Chapter 539: Chopping Wood
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
Fangzheng was embarra.s.sed by Red Boy’s words as he pulled him to the side and got up. He pressed his palms together and said, “Amitabha. Patron, please don’t mind him. Although this Penniless Monk’s disciple isn’t young, he still has the temper of a child.”
“He isn’t young?” Guan Xiangfeng was taken aback. He looked at Red Boy, whose skin was supple and pink like a doll, and felt that he could only be a few years old. Was Fangzheng treating him as a r.e.t.a.r.d? Guan Xiangfeng laughed dryly and just as he wanted to make a snide remark, his gaze happened to fall on the Frost Bamboo on the ground. He suddenly recalled that he was there to make a request and not to find fault with Fangzheng. Therefore he drew a deep breath and said, “Forget it, I won’t hold it against a child.”
“I won’t hold it against a child either.” Red Boy scoffed as he mimicked Guan Xiangfeng’s tone.
Guan Xiangfeng looked unhappily at Fangzheng. It was obvious what he meant. Aren’t you going to discipline this brat?
Deep inside, Fangzheng smiled wryly. How was he to discipline him? Red Boy had not said anything wrong! Compared to Guan Xiangfeng, apart from him being larger in size and having more facial hair than Red Boy, his age was not even enough to qualify as Red Boy’s grandson… Ye ,there was no way to explain this.
Dog Song finally calmed himself down. When he saw Guan Xiangfeng attempting to find trouble with Fangzheng, he raised his hand and slapped Guan Xiangfeng on the shoulder. “Do you still want the Frost Bamboo? Do beggars act anything like you? In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei had to visit Zhuge Liang three times at his thatched cottage. To ask for something, shouldn’t you act like you are asking for something?”
Fangzheng was taken aback when he heard that. “Ask for something? What?”
Dog Song hurriedly explained Guan Xiangfeng’s situation, including how he had mocked Lame Ma. Early on, Guan Xiangfeng believed that Dog Song was helping him, but as Dog Song continued, he realized something amiss. Although it was the truth, why was Dog Song pointing out all his faults? He glared at Dog Song, yearning to tear apart the a**hole!
Fangzheng had had no idea what Jiang Zhou’s profession was, but after hearing Dog Song’s explanation, he realized that Jiang Zhou was a carving master. And from the looks of it, he was quite a famous one at that. With this in mind, Fangzheng smiled at Guan Xiangfeng. “Patron, you wish for Frost Bamboo to honor your master?”
When Guan Xiangfeng saw Fangzheng smile so radiantly, he heaved a sigh of relief inwardly as he thought, “From the looks of it, it’s a deal.” Therefore, Guan Xiangfeng nodded immediately. “Yes. Master, I hope you can satisfy my request.”
Fangzheng smiled genially as he said lightly, “I can’t!”
“Uh…” Guan Xiangfeng was dumbfounded as he cleaned his ears, afraid that he had heard wrong.
“Jingxin, send him off.” After Fangzheng said that, he turned around and began fiddling with the bamboo to make the beds. As for giving Guan Xiangfeng Frost Bamboo? What a joke! He owed nothing to him, and on the contrary, Jiang Zhou still owed his life to him! He also owed the villagers for board and lodging. He was in debt, yet his apprentice was unwilling to even give pointers to the villagers on bamboo carving? With such a character, how was it possible for Fangzheng to give any Frost Bamboo to Guan Xiangfeng?
When Red Boy heard that, he immediately beamed. He ran over and pointed outside, shouting, “Patron, please!”
“This… I’m not leaving!” Guan Xiangfeng’s stubbornness erupted. It was a hot day, and it was already an hour past noon. He had scaled the mountain when the day was at its hottest. He was nearly enervated, but Fangzheng actually declined him so easily and sent him on his way? Dream on!
“Are you not leaving? Think it through. I’m not inviting you to leave. If you try to act scoundrelly, I will request my senior brother to invite you out,” said Red Boy with a scoff as he crossed his arms.
“I’m not leaving no matter who comes!” Guan Xiangfeng glared angrily at Fangzheng’s back as he said firmly.
“Your courage is commendable. Stay here then. I’ll be making a move first.” When Dog Song heard Red Boy’s tone, he immediately understood something as he ran off.
Guan Xiangfeng was taken aback as he furrowed his brows tightly. He was unsure what was happening. Who was it that was so scary? Would the person actually a.s.sault him?
“Senior Brother, it’s your turn!” shouted Red Boy.
At the next moment, a wolf the size of a calf crawled out of his kennel. He bared his fangs, and his ferocious look which exuded killing intent made Guan Xiangfeng feel like he had fallen into an ice-cold cavern. Gooseb.u.mps popped up all over his body as his feet went limp.
“Awoo!” Lone Wolf howled as his cry resounded through the sky.
Guan Xiangfeng exclaimed and turned to leave, losing all of his nerves from before!
When Red Boy saw this, he grinned. “Despite your build, you sure are cowardly. What’s the point of having all those lumps of meat?”
Guan Xiangfeng ran out One Finger Monastery and when he turned his head, he realized that the horrifying wolf had not followed him out. He immediately heaved a sigh of relief as he saw Dog Song sitting under a tree for its shade. When he saw Guan Xiangfeng run out, he grinned with a look of mockery.
Guan Xiangfeng looked at Dog Song before looking at the monastery behind him. Was he leaving just like that? Down the mountain with his tail between his legs? He was unwilling to do so! Even if it was not for his master, Jiang Zhou, it was for that piece of bamboo. He could not bring himself to just leave. He had never seen such perfect bamboo in his life! He believed that as long as he obtained some of that bamboo, all he would need to was to apply some additional processing to it, and it would be easy for him to top his cla.s.s at his graduating exam. When that happened, Jiang Zhou would have no choice but to take him in as a disciple as that was a rule!
On the contrary, it would be difficult for him to become Jiang Zhou’s disciple if he did not get first.
With this in mind, Guan Xiangfeng gritted his teeth as he walked to the monastery’s side. Fangzheng’s mountain had quite a lot of Frost Bamboo. There was a huge plantation a distance away, and there was some growing outside the monastery as well. Back when Guan Xiangfeng first arrived, he had been staring at the monastery and had not noticed. Now that he was taking a careful look, his liking for the Frost Bamboo increased as he became more and more excited.
“It shouldn’t be a problem if I steal one, right?” Just as this thought came to Guan Xiangfeng’s mind, he felt a pair of eyes staring intently at him from behind. Without even turning back, he knew the owner of the pair of eyes. It had to be that darn Dog Song!
With Dog Song watching, there was no way he could steal, but he felt indignant!
As he weighed the matter, he had no choice but to loiter outside the monastery. Unknowingly, he ended up circling to the back of the monastery when he heard the sounds of bamboo being chopped. He felt as though his blood was bleeding upon hearing the crisp sounds! Such good bamboo was being chopped!
Simultaneously, the brat’s voice sounded. “Master, aren’t you being too ruthless? You chopped it with one strike. You are making beds for us. I want something pretty, don’t you skimp out us.”
Fangzheng’s voice sounded. “Skimp on you? Don’t worry. My skills are good.”
“Good?” Guan Xiangfeng scoffed inwardly. He had seen too many people dabble in carving since he was young. He had seen many carpenters, but to use a machete to make furniture? Wasn’t he being a joke? The machete might be good at chopping, but how could it be used to handle the intricate parts?
At that moment, the brat mocked his master. “Master, if I recall correctly, you only used a hammer to hammer a few nails in when our table broke, and didn’t you cause it to splinter…?”
Fangzheng blushed when he heard that as he coughed dryly. “I’m no longer the same as before. Make way. This Frost Bamboo is too thick. I’ll have to use more strength for this segment.”
“Master, why do I feel like you are chopping wood?”
“What’s wrong with chopping wood? All that matters is that it splits apart.”
…