Chapter 58

Dawn.

Zheng Fa carried a stack of papers covered in talisman diagrams into the Seventh Young Master’s study.

In the morning light, the Seventh Young Master sat beside his desk, hair disheveled, face weary, unwashed, his head nodding drowsily as he dozed off.

Compared to the refined appearance Zheng Fa had first seen him in, the Seventh Young Master now looked disheveled.

Hearing Zheng Fa’s footsteps at the door, the Seventh Young Master showed no reaction, still sleeping soundly, a trickle of drool escaping his lips, nearly dripping onto an open talisman diagram on the desk.

Zheng Fa placed the papers on the desk before him.

The Seventh Young Master jolted awake, slowly lifting his head, glancing at Zheng Fa, then at the new papers he had brought.

“What’s this?”

“Today’s assignment,” Zheng Fa said with a kind smile.

The Seventh Young Master stretched out his trembling hand, thumb and forefinger spread, measuring the thickness of the stack—only to realize his hand was too small.

He widened his eyes: “How is this even taller than yesterday’s?!”

“Earlier, when you first began learning this secret method, I reduced the workload to help you adjust,” Zheng Fa said, sounding considerate. “Now it’s time for proper training.”

“Adjust?” The Seventh Young Master’s voice brimmed with confusion over the word. “I’ve been sleeping only two hours a day for the past few days—wake up, talisman diagrams, talisman diagrams, talisman diagrams! You call this adjusting? I’m dying here!”

Zheng Fa shook his head. The paper-overload tactic was indeed cruel for someone like the Seventh Young Master, who had never studied hard.

But two months was too short—he had no choice.

These diagrams were not randomly picked by Zheng Fa.

He had no intention of revealing the notebook given to him by the old white-haired man—a single “Spirit Crane Body” had already brought him considerable trouble, making him more cautious about modern knowledge.

Yet to improve the Seventh Young Master’s ability to analyze talisman diagrams, he needed to teach him some of the techniques within.

So Zheng Fa first studied the methods in the notebook himself, then selected diagrams sharing the same features, all analyzable by a single technique, to give the Seventh Young Master daily.

He aimed to subtly instill the techniques within him.

It was somewhat like modern schools’ specialized training.

This approach was tiring for Zheng Fa, but safe.

It also forced Zheng Fa to deepen his own understanding of these methods.

“I quit!” The Seventh Young Master shoved his desk and stood up, staring at the unfinished diagrams from yesterday and the new ones Zheng Fa had brought.

Zheng Fa wasn’t surprised. The Seventh Young Master lasting this long had already exceeded his expectations.

“Really not learning anymore?” He looked at the Seventh Young Master.

“Not learning!” The Seventh Young Master shook his head firmly.

“Fine.” Zheng Fa turned to Gao Yuan: “Bring me the box I brought.”

“Got it!” Gao Yuan beamed and scurried off to fetch a long, narrow box.

“What’s this?” The Seventh Young Master looked puzzled.

“A few days ago, Lady sent Master Wu to deliver a magic treasure to me,” Zheng Fa said solemnly, taking the long box from Gao Yuan.

“Magic treasure?” The Seventh Young Master blinked in bewilderment.

Zheng Fa opened the box and pulled out a long vine, neatly tied with a red silk ribbon.

“Why does this look so familiar?” The Seventh Young Master frowned, thinking.

“Lady’s gift—I call it the Imperial Vine,” Zheng Fa said, holding it in hand, his smile gentler still. “Master Wu said if you quit again, this vine is as good as Lady herself. I’m allowed to strike first, then scold.”

“I recognize it!” The Seventh Young Master suddenly understood. “Isn’t this what Mother used to whip me with when I was little?”

“Young Master, good memory!”

Watching Zheng Fa approach with the vine, the Seventh Young Master grew increasingly terrified: “Stop! Mother only used this to scare me—she adores me, never actually hit me!”

“True,” Zheng Fa said, flicking the vine. “Lady said that whenever she heard you cry or saw you weep, she couldn’t bear it. So she gave the vine to me. I hit—you won’t hear or see her.”

“… ” The Seventh Young Master sat down instantly, his expression meek. “I’ll study! Don’t hit me!”

…

Watching the Seventh Young Master bury his head in study, Gao Yuan sighed regretfully.

“What’s wrong?” Zheng Fa turned to him.

“Young Master’s such a coward.”

Gao Yuan whispered, disappointed the Seventh Young Master hadn’t been beaten.

“Don’t think I didn’t hear that,” the Seventh Young Master glared up at Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan clapped his hand over his mouth.

The Seventh Young Master frowned at Gao Yuan: “I just realized—you’ve got some talent for talisman arts. Why don’t we study together?”

“No way!” Gao Yuan waved his hands frantically. “I’ve got no such luck!”

The Seventh Young Master glanced between the smirking Gao Yuan and Zheng Fa standing nearby, muttering: “Petty people thriving, rats and snakes in the same hole! My future is utterly dark!”

The room suddenly darkened.

“Huh?” The Seventh Young Master blinked, murmuring: “Did my words summon magic? Then I shall become an immortal on the spot—I decree talisman arts shall perish!”

“Young Master, bird!” Gao Yuan pointed out the window.

“What bird?”

The Seventh Young Master and Zheng Fa looked up at the sky.

A giant bird, as large as the courtyard, flew across the heavens, its wings spread wide, blotting out the sun.

Its feathers were a deep blue-green, with only the tips of its tail and wing edges adorned in long red plumes—cutting through the sky like a flaming streak of blue-green fire.

“Green Phoenix!” The Seventh Young Master leapt up. “My sister’s back!”

He frantically waved at the sky, shouting: “Sis! Sis! Save me! Come save me!”

…

On the Green Phoenix’s back stood two young maidens, one in front, one behind.

The front one, dressed in red, leaned forward, gazing down at the scenery below, pointing at the Zhao family compound to her companion: “This is my home!”

“That over there is my courtyard—there’s a small fish pond inside, stocked with many fish. I even fell in once as a child.”

“That little pavilion is where Mother lives. She loves listening to those droning operas—I never liked going there.”

“We just passed my brother’s courtyard. It looks renovated—built a little garden.”

The maiden behind her wore a simple green Daoist robe. Watching her excited companion chatter endlessly, she asked softly: “You’ve been away ten years—how do you remember all this so clearly?”

The red-clad maiden smiled shyly, lips pressed together. “When I first joined the Green Wood Sect, I dreamed every night of being home—I drew this place myself, and sometimes took it out to look at. Even after ten years, the general layout hasn’t changed.”

The green-robed maiden smiled gently at her bashful friend and asked: “Wasn’t someone just waving at us from that courtyard? Shouting ‘Sis’? Is that your brother?”

“No!” The red-clad woman declared firmly. “That man looks like a disheveled scholar, utterly unlike my brother.”

Seeing the green-robed maiden’s confusion, she added: “You don’t know my brother—he’s always been vain and lazy.”

“Once I beat him up—I knew my own strength. His wounds should’ve healed in a day, but he lay in bed for three months just to avoid school! Mother spoiled him—now he’s probably even worse!”

“Maybe people change after ten years?”

“Hmm… maybe if some ancient monster possessed him?” The red-clad maiden tapped her chin. “Impossible. What ancient monster would be so blind as to choose my brother?”