Chapter 2: The master and apprentice meet

I hurried out of the room, but Yang Jingtong pulled me back: “No, don’t go back like that, or we’ll all get beaten up.”

All my buddies are afraid of my master. Which one of them hasn’t been beaten by him? I can’t go back like this. I’m still acting like Cui Jian. If my master sees me, he’ll beat me into a pig head, and Yang Jingtong and the others will also suffer.

“Fuck, I really forgot about this. Hurry up, find me some clothes.” I have to say that Beijing has had a profound impact on me. Unconsciously, I still say a few words of Beijing dialect, even though I resist it.

Yang Jingtong and another buddy quickly rummaged through the garbage and found some suitable clothes for me to wear.

White shirt, black trousers, and a blue sweater over the top. I changed quickly and came out. Yang Jingtong was busy helping me fix my collar. He was really anxious. He didn’t want my master to find an excuse to beat him up. If my master wanted to beat him up, his grandfather couldn’t protect him. He had to take it. These “good” clothes were prepared for emergencies.

The other guy was laughing, holding his shoulders and smoking a cigarette. He couldn’t help but say, “Fuck, I can’t watch anymore. Yang Jingtong, I’m not lying to you. You’re just like Chen Chengyi’s little wife.”

Yang Jingtong turned around and pointed at him, saying, “Shut up, man. I don’t have time to talk to you now. Are you itching to get beaten up by Master Jiang?”

“Well…” The guy’s face turned white, and he quickly came to help me with Yang Jingtong. Who’s afraid of my master?

Finally, the clothes were properly arranged. Yang Jingtong whistled and said, “It looks like it’s going to be okay.” After that, he took off his glasses and put them on my eyes, then he cried out, “Chen Chengyi, go, you can seduce the girls in school like this, no, female teachers are fine, go, haha…”

I was too lazy to argue with him, so I asked him directly, “Where’s your hair? What should I do with it?”

Yang Jingtong dragged me into the courtyard, poured cold water on my head, then dragged me back into the room, combed my hair to the side, and said, “It’s a bit long, but it’ll do! Go, buddy, after you deal with your master, remember to bring two student sisters back.”

“Get out of here!” I laughed and scolded, then rushed out of the courtyard!

I pedaled like crazy on my bicycle, and finally arrived at the familiar alley within 20 minutes. My master and I lived in a courtyard house in the alley, living alone, which was considered a special treatment for my master.

Because of this, there was no one in the house, and it was especially obvious that I had to get back before my master came out to look for me.

When I reached the entrance to the alley, I didn’t rush in, but took a deep breath to calm my breathing, wiped the sweat off my head, and then pushed my bicycle into the alley.

The seven aunts and eight uncles in the alley looked at me as if I were a ghost, but they also had a knowing look in their eyes. They were familiar with this routine, and whenever I pretended to be polite, it was because my grandfather (whom they thought was my master) was coming back.

I looked straight ahead, serious, but in my heart I cursed, these aunties, they shouldn’t tell my master about this, right?

When I reached the door, I took a deep breath, pushed open the gate, and pushed my bicycle inside. As soon as I entered, I saw my master sitting in the courtyard, with a small table next to him, a cup of tea with a lid and a bowl on it, and his eyes closed, resting.

I rehearsed it in my mind and then shouted out loud, “Surprise!” “Master, you’re back?”

My master opened his eyes and looked at me with a half smile, saying, “Oh, are you nearsighted? I remember teaching you how to protect your eyes, so why are you nearsighted?”

I took off my glasses and cursed Yang Jingtong a hundred times in my heart. I said that when I was riding my bike, I always fell over. It turned out that I had forgotten to put on my glasses. Fortunately, Yang Jingtong was only slightly nearsighted, otherwise I would have been killed.

“Master, I’ve been studying a lot recently and reading a lot, so my eyes have become a little nearsighted,” I said, smiling sheepishly.

“Really?” Master raised his eyebrows.

“Really.” I said solemnly.

“Well, then you can keep wearing them,” the master said lightly.

I wanted to hit the wall as soon as I heard this. I had something on my mind just now, and I hadn’t realized it. But now I’m wearing my glasses for myopia, which is not good for me.

“Master, I have pseudo-myopia, and it’s not good to wear glasses all the time. I…” A gust of wind blew past, and my scalp was suddenly cold. I couldn’t help but shrug my shoulders. Who could stand it? After getting cold water splashed on me and sweating profusely from cycling, the wind blew…

The master looked at me and interrupted me directly, saying, “Bring a chair over and sit next to me.”

I did as I was told, and the master closed his eyes again and said, “Recite the combination of the 15 hand techniques I taught you, and the hand technique knot.

I knew that the first thing my master would do when he returned was to test my progress. Fortunately, I had never been lazy, and I had never forgotten these things. I immediately did as my master had instructed me to do.

In this way, the two of us went back and forth for more than two hours.

The master took a sip of tea and finally commented, “It’s not good enough. I don’t know if you’ve been neglecting your practice. Theoretical things are always theoretical. Go ahead and draw the simplest talisman for warding off evil spirits. Let me see it.”

I naturally didn’t dare to be negligent, so I moved the table, picked up the paper, and calmly and carefully began to draw the talisman. This kind of talisman is indeed the simplest, and there is no need to connect the talisman. As long as the power can be conveyed to the talisman, my current level is only to draw such a talisman.

After the talisman was completed, I felt dizzy. It was really a bit of a struggle to concentrate my power on the talisman paper. I also drew talismans to ward off evil spirits when I was a child, but they weren’t complete talismans back then, and the effect only lasted for a moment. A real talisman can be stored on the body for three years.

After the paper dried, I respectfully handed it to my master. He took the paper, looked at it carefully, then closed his eyes and felt it carefully. He said, “The power is not enough, but you haven’t been lazy during this time.”

I finally relaxed. It seemed that today’s test was complete. Just as I was relieved to have passed, my master suddenly said, “This time, I was gone for three months, right?”

I nodded and said, “Yes, three months and eight days.”

The master looked at me, and a flash of pain crossed his eyes, but he quickly became casual again, saying, “I heard that you set up a troupe of opera singers, who cry and wail all day long, disturbing the neighbors.

It was finally discovered, but it had only been going on for 4 or 5 months. However, in the face of my master, I still dared not be presumptuous when it came to right and wrong, and I could only say, “Master, it’s not a troupe of opera singers, it’s rock and roll, rock and roll music.”

“No matter what, turn it off. You need to cultivate your character. I did that for you when you were a child, but you still need to experience the concept of right and wrong for yourself. Your happiness cannot be built on the suffering of others. Do you understand? I hope I don’t have to remind you of anything next time!” Master said seriously.

“I understand.” I was reluctant to admit it, but I had to admit that my master was right. Although I had been very rebellious over the years, I still had a clear sense of right and wrong. Every time I got into a fight, it was because someone provoked me. I had to thank my master for instilling the right character traits in me when I was young.

At a certain point in time, people may not be willing to follow rules and regulations. Master gave me the greatest freedom during this period. You have to practice in the secular world, and no one can take care of you for the rest of your life.

“I’ve asked around. You haven’t been fighting, and you’ve been skipping school occasionally, but you’ve managed to pass your exams. You’re not bad, but I won’t say more. Anyway, you’re on your own path, so you’d better get a grip on it. This weekend, come out with me,” said the master.

Going out with the master? In the past few years, this has happened very rarely. The master is very busy, and I don’t know what he is busy with. I only know that the few times we went out, he bought me clothes or something. More often, he gave me some money and I bought something myself.

“Going out to buy things?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Remember, that day, pack some things. You’re not going shopping, you’re going to meet some people. As the successor of the Shan family, you must not disgrace me on that day,” said the master solemnly.