's gotten into Xiao Su, but he insisted that I come plead on his behalf. He wants to take Mr. Mengfei as his teacher and study medicine under him! It's so strange! Don't you think it's strange?!"

Hearing this, Yang Yang voiced her own confusion. "Sigh! Mr. Mengfei is strange too. He hadn't come to visit us for several years. Once, when he was talking to my master on the phone, Master mentioned that a new postgraduate from a university of traditional Chinese medicine had joined the clinic. He said he'd come take a look, and then he arrived the very next day."

"And then?!" Fairy Li hurriedly asked.

Just like that, the two young women sat down on a chair and began gossiping, one asking questions and the other answering. Daoist Yang Yang continued, "Sigh, actually, I'd only met Mr. Mengfei a few times before, and I was still in school then. My master said he's someone with considerable cultivation, and he seems very impressive, but I've never seen exactly how impressive he is. This was my first time seeing him treat patients."

Fairy Li let out an "ah" when she heard that. "Oh! That was your first time seeing him treat patients?"

"Yes. When I met him before, my impression was that it was as though this world had nothing to do with him, and he was polite to everyone he spoke to. It was my first time seeing him pick on someone with his words like that, too. So when I saw him doing it to Young Doctor Su in the guest room, I was very surprised!" Daoist Yang Yang continued explaining.

"Oh, I really can't figure it out!" Fairy Li held Yang Yang's arm, pursed her lips, and fell into thought.

"Oh, it's all right!" Yang Yang rubbed Fairy Li's head. "Come on! I'll take you to see my master, and we'll ask him!"

"Let's go!"

The two happy friends held hands and walked briskly toward Old Daoist Master Xiao's room.

"Martial Uncle! Martial Uncle!"

Fairy Li's words reached the room before she did.

"Haha, Xiao Zijun! Come, try my tea and see if it's any good!" Old Daoist Master Xiao's words to Fairy Li revealed his fondness for the younger woman.

Daoist Yang Yang was noticeably more reserved in front of her master and sat respectfully in the chair beside him.

Fairy Li had been in high spirits, but then she noticed Mr. Mengfei sitting beside Old Daoist Master Xiao.

Hmph!

Fairy Li gave a cold snort.

She picked up her teacup and took a sip. "How fragrant! This is good tea, Martial Uncle."

Old Daoist Master Xiao chuckled and said, "I've been busy ever since you arrived, and I haven't had a chance to ask you yet. How has your master been lately, Xiao Zijun?"

"He's well, he's well. He's still busy running around everywhere every day, though. Busy as can be. Oh, right, Martial Uncle, my master also asked me to give you his regards!" Fairy Li took another sip of tea and smiled.

"Haha, Old Fu is always so busy. Other than those two patients Old Fu entrusted to you, you don't have any other business here this time, do you?" Old Daoist Master Xiao continued.

Fairy Li shook her head. "No, nothing else."

When Old Daoist Master Xiao heard Fairy Li say there was nothing else, he chuckled again. "That's good. Then stay and have fun for a couple more days. You and Yangyang haven't seen each other for almost a year, so you can catch up."

When Old Daoist Master Xiao finished speaking, Daoist Yang Yang nudged Fairy Li's foot under the table, signaling her to get to the point.

"Um... Martial Uncle!" Fairy Li had worked up her courage, but when the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back. Looking at Mr. Mengfei drinking tea quietly beside him, a faint smile on his face, made her angry again. That bad guy! Hmph!

"What is it? If something's on your mind, tell me. It's not like you to hem and haw!" Seeing Fairy Li hesitate and his young disciple Yang Yang constantly signaling with her eyes, Old Daoist Master Xiao asked her directly.

"Oh!"

Indeed, hesitating was not like Fairy Li.

But she really didn't know how to say it.

Daoist Yang Yang came to her rescue. "Master, it's like this. Zijun's friend, Young Doctor Su, saw Martial Uncle Mengfei's medical skills and wants to take him as his teacher to study medicine! That's all."

Old Daoist Master Xiao put down his teacup and chuckled twice, then looked at Mr. Mengfei, who was drinking tea with his head lowered.

Seeing Old Daoist Master Xiao look at him, Mr. Mengfei put down his teacup too. "If he wants to study medicine, why didn't he come and say so himself? Why did he send you?"

Even Daoist Yang Yang was starting to have trouble listening. Over the past two days, whenever anything involved Su Ziyang, Mr. Mengfei's attitude would change completely, and he was sure to be curt.

"Oh, Martial Uncle Mengfei, perhaps he's shy!" Daoist Yang Yang began pleading on Su Ziyang's behalf.

Old Daoist Master Xiao also tried to smooth things over. "Haha, Mengfei, I think Young Doctor Su is quite good. He's clever, has an innate gift for cultivation, and is eager to improve. You don't have a disciple anyway, so why not consider it?"

"An innate gift for cultivation?! He reads the same book every day and still can't understand it, and you say he has an innate gift? Give me a break!" Mr. Mengfei sneered.

Hearing Mr. Mengfei's words, Fairy Li instantly puffed up like a little pufferfish. "You bad guy, all you do is criticize other people. Hmph! Didn't you learn your medical skills from someone too? Were you born this skilled?! Huh, all you do is bully people. What kind of person are you?!"

"Zijun! Don't be rude!" Seeing Fairy Li puff up with anger, Old Daoist Master Xiao immediately scolded her in a soft voice.

After her martial uncle scolded her, Fairy Li didn't dare speak again. She edged closer to Yang Yang and hid behind Daoist Yang Yang, pressing against her side.

Mr. Mengfei wasn't angry at Fairy Li for talking back to him. "Since even Old Daoist Master Xiao has pleaded for this young man, and this young Daoist has said the same, I'll give him a chance! Go back and tell him that if he wants to learn, he should wait for me in the square in front of the Daoist temple at five thirty sharp tomorrow morning."

Seeing Mr. Mengfei relent, Fairy Li's big eyes lit up. "Really? Hmph! Looks like you're not so bad after all!"

With that, she stood and cupped her hands toward Old Daoist Master Xiao. "Martial Uncle, I'll be right back!"

Then she ran out the door.

"Master, I'm going too!"

Old Daoist Master Xiao waved his hand, signaling her to go.

After the two left, Old Daoist Master Xiao and Mr. Mengfei exchanged another smile!