Chapter 97

As the sun rose and set, and the flowers bloomed and withered, Lu Zheng turned fifteen, and Xin'er was now thirteen. After completing the archery and charioteering rites, Li Yi did not teach Lu Zheng anything else. Over the past year, apart from practicing calligraphy, Li Yi only allowed Lu Zheng to read books from the four large bookshelves in the classroom, but only those on the shelf marked with the wooden sign "Human World."

Lu Zheng had an excellent memory and read through the books on the shelf one by one. He discovered that this shelf contained all kinds of books collected from the human world, ranging from historical records to poetry collections of literati from various dynasties of Huaxu, as well as many miscellaneous talks and anecdotes. No wonder it was marked with the words "Human World."

Reading these books broadened Lu Zheng's horizons and made him seem more mature. In particular, some of the poems were filled with sorrow over the passing of spring and autumn, and expressed deep emotions. As Lu Zheng grew older, he often felt a stirring in his heart when reading them.

In addition to his daily studies, Lu Zheng would practice the zither, ride horses, shoot arrows, play chess with Mr. Le, or learn cooking from his teacher. Sometimes, he would tend to the nameless seedling with Xin'er. His days were full and satisfying, and when he thought about his past life in the City God Temple, it seemed like a dream.

However, despite the comfortable life, there was one thing that always weighed on Lu Zheng's mind: avenging Tang Xiaojiu. Although he was no longer consumed by grief over Tang Xiaojiu, the desire for revenge only grew stronger with each passing day. He often dreamed of Tang Xiaojiu, covered in blood, asking him when he would avenge him. Each time he woke up, his heart would race, and he couldn't fall back asleep, sitting on the bed until dawn.

But how could he avenge Tang Xiaojiu without learning supernatural powers? The enemy was a snake demon. Even though he could shoot arrows with perfect accuracy, could he kill a snake demon? Moreover, Xin'er's father was also killed by a demon. If he didn't have the skills, what would happen if Xin'er or he himself encountered a demon in the future?

Every time he thought about this, Lu Zheng would be filled with anxiety, and his desire to learn supernatural powers grew stronger. He even wished he could immediately master the most powerful spells. However, his teacher only taught him reading, writing, and etiquette, never mentioning supernatural powers. When he casually brought it up with Mr. Le, Mr. Le quickly changed the subject, making it clear that he didn't want to teach Lu Zheng.

Since no one would teach him, Lu Zheng decided to look for books on the shelves marked "Buddhist Sect" and "Taoist Sect." The shelf marked "Human World" contained books from the human world, so these shelves marked "Buddhist Sect" and "Taoist Sect" must contain books from those sects. Besides, every time he tried to read from these shelves, he was hit by the戒方 (Jiefang, a wooden stick used for discipline). Clearly, his teacher valued these books greatly. He had been hit by Jiefang before, but perhaps he wouldn't be hit now.

With this in mind, Lu Zheng waited for an opportunity when his teacher was not around and reached for a book on one of these shelves. Unfortunately, he was still hit by Jiefang, causing him pain and frustration. He tried to ask his teacher several times but was always too intimidated by his stone-like face to speak. He tried seven times and retreated silently each time.

In Lu Zheng's heart, he was deeply grateful to his teacher and Mr. Le for their kindness. If they were willing to teach him cultivation, it would be an additional favor, but if they didn't, he couldn't blame them. Since he couldn't learn from his teacher or Mr. Le, and reading the books himself was also impossible, Lu Zheng thought of the wandering monk. The monk had once mentioned that Lu Zheng could join his sect. He regretted not having the courage to shave his head and follow the monk, thinking that perhaps he could have convinced the monk to help him avenge Tang Xiaojiu. Now, he didn't even have the chance to shave his head. Mr. Le had once told him that the monk would visit, but the monk had never come to the Sun and Moon Cottage. Lu Zheng realized that while he had a deep affection for the monk, the monk might not have the same regard for him, perhaps having already forgotten about him.

After much contemplation, it seemed that learning supernatural powers was hopeless. Lu Zheng often sat in a corner, lost in thought and worry, his face filled with sorrow. Xin'er noticed and asked several times, but Lu Zheng didn't reveal his desire to learn supernatural powers to avenge Tang Xiaojiu. He only mentioned his dreams about Tang Xiaojiu to avoid the topic.

One day after lunch, Lu Zheng and Xin'er went to weed the nameless seedling. Lu Zheng was preoccupied with thoughts of learning supernatural powers. Remembering the times he and Tang Xiaojiu would return to the City God Temple after a meal, he absentmindedly put a blade of grass in his mouth, a habit they both had.

But just as he took a few steps, he was hit on the head by Jiefang, reminding him that he was not on the way back to the City God Temple but in the Sun and Moon Cottage. His teacher had warned him not to put grass in his mouth. He looked at the grass in his hand, sighed, and threw it into the flower bed.

Xin'er, seeing Lu Zheng being hit, sighed and said, "Little brother, what can I say about you? You're so stupid, still getting hit by that wooden stick. Compared to that stick, you're the real wooden head!"

Lu Zheng rubbed his head, watching Jiefang disappear, and said, "The teacher is really amazing, making that wooden stick so magical!"

Xin'er replied, "Of course, didn't I tell you that the teacher is one of the ten great supernatural experts?"

Lu Zheng remembered that a long time ago, Xin'er had mentioned that both his teacher and Mr. Le were among the top ten experts in the cultivation world. Mr. Le had also mentioned this when telling the story of the teacher in the Hundred Flowers Valley. He had always found his teacher and Mr. Le to be very powerful, but he hadn't paid much attention to it. Now, it piqued his curiosity.

Lu Zheng asked, "Xin'er, who are the ten great supernatural experts? Mr. Le said he ranks higher than the teacher, is that true?"

Xin'er looked around, then pulled Lu Zheng to the depths of the flower bed under the Jinbola flower and whispered, "That's true. In the ranking of the ten great supernatural experts, Uncle Le is fourth, and the teacher is fifth."

She explained that they had discovered that Jiefang never appeared when they spoke in the flower bed. Initially, they were puzzled, but after hearing Mr. Le's story, they learned that the Jinbola flower and the nameless seedling represented the teacher's wife, so they often came here to have private conversations. Now, fearing that Jiefang would appear and scold them, Xin'er quickly led Lu Zheng to the side of the Jinbola flower.

Lu Zheng said, "So Mr. Le really ranks higher than the teacher!"

Xin'er nodded, "Yes, that's what they say in the cultivation world. I heard it from my mother. The ranking is said to be controversial, but the top five are generally accepted."

Lu Zheng asked, "Who ranks higher than the teacher and Mr. Le?"

Xin'er counted on her fingers, "The ranking is like this: the teacher is fifth, Uncle Le is fourth. They are collectively known as the 'Two Holy Sages of Supernatural Powers' or the 'Sun and Moon Masters.' They are called this because both have reached the third stage of transcending the heavens."

Lu Zheng asked, "The third stage of transcending the heavens? What does that mean?"

Xin'er blushed, "Little brother, I don't really know what the third stage of transcending the heavens means. I just heard my mother say it, but it must be very powerful. Oh, right, the third-ranked expert, you've actually met him!"

"Met him? Could the monk be one of the ten great supernatural experts?" Lu Zheng thought of the wandering monk and felt a sense of longing, but the monk had never mentioned the ten great experts.

"No, no, although Master Baku is highly cultivated and is the preceptor of White Tiger Temple on Joyful Mountain, he is not one of the ten great supernatural experts. His master, Venerable Yunye, is," Xin'er corrected.

So the monk was not one of the ten great supernatural experts but the disciple of one. However, to Lu Zheng, the monk's powers were very impressive. Since Xin'er said he wasn't, who else could he have met besides the monk, Mr. Le, and Mr. Li? Lu Zheng scratched his head, wondering why he had no memory of meeting anyone powerful.

"Could it be... that person? Yes, it must be him. Even the monk said he was a great expert!" Lu Zheng scratched his head, thinking it was more and more likely. He couldn't help but recall the black night sky and the white light that had split the sky, a shocking sight.

Seeing him scratching his head, Xin'er laughed, "Little brother, if you keep scratching your head, the ruler will come again!"

Lu Zheng quickly put his hands down, looked around, and was relieved that the ruler didn't appear. He patted his chest and said, "Xin'er, thanks for reminding me! ... Wait, we're under the Jinbola flower. You're just scaring me."

As soon as he said this, he realized that Xin'er was just teasing him. She was now grinning mischievously. Lu Zheng playfully pinched her cheek, saying, "You tricked me..." As he spoke, he felt the smoothness and softness of her cheek, which gave him an inexplicable sense of comfort, making him pause.

Xin'er, whose cheek was being pinched, didn't react as she usually did by shouting and trying to pinch him back. Instead, her face turned red, and she lowered her head, saying softly, "Little brother, be gentle, it hurts."

Lu Zheng suddenly blurted out, "Xin'er, can I hug you?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, both of them were stunned. Xin'er kept her head down, too embarrassed to look up, thinking, "Little brother wants to hug me, how embarrassing! But I used to hug him all the time, why does it feel strange now..."