Chapter 5: Master and Disciple

~~~

For a moment, everything is silent. It is as if all sound has been sucked out of the room. The words that came out of Liu Jianguo’s mouth are simply that shocking. However, the one who receives the biggest shock is not Liu Jianguo’s son, Liu Jin.

The one who receives the biggest shock is Xiao Nan.

Xiao Nan is someone who was born lucky. That is not to say the person known as Xiao Nan is purely the result of luck, but it would be foolish to deny he was born with many advantages over ordinary people. Xiao Nan was born into the Xiao Clan. His mother is the current Patriarch’s sister. The next Patriarch of the Xiao Sect will no doubt be his cousin, Xiao Fang.

His is without a doubt an enviable position.

There is also his natural talent to consider. Even though he is still a teenager, his talent has caught the eyes of many elders within the Xiao Sect. During next year’s Eastern Port Tournament, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind as to who will take the first place. His cultivation keeps surpassing expectations, and it is widely accepted by the Xiao Sect that Xiao Nan will keep on growing and become an elder in the future.

Yes, Xiao Nan is someone truly blessed, and it is due to all those blessings that he can understand how ridiculous the scene before him is.

Liu Jianguo is a man who cannot use Qi. He is a man who cannot cultivate.

Yet it is Liu Jianguo who is unaffected by the presence of someone in the Emperor Realm, and it is Liu Jianguo who calls the man master.

Liu Jin may find the sight shocking, but he lacks the experience and knowledge to truly grasp the magnitude of the feat. It is like trying to speak of the ocean to someone who has never seen it. No matter how much you try to describe it, mere words are not adequate if the person’s only frame of reference is a small pond. A person who has only seen hills cannot imagine the tallest mountains. Someone who has looked down all his life cannot imagine the sky.

Liu Jin is a smart kid. He is talented and will grow even more in the future. Of this, Xiao Nan has no doubts.

For now, however, he lacks the experience to understand how ridiculous Emperors are, and how significant it is for his father to call one of those fabled few by the title of master, how impossible it should be.

Yet the man known as Old Jiang smiles.

“Ho, so you were still alive,” Old Jiang says at last.

“Yes, master,” Liu Jianguo replies, keeping his head low. “It seems the heavens still have things for me to do.”

“Obviously, the heavens have kept you alive for the purpose of mocking me,” Old Jiang notes dryly. “To think someone my age could still be surprised by life.”

“Life is always the most surprising thing there is, master,” Liu Jianguo replies. “Those are the words you taught me.”

“If I said those words, they must obviously be true,” Old Jiang replies, chuckling.

It is a casual conversation. The two smile like old friends who have not seen each other in years yet…

Yet neither Liu Jin nor Xiao Nan can bring themselves to intrude. Even though there are questions burning inside of them, they cannot bring themselves to voice them.

“Tell me then, what became of you after we parted ways?” Old Jiang asks, stroking his beard. “I thought for sure you were headed to your death.”

“As you can see, that was not the case, master,” Liu Jianguo answers. “As for the tale of my journey, I am afraid it is not something particularly exciting. You would find it quite boring. Suffice to say, I am nothing but a simple doctor now.”

“A simple doctor,” Old Jiang snorts. “No disciple of mine, even one I threw out, could be anything as uninteresting as simple. If you are a doctor here, then…”

Old Jiang trails off. Realization creeps over his aged face. “If you are a doctor here,” he repeats, his gaze wanders over to Liu Jin. “Then this brat is your son.”

Liu Jianguo nods. “That he is, master. I would tell you not to call him a brat, but I know that to be a waste of breath.”

“Brat, look at me,” Old Jiang orders Liu Jin, deciding to ignore his former disciple’s last sentence. “Yes, I can see it. He has your eyes and your jaw, but thankfully not your light. I should have noticed right away. I truly am old.”

Old Jiang laughs.

“I can’t believe you found a woman!”

“She was a good woman,” Liu Jianguo says. Liu Jin’s ears perk up at that. Since his mother died when he was young, he has no memories of her. It is rare to hear his father mention her.

“Was, huh?” Old Jiang notes. “A pity. I would have liked to meet the woman who managed to put up with you. Oh well, if this brat is yours then it is no wonder he was able to prepare the antidote.”

At this, Liu Jianguo’s eyes flicker over to Liu Jin. “Antidote?”

Old Jiang grins. “It is a long story, and unlike yours, it is quite exciting. Care to hear it?”

“Even if I say no, I think master would tell it to me anyway.”

“Good. Good,” Old Jiang says, laughing. “If you can say that type of thing to my face, then I have nothing to worry about. Hey, you two!”

Xiao Nan and Liu Jin straighten their backs once they realize he is addressing them. “You may as well leave now. We are going to be talking for a while, and it’s not something that would interest you.”

It is a dismissal if they have ever heard one. The two have no choice but to comply.

“Doctor,” Xiao Nan says to Liu Jianguo, mustering the will to open his mouth. “I do not mean anything bad by this, but-“

“You have to tell Xiao Zheng about this,” Liu Jianguo finishes for him. “I understand. I would expect nothing less. Master understands as well.”

“It is a pity when an old man cannot go anywhere without raising a fuss,” Old Jiang says. “Do your duty, brat. You will earn no enmity from me as long as you do only that.”

“Thank you,” Xiao Nan says, bowing low. “By your leave then.”

Liu Jin imitates the gesture and follows him out, leaving master and disciple alone.

~~~

Liu Jin and Xiao Nan make their way out of the house and keep on walking. They are at least seventy meters away before either of them dares to speak. Liu Jin is the first to open his mouth.

“That was odd.”

“Little Brother has a gift for understatement,” Xiao Nan says, laughing. He keeps laughing for a while before abruptly letting himself fall to the ground. His face is pale and sweaty. His heart hammers against his chest. It is a pathetic sight that many would simply not be able to reconcile with the prodigy of the Xiao Sect. “Ah, I thought for sure we were going to die for a moment there.

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Liu Jin blinks. “Surely Elder Brother is exaggerating?”

To Liu Jin’s surprise, Xiao Nan shakes his head. “It is natural for Little Brother not to have noticed. There are certain sights you can only appreciate when you are at a high enough altitude. The same applies here. You cannot grasp how utterly terrifying that man is yet.”

A worried look appears in Liu Jin’s face. “If he is that dangerous was it really fine for us to leave my father alone with him?”

“They got along well enough. I do not think there is anything to worry about,” Xiao Nan says. The words that come out of his mouth are far more optimistic than the ones inside his heart. In his heart, there is just one truth.

Even if they stayed, they would not be able to do a thing to help should Old Jiang decide to kill Liu Jin’s father.

Against an Emperor, the only defense is another Emperor. It is that simple.

“Your father called him master. That’s not something a normal person can get away with,” Xiao Nan adds. The man who called himself Old Jiang had not only not denied it but also gone as far as to refer to Liu Jin’s father as his disciple.

“That is true,” Liu Jin says with a troubled look on his face. “Father rarely talks about his past. I had no idea he knew a person like that.”

“Hey, Little Brother,” Xiao Nan starts as an idea occurs to him. “I’m going to ask a question about a touchy subject. If at all possible, I’d prefer if you didn’t get angry at me.”