Chapter 108 - 108: 108. [My Apprentice? Must be Fake!)
It was winter and a light rain has just passed, leaving deep ruts from a carriage on the muddy ground.
The carriage driver was a middle-aged man who looked like a typical sunburned farmer, only slightly taller than average.
He had a thick stubble, probably a full beard, but he didn’t have a full beard grown out.
Noticeably, on his rough, sunburned face, the man had a pair of squinting eyes.
If Lu Xun had seen him, he would have definitely noticed him. He had seen a lot of cartoons and in his mind, squinting eyes are the sign of a monster!
The sunburned man seemed to spot something, suddenly stopped the carriage, jumped down and said, “Hey, these wild vegetables are not bad, I can make a soup for the Master later. Let him taste my newly developed recipe.”
Although everyone despised his cooking skills and he often invented strange new dishes, he was always passionate about the Culinary Path and believed that one day he could become a world-class chef.
So, along the way, whenever he saw good ingredients, he would always stop.
In the carriage, a middle-aged scholar in old white robes sighed. He leaned against the window, glanced outside, then used his Spiritual Power to block his sense of taste.
The sunburned man parked the carriage by the road and took out a complete set of kitchenware and tableware from his storage ring, starting on his most joyous task.
Soon, he cooked a pot of sticky green soup.
He took a sip himself and his face turned even more black.
Before long, after savoring it for a while, he felt he couldn’t pick up on anything, so he tried again. This time, he felt the flavors of nature in it.
“Not bad, at least it’s an improvement from the past. It doesn’t matter if it tastes good or not, what the Master always cares about is the thought behind it,” he said to himself.
Holding the soup and rice, he stood outside the carriage and said, “Master, it’s time to eat.”
“Bring it in,” the prepared middle-aged scholar said.
As soon as he saw the appearance of the soup, he immediately felt that his preparation was still not enough.
“Never mind, it’s the thought that counts.”
The sunburned man was right, the Master was such a person, he valued the thought much more. As long as everyone always remembered him, always thought about him, he would feel happy.
“Old Three, how much further to the Demon Sect?” the Master asked.
The sunburned man, Zhuge Lai Fu, replied, “If we continue at this pace, it will take about seven more days.”
“Another seven days, that’s a bit slow.” After a moment of consideration, the Master looked once again at the sticky soup in his hand and said, “Let’s fly back. ”
“Alright.” Zhuge Lai Fu nodded. “It’s been several months, I haven’t seen my Little Junior Brother yet.”
The Master, however, seemed indifferent.
After the meal, as per the Master’s instruction, Zhuge Lai Fu set the horse free.
Surprisingly, the horse didn’t want to leave, seeming to reveal a sort of intelligence.
“Off you go, find a place to cultivate properly,” Zhuge Lai Fu waved at the horse again.
This time, the horse realised there was no point resisting. It humbly lowered its head and knelt on the floor. It bowed its head three times as though paying a great tribute, then got up and ran off in the direction of the forest.
The horseless carriage looked a bit strange. Zhuge Lai Fu sat on it and muttered, “Giddy up!”
Then, he waved his rough hand, and the entire carriage levitated. It flew higher and faster, until it transformed into a streak of black light and disappeared.
The Master returned to the sect, but this news didn’t cause much of a commotion in the Demon Sect.
For the disciples of the Demon Sect, the Master’s whereabouts were not something they could keep track of. They never knew when the Master was in the back mountain or not.
Even Shen Yan and others didn’t know about the Master’s return at first. Only when they detected the aura of Zhuge Lai Fu, their third uncle, did they speculate that the Master had returned and quickly stood up to welcome him.
Shen Yan and the four Peak Masters lined up to salute the floating carriage in the sky, saying, “Welcome back, Master!”
After that, they didn’t forget to salute Zhuge Lai Fu, “Our respects to Third Uncle. ”
Zhuge Lai Fu beamed and nodded. The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing a palm with a raised delicate finger. The Master poked his head out, waved his hand nonchalantly and said,
“I’ve said it so many times, don’t bother with this formality. Everyone, just go back to your own things.”
He didn’t ask anything like “Has everything been peaceful at the Demon Sect” because he simply didn’t care. To be precise, there was not much that he cared about.
Hearing this, Shen Yan and the others smiled at each other, quickly made way for the Master, letting the carriage continue drifting towards the back mountain.
In the small study of the back mountain, Mao Nanbei was enjoying the winter sun on her rattan chair. Suddenly, she woke up with a start, frightening Little
Mute who was next to her.
Mao Nanbei turned her head towards the house and yelled, “Lu Nun! Come out quickly!”
Lu Xun, not knowing what had happened, ran out and asked, “What’s wrong,
Fourth Senior Sister? Why the sudden shock?”
“I sensed Third Senior Brother’s aura. The Master must have returned.” After saying this, Mao Nanbei stretched out her small hand, grabbed Lu Xun with one hand and Lin Chan with the other and flew towards the bamboo forest.
Inside the bamboo forest, Second Senior Sister was still seated high on a giant rock, clearly waiting for something.
“Did the Master return so quickly?” Lu Xun was a little surprised.
He adjusted his robe, aiming to make a good first impression on the Master.
Of course, with his innate charisma at 10, Lu Xun was confident that he couldn’t leave a bad first impression on anyone.
A simple black carriage descended in the bamboo forest, and the pleasant stout man, the driver, jumped off.
He glanced over at Lu Xun and couldn’t help but pause.
Then, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a common-looking middle-aged man in old white robes walked out of the carriage.
He wasn’t tall, and was a bit shorter than Lu Xun. His disposition was not as notable as Lu Xun’s, and he almost seemed like an impoverished scholar who failed to pass his examinations.
Moreover, Lu Xun distinctly noticed the man’s delicately raised index finger and his small steps when walking… It seemed a bit effeminate.
Most importantly, every member of the Demon Sect wore a black robe, and the female disciples all wore either a black shirt or skirt. Only he wore white.
At the risk of being disrespectful, Lu Xun felt that the Master was quite flamboyant…
While he was sizing up the Master, the Master was also sizing him up. After just one glance, the Master couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows and let out a, “Hmm?”