Chapter 128: Shameful!

Zheng Fa looked at Zhou Gan, his gaze containing an unspoken hope—

He and Zhang Shijie had discussed these matters openly in front of Zhou Gan.

One reason was his changed status:

He was now the Sect Master's disciple, with Zhang Shijie's support, and in his heart, he no longer saw peers like Zhou Gan as rivals.

He even hoped this mutual exchange could cultivate future allies.

Moreover, Master Pang had deliberately placed Zhou Gan beside him—this junior brother could now be counted as his own.

The stronger Zhou Gan became, the more influence he would wield within Master Pang's lineage.

This would also aid Zheng Fa's future efforts to bring Master Pang's faction under his control.

But the main reason was—Master Pang already had the "Foundation Establishment Method for Talisman Dao." Would you really think you could hide anything from him?

What they were discussing now was already fully laid out in the "Foundation Establishment Method for Talisman Dao."

With Master Pang's Nascent Soul-level insight, how could he fail to see its secrets?

As his direct disciple, Zhou Gan would inevitably learn it eventually.

But there was another point, unspoken yet mutually expected by Zheng Fa and Zhang Shijie—

They wanted to pry open Zhou Gan's mouth and extract all the knowledge hidden in Master Pang's mind!

Ever since acquiring the "Void-Sight Spirit Eye," Zheng Fa immediately realized a problem:

After cultivating the "Void-Sight Spirit Eye," he could now see the faint, elusive lines of talisman patterns.

In Zheng Fa's view, this technique might help him and Zhang Shijie further refine the "Foundation Establishment Method for Talisman Dao."

But frankly, the "Void-Sight Spirit Eye" offered them little benefit right now.

This was likely because their understanding of the "Void-Sight Spirit Eye" was still shallow.

But Master Pang was different!

He was a Nascent Soul!

His mastery of the "Void-Sight Spirit Eye" was incomparably higher than theirs!

Who said a microscope must be held by the user himself?

How many years had Master Pang been using it?

So for Zhou Gan—the most favored disciple of Master Pang—Zheng Fa and Zhang Shijie held high expectations.

But unfortunately—under their gaze, Zhou Gan stammered, his eyes vacant, his mind utterly blank.

Zheng Fa sighed inwardly; Junior Brother Zhou had entered too late and his cultivation base was still too weak.

Master Pang probably hadn't yet taught him the deeper knowledge.

He turned his gaze to Yuan Shijie, who was smirking beside him.

"Sister Yuan, you've listened for several days—do you have any insights?" he asked sincerely.

"Huh?"

Zhou Gan's vacant expression slowly shifted to Yuan Shijie's face.

…

On the Eighth Peak, Master Pang's eyes shimmered with silver light as he gazed down the mountain, shaking his head.

"Master?"

Seeing his demeanor, Sun Dao Yu couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Zhou Gan has suffered these past few days…"

Master Pang's tone carried both pity and a hidden delight.

"Suffered?" Sun Dao Yu blinked: "Has Zheng Shi-di treated him poorly?"

The silver light in Master Pang's eyes faded, his face tinged with disappointment:

"When Zhou Gan first came under Zheng Fa's care, though he looked dejected, there was a faint hope in his eyes—he may have even been glad to escape your other senior brothers and sisters."

"But after two days, the light in Zhou Gan's room burned day and night; I saw him unable to sleep through entire nights."

"These past few days, his suffering grew worse—every time he walked toward Zheng Fa's residence, his face wore tension and fear…"

Hearing this, Sun Dao Yu's face darkened with concern: "What has Zheng Fa done to Junior Brother Zhou?"

Master Pang shook his head, anger flashing in his eyes: "They often go to Zhang Shijie's courtyard. Every time Zhou Gan leaves, he looks like his soul has been stolen—surely he's been subjected to inhuman torment."

"Then why did you call me?"

"Bring Zhou Gan here!" Master Pang declared authoritatively: "He needs to know who truly cares for him!"

"Yes!"

Sun Dao Yu hurried off and soon returned with Zhou Gan.

Looking at his disciple again, Master Pang felt a pang of sorrow—

Compared to his earlier dejection, Zhou Gan now looked downright unkempt.

His hair and face were unattended, tangled and wild, with stubble darkening his cheeks.

His Daoist robe appeared unwashed for days, dust-covered and grimy.

Most distressing was his expression—vacant, distant, as if his spirit wandered beyond the heavens.

When he saw his master, the disciple took a long moment before slowly bowing.

Master Pang's heart burned with silent fury:

He had sent Zhou Gan to Zheng Fa out of goodwill!

And yet Zheng Fa had reduced his disciple to this?

"Zhou Gan, these past days have been hard on you…"

He softened his tone, speaking to his beloved pupil.

"Mm…"

Hearing this, Zhou Gan seemed to recall something; his vacant expression turned to anguish, his eyes reddening.

Seeing this, Master Pang snapped: "From today on, you no longer need to follow Zheng Fa!"

To Master Pang and Sun Dao Yu's shock, Zhou Gan froze, his face twisted in hesitation, then whispered: "I want to go."

Master Pang frowned at his disciple: "... ou want to go?"

"Yes," Zhou Gan hesitated, then added quietly: "Not every day—just occasionally."

"Hm?"

"Master, could you please ask Senior Brother Zheng to stop those pre-class quizzes?" Zhou Gan pleaded desperately: "I really can't keep up!"

"..." Master Pang realized he'd misunderstood: "Tell me—what exactly have they done to you?"

"..."

After hearing Zhou Gan's account, Master Pang stared at him, his pity long gone.

He asked slowly: "You mean they discuss Talisman Dao openly, and don't mind you listening?"

"Yes…" Zhou Gan muttered: "But after they finish, they like to quiz me."

"And before each discussion, they test whether you understood the previous session?" Master Pang's expression remained neutral, his voice calm.

"Yes. He and Sister Zhang call it 'mutual teaching and learning.' Senior Brother Zheng says it's a method from some ancient sage named Fei…" Zhou Gan's voice was like a mourning cuckoo, heartbreaking to hear: "Master, these past days, I've spent every night reviewing their discussions—I haven't slept!"

He looked up at his master, pleading again: "Master, please ask Senior Brother Zheng to stop these quizzes."

Master Pang stared at his disciple in silence for a long while.

Then he asked: "So they talk fluently, and you just stand there, gaping?"

Zhou Gan suddenly felt uneasy, his voice dropping: "Yes."

"You can't match them—that's fine. But when you go home to study, you still can't learn?"

"Yes…"

Zhou Gan's head sank lower.

"Then you deserve to lose sleep! The Nine Mountains Sect has only three Nascent Souls! Three!" Master Pang roared: "Huang has Zhang Shijie, Zheng Fa is now the Sect Master's disciple, and you're my disciple!"

"Of the three, you're the worst! Is it because you can't speak? No—it's because I can't speak!" Master Pang's anger surged: "When I meet Huang, she'll laugh me to death! And you dare complain?"

"Master… you never taught me anything!" Zhou Gan whispered.

"What about Zheng Fa! Zheng Fa hadn't even taken a master yet!" Master Pang grew angrier: "Do you think I don't know the Sect Master? If he could teach, why has every disciple he ever took died?"

"That Huang woman! Pfft—what does she know about teaching? Zhang Shijie is entirely self-taught!"

"So in the end, my disciple is the most pitiful?"

"Well… I'm not the worst," Zhou Gan weakly countered: "There's also Yuan Shijie—she's listened longer, and she's no better than me."

"THAT BIRD!" Master Pang's lips trembled: "You compare yourself to a bird—and you're proud of it?!"

Zhou Gan fell silent.

Master Pang took several deep breaths, calming his tone: "Alright, it's not entirely your fault."

"Master…"

Zhou Gan's face softened with gratitude.

"It's my fault!"

"Huh?"

"I failed to teach you properly, to push you!" Master Pang gritted his teeth: "From now on, when you return from Zhang Shijie's, come straight to me!"

"Master… you mean…" Zhou Gan's face grew pale with dread.

"If my disciple is weak, I'll give you private tutoring!" Master Pang snarled: "I won't let my face be lost like this!"

"..."

By the time they reached the Eighth Peak, Zhou Gan's expression was still dazed.

"I came to ask Master to lighten my burden…" he complained to Sun Daoyu beside him, "why does it feel heavier now?"

"How about I swap with you, brother?"

Sun Daoyu glanced sideways at him.

"Let the younger brother bear the hardship!" Zhou Gan declared with righteous solemnity, walking off at a rapid pace.

"Pah!" Sun Daoyu stared at his back, then toward Zheng Fa's courtyard.

His expression bore a certain look—longing to marry.

…

In the marketplace, Han Qi and the other two stood among the crowd, watching a group of senior brothers constructing a novel structure.

Several Foundation Establishment senior brothers tossed out several Strength Talismans, summoning several rock giants several zhang tall, who carried massive stone blocks from distant mountains.

By the end of just one night, the new structure gradually took shape.

The building was cylindrical overall, with no dome overhead, and a large open space in the center.

Surrounding it were rows of seats, tiered from high to low, capable of seating roughly ten thousand people.

This was now the largest structure in the Nine Mountains Sect—considering that even including family members in the marketplace, the entire sect numbered only a few thousand.

"Built this big? Will it ever be full?" whispered the tall, thin man beside Han Qi.

"Shut up!" Han Qi snapped. "This is what Brother Zheng is building!"