Han Changsheng once heard that Elder Lan Fang was eighty-eight this year. He thought he would find a rotten old man. Who knew the old man came with divine poise and sage-like features. He couldn"t help being a little shocked. It wasn"t until the little stinky egg in his arms picked at his sleeve, that he collected his thoughts and hurried to look for the feeling of acting, He said, "This disciple pays his respects to Elder Lan Fang."
Elder Lan Fang smiled "You don"t have to be polite. Good child, come and let me see."
Han Changsheng hesitated and walked forward.
Elder Lan Fang noticed his hands were wrapped in gauze. Han Changsheng started, "My hands…"
Elder Lan Fang laughed and said, "Yue Shizhi mentioned you were hurt in a fight with the devil to save your Shidi. You are a good boy. You"re very kind. I like it very much."
Han Changsheng: "…" He was praised by the righteous for his kindness. He couldn"t return to the wicked world anymore!
Lan Fang pulled up Han Changsheng"s hand and checked his pulse.
Han Changsheng"s face was strange, and he asked, "Elder, why are you accepting me as a disciple?"
Lan Fang said indifferently, "The person the kittens fancy is never the wrong one."
Han Changsheng flattened the corner of his mouth. He had thought their demonic teaching would be enough to do whatever they wanted. He didn"t expect the righteous to be more baffling. Just because a cat likes him, it"s enough to take him as a disciple? If there were a dozen more cats on the mountain, wouldn"t it be more of a mess?! There was also a small stinky egg. This cat was also strange. He used to eavesdrop on An Yuan. It seemed very familiar with An Yuan, but it never brought An Yuan to this d.a.m.n place to see the old man. He was only on the mountain for a few days, and the little stinky egg was close to him, but he only fed small stinky egg a meat bun, nothing major. Was An Yuan so stingy that he never fed the small stinky egg? Or to say… small stinky egg must not like the name Cherry Snow Spirit Feather!
Lan Fang seems to see Han Changsheng"s doubts and said, "This cat has been with me for decades. After I entered the valley, I ordered other disciples of Yuehua Sect not to come near. Once I practiced and went into Qi Deviation. I couldn"t move, and the other disciples never entered the valley because of my own orders. They didn"t know I was in danger, and I almost lost my life. Fortunately, this kitten brought me food and water. I have also heard about some of your deeds. Even at this young age, you made Yin and Yang surrender, and when you"re in a critical moment, you came forward and protected the sect. It is rare to have such morals."
Han Changsheng has stumped for words again. The old man can"t be deterred, or did he spend too long in this valley not knowing the pa.s.sage of time? A cat can"t live for more than ten years. Looking at the still young kitten, how could it accompany him for decades?
Lan Fang loosened Han Changsheng"s wrist, "Your bones are exquisite, muscles are light, and internal strain is smooth. You have good characteristics for practicing martial arts. With your talent and age, it is a reckless waste of good resources."
Han Changsheng blinked. When the old cult head chose him as his successor, it was also because he was very talented, and none of his peers could match him. That teacher didn"t expect this fellow to be quite so lazy and bad-tempered. Almost twenty years later he hardly made any results. He lost his temper and dropped his responsibilities at the drop of a hat. It broke his left and right guards and the head four hall masters" hearts.
Elder Lan Fang smiled. "Do you think practice is too hard and tiring? That it takes a long time and it"s difficult to see results? Is that why you don"t want to work hard? The key to martial arts lies in comprehension. Some people are diligent, so they grow fast. But diligence is not the only way he can improve. It is because he spends more time than others and thinks more than others, so it is easier to "comprehend." I tested your talents yesterday, and your foundation is solid. It won"t take long for you to break through, as long as you "comprehend," you can reach the next level.”
He continued, "From today on, you need not practice with other disciples anymore. Come to me every day. I will tailor a suitable cultivation method for you."
The little stinky egg seemed to understand they were about to practice and jumped from Han Changsheng"s arms. It rubbed against his feet, then jumped into the gra.s.s and disappeared.
Han Changsheng"s mood was complicated. Lan Fang told him as long as he had insight, his martial arts would advance by leaps and bounds, and it sounded like it could be accomplished without special efforts. If he put aside his past, Han Changsheng might be interested in listening to his views. As long as his martial arts could become stronger, the left and right guards and the four hall masters would not force him to practice all day, and he could do what he wanted. Moreso, to not leave the demonic cult, but now wasn"t the time. There were still ten days, only ten days, before the mysterious old man would die. Day by day, if this went on, the task a.s.signed to him by the Black and White Impermanence would be screwed up!
Han Changsheng said, "My brother was injured. I have to take care of him. I am afraid I can"t…"
Before he finished, Lan Fang interrupted, "Having such a kind heart is tough. In that case, you can come to me every afternoon and take care of your Shidi in the morning."
Han Changsheng had nothing to say to that.
Elder Lan Fang wasn"t troublesome. Since Han Changsheng had already come to him, he didn"t continue saying nonsense. Instead, he taught Han Changsheng how to practice the sword. This was the first day, and he didn"t know enough about Han Changsheng, so he conducted a tuition test. Han Changsheng didn"t dare expose the diversity of his martial arts. He selected the simplest swordsmanship to respond to each hack, stab, chop, slash…
It wasn"t until dark that Lan Fang finally let Han Changsheng go back.
Han Changsheng left the valley and immediately went to find An Yuan. It was time for dinner, and An Yuan"s injury was inconvenient. He couldn"t go out for food, so Yue Peng arranged for someone to deliver An Yuan food.
Han Changsheng came to the disciple"s room, saw a young disciple carrying a box of food to An Yuan"s room, and immediately shouted: "Stop!"
The disciple was shocked and looked back at Han Changsheng, greeting, "Da Shixiong."
Han Changsheng stepped forward and asked, "Is this for Huangfu?"
The disciple nodded.
Han Changsheng grabbed the box. "I will send it, you can go." He disregarded the disciple"s reaction and turned toward An Yuan"s room. The disciple was stunned stupid for a moment, staring at his empty hand, then turned to leave.
An Yuan"s door wasn"t locked. Han Changsheng pushed open the door and carried in the boxed meal. When An Yuan saw Han Changsheng, he couldn"t help but be surprised. "Da Shixiong, why you?"
Han Changsheng said, "You hurt your leg. I don"t feel at ease, so I will accompany you for dinner."
An Yuan was very moved to see Han Changsheng.
Han Changsheng opened the box and placed the dishes on the table. The amount was just enough for two to eat.
An Yuan stood up with the bed"s support, wanting to move to the table. Han Changsheng came over and directly lifted him in a bridal carry. An Yuan subconsciously hugged Han Changsheng"s neck, "Renjie, you…"
"Say nothing!" Han Changsheng blocked his mouth with a finger. His expression was serious and overbearing. "Let me serve you. If you get worse, I will feel bad!" After saying this, he admired his acting in his own heart. This role of a good Shixiong was too authentic!
An Yuan surprised, no longer looked into his eyes, and turned away.
Han Changsheng sat An Yuan down by the table and handed him the chopsticks. The two chatted while they ate.
An Yuan asked, "You saw Elder Lan Fang this afternoon? How was it?"
Han Changsheng knew An Yuan worshipped the Elder Lan Fang, so he first praised Lan Fang and said: "Nothing, just a few tricks with me, let me go tomorrow afternoon."
An Yuan said in envy, "If only I could be lucky enough to get Elder Lan Fang"s guidance."
Han Changsheng immediately said, "It"s alright, wait until I learn it. I will teach you."
An Yuan was shocked. "This… how can that be alright? You are Elder Lan Fang"s direct disciple, how can you…"
Han Changsheng said, "You… We are the people of Yuehua Sect that study martial arts to remove the demonic teaching. Isn"t it our responsibility to bring our martial arts to a new height of development? Later, I also want to accept and teach disciples, and Elder Lan Fang picked me, so let me pick you. What"s wrong with that? Is it necessary to hide private things between us disciples brothers?" Who would ever cherish your Yuehua Sect"s martial art, Laozi just wants to curry favor with you! Hurry and take the bait, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!
An Yuan looked at Han Changsheng silently. He bit his lip for a while and whispered, "Renjie…"
Han Changsheng raised his eyebrows, "En?"
An Yuan"s heart was in a spectacular mess, but he didn"t say a word. After a while, he shook his head and bowed his head. He whispered, "Let"s eat."
After the two finished their dinner, they chatted into the dead of the night, then Han Changsheng reluctantly left.
Over the next few days, Han Changsheng went to An Yuan every morning to find An Yuan"s injury wasn"t recovering fast enough. He sighed miserably in despair. An Yuan"s injury wasn"t good. His task would be difficult to complete; how can he not worry? However, his performance in the eyes of An Yuan was entirely different.
Every afternoon, he reluctantly went to Peach Blossom Valley to practice with Lan Fang.
After the first day, he found Lan Fang was strange. Martial art was divided into internal and external power. External focused on strength and speed. The north fist and south kick were most famous. Its speed was fast, and the power big enough to collapse a mountain. Internal power paid attention to willpower, practicing to the peak was like gaining a golden shield and iron cloth, impervious to sword or spear. The masters of the world were powerful both inside and out. When Han Changsheng and Elder Lan Fang first made contact, he discovered Elder Lan Fang rarely used his internal strength against others. Han Changsheng didn"t even know how strong he was internally. He only knew Lan Fang"s sword was sharp, he wasn"t blindly pursuing speed, nor were his moves fancy. He used swordsmanship that anyone knew, but his sword reached as far as his line of sight. He always used the sword just right, making it difficult for the opponent to parry. This was the ultimate external swordsmanship.
Han Changsheng didn"t devote himself to practice. Once Lan Fang asked him to practice on his own, he began to slack off. All he thought about was the Dog Lord. Elder Lan Fang looked in his eyes but said nothing. When the time came, he would come back tomorrow.
As time pa.s.sed by, An Yuan"s injury still wasn"t good. And he still didn"t know which corner to check for the mysterious old man. Han Changsheng was almost going mad!
Han Changsheng rushed back to his room and stamped his feet straight against the floor. "Black and White Impermanence! You two dog G.o.ds! Hurry and come out, ah!"
In the silent room, no one responded.
It wasn"t that Black and White Impermanence had forgotten Han Changsheng and An Yuan. It"s just that one day in heaven was equivalent to one year in the world. The Black and White Impermanence of the heavenly court"s debriefing had just caught up with the destiny of the Immortal Lord.
During the robbery, the Immortal Lord An Yuan was kicked off the cliff by a common man which changed his destiny. Now that all the heavens knew, the Destiny of the Immortal Lord naturally knew, and he had already begun investigating before the Black and White Impermanence returned to heaven. Once he started investigating it near frightened him to death.
Black Impermanence often worried and asked the G.o.d of Destiny, "Senior Immortal, although the judge has exhausted all power to let the Immortal Lord An Yuan return to the world of the living, will his destiny be affected?"
G.o.d of Destiny smiled bitterly. "Not just affected. Both of you can see for yourself." With a wave of his sleeve, there was an illusionary scene in front of the Black and White Impermanence and the gold letters of the Book of Destiny.
Watching for a moment, the Black Impermanence was scared to a white face, and the White Impermanence was scared to a black one.
"How can this be? Senior Immortal, how can this be good?"
G.o.d of Destiny said, "How can it be good? Destiny in the mortal world has already shifted this way. We, as immortals, cannot easily intervene in mortal affairs. Everything is caused by that mortal Han Changsheng. I am afraid only he can correct it." The G.o.d sighed, "It"s a pity. I read through countless common folk"s fiction novels and wrote an interesting destiny for An Yuan. Even his name in the mortal world took me three days and three nights to decide out of countless options. Unfortunately, it"s for naught!"
White Impermanence asked: "How much is like the illusion?"
G.o.d of Destiny said, "Too much, I have not finished investigating yet."
Black impermanence said, "Who is this Han Changsheng? Can he change destiny while still a mortal?"
G.o.d of Destiny said, "I am also puzzled about this matter. I have sent a celestial soldier to investigate."
The three immortals looked at one another, all helpless.
White Impermanence said, "Before we went to heaven, I ordered the mortal to act as Immortal Lord An Yuan"s Shixiong in the mortal world to make up for the mistakes he made. Now, some days have pa.s.sed in the world, and I don"t know if the mortal is doing well."
Destiny"s look suddenly became very serious, "There is another thing I discovered only recently. Both of you, come with me."
The three immortals soared into the clouds and drifted through the mist and soon came to the Star Pool. G.o.d of Destiny arrived with Black and White Impermanence, only to see the stars in Star Pool bright and shining. These were all the stars in the Star Pool. The immortals above the stars in the heavens all had a star representing themselves. Observing them, one could understand the status of the immortal.
G.o.d of Destiny pointed to a star in Star Pool, "Both of you can see the star of Immortal Lord An Yuan."
Black and White Impermanently looked at it carefully, wearing confused expressions. Black impermanence said, "The star of Immortal Lord An Yuan… It seems strange."
White Impermanence nodded, "One half is brighter, and the other is darker. What"s causing it?"
G.o.d of Destiny said, "This is what I discovered recently. This star represents Immortal Lord An Yuan. What"s happening to this star, I am afraid, in the mortal world… will be reflected in his character."
Black and White Impermanence: "Character?"
G.o.d of Destiny nodded, "The characteristics I set for Immortal Lord An Yuan was a combination of kindhearted, wise, generous, cheerfulness, and so on. It can be said there is no weakness. I don"t know why, the stars of Immortal Lord An Yuan gradually darkened, but only half-so. This is probably a sign that his character in the mortal world will change. However, this gloom is not obvious yet, and the brighter half will cover the gloom. It won"t be noticed without careful observation."
White Impermanence mouth opened and closed but did not utter a word. All the immortals saw An Yuan"s destiny written by G.o.d of Destiny. As long as someone dared say a bad word about An Yuan, their fate would drop to an end of total defeat and fall from grace. However, there was always a clueless character around An Yuan, all of whom destiny used to offset An Yuan"s good character. Whoever encounters this kind of destiny would always an abnormal mentality.
Black Impermanence said, "Will this affect Immortal Lord An Yuan"s robbery case?"
Destiny smoothed out his beard and said, "This will not affect it for the time being. Do you see the auxiliary star next to it?"
Black and White Impermanently nodded together.
Destiny said, "That is the star of An Yuan"s robbery. As long as this star is not destroyed, this disaster has not failed. Even if something goes wrong, the star can be remedied without extinction."
Black and White, seeing the disaster star still shining, both sighed with relief.
White Impermanence said, "Even so, I would like to invite all the celestial soldiers to investigate the origin of Han Changsheng. It"s getting late. We have to hurry down and see how this mortal will correct destiny."
Destiny waved his sleeves. "Go!"
Translator(s): Empress
Editor(s): Teo, Dark, Bet