Chapter 22

Every family has its rules, and every door has its customs. The Wu Xian Sect has been passed down for countless years, though no one knows exactly how long. Despite the decline in talent and the few remaining members, the sect’s rules have always been upheld. If Feng Wenbo were just Feng Gaofeng’s son and not a member of the Wu Xian Sect, it wouldn’t matter much. If Feng Wenbo wished, he could call Xia Yunjie "Uncle Master" out of respect, based on the seniority of his father and Xia Yunjie. Otherwise, he could continue to call Xia Yunjie "Xia Xia." After all, the age gap between them was significant, and Feng Gaofeng had passed away many years ago, making the latter more suitable for modern society.

However, since Feng Wenbo had already joined the Wu Xian Sect, he was a disciple of the sect. As the head of the sect, Xia Yunjie couldn’t afford to be too polite. Upon hearing this, he let go of Feng Wenbo’s hand and looked at the silver-haired professor, feeling uncomfortable as he remembered that he had to call this man "Uncle Master" while the professor would call him by his name.

Feng Wenbo, as a teacher, valued the respect for teachers and the importance of passing down knowledge. Traditional Chinese medicine also placed great emphasis on the lineage of the sect. Therefore, the sudden appearance of a young "Uncle Master" didn’t seem strange to him; instead, he felt excited and moved. After all, the person in front of him was the last disciple of the Grandmaster, who, despite his young age, might possess genuine Wu Xian Sect skills. Even if he didn’t have any real skills, the Grandmaster, having died a natural death, would have passed on some of the sect’s "secrets" to prevent the lineage from being lost. Unlike his father, who died suddenly without leaving anything behind, Feng Wenbo, as a Wu Xian Sect disciple, knew only a bit of medical skills and none of the basic Wu Xian Sect techniques. So, when Xia Yunjie let go of his hand, Feng Wenbo immediately said, "Uncle Master, please wait a moment. I’ll find you some clothes to change into. After you take a shower, we can talk in more detail."

"That’s fine, thank you for your trouble," Xia Yunjie nodded, trying to maintain the demeanor of the sect’s head but feeling a bit embarrassed, he added a polite word.

"Uncle Master, you’re too polite," Feng Wenbo quickly replied, then hurried upstairs to find some clothes for Xia Yunjie, his heart full of joy.

In no time, Feng Wenbo came down with a pile of clothes and a towel, leading Xia Yunjie to the bathroom door. He was about to put the items down himself, but Xia Yunjie had already taken them.

"The underwear is new, and the clothes and towel are my son’s, but they are all clean. Uncle Master, please make do with them for now. If you need anything, just call me," Feng Wenbo said, seeing Xia Yunjie’s actions, and then turned back to the living room to wait.

Feng Wenbo’s son was about the same height as Xia Yunjie, but a bit larger in build. The clothes, though a bit loose, were the right length and of good quality, with careful tailoring and material. As the saying goes, "A man is dressed by his clothes, and a horse by its saddle." Indeed, Xia Yunjie looked more spirited and dignified in the nice clothes. If someone didn’t know his background, they wouldn’t guess he was just a bartender.

Seeing Xia Yunjie come out of the bathroom, Feng Wenbo, who had been waiting anxiously, hurried over and smiled, "Uncle Master, do these clothes fit well?"

"Very well, very well. To be honest, I’ve never worn such good clothes," Xia Yunjie said modestly.

Hearing this, Feng Wenbo remembered that Xia Yunjie’s previous clothes were very simple and couldn’t help but wonder what his "Uncle Master" did for a living. According to his thinking, since Xia Yunjie was the last disciple of the Grandmaster, even if he was young and hadn’t fully mastered the skills, he should be much stronger than ordinary people and live a comfortable life. How could he look so financially strained?

However, it wasn’t the right time to ask such questions. Feng Wenbo smiled and changed the topic, "Uncle Master, please sit down and have a piece of watermelon to quench your thirst. This melon is from my own garden."

Saying this, Feng Wenbo picked up a slice of watermelon and politely handed it to Xia Yunjie. Xia Yunjie, thinking he was the head of the sect and Feng Wenbo was a disciple, didn’t want to be too polite, so he reached out to take the watermelon.

As Xia Yunjie reached for the watermelon, Feng Wenbo’s gaze fell on his hand. At the lakeside earlier, Feng Wenbo had been focused on Xia Yunjie’s movements and hadn’t noticed the ring on his little finger. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have associated it with the symbol of the Wu Xian Sect’s head. But this time, Feng Wenbo noticed the ring and was so shocked that he almost dropped the watermelon. Fortunately, Xia Yunjie was quick and caught it.

As a Wu Xian Sect disciple, even though Feng Wenbo was young when he joined, he knew that the ring was the symbol of the sect’s head. Whoever possessed the ring was the head of the Wu Xian Sect and had the power of life and death over the disciples.

Xia Yunjie took the watermelon and sat down to eat it. But just as he was about to take a bite, Feng Wenbo knelt down and said, "Feng Wenbo, a disciple of the Wu Xian Sect, greets the head of the sect..."

Seeing this, Xia Yunjie quickly reached out to support Feng Wenbo’s arm, "Times have changed, and you are older, so there’s no need to..."

"Although that’s true, the rules of the sect cannot be abandoned. Please allow me to perform this formal greeting this time. In the future, when there are many people around, we can be more casual," Feng Wenbo insisted.

Seeing Feng Wenbo’s determination, Xia Yunjie had no choice but to comply. He straightened up and sat on the sofa, accepting Feng Wenbo’s respectful bow, and then helped him up.

After helping Feng Wenbo up, Xia Yunjie sat down again and invited him to sit as well, making him feel like the owner of the villa, which made Xia Yunjie feel a bit awkward.

"Hmm, this melon is good," Xia Yunjie said after a few bites, then asked, "When did Master Feng leave?"

"My father passed away during the Anti-Japanese War when I was thirteen years old..." Feng Wenbo, recalling his father, began to recount the events of those days to Xia Yunjie.

After listening, Xia Yunjie sighed, "No wonder the Master mentioned that when he returned to your village two years later, he couldn’t find you. He searched everywhere but couldn’t find any news of Master Feng. He then divined and found that Master Feng was likely deceased, but you were still alive. However, the vast sea made it impossible to find you. He searched for months in Changqian but had to give up in the end."

Hearing that the Grandmaster had searched for him for months in his hometown, Feng Wenbo couldn’t help but remember the kind look on the Grandmaster’s face when he patted his head, and he shed a few tears, "At that time, my father killed many Japanese, and they wanted to exterminate us. I fled to Shanghai and eventually settled in Jiangzhou City after many twists and turns."

"Indeed, it’s a pity that the Master is no longer with us. Otherwise, he would have been very happy to see you again," Xia Yunjie said, feeling a sense of loss.

"Where is the Grandmaster now?" Feng Wenbo sighed and asked.

"He is buried on an unnamed mountain in Shangyang County. If you have time next Qingming Festival, I can take you to pay your respects," Xia Yunjie replied.

Jiangzhou City has five districts and six counties, and Shangyang County is one of them.

Hearing that the Grandmaster had been living in Jiangzhou City all these years, Feng Wenbo couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of regret for missing the chance to meet him.

The two sat in the living room and talked about the lives of Wu Ze and Feng Gaofeng. When they mentioned that Feng Gaofeng had passed away early and left nothing behind, Feng Wenbo couldn’t help but cautiously probe, "Uncle Master, the Grandmaster was an extraordinary person with incredible Wu Xian Sect skills. My father only learned a bit of the basics and managed to save the entire Feng family village from nearly a hundred Japanese soldiers. His medical skills were also remarkable. Unfortunately, I was young and didn’t understand much, and my time in the sect was short. I only learned a fraction of the medical skills and none of the Wu Xian Sect techniques, only some breathing and health practices. Even so, these have been invaluable to me, both in my medical career and in maintaining good health. I always regret not learning more when I was young. Now, it seems that the Grandmaster has blessed me by bringing me to you, Uncle Master."

As he spoke, Feng Wenbo looked at Xia Yunjie with hopeful eyes.

"Indeed, the Grandmaster was an extraordinary person. I was fortunate to receive his guidance for over a decade and learned some skills. Since you are also a disciple of the Wu Xian Sect, if you have any questions about medical skills, I will do my best to help you. However, Master Feng only taught you the basic breathing and health practices and not the subsequent cultivation techniques. Now that you are older and your vitality is declining, it’s too late to start cultivation. I can teach you the subsequent techniques, but your achievements will depend on your own destiny," Xia Yunjie, though introverted and shy, was very intelligent and understood Feng Wenbo’s thoughts.

Feng Wenbo had already given up hope of learning the Wu Xian Sect techniques, as he was too old to benefit from them. Besides, what could he do with them? His father’s skills, though impressive, couldn’t save him from a bullet. What Feng Wenbo cared about most was medical skills, which could save lives and benefit society, and also bring fame and fortune. Moreover, promoting the Wu Xian Sect’s medical skills was a long-held wish of his and a way to honor his father’s memory. Hearing Xia Yunjie’s words, he was overjoyed, "Thank you, Uncle Master. I am too old to hope for cultivation, but I only wish to improve my medical skills."

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