Chapter 43: Ginger Is Spicier When It's Old

Zhao Zhen twitched the corner of his mouth. No wonder he felt something was off the moment he stepped into the courtyard.

Logically speaking, even if the Celestial Master truly intended to punish his own disciple, he would never do so right in front of an arriving guest.

Yet Zhang Jingqing had done precisely that, and he had done it right before Zhao Zhen's eyes.

At first, Zhao Zhen hadn't thought much of it. He figured he would just do Zhang之维 (Zhang Zhiwei) a casual favor, open his mouth to intercede, and spare him this seemingly painless reprimand. It would also give him an acquaintance to show him around the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Never in his wildest dreams did Zhao Zhen expect that the master and disciple were putting on a "bitter flesh trick" just for him!

Zhang Jingqing had disciplined Zhang Zhiwei the moment he walked through the door, only to let him off the hook through Zhao Zhen's intercession.

This way, even if other disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion rushed over later to challenge him, Zhang Jingqing would already have a readymade shield.

*Look, didn't I already punish that wretched disciple Zhang Zhiwei for you? You were the one who said you didn't mind his big mouth, weren't you?*

Ginger really is spicier the older it gets.

At this thought, the look Zhao Zhen cast toward Zhang Zhiwei turned somewhat unfriendly.

So, was Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing just that old and cunning, or was this whole thing a scheme the master and disciple had concocted beforehand?

If it were merely Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing trying to keep his mouth shut, that would be one thing. After all, this was basically a passionate shonen story featuring old folks; if you get outsmarted by these old guys, you just chalk it up to experience and learn your lesson.

But if Zhang Zhiwei—despite his thick brows and big eyes—was actually plotting against him behind his back, then today's matter wouldn't be brushed aside so easily...

Regardless of the outcome, he would first have to get through the present "crisis."

Just as Zhao Zhen was turning these thoughts over in his mind, Zhang Zhiwei suddenly turned his head and shouted toward the rear:

"Alright, stop hiding! He spotted you ages ago!"

No sooner had Zhang Zhiwei finished speaking than dark figures began to shift behind Zhao Zhen, who had previously been standing in an empty space. In a matter of moments, a large group of Celestial Master's Mansion disciples clad in Daoist robes had surrounded him.

"So this is the Zhao Zhen who beat Zhiwei?"

"Tsk, you really can't tell just by looking at him~"

"I heard he actually threw Zhiwei straight up into the sky. Hahaha, that is truly a rarity. Who would have thought Zhiwei would ever get taken down a peg by someone of the same generation!"

"You guys are missing the point. Just look at Beneficiary Zhao's solid cultivation of life and nature; there are probably very few on the mountain who can compare to him."

"That's for sure. Without genuine skill, how could he possibly have gotten Senior Brother Zhiwei talking about that battle all afternoon?"

"Beneficiary Zhao, if you ask me, you were way too merciful that day. I heard from Zhiwei that your Golden Escaping Light can instantly teleport several hundred miles. How come you only threw Senior Brother Zhiwei up a few dozen zhang that day?

Who in the entire Celestial Master's Mansion doesn't know that, aside from the Master himself, my Senior Brother Zhiwei has the sturdiest Golden Light? A mere few dozen zhang is just a walk in the park for him, isn't it?"

"Exactly! Next time, I strongly suggest sending him up another dozen zhang just to test the waters. We junior brothers are all quite curious about how much fall damage Zhiwei's Golden Light Incantation can actually withstand, right?"

"Right!!"

"Hahaha, I'd love to see that too!"

...

Listening to his fellow disciples banter about him in front of an outsider, Zhang Zhiwei's face flashed with a look of utter helplessness.

"Alas, so much for all the nice things I usually do for you lot. Every single one of you just sits around thinking of ways to drop me to my death..."

"Hahaha, don't be upset, Senior Brother Zhiwei. We junior brothers are simply excited to see someone of equal caliber. After all, after so many years on the mountain, not a single person has ever managed to humble you, so naturally we find it fascinating."

Amidst the crowd, a small Daoist with a square face stepped forward with a chuckle and slung an arm over Zhang Zhiwei's shoulder.

"Jinzhong, how did you manage to get over here too?" Zhang Zhiwei glanced at Tian Jinzhong with a look of annoyance.

"What's that supposed to mean? I came over naturally to catch a glimpse of the divine being who fought our dear senior brother to a draw. What, the other junior brothers are allowed to see him, but I'm not?"

Zhang Zhiwei didn't reply; he just looked back somewhat sheepishly at Zhao Zhen behind him.

"Sorry about this, Old Zhao. Come, let me make some introductions."

"These are all my junior brothers. This is Jinzhong."

"Greetings, Beneficiary Zhao." Tian Jinzhong smiled faintly and offered a very polite bow.

"Greetings, Daoist Tian."

"This is Zeming."

"Greetings, Beneficiary Zhao."

"This is Jiang Rui."

...

After introducing his junior brothers one by one, Zhang Zhiwei turned his head and addressed the surrounding disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion: "Alright, you've all had a look. Shouldn't you lot be getting back to whatever you were doing?"

"Oh, Senior Brother Zhiwei, we've followed you two all this way. You've practically finished showing Beneficiary Zhao around the entire Celestial Master's Mansion by now. Since the tour is just about over, shouldn't we invite our guest to sit down and rest a while?"

"Exactly! Is there any reason to keep a visitor standing the whole time?"

"Zhiwei, look at you. It's almost dinnertime, and you haven't even invited Beneficiary Zhao to join us for some vegetarian temple food? Where are your manners? Is that how Master taught you to behave in the past?"

...

Though these disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion didn't say it outright, Zhao Zhen could more or less guess what they were after.

It was no different from later generations on Mount Longhu during the Luo Tian Dajiao, when Wang Ye defeated Zhuge Qing, and those three "Zhuge fools" went to challenge Wang Ye.

They were all practitioners, and facing a peer who had fought Zhang Zhiwei to a standstill, these disciples who had long lived under Zhang Zhiwei's shadow naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to personally test their mettle against him.

However, since they were all people of the Celestial Master's Mansion, they still had to observe basic etiquette, which was why they resorted to beating around the bush and inviting him to dinner first.

Once the wine had flowed three times and the dishes had been tasted, extending an invitation for a friendly spar would come off as entirely natural.

Even though he knew these fellows harbored ulterior motives, Zhao Zhen's original intention in coming here was to stay in the Celestial Master's Mansion for a short while anyway.

As the saying goes, those who take gifts from others feel short of hand, and those who eat their food feel soft of tongue.

Since Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing had made Zhang Zhiwei "take the fall" to shut him up the moment he arrived, he presumably intended for his disciples to spar with guests.

Since that was the case, he might as well humor the old man's wishes.

With this thought, Zhao Zhen decided to see through the ruse without exposing it. Pretending to be completely oblivious, he fell in line with everyone's arrangements.

"Since you are all so kind, I thank you fellow Daoists for your hospitality."

"Not at all~"

"You're too polite~"

"Let's go, stop standing there, Zhiwei. Why aren't you leading the way for Beneficiary Zhao?"

"You got it, let's head out..."