“You’re not fat, you’re thick-skinned…” Puppet Lao couldn’t help but say
Mr. Zhuang denied:
“No way, I’ve always been so thick-skinned.”
The old man sighed, stopped messing around with him, and asked about business: “Have you figured out how to stop being involved in cause and effect?”
Mr. Zhuang nodded and said, “Think about it.”
The old man looked at him silently.
Mr. Zhuang took a sip of wine and said calmly:
“Cause and effect are established. Just like this wine, you can’t stop drinking it if you want to. As long as you drink wine, you will inevitably get the smell of wine.”
“Since you can’t avoid it, let’s use other causes and effects to confuse it.”
“If you confuse the smell of wine, others may not be able to smell it; if you confuse the cause and effect, others may not be able to detect it.”
Confusing cause and effect…
The old man frowned and thought about it, then he understood, but he still said: “If you do this, won’t you make the cause and effect more complicated?”
“It’s not me who makes things complicated…”
Mr. Zhuang shook his head, then looked far away into the courtyard.
Under the big locust tree in the courtyard, the three disciples were enjoying themselves.
Mo Hua and Bai Zisheng didn’t know what they were talking about. Bai Zixi’s beautiful eyes were slightly bright, and she listened quietly to the side, occasionally showing a smile as light as a crescent moon.
Mr. Zhuang’s eyes were profound, “But there are some causes and effects that already exist.”
……
The next day, Mo Hua visited Mr. Zhuang as usual, bringing a lot of food in large and small boxes.
“Sir, my mother asked me to bring it to you to try!”
Mo Hua’s tone was cheerful and his eyes were as clear as stars.
The morning sun is bright and the room has a clear glow.
Mr. Zhuang looked at the ink painting, his face suddenly became gentle, and he said softly: “Mo Hua, are you willing to be my disciple?”
Mo Hua was slightly startled, “Am I not already your disciple?”
Mr. Zhuang shook his head, “Not a registered disciple, but a direct disciple!”
Mo Hua was stunned.
He opened his mouth wide, in disbelief for a moment, thinking he heard wrongly.
“Personally…personally?”
Mr. Zhuang smiled slightly and nodded gently.
Mo Hua was overjoyed, but then he asked cautiously: “Sir, won’t you regret accepting me as your personal disciple? My spiritual roots are very poor…”
Mr. Zhuang laughed and said: “It doesn’t matter…”
Mo Hua thought he was dreaming again, but even if he was dreaming, he had to agree to such a thing.
Mo Hua was about to agree, but was stopped by Mr. Zhuang.
Mr. Zhuang solemnly said: “You have to think carefully.”
“Is there anything to consider?”
Mo Hua frowned, not understanding what to consider.
Mr. Zhuang said: “I am leaving Tongxian City. If you become my teacher and learn formations from me, you will follow me to travel around the world.”
“Yunyou doesn’t know Shiyue. You need to discuss it with your parents and consider their feelings before deciding whether to become a disciple.”
Mr. Zhuang is considerate and thoughtful.
Mo Hua’s small brows were knitted together, very tangled.
He wanted to become a disciple of Mr. Zhuang and learn more advanced formations, but he was reluctant to leave his parents for fear that they would worry.
Mr. Zhuang said gently: “Go back and ask your parents, think about it carefully, and then give me an answer.”
“Um.”
Mo Hua nodded solemnly.
After returning home, Mo Hua told his parents about the incident.
Both Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua looked happy, but then they both hesitated.
Mo Shan frowned, and just when he was about to say something, Liu Ruhua said firmly: “Hua’er, you should take Mr. Zhuang as your teacher.”
Mo Hua was slightly startled, “But…”
But once he becomes a disciple, he will leave with Mr. Zhuang. He doesn’t know when he can come back and when he can see his parents again…
Liu Ruhua looked gentle, shook his head and said, “You don’t have to think about it so much. If you succeed in the formation, the world is vast and you can go anywhere. Don’t care about the temporary separation.”
“Being able to learn formations from Mr. Zhuang is a great opportunity, don’t miss it!”
“We are just casual cultivators with no reputation and no profit. Despite this, Mr. Zhuang is still willing to accept you as his disciple. This is a great kindness.”
“We can’t repay this kindness.”
“You take Mr. Zhuang as your teacher, serve him around, and show your devotion to Mr. Zhuang…”
Liu Ruhua’s tone was gentle but firm.
Mo Shan also nodded and said, “Just listen to your mother.”
“Okay, I remember!”
Mo Hua nodded seriously.
After Mo Hua returned to the room, Liu Ruhua’s firm expression disappeared and he became hesitant and anxious again, worrying about gains and losses.
Mo Shan held her hand and said softly: “Can’t you bear it?”
Liu Ruhua’s eyes were slightly sour and she nodded.
How can I let go of the child who has been with me since childhood, and who is so well-behaved and considerate…
I just don’t want to give it up and there’s nothing I can do about it.
Liu Ruhua sighed, “Hua’er has learned the formation so well, there is no one in Tongxian City who can teach him. If he stays here for the rest of his life, it will probably be difficult for him to make any progress…”
“Parents who love their children have far-reaching plans…”
“I can’t delay his future just because I’m reluctant to give up.”
Mo Shan was also reluctant to let go, but he didn’t show it. He just smiled and comforted: “Don’t worry, it’s just a wandering. It’s not like you won’t come back. Who hasn’t traveled when they were young?”
“Perhaps he will come back after a few years?”
“When the time comes, I might even be able to bring you a little wife back.”
Liu Ruhua laughed through tears and said angrily: “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Seeing that his wife looked much better, Mo Shan held her hand tightly and said comfortingly: “No matter where he wanders, he will come back one day. As parents, we can just wait here for him…”
Liu Ruhua’s mood gradually calmed down and she nodded silently.
……
The next day, Mo Hua went to see Mr. Zhuang again. Remembering his parents’ instructions, he bowed respectfully and said in a clear voice: “I’m not very talented in Mo Hua. I hope Mr. Zhu will accept me as his disciple!”
Mr. Zhuang was stunned.
Obviously he wanted to recruit a disciple, but Mo Hua came to be his disciple respectfully…
Mr. Zhuang felt warm in his heart. He stepped forward to help Mo Hua up and dusted his clothes, “Don’t give such a big gift, it’s too intrusive…”
Mo Hua narrowed his eyes and smiled.
Seeing Mo Hua’s innocent smile, Mr. Zhuang also smiled gently, feeling relieved.
No matter what, he finally accepted this apprentice.
No matter how the world changes, how cause and effect change, this thing will never change.
Now that things have been determined, there is no need to hesitate or hesitate, just move forward firmly.
Mr. Zhuang suddenly felt much more relaxed.
It seems that so many years of wandering have finally found a solution, and so many years of depression and frustration have all gone with the wind.
Mo Hua was happy for a while, then suddenly thought of something and became a little confused.
He quietly asked: “Sir, how many apprentices do you plan to have?”
Mr. Zhuang looked at him with a faint smile, “What do you want to ask?”
Mo Hua felt it was not appropriate, so he hesitated, and then asked: “Where are Zisheng and Zixi, won’t you accept them?”
Everyone is a registered disciple together. If they are the only ones to worship Mr. Zhuang as their teacher, then they will probably feel uncomfortable…
Mr. Zhuang smiled and said: “They have good qualifications and have some connections with me. I will accept them.”
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief and was very happy.
In this way, if we all become registered disciples together, and then become direct disciples together, we are truly fellow disciples.
Mo Hua then thought again. Zi Sheng and Zi Xi were extremely talented and had a good family background. Perhaps Mr. Zhuang had long wanted to accept them as his disciples.
In comparison, I was born with a weak body, weak spiritual roots, and came from a poor family. However, my spiritual consciousness was stronger and I could draw formations better.
It should be natural for Mr. Zhuang to accept Zi Sheng Zixi as his disciple, but accepting him is a bit like “making up the numbers”.
But Mo Hua didn’t care, he was very happy that Mr. Zhuang was willing to accept him as his disciple.
After Mo Hua left happily, Mr. Zhuang called Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi again and asked straight to the point: “Would you like to worship me as your teacher?”
Bai Zisheng and both of them were also stunned.
After a while, Bai Zisheng looked excited, and Bai Zixi also looked happy.
They originally thought that Mr. Zhuang would not accept them, but they did not expect that things turned around in the end and Mr. Zhuang actually agreed to accept them as his disciples.
The two men immediately saluted and said respectfully:
“Meet the Master.”
Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly and said, “Get up.”
The two stood up respectfully again.
Mr. Zhuang said: “Let’s burn incense and serve tea on a certain day, and then formally become my disciple.”
“Your mother should know the rest of the matter, and she has told you about it.”
Mr. Zhuang’s eyes were obscure, “Since I agreed to accept you as my disciples, I will naturally teach you what I should teach you, and I will also have an explanation for her.”
Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi nodded in agreement.
All they need to do is become apprentices, and there is no need to worry about anything else.
Before you become a disciple, you should follow your mother’s arrangements. After you become a disciple, you should follow Mr. Zhuang’s arrangements.
The brothers and sisters actually have no control over what happens here.
In other words, when it comes to the affairs of aristocratic families, their disciples, even if they are direct descendants with outstanding talents, often cannot make the decision.
The more important something is, the less room there is for change.
After giving brief instructions, Mr. Zhuang let them go back.
Bai Zixi was careful after all. He hesitated for a moment before leaving, and then asked: “Sir, Mo Hua…”
Before Bai Zixi finished speaking, Bai Zisheng reacted and asked helpfully:
“Sir, will you accept ink painting as your disciple?”
We all became registered disciples together, and now they all worshiped Mr. Zhuang as their teacher. If Mo Hua was missing, even if he didn’t say it, he would definitely feel uncomfortable.
Mr. Zhuang was startled, feeling inexplicably happy in his heart, and nodded: “Yes!”
This time the two of them were even happier.
Bai Zisheng looked excited, and Bai Zixi also smiled lightly. His smile was like an epiphyllum blooming in the night, beautiful and stunning.
When Mr. Zhuang saw this, he sighed in his heart:
This child actually looks even better than her mother.
I don’t know if it will be a good thing in the future…
(End of chapter)