Chapter 31: Recognizing the Master

Seeing me in a daze, the old man didn’t rush to “clean up” me, but instead sat down leisurely, took a sip of tea, and then said slowly, “When you were a child, you were possessed by a hundred ghosts. It was a small matter to save you, but I didn’t mind the trouble. I brewed a fragrant soup, cast a spell, used three major hand techniques, drew a talisman, exorcised the ghosts for you, and gave you a merit. If you weren’t my disciple, would I have bothered? Which of the above is not a matter of grinding people’s abilities? Especially the use of the three major hand techniques, the shallow, humming…”

At this point, I was a little confused, but I vaguely felt that old man Jiang seemed to have done a lot for me as his apprentice, but my parents figured out what old man Jiang was trying to say. That is, when he was beset by a hundred ghosts, old man Jiang had an easier way to deal with it, but for my merit, he chose an unusually difficult way to deal with it.

Just like the evil spirit that is now haunting my second sister, he could have dealt with it easily, but he didn’t want to add to my karma and wanted to do more good deeds for me.

This kind of thought is truly touching.

In addition, my father is sometimes like a genius. He subconsciously plans for me. He knows that he can’t get out of taking me on as a disciple this time, but when he thinks about it carefully, it’s a very happy thing.

First, the old man Jiang has such thoughts for me, so it is not just about passing on teachings, but also about the kind of emotional attachment that comes from being both a teacher and a father. Under such a master, I am very well taken care of.

What my father didn’t know was that Taoist metaphysics and secret arts place great importance on passing on their secrets, and they are not easily passed on to others. Once a disciple is passed on, that disciple becomes a son, or even a son in the flesh. Old Master Jiang had been lonely all his life, and now he had met his ‘son’. Could he be mean to me?

Second, my father vaguely guessed that Jiang Laoren was not an ordinary person. He remembered the ‘high-ranking official’s clothes’ that Jiang Laoren wore when he left seven years ago, and more importantly, he remembered the special line to Beijing and the extraordinary voice on the other end of the line. It is better for a son to follow him than to have a future in a village! As long as the son has a future, he will not be greedy for the little bit of parental affection. After all, a good man’s ambition is in the four directions. How can a family become a son’s shackle?

How pitiful are the hearts of parents!

As for the third reason, my father didn’t look down on Taoist priests or sorcerers at all. Although he was illiterate, he had heard many folk tales and serious stories, such as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He knew that in ancient times, there were always people who were highly valued by the emperor. These people could read the stars, read the wind and water, or use various secret techniques, and even the emperor had to respect them. Especially the founding emperors, there was often a person like this around them. Wasn’t Zhuge Liang just like that? He just had a feeling that a master like Master Jiang must be taken seriously. The reason is simple. If ancient emperors valued him so much, it makes no sense for modern leaders not to recognize the things passed down by our ancestors.

My father, who was like a human spirit at that critical moment, figured out these three points and, before I could say anything, shouted at me, “Sanwa, what did your father teach you? If you don’t repay a favor, you’re worse than an animal. The Master Jiang in front of you is your savior. Not only would he take you as his apprentice, but he would even let you be his son and take care of him in his old age. You can’t say no, even if you have to kneel down and call him Master!

Indeed, I was brought up to despise people who are ungrateful. In my eyes, such people are worse than pigs and dogs. The old man in front of me, the old Jiang, saved my life. If I don’t repay him, I’m really a son of a bitch.

Forget it, my dream of the Red Army, goodbye, my hero of the battle, Chairman Mao, I am sorry that I could not become a glorious PLA soldier under your command.

My heart is filled with mixed emotions, but a real man must have his own principles, right? After mourning my dream in silence, I walked over and shouted, “Master,” and was about to kneel down to the old man.

“Hey, wait a minute…” But I didn’t expect that old man Jiang to hold me back and say, “This act of kneeling can’t be so casual. There is an authentic act of worship in our school, and it must be done with care. However, I will accept this master, but before the act of worship is completed, you are considered half a disciple, that’s it.”

Huh, you think I want to kneel? I was happy that he didn’t let me kneel. I don’t care if I’m a half-disciple or a full-disciple. I should eat, sleep, and go to school anyway. What can this old man do to me?

This is where I was naive. Taoist masters don’t teach their disciples to be so comfortable. I also underestimated the importance of my master in my life.

“Apprentice, bring me some more tea and give me a shoulder massage.” Old man Jiang looked at me and gave me an order. I didn’t want to do it, but when I turned around, I saw my father’s “fierce” gaze. Then I thought, I’m now someone else’s apprentice, what can I do?

As the saying goes, when you are under the roof, you have to bow your head. Although he is a cheap master, I still understand the principle that a disciple should be filial to his master. I have heard many stories about the Journey to the West, and I know that the capable Monkey King still had to listen to the incapable Tang Monk.

I obediently poured tea for the old man, handed it to him, and then very unhappily pounded his shoulders behind him. I was angry, and my blows were heavy.

But the more I hit him, the more he enjoyed it, and he said, “Well, it’s a little weak. Hit me harder!”

Damn, why is this old man so cheap? He still thinks I don’t hit him hard enough. I was holding back my anger and hammering the old man with all my might, but he was like an iron man, completely unconcerned.

I was panting and puffing here, while the old man was talking away over there: “I actually went back to the village yesterday, and last night I was in the graveyard, and I saw what happened to your sister.”

“You were there yesterday?” My father was very surprised. He said that this old man could see everything about Ermei so clearly just by taking a look.

“Yes, I’m not a real immortal, so I can’t immediately figure out the cause and effect of things. I wanted to act last night, but there were ordinary villagers nearby, and it was hard to keep people from seeing it. Some things are better left unknown to ordinary people. In addition, this matter originated with Sanwa, and I didn’t want to create evil for him, so I only restrained the idea of acting last night, thinking that I would come and discuss it with you today to see what you think.”

Old Jiang slowly explained the whole story. At this point, my mother could no longer hold back. She ignored my father’s constant eye-rolling and even pulled him away, and instead rushed directly to Old Jiang and asked, “Master Jiang, you’ve taken Sanwa as your apprentice, but are you going to take him away?”

My father sighed, sat down and said nothing. He couldn’t be blamed for not stopping my mother, because what she was asking was exactly what was torturing him.

The old man was taken aback and had not yet had time to answer when my eldest sister, who had not spoken up until then, jumped out and said, “Master Jiang, I will be your disciple instead. Don’t take my brother away. If there is no boy in the family, my parents will have a hard time living in the village when they grow old.”

My eldest sister was very sensible, and it was hard for her to think of this. It was even harder for her to be willing to become a nun for me. My eldest sister was proud and arrogant, and she was also excellent at her studies. She had many ideals, and none of them would be becoming a nun.

As for me, at this time, I couldn’t even think of “beating” Old Jiang. I wanted to stand up and say something, but I couldn’t.

First, although I was not respectful to the old man, I was convinced that he was capable.

Second, I don’t remember much about the old man’s life-saving kindness, so I don’t have any feelings about it, but in my heart I have already decided to repay the kindness and be good to the old man. But I’ve always been like this since I was a child, I don’t know how to express my feelings, I prefer to hide them with laughter and anger.

Third, the tiger claw really saved my life. I still can’t forget the sound of the tiger’s roar, which was full of authority. I know that the tiger claw is not a simple thing, and that Old Master Jiang was able to give it to me when I was very young, so he must really be good to me. As the saying goes, “He who takes another’s hand is short-handed.”

I absolutely didn’t want to leave my parents, but if I had changed my mind, I couldn’t say it based on the little thoughts I had just mentioned. So, I stood in front of Old Master Jiang, speechless.

“Alas…” the old man sighed, stood up, touched my sister’s head, then touched my head, and then said, “Big sister, I know you are sensible, but this master-disciple relationship cannot be replaced by anyone.”

Then, the old man turned to look at my mother: “I won’t take Sanwa away now. I will live with Sanwa on the mountain in this village, and I can be with you during the day. It’s just that after the age of 15, Sanwa will have to leave with me. It’s not that I’m cold-hearted and forcing you to separate from your mother, but some things are predestined, and forcing them to stay with you will only harm them and you. Sanwa doesn’t have much affinity with his parents, but he can’t always be by their side. It’s not that he’ll never see them again, or that he can’t take care of them in their old age. Don’t think too pessimistically.

Old Jiang never lied, and my parents knew that. Just before he died, he said that I would have bad luck, and that it would befall my family. Isn’t that the final proof?

In addition, my parents also firmly believe that Old Master Jiang is not the kind of person who would make things up to get an apprentice. If he wanted to make things up, he could have done so seven years ago. Besides, what concrete benefits would he get from having an apprentice?