“Really cured?” Looking at Shi Lengzi, who had clearly transformed, Bi Zhen’s beautiful eyes sparkled with disbelief.
“True disciple, now you believe in your master’s skills, right?” Zhang Shisan proudly puffed up, his few whiskers almost standing straight.
“Yeah, I thought the story of Sun Wukong’s fiery eyes was just nonsense, but now it seems it might actually be possible!” Bi Zhen looked at Mei Qing with admiration. “Still, Qing is amazing. Using the method of forging artifacts to heal people actually worked.”
While Zhang Shisan was pretending to be angry that Bi Zhen had credited Mei Qing for his accomplishments, Mei Qing, listening to their conversation, sensed something was off. He quickly pulled Bi Zhen aside and asked, “True, what did you mean by forging people?”
“Qing, you still don’t know? The healing method Master taught you is actually… actually the method of forging artifacts…”
Thinking that he had actually treated a living person as an artifact to forge, Mei Qing couldn’t help but shudder after learning the truth.
“What’s the point of learning flexibly? Knowledge itself is static; the key lies in how each person applies it,” Zhang Shisan boasted, nearly drowning everyone with his words. “Mei Qing, since you’ve already learned the art of forging artifacts, you should understand this principle even better. If everyone in the world forges things in the same way, there’s no need to compete anymore. You’ve just passed the Qi Cultivation stage and learned the method of forging artifacts, so it’s time to consolidate your skills. Anyway, there’s no rush with the Fragrant Sect. Besides, Master Shi’s precious son has just recovered and needs a few days to recuperate. In my humble opinion, let’s go back to Old Sour’s manor first. Although your bald master’s cultivation isn’t much to speak of, he does have some useful insights into consolidating one’s foundation.”
“The bald master?” Bi Zhen asked. “Qing, how come you have another master?”
“Yeah, I actually had two masters from the start. Besides our old Taoist master here, there’s also a Buddhist master.” Mei Qing replied honestly. “My Buddhist master’s dharma name is Master Ku, and he’s been very kind to me.”
“Master Ku?” Bi Zhen frowned, thinking for a moment, suddenly exclaimed in surprise, “Could it be, Ku… Ku…”
Zhang Shisan chuckled, “Heh, True Disciple, you’ve got some insight. You know the name Ku. It’s him.”
Bi Zhen immediately understood. Her beautiful eyes widened as she turned to Zhang Shisan in astonishment. “Ah? If that’s the case, then Master, could it be that… Hehe, Master, although I’m just an honorary disciple, you mustn’t play favorites. When your disciple has any troubles, I’m counting on you to be my support.” As she spoke, she grabbed Zhang Shisan’s arm and shook it vigorously.
Zhang Shisan rolled his eyes and said, “Hmph, now that you know your master is useful, you come to flatter me? Hmph, you little girl, forget about your little schemes. Is it because you’re worried your father won’t approve of your marriage to Mei Qing that you’re thinking of using my and Master Ku’s names to help you out?”
Bi Zhen’s heart was laid bare by Zhang Shisan’s words, and she couldn’t help but blush. The marriage between her and Mei Qing was already disapproved by Lu Bing. Although her grandmother loved her dearly, she was still skeptical about Mei Qing’s lack of background. This was the biggest worry in Bi Zhen’s heart. Now that she found out her two masters were actually so influential, she thought of asking them to help her get married.
But just as she was about to open her mouth, the old fox Zhang Shisan guessed her thoughts, making Bi Zhen feel a bit embarrassed and pouting, “Master, how did you know… Master! You just laugh, you don’t even talk about how your two disciples are being bullied. Two people in love being torn apart, you don’t care who will? I won’t talk to you anymore!” Saying this, she let go of Zhang Shisan’s hand and pouted, pretending to be angry and ignoring him.
Seeing this, Zhang Shisan chuckled, “Alright, silly girl, what’s the rush? That little fellow, Mei Qing, has already got you wrapped around his finger, and he’s even dragged us two old guys into this. During the apprentice ceremony, that little rascal said that if we didn’t help him bring his little wife into the Mei family, he wouldn’t acknowledge us as his masters. So you just relax and prepare yourself to become a daughter-in-law of the Mei family.”
Upon hearing this, Bi Zhen felt very shy, her face turned red, but she still stubbornly said, “It’s also because you, Master, bullied me, knowing all along but not telling me.” Then she smiled at Mei Qing, her face brightening, “Still, you’re not bad…
“The art of forging artifacts actually has much in common with talisman techniques,” Zhang Shisan lectured. “The differences lie only in the materials, methods of creation, and applications…”
Mei Qing looked puzzled, “Much in common? The materials, methods of creation, and applications are all different. They’re completely different. Master, did you drink too much in the morning?”
“Ridiculous!” Zhang Shisan gave Mei Qing a slap on the head and huffed, “Besides the differences, aren’t they the same? How come you’re so stupid!”
At this moment, the master and apprentice were exactly in Shi Mengzhu’s mansion, starting a new round of study.
After agreeing to temporarily return to Shi’s mansion, Mei Qing immediately summoned Hou Shen, gave him some instructions, and handed him a small cloth package, telling him to go to Yifeng to find Huang Zhongman, clearly explaining the matters here and letting him notify the authorities.
Hou Shen had a thousand and one doubts about Huang Fatso, so Mei Qing repeatedly warned him not to act on impulse and to hand over all the matters to Huang Fatso. Hou Shen, seeing Mei Qing’s seriousness, although still doubtful, did not dare to say more, accepted the items, and immediately set off for Yifeng.
As for Master Shi and his wife, originally Zhang Shisan’s idea was for them to settle down at home first and help Shi Lengzi recover his health. However, Madam Shi said that since there were still things ahead, they might as well send their family away and follow Zhang Shisan and the others. One reason was to avoid involving the servants in the future, and the other was for convenience of action, avoiding the need to send messages when dealing with the Fragrant Sect.
In fact, Madam Shi was very thoughtful. She knew that Zhang Shisan’s identity was impressive. Although he was friendly and informal with Bi Zhen and Mei Qing, he was a prominent figure in the cultivation world. She herself was a spirit, having married Master Shi, a mortal, so their son’s identity was somewhat awkward. If they could follow Zhang Shisan and gain some guidance from him, their son would benefit for life, and with this connection, he would not be looked down upon in the future.
As for Master Shi, he always followed his wife’s orders, so naturally he would not object. Besides, in his mind, such complicated matters were beyond his understanding. His direct view of Zhang Shisan was that he could heal people and drink wine, so he was deeply impressed. As for anything else, he hadn’t even thought about it.
As a result, Hou Shen traveled alone, while Mei Qing, Bi Zhen, Zhang Shisan, and Master Shi and his wife set off for Gangli, returning once again to Shi Mengzhu’s manor.
When Mei Qing arrived again, Master Ku’s eyes immediately widened. Ignoring everything else, he examined Mei Qing up and down, left and right, before speaking with a tone of lamentation, “Mengzhu has misled me, Mengzhu has misled me!”
At that time, Shi Mengzhu had arranged for Mei Qing to become a lay disciple under Master Ku’s sect. According to the Huayan sect’s rules, lay disciples who received the sect’s permission could also inherit their master’s teachings, but they were not officially recognized as formal members of the sect. At first, Master Ku had reluctantly agreed, but later, upon seeing Mei Qing’s talent and potential, he deeply regretted his decision. Unexpectedly, within just a few days, Mei Qing had already reached the Yuan Ying stage, entering the Qi Cultivation period. Reflecting on his earlier choice, Master Ku couldn’t help but feel profound regret.
Seeing Master Ku, a highly revered monk known for his composure, actually voicing such complaints, Shi Mengzhu couldn’t help but laugh and said, “You, a monk, are so greedy! If I had known earlier, I should have allowed Mei Qing to only pay homage to the Taoist master, leaving you helplessly watching!”
Bi Zhen’s beautiful eyes widened, clearly surprised by Master Ku’s image. After Master Ku quickly regained his composure, he became quite close to Bi Zhen. Upon hearing that Zhang Shisan had accepted Bi Zhen as an honorary disciple, Master Ku immediately also accepted Bi Zhen as an honorary disciple, showing a stance of not giving an inch to Zhang Shisan.
However, Bi Zhen, meeting Master Ku for the first time, felt somewhat restrained and couldn’t be as relaxed as she was with Zhang Shisan. When she saw that Master Ku had accepted her as an honorary disciple and spoke to her very kindly, she became affectionately attached, calling him “Master” one after another. Mei Qing also asked Bi Zhen about the identities of Master Ku and Zhang Shisan that she had heard of. Surprisingly, this time Bi Zhen kept her lips sealed. No matter how Mei Qing tried to extract the information, she wouldn’t say anything, only stating that Zhang Shisan had instructed her that she would know in time.
The days seemed to return to the time when they first became disciples. Mei Qing once again became a superman working day and night, receiving the round-the-clock teachings of his two masters.
Compared to before, Master Ku’s guidance for Mei Qing was even more concise, almost without a word. He simply demonstrated some things to him. If there were things he didn’t understand, Master Ku wouldn’t explain further, only letting Mei Qing think for himself.
It must be said that this method of Master Ku’s was of great benefit to Mei Qing. Mei Qing’s cultivation was newly achieved, and his cultivation base was somewhat unstable. He had some control issues with various spells and occasionally felt his mind drifting. However, within a few short days, Master Ku helped Mei Qing stabilize his inner and outer cultivation, as well as his mindset. Regarding this, Zhang Shisan could only sourly say again, “Their Huayan Sect does have some merits in this minor aspect.”
As for Zhang Shisan’s instruction of Mei Qing, besides continuing to have him extensively practice drawing various talismans, he also spent more time explaining and demonstrating different talismans to him. Zhang Shisan had dedicated his entire life to the study of talismans, and his research was so profound, detailed, and comprehensive that he could truly be regarded as unmatched in the world. Mei Qing, on the other hand, possessed natural talent and often came up with innovative ideas. During these past few days, the teacher and student taught and learned from each other, resulting not only in rapid progress for Mei Qing but also making Zhang Shisan feel that he himself had gained significant benefits.
After Mei Qing had gained some proficiency in talismans, he once again considered the artifact-forging technique he had used a few days earlier to cure Shi Lengzi. He then kept pestering Zhang Shisan to teach him how to forge magical treasures. After some thought, Zhang Shisan felt that indeed, it was a problem that Mei Qing currently had no suitable tools at hand. Moreover, they would soon be confronting the Fragrant Sect, so Mei Qing should have some means of self-defense. Although Zhang Shisan did not want Mei Qing to develop a habit of relying on magical artifacts—and thus had never given him any—he believed that if Mei Qing could forge his own treasures, it would also benefit his cultivation.
Thinking of this, Zhang Shisan finally agreed and began teaching Mei Qing the art of forging artifacts.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage