Chapter 12 (1/2)
Chapter 12
More Secrets
By the time they reach Zhi Yan House, the sky is already dark. Feng Di is standing guard at the entrance like a stone statue, a look of antic.i.p.ation on his face.
”s.h.i.+fu, you are back!” he is shocked after seeing Fang Zhun, ”Shouldn't you be back after a couple of days?”
Fang Zhun replies him, ”The a.s.sembly was boring. All the things they brought up are clichéd. The longer I was there, the more time I wasted. If my s.h.i.+fu had not been acquainted with Taoist Ling Min, I wouldn't have bothered going there.”
Feng Di frowns lightly, ”s.h.i.+fu, why do you still speak recklessly so? What if Senior Grandfather heard you?”
Fang Zhun turns to look at him, ”He is in another peak, how can he possibly hear me? This child- you have been with me for so many years, why are you still so uptight and uninteresting?”
Feng Di cannot find it in himself to reply to that. Instead, he turns to the uneasy Hu Sha who is standing in the sideline. He warmly asks her, ”How did it go? What did you experienced?”
Hu Sha coughs softly before barely speaking above a whisper, ”I'm afraid I will have to disappoint Senior Brother.”
After she says that, a trace of disappointment can be seen on his face. But he is not at all angry as Hu Sha thought he would be. He simply nods, saying, ”…… It's okay. The Art of Teng Yun is not something one can learn within one or two days. Senior Brother is not disappointed. With how hardworking you are, you ought to master it soon. No need to rush.”
The one who was in a rush was him, alright! Hu Sha secretly sighs.
”I can only fly half-a-foot up. I cannot fly that far, though.” Hu Sha purpose puts on an 'I am very pitiful' look. As she mutters her incantation, she beckons clouds over before slowly flying up. When she lowers her head to look at them, she can see the slight disappointment in her Senior Brother's face changing into a delighted one. Her heart suddenly feels triumphant and she promptly forgets about all her complain to her s.h.i.+fu, earlier on.
”Oh….. Oh! Not bad, really not bad!” Feng Di is so pleased he almost forget how to speak. He does not dare to be too preposterous in front of his s.h.i.+fu, he forces himself to contain his smile, though the one in his eyes cannot be contained. His iceberg-like face finally changes.
Fang Zhun laughs, ”Feng Di has only begun teaching and you already achieved this much, you deserves a lot of admiration. You are indeed, my, Fang Zhun's disciple.” He turns at Hu Sha and exchange a look with her. Then, they both burst out in laughter.
Feng Di immediately bows and places his balled hands in front of him respectfully, ”s.h.i.+fu mistakenly praises me. This disciple is ashamed. It has only been a month since Hu Sha entered the sect, all the progress she had is due to her own diligence. This disciple merely guides her from the sideline. This disciple is not worthy of being called a teacher.”
No matter what, Hu Sha feels triumphant. The progress she had is due to s.h.i.+fu's teaching, not her diligence. She was like a good-for-nothing Ah Dou, but because of her s.h.i.+fu, she became a precious flower.
(TN: Ah Dou is referring to Liu Bei's son, Liu Shan. He was known for being a useless and incapable ruler, losing the jiangshan in the end. Some people suggest that he was actually capable and was only feigning ignorance.)
Fang Zhun waves his hand, ”Both of you complements each other when it comes to modesty. It looks so unctuous it gives me gooseb.u.mp. Where is Feng Yi? He has not returned?”
Hearing about Feng Yi, Feng Di frowns once again, ”This disciple planned to report this to you once you returned. Po Jun Department continues a.s.signing him with missions to banish demons. Today, I went to Pu Jun Department to have a discussion with the Elder there. But I received cold shoulders from them. Perhaps, it is better for s.h.i.+fu to be one to go.”
Fang Zhun replies him with an 'Oh'. He pulls a chair to sit down before covering his mouth to cough a couple of times. ”If Feng Yi personally refuses to do the work, those old men in Po Jun Department can do nothing to force him. If he wants to do it himself, we must not force him either.”
Hearing him calling them 'those old men', Feng Di's frown deepens. He helplessly looks at his teacher, ”s.h.i.+fu…. Be cautious of your words. Besides, regardless of Feng Yi's willingness, he has only been here for around 50 years. He has not reached the age to receive the lesson about offering. His life will be at stake if he receives those missions, how can we not care?”
Fang Zhun yawns, ”You yourself has not reached the age of altar-hood and offering, had you reject any a.s.signments from Po Jun Department? Besides, Qing Yuan does not have this rule that forbade disciple from receiving missions before altar-hood. If you can do it, Feng Yi naturally can as well. Your protective instinct as a Senior Brother is too strong, how can you not trust your own Junior Brother?”
Feng Di becomes speechless at what he said.
Fang Zhun yawns once again, ”If there is nothing else, I would like to go to sleep first. I was at that wretched place for too long, my body feels uncomfortable.”
He gets up and leaves while Feng Di calls for him from behind, ”s.h.i.+fu…..” To put it short, his s.h.i.+fu is never unsuccessful when it comes to rendering him speechless.
The sound of footsteps can suddenly be heard outside the door, followed by the sound of door being pushed opened. Feng Yi's cheerful voice fills the air, ”Huh? s.h.i.+fu has returned? How merry! Are all of you gathering together like this to wait for me?”
Hu Sha has the fastest response. She runs towards him and sweetly speaks to him, ”Second Senior Brother, you are back so late!”
Feng Yi laughs while he pats her head, ”Has Junior Sister learned the Art of Teng Yun? Did you return while riding a cloud?”
Hu Sha's face immediately falls.
Feng Yi nods repeatedly, ”From the look of it, you failed.”
Hu Sha hastily speaks up, ”Says who? I only failed to fly properly…….”
Before she even finish speaking, she sees him taking out a package from his chest. Just from the aroma she can tell that it is roasted chicken. Before her grievance even fade, she salivates over the package, drool almost flowing out of her mouth. She gulped.
”Be good. Do not be discouraged. Just continue practicing. You will be able to fly, one day.” Feng Yi tosses the paper bag to her. He pats her head as though he would pat a little puppy. After that, he turns around and pays respect to Fang Zhun, ”Greeting, s.h.i.+fu and Senior Brother.”
Fang Zhun nods, ”As long as you returned safely. Did you suffer from any injury?”
Feng Yi laughs, ”s.h.i.+fu must not underestimate me. Can a couple of mere demons injure me? I dare not let others make fun of s.h.i.+fu's teachings.”
Fang Zhun nods in agreement, ”Not bad.”
'What 'not bad?'' Feng Di secretly murmurs in his heart. He really did not expect anything constructive from his s.h.i.+fu. He has always been dismissive towards things. At times, even when big things are heading their way, he would simply say, 'It is not a big deal. Why is everyone so anxious?' paired with an innocent look.
”Feng Yi, come to my room at night. There is something I would like to tell you.” Feng Di icily tells him.
Feng Yi raises his eyebrows before putting on a bitter smile, ”Aiya, how annoying. How troublesome.”
Hu Sha takes out the roasted chicken. She yearningly looks at it, sniffing it from top to bottom. In the end, she endures the yearning and puts it back into the bag. She only takes out a bun and starts eating it.
”The little girl has changed her personality? Why aren't you eating delicious thing?” Feng Yi is very curious.
Hu Sha solemnly nods, ”I need to cultivate. Eldest Senior Brother said I am a genius. I must not disappoint him. From now on, I will not eat meat! I will only eat buns!”
”Ge…nius?” Feng Yi is amused now as he glances at Feng Di. The latter blushes, pretending to coughs.
”The Eldest Senior Brother is such a good teacher!” The way Feng Yi praises him sounds very half-hearted. He stretches his waist before rubbing his eyes while murmuring, ”I am so tired. I should not talk anymore, I need to go to bed.”
Feng Di frowns, ”Hang on! I will go with you!”
Feng Yi laughs bitterly, ”Eldest Senior Brother, please spare me this one time! Whatever you have to say, can you please say it tomorrow? I am too tired today.”
He turns around before walking away. Feng Di anxiously calls after him, ”Feng Yi!”