My Apprenticeship to Uncle Jiu: I Was a Warlord in the Republic of China

Ren Fa frowned and said nothing. Uncle Jiu said, "Master Ren, don't worry. As the saying goes, you should not have the intention to harm others, but you must be on guard against others. Just be more careful in the future. Those who practice Taoism are not immortals, and they can't cast spells out of thin air."

Ren Fa felt somewhat comforted after hearing this, and then asked, "I wonder what a practitioner needs to cast a spell to harm people?"

Uncle Jiu said, "The best is the date of birth, the next best is blood, hair, nails, and handprints, and the worst is underwear."

Upon hearing this, Ren Fa became worried again. The birth date and horoscope were not easy to obtain, but the other information was not difficult to obtain if one really wanted to.

So he asked, "I wonder if Uncle Jiu has any way to stop him from using evil magic and protect me from being ambushed."

Uncle Jiu thought for a while and said, "I can draw a few talismans for Master Ren, and Master Ren can carry them with him."

Ren Fa was overjoyed and said, "Then please ask Uncle Jiu to make a few more sets. I want to ask for a few sets for my daughter Tingting as well."

Uncle Jiu said, "Okay, okay, but it's too late today and I don't have the right materials. Why don't I go back to the charity cemetery tomorrow and talk about it later?"

Ren Fa said, "That's as it should be. My house happens to have a few empty rooms. Uncle Jiu and my nephew can stay here first. We can talk about it tomorrow if there is anything else."

Afterwards Jiang Li thanked Uncle Jiu and went back to his room to rest.

At this time, a man in black was standing on the roof in the distance. He witnessed the whole process and said in an old voice, "Damn Taoist priest, you ruined my business. If I find the chance, I will skin you alive and train you into a puppet. You will never be reincarnated."

..

At eight o'clock the next morning, Jiang Li and Uncle Jiu started practicing Maoshan Zhengyang Fist in the Ren family's yard. The yard had been basically cleaned, but the smoky ground and walls still needed to be cleaned several times.

As for Qiu Sheng and Wencai, one went back to his aunt's house while the other was still sleeping in.

At this time, Ren Fa also got up. As soon as he went out, he saw his daughter Ren Tingting hiding on the second floor and peeking. He stuck his head out and saw that it was Uncle Jiu and his disciples practicing boxing.

He immediately understood what his daughter was looking at, so he walked over, patted his daughter who was absorbed in watching and said, "My dear daughter, what are you doing? If you want to see it, just stand up and look boldly. Why do you have to be so sneaky?"

Ren Tingting was already feeling guilty after being slapped by her father for peeking, and when she heard him say that, her whole face immediately turned red to her ears, and she explained in a panic, "No, no, I didn't peek."

Ren Fa knew what was going on when he saw his daughter's expression, and he said, "Forget it. I thought Jiang Li was a good guy, and I wanted to ask him indirectly if he was interested in you. Since my dear daughter doesn't have such an interest, I won't ask."

He was about to go downstairs when he finished speaking, but Ren Tingting grabbed him and stammered, "Dad...just ask whatever you want to ask."

The second half of the sentence was almost inaudible. Ren Fa smiled and said, "My dear daughter, I didn't hear what you said clearly. Please say it again."

Ren Tingting pinched the corner of her clothes and blushed as she said, "Dad, just ask whatever you want to ask!"

Ren Fa teased again, "Is it me who wants to ask or you who wants to ask?"

Ren Tingting stamped her feet and said, "Dad, you are so annoying. If you continue like this, I will ignore you."

Ren Fa then smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. I also think that boy is not bad. His knowledge, conversation and way of dealing with people are rare among his peers. If he is my son-in-law, he would be okay."

Ren Tingting said angrily, "What son-in-law? You haven't even asked him yet, and you're just guessing."

Ren Fa said, "So he has no objection, so you have no objection either. If so, I will be able to hold my grandson next year, hahahaha."

After saying that, he ignored Ren Tingting, who was so embarrassed that she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, and went downstairs directly.

Uncle Jiu and Jiang Li were practicing boxing when they suddenly heard Ren Fa's loud laughter. They were completely confused, but they continued practicing boxing without stopping.

Soon Ren Fa had breakfast prepared and invited Uncle Jiu and Jiang Li to eat together. Seeing that it was almost time, Uncle Jiu took the opportunity to eat breakfast with Ren Fa.

As soon as we sat down at the table, Uncle Jiu asked, "I just heard Master Ren's laughter. Do you have any good news?"

Ren Fa smiled and said, "No, no, it's just that I couldn't help laughing when I thought about seeing the sun again. I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Uncle Jiu."

Uncle Jiu smiled and said, "Master Ren, you are too polite. This is the first time you have encountered such a thing. It is inevitable that you are happy that you have solved it properly. How could I make fun of you!"

Ren Fa nodded and agreed, "Yes, yes, yes, I am indeed very happy with the ending of this matter, but I still have to ask Uncle Jiu to find a Feng Shui treasure land for my father, so that I, as a son, can fulfill my filial duty."

Uncle Jiu put down his bowl and chopsticks and said with a smile, "Of course, but Master Ren may have to wait a few days. After all, such a good acupuncture point is hard to come by."

Ren Fa smiled and said, "It's okay, it's okay. I just want to hold this buffet for a few more days to accumulate some good karma for my father!"

After the three of them finished breakfast, Uncle Jiu said goodbye to deal with the old man's follow-up matters. Jiang Li originally wanted to go with him, but was stopped by Ren Fa, who said that he still had some questions and wanted to consult him. Jiang Li had no choice but to agree.

After Uncle Jiu left, Ren Fa asked, "How should I address you from now on? Nephew or Master Jiang?"

Jiang Li smiled and replied, "Master Ren, it's up to you. Xiao Jiang, Xiao Li, or A Li will do. Anyway, my master and parents all call me A Li."

Ren Fa smiled and said, "Then I'll call you Ali, and you don't have to call me Master Ren. Calling me Uncle Ren is more intimate."

Jiang Li took the opportunity to say, "Then I will shamelessly call you Uncle Ren."

Ren Fa smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I want to ask which branch of Taoism your Maoshan Sect belongs to, and what are the rules and teachings of the sect. I hope I don't break any taboos."

Jiang Li heard this and replied, "My Maoshan belongs to the Shangqing lineage. The religious rules are all about guiding people to be good and not stealing or committing adultery. As for the taboos, you need to avoid eating beef, dog meat, turtle, wild goose, and black fish. There is nothing else to pay attention to."

When Ren Fa heard about not committing adultery, he frowned and said, "This does not mean you can't marry or have children. I'm afraid that's against human ethics!"

Jiang Li smiled and said, "Master Ren asked the same question as my father. I thought so at the time, but according to Master, except for the head of the sect, we Maoshan disciples are not prohibited from marrying, but we are not allowed to have casual relationships with men and women."

Ren Fa immediately relaxed his brows and smiled when he heard this. "I see. I remember your family seemed to be the landlords in Lijia Town. I wonder if you are married now, or if you have a lover or are engaged."

When Jiang Li heard Ren Fa's words, he knew what the father and daughter of the Ren family meant. He said with some embarrassment, "To be honest, I have a good impression of Miss Ren, but I am in trouble right now, so it is not good to provoke Tingting."

At this time, Ren Tingting suddenly stood up from behind the stairs and said, "Brother Jiang, what trouble do you have? Can I help you?"