Chapter Sixty-Four: The Whimsical Master

That man sat cross-legged atop a protruding flat stone, his snow-white robes immaculate, his silhouette from behind exuding an effortless elegance. He took a deep breath and turned gently around.

He was an exceptionally dashing young man, appearing to be in his twenties. His features were refined and strikingly handsome, the sort that would drive countless maidens into a frenzy. Because he was seated, Lu Zhe could not tell his exact height, but judging by his well-proportioned figure, he was likely about as tall as Master Ye. There was an innate dominance in his handsome face, a commanding presence that radiated authority without anger. At that moment, he was carefully studying Lu Zhe.

Master Ye stood nearby for a moment, glanced at the elegant young man, then strode quickly to him, pointing toward Lu Zhe. “This is my disciple I told you about, Lu Zhe!”

The man looked at Lu Zhe, gestured for him to come closer. Understanding, Lu Zhe stepped forward and offered a respectful salute. “Junior Lu Zhe pays his respects to Senior.”

The man nodded. “Show me your hand.”

Though Lu Zhe didn’t understand, he complied. The man examined his hand, felt it, then scrutinized Lu Zhe’s face, finally reaching out with his right hand to touch the crown of Lu Zhe’s head. Suddenly, he exclaimed with excitement, “Incredible! Truly incredible!”

Startled, Lu Zhe asked, “Senior, what do you mean by incredible?”

“You possess the aura of spiritual light emanating from your crown—do you know that?” the man said happily. He went on, barely able to contain his excitement, “So young, yet your body is already so robust—truly a once-in-a-century prodigy in alchemy! If, one day, you manage to open your Ren and Du meridians, who knows what you might achieve?” Then, with a dramatic flourish, he struck a self-sacrificing pose and declared, “As the saying goes, ‘If I do not descend into hell, who will?’ From now on, the duty of upholding justice and preserving peace across the continent shall rest on your shoulders. Also…” He rummaged in his robes and produced an old, yellowed book with a blank cover and a faint golden hue. “This book is a peerless secret manual. I see fate has brought you together—just for you, thirty thousand gold coins! You—ah…”

Before he could finish, Master Ye booted him from behind, sending him sliding across the ground until he crashed into a towering stone.

Lu Zhe was left speechless at the sight.

Master Ye fumed, “You have enough money to buy several large nations—why do you still scam and swindle?”

He glanced down at the yellowed book, then said, “Why are you still carrying this erotic manual? Planning to corrupt my disciple? Unbelievable—less than three minutes and your true nature is exposed. I really don’t know how you manage to lead such a powerful faction.”

The handsome man scrambled to his feet. “Ah, I’ve left everything to those four old geezers—don’t worry, they manage things well.”

Still dazed by the absurdity of the scene, Lu Zhe hadn’t yet recovered when he noticed the old book on the ground. He hurried over to pick it up, but Master Ye snatched it away. Lu Zhe froze, only to hear Master Ye say, “This is nothing good—you mustn’t look at it.” With that, he hurled the book at the handsome man’s face, striking him so hard his whole face turned red.

The man peeled the book from his face. “What’s the harm? He’ll have to learn about these things sooner or later—better early than late, right?”

Master Ye snorted. “I really can’t fathom how someone like you ranks higher than me on the list.”

Ignoring Master Ye, the man opened the book, grinning lecherously as he began to read. He hadn’t made it through a few pages when the young woman from before strode over, snatched the book, and, with a flick of her wrist, conjured a flame that reduced it to ashes.

“Ah!” The man clutched his head in despair and rushed to the young woman, but the book was already gone. He gazed sorrowfully at the ashes, lamenting, “That was an irreplaceable edition—do you know how much effort I spent acquiring it?”

The young woman merely gave him a sharp look and said nothing more.

Lu Zhe was utterly bewildered by the drama unfolding before him.

Before he could regain his composure, a flash of green shot past his eyes—Master Ye darted to the handsome man and, without a word, began thrashing him with his bamboo staff, raising a cloud of dust.

Agonized screams rang out through the haze, reaching Lu Zhe’s ears and leaving him dumbfounded and sweating.

Suddenly, a fierce wind swept through, slicing the dust apart like a blade, clearing the air and revealing the scene.

The young woman stood, arms folded, watching Master Ye and the handsome man coldly.

Lu Zhe saw that Master Ye had seized the man by his long hair, lifting him clear off the ground. His face was swollen and bruised, evidence of a thorough beating.

Setting the man down, Master Ye looked at Lu Zhe. “This is the one who will teach you alchemy and medicine.”

“Ow, Xiao Ye, must you speak so harshly?” the handsome man grumbled from the ground, turning to look at Master Ye.

Lifting him up to face level, Master Ye said in a tone both suspicious and threatening, “Oh? Not satisfied with the beating?”

The man waved frantically. “No, not at all.”

He stood, dusted himself off, and looked at Lu Zhe. “I am to be your master in alchemy and medicine—tremble, boy! Wahahaha…” he cackled triumphantly.

Master Ye shot him a look reserved for fools, then walked over to the sweating and speechless Lu Zhe. “Don’t be fooled by his antics—his skills in alchemy and medicine are among the greatest on the continent.” He patted Lu Zhe’s shoulder.

Lu Zhe whispered, “But he doesn’t look like an alchemist at all…”

“Who says I’m not an alchemist?” Though Lu Zhe’s words were barely audible, the man, somehow, caught them.

The man sprang up, patted the dust from his clothes, reached into his robes, and drew out a green jade bottle. “See this? Do you know what it is?”

Lu Zhe saw that the bottle was pure, lustrous jade, clearly of the highest quality, filled with pink, bean-sized pills.

“What’s this?” Lu Zhe began, but Master Ye cut him off.

“Try it yourself,” the man said, pouring out a pill and handing it to Master Ye.

Master Ye quickly took the pill, inspected it, and suddenly said, “What’s in your mouth?”

The man opened his mouth. “What?”

Taking advantage, Master Ye shoved the pill inside and tapped his chest, forcing him to swallow it.

“What are you doing?” the man demanded.

“Testing your medicine, of course,” Master Ye replied matter-of-factly.

Before the words had faded, the man’s face flushed red, his breathing grew rapid, and he suddenly reached out to grab Master Ye’s chest.

Master Ye glanced at the hand, eyes turning cold, spun his bamboo staff, and jabbed the man in the stomach. As he bent over in pain, Master Ye followed with a powerful punch to the back, knocking him to the ground, then proceeded to pummel him, all the while saying, “Just as I thought—an aphrodisiac!”

Lu Zhe was already numb to the chaos before him.

After another round of beatings, Master Ye exhaled deeply, gave the man a final kick, and returned to Lu Zhe’s side.

Lu Zhe glanced at Master Ye, then down, and remarked, “Master, your robe is torn at the chest.”

Master Ye looked down—sure enough, two holes!

Before Master Ye could respond, Lu Zhe suddenly felt something soft at his back, as if he were leaning into a pillow of cotton. He sprang forward, turned, and saw that the young woman was grinning at him.

“Hehehe, from now on I’m your senior sister. Aren’t you going to greet me?” she teased.

Lu Zhe was taken aback. “Senior sister?”

She pointed at the handsome man sprawled on the ground. “Aren’t you going to become his disciple? That makes me your senior.”

Lu Zhe looked at the man and said dryly, “To apprentice myself to someone who brews aphrodisiacs? I think I’ll pass.”

The young woman giggled. “Don’t judge Grandpa by appearances—his alchemy is second to none.”

Lu Zhe was stunned. Grandpa? This man, who looked barely older than himself, was her grandfather?

“My name is Master Physician!” Suddenly, the man’s voice rang out from behind.

Lu Zhe turned and was shocked. The man who had just been lying on the ground was now sitting up, still covered in dust, but all his injuries—on face and body—had vanished without a trace, as if he had never been hurt at all. Now he sat calmly a short distance behind Lu Zhe, a faint, cold smile on his lips, entirely devoid of his earlier buffoonery.

“What…what’s going on?” Lu Zhe asked, thoroughly befuddled.

(Sorry, everyone! Only two chapters today—there will be four tomorrow to make it up, so stay tuned.)