Chapter 52

The courtyard's scenery differed from what the three had imagined—serene, yet casually arranged.

A single pond, a single view—merely ordinary in its charm, with no hint of spiritual energy, unlike the residence of a great cultivator.

Mr. Zhuang also differed from their expectations; though he possessed a handsome, refined appearance and the weathered air of one who had seen much hardship, he seemed to lack the aura they had imagined.

Sister Xue's expression was respectful, her mind quietly pondering.

Before they left, Lady had shown her a painting: the man in it stood with hands behind his back atop a mountain peak, like a divine sword fully unsheathed, radiating an arrogant, supreme, peerless might that made one dare not meet his gaze.

Now, Mr. Zhuang lay reclining on a bamboo chair, swaying lazily—looking very… lethargic.

Had she not seen the painting, she would hardly believe they were the same person.

Yet even so, Sister Xue dared not show the slightest disrespect; she respectfully handed Mr. Zhuang a token and a jade slip.

"Before she left, Lady instructed me to deliver this token and this letter to you, saying you would understand at a glance."

Mr. Zhuang glanced at the token, then at the jade slip, and chuckled softly:

"My good little sister—still thinking of me even now, still bringing me trouble."

Mr. Zhuang turned to Sister Xue. "If you have time, deliver a message to your Lady: women who scheme too much grow old faster."

Sister Xue bowed her head, not daring to reply.

Mr. Zhuang looked again at Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi, and nodded. "Their aptitude is indeed excellent—no surprise they're…" Mr. Zhuang paused mid-sentence.

Sister Xue did not know what Mr. Zhuang intended to say, but seeing his praise for Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi's aptitude, she could not hide her delight. "Then, Master…"

"I do not take direct disciples. At most, I accept name-list disciples." Mr. Zhuang set down the jade slip. "If you wish to stay, stay. If not, return home."

This was precisely what Lady had anticipated; Sister Xue remembered Lady's words before departure:

"My elder brother is stubborn by nature. Whatever he promises, he will keep. Whatever he refuses, no amount of pleading will change his mind. But he is also soft-hearted—if he yields even slightly, keep pressing gently. If you can't be a direct disciple, be a name-list disciple. If you can't even be that, serving tea and water is still better. As long as he remembers the bond, he will eventually accept Zi Xi and Zi Sheng."

Sister Xue quickly said, "To be accepted as a name-list disciple by Master is a heavenly blessing—we would never refuse."

"Hmm," Mr. Zhuang nodded. "Then formalities are unnecessary. Just call me 'Master.'"

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi bowed deeply before Mr. Zhuang and said, "We pay our respects, Master."

Mr. Zhuang looked at the two children, his expression momentarily distant.

Faintly, he saw two young children—a handsome boy and a beautiful girl—kneeling before a white-haired old man, performing the apprenticeship ritual, their childish voices echoing in his ears: "We pay our respects, Master."

Mr. Zhuang snapped back to reality, a faint self-derisive expression crossing his face, then continued:

"There are no such rigid rules here. Your mother's array expertise is no low level—she likely already taught you what she could. You've passed the age for basic array initiation, and already have some foundation. Study on your own. If you have questions, come ask me. But one thing: do not disturb me while I meditate on the Dao."

"I have another name-list disciple here—Mo Hua. You've probably met him. Get along well with each other."

With that, Mr. Zhuang waved his hand. "Go. Arrive on the mountain at Chen hour, descend at You hour. The rest of the time is yours. If anything is unclear, ask Mo Hua."

Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi bowed and took their leave. The three left the bamboo house and stepped into the courtyard.

Sister Xue felt things had gone smoother than she'd expected—too smoothly, almost casually.

And she could not understand why Mr. Zhuang had refused to see them for so long, yet now, after all these days, he willingly met them—and so easily accepted Bai Zisheng and Bai Zi Xi as students.

Sister Xue frowned, puzzled.

"Could it really be, as Mo Hua said, that Mr. Zhuang acts according to fate? He refused to see them because fate had not yet arrived—now he sees them because fate has come?"

As Sister Xue walked, she spotted Mo Hua, sprawled beneath a large locust tree, intently studying an array book at a small table.

Sister Xue felt Mo Hua must have something extraordinary about him to be accepted by Mr. Zhuang, and Bai Zi Xi and Bai Zisheng also wondered what Mr. Zhuang taught.

The three approached Mo Hua and found him staring fixedly at an array text.

Mo Hua, absorbed in his reading, lifted his head at the noise and saw the Bai siblings. "You've met Mr. Zhuang?"

Sister Xue said, "Indeed. Thank you for your earlier words, young sir—otherwise we might have waited many days in vain."

"I'm not a 'young sir.' Call me Mo Hua." Mo Hua waved his hand. "And if you want to thank someone, thank Mr. Zhuang—it has nothing to do with me."

At that moment, Bai Zisheng could no longer hold back. "The book you're reading—is it 'Basic Explanations of the Five Element Arrays'?"

Mo Hua nodded.

Bai Zisheng frowned. "You're studying under Mr. Zhuang—and you're still on this? This is the array initiation text used by three- or four-year-olds in our clan…"

Mo Hua grew displeased.

You may question me—but not Mr. Zhuang.

Mo Hua countered, "Did three- or four-year-olds write this book?"

Bai Zisheng paused. "No, of course not. Though these basic array texts seem simple, they're often compiled by great cultivators with deep array expertise, due to their profound significance."

"If they were compiled by great cultivators, why can't I read them? The simpler the thing, the deeper its truth. The Dao is simplest, returning to purity. Even high-level arrays are built from the most basic array patterns."

Mo Hua imitated Mr. Zhuang, adopting an air of profound mystery.

But his experience was still shallow—he could only mimic three or four tenths of Mr. Zhuang's demeanor. Still, it was enough to impress Bai Zisheng.

Bai Zisheng suddenly understood, his gaze toward Mo Hua now different.

Yet moments later, he frowned again. "Your cultivation is so low. You look only two or three years younger than me and Zi Xi—how come you're only at Qi Condensation Third Layer? Normally, you'd be at least Qi Condensation Fifth…"

Mo Hua found this man annoying. When full, people talked too much. He preferred the quiet, silent Mo Hua from that day when he'd been hungry and too weak to speak.

Mo Hua didn't want to answer. Beside him, Sister Xue apologized:

"Apologies—Zi Sheng spoke too bluntly. Could you tell us what duties are required of Mr. Zhuang's students?"

Bai Zisheng wanted to argue, but Bai Zi Xi gave him a cool glance—he swallowed his words.

Mo Hua didn't mind. "No duties required. Study and cultivate on your own. Come ask Mr. Zhuang when he's free—but don't disturb his sleep."

Bai Zisheng asked, "Is Mr. Zhuang's array expertise really that high? I see nothing unusual in this courtyard—no special arrays at all. Don't most array masters live in places covered with arrays?"

Mo Hua countered, "If Mr. Zhuang's array expertise weren't high, why would you go through so much trouble to become his disciple?"

Bai Zisheng said, "That's obviously because…"

"Young Master!"

Sister Xue cut him off. Bai Zisheng realized his mistake and hastily added, "I only asked because I'd heard rumors but never seen it with my own eyes."

"Oh~"

Mo Hua gave him a suspicious glance, but said nothing else.