Chapter 150: Taking an Apprentice

Having been beaten, A-Juan hurriedly cried out: "It hurts, it hurts too much!"

Seeing A-Juan had softened, the Opium-Smoking Man lay back down on the bed, tossed out a large iron hammer, and said: "Hurry over and pound my chest for me; my Qi is not flowing smoothly!"

A-Juan dared not delay; she hurriedly hoisted the large iron hammer and swung it over, but the blow landed on the Opium-Smoking Man's head.

The Opium-Smoking Man immediately cursed: "Are you blind? I told you to pound my chest, why are you pounding my head? Did you do that on purpose?"

A-Juan hurriedly shook her head and said: "No, I didn't."

As she spoke, she hoisted the large iron hammer again and swung it down, this time hitting the Opium-Smoking Man's chest.

After several consecutive blows, the Opium-Smoking Man was still cursing and saying: "Aiya, you useless thing, why do you have less strength with every strike!"

"Aiya, use some force, you idiot, why are you hitting lower and lower? Pound the chest!"

A-Juan dared not retort; she could only readjust her position and continue pounding the Opium-Smoking Man's chest.

The Opium-Smoking Man continued to lecture: "Look, I hit you for your own good. Look at how stupid you are; you don't even know how to scare people, you only know how to cry. How can you be a ghost like this?"

A-Juan dared not retort and kept saying yes.

The Opium-Smoking Man then said: "Why do you have no strength again? Keep pounding. I'm telling you, if you don't pound my Qi into a smooth flow tonight, I will beat you until it is smooth!"

Before long, the Opium-Smoking Man said impatiently: "You useless waste, stop pounding, come over and suck my toes!"

How dared A-Juan resist? Fearing she would anger her husband, she hurriedly went to take off the Opium-Smoking Man's shoes and socks to suck his toes.

But the Opium-Smoking Man was still unsatisfied and barked: "You stupid thing, you don't even know how to suck toes, what use are you?"

Having said that, a loud slap knocked A-Juan to the floor, followed by a brutal beating; A-Juan let out a series of screams upstairs.

Downstairs, Lin Chengying had long been unable to sleep due to the sounds of A-Juan and the Opium-Smoking Man, so he threw on his clothes and walked up.

Just as he opened the master bedroom door, A-Juan stumbled backward, and Lin Chengying hurriedly reached out to steady her.

As soon as A-Juan saw Lin Chengying, she was immediately frightened into a shriek and hid in a corner nearby.

Seeing Lin Chengying, the Opium-Smoking Man flew into a rage: "You bastard, how dare you touch my wife?"

"Old thing, you actually woke up?"

Lin Chengying frowned and said: "It's not that I woke up, but that I was woken up by you."

The Opium-Smoking Man wore an expression of disbelief, walked up to Lin Chengying, and said: "You old thing, you've got some nerve. So what if I woke you up?"

"I haven't even complained that you disturbed me, and you want to cause me trouble? Let me tell you, when you enter a temple you worship the gods, when you enter a house you greet the people. Old thing, you entered my home without a sound and didn't even say hello, are you senile?"

Lin Chengying said in a conciliatory tone: "Brother Ghost, I didn't intend to intrude on your home. How should I address you?"

The Opium-Smoking Man crossed his arms and said with an arrogant face: "I don't change my name in life, nor my surname in death; I am Zhan Bengdao!"

Lin Chengying looked at the Opium-Smoking Man and nodded slightly: "Oh, so it's Brother Dao."

"Brother Dao, let me be direct. Humans and ghosts are the same; in any case, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. If humans don't offend ghosts, ghosts don't offend humans. From now on, please just don't be so noisy, Brother Dao."

The reason Lin Chengying spoke in a conciliatory tone was not because he feared the Opium-Smoking Man, but because this Opium-Smoking Man did not seem to have committed any murders and his intelligence had not dissipated, so he wanted to communicate properly.

But the Opium-Smoking Man was not convinced; he snorted coldly and said: "Hmph, this is my room. My wife and I arguing and playing every day is the joy of the boudoir."

"What, you old thing want to manage the boudoir joy of my wife and me?"

"A-Juan, come here!"

A-Juan stood there, at a loss.

The Opium-Smoking Man felt ashamed and annoyed, immediately turned to walk toward A-Juan, punched her in the stomach, and roared: "Are you deaf?"

Watching the Opium-Smoking Man treat A-Juan this way, Lin Chengying felt very displeased. He frowned and said: "I am very displeased with how you treat your wife."

The Opium-Smoking Man immediately laughed loudly: "Hahaha, so what if you're displeased? Even an honest official finds it hard to settle family affairs. I like to beat my wife, and my wife is happy to be beaten by me."

"If she isn't beaten by me for a day, she can't eat or sleep, right, A-Juan?"

A-Juan hesitated, and just as she was about to speak, the Opium-Smoking Man slapped her and said: "Look how stupid you are, you don't even know how to answer, I have to teach you a lesson."

He then looked at Lin Chengying and said haughtily: "Well, old thing?"

Lin Chengying kept a straight face and said: "Brother Dao, you are going too far."

The Opium-Smoking Man laughed triumphantly: "Eh, if humans don't offend ghosts, ghosts don't offend humans. I beat my wife, and even relatives can intervene, but what are you to interfere in my family's affairs?"

Lin Chengying took a deep breath, glared, and shouted: "How bold! You ghost actually dare to be this rampant. As a disciple of Maoshan, when I see injustice on the road, I shall act on behalf of Heaven!"

Having said that, he punched the Opium-Smoking Man directly in the eye.

The Opium-Smoking Man retreated several steps and said in surprise: "You actually dare to hit me?"

Without another word, Lin Chengying grabbed a stool and beat the Opium-Smoking Man back.

The Opium-Smoking Man laughed with an unconvinced look: "Aiya, that feels good!"

"It feels good, does it?" Lin Chengying immediately picked up the iron hammer nearby, drew a Peace Talisman on one side of the hammer, and then smashed it onto the Opium-Smoking Man's head.

The Opium-Smoking Man immediately collapsed to the ground, wailing: "Ouch, why does it hurt so much?"

The power of the Peace Talisman was small, so even hitting this Opium-Smoking Man would not cause too much damage.

Therefore, Lin Chengying chased after the Opium-Smoking Man and hammered him fiercely without any hesitation.

The Opium-Smoking Man was beaten until he shrieked and hid everywhere, but he was always caught by Lin Chengying and given a brutal beating.

A-Juan, standing to the side, found it very satisfying, but she dared not show it.

Finally, the Opium-Smoking Man could no longer run and was pinned to the ground by Lin Chengying with the hammer.

The Opium-Smoking Man hurriedly cried out: "Master, I was wrong, I submit!"

Lin Chengying snorted coldly: "I've said all the nice things I could, but you are truly stubborn and refuse to listen, insisting on getting a beating. Now leave here immediately!"

The Opium-Smoking Man looked dejected, but he dared not retort and could only cry out in misery: "Can I take a few pieces of clothing before I go?"

Lin Chengying said decisively: "I said immediately, right now."

The Opium-Smoking Man said again: "Then can I at least take my wife?"

Lin Chengying sneered, immediately picked up the iron hammer, and made a move to strike. The Opium-Smoking Man scrambled out of the room, shouting: "I don't want the wife anymore, I'm leaving first!"

Watching her husband leave, A-Juan hurriedly chased after him, calling: "Husband, husband!"

Lin Chengying put down his hammer, stopped A Juan, and said, "Stop shouting. Why are you following him? To keep getting beaten?"

A Juan said with some dejection, "Master, although my husband is ugly, loud, sloppy, has smelly feet, and is a base person, if I don't follow him, that would be failing to observe the way of a wife."

Lin Chengying quickly advised, "Those are all feudal dregs. It's a new era now; we don't pay attention to those things anymore. Besides, he treats you like that; you should leave this ghost-scum."

A Juan still said, "But, a hundred days of kindness come from one day as husband and wife. I have been with him for many years. As the saying goes, 'marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog.' Can we really just sever our bond of kindness and righteousness like this?"

Lin Chengying had no choice but to advise, "But he has no kindness toward you at all, and he always beats you and torments you, so don't have any psychological burden."

Outside the door, the chain-smoking man roared, "Stinking woman, you wait. Don't think you're happy just because you have a backer. I will come back to settle the score with you, and you too, you old thing, just you wait!"

Lin Chengying picked up the hammer and struck it toward the doorway, and the chain-smoking man behind the door was knocked straight out of the villa.

The chain-smoking man was terrified and fled in a hurry.

Lin Chengying looked at A Juan and said, "See, you still harbor kindness, but he doesn't appreciate it."

Only then did A Juan nod and say, "What Master says is also true."

Lin Chengying nodded slightly and said, "You can just stay here. I will take care of your three meals a day. By the way, just call me Uncle Ying."

A Juan said very happily, "Thank you, Uncle Ying!"

Lin Chengying put down the hammer, then left the master bedroom and went back downstairs to sleep.

The next day, he began moving out of the Daoist hall, and as for the previously rented hall, he immediately returned the rent.

After setting up the Daoist hall, he called Zhang Wei.

These past few days, Zhang Wei had been hanging out with Zhang Ling and He Fenni.

Upon receiving Lin Chengying's call, Zhang Wei immediately accepted the invitation and took He Fenni and Zhang Ling to attend the housewarming banquet right away.

Additionally, there were Uncle Feng and Zhong Fabai.

Come to think of it, Uncle Feng was of the same generation as Lin Chengying's uncle.

Uncle Feng looked at Lin Chengying with satisfaction and said, "A-Ying, you have done very well. If Uncle One-Eyebrow knew, he would certainly be very happy."

Lin Chengying said with a smile, "This is all thanks to A-Wei's help; otherwise, how would I have so much money to open a Daoist hall?"

Zhang Wei immediately asked, "Senior Brother, what are your plans next?"

Lin Chengying said with high spirits, "Next, naturally, is to recruit disciples."

Zhong Fabai said with some worry, "I'm afraid that will be difficult. Young people nowadays, how could they endure the hardship of cultivation?"

Lin Chengying nodded and said, "I can only try."

Zhang Wei laughed, "Senior Brother, don't worry. There are still many people who want to learn Daoist arts."

Uncle Feng said crossly, "That still depends on their character, unlike some people who have one foot in two boats."

Zhang Wei gave an awkward smile.

He quickly changed the subject and said, "Senior Brother, why is there still a ghost in your place?"

Fearing that everyone would misunderstand, Lin Chengying quickly said, "This is the original owner of the house; she is at least from the late Qing Dynasty."

Uncle Feng said with some surprise, "It's been so long and she still hasn't gone to be reincarnated; I'm afraid that's difficult. However, since you, A-Ying, feel it's fine, then keep her. With you watching over her, nothing will go wrong."

Zhang Wei laughed, "If you ask me, when Senior Brother recruits disciples, just have that ghost cooperate; wouldn't that hold down the fort?"

Lin Chengying's heart stirred, thinking that was indeed the case.

Uncle Feng laughed, "Your brain only comes up with bad ideas."

After the meal, Lin Chengying also held a small opening ceremony, and the nearby residents all knew that a Daoist hall had opened next door.

After the ceremony ended, Zhang Wei prepared to leave first, and Uncle Feng immediately asked, "Why not stay a while longer?"

Zhang Wei shook his head and said, "I can't. More and more heterodox paths are gathering at the Wind God Cave; I have to go watch over it."

Uncle Feng nodded slightly and said, "Very well, go ahead."

Before long, Uncle Feng and Zhong Fabai also left.

Only then did A Juan dare to come out to help Lin Chengying clear the dishes.

The next day, an elderly man wearing glasses arrived in front of the Maoshan Daoist Hall.

He looked at the Yin-Yang Five Elements Eight Trigrams at the door and the Maoshan banner, nodded slightly, and said, "It seems Young Master Ou and the others were right."

As soon as the man arrived in the hall, Lin Chengying walked out, sat down at the table, and asked, "I wonder what the guest has come for?"

The man quickly introduced himself, "Master Lin, hello. My name is Wu Hao, I am twenty-eight years old, and I have come to learn Daoist arts from you."

Lin Chengying carefully looked at Wu Hao's appearance; although he looked a bit wretched, he had a kind face. He asked about his birth date and time, then nodded slightly, "Although you are older, it is still not too late to learn now."

"However, you are no longer a virgin, so it will be harder to enter the sect. From now on, you must purify your heart, eyes, mouth, nose, and ears."

Wu Hao did not expect there to be so many requirements, but having heard from Young Master Ou and the others that this master had real skills, he nodded and said, "Okay, Master, I will definitely do it."

Lin Chengying was overjoyed and said, "Good. I won't charge you too much tuition; three thousand a month. Since you have to work during the day, come learn at night."

Wu Hao paid the money immediately and bowed to his master, "Master is above, please accept a bow from your disciple!"

Lin Chengying then accepted this disciple through a simple apprenticeship ceremony.

Having his first disciple, he soon recruited three more male disciples: Chen Jie, Liang Shan, and Xie Ming.

However, on this day, another girl came; this girl looked like a tomboy.

Her name was Hu Xia. She had a good relationship with Ling Zhaoxiang's wife and had heard about Lin Chengying's affairs.

She was very curious about ghosts and thought about coming here to learn Daoist arts.

Lin Chengying was very satisfied with Hu Xia; she already had a foundation in martial arts, and she was more sincere than the other male disciples, so he accepted Hu Xia as his disciple.

These days, Lin Chengying only told these disciples some basic knowledge and then explained the contents of the Valley Clothes Heart Scripture.

Cultivation is a very boring thing; that they could persist for a week was a good thing for Lin Chengying.

Lin Chengying looked at his few diligently cultivating disciples and left with great satisfaction.

Not long after he left, Chen Jie immediately said, "Master is gone!"

Wu Hao, Liang Shan, and the others immediately relaxed, only the junior sister Hu Xia was still there cultivating.

Wu Hao hurriedly called out, "Xiao Shimei, you are so diligent?"

Hu Xia opened her eyes and said, "Of course!"

Wu Hao asked curiously, "Xiao Shimei, do you trust Master that much?"

Hu Xia nodded immediately and said, "Of course. I have a good friend whose husband encountered a weirdness and nearly lost his life, and it was Master who solved it."

Chen Jie then nodded and said, "No wonder you are so diligent, Xiao Shimei. We have already been practicing for a few days, but I haven't felt the Qi sensation that Master mentioned at all."

Hu Xia laughed, "I felt it!"

(End of this chapter)