Chapter 22: Apprehended on the Spot
"Why the face? Have you heard of him?" Yu'er asked curiously, sensing Xiao Nanfeng's shock.
"Not at all!" Xiao Nanfeng immediately shook his head. He didn't want to expose himself just yet.
"Why'd you make such a big fuss, then? Xiao Hongye's a Mortal elder, whereas Elder Ku is an Ascended elder. According to the seniors, the two of them were even bitter rivals for many years!" Yu'er gossiped.
Xiao Nanfeng: …
He didn't know what to say. His father was on one side, and his master on the other; responding at all could be impolitic.
"You want to apprentice under Elder Ku because you enjoy the guqin?" Xiao Nanfeng deftly changed the topic.
"That's one aspect of it, but those who cultivate with the guqin also develop their spiritual cultivation far more quickly."
"Spiritual cultivation?" Xiao Nanfeng raised an eyebrow.
He had been right back on the ship! Elder Ku's guqin had boosted his spiritual cultivation tremendously.
"Don't you worry about that just yet. You're still in Acquisition, so work on your qi first. Once you reach Immanence, Elder Ku will surely tell you more. Ah, the more I think about it, the more angry I get! Why are you so much luckier than I am?!"
As Xiao Nanfeng watched Yu'er pretend to wipe away unshed tears, his face spasmed.
"Alright, Senior Sister, alright! If I have an opportunity to do so, I'll request that Elder Ku take you on as a disciple. However, that's all I can do—and I don't think Elder Ku will listen to me, either."
"That's all I need, Junior Brother! I'll take your promise to heart." Yu'er instantly stopped 'crying' and began to smile brightly.
Xiao Nanfeng sighed. His senior sister could well be an actress.
"Senior Sister, I've finished eating. I'd like to train my fist technique so as to fully absorb the golden spirit eel's pure yang spiritual energy, so please wait up." Xiao Nanfeng stood up.
He took a proper stance and launched a flurry of punches. It sounded as though thunder was rumbling in the distance.
"Oh, is this Hegemon's Fist? You've only been cultivating it for a month—how are you this good already? I remember that Elder Ku even had to correct your form and stance the first few days!" Yu'er cried out.
"I've been reading many Taoist scriptures about fist techniques in the Vault of Scriptures, and I made a few small changes so that Hegemon's Fist is more tailored to my individual strengths," Xiao Nanfeng explained, even as he continued to practice his punches.
"You dare modify your techniques after just reading a few scriptures? What if you understood those scriptures wrongly?" Yu'er cried out.
"That won't happen," Xiao Nanfeng replied calmly.
Yu'er frowned and gave him a strange look. "You're quite good at bragging, aren't you?"
Xiao Nanfeng continued punching forward, each causing a miniature explosion of sound.
"Just how far have you gotten with the technique?" Yu'er peered at Xiao Nanfeng. His modifications did seem to make the technique flow smoothly; there was none of the stiffness or awkwardness she had expected to see.
"I'm just past the basics," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
"Past the basics? You'd need to fully comprehend the intention of the technique for that—and you claim you've done it in a month?!" Yu'er widened her eyes in clear disbelief. "Come, why don't you let me help you train? I'd like to get a sense of your understanding."
"That's quite alright, Senior Sister. I'd prefer to train on my own." Xiao Nanfeng tactfully refused the offer.
He still remembered what had happened the last time. If he were to upset her and be struck with another Five-Venom Penetrating Palm... Master Ku isn't here to help me this time. There's no need for me to risk getting hit by you!
"Hmph! Ignoring my kind offer like that!" Yu'er wrinkled her nose, but didn't prod Xiao Nanfeng further.
Xiao Nanfeng executed Hegemon's Fist thrice more before stopping.
"You're done?" Yu'er yawned, bored, when she saw that Xiao Nanfeng had stopped.
"I've finished absorbing the spiritual energy of the golden eel." Xiao Nanfeng turned to Yu'er. "I intend to read in the Vault of Scriptures, Senior Sister. Would you like to join me?"
"Of course not!" Yu'er shook her head violently the moment she heard those three dreaded words. "Go by yourself. Don't forget about your promise to me, alright?"
"Of course."
"Right, I left two golden spirit eels for myself during my last expedition. I'll share one with you later!" Yu'er called out with a smile.
Xiao Nanfeng looked toward Yu'er in surprise. It was little wonder everyone in the sect seemed to think favorably of her, if she were so generous.
"Thank you, Senior Sister." Xiao Nanfeng bowed.
Yu'er waved a hand at him happily, then vanished into the distance. Now that I'm doing something for you, you'll do something for me too, won't you? Tit for tat!
After Yu'er left, Xiao Nanfeng took a bath in his cottage, changed into clean clothes, and then went to read in the Vault of Scriptures.
In the afternoon, as he stepped out, he saw the nominal disciple Tang who had brought him his meal earlier in the day.
"Senior Brother!" Tang's eyes lit up upon seeing Xiao Nanfeng. "Senior Sister Yu'er told me to send you another golden eel. When would you like it to be delivered, Senior Brother? There's a special pool in which we can temporarily store such eels within the sect, so you don't have to worry about it dying in the short term."
"Senior Sister Yu'er works really rapidly, doesn't she?"
"That's right! She's very fond of you, Senior Brother." Tang gave Xiao Nanfeng a grin. He continued, "Senior Brother, the senior disciples of the sect bring back all manner of lifeforms when they go out hunting down demonic lairs, which we nominal disciples are in charge of selling and cooking. In addition to these golden eels, we have a variety of other demonic lifeforms as well. Would you be interested in any of them, Senior Brother?"
"Hmm?" Xiao Nanfeng did seem tempted.
"The golden eel that Senior Sister Yu'er left you is worth two hundred taels of gold. If any other lifeform catches your eye, Senior Brother, you need only pay the difference in price," Tang explained.
"Where's the kitchen?"
"Right by the island's harbor. If you're interested in getting a change of taste, Senior Brother, I'd be happy to show you around if you let me know in advance. You can pick out your preferred lifeform, and we'll make sure to cook it well," Tang explained.
Xiao Nanfeng was tempted. Right by the harbor? He had wanted an excuse to slip over there—
there were still 10,000 taels of gold waiting for him on the ship that had brought him here! By now, after over a month, likely no one was still paying attention to that theft.
"Let's head over immediately, then!" Xiao Nanfeng suggested.
"Now? This urgently?" Tang frowned.
"Is there a problem?" Xiao Nanfeng caught the change in Tang's expression.
"No, no problem at all—but I haven't made preparations yet, Senior Brother. Weren't you intending to head to the Vault of Scriptures instead?"
"I'm happy to read the scriptures later, and we don't need to prepare, do we? Lead the way!" Xiao Nanfeng insisted. He had grown accustomed to his identity. As Elder Ku's sole disciple, he had no need to stand on formality with nominal disciples.
"Very well," Tang sighed, nodding. The two of them left the Vault of Scriptures and headed down a forested path. Their whereabouts were immediately reported to Zhao Yuanjiao.
When Zhao Yuanjiao heard the news, he grinned. "Finally, after a month, he's dropped his guard!"
"As you suspected, Senior Brother, Nanfeng and a nominal disciple have headed off into the woods. They're clearly planning something!" a junior disciple cried out.
"Then our surveillance hasn't been in vain. Who's the nominal disciple?"
"He's Tang, a relatively decent cook responsible for preparing spiritbeast meat. When Junior Sister Yu'er was searching for a nominal disciple to send meals to Nanfeng, Tang volunteered, and has been responsible for doing so for the whole month," the junior disciple reported.
"So this is their ploy. Let's see just what sort of prey we've caught with our bait, shall we?" Zhao Yuanjiao's eyes flashed with coldness. "Summon the others. We're going to apprehend Tang and Nanfeng!"
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