– Book 3 – Chapter 289
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Chapter 289: Which Path to Choose?
Meng Hao gaped at his father. He’d forgotten how long it had been since he’d seen him act so strictly. The seriousness of his tone instantly caused him to wake up.
“A Master is like a father….” Meng Hao watched his father’s back as he left. He clearly was wearing a simple, unlined robe. However, for some reason, it seemed to Meng Hao as if he were surrounded by a violet wind.
The wind seemed to shatter some barrier in his mind; suddenly an image appeared. It was his father. The image was blurry, but he could tell that his father was looking at him and sighing softly.
His mother was there too, gazing at him warmly. It looked like there were tears in her eyes.
For some reason… there was also a Tower of Tang, as well as many, many complicated memories. Meng Hao thought for a long moment before shaking his head roughly and turning to look off in the distance. There, in the middle of the county, was a very tall tower. It was… a Tower of Tang.
“That wasn’t there before, was it…? No, it never was.” A confused look appeared on Meng Hao’s face.
In the midst of his vacantness, an ancient-sounding voice reached his ears. “This isn’t a boarding school.”
As his father disappeared into the distance, Meng Hao turned to look at the old man who stood in front of him. Now that his father was gone, only he and the old man were there in the coutryard.
The old man looked down at Meng Hao, then slowly continued, “Up to now, I’ve had seventeen apprentices. A few ended up returning to dust. A few left and forged their own path. There were also a few… who are still pondering what they wish to pursue. In fact, when you think about it, some don’t really even count as my apprentices. As of today, you are my eighteenth apprentice. However, I’m actually going to call you… Little Ninth.” As the man spoke in his ancient voice, all the sound in the air around Meng Hao seemed to fade until he was focused completely on the old man.
“You have a Junior Sister. She became my apprentice before you, but in a bit of an unorthodox fashion, so she ranks below you. She is surnamed Chu.”
Meng Hao wasn’t sure why, but he felt nervous. He didn’t know whether to get onto his knees and kowtow, or bend from the waist with clasped hands. He was completely ill at ease.
“I haven’t used my own name for a long time,” said the old man. “Outsiders usually call me by my alchemist name, whereas friends usually call me Mr. East. I’ve never been married, so I have no heir. My apprentices are my heirs. Eventually, you will pass on my teachings, and the mark I have made on the world, will be extended by you. As far as I am concerned, you apprentices are… my closest relatives.” The old man gazed at Meng Hao, looking very majestic. However, his eyes were warm and filled with kindness and love. It seemed almost as if he had been watching Meng Hao for years, and had been testing him for a very long time. “From now on, I’m your Master!”
Without thinking, Meng Hao responded, “Respect Master, venerate the Dao. Master is like a father. I….”
“There’s no need to say such things,” said the old man, his eyes gleaming with a keen light. “As long as they exist in your heart, that is enough. Little Nine, kneel!” In the blink of an eye, his entire person seemed to become the pinnacle of Heaven and Earth.
Meng Hao couldn’t really describe exactly what he was feeling. It was as if in this instant, the old man had become the Heavens. And yet, he was not cold, but instead filled with deep kindness and warmth. It was as if he were a mountain that could shield against wind and rain alike.
Meng Hao bowed his head and got down on his knees.
As he was kneeling, he could not see how everything above him in the sky had stopped moving. The clouds were still. The birds no longer flitted about. The earth did not quake, but everything within the city grew silent.
“As my apprentice, you only kowtow twice in life, at least in the true sense of the word. The first time is upon becoming an apprentice. This kowtow sows Karma with me, whereupon our fates are intertwined. If you do not break this connection, then neither shall I! As for the second kowtow, wait until you come to your senses, then come ask me about it, and I will tell you.
“The first kowtow upon becoming an apprentice is actually divided into three further kowtows, those of the Innocence, the Roaming, and the Sunset Gazing. Your kowtow today is the kowtow of Innocence.”
Meng Hao didn’t really understand. However, he placed his hands onto the ground and kowtowed deeply.
With this kowtow, the sky sprung back into motion. The winds and the clouds swept along. The birds flew!
With this kowtow, the earth shook, as past events flitted dream-like through the minds of all the living creatures.
With this kowtow, past life Karma, future Karma, present life…. If you do not sever it, then I shall not sever it!