Sword Roaring in the Sky

Chapter 9: Master Feng's Teachings to Seven Friends
Zhang Yuanqiao was arranging the dishes and chopsticks when he saw two disciples coming over. The middle-aged Taoist priest smiled and said, "There's not much oil in the temple, Yan Wan can only eat a little."

Sun Yanwan hurriedly said, "Master! I come from a poor family, so I'm happy with whatever I have to eat. I'm never picky."

Zhang Yuanqiao smiled slightly and said nothing.

The dinner for the master and his two apprentices was simple, consisting of only a pot of mixed-grain cakes, a jar of assorted pickles, and a pot of vegetable soup.

Sun Yanwan had been here for more than three months. She had been tempered and was no longer picky about food. She ate a steamed bun with pickles and drank a bowl of vegetable soup.

Although Zhang Yuanqiao knew some things about Sun Yanwan from his eldest disciple, he didn't know much. After all, Miao Youxiu didn't know this cheap disciple very well, and he had nothing to say to Zhang Qingxi, so he couldn't help but ask him a few questions.

Sun Yanwan did not hide anything and answered them one by one. After all, he still had some extra thoughts and deliberately exaggerated the cruelty of the elders in the clan who forced him to work as a waiter in a big store. He squeezed out a few tears and choked with sobs.

Zhang Yuanqiao sighed and said comfortingly, "It's not a big deal if your relatives don't want to take you in. It's a good thing to go through this ordeal and learn more about people's hearts. Since you've accepted me as your master, you can stay in this Taoist temple. I will definitely not neglect your future."

"Since you have become my disciple, I must also tell you about my origins."

"My surname is Zhang, and my Taoist name is Yuanqiao! I became a disciple of Patriarch Feng of the Songyang Sect and became his second disciple. After your Patriarch passed away, I had a bad relationship with the headmaster. I burned incense in front of the Patriarch's portrait and took my only disciple, your eldest brother Zhang Qingxi, with me to split off from the sect and establish a new one!"

"This Taoist temple is called Taiyi Temple. It covers an area of ​​about several dozen acres. It was very prosperous in its early years, but later it was abandoned due to war and has never been restored. Over a year ago, I traveled here with your eldest brother. Seeing the Taoist temple in such a state, I couldn't bear to see the Three Venerables suffer humiliation, so I stayed there and took on the role of abbot. In the name of the Taoist temple, I founded the Taiyi Sect."

"Currently, the Taiyi Sect only has me, the old Taoist priest, and you two little kittens."

Speaking of this, Zhang Yuanqiao couldn't help laughing.

He wanted to create a new sect, but it was a difficult task and no easy task!
Even as a contemporary Grandmaster, he faced numerous challenges. Accepting disciples was a particular headache for Zhang Yuanqiao. If he were to open his doors to the public, countless people would be willing to offer their talents to him. However, these people were a mixed bag, and he feared their influence would only bring chaos and disorder to his sect. Therefore, Zhang Yuanqiao was extremely cautious in accepting disciples. Without Miao Youxiu's recommendation, he wouldn't have easily accepted a disciple.

Zhang Yuanqiao was very happy to have a disciple. He urged his disciples to eat and then said to Sun Yanwan, "Starting tomorrow, you will get up with your senior brother to clean the Taoist temple in the morning, and then listen to the master's lecture. You will have other homework in the afternoon, so don't neglect it."

Sun Yanwan nodded repeatedly, and after eating, he cleaned up the dishes with his senior brother Zhang Qingxi. Although he had only worked as a waiter in the big store for a few days, the pressure of life made him learn very quickly in those few days. When he worked, he was smart and had a good eye, which made his master and senior brother happy.

Zhang Qingxi sent Sun Yanwan back to her room. Not long after leaving, he returned with a quilt and a bundle of hay. He smiled slightly and said, "Our Taiyi Temple hasn't been renovated yet, so our mountain home is simple. Junior Brother Sun, please be patient."

Sun Yanwan felt a little strange and thought to himself, "It's normal for Taoists to live a simple life. Why does Master say that the audiences don't have much money, and Second Senior Brother also says that the mountain life is simple? Could it be that... they, master and disciple, have never experienced hardship? So they feel guilty when they entertain me?"

"Oh, oh, that's wrong! We're master and disciple now, so you can't treat yourself as an outsider anymore."

Sun Yanwan hurriedly said, "Big Brother, what are you talking about? I, your junior brother, am originally from a poor family. A few days ago, I was still living in the woodshed. Before that, I had no bedding at home. If the temple is considered simple, then I was already a non-human."

Zhang Qingxi smiled faintly. Sun Yanwan had been somewhat cautious when he first crossed over, but later, following Miao Youxiu, he became less cautious, occasionally revealing some of his past life's habits subconsciously. Poor families couldn't cultivate such details, but the Taiyi Temple's senior brother was meticulous and simply refused to expose them. He helped Sun Yanwan put together a few benches and spread out hay and bedding, saying, "I'll come and call you tomorrow, Junior Brother, so you don't fall asleep too late and delay the cleaning of the temple."

Sun Yanwan hurriedly thanked the senior brother. Seeing Zhang Qingxi about to leave, he bowed and said, "I'm at a loss as to what to become your disciple. Although I've been accepted by you, I still don't know the origins of the Songyang Sect. If someone were to ask me about it, wouldn't I be ashamed?"

Zhang Qingxi smiled and said, "Alright, I'll chat with my junior brother for a few minutes."

"Our Songyang Sect is a branch of the Xuanhuang Dao of Taoism. In addition to its Taoist heritage, it is also the leader of the ten major sword sects in the martial arts world. Ever since Grandmaster Feng passed down his teachings to seven friends, the Songyang Sect has flourished and gained a great reputation in just a hundred years."

"Grandmaster Feng is the most powerful martial artist of his time. Only three or five people in the world can match his martial arts skills. Our master is the second disciple of the Grandmaster. He has inherited all his skills and his martial arts skills are almost as strong as when Grandmaster Feng was in his prime."

"Because our master was too outstanding, the head master didn't like me and felt that I was a threat. He made things difficult for me. Master had no choice but to take me away from the mountain gate."

"But when our master left the mountain, he burned incense to Grandmaster Feng. He didn't leave the sect, but he established a new branch. Junior brother, when you travel around in the martial arts world in the future, you can also register your name and call yourself a disciple of the Songyang Sect."

"When you meet fellow disciples from the Songyang Sect, you should be polite, but don't be too aggrieved. If they don't appreciate your kindness, just treat them like a breeze."

Sun Yanwan chuckled and said, "That's what Senior Brother taught me."

Sun Yanwan chatted with the senior brother for an hour or two. Seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Yuanqiao required his disciples to go to bed early and get up early, so he reluctantly sent Zhang Qingxi away.

He returned to his room and lay down, his heart slightly burning, thinking to himself: "I actually found a treasure!"

"It turns out that my teacher is very famous, and Master Feng is the world's top master. The Songyang School is also the leader of the top ten sword schools in the world."

"With such a good master, as long as I work hard, I will definitely become a chivalrous young man in the future."

"I just don't know what the powerful martial arts of the Songyang Sect are, and are they easy to practice?"

Sun Yanwan traveled through time and space, but he was just a clerk in a big store. He usually didn't come into contact with people from the martial arts world, so he really didn't know who was respected in the martial arts world and which sect was the most powerful?

During the months he'd been traveling the martial arts world with Miao Youxiu, he'd always felt like his master was about to slip away. He'd seized every opportunity to learn martial arts, not wasting time asking about gossip. After all, learning martial arts was far more important to him than inquiring about gossip.

He had only met Hu Fengwei, Miao Youxiu, and a handful of other martial artists, including his new master, Zhang Yuanqiao. Although his senior brother, Zhang Qingxi, had explained the situation, he still had a vague understanding. The image of the martial arts world in his mind was crude and rudimentary...

　The First Magical World War has a perfect ending, the best Western fantasy
　　
　
(End of this chapter)