AWB Chapter 27 Apprenticeship
Chapter 27 Apprenticeship
“He owes me,” Lin Fan replied earnestly.
The dog-skinned Taoist priest nodded. "So these people really weren't killed by you, my nephew?"
“It’s really not.” Lin Fan said as he turned over the corpses. He recognized some of them, but not others.
Everyone he had ever seen was a member of that band of mountain bandits.
Lin Fan looked at each face one by one, and when he had finished looking at all the faces and did not find Smiling Tiger, a look of disappointment appeared on his face.
The dog-skinned Taoist noticed something else: "Nephew, every one of these people has the Seeking Dao Plague on their face. It's really strange. The Seeking Dao Plague is not common. I've never seen so many people get it all at once."
“These people did not die from the plague of seeking the Dao,” Lin Fan said.
"How did you know?" the dog-skinned Taoist priest asked in confusion.
Lin Fan knew this, of course. He had seen these bandits a few days ago, and none of them had this on their faces.
Lin Fan took a few steps back, looking at the shattered body parts and the fallen bushes.
"Taoist Master, doesn't this place look like it was pressed down like this by a giant hand?"
The dog-skinned Taoist priest also stepped back a few steps, looking at the edge of the fallen bush, where he could barely make out the shape of fingers.
He suddenly imagined a hand taller than a person pressing down on these people.
It's like a child crushing a clay figure, pressing the broken pieces back into the ground—it's so similar!
"Nephew, you must not speak recklessly."
"It's nothing. How they died has nothing to do with me. Let's go back and continue digging the pit."
"Should we bury these people?"
"Don't bury it!"
……
"Oh dear, this is exhausting for my old bones!"
The dog-skinned Taoist priest, sitting on the oxcart, kept patting his back; he was exhausted from digging the pit.
Lin Fan closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. He successfully buried the family of three, which made him feel much more relaxed.
Since it was inconvenient to erect a monument for them in the desolate wilderness, Lin Fan simply transplanted a sycamore tree to mark the spot.
Lin Fan bowed before the grave. They had shielded him and his mother from death, and he would never forget them.
If I have the chance, I will definitely repay them.
Lin Fan took another nap. He had been too tired these past few days, and he felt sleepy as soon as he relaxed.
The oxcart's platform was hard and it wobbled.
But Lin Fan felt as if he were in a cradle, sleeping soundly.
Seeing that Lin Fan was fast asleep, the dog-skinned Taoist silently made a hand seal and pointed at Lin Fan.
Lin Fan's brows furrowed slightly as he slept, and his hand rose and fell on its own.
Seeing this, the dog-skinned Taoist nodded in satisfaction.
……
"Now this is what a proper Taoist temple should be like. Master Yunxiangzi, what was that thing you lived in before?"
Lin Fan looked at the well-maintained Taoist temple in front of him and sighed. The wooden gate looked quite old, but it was very clean.
The plaque has three large gilded characters.
"Cloud Serpent Temple," Lin Fan read aloud.
“That’s ‘Linglong Temple.’ If you’re uncultured, shut your mouth,” the dog-skinned Taoist priest retorted irritably.
Lin Fan's lips twitched. He now recognized all the characters in the "Enlightenment Classic," and could only guess the others based on the patterns.
I know a few characters, but not many.
As soon as Lin Fan stepped into the main hall, he saw the Taoist robe hanging on the wall. There was a long, flat snake on the green robe.
"Hey, Taoist priest, isn't the snake on this robe more powerful than the horned dog on your robe?"
"What snake or dog? The one on me is a mythical beast, a symbol of good fortune; that's a little green dragon, a green dragon carp!"
"What kind of carp is this long? It's even longer than that life-size golden arowana."
Although Master Dogskin didn't know what a 1:1:1 ratio was, he did know about Golden Dragon Fish.
"How can a golden arowana compare to this little green dragon? This is a dragon carp that has cultivated for over a hundred years and is preparing to leap over the Dragon Gate!"
"You make it sound so impressive, but it's just a painting. How could it be real?" Lin Fan said dismissively.
"Hehe, you don't understand. The earliest people who could wear this Taoist robe had to be Taoists who had subdued the Azure Dragon Carp or other evil spirits of that level. However, later the Celestial Master changed the rules, and as long as one's merits and cultivation are equal, one can also wear this Azure Dragon Carp robe."
"This is all nonsense; it's probably fictional. Even if it exists, can you really subdue something from mythology?"
"The Azure Dragon Carp isn't a cabbage, how can you just see it whenever you want?" The dog-skinned Taoist's words gradually lost their confidence. At least if he himself encountered such a monster, he would definitely prioritize escaping for his life, and would not think about subduing it.
The two chatted casually when several people came out from behind the Taoist temple.
The one in the lead was wearing the exact same Taoist robe as the one hanging on the wall.
This middle-aged Taoist priest was not tall, had a ruddy complexion, kind eyes, and looked very benevolent.
Behind him followed eight people, three women and five men, all with outstanding appearances. They wore disciple robes and stood in two rows, each holding a ritual implement, like the boy and girl attendants before a celestial deity.
These eight people all looked older than Lin Fan, were tall, and had full cheeks, which showed that they usually had enough to eat.
The group of people came out like an immortal descending to earth with his disciples.
Lin Fan glanced at the cunning-looking Taoist priest beside him. Comparing people is like comparing dogs to people.
The dog-skinned Taoist priest didn't notice Lin Fan and immediately stepped forward enthusiastically, calling out "Senior Brother, Senior Brother." Lin Fan was led by him to greet Master Wanshou and his disciples one by one.
They responded with smiles and enthusiasm.
Master Wanshou kindly patted Lin Fan's head, "Good child, good child, it seems you've suffered a lot. What's your name, child?"
Lin Fan was a little annoyed by being touched like that, but he had no choice but to put up with it since they were on someone else's turf.
He was about to blurt out his name when he realized he didn't know the situation clearly, so he decided to use a pseudonym first.
"My name is... Liu Feng."
The dog-skinned Taoist priest glanced at him but said nothing.
Soon after, the apprenticeship ceremony began, and Lin Fan realized that the magical artifacts held by the disciples were actually used during the apprenticeship process.
As for Lin Fan's aptitude, the dog-skinned Taoist whispered a few words in the ear of the Taoist wearing snakeskin, and the other party immediately 'saw' that he had extraordinary aptitude.
Lin Fan now understands the tricks of these Taoist priests. Just like his literacy level, they have some real skills, but not many.
If you have one point, pretend you have ten; just don't believe them.
The apprenticeship ceremony sounds complicated, but Lin Fan just had to go along with it; it was all just ritualistic stuff.
"The ceremony is complete!" With a loud announcement from a male disciple, the apprenticeship ceremony came to an end.
"Alright, Liu Feng, from now on you will be my last disciple! From now on, we, master and disciple, will work together to explore the path to immortality."
The snakeskin-skinned Taoist priest rummaged inside his robe and finally pulled out a bottle, which he then handed to Lin Fan.
"Hurry up and thank your master for the precious pill!" the dog-skinned Taoist reminded Lin Fan from the side.
Lin Fan immediately bowed in thanks.
"Haha, it's nothing. It's just some strength pills that I casually made. Feng'er can use them in case he encounters danger in the future."
After Wanshou finished speaking, he glanced at the sky and said...
"Oh! It's so late, everyone should get some rest. The Wu family has a religious ceremony tomorrow, so Junior Brother and Feng'er should come with me."