The more he talked, the more excited Uncle Ma became.
He praised Xixi without reservation: "You're such a lucky girl, you actually managed to pick out such a good thing."
"I'll accept this gift. Who knows, this fan might save someone's life someday."
"This is a great act of merit, haha!"
Xixi was completely dumbfounded, pointing to her own face: "Huh? Me? Am I that amazing? I didn't even know that myself!"
"I don't know what's going on, but I feel really awesome right now!"
Uncle Ma couldn't stop smiling: "Alright, alright, your little nose is all puffed up to the sky."
"Don't stay here, come and sit in the inner courtyard."
In a peaceful atmosphere, Xixi and I followed Uncle Ma into the inner courtyard.
Although it wasn't my first time visiting the inner courtyard, I was still amazed by its layout.
Sitting on the familiar stone bench, I didn't move, just stared quietly at the table, lost in thought.
It was here that I successfully drew the talisman to break the curse. This is a memory I will never forget, until it is imprinted deep in my mind.
Uncle Ma didn't bother me, but sat quietly to the side, probably waiting for me to speak first.
After catching my breath, I finally got down to business with Uncle Ma: "Uncle Ma, I want to become your apprentice and learn Taoist arts from you!"
However, when I looked at Uncle Ma, he didn't seem as surprised as I had expected.
He remained calm and composed, smiling, without responding.
Xixi, who was standing next to me, tugged at my sleeve, her meaning quite clear: she wanted me to think about it more carefully.
I ignored Xixi standing to the side and instead stared intently at Uncle Ma, waiting for his response.
Uncle Ma raised an eyebrow: "What about your studies? Are you not choosing to continue?"
My heart skipped a beat. Had I finally asked that question?
This is the moment I need to make a choice.
I raised my head and looked directly into Uncle Ma's eyes without flinching: "I know what I want, and life doesn't only offer me one path to choose from. I have no regrets."
At this moment, my hands, which were hidden under the stone table, clenched involuntarily, and I could clearly feel that my palms were covered in sweat.
I'm scared; Uncle Ma won't agree.
I'm more afraid of losing this opportunity than graduating or taking the postgraduate entrance exam.
Once people have seen the vastness of the world, they will no longer be attached to the past or care about their small piece of land.
Uncle Ma didn't say anything, but stood up and walked into the main hall where he lived.
My heart was pounding wildly, as if it were in my throat. I had never been this nervous, not even during my college entrance exams.
I am not acting on impulse or rashly; I genuinely want to take this step forward!
I have people I want to protect, and I have things I want to pursue.
That's enough...
Uncle Ma's footsteps gradually approached from the main hall, and I could hear each and every one of them clearly.
Uncle Ma returned to his previous seat, now holding a small, exquisitely crafted wooden box, but no one knew what was inside.
Uncle Ma opened the wooden box, inside lay a wooden carved bracelet. Although it was made of wood, it was incredibly smooth and shiny.
It was engraved with symbols I didn't recognize, but it gave me an incredibly warm feeling.
I stared blankly at Uncle Ma, wondering what he was up to.
But Uncle Ma spoke up at that moment: "Hold out your hand, I'll put it on for you."
I stood there dumbfounded, holding out my hand. Uncle Ma picked up the bracelet and put it on my wrist.
I tried to feel the bracelet on my wrist, but I didn't feel anything.
It's so light, yet for some reason, I feel it's incredibly heavy!
Uncle Ma stood up and dusted off non-existent dust from his clothes: "Come with me. To become an apprentice, you need to kneel and bow. The rules cannot be broken. I went through it myself."
I stood up and nodded, "Please show me how to do it."
I followed Uncle Ma to the side hall, where three statues of gods sat on the altar.
I used to live in a small room in this side hall, but I didn't pay much attention to these three statues.
Uncle Ma explained, "To become an apprentice, one must first pay homage to the Three Pure Ones of Taoism, and then kneel before Heaven and Earth and the master."
Then, Uncle Ma brought over a basin of clean water and placed it on a chair next to him.
Before paying homage to the Three Pure Ones, one must first wash one's hands and rinse one's mouth.
I listened to Uncle Ma's words, walked to the basin, first scooped up some water to rinse my mouth, then washed my hands, dried them, and then came to the statue of the Three Pure Ones.
Uncle Ma first bowed to the statue: "The Three Pure Ones are above, and I, Han Yunzi, a disciple of Maoshan, am accepting a personal disciple today. I would like to ask all the ancestors to bear witness!"
Then Uncle Ma turned around and introduced them to me: "Girl, remember this, the one on the left is Taiqing Daode Tianzun, the one in the middle is Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun, and the one on the right is Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun."
"Go and light the three oil lamps in front of the three patriarchs. Light the middle one first, and then light the two on the left and right."
I nodded, picked up a match, lit it, and ignited three oil lamps.
Uncle Ma nodded: "Go and light three incense sticks, in the same order as before."
I picked up the three incense sticks from the offering table, lit them in order, and inserted them into the incense burner.
I slowly stepped back, keeping a small distance from the statue.
Uncle Ma then raised his voice: "Chen Xi, a disciple of Maoshan, kneels and kowtows before the Three Pure Ones!"
I obediently knelt before the statues of the Three Pure Ones and kowtowed three times.
It was my first time kowtowing, and I didn't have much experience. I didn't control my strength well, and my head was a little dizzy from all the kowtowing.
After kowtowing, I slowly stood up, only to feel a burning pain on my forehead, as if a large bump had appeared.
Uncle Ma was already seated in the main chair, with tea on the table next to him.
"I, Han Yunzi, hereby accept you as my personal disciple. You must remember my words well. From this day forward, do good deeds and refrain from evil. Once you have mastered the Five Arts, you should dedicate yourself to saving all living beings and to suppressing evil spirits!"
"Those who follow the Taoist path should maintain the balance between the Yin and Yang realms and never use magic to harm ordinary people."
"Today I bestow upon you the Taoist name: Xi Nian. Serve tea!"
Hearing the Taoist name Uncle Ma bestowed upon me, I felt a warmth in my heart. I picked up the teacup on the table and knelt before Uncle Ma:
"Master, please have some tea!"
Uncle Ma took the teacup, took a small sip, and placed it on the table.
Then, I kowtowed three times to Uncle Ma. From the third kowtow, Uncle Ma became my master!
I excitedly looked up, forgetting to stand up. My eyes were wet, but at that moment, I was happier than ever before.
"Master..."
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