Why would a senior master "visit" his apprentice so formally?

Cheng Qian and Han Yuan were in a complete fog, while their master continued as if he wanted to confuse them more, "No worries. Your first senior brother is simple-minded; you don’t need to fear him. Just act as I do."

Wait, what did you mean by "just act as I do"?

Anyhow, Muchun Zhenren successfully transformed the mist over his two little apprentices" heads into thick soup.

As they pa.s.sed through the gate, a few Taoist children came along the gurgling brook.

These Taoist children were all in their teens and looked smart and pretty like Golden Boys (attendants) of genuine immortals. Their sleeves were fluttering elegantly without wind.

Facing them, even Cheng Qian, who had been conceited all the way, somehow had a subtle sense of inferiority, not to mention Han Yuan that was already stupefied.

Owing to the very bit of subtle feeling, Cheng Qian was on the defensive spontaneously. He subconsciously changed into a stern look, straightened up his back, and wrapped up his curiosity and ignorance discreetly.

The leader of the Taoist children saw Michun Zhenren from far away, and laughing came earlier than his appearance. "Sect Leader, where have you been this time? How did you get yourself so sc.r.a.ppy? — Oh! The… where did you abduct the young masters?" He said quite casually.

Cheng Qian studied his every single word and phrase carefully but failed to find the slightest respect in them, as if the Taoist child wasn’t greeting a "Sect Leader" but rather a "Uncle Han from the neighbor village".

Muchun Zhenren didn’t mind at all. He even smiled breezily. Pointing at Cheng Qian and Han Yuan, he said, "They are my newly accepted apprentices. Could I trouble you to help them settle down?"

"Where should I settle them?" The Taoist child smiled.

"This one to the South Courtyard." Muchun Zhenren pointed at Han Yuan carelessly. Then he lowered his head down and met Cheng Qian’s eyes by accident or design. His eyes had a clear distinction between black and white, revealing a hint of innate restraint and un.o.btrusive fl.u.s.ter of unfamiliar environments.

The casual smile hanging at the corner of Muchun Zhenren"s mouth suddenly faded. After a short while, he arranged the place for Cheng Qian in an almost solemn manner, "Take him to Side Pavilion."

In fact, "Side Pavilion" wasn’t a pavilion but a small outlying courtyard that was somewhat secluded. On one side of the wall, there was a tranquil stream running by; while on the other side, there was a bamboo forest, which was extremely peaceful.

Presumably the bamboo forest had been here for years, for even breezes sweeping through would be dyed emerald-green. The whole yard was like standing in a sea of bamboo, where the fresh green would cleanse one"s mind of desires.

There was an Eternal Fire with charms hanging at each side of the door of the yard, which was more exquisite than the "heirloom" of Cheng Qian’s family. The light halo was soft and wouldn"t flicker in the wind. Between the two lamps hang a tablet, inscribed with the two characters "Qing"an (quiet and peaceful)".

Apparently, they were written by the same person as the two characters "Fuyao" at the mountain waist.

The Taoist child guiding Cheng Qian was named Xueqing, nearly the same age as Cheng Qian"s big brother. Xueqing was of medium build with ordinary features, who was the most inconspicuous among those Taoist children, but looked fairly comely when being watched attentively. He was taciturn and didn’t enjoy the limelight.

"This is Side Pavilion, also called Qiang"an Dwelling. It"s heard that Sect Leader once lived here, but he moved out afterwards. It was also used as Chanting Hall." Xueqing explained softly, "Does Third Martial Uncle know what Chanting Hall is?"

Actually Cheng Qian wasn’t very clear, but he nodded, showing little concern. Following Xueqing into the courtyard, he saw a small pond of one Zhang square in the center. The holder made of black elm underneath was carved with charms, presumably for the purpose of stagnating the water — the water in the pond wasn’t flowing or rippling.

But after taking a closer look, Cheng Qian found it wasn’t a pond but a huge precious stone.

That stone was neither a jade nor an emerald, but it felt very cool. It was dark green faintly touched with a shade of blue, emanating chilly and serene tranquility.

Cheng Qian had never seen such a rare treasure before. Even if he didn’t want to appear ignorant, he was seized with astonishment momentarily.

"I don’t know what it is, but we call it Peaceful Stone. Sect Leader used to transcribe scriptures on it. With it, the yard will be much cooler in summer." Said Xueqing.

Pointing at the visible charms on the elm holder, Cheng Qian couldn’t resist his curiosity and asked, "Brother Xueqing, what are these charms for?"

Xueqing didn’t expect Cheng Qian to be so courteous to him. He was dazed by his polite form of address for a while, and then answered, "You"re overwhelming me with more than I can bear, Third Martial Uncle — they are not charms."

Cheng Qian gave him a glance. Xueqing surprisingly caught a trace of restrained doubt from his look, as though his eyes could speak. Compared with the other kid the sect leader brought back, this one appeared more delicate and attractive.

Xueqing failed to find the proper words to describe his feelings. He could tell that this kid wasn’t from a n.o.ble background and didn’t receive much education, yet he tried hard to shape himself into a perfect gentleman, but very clumsily. There was a hint of formality in his every move and act, as if he was uncertain about which mask he should wear to a.s.sociate with others.

In brief, he was putting on airs and doing imitations — of no specific targets.

Generally speaking, affected persons were always annoying even if they were only kids. But somehow Xueqing didn’t find Cheng Qian nasty. Contrarily, he felt some compa.s.sion for him. So he explained in a mild tone, "Third Martial Uncle, I am only a servant with poor talents, and take charge of Sect Leader"s and Martial Uncles" daily life. The art of charms is an extensive and profound learning of which I don’t have a smattering. I"ve caught only a word or two from Sect Leader. Young master, you might as well go and ask Sect Leader or my… your First Martial Brother."

Cheng Qian caught the word "my" observantly. Thinking of Taoist children"s over-intimate and under-respectful att.i.tude towards the sect leader, his doubts grew even stronger.

Xueqing soon familiarized Cheng Qian with all the furnishings in the room. He hastily bathed him to wash off the travel weariness, changed his clothes, and tidied up the house inside and out. Then he led him out.

Cheng Qian asked Xueqing for information about his first martial brother in a roundabout way, while keeping up his demeanor at the same time. Finally, he learned that first martial brother’s surname was Yan, and he was named Yan Zhengming, born in a rich family.

To what extend was his family rich? Cheng Qian wasn’t very clear about it — he was a dest.i.tute child who didn’t have a definite conception of richness. To his knowledge, the so-called "rich men" were hardly more than people of Squire w.a.n.g"s kind. w.a.n.g married his third concubine at sixty. In Cheng Qian’s opinion, he could count as a super wealthy man.

It was said when Yan Zhengming was seven years old, he ran away from home because of a trivial matter, and met their crafty… no, astute master who discovered Yan Zhengming"s talent for cultivation.

With the aid of his facile tongue, the old charlatan inveigled young and unsophisticated Yan Zhengming into Fuyao Sect successfully, who later became the very first apprentice of Fuyao Sect.

The young master"s disappearance naturally sank the Yans into great anxiety, they used all their strength and finally found Yan Zhengming who had gone astray — whether he was enticed by Muchun or he did so by choice, the young lord just wouldn’t go home and insisted on staying and cultivating with his master as though he was possessed.

This young master had been spoiled from birth, his family certainly wouldn’t watch their baby son suffer with a charlatan and do nothing. Nevertheless, with several disputes producing no results, they compromised at last. They provided finance for Fuyao Sect, and simply took it that they were keeping a theatrical troupe as their young master"s entertainment.

There were various categories of cultivation sects in the world, among which real prestigious righteous sects and heterodox evil ones were very few, the rest were mostly "pheasant (unauthorized) sects".

Perhaps sects like Fuyao that were supported by a rich family and thus had a relatively decent existence, could roughly be called "poultry sects", Cheng Qian thought.

And so he understood, their first senior brother was not only their senior brother, but also the "financial backer of Fuyao sect" and the "very first apprentice", who thus occupied the highest position in the sect, and whom even his master had to curry favor with.

As for first senior brother himself — he was a sheer spendthrift as Cheng Qian could instantly see through.

He would have accounted for all the four words "lordly, luxury-loving, loose-living, and idle" perfectly but that he dared not to lead a loose life because he was only fifteen then.

Young lord Yan was combing his hair when Muchun Zhenren led his two neatly dressed apprentices to him — it wasn’t that the sect leader lacked courtesy and chose to bother first senior brother early in the morning before he groomed himself, but first senior brother simply would comb his hair many times a day.

Luckily he was still young, there was no fear of getting bald.

The servant that was ent.i.tled to comb first senior brother’s hair must be a girl, who was neither too old nor too young and should have no defect in her beauty, no inelegance in her odor. She would do nothing other than comb hair and burn incense every day, so her hands must be soft and as white as jade without a disappointing callus.

Taoist children like Xueqing were originally domestic servants of the Yans". They were well skimmed off and sent up to the mountain as factotums.

But the young lord didn’t have any Taoist child around him. It was said that it was because he didn’t like men very much for they were all fingers and thumbs. Instead, his courtyard was full of pretty personal maids, as if springtime was resident there.

Before entering the room, Cheng Qian gazed at his master"s goatee secretly for a while, and he drew a conclusion: Master"s goatee had been combed.

On the way here, Xueqing informed him that Muchun settled him at Qing"an Dwelling because he wanted Cheng Qian to purge his thoughts and calm his mind. He felt faintly awkward in a way because he hated to admit that he had a disturbed mind. Now looking up at the tablet inscribed "Land of the Tender [1]" above the door, he breathed a sigh of relief — he wasn’t disturbed, but his master was so aged as to be muddled.

Han Yuan took ignorance as fun and asked childishly, "Master, what’s written on the tablet?"

Muchun read it to him stroking his mustache. "Does it mean to encourage Senior Brother to be more tender?" Han Yuan asked again, staring at his master blankly.

Hearing that, Muchun went pale and warned, "You mustn’t have your first senior brother hear that!"

Seeing the honorable sect leader flinched like a stray dog with the tail between its legs, Cheng Qian and Han Yuan thought alike for the first time, "Outrageous! Total disregard for the order of seniority!"

Thinking so, they took a look at each other and saw the shock on the face. Thereupon they tucked their tails as their master did quickly and acquired the most important skill of Fuyao Sect — to keep a low profile.

As a matter of fact, Cheng Qian was overwhelmed by his first senior brother"s beauty at first sight.

Young though he was, he looked extremely seductive and was a rare beauty. He was wearing a snow-white satin robe, embroidered with invisible patterns glittering to the changing of light. He leaned back in the carved chair limply and rested his chin on his hand, eyelids dropping a little and hair hanging down loosely like splashed ink.

Hearing the footsteps, Yan Zhengming raised his eyelids indifferently. His canthi are slim and curled up like a stroke of light ink, radiating rays of haughtiness and effeminacy. Seeing his master, he showed no intention of standing up and sat still on the chair. Then he asked sluggishly, "Master, what did you bring back this time?"

He seemed to be a late developer compared with his peers, as he still sounded like a juvenile in an androgynous way, with the tone of a pampered kid.

But what was incredible was that there just appeared to be nothing strange in his androgyny.

Putting up a smile on his face and rubbing his hands, the sect leader introduced, "Well, this is your third junior brother, Cheng Qian. And this is your fourth junior brother, Han Yuan. Both are small and immature. From now on, as their first senior brother, you should take care of them for me."

Hearing Han Yuan"s name, Han Zhengming seemed to twitch his eyebrows and cheeks slightly. He condescended to shoot a glance at his fourth junior brother from under half-closed lids, and then immediately looked away, as if his eyes were polluted.

"Han Yuan?" First senior brother commented slowly, seemingly dissatisfied, "You really lived up to your name and suffered an ugly look."

Han Yuan had gone green around the gills.

Yan Zhengming left him aside and turned to Cheng Qian.

"That boy," he said, "come over here."

[1] Land of the Tender: enthralling experience of enjoying tender female charms (sometimes used as the name of a brothel).