Chapter 887: From Now On, You Have Another Teacher

After a long while, Seventy-Eight spread his hands and said, "Kill me or cut me to pieces. Do as you please."

But to Seventy-Eight's surprise...

Chen Changsheng did not kill him.

For a fleeting moment, Seventy-Eight had even imagined the many ways he might die.

Death by a thousand cuts? Or a single sword strike to the throat, followed by his soul shattering after death so he could never enter Reincarnation?

Yet Chen Changsheng did not kill him.

On the contrary, Chen Changsheng had given him a chance to live, and hadn't even demanded anything in return.

It was just that, in the end, he still could not escape punishment.

If not for the threats he had made earlier, perhaps he wouldn't have had to suffer it.

Seventy-Eight felt he was quite lucky.

At least he had kept his life. Even though he could no longer hear a single sound, he was still alive, wasn't he?

But now, he hesitated over where to go next.

Return to the Shadow Guard to report?

But if he returned and they discovered he had gone deaf, then...

As a Shadow Guard, losing his hearing meant his fate would undoubtedly be miserable.

Return to the Northern Desert?

Setting aside whether he could even survive the long journey back, what could he do if he did? He had been placed into the Shadow Guard as a child, and few knew his true identity. For so many years, he had operated on single-line contacts; how could he prove who he was?

Seventy-Eight sighed. He stood on the official road, hesitating over which way to go. It seemed he truly had nowhere left to turn.

He clenched his fists, suddenly feeling rather pathetic.

Only then did he realize just how heavy a punishment this was.

An Immortal was truly worthy of the title.

To punish both body and mind—that was true agony.

.

.

Chen Changsheng sat in the inn, drinking the rest of his wine.

Slowly, a hint of drunkenness crept over him.

After a long while, he suddenly heard a sound behind him.

"Why are you drinking alone in such low spirits, Mister?"

Chen Changsheng turned around and saw Yunxiang walk over to sit down.

Chen Changsheng said, "It would be a waste not to drink this wine. Besides, I had a lot on my mind, so I drank a couple extra cups."

Yunxiang poured a cup for herself as well.

Chen Changsheng said, "The night wind is cold. Miss Yun, you shouldn't drink. You might catch a chill."

"Mister can drink, but Yunxiang cannot?"

"How is that the same?" Chen Changsheng laughed helplessly.

Yunxiang glanced at Mister, then poured herself some wine.

She then reached out, as if intending to clink cups with Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng paused for a moment, then clinked his cup against hers.

Yunxiang brought the cup to her lips, shielded her face with her sleeve, tilted her head back, and drained the wine in a single gulp.

Chen Changsheng watched her, momentarily dazed.

Yunxiang set the cup down and said, "Mister, there are so many matters in this world. No matter how great your abilities are, there will always be times when you can't manage everything. You might as well let some of it go."

Chen Changsheng fell silent after hearing this.

After a long time, he looked at the wine cup on the table, feeling a bit more at ease.

"Miss Yun is right."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Yunxiang toasts you, Mister."

The night was silent, the faint moonlight mingling with the aroma of wine.

Yunxiang was slightly drunk, her cheeks flushed red.

...

"So completely destitute."

"Don't talk about that. What does his poverty have to do with you?"

"I'm just saying. Sigh, tell me, what is he thinking? What's the use of listening to classes by the door like that? Without a recommendation from the schoolmaster, isn't it all useless anyway?"

"I don't like hearing that, either. Studying isn't solely for the sake of passing the imperial exams. The schoolmaster has said as much himself."

"I know, I know..."

Sitting outside the academy, Jiang Gungun listened to these words in silence.

Although they spoke very softly, he could still hear them.

He didn't argue. He simply took half a piece of dry flatbread from his robes and brought it to his lips, chewing it in small bites.

The dry flatbread was very hard and not as tasty as white porridge, but it genuinely filled his stomach. Plus, it was cheap—two coins bought one, which was enough to feed him for a day.

"Are you getting enough to eat?"

The schoolmaster was standing beside him.

Jiang Gungun looked up, hastily stood, and bowed. "Greetings, schoolmaster."

The schoolmaster looked at him, his heart aching somewhat for the child.

The schoolmaster patted his head and said, "Good child."

Jiang Gungun was a bit overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. For a moment, he appeared at a loss, hiding the dry flatbread behind his back like a frightened puppy.

The schoolmaster said, "From now on, you will study together with them."

Jiang Gungun stared blankly. "But I..."

The schoolmaster said, "A kind-hearted person has paid your tuition and expenses. You don't need to worry about the money."

Jiang Gungun opened his mouth, caught entirely by surprise.

The schoolmaster patted him lightly on the shoulder. He didn't say anything more, though his expression was somewhat complicated.

In truth, the schoolmaster's attitude toward Jiang Gungun had never been particularly good, though most of the time he simply chose to ignore him. This drastic change in attitude was actually entirely because of that Mister.

Jiang Gungun didn't know this. After class, he went to ask the schoolmaster about it again.

"Was it the Immortal Grandpa?"

Only then did he learn that it was the Immortal Grandpa he had seen yesterday.

Jiang Gungun felt deeply grateful, but he didn't know where the Immortal Grandpa was. So he ran to the riverbank, hoping to run into him there and thank him in person.

But he waited until the sky grew dark, and he still didn't see the Immortal Grandpa.

Although he didn't manage to meet Chen Changsheng, someone else came down from the mountain.

It was a pretty older sister.

"Waiting for someone?" the sister asked.

Jiang Gungun nodded blankly and said, "Yeah..."

Then he suddenly realized something.

This sister seemed to have come down from the mountain.

Jiang Gungun jumped, a guess forming in his mind.

"Why don't you come sit at my place?" Lan Ting said.

Hearing this, Jiang Gungun took a half-step back. He shook his head, a hint of fear in his eyes.

He felt that the person in front of him was probably a demon in disguise.

Lan Ting roughly guessed what he was thinking and said, "Mister Chen asked me to look after you a bit."

"Mister Chen? Chen Changsheng?" Jiang Gungun asked blankly.

Lan Ting nodded.

"You know the Immortal Grandpa?"

"Mhm."

"Then... then do you know where the Immortal Grandpa is?"

"He left."

"Left?"

"Yes."

Lan Ting said, "Mister Chen still has many roads to walk, so naturally he won't stay here forever. He already left at noon today."

Hearing this, Jiang Gungun lowered his head and said, "But he said we would meet again."

Lan Ting smiled and said, "Mister Chen was right. You will definitely meet again, just not right now."

Jiang Gungun pursed his lips, not saying a word.

Lan Ting rubbed his head and said, "To think that in the blink of an eye, it's already your next life."

Jiang Gungun didn't quite understand what she was talking about.

Lan Ting smiled and said, "From now on, you have another teacher. My name is Lan Ting, and I will teach you martial arts to defend yourself."

Jiang Gungun stared blankly. "I..."

For some reason, he felt like refusing, probably because this was a completely unfamiliar person.

But Lan Ting reached out and flicked his forehead, saying, "Refusing is not allowed."