Eternal Night

Chapter 572 Apprenticeship and Farewell

"Nonsense! Nonsense!!"

When Huang Yaoshi heard Huang Rong talking about taking on a disciple on behalf of her master from afar, he was so angry that his face turned blue.

He wasn't stupid; how could he not see the way his precious daughter looked at this young man? Her behavior was so intimate, it was as if she wanted to stick to him. Even if he looked down on Confucian ethics, seeing this made him feel a rush of blood to his head.

If Huang Yaoshi were a modern person, he would definitely start cursing, even though the man in front of him was strong and imposing, and was also Hong Qigong's disciple...

Huang Yaoshi was taken aback, and immediately stared at Wu Pifu, saying, "Aren't you Brother Hong's disciple?"

Wu Pifu shook his head and said, "No, although I admire Master Qi very much, I am indeed not his disciple."

Huang Yaoshi narrowed his eyes, especially looking at the big tree that Hong Qigong had broken with a single palm strike. He was secretly amazed by Hong Qigong's progress and also puzzled by everything before him.

It was obvious that Hong Qigong was teaching this boy and his daughter martial arts; otherwise, why would he allow them to watch him practice the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms?

In the martial arts world, martial arts skills are the most precious. As the saying goes, "A thousand books of false teachings are worth a single sentence of true teachings." Even ordinary martial arts skills are highly valued by a sect. Before teaching them to disciples, sects must examine them repeatedly. As for unique martial arts skills, they can only be learned by the inheritor. If they are passed on to the martial arts world, the sect will pursue and kill the master to the death.

Hong Qigong wasn't some naturally benevolent person, so how could he easily teach the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms to someone who wasn't his disciple?

Just as Huang Yaoshi was puzzled, Hong Qigong laughed loudly and said, "You old eccentric Huang, you really don't know your place. Didn't you see that the young couple have gone through life and death hardships? Are you going to kick out such a virtuous son-in-law?"

Huang Yaoshi's face stiffened. Ignoring Wu Pifu kneeling on the ground, he coldly said to Hong Qigong, "Brother Hong, watch your words! Rong'er, come with your father!"

After saying that, he took a step and moved several meters away, about to reach out and grab Huang Rong. But after only a few meters, he suddenly froze, because Wu Pifu was still kneeling in front of him, at the same angle and distance as before. If it weren't for the fact that he was in a different position, he would have doubted whether he had moved at all.

Just now, Wu Pifu suddenly approached, and this time Wu Pifu was kneeling in front of him. Huang Yaoshi immediately knew something was wrong. He gave a cold laugh and started to walk in the Bagua Step. His figure flashed and left multiple afterimages. He was already close to Huang Rong's side, but when he stopped, the hand he was about to extend could no longer be extended.

Wu Pifu remained kneeling before him, the angle and distance perfectly synchronized.

Wu Pifu knelt down and clasped his hands, saying, "Master, although I wasn't accepted into your family, the situation was urgent at the time. It was all thanks to Rong'er who taught me the introductory cultivation method that I survived. Otherwise, I might have died there. So I must repay this debt of gratitude and karma. From now on, I am a disciple of Peach Blossom Island."

Huang Yaoshi was incredibly stubborn. Even knowing that the young man before him was likely a master of unparalleled skill, he still snapped, "I've only ever heard of forcing someone to take on a disciple, never forcing someone to become my apprentice... Fine, if you want to become my apprentice, then win today..."

"No! Father!"

Huang Rong was immediately terrified. It wasn't that she wasn't afraid that Wu Pifu might actually kill Huang Yaoshi, but she was afraid that if something went wrong during their fight, her father might really be gone.

So Huang Rong immediately exclaimed, "Brother Ant is a celestial being; you are no match for him!"

Huang Yaoshi's face turned from green to white, then back to green again. He snorted coldly and raised his hand to form a sword palm. However, he was also proud and did not launch a sneak attack or a direct attack. Instead, he said to Wu Pifu, "If you are a man, come and fight me now. In the world of martial arts, true skill is revealed in the hands of men!"

Wu Pifu would never attack Huang Yaoshi. He glanced at his own confusion index and simply lowered his head to ignore it. In any case, even if Huang Yaoshi hit him on the head, it would probably be no different than a tickle.

Huang Yaoshi grew increasingly furious, his green robes fluttering even without wind. Huang Rong was anxious, while Hong Qigong watched the spectacle from the sidelines. Suddenly, Huang Rong had an idea and loudly proclaimed to Wu Pifu, "Brother Pifu, fly! Fly once! My father will surely be delighted and will definitely accept you as a disciple."

Huang Yaoshi's hand froze for a moment, then he immediately said disdainfully, "Even with unparalleled lightness skill..."

Whoosh!
Wu Pifu stomped his foot and shot straight into the sky, into the sky, into the sky...

Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qigong looked up at Huang Rong for more than a minute, both of them looking at her with expressions of "She can really fly!"

Huang Rong said proudly, "I told you, Brother Ant is a Celestial Being, and even among Celestial Beings, he is the leader. So what if he can fly? Brother Ant can even spit out flying swords from his mouth! Brother Ant, come down."

Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qigong immediately became respectful.

Legends of sword immortals have existed in the martial arts world since the Tang Dynasty, but no one has ever seen one. Even the strongest martial arts masters are considered masters if they can condense a three-inch sword beam. But this celestial being can actually spit out flying swords.

Could he really be a celestial being?
The two then saw Wu Pifu truly descend slowly from the sky, which was definitely not some kind of magic trick. Huang Yaoshi's expression was extremely solemn. When Wu Pifu landed on the ground, Huang Yaoshi immediately asked Huang Rong, "Rong'er, what exactly happened? What is a Celestial Being? And where does this... come from? Could it be... from Kunlun Immortal Pool? Or perhaps an overseas immortal island?" Huang Rong ran to Wu Pifu's side with a smile, took his hand, and said, "I already said, he's Tianran, so naturally he comes from beyond the heavens."

After she finished speaking, Huang Rong briefly recounted her experiences to the two of them.

“…Yes! I’ve also heard of giant comets. It’s said that some comets are as big as a bucket and streak across the land. I never imagined…that they were actually celestial beings traveling by?” Hong Qigong said with a complicated expression.

Not to mention Hong Qigong, Huang Yaoshi, who was out looking for his daughter, had also heard about the comet's strange occurrence. However, he never expected that it would be related to his own daughter.

Wu Pifu continued Huang Rong's words, saying, "This is indeed my responsibility. At that time, I only wished to obtain the Immortal Martial Arts, which is your internal energy, but I did not expect to kidnap Rong'er. This changed her fate. Otherwise, the person in front of you now would not be me, but Guo Jing."

All three of them looked at him with strange expressions, especially Huang Rong, whose expression turned serious as she looked at Wu Pifu.

Wu Pifu shook his head and said, "But fate has already changed, and there's no point in thinking about it anymore. I accidentally kidnapped Rong'er back then. At the time, I was completing a mission that was extremely important to my civilization. Fortunately, Rong'er temporarily taught me internal energy. I promised to become a disciple of Peach Blossom Island. With the temporary boost, I managed to complete the mission and survive the ordeal. This time, I've returned to this world, firstly to fulfill my promise to Rong'er and send her home, and secondly, I want to acquire more peerless martial arts in this world to prove my own martial arts skills."

Upon hearing all this, Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qigong believed it, but they still couldn't imagine the magnificent world beyond the heavens. For a moment, they were both lost in their own thoughts.

After a few seconds, Huang Yaoshi asked Wu Pifu with a complicated expression, "You are a celestial being, what is your lifespan?"

Wu Pifu thought for a moment and said, "I don't know the specifics, but living for thousands or tens of thousands of years should be no problem."

Huang Yaoshi was a learned man who had studied all walks of life. He thought for a moment and said, "Then your lifespan is already close to that of the Paranirmitavasavartin Heaven... Is there a Mount Sumeru in the outer heavens?"

Wu Pifu nodded seriously and said, "Yes, but it's terrifying. It's a legendary place, Mount Sumeru in the Buddhist realm. I can't go there yet."

Huang Yaoshi was still deeply shocked. He remained silent for a long time before saying, "Are you really willing to become my disciple? My daughter was protected by you in the Outer Heaven, and what you passed on to you was only the introductory mental cultivation method, which is not worth much. Since you are Tianran, why be bound by such formalities?"

Wu Pifu shook his head and knelt down again, saying, "A promise is a promise. Besides, although I admire Qi Gong the most, I also admire you, Master. Especially in the future, you personally helped kill the Mongol Tartars and defend Xiangyang City. I admire your sentiments and integrity very much."

Huang Yaoshi was truly baffled, but he already knew that the person before him was a true celestial being, so some supernatural abilities were not surprising. Hearing that the promise made by the person was indeed a promise, he was inwardly impressed and delighted, and immediately said, "Very well, in that case, I will accept you as my disciple. You will be a disciple of my Peach Blossom Island, and you will be given a courtesy name according to the ranking of my disciples. You may be named..."

Huang Rong suddenly took Huang Yaoshi's arm and said, "Father, let's not give him a sect name. Brother Ant is the leader of the human civilization in the Outer Heavens. His name has its own seal. It would be really bad to give him a different name."

Huang Yaoshi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, then you can use your original name. Your name is..."

"Disciple Wu Pifu greets Master!" Wu Pifu immediately bowed and said.

Huang Yaoshi was overjoyed and said repeatedly, "Good, good, good, Pifu is now my last disciple."

Hong Qigong, watching from the side with envy, chuckled and said, "What good fortune you have, Brother Huang! You are truly blessed."

Wu Pifu stood up, glanced at Huang Rong, Huang Yaoshi, and Hong Qigong, and simply smiled, "Rong'er, now that you've met your father and I've joined Peach Blossom Island, I've essentially sent you home. I'm off now. If I want to gather martial arts skills in this world, I need to fly there; otherwise, I really won't be able to make it back in a month. So, that's all..."

"do not want!"

Huang Rong immediately turned pale and pounced on Wu Pifu. Wu Pifu was also soft-hearted and let Huang Rong pounce on him. Otherwise, with a quick dodge, no one in the world could have touched him.

Tears streamed down Huang Rong's face as she grabbed Wu Pifu's arm and said, "Brother, do you really want to leave me? Will this be our eternal separation?"

Wu Pifu remained silent. Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qigong also sensed something was wrong and stepped forward. Huang Yaoshi asked sternly, "My disciple Pifu, what is the matter?"

Wu Pifu remained silent, so Huang Rong anxiously said to Huang Yaoshi, "There are constant wars in the outer heavens, and there are even more terrifying gods and demons. Brother Pifu is going to fight, and he will be fighting alone, leaving human civilization behind. There are also four enemies who are even stronger than Brother Pifu!"

"Wow, he went there and won't be coming back to find me!"

Huang Rong cried loudly, tears streaming down her face, her voice filled with sorrow.

(End of this chapter)