The disciple spoke gently to comfort Jiang Luo a few more times. Jiang Luo tucked away his sorrow and forced a smile at him. “I’m fine.”
His expression—fragile and beautiful in forced strength—made the disciple narrow his eyes slightly. He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Jiang Luo, speaking gently, “The dead can’t come back to life.”
Just then, Feng Li called out, “Jiang Luo.”
Jiang Luo took the handkerchief and wiped away nonexistent tears. “Thank you, senior brother. You are…?”
“Just call me Senior Brother Qiao,” the disciple replied.
Jiang Luo thanked Senior Brother Qiao and walked over to Feng Li. “Teacher Feng.”
Feng Li looked at his still slightly sorrowful expression, his refined brows furrowing. Without beating around the bush, he asked, “Would you be willing to become my disciple?”
Become Feng Li’s disciple?
Of course I would!
If the gong from the original novel became his master, it’d be the best protective card Jiang Luo could have. Now he also understood why Chen Pi had brought him to the Heavenly Master Residence. Still, he didn’t say yes right away. “Teacher Feng, I already have a master.”
Chen Pi quickly said, “It’s alright, don’t worry about me. I haven’t taught you anything all these years—hardly fulfilled a master’s duty. The Heavenly Master is your senior uncle anyway. With him guiding you, I can rest easy. I’m truly happy for you.”
Feng Li waited silently for Chen Pi to finish.
Jiang Luo looked torn. Chen Pi, worried he might refuse, leaned in to persuade him a few more times. Feng Li had never encountered a situation where he offered to take a disciple and the person hesitated. He wasn’t sure how he felt—part surprise, part intrigue.
After a moment, Jiang Luo finally nodded. “Alright, I will acknowledge Teacher Feng as my master.”
The ceremony for becoming a disciple could be complicated or simple. A Heavenly Master taking on a disciple wasn’t much different from any other. Jiang Luo followed instructions step by step, and finally offered a cup of tea to Feng Li.
Feng Li took a small sip—thus establishing their master-disciple relationship.
Once the others had left, Feng Li led Jiang Luo into the study. “You should already know where the third round is taking place.”
Jiang Luo nodded. “They only said it’s in Xiangxi.”
Feng Li sat down and said, “I cast a divination for you yesterday. The result was extremely ominous.”
Jiang Luo’s smile froze.
Feng Li said this plainly, as if he hadn’t just said something terrifying. “The third round will be very dangerous for you. From now on, outside of school hours, you’ll stay at the Feng residence to strengthen your skills.”
Jiang Luo nodded firmly. “Understood.”
Feng Li said, “All the books on your left—you need to finish them in ten days.”
Jiang Luo turned his head and looked left. There was an entire bookshelf filled with texts—from the Classic of Mountains and Seas to the Book of Changes, from the Qing Wu Manual to the Book of Burial, and several volumes of Local Customs and Folk Traditions. The shelf looked like it weighed dozens of pounds.
“……” Jiang Luo muttered, “Finish them in ten days?”
Feng Li nodded calmly. “Start reading now.”
After saying that, he left the study.
Jiang Luo reasonably suspected that Feng Li was retaliating for his earlier hesitation to become his disciple. But he couldn’t ignore Feng Li’s orders. So, he took two unfamiliar books from the top of the shelf, sat down on the carpet, and began reading.
Luckily, he had already studied some of the books before. Overall, the pressure was high, but the task wasn’t impossible.
By the time Jiang Luo finished one book, night had already fallen. A disciple from the Feng family had prepared a room for him. Jiang Luo didn’t stand on ceremony and spent the night at the Heavenly Masters’ residence.
The next morning, before dawn, knocking on the door woke him up. He got out of bed and opened the door. “Who is it?”
Standing outside was Senior Brother Qiao, whom he’d only met once before. Senior Brother Qiao was dressed in loose Daoist robes. “Junior Brother, it’s time for morning training.”
Jiang Luo: “…”
What kind of ridiculous rules did this Heavenly Master Residence have?
Helpless, he changed clothes, pulled his collar up high, and followed Senior Brother Qiao to begin training.
Though Senior Brother Qiao looked thin, his breathing remained steady while running. Jiang Luo’s stamina had also improved after several days of training. As they ran, perhaps from boredom, Senior Brother Qiao asked curiously, “Junior Brother, why did you fall for an evil spirit?”
Jiang Luo had already categorized Senior Brother Qiao with gossip-lovers like Ye Xun. He replied skillfully, “It’s a long story.”
Senior Brother Qiao said, “We’re running ten laps. You can take your time telling it.”
Each lap took five minutes, and Jiang Luo recounted his story with Chi You as they ran. Senior Brother Qiao listened with great interest. By the end, his eyes shimmered slightly, as if touched by their tale. Sincerely, he said, “What a pity for the two of you.”
Jiang Luo sighed.
During the last lap, they slowed to a walk. Senior Brother Qiao, seemingly unsatisfied, pointed to the artificial lake they were passing. “Did you two go on dates by the lake too?”
Jiang Luo nodded casually. “There are usually many couples by the lake at night. When he took me there, he always picked secluded spots.”
“Really,” Senior Brother Qiao’s smile deepened. “That sounds romantic. The moonlight must’ve been beautiful.”
“Doesn’t it?” Jiang Luo’s eyes held nostalgia. He gave a bitter smile. “It’s the most beautiful memory I have.”
“I can imagine it,” Senior Brother Qiao said softly.
As they continued walking, Senior Brother Qiao asked with undiminished interest, “So, what kind of intimate things did you do with the evil spirit?”
Wenren Lian had asked him the same before. Jiang Luo smirked mischievously. “Everything you should and shouldn’t do.”
His brows and eyes were full of teasing charm and subtle wickedness. “I’m not the lustful type, but if your partner has needs—what kind of man would back down? Even if he’s a ghost, you still have to top him, right?”
A double entendre—implicitly asserting his dominance while subtly tarnishing Chi You’s image.
Jiang Luo was very pleased with his answer.
Senior Brother Qiao suddenly burst into laughter. When Jiang Luo looked at him in confusion, Senior Brother Qiao waved a hand, trying to hold back his laughter. “Nothing, nothing. Junior Brother, look ahead—someone seems to have trespassed into the Heavenly Masters’ residence.”
Jiang Luo looked in the direction Senior Brother Qiao pointed and indeed saw a human-shaped shadow hiding behind the trees.
They exchanged a glance and quietly crept forward. Behind the tree was a woman with exquisite makeup. Her face was familiar from countless TV shows—one of the top current celebrities. Jiang Luo recalled her name: Bai Qiu.
“Miss,” Senior Brother Qiao said, “why are you in the Heavenly Masters’ residence?”
The starlet jumped in fright and nearly screamed. Thankfully, reason overcame her instincts. She quickly covered her mouth and turned around, her face pale.
Up close, one could see the truth beneath her makeup—dark circles under her eyes, unnaturally bright blush, and cracked lips. Her eyes were bloodshot, and even her heavy makeup couldn’t hide her exhaustion.
Jiang Luo remembered she had been looking troubled for a while now. He’d even seen unethical tabloids speculating whether Bai Qiu was using drugs.
Senior Brother Qiao, however, seemed not to recognize her at all. “Miss, entry into the Heavenly Masters’ residence is not permitted without authorization.”
Bai Qiu’s tears fell instantly. She began sobbing, “Master, please, let me see the Heavenly Master. I beg you.”
Somehow, her makeup didn’t smudge even though she was crying so hard. Instead, it made her look pitiful—enough to soften anyone’s heart.
Jiang Luo had thought Senior Brother Qiao would give in, but surprisingly, though Senior Brother Qiao spoke kindly, he still firmly refused. “If you wish to meet the Heavenly Master, please wait at the gates.”
Bai Qiu froze, then looked at Senior Brother Qiao with a heart-wrenching expression. “Master, I truly have an urgent matter. Please, just this once—make an exception.”
She reached out, trying to grab his leg in a dramatic plea, but didn’t expect the ordinary-looking man to be so heartless. Just as her hand lifted, Senior Brother Qiao stepped back. “Apologies. It’s our rule here.”
He looked gentle and spoke politely, but Bai Qiu could feel the coldness and indifference behind his words. A shiver ran down her spine, and she forced herself to stop crying. Steeling herself, she said, “Master, I know the Heavenly Master is difficult to meet. I wasn’t hoping for that. There are many capable people here—I just want someone who can solve my problem. Master, can you help me? I can pay! I have money—I really have a lot of money!”
Senior Brother Qiao looked down at the woman from above, his eyes devoid of warmth. He was about to reject her but then seemed to think of something and suddenly smiled. “Why don’t we go sit over there and talk? If I can help you, I certainly will.”
There happened to be a pavilion nearby. Seeing the joy on the woman’s face, Jiang Luo couldn’t help but sigh at Senior Brother Qiao’s kindness. “Senior Brother Qiao, do you even know what trouble she’s in? Isn’t it a bit rash to agree to help without knowing anything?”
Senior Brother Qiao replied, “It’s fine. If it’s beyond my ability, I’ll just refuse her. Listening won’t waste much of my time.”
Jiang Luo marveled inwardly—this person is really kind-hearted.
The three of them moved to the pavilion. The female celebrity instinctively glanced around and then realized she was in the Heavenly Master Residence, free from paparazzi. Her expression became complicated as she finally relaxed.
Clutching her bag, her expression was a mix of hatred and intense love. “I… fell in love with a man.”
“I love him very much. So much that when he asked me to quit the industry and disappear from the public eye, I almost agreed without hesitation,” Bai Qiu said in a low voice as she looked down at her hands. “He liked certain foods, so I enrolled in cooking classes to learn them. He preferred a certain style, so I changed my wardrobe to match. He didn’t like other men in my contacts, so I cut off all communication with male colleagues, friends, even valuable business connections… I…”
Suddenly she looked up, eyes filled with despair, and stared at Jiang Luo and Senior Brother Qiao. “I suspect I’ve been cursed.”
