Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 146 Accepting a Disciple
"Mangcun?"

Sitting by the campfire, Zhou You took a bite of a flatbread filled with salted meat and asked indistinctly.

"Yes, Daoist, this is the last leg of this escort mission. After passing Mang Village, we'll be in the territory of Ci'en Temple. Once the goods are delivered, our mission will be complete."

At this point, Lu Xiuyuan let out a long sigh.

"It's been a long and arduous journey, but it's finally almost over. Once I get this money, I'll take the entire escort agency back to my hometown and sever all ties with Lizhou from now on."

No, your statement sounds more like you're raising a flag.
Zhou You silently munched on his flatbread. It was a pity that neither his master nor his uncle had taught him the art of fortune-telling; otherwise, he would have really wanted to give Lu Xiuyuan a reading to see if there was a "death" character above his head.
……

The brief dinner ended quickly, and Lu Ping, who had been waiting nearby, hurriedly ran over, diligently tidied up the things, and handed over freshly cooled tea.

However, compared to each time before, his movements were much slower this time.

She would even glance at Zhou You with those pitiful eyes from time to time.

Zhou You roughly understood the other party's thoughts.

However, seeing that the journey was coming to an end, he wanted to see if he could take one last chance and become his disciple.

Lu Xiuyuan, standing beside him, hesitated to speak, but ultimately could only let out a helpless sigh.

Seeing this, Zhou You suddenly burst into laughter.

What was supposed to be a bizarre and fantastical script is now turning into a romance drama.

—What's the point of all this fussing and nagging?
It's just transmitting a teaching.

Besides, the inheritance that Daoist Xuanyuan painstakingly purified cannot be allowed to die out no matter what.

Thinking of this, Zhou You suddenly smiled and then called Lu Ping over.

The boy thought he was going to refill his teacup, and raised the kettle to pour it into his cup—but he was immediately stopped.

"Lupin."

"Master Zhou, what's wrong?"

"You want to learn my skills? No problem, I'll teach you."

It was a very simple sentence, yet it seemed to have cast a spell, instantly silencing the surroundings.

Beside the campfire, only the crackling sound of burning firewood remained.

After a long while, Lu Ping finally spoke haltingly.

"Daoist, Daoist Master, what are you saying?"

But his uncle had already regained consciousness before him. The middle-aged man, who was over forty years old, was pressing down hard on Lu Ping's shoulder with a look of ecstatic joy on his face.

"Boy, what are you waiting for? This is an incredible opportunity! Hurry up and kneel down to call me master!"

But just as Lupin had bent down, Zhou You gently helped him up.

"Don't rush to kneel. Let me make this clear first. I'm passing on my skills on behalf of someone else, and I'm not going to immediately let him join the sect. I need to teach him a basic technique first, see how well he practices it, and then I can make a decision."

"Also, Chief Escort Lu, could you please excuse me for a moment?"

After Lu the镖头 (镖头 is a nickname for a镖师, a kind of镖师, a镖师) left, Zhou You suddenly laughed when he saw Lu Ping looking helpless.

For some reason, he recalled the scene when he joined the Yun Jing Sect.

At that time, he was in the lair of a pig demon, the one who was imparting the teachings was the treacherous Poison Heart, and he was drinking a soup of highly poisonous corpse worm blood bait.

Now, he, a man in his twenties, is being asked to call "Master" by a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy in person because of the Yun Jing Sect's legacy.
Under the cycle of cause and effect, so-called fate is nothing more than this.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Lu Ping asked in a low voice, "Daoist Master... no, Master, may I ask, are we going to have some kind of apprenticeship ceremony? I've read in novels that you have to offer incense to the ancestral master first, and then do some grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows." Zhou You smiled indifferently.

"There's no such thing as all that empty talk."

Then, he smiled and spoke again.

"Listen, there are only a few things you need to remember."

"Firstly, our sect is called Yun Jing Sect. Although it is only a small sect, it is full of outstanding heroes. Therefore, you must not do anything unrighteous or immoral. Otherwise, no matter where you run to, I will kill you."

"Secondly, the technique I am about to pass on to you was improved by my uncle, a hero with the Daoist name Xuan Yuan. Once you start practicing this technique, you must remember who the founder was."

"Thirdly, my master's name is Du Xin, which is also the name of your grandmaster. If you set up a memorial tablet for your master later, you will need to offer incense and sacrifices to both of them."

Lu Ping waited for a long time, but still received no further news.

"Master, is that all?"

"That's all for now, but..." Zhou You thought for a moment and added, "One more thing, if you're willing, it would be best to find some people of good character to pass on your skills to after you've finished learning. After all, I don't know what the current state of the Yun Jing Sect is like, so having an extra layer of insurance will prevent the lineage from being cut off."

That concludes the discussion.

Seeing that the instructions were finished, Lu Ping immediately knelt down and said in a strong and resonant voice.

"Master's instructions have been kept in mind by your disciple."

This time, Zhou You did not stop him. Instead, he carefully recalled the words Xuan Yuan had spoken to him when he taught him the Dharma, and recited them word by word.

"The Tao is inherently without words, nor does it have a name; Heaven is inherently silent, yet all things revolve within it."

Under the moonlight, the young man listened respectfully, the campfire crackled, and only Zhou You's gentle narration remained.

Soon, the verses on the food of the Jing Shen were finished.

Looking at Lu Ping's careful notes, Zhou You smiled, patted himself, stood up, and then brought up Duan Xie again.

Under his control, the blood demon gradually condensed and took shape, finally turning into a crystal drop of blood that fell into the bowl in front of him.

“Lu Ping, when we enter the Yun Jing Sect, we must first take a pill to lay the foundation. This is the first gift that the master gives to the disciple. Unfortunately, my master and uncle did not pass on any pill formulas to me, so I cannot refine any pills for you. I can only use this Blood Fiend as a guide for you.”

Looking at the drop of bright red blood, Lu Ping did not hesitate and drank it all in one gulp.

In an instant, the young man seemed to be drunk, his face turning bright red—but soon, the Jing Shen Food Potion Spell started running on its own, slowly digesting it.

Zhou You simply looked at him calmly, then suddenly laughed.

He then thought of the Taoist priest who had single-handedly suppressed half of Cangzhou.

—Uncle-Master Xuan Yuan, I guess I've found you a successor?

Although death is like a lamp going out, as long as someone remembers and pays respects, the traces of that person's existence will not be erased.

If this divine food recipe is passed down, then everything you, Uncle, have done will have meaning.

In that instant, Zhou You felt as if he had let go of a burden, and his whole body relaxed.

He smiled, then extracted the remaining bloodthirsty energy from the Broken Evil Vein, and instead of using a bowl, dripped it directly into his throat.

It has a spicy taste upon entry, without any foul or fishy smell, just like strong liquor.

"--System notification: You have taken the first step in the inheritance of the sect 'Yun Jing Sect'."

"Although it is only a small step, as the saying goes, a ripple can start a storm. Every change you make may affect the future of the story. Please continue your efforts and strive to complete the script as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)