Purple Mist Dao Master
Chapter 64: I Treat You as My Junior Brothers, and You Actually Want to Take Me as Your Master?! [3rd Update, Please Subscribe First!]

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: I Treat You as My Junior Brothers, and You Actually Want to Take Me as Your Master?! [3rd Update, Please Subscribe First!]

"Time is like a knife, the world keeps changing."

"This era is different from the past!"

Cheng Fengxiao listened to Yan Chuan’s exciting adventures, no less thrilling than his own two months outside, and felt a surge of emotions.

Previously, he was stuck at the Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall, confined within Guangling City, stubborn and conservative, insensible to the changes in the world. It wasn’t until he ventured out this time that he realized the world had undergone great changes.

This transformation encompassed many aspects—

Escort agency!

Bandits!

Sect!

Officials!

Old things, all changing!

Academy!

Secret medicine!

Miracle item!

Cult!

New things, endless!

As his friend Song the Chief said, the world is constantly changing, evolving daily; the old professions are getting harder to manage. Not only martial arts halls but other trades are also being impacted.

Take escort agencies, for instance.

Previously, Huiyou Escort Agency operated across Sword, Pomelo, and Celebration in the Three States, garnering respect in Jianghu. The rules, both explicit and implicit, were well understood. Most of the time, the success of an escort depended on a flag and a name, on connections and relationships, rather than fighting.

Now it’s different.

The new factions are rising, academies are everywhere, strong individuals emerge from each state, their origins unknown, most lack martial ethics, robbing rampantly, becoming a major threat to escort agencies.

In recent years, Huiyou Escort Agency has suffered setbacks repeatedly, forcing them to reduce their escort routes and scale down their operations, barely maintaining themselves.

"Difficult!"

"All difficult!"

"The world is chaotic, without change, it will eventually fall into obscurity, leaving no trace."

This trip out made Cheng Fengxiao finally see clearly.

Connecting it to the astonishing news Yan Chuan mentioned earlier about the ’Star Gate’, ’Star Stone’, and ’Mountain and Sea Realm’, it was even more shocking, leaving him restless and unsure.

"Mountain and Sea Realm!"

"Is it in the heavens? Or the mortal world?"

It turns out the court had hidden such a secret, no wonder it seemed as if overnight, offices were set up everywhere, martial arts spread across the world.

Be it an invasion of the otherworld.

Or the otherworld invading.

In any case, the great momentum lies with the Great Yan.

Cheng Fengxiao, after some digestion, thought of what Yan Chuan said about ’Du Hanfeng’, mentioning a wood carving depicting a ’Flame Evil Dog’ found on him, his expression became serious: "On this trip out, Song the Chief and I also encountered such villains. There were two of them, each carrying a wood carving, not of a ’Flame Evil Dog’, but a ’Six-winged Divine Bird’, majestic and mighty. One of them raised the carving above his head, from which a divine light shot into his forehead, greatly increasing his strength. Song the Chief and I held him at bay together, with the help of over a dozen skilled escort masters, we fought for nearly an hour before wearing him down."

Mentioning this matter, Cheng Fengxiao felt a bit of fear.

This kind of eerie incident, with eerie people, he had never encountered in Guangling City before; it was his first time seeing it on this trip out. Even the well-traveled and knowledgeable Song the Chief admitted it was his first time witnessing such a thing, frightening him quite a bit.

In this battle, every escort master was injured, and a few of them might not be able to escort or practice martial arts in the future.

"Wood carving!"

"Divine light!"

"Power surging?"

Yan Chuan listened as if it were a celestial script. He managed to kill Du Hanfeng through the unexpected use of the ’Golden Silk Silkworm Armor’ and the ’Red Tassel Spear’, but had not seen Du Hanfeng use the wood carving.

Thinking back, he also felt afraid: "Du Hanfeng was already very strong. If it had dragged on and he used the ’wood carving’, I’d be dead!"

"Lucky!"

"Very lucky!"

Cheng Fengxiao evidently thought of this too, and felt a wave of relief for Yan Chuan.

Teacher and disciple, exchanging tales of the world and the experiences of these two months, grew increasingly alarmed and uneasy as they talked.

Star Stone.

Star Gate.

Mountain and Sea Realm.

And the bizarre wood carvings.

All of these things overturned decades of understanding from the first half of their lives. Suddenly, a storm of unknowns rushed in, and what they thought they knew about this world, this mortal coil, was so simplistic.

The court’s martial expansion was already a monumental change, rendering old martial arts halls and sects unable to adapt; those that couldn’t keep up were eliminated. Those who couldn’t understand would rot.

They thought this was the already the major disruption in the world.

But now they realized, hidden beneath the flowering facade of the Great Yan Dynasty, lay many unknown secrets and oddities.

But let’s not speak of—

"The source of all this must surely be in the ’Mountain and Sea Realm’ beyond the ’Star Gate’!"

Yan Chuan took out two Star Stones, one given by Xun Guilan, one acquired from Du Hanfeng. They both shimmered, and Yan Chuan handed one to Cheng Fengxiao, "Master, you are already a Grandmaster with abundant Qi-Blood, you can quickly adapt to the ’Star Stone Star Gate Domain’. Once I catch up, our master-disciple duo shall explore the mysterious ’Mountain and Sea Realm’ together!"

...

After teaching his master the meditation method for the ’Star Stone Star Gate’, Yan Chuan left, closing the door behind him before Cheng Fengxiao could try it out.

Before walking a few steps, he heard a bang and a muffled grunt from inside the room.

"Master isn’t up to it either!"

Yan Chuan pretended not to have heard, striding away.

He looked forward to when both he and his master could adapt to the ’Star Stone Star Gate Domain’, and together explore the ’Mountain and Sea Realm’.

Master and disciple, shoulder to shoulder!

Experience the wonders of mountains and seas!

...

Yan Chuan felt an overwhelming surge of emotion as he returned to the front courtyard, meeting Wei Quan, Yu Jinpeng, and Jin Yutang crowding towards him.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother!"

Seeing Yan Chuan, Wei Quan let go of the other two and instead grabbed Yan Chuan’s sleeve, peering up with a pitiful look, quite sickening.

Yan Chuan shook off his sleeve, moving energy to toss Wei Quan aside, "If you have something to say, say it."

"Hehe!"

"It’s not really a big matter, more like, you see, it’s like this, er, how do I put it—"

Wei Quan fidgeted awkwardly.

Yan Chuan couldn’t help but laugh, turning to Jin Yutang, "Yutang, you say it."

Jin Yutang blinked, articulate: "Wei Quan feels that in the past two months, he has made rapid progress and become proficient in boxing. It just so happens that Master is back today, so he was wondering if there could be a double blessing, wanting Senior Brother to put in a good word in front of Master, to formally be acknowledged as an inner chamber disciple by Master."

So that’s what it was.

Yan Chuan glanced at Wei Quan.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Wei Quan was anxious: "Why just me? It was clearly our idea together! Brother Jin, you’re not being fair!"

The meaning was understood.

Yan Chuan got it.

Truth be told, Cheng Fengxiao had only four inner chamber disciples, the rest called him ’Master’ in name but were not officially admitted to the ranks.

Like Wei Quan and the other two.

He nodded to the three, "In the next couple of days, I’ll look for an opportunity to mention it to Master. But Master hasn’t accepted any inner chamber disciples in eight years, so even if you have improved quickly, I can’t guarantee it."

"No problem, no problem!"

"Just mention it, Senior Brother!"

Wei Quan burst into laughter: "With a good seed like me and my current boxing skills, it’s impossible Master wouldn’t accept me!"

He was filled with confidence!

Jin Yutang also felt somewhat assured.

Only Yu Jinpeng, who had been silent, now looked earnestly at Yan Chuan and said, "I joined the Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall to practice martial arts at thirteen. In name, the Master is the Hall Master, but it has always been Senior Brother who taught me boxing from the start. Senior Brother, Jinpeng doesn’t seek to be Master Cheng’s disciple, but hopes Senior Brother will take me as a student."

"Ah?"

"This—"

Wei Quan and Jin Yutang were both stunned by their reserved brother’s words. They had been eager to become Cheng Fengxiao’s disciples and had shown rapid progress in these two months. Now, believing they had a chance, they wanted Yan Chuan to help negotiate this.

But Yu Jinpeng’s words, this perspective, was a path they had never considered.

However, upon its mention, after the shock, Wei Quan and Jin Yutang exchanged a glance, somehow feeling they could hear each other’s heartbeat—

"Boom!"

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Becoming Senior Brother’s disciple?

That doesn’t seem impossible?

Maybe it’s even better!

Their eyes darted around, holding their breath, not daring to make a sound, waiting for Yan Chuan’s response.

...

"Take me as your disciple?"

Yan Chuan was also taken aback; this was something he had never imagined.

Yu Jinpeng was indeed taught boxing by him from scratch, that was true. But he was only two years younger than himself, and since joining the martial arts hall, he had always addressed Cheng Fengxiao as ’Master’ and Yan Chuan as ’Senior Brother’.

Now he was saying he wanted to be his student.

Isn’t that a generational gap?

Yu Jinpeng was nervous inside, but his expression was firm: "I am not the Hall Master’s inner chamber disciple, actually not formally recognized. If Senior Brother takes me on as a student, it’s not inappropriate. At worst, I can first leave the Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall and then come back to join, acknowledging Senior Brother as my teacher!"

Yu Jinpeng had thought about this for a long time.

He admired Cheng Fengxiao, but Cheng Fengxiao rarely taught him; they had little contact.

Compared to being Cheng Fengxiao’s student, Yu Jinpeng admired Yan Chuan more, hoping to join Yan Chuan.

Even if this meant, with no remorse, being a generation lower than Wei Quan and Jin Yutang, he didn’t care.

"Brother Yu, you truly make me see you in a new light!"

"Senior Brother, please agree to Brother Yu!"

Wei Quan, seeing Yu Jinpeng’s sincerity, was deeply moved. While speaking for Yu Jinpeng, he added: "And take me too. I thought about it; Master—no, the Hall Master—since he doesn’t want to take more disciples, there’s no need to force it. I’ve always seen Senior Brother as a Master figure; there’s no better day than today, why not formalize it now—Brother Yu as the first, Brother Jin as the second disciple, and I as the third. The Hall Master will be our Grand Master, and across generations, we can still show our respect; it doesn’t matter."

This Wei Quan, his mouth, at this moment, was indeed persuasive.

Jin Yutang shifted his thinking: "Senior Brother, I wish to be your student as well!"

The three looked eagerly, not daring to kneel, only to plead.

[I regard you as junior brothers, yet you wish to take me as your teacher?]

Seeing this, Yan Chuan was momentarily moved.

He had the ’Daoist Cushion’, always wanting to take on students but struggling to find good candidates. Yu Jinpeng and the other two, though not the best in aptitude, were those he had spent long enough time with, deeply understanding their character and virtues.

Taking them as students would save the effort of assessment.

Thinking it over.

It really wasn’t bad.

Yan Chuan’s mind turned, already understanding, and he told the three, "Let me talk to Master about it first."

"Okay, okay!"

Wei Quan was overjoyed!

This was settled!