Chapter 131 Extra 2 That Year, That Month, That Peak (3)

It is rumored that Ji Qinghong has no conscience.

In fact, the correct interpretation of this sentence should be: Ji Qinghong occasionally has a conscience.

When Jiang Tingbai was about to leave after asking questions, Ji Qinghong suddenly noticed his clothes.

The founding disciple of the Sujitang was wearing a sword robe that had turned slightly white. The slightly rough light linen material had been rubbed very soft through repeated washings and was no longer as stiff as it was at the beginning.

After seeing this scene, Ji Qinghong hesitated for a moment.

It was true that the proposal to confiscate all of Jiang Tingbai's income for the next hundred years was a mutual compromise between him and Jianfeng.

But what was somewhat unexpected to Ji Qinghong was that...his disciple did not have any savings at all before he joined Guiyuan Sect?

"I do have some savings. If I plan carefully, it should be enough to support me for a hundred years."

Jiang Tingbai answered very humbly.

"It's just that after I damaged the Great Dao Qingtian Stele last time, I donated this amount of spiritual stones to the sect's medical clinic outside the sect."

Ji Qinghong thought about why Jiang Tingbai did this.

As a fun-loving person, he couldn't think straight.

Switching to Yun Suzhen's perspective, Ji Qinghong thought again about why Jiang Tingbai did this.

"It's really not easy. It's true that doctors don't treat themselves." Ji Qinghong said with a sad face, "Did the clinic save your life?"

Jiang Tingbai: "..."

Jiang Tingbai coughed lightly and said seriously, "When Jianfeng sentenced me to death, his original intention was to make me reflect on myself from time to time during the next hundred years, rather than enjoying my past savings... I am very grateful to my master for helping me to finish the matter, but the fact that the Great Dao Qingtian Tablet was damaged is undeniable."

If you knock over a glass, you clean up the broken pieces and the spilled water stains; if you make a mistake, you take responsibility and accept the consequences.

So Jiang Tingbai accepted the punishment and was willing to live in poverty for a hundred years.

After hearing this idea, Ji Qinghong was shocked.

The looming conscience average on the top of this peak was actually raised to an unprecedented number by Jiang Tingbai alone.

Out of compassion (which may not happen once in a thousand years) and the sense of duty between master and disciple (which may happen almost once in a hundred years), Ji Qinghong suggested: "In that case, I will teach you how to refine weapons."

In this way, even if Jiang Tingbai has no spirit stones in his hands, he at least has some skills.

As long as he could master the technique of work-for-relief, at least Ji Qinghong wouldn't have to worry about this eldest disciple with an excessively strong conscience dying of hunger.

In fact, according to common sense, as the master of both the Dao of Weapons and the Dao of Formations, Ji Qinghong should have chosen one of the two to pass on to Jiang Tingbai on the first day of accepting him as a disciple.

However, between the master and his disciple, one is determined to learn swordsmanship, while the other does not play by the rules.

As a result, the training and teaching of the Dharma as disciples had been delayed until this time.

As for now, Ji Qinghong started teaching Jiang Tingbai.

Jiang Tingbai was very serious and his attitude was very correct, just like the top student that teachers liked the most in class. He took out a notebook on the spot, wrote while listening, and soon filled several pages.

However, when the theory class was over and the practical part came...

Ji Qinghong's eyes showed a pensive look.

To be honest, he now has some doubts about how Jiang Tingbai became a medical practitioner.

...Among the patients Jiang Tingbai had ever treated, was there anyone who had ever made trouble for Jiang Tingbai because of a missed injection?

Ji Qinghong slowly moved the lump of iron that was smelted in the furnace and was simply amazed.

"As expected of my disciple, you have truly inherited my true teachings."

If it were placed outside, who would be able to recognize that this thing is a dagger?

This thing is neither square nor round, nor pointed.

Even if it was just a piece of iron, Ji Qinghong had never seen such an ugly iron in all these years.

This is probably also a kind of talent, just the opposite kind.

Jiang Tingbai's expression was slightly ashamed: "I am not good at skills and I lack talent. I am sorry to make you laugh, Master. You don't have to save my face and just..." He tried to smooth things over in this unpleasant way.

"No, I'm not saving your face."

Ji Qinghong happily twisted the piece of iron, shook it in his hand, and then raised his arm and threw it out. He used the piece of iron to blast off the top of a mountain next door that was not a wild mountain.

"You are truly worthy of being my apprentice when it comes to creating pleasant surprises and adding joy to the world."

Jiang Tingbai: "..."

Obviously, Jiang Tingbai is not without talent in refining instruments.

Fortunately, Ji Qinghong knows a lot, and if one path doesn’t work, he can always try another one.

So Jiang Tingbai changed his class notebook, and Ji Qinghong changed the topic and started talking about the basic knowledge related to formations.

After the tedious and boring theoretical part, it is naturally time for practice.

This time, looking at the formation drawn by Jiang Tingbai, the smile on Ji Qinghong's face became even brighter.

He looked at Jiang Tingbai thoughtfully, his tone gentle, like the best teacher in the world:

"My apprentice is indeed a rare genius in this world."

Jiang Tingbai asked uncertainly: "...Master?"

Although he is not very talented, he has a lot of ideas.

The formation I just drew had clumsy brushstrokes and sluggish lines, and contained almost all the mistakes mentioned in the theoretical basis.

At this moment, if it was an ordinary master here, he would probably encourage his disciple to try again; if it was a strict master, he would probably reprimand him in a stern voice.

Only Ji Qinghong smiled with joy in his eyes and patted Jiang Tingbai's shoulder affectionately.

"Very good, you know how to choose the path that suits you. No wonder you were able to comprehend the sword's meaning when you were in the foundation-building stage, because you are indeed a natural swordsman."

Jiang Tingbai felt that these words were weird no matter how he listened to them.

He asked again: "...Master?"

Ji Qinghong said happily: "Because you have already understood the highest essence of sword training, which is——"

Jiang Tingbai couldn't help but hold his breath.

"—permanent poverty."

Jiang Tingbai: "..."

Ji Qinghong wiped away the traces of the formation on the ground with a flick of his sleeves, and said happily:

"I don't have anything else to teach you. Just... well, eat whatever you want while you can still get some of the public funds in the peak."

Jiang Tingbai: "..."

Jiang Tingbai suddenly recalled that when he was a medical practitioner, when he encountered a difficult disease that was really hopeless to cure, he would also advise the family to give the patient whatever he wanted to eat...

Comparing the two rooms now, Jiang Tingbai had to admit: hand disability might also be a terminal illness.

The judgment on Jiang Tingbai's ability to fight was finally settled on the second day.

The incident started when Ji Qinghong passed by and noticed Jiang Tingbai doing straw weaving under the shade of a tree.

If it is just an ordinary small ornament, no matter how exquisite its appearance is or how skillfully crafted it is, it will hardly arouse Ji Qinghong's interest.

But Jiang Tingbai's straw weaving... its shape is extremely vague, and its appearance is simply indescribable. It even has a subtly broken dimension of the immortal world, and directly brings people to the scene of Cthulhu's world!

Ji Qinghong: “…”

He stood alone not far away and studied it for a long time, then asked in a very interested tone:

"Are you...stabbing me?"

Yes, after a careful count, Ji Qinghong determined that the thing in Jiang Tingbai's hand had a total of five branches.

According to common sense, this is probably a person's head and limbs.

Moreover, this crude craftsmanship makes it hard not to mistake it for witchcraft.

Ji Qinghong stroked his chin and found this very interesting: there should be many people who secretly stabbed him with vampires, but if his own apprentice also started to stab him with vampires...

——Then he is such a successful person!

Jiang Tingbai was slightly startled when he heard this. He first looked at Ji Qinghong, then lowered his head and cast his gaze towards the straw weaving in his hand; then he looked at Ji Qinghong again, and once again looked at the straw weaving in his hand hesitantly...

If Jiang Tingbai was a balloon, then his current state would be that of a balloon visibly falling.

"Master, you misunderstood. This was not my intention."

Ji Qinghong pointed at the straw weaving in his hands and said, "I saw tumors growing on his limbs."

Jiang Tingbai took a deep breath and said, "That's not a tumor... It's a small bump on the starfish."

Ji Qinghong: “…”

Jiang Tingbai murmured, "What I am knitting is actually a starfish."

“…”

All along, even Ji Qinghong had to admit that, in terms of universal values, Jiang Tingbai's character and talent were impeccable.

Of course, if we go by his standards, the eldest disciple is obviously not as interesting as others.

But now, Ji Qinghong doesn't think so.

After carefully examining Jiang Tingbai's straw weaving for a long time, Ji Qinghong finally asked slowly in an uncertain tone:

"You gave up medicine and took up swordsmanship. Wasn't it because you couldn't identify the acupuncture points and meridians and injured someone, so you changed to swordsmanship?"

Jiang Tingbai immediately clarified: "Identifying acupuncture points and meridians is the basic skill of doctors. Everyone first pricked their own acupuncture points. How can you dare to treat others before you have mastered it?"

"It's hard to say about this matter." Ji Qinghong paused for a moment, "Teacher just thinks..."

Ji Qinghong just thought that if Jiang Tingbai had learned medical skills using the straw doll he had made, then it was not impossible for him to kill someone with just one needle!

…

As for the second disciple Mi Jichen joining this peak, it was probably several decades later.

At that time, Jiang Tingbai was in the process of training and completing several sect missions. As for Ji Qinghong, he just came out to attract some new hatred.

Although under Ji Qinghong's influence, the relationship between master and apprentice is no longer so restrained and respectful, the gentle and polite nature of Jiang Tingbai's character is almost ingrained in his bones.

Therefore, as long as he was not in seclusion, Jiang Tingbai would send Ji Qinghong a letter of inquiry every half a month.

In addition to wishing Master good health, he would also mention a few words about his own recent situation.

It was from the paper crane sent by Jiang Tingbai that Ji Qinghong discovered that the master and his disciple had coincidentally traveled to two neighboring cities.

At that time, Jiang Tingbai and Ji Qinghong had not seen each other for three to five years, and that peak had become an empty nest and a lonely peak.

Only the name of their peak had to be changed every now and then in the messages Ji Qinghong sent back from time to time, which shocked the family of the disciple in charge of this matter.

Since they met by coincidence, the master and the disciple must meet again.

It was in the Renjian tavern where they met that the two heard an anecdote.

It is said that strange things have been happening in Hulu Alley in the north of the city recently.

It was like a beggar hoping to have money to buy a cotton-padded jacket for the winter, but when he woke up the next morning, he found a large ingot of silver under his head.

For example, a primary school student is naughty by nature, doesn’t like to do homework, but doesn’t want to be criticized by the teacher.

As a result, he suddenly jumped out of bed uncontrollably that night, and finished writing thirty large-character assignments in a half-asleep and half-awake state. His wrists still felt a little sore the next day.

Or maybe Auntie Wang next door lost a chicken and she would scold the thief who stole the chicken at her door every day. But yesterday, the chicken actually flew back from the sky in full view of everyone!

You know, a domestic hen can only jump to the top of a house at most and glide three to five feet with the help of the wind.

If it can fly thirty to fifty feet high against the wind... this chicken must have become a spirit!

Listening to these vivid stories of ordinary people, Jiang Tingbai couldn't help but smile with understanding.

Mortals only find these miraculous phenomena of wishes coming true magical.

But Jiang Tingbai knew just by listening to their description that this was most likely the wild Buddha in the temple gaining consciousness, becoming an obsession, and spontaneously responding to the incense.

However, this kind of awakened obsession usually does not distinguish between good and evil. If someone burns incense and asks it to kill or set fire, the obsession may also do it.

Therefore, when a cultivator is out and about, if he encounters someone who has committed a bad deed and has a certain level of obsession with action, he will often convert him.

But this rumored obsession... sounds hard to make sense.

Jiang Tingbai thought: If this is the case, I might as well ask my master for a heavenly grade magic weapon to serve as a shelter for this obsession.

If the other party can cultivate and become a spirit weapon in the future, he may have a chance to achieve the Great Dao.

Before this thought was finished, several tea drinkers mentioned another strange thing in Hulu Alley.

It is said that the second daughter of the Du family has been dreaming that her lover has come back to life and meets her in her dreams every night.

According to the oath of the second daughter of the Du family, she only wishes to sleep forever and never be separated from him again.

“…”

Before the story came to an end, Ji Qinghong slowly put the wine glass back on the table, a half-smile on his lips.

Seeing his expression, Jiang Tingbai's eyes flickered slightly, knowing that something was wrong.

Jiang Tingbai has been a disciple of Ji Qinghong for several decades, and he has more or less noticed something about what happened on the top of this mountain.

For example, the master, Yun Suzhen, was of similar age and talent to Ji Qinghong. There were two buildings on the peak, "Suzhen Hall" and "Qinghong Pavilion", facing each other. In the end, the master died in the battle against demons in front of Ji Qinghong...

Jiang Tingbai had a vague guess in his mind about the very delicate relationship between his master and his great-grandmaster.

Although Ji Qinghong's personality cannot be said to be good, he does not have many flaws that can be called his reverse scales.

And things like displaying the feelings of the deceased were definitely across his bottom line.

Jiang Tingbai quickly reviewed it in his mind, but still couldn't determine whether the obsession had any malicious intent.

In that case...

Jiang Tingbai gently advised, "Master, to punish someone without teaching him is cruel."

Ji Qinghong raised his eyebrows and looked at his eldest disciple for a while, then suddenly chuckled.

He tapped the table slowly and teased, "With your temper... I should have registered you as Su Yun. Have you ever suffered any harm outside these years? You wouldn't swallow a stone with your teeth if someone gave it to you as candy, would you?"

Jiang Tingbai said calmly, "Since that person gave me the stone as candy, I think he has good intentions towards me."

"so?"

Jiang Tingbai smiled slightly: "So, first of all, thank him for the candy, even if it was just a stone."

"Then I told him that the stone should not be eaten as candy, so as not to scratch other people's teeth. Finally, I cleaned the stone and placed it on my bookshelf. This is a stone made with good intentions and it is worth cherishing."

Ji Qinghong stared at Jiang Tingbai for a while, then suddenly clapped his hands and smiled.

"Since you are so confident, you can eat this stone."

This means that the matter will be handed over to Jiang Tingbai to handle.

Many years later, Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang heard about this past event.

Regarding this incident, Jiang Tingbai called it "an internal exchange of values ​​within the school."

Ji Qinghong named it——

Ji Qinghong made a small pinching gesture and said slowly, "At that time, I had not yet become the dust in your Second Master's pen, and I was just this close to death."

Yan Luoyue: “…”

Wu Manshuang: “…”

Mi Jichen, who just realized that he almost brushed shoulders with death: "..."

Senior Brother, thank you, because of you, all four seasons are warm.