Chapter 48

Zheng Fa quickly understood why Gao Yuan said the Seventh Young Master had become like him.

That day, morning light had just illuminated the eaves of the roof, and dew still clung to the grass beside the path.

As Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan arrived at the study, they saw the Seventh Young Master sitting upright, reading a copy of "Complete Explanations of Talisman Diagrams," his brush moving across the paper as he read, utterly focused.

Zheng Fa couldn't help glancing at Gao Yuan, who gave him a slight nod.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Two days," Gao Yuan replied.

"This is clearly from a major shock!"

Zheng Fa frowned; the Seventh Young Master's behavior was truly abnormal.

Of the three of them, it was hard to say whether Zheng Fa or Gao Yuan was the most diligent, but the laziest was certainly the Seventh Young Master.

In the past, when they came in the morning, the Seventh Young Master hadn't even woken up, let alone sat at the desk so earnestly and voluntarily studying.

Gao Yuan's description of the Seventh Young Master was remarkably accurate:

Zheng Fa was accustomed to memorizing everything on the page before slowly understanding it; to others, he often appeared to be staring blankly rather than reading.

Gao Yuan loved to meditate deeply over books, reading while memorizing, and when stuck, he would scratch his head and tug at his hair—just like the Seventh Young Master, who was now frantically scratching his scalp.

Bang!

The Seventh Young Master angrily flung his brush aside, stood up, and glared at the open book before him, teeth clenched, as if he wanted to fight it three hundred rounds.

After sulking for a while, he finally looked up and noticed Zheng Fa and the others at the door.

"Young Master, what's going on?" Zheng Fa asked.

"Phew… My mother told me my sister is coming back," the Seventh Young Master exhaled.

"The Eldest Young Lady? But she went to an immortal sect—she's coming back?"

Zheng Fa had grown up in the manor and didn't know the household dynamics as well as Gao Yuan; only now did he learn that the legendary elder sister of the Seventh Young Master, this generation's celestial seed of the Zhao household, was the eldest.

"But how does the Eldest Young Lady's return relate to you studying so hard?" Zheng Fa still didn't understand the Seventh Young Master's change.

"Though she went to the immortal sect, she writes to my mother every ten days or so, always urging her to make me study talisman arts seriously, and saying she'll test me when she returns."

Now it was clear—the Seventh Young Master had exam anxiety.

"But if the Eldest Young Lady wants to test you, let her test you—why do you care so much?" Gao Yuan asked.

Zheng Fa understood his meaning: had the Seventh Young Master possessed even a shred of respect for exams or shame over poor grades, he wouldn't have become Master Shen's unmentioned secret disciple.

"You don't understand my sister," the Seventh Young Master's expression turned grim: "When I was young, I went out with my brothers in the Front Courtyard to cause trouble—my sister came with a stick, found us there, and beat them so badly they couldn't get out of bed for three days."

"She was only ten years old then."

Zheng Fa had now heard enough about the Zhao household's structure: overall authority rested with Lady, but the Front Courtyard was ruled by the Zhao patriarch, the Seventh Young Master's father, whom Lady rarely interfered with.

The Front and Back Courtyards were sharply divided; the master of the Front Courtyard avoided worldly affairs, known for his wild, unrestrained ways, indulging in wine, women, and keeping many concubines and illegitimate children.

The Seventh Young Master's "brothers" were likely these men, and his "causing trouble" probably referred to internal household schemes.

Gao Yuan, who knew the full story, said with a sigh: "An elder sister is like a mother—the Eldest Young Lady truly cares for you."

The Seventh Young Master grimaced: "After she returned to the Back Courtyard, she beat me too—I couldn't get out of bed for three months. If she finds out I've been slacking off these past ten years, hmm…"

Zheng Fa: … This was a tiger mother—no wonder the Seventh Young Master was so panicked.

…

At lunchtime, Zheng Fa left the study and headed home; since his mother and sister moved into the Zhao household, Zheng Fa nearly always returned home for meals.

Watching his distant retreating figure, the Seventh Young Master let out a quiet breath, leaned back in his chair, and seemed to relax considerably.

"Young Master?" Gao Yuan looked at him, then at Zheng Fa's departing back.

"Gao Yuan…" the Seventh Young Master stood up, walked over to Gao Yuan, and patted his shoulder: "I've treated you too harshly in the past."

He suddenly spoke sense, leaving Gao Yuan terrified: "Young Master, when the Eldest Young Lady comes to beat you, I can't stop her!"

"Get lost!"

Still staring at Zheng Fa's departing figure, the Seventh Young Master recalled his mother's earlier words.

Zheng Fa… if he didn't have a Nascent Soul True Person behind him, how could he have cultivated the "Spirit Crane Body"?

As for why Zheng Fa didn't tell him, his mother had also said: he's just a mortal, born a household slave—how would he dare reveal the whereabouts of a Nascent Soul True Person?

The Seventh Young Master wasn't even overly concerned that the Nascent Soul True Person might have designs on his family.

The Zhao family had nothing worth a Nascent Soul True Person's ambition; if they did, with such power, why go through such trouble?

His mother and he had speculated at length and concluded the most likely scenario was—Zheng Fa's talent was extraordinary, and the Nascent Soul True Person had taken notice and intended to take him as a disciple.

"I used to think you were petty, always comparing yourself to others, full of scheming thoughts, and just not straightforward," the Seventh Young Master said to Gao Yuan with a touch of reflection: "I really looked down on you."

Gao Yuan: …

"Now I finally understand you—in Zheng Fa's presence, having a few scheming thoughts is only natural."

"Young Master, I'm not really like you said…"

Gao Yuan tried to defend himself.

"Don't explain—I understand you! Sigh… Now Zheng Fa is valued by people, " the Seventh Young Master cut off the words "Nascent Soul," speaking vaguely: "Before, I was the Young Master, he was my servant; no matter how talented he was, I never felt anything."

The Seventh Young Master recalled how, even when Zheng Fa showed extraordinary talent, he had always subtly looked down on him.

After all, Zheng Fa was still his servant—even if he had the potential to enter an immortal sect, he still needed the Zhao household to open the path for him.

But now…

"Now he can enter an immortal sect effortlessly, and being beside him suddenly makes me feel utterly uncomfortable," the Seventh Young Master's face was full of turmoil: "I think of my sister going to the immortal sect, and Zheng Fa going too… and I'm left alone—won't I seem utterly worthless? I haven't slept well these past two days!"

Gao Yuan didn't fully understand, but he grasped one thing.

The Seventh Young Master's sudden diligence stemmed not only from the Eldest Young Lady's return, but also from Zheng Fa's extraordinary talent, which had made him anxious.

He didn't even want to be near Zheng Fa anymore!

He felt the Seventh Young Master's newfound trust and warmth toward him, unlike before.

Gao Yuan's face split into a smile, his heart buoyed with excitement:

"Zheng Fa, let your talent stand out like a tree in a forest! Though I cannot match him in other aspects, from now on, I shall alone receive the Young Master's favor!"

"Young Master! In the future, I..." He prepared to express his loyalty once more.

"With Zheng Fa nearby, I feel I cannot compare to him in anything, feeling like a useless waste." The Seventh Young Master cut him off, and speaking thus, he looked at Gao Yuan with a gentle gaze, speaking with emotion:

"But the moment I see you, I feel much better. Your talent in studying literature is no match for his, your martial arts are far worse, and you possess no talent for talisman arts at all. The only thing you surpass him in is a better background and being fairer-skinned than him... oh, not even that anymore."

The smile on Gao Yuan's face gradually froze.

"Seeing you makes me think: if someone as useless as you is doing fine, then I, at least, am still a Young Master, and my heart instantly feels less painful." Speaking thus, the Seventh Young Master truly sighed with sincerity: "Gao Yuan, in the future, this Young Master cannot do without you."

Gao Yuan:... Is this favor so hurtful?