Chapter Twenty-Six: Finally Acquiring Magic
1879 Words
Labor Road, an old residential area.
The car stopped in front of an old, six-story apartment building.
Fang Yi, accompanied by Zhu Changqing and Xiao Li, climbed the stairs to the third floor.
"Master Fang, please come in,"
Zhu Changqing politely invited Fang Yi inside.
Fang Yi said "thank you," and walked in, looking around.
He had assumed that someone from a Taoist family like Zhu Changqing would be wealthy, but he seemed no different from an ordinary person.
In the living room, an elderly gentleman of eighty or ninety sat in a red-lacquered chair.
Although the old gentleman was thin and not tall, he was energetic and clearly in good health.
Fang Yi guessed that this old gentleman was Zhu Changqing's father.
The sound of stir-frying could be heard from the kitchen, as if someone had finished cooking.
Perhaps hearing the voice, the old man turned his head and said, "Changqing, you're back. Xiaoli is here too. Oh, you brought a friend back?"
Xiaoli immediately ran forward, "Grandmaster, I've come to see you again."
The old man laughed and scolded, "Come to see me? You're so kind? I think you're just here to freeload."
Xiaoli pouted and said, "Why are you exposing me? I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going to the kitchen to see what your wife has cooked."
After saying that, she darted into the kitchen, seemingly deliberately leaving to create space for the three of them to talk.
Zhu Changqing first closed the door, then pointed to Fang Yi and introduced, "Dad, this is Master Fang."
Fang Yi greeted him, "Hello, Mr. Zhu."
"Master Fang?" Mr. Zhu was taken aback for a moment, then seemed to remember something, immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Zhu Shounian greets Master Fang. Forgive my intrusion, but may I ask which school of master you belong to?" Fang Yi
truthfully replied, "I belong to no school, just a wandering scholar." Zhu
Shounian was somewhat confused and looked at his son with a questioning gaze.
"Master Fang, please sit down for a while. My father and I will discuss this in detail," Zhu Changqing said.
Fang Yi nodded, "Thank you," and found a stool to sit down.
Zhu Changqing stepped forward and pulled his father aside to explain in a low voice.
After a while, Zhu Shounian exclaimed, "What? Are you telling the truth?"
Fang Yi clearly saw Zhu Shounian turn his head and look at him with a shocked expression, and he smiled and nodded.
Zhu Shounian gave a forced smile, then turned back to Zhu Changqing and whispered something to him.
About a minute later, Zhu Shounian turned around and walked back. He then crossed his left hand over his right, forming a mudra with his fingers, and exclaimed, "May the Heavenly Venerable grant me boundless blessings! I, Zhu Shounian, have been blind to the true man. I beg the forgiveness of True Man Fang!"
With that, he bent his knees to kneel.
Fang Yi knew what Zhu Shounian was about to do. In Taoism, believers usually bow or make a fist salute to ordinary people, but they perform a prostration to deities and true men as a sign of special respect, typically three bows and nine prostrations.
How could he allow an eighty- or ninety-year-old man to perform such a ritual? He quickly held Zhu Shounian's hands, saying, "No, Mr. Zhu, there's no need for such a grand gesture."
Zhu Shounian insisted on kneeling.
Fang Yi had to persuade him at length before he finally gave up the idea.
Finally, the three of them sat down.
Zhu Shounian said, "Changqing told me the purpose of your visit, Master."
Fang Yi was eager to see the Zhu family's ancestral techniques, and hearing the other party bring it up, he quickly asked, "Elder Zhu, is that alright?"
Zhu Shounian glanced at Zhu Changqing, then sighed and said, "Master, you don't know this, but these techniques are a closely guarded secret. Our ancestors set a rule that these techniques are not passed down to anyone outside the Zhu family or the Shenxiao Sect. Although I am now the most senior member of the Zhu family, I cannot disobey the ancestral words, unless..."
At first, Fang Yi was disappointed when he heard that it was a closely guarded secret, thinking that he would not be able to obtain the Zhu family's ancestral techniques. Unexpectedly, Zhu Shounian changed his tone at the end, rekindling his hope. "Unless what?"
Zhu Changqing interjected, "Unless you do my Zhu family a great favor."
A great favor?
I can't help you much.
Fang Yi frowned.
Zhu Shounian, however, stepped in to defuse the situation, saying, "Master, I don't know if it's because I'm getting old, but I always feel a little unwell. Could you help me diagnose it?"
Fang Yi, being an upright person, honestly replied, "I don't know how to diagnose illnesses."
Zhu Shounian, however, persisted, saying, "This method is universal. Since you are at the level of a True Person, you can not only tell whether I'm healthy or not, but you can even tell my lifespan. Please, Master, help me take a look."
Zhu Changqing also chimed in, "Yes, Master Fang, my father is the pillar of our family. If you could help him check his health, it would be the greatest favor to my Zhu family."
This time, Fang Yi understood. The other party didn't actually want him to diagnose Zhu Shounian's health, but rather wanted to find an excuse to lend him their family's secret techniques.
He stood up, bowed, and said, "Thank you, Elder Zhu, thank you, Elder Zhu."
Zhu Shounian and Zhu Changqing exchanged a smile. If it were anyone else, they certainly wouldn't lend their family's secret techniques to him, but Fang Yi was different. His cultivation had long since reached the True Person realm. If they lent him their family's secret techniques, it would be like making Fang Yi owe them a favor.
How valuable is a True Person's favor?
Anyone who isn't a fool knows.
Fang Yi said, "I can't diagnose, Elder Zhu. How about this, I'll check your lifespan for you."
Zhu Shounian quickly said, "Thank you, True Person."
Zhu Changqing didn't speak, but only showed a curious look, seemingly wanting to know how Fang Yi would check his father's lifespan.
Fang Yi sat down again and instructed, "I will close my eyes later. Before I open my eyes, do not let anyone touch them."
"Okay."
"Understood."
Zhu Shounian and Zhu Changqing responded.
Only then did Fang Yi close his eyes and let his soul leave his body.
The next moment, he saw the life lines of Zhu Shounian and Zhu Changqing.
Zhu Shounian had a total of 113 lifelines, of which 86 were broken, indicating he was 86 years old this year, and 27 were very strong.
He could live for another 27 years.
Fang Yi had a rough idea of what was going on, and then looked at Zhu Changqing's.
To his surprise, Zhu Changqing's lifelines were somewhat strange. 52 broken lines represented 52 years old, which was nothing unusual. There were also 40 strong lines, indicating he could live for another 40 years, which was also nothing unusual. What was unusual was that behind those 40 intact lifelines, there were 30 or 40 dotted lines that looked very much like lifelines.
Unlike Chen Xiaoqing's lifelines, which were still connected, Zhu Changqing's 30 or 40 dotted lines only had scattered particles swirling and floating, and it was unclear what they meant.
This was the first time Fang Yi had seen such a situation, but with two people waiting for the results, now was not the time to ponder.
He returned his thoughts to his body and slowly opened his eyes.
Whether it was a misperception or not, Zhu Shounian and Zhu Changqing, who had been staring intently at Fang Yi, clearly saw a glint in his eyes when he opened them.
They initially thought it was just their imagination and didn't dwell on it.
Zhu Changqing hurriedly asked, "Master, how is it?"
Zhu Shounian, on the other hand, seemed indifferent, not particularly concerned.
Fang Yi smiled and said, "Don't worry, Old Master Zhu will live a long and healthy life."
Zhu Changqing asked anxiously, "How many more years can my father live?"
Fang Yi was reluctant to answer, but seeing Zhu Changqing's persistent questioning, he had no choice but to tell the truth: "I have seen with my supernatural powers that Old Master Zhu will live to be one hundred and thirteen years old."
Zhu Changqing was overjoyed, "Thank you, Master."
Zhu Shounian chuckled, "I thought I'd be quite content to live to one hundred, I never expected to live so long!"
They completely trusted Fang Yi's words; these were the words of a true master, who would dare question their accuracy?
Fang Yi smiled and said, "That's why I said Old Master Zhu will live as long as the Southern Mountain."
"Thank you, Master, for using your supernatural powers to see how long I will live," Zhu Shounian said sincerely, then turned to his son, "Changqing, go to my room and bring me the 'Five Thunder Orthodox Method'."
Zhu Changqing stood up and said, "Okay."
He turned and went into the bedroom on the left.
The Five Thunder Orthodox Method?
Fang Yi's heart skipped a beat. Thunder magic is the foremost of all magics. Could it be that he had the opportunity to learn such a powerful Taoist technique today?
Before he could finish thinking, Zhu Shounian showed an apologetic look and explained, "Because of the wars in the past, many techniques were lost. This 'Five Thunder Orthodox Method' is also mostly lost. Only the basic water control method remains. Please forgive me, Master."
Only the water control method remains?
Fang Yi was indeed very disappointed, but he still said, "It's already lucky to have witnessed the secrets of Taoism; I dare not ask for anything more."
Zhu Shounian chuckled and said, "Master, don't underestimate the method of water control. It's the foundation for cultivating thunder magic, and if one can master it, I've heard that summoning wind and rain is easy, and overturning mountains and seas is not difficult either."
Fang Yi hadn't expected the water control method to be so powerful, and he immediately became interested. "Oh? I'll try it later to see if it really has such power."
"Master, you'd better not have too high expectations," Zhu Shounian sighed. "Since a major event happened in the Ming Dynasty, no one has been able to use these supernatural powers."
Zhu Changqing had also said this. Fang Yi asked, "What exactly happened in the Ming Dynasty..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Changqing came out of the bedroom, holding a small wooden box in his hand. "Dad, Master, I've brought the 'Five Thunder Orthodox Method'."
Zhu Shounian waved his hand and said, "Give it to Master."
"Yes," Zhu Changqing responded, handing the wooden box to Fang Yi, saying, "Master, open it yourself. My father and I have been researching this for decades but haven't figured it out."
"Thank you,"
Fang Yi said, taking the box with a thrill of excitement. Finally, he had a chance to learn magic!
- Writer
