After enduring Wu Di’s endless grat.i.tude, Li Wanlong finally managed to leave.
In truth, Ye Zichen intentionally sent Wu Di to thank that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Li Wanlong in order to make all this even more painful for him.
As he watched the defeated Li Family members flee, Ye Zichen snorted softly.
“Did you see that? You can’t indulge this sort of person. The more you give, the more they’ll walk all over you. Sometimes, you have to act tough. That’s the only way to make them fear you.”
These words were obviously directed at Wu Di, who nodded forcefully and bowed. “This junior will remember.”
Wu Di knew that, while Li Wanlong was there, Ye Zichen had only played the part of “master” to help him. That was why he’d referred to them as master and apprentice. Now that Li Wanlong, his son, and their followers had all left, there was naturally no need to pretend any longer.
When he heard Wu Di refer to himself as “junior”, Ye Zichen couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Wu Di was good in every way. However, he was just a bit too timid. Rather, you could say he had far too strong a sense of propriety and for when to give in. This sort of personality wasn’t exactly bad, but…..
“No problem. It was a piece of cake.” Ye Zichen nodded coolly and disappeared. Although he really did intend to take Wu Di as his apprentice, if the kid hadn"t realized his true intentions, there was no need to rush.
“Junior?” Once Ye Zichen had gone, Zheng Yunan looked at Wu Di in surprise. “Isn’t Senior Ye your master? Why didn’t you call yourself ‘apprentice?’”
How could Wu Di not want this sort of master? However, that was nothing but his one-sided fantasy.
“Senior Ye isn’t really my teacher. He was just looking out for me. He pretended to be my teacher so I could borrow his status, that’s all.”
When she heard this explanation, Zheng Yunan was briefly dumbfounded, then she slapped Wu Di hard on the shoulder.
“Are you stupid or something? Is the relations.h.i.+p between master and apprentice something you can ‘fake’ just to lend someone your prestige? If Senior Ye said you were his apprentice, that means he intends to accept you as his disciple! Besides, if it were really just a matter of backing you up, he could have said anything he wanted. So long as he expressed even the slightest concern for you, Li Wanlong and the others wouldn’t have dared offend you. “
When he heard Zheng Yunan’s explanation, Wu Di’s eyes lit up, but as soon as he recalled how indifferent Ye Zichen had looked when he left, his hopes were immediately dashed.
“How is that possible? What kind of existence is Senior Ye? There are undoubtedly tons of geniuses who want him as their master. I’m untalented, so how could he possibly take an interest in me? Besides, if he really wanted me as his apprentice, why didn’t he react at all when I called myself ‘junior’ earlier?
Whap.
When she heard Wu Di’s self-deprecating tone, Zheng Yunan raised her hand and smacked him on the back.
“Are you stupid or something? Well? Are you? You know that Senior Ye is a lofty figure, and know that countless geniuses want him as their master? Given all that, do you really think you calling him ‘senior’ once would hurt him so much, he’d lose control of his emotions and start crying about wailing about wanting you as his apprentice? Wu Di, I hadn’t realized you were so brainless!”
“Then….. What do you think I should do?”
Wu Di heard what she was saying, but still had no idea what to do. He naturally wanted Ye Zichen as his master, but he was afraid of pus.h.i.+ng his luck.
“If you go back in a little while and tell Senior Ye you want to take him as your master, I can guarantee he’ll absolutely accept you.”
“Are you certain?”
“I’m certain.” She raised her beautiful face. Suddenly, she blushed rosy-red. “If Senior Ye refuses you, I….. I can repay you with my body. That should be enough a.s.surance for you!”
“Zheng Yunan, the two of us can’t possibly be together.”
Zheng Yunan’s words weren’t subtle at all, but Wu Di’s response made her freeze up. After a long while, she glared at him disdainfully. “Hey, don’t overthink things. I just said that to emphasize how good your chances are. Did you really think I’d marry you? In my heart, my knight in s.h.i.+ning armor is a peerless hero. At the very least, he has to be an existence on the level of Senior Ye. You….. You’d better go home and prepare for the clan’s grand compet.i.tion. If you don"t’ make it into the top hundred, you won’t just lose face for yourself. You’ll lose face for Senior Ye too.”
Zheng Yunan waved at Wu Di, then said, “hurry home and take him as your master. Trust me, Senior Ye will definitely accept you as his apprentice. I still have to go tell the others about the upcoming grand compet.i.tion, so I can’t stay with you any longer.”
“Alright, thanks for your hard work.”
Even now, Wu Di maintained a suitable distance between them. He saw her off formally, like a scholar.
Zheng Yunan felt a surge of disappointment. She stubbornly looked away, then, without even a single word, gradually disappeared from Wu Di’s line of sight.
After a while, Wu Di, who was still bowing in farewell, looked up. As he recalled her promise to guarantee his success with her body, his gaze brimmed over with bitterness.
“You’re a chosen daughter of heaven, our top visiting expert’s beloved granddaughter, while I’m nothing but the son of a servant-girl. Within the clan, taking even a single step is like walking through ice. We’re from two different worlds. Now I finally have a chance to change my life around. If someday, I really can be like you, then I…..”
Suddenly, Wu Di came to his senses. He forcefully shook his head, they whapped himself on the ears.”
“Wu Di, Wu Di,” he laughed bitterly, “what on earth are you thinking?”
By the time Wu Di returned home, it was already late. Although Zheng Yunan had thoroughly a.n.a.lyzed the situation for him and encouraged him, whenever he considered taking this step that could change his life forever, his heart filled with terror and uncertainty.
He’d wandered around town all afternoon. It seemed everyone in Black Ox Town had heard that he was some expert’s apprentice and he’d found that everyone was much friendlier than usual.
This sudden change made him even more uncertain. All of this was because of Ye Zichen…..
Could a mighty senior like that really have taken a s.h.i.+ne to him?
He’d wandered aimlessly until nightfall, then walked back to the liquor store he’d been to earlier. He’d clenched his fists, taken out all of his savings, then bought another gourd of the immortal brew Ye Zichen had liked.
To his surprise, as soon as he stepped through his front door, Wu Di saw Ye Zichen standing in the middle of the courtyard.
“You’re back?”
Ye Zichen’s tone was ordinary, but this casual tone made Wu Di’s heart race even faster. He gulped, then approached Ye Zichen and pa.s.sed him the second gourd of immortal brew.
“Senior…..”
“You bought another gourd?”
When he saw the immortal brew, Ye Zichen broke into a smile. He hadn’t been much of a drinker in the past, but in his tenth reincarnation, all those repressed, bitter memories, had led him to love wine almost as much as his own life.
He raised the gourd, then drained it completely. He closed his eyes to savor it, but when he opened them again, he saw that Wu Di was kneeling before him.
“What are you doing? If you want to thank me, there’s no need. I said it earlier; it was nothing.”
“No……” Wu Di shook his head forcefully, then made up his mind. He bit his lip, slammed his head to the ground, and said, “Senior, please accept this junior as your apprentice!”