Chapter 267 The Martial World (15)
"Master, what did I do wrong that you want me to kneel down?" Qi Yue said in disbelief.
She had never seen her master scold her in all the years she had been a disciple, and tears immediately streamed down her face.
The girl stubbornly remained kneeling, refusing to bow her head.
Qin Sheng stepped forward and knelt down first for Qi Yue: "Master, Junior Sister is still young and a bit stubborn. Please don't take it to heart. Vice Island Master, please be more lenient with Junior Sister. She has always been immature."
“Three hundred years old, and you’re still young? How are you young?” The deputy island lord looked at the two little ones indifferently, his words full of barbs.
"When the deputy island lord defended Senior Sister Ling'er, didn't he also say that Senior Sister was still a child and didn't know any better?"
Qi Yue wiped away her tears, feeling even more aggrieved.
"How dare you! Is this how you talk to your elders? Kneel down right now, and I'll deal with you when I get back."
Shen Feng was nearly driven mad by the deputy island master last night, but he was almost driven mad by this disciple this time.
“Master, I don’t know what I did wrong. Everything I said was the truth. Just because I told the truth, is Master going to punish me?”
Qi Yue hesitated for a while, but seeing that Shen Feng wasn't standing on her side, her tears involuntarily flowed even more. She wiped away her tears with distress, feeling increasingly confused about what she had done wrong.
Or perhaps, it was all because of Zhang Ling'er.
Why is it that, apart from her birth, she is better than Zhang Ling'er in every way, so how can she be inferior to Zhang Ling'er?
Zhang Ling'er, with her bullying and tyrannical behavior, actually wants to become His Majesty the Vermilion Bird's disciple; it's truly laughable.
"Junior sister, stop talking." Qin Sheng grabbed Qi Yue's hand, knowing that Qi Yue's words had gone too far today.
However, once the words are spoken, there is no going back.
From now on, the junior sister of the deputy island lord's lineage will have no chance on this island anymore.
This might also affect the relationship between Master and Deputy Island Master.
"Think about it here, what exactly did you do wrong?" Shen Feng said with a dark face, and used his spiritual power to encircle the area, preventing Qi Yue from leaving.
“Master, I am not wrong, I am not wrong.”
Qi Yue still refused to admit it, shook off Qin Sheng's hand, and her eyes were red and swollen.
Shen Feng didn't argue with her anymore. After apologizing to the deputy island lord, they left together.
Qi Yue remained kneeling on the spot, stubbornly murmuring, "Senior brother, I did nothing wrong, didn't I?"
Qin Sheng didn't answer her; he didn't know how to answer his junior sister's question.
This isn't a question of right or wrong; it's a question of perspective.
If Gu Yanjing had watched this whole scene, he could probably tell Qi Yue.
She wasn't wrong, she was stupid.
Zhang Ling'er became an apprentice in the middle of the night last night and was so excited that she couldn't sleep. The next day, with dark circles under her eyes, she randomly found a member of the Phoenix Clan and asked him to take her to Gu Yanjing and Lu Lingjun's residence.
Few people knew that Lu Lingjun and Gu Yan had been brought back to the Heavenly Realm. Although some members of the Phoenix Clan harbored resentment, none dared to speak of it out of fear of the Vermilion Bird.
The young servant who brought Zhang Ling'er here left after escorting her inside, leaving her alone to wait outside the main hall.
However, Zhang Ling'er had been squatting at the door for half an hour, but no one came out from inside.
Zhang Ling'er glanced at the time. Something was wrong. It was already this late. Her master and mistress shouldn't still be awake.
She waited at the door for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before the door finally opened.
It wasn't Gu Yanjing, it was Lu Lingjun.
Lu Lingjun was in good spirits, and his whole body exuded an aura that Zhang Ling'er couldn't detect.
Perhaps she lacks experience.
But what about her master?
"Ling'er greets Master's wife." Zhang Ling'er suppressed her doubts and stood up despite her numb legs to greet Lu Lingjun.
"Mm." Lu Lingjun nodded.
Zhang Ling'er's legs were trembling with pain, but she still kept asking Lu Lingjun, "Master's wife, has Master woken up?"
"Keep your voice down, your master is still asleep." Lu Lingjun turned around and glanced at Zhang Ling'er who was following him.
Zhang Ling'er immediately shut up, then thought for a moment and asked Lu Lingjun in a very low voice, "Master's wife, what did my master do last night? Did he stay up all night thinking about how to teach me?"
Lu Lingjun paused for a moment. Although he didn't want to discourage her, the truth was: "Don't ask so many questions, you're just a kid. Go to the kitchen and make breakfast."
Lu Lingjun was certain that last night, Gu Yanjing's mind was completely occupied with nothing but himself.
Zhang Ling'er was a little dumbfounded. What was the meaning of cooking? She came here to learn skills, so how did she end up cooking?
Zhang Ling'er followed Lu Lingjun into the kitchen in a daze. Just as she was about to ask him something, Lu Lingjun vanished without a trace.
Gu Yanjing woke up at noon, and when she came out, there was a bright red mark on her neck, which was obviously Lu Lingjun's handiwork.
Lu Lingjun went to deal with the Phoenix Clan's affairs and wasn't here at the moment. Zhang Ling'er was alone with a table of food, boredly waiting outside while rummaging through the flowers and plants in the yard.
Many have already perished and are now lying dead on the ground, looking utterly miserable.
"What are you doing?" Gu Yanjing walked up behind the girl and glanced at the petals scattered on the ground.
Did this flower offend her?
"Oh, Master, you're finally awake! I've been waiting for you for so long!" Zhang Ling'er was startled and fell backward, almost breaking her tailbone.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yanjing recalled that some masters required their disciples to pay their respects to them morning and evening.
He doesn't need that here. Look at his little apprentice, his eyes are all dark, he looks like he hasn't slept all night.
"From now on, you don't need to pay your respects morning and night. Just be as casual as you are on the Eastern Divine Island."
"Yes, Master, I understand. Master, are you hungry? I made some food for you. Look, this whole table is what I made for you." Zhang Ling'er nodded obediently, quickly got up from the ground, then her legs went numb again, and she knelt down on the ground once more.
......
The worst thing is when the air suddenly goes quiet.
Okay, this is my master, what's wrong with kneeling for a moment? You'll get used to it after a while.
"Get up. I told you not to greet me." Gu Yanjing looked at his disciple, somewhat bewildered.
How do other families train and supervise their disciples to cultivate diligently?
With his own backing, this disciple of his could roam freely in the Heavenly Realm and didn't need to cultivate properly.
So, should we get along well?
That doesn't seem like a good idea either. Didn't Gu Yanqing just get along well with his disciple back then, and eventually they became Daoist partners?
No, he has a family. We must nip this affair in the bud.
Tsk tsk tsk, I impulsively bought this little thing last night, and now I'm in a bit of a predicament.
"Master, my legs are numb and I can't get up." Zhang Ling'er knelt on the ground, trying to get up, but her legs were so painful and weak that she couldn't get up at all.
It's so painful.
"Then kneel down one more time, and get up when you've recovered." Gu Yanjing nodded, completely oblivious to human kindness, and then turned and left.
Damn.
How exactly should one raise an apprentice?
This problem seems even more difficult to solve than the one faced by Lu Lingjun.
Zhang Ling'er: ...On the very first day of becoming an apprentice, my idol aura was shattered, and now I suddenly want to betray my master and ancestors. What should I do?
Zhang Ling'er knelt for a while, then limped to the table, whereupon her true nature was revealed, and she sat down.
"Master, is it delicious?" I've been cooking for an hour.
"Mmm, delicious." She'll ask Lu Lingjun to find her some books by master chefs so she can study them carefully.
Zhang Ling'er: ...Another day where the cook's apprentice can't tell the difference.
"Master, what happened to your neck? Did someone bite you?" Zhang Ling'er didn't eat with Gu Yanjing. She propped her chin up and watched Gu Yanjing eat, but she stared at the mark on Gu Yanjing's neck.
This mark looks so familiar. It seems like the characters in the comic books under her father's bed also have this mark.
"Children shouldn't ask questions they shouldn't ask."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yanjing paused, his hand holding the chopsticks still, and touched his neck.
That damned Lu Lingjun.
“How come Master and Master’s wife say the same thing?” Zhang Ling’er pouted.
Gu Yanjing did not answer.
Not long after they finished eating, a member of the Phoenix Clan came to invite Gu Yanjing and Zhang Ling'er to the front hall, saying that Shen Feng and the Deputy Island Master had come to pick up Zhang Ling'er.
Zhang Ling'er shrank her neck and couldn't help but try to tug at Gu Yanjing's sleeve, but Gu Yanjing brushed her off.
"Master, if Father insists on taking me back, will you abandon me?" She was often naughty when she was young, and after making so many mistakes, she became used to playing the victim.
"If your father insists on taking you back, I will naturally not force you."
Gu Yanjing saw through his little apprentice's thoughts at a glance.
He had seen through her; she was just a useless, foolish girl who liked to make stupid mistakes and cause trouble every day, and he didn't know how to deal with her.
To put it bluntly, he's a good-for-nothing.
Gu Yanjing couldn't help but sigh again, wondering if he had been blinded by the night breeze or bewitched by that seabird last night, which led him to take on such a troublesome disciple.
"Master, how can you abandon your disciple? I am your first disciple!" Zhang Ling'er cried out anxiously, quickly wiping away her tears, and rushed to Gu Yanjing's side.
“You may be the first, but you’re not the only one,” Gu Yanjing shook his head.
"But I'm the only one who can cook, Master. I can cook a lot of dishes. I can make whatever Master likes to eat, really."
Zhang Ling'er gritted her teeth.
Damn it, a cook it is, but I can't abandon my master.
Gu Yan glanced at his young apprentice and nodded.
He's a savvy person.
Earlier, Shen Feng and the deputy island master were very apprehensive. After hearing Lu Lingjun say that Zhang Ling'er had already become a disciple last night, they became even more apprehensive.
"Is what Your Majesty said true? My daughter has really become His Majesty the Vermilion Bird's disciple?" The deputy island lord exclaimed in surprise.
Is His Majesty the Vermilion Bird blind? What kind of person is his daughter? How could he fall for her? It makes him want to become her disciple.
He's actually quite talented, better than my daughter, it's just that he's a bit old.
“Of course, why would I lie to you?” Lu Lingjun nodded.
"Then let's go, let's go quickly." Upon hearing this, the deputy island lord immediately grabbed Shen Feng and tried to leave.
He shouldn't have come. What if His Majesty the Vermilion Bird knew he was here and thought he had come to take his daughter back?
We can't bring this daughter, whom we finally managed to get rid of, back to wreak havoc in our home.
"No, what exactly do you mean? You were the one who said you were coming to pick up our daughter, and now you're the one who's trying to run away after leaving her behind." Shen Feng stumbled as he was pulled, almost slipping and falling to the ground.
"Let's go, let's go. It won't be good if His Majesty the Vermilion Bird comes." The deputy island lord was incredibly strong at this moment. He grabbed Shen Feng by the collar and was about to leave.
However.
At this moment, Zhuque's voice came: "I have arrived. What if things don't go well?"
The deputy island lord was startled and loosened his grip, causing Shen Feng to fall to the ground with a thud.
Shen Feng: ...His old back, his tailbone.
"It's nothing, His Majesty Suzaku must have misheard." The deputy island lord awkwardly shook his sleeves, looking quite serious.
Now that his daughter has become Emperor Zhuque's disciple, he is now of the same generation as Emperor Zhuque, so he certainly cannot let his daughter down.
Shen Feng struggled to his feet, unsure whether to support his lower back or his tailbone.
It hurts.
"I heard that you have come to take Ling'er away." Gu Yanjing nodded in satisfaction and sat down next to Lu Lingjun.
Zhang Ling'er exchanged glances with her father for a while, and then received a ferocious look from him in return.
The other three watched the father and daughter exchanging glances, then silently looked away.
I can't bear to look, I can't bear to look.
"Not at all. We heard that His Majesty has taken Ling'er as his apprentice, so we came to offer our congratulations." The deputy island lord gave his daughter a reassuring look before speaking.
He speaks very steadily from the very first word.
Zhang Ling'er silently gave her father a thumbs up.
"In that case, you should share in the joy too." Gu Yanjing took a sip of tea and looked at the deputy island master.
No wonder he's the one who taught Zhang Ling'er; he's a real talent.
"Of course, this humble immortal will shamelessly share the joy with Your Majesty." The deputy island lord's face immediately beamed like a chrysanthemum, extremely happy.
He's now using his daughter to climb the social ladder.
"Today is a joyous occasion. How about I invite all the ministers under the two emperors to come and celebrate with His Majesty the Vermilion Bird?"
Shen Feng endured the pain and forced a smile.
"No need, it's too noisy and lively." Gu Yan shook his head.
Shen Feng opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but hesitated because Zhang Ling'er was there: "Ling'er, you go out first, His Majesty and I have something to talk about."
Standing beside Gu Yanjing, Zhang Ling'er glanced at Zhuque with curiosity, her expression questioning.
Gu Yan nodded in surprise.
Zhang Ling'er left without asking any questions.
If her elders don't want her to know something, then she definitely shouldn't know it, and there's no need to waste time here and upset her elders for nothing.
"Your Majesty..." Shen Feng was about to speak when Gu Yanjing interrupted him.
"I will leave in three days. You need not say anything more. If it were not for my elder brother's decree, you would all stay in your respective temples and not participate in this upheaval in the Heavenly Realm."
Gu Yan waved his hand in surprise, already knowing what Shen Feng wanted to say.
"Does Your Majesty truly have no interest in the throne?" Shen Feng was immediately silenced, but he asked again, still unwilling to give up.
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