Chapter 5: The Next Wave

Actually, I am a person with a thin skin, and my master has taught me since I was a child that everything has a cause and effect, and that you should not take things from people for free.

However, I usually listen to my master’s words very well. Whether there is any benefit or not, I should always call my uncles. So I respectfully bowed to Uncle Liren and called out sincerely, “Uncle Chen.”

Uncle Li Ren laughed happily a few times, then took out a porcelain bottle from his bosom and said, “I’ve prepared it for a long time. Take it. It’s not a magical thing. It’s just a pill to replenish blood and qi.”

I didn’t dare let Uncle Li Ren hand it to me personally, so I quickly walked over, took it with both hands, and just as I was about to put it in my pocket, my master snatched it away, opened the bottle, and poured out the pills inside. The pills were a pleasing bright yellow color, and they felt very warm. My master sniffed them in front of his nose and said, “Not stingy at all. This ginseng tastes right, and it must be a hundred years old. It also has medicine added to it, which neutralizes the dominance of the ginseng.

After that, my master put the pills back in the bottle and handed them to me. He then said, “I won’t say much more, since you are an expert. However, if you don’t use spiritual alchemy to bless these pills, I won’t recognize them.”

Uncle Li Ren smiled bitterly and said, “I dare not be careless when giving my nephew something. Remember that ginseng is always overbearing. When taking it, it is best to take half a pill and drink it with water. The soup can also be used, but it should be mainly clear and not supplemented. Don’t take it to braise chicken. It will be bad if it is over-supplemented.”

“I understand.” The master smiled slightly, as if he was disgusted with Uncle Liren’s chatter.

After greeting Uncle Liren, I also greeted Uncle Lipu respectfully, and sincerely called out, “Uncle Wang.”

But as soon as the words left my mouth, Master Wang waved his hand and said, “No, I don’t have any gifts for you.”

“It’s true that the richer someone is, the more stingy they are.” Master Wang grunted in dissatisfaction.

Uncle Wang made a “bitter” expression and said, “How dare I be stingy? Does a gift have to be something? My feng shui is too complicated, but I will teach my nephew to do feng shui. It’s not sophisticated, but I will always teach him simple and effective things. In the future, he will have no worries about making a living. It’s better to teach someone to fish than to give them a fish. My uncle is generous enough.”

“Okay, you’ve passed. You know that people from the Shan branch of the family are hard up.” The master trailed off, and the uncles all coughed.

“Then, why don’t you take the Mountain line and I’ll take the Life line? You’re suffering, look at my hair, you take it!” As soon as the master had finished speaking, Uncle Li suddenly interrupted him, causing the other two uncles to cough again.

I actually wanted to cough, too. I had noticed it a long time ago. Although Uncle Li and Master were the same as the others, they didn’t look old, but their hair was already completely white, with not a single black hair.

My master pretended not to hear and said to me, “Chengyi, the uncles are calling you. You should get to know your fellow apprentices.”

As soon as he finished, he turned his head to Uncle Li and said, “Our generation is in chaos, and the younger generation must not break the rules of the master.”

Uncle Li grunted, not very satisfied, but in the end he did not object, only saying, “Well, get to know each other. Chengqing, you start.”

At this point, the young man who had been standing behind Uncle Li finally stepped forward. He first respectfully greeted the uncles, and then said, “Mu Chengqing, the character ‘qing’ is taken from the meaning of ‘clear heart, clear eyes, and seeing through cause and effect. I have been following my master since I was four years old, and it has been 20 years now.”

After saying that, Mu Chengqing stepped back. His words were extremely simple, but I have to say that Uncle Li gives off an air of dominance, while Mu Chengqing gives off a scholarly air. He has a delicate face and rosy lips, and I think if he puts on a robe, he could be a young scholar from ancient times.

However, there is one thing that is not perfect. Mu Chengqing’s hair is a little long, almost reaching his shoulders, and he wears it casually, but he has premature gray hair. He is only 24 years old, but there are small strands of gray hair mixed in with his black hair, which makes him look a little old.

Why is it that people with two pulse lines are like this? Why do they have a problem with their hair?

“Chengyi, you go introduce them,” my master said in a low voice, as if he were angry. I don’t know where his anger comes from, but I always feel a bit strange. Here, on the surface, everything seems harmonious, but the strange thing is in the way they address each other.

My master and Uncle Li both call the other two “juniors,” but they call each other by their first names. This makes it difficult for us juniors to address them as “juniors,” so we just call them by their first names.

Between my master and Uncle Li, I always felt that there was some undercurrent, while with the other two uncles, I felt a bit of avoidance and helplessness.

I thought about it, but these things are not something we younger people can ask about in this kind of situation. I stepped forward and said, “Chen Chengyi, the name comes from the idea of one heart and one mind, following the Dao. I have been following my master since I was six years old, now 15 years.”

“Chengyi, that’s a good name. The Shan family lineage is the one that should have a name like that. Isn’t it you who will ultimately inherit the Dao?” Uncle Li commented.

My master didn’t say anything, and poured himself another cup of tea, saying to himself, “The best Dahongpao tea. I heard it can be brewed nine times and still have a lingering fragrance. I can’t waste it. I have to drink it nine times.”

鈥楶uchi鈥� (a sound of laughter), someone couldn鈥檛 help but laugh. It was the young man standing behind Master Wang. At this moment, I noticed with cold sweat that this was not a junior apprentice, but a junior apprentice.

When the young apprentice smiled, Uncle Wang immediately shouted, “Good apprentice, what are you laughing at? Brother Jiang is right. You should drink it nine times. This good stuff can’t be wasted.”

Everyone was speechless!

I guess Uncle Chen was a little embarrassed. These two guys really didn’t respect their elders. They were in front of all the younger people, and they had lost face. He said, “Chengxin, why don’t you introduce yourself?”

Then, a very handsome man walked out. I sighed in my heart, “What is a gentle and refined person? This junior brother is just that. Cheng Qing is scholarly and has a delicate appearance, but his temperament is more like that of a cold scholar. As for Chengxin, his facial features, when viewed separately, are not particularly handsome, but when combined, they give off a feeling of warmth and gentleness. It is the kind of feeling that comes from standing in front of a beautiful jade. His temperament and appearance are both of that kind. I guess he is quite popular with girls. I thought to myself with a sour feeling.

When I thought about it, I couldn’t help but curse Uncle Wang again. Why should I be denied what I want and what I have?

“Su Chengxin, the character “heart” comes from the benevolence of a doctor. My master’s name is Ren, and my name is Xin, implying a sense of continuity. I have been following my master since I was seven years old, starting with identifying medicines. It has been 14 years now.” Su Chengxin smiled again, as if the spring breeze was blowing through his heart.

I felt a bit bitter, thinking, “She’s showing off.”

“Okay, okay, you don’t know how to give way to the only girl. Good apprentice, we’ll just swallow our pride. After all, women can hold up half the sky now.” Uncle Wang never says anything nice. I guess only my master can match him in a game of chess.

What would happen if the three of them fought together? I suddenly felt like laughing.

Then, while I was still trying to hold back my laughter, Master Wang turned to my junior sister, who was already standing in the middle of the hall.

“Good apprentice, introduce yourself loudly. You are so pretty, you are giving them a discount. You can’t let them take advantage of you, so you have to speak louder than them.” After that, he shook his head: “This is a tough job. You have to pay close attention to people who are as ugly as pig dung, and you can’t spit. Find a pretty apprentice to keep your eyes on.”

The hall was suddenly filled with the sound of coughing, but my master was very calm and added, “Yes, I regret why I had to find this stinky kid, Chengyi, and now I can only squat in the street and look at beautiful women.”

鈥楶uff鈥�, Uncle Chen spat out a mouthful of tea. Uncle Li frowned and snorted, saying, 鈥淭his is outrageous!鈥�

“Master…” The cute little sister stood in the middle, her face already blushing. How could there be a master like this, bragging about himself?

“Why call me Master? I have no money to give you, so introduce me.” Master Wang shrunk his neck, looking miserable and lewd.

“Ji Chengzhen, the character “zhen” means to eliminate the false and retain the true, to see through the true meaning. I have been following my master since I was nine years old, and now I have been a swindler for 12 years.” Chengzhen’s sister said crisply.

“Who is a swindler? Why are you ruining your reputation? We are masters, masters!” Uncle Wang was not satisfied, and even my master was holding back a smile this time.

Sister Chengzhen playfully stuck out her tongue and stood back. This girl is really pretty, but not the kind of pretty that is very weak. She has quite a heroic temperament and is very attractive.

I couldn’t help but think of Ling Ruyue, who was a strange girl. I don’t know if she’s grown up and become more beautiful, compared to Chengzhen.

After the introduction, my master suddenly said, “Well, in the future, Chengyi will be the eldest brother. You have to look after these younger brothers and sisters.”

Uncle Li looked at my master and said, “Master’s rules cannot be broken, but if the same thing happens again, the big brother will have to be replaced.”

The atmosphere suddenly froze.