The Wudang Junior Master

The morning light is faint.

Zhang Lingyu knelt quietly on the futon in the room all night without moving.

Until the sun's rays climbed up his white Taoist robe, like melted snow, there was a slight movement.

squeak-

The door was opened, and Rongshan and Tian Jinzhong were looking inside from outside.

Seeing Zhang Lingyu still kneeling there, Tian Jinzhong sighed: "Lingyu, have breakfast first."

I thought Zhang Lingyu would not answer, but unexpectedly the voice came from that room.

"Uncle, Brother, I want to...eat duck legs."

Rong Shan was stunned: "Duck legs? So early in the morning..."

Tian Jinzhong interrupted Rongshan and said with a smile, "Duck legs are good, Rongshan. I remember there are some left in the kitchen last night. Go and bring some to Lingyu."

"Hey, that's good."

Breakfast was a bowl of pumpkin porridge, some side dishes, and a large duck leg that I brought specially.

Zhang Lingyu ate very quickly, and Rong Shan's eyebrows kept twitching when he saw him eating.

He suspected that there was something wrong with his junior fellow apprentice, as the way he ate was completely different from before.

But Tian Jinzhong looked at it happily, as if he was not surprised by this and was even very satisfied.

Snapped!

The duck bones were thrown into the plate, and Zhang Lingyu drank the pumpkin porridge in one breath and ate it all.

"How's it going? Are you full?"

Zhang Lingyu slowly raised his head, just in time to meet the sunlight shining in from the window. His eyes shed the haze of the night and flashed with bright flames.

"Well, I'm full. Thank you, uncle and brother, for your concern."

Zhang Lingyu first thanked him, then asked, "Uncle Master, where is Master?"

Tian Jinzhong said: "I'm waiting for you. I came here to check on you."

Zhang Lingyu apologized, "I'm sorry, Uncle Master, for making Master and everyone worried."

Tian Jinzhong smiled and said, "It's nothing. When practicing, you will always encounter various difficulties. It's good that you can figure it out."

"Ah."

"Go, your master is waiting for you."

Outside the room.

Zhang Lingyu knocked on the door and only pushed it open and walked in after hearing the old Taoist's voice.

The old Heavenly Master was sitting on a cushion. When he saw him come in, he smiled and said, "Lingyu, you're here."

"Master, I'm sorry to have caused you so much worry."

"It seems that you have figured it out on your own. Very good. I am relieved now."

"Master." Zhang Lingyu hesitated for a moment, "I plan to continue my cultivation on the mountain instead of leaving the mountain to travel."

"Oh?"

"My disciple's cultivation is still shallow and I am not good enough. I want to continue practicing and consolidating it before I can travel again."

The old Taoist priest nodded and said, "It's up to you to decide. I respect your choice."

"Also..." Zhang Lingyu said seriously, "Disciple would like to have another conversation with Junior Brother Wuling."

"Why?" asked the old Taoist priest.

"I want to know how big the gap is between me and him..."

Fearing that his master would think he was being too competitive, Zhang Lingyu continued, "I haven't been able to react to yesterday's competition yet. If I could have more exchanges and discussions with Junior Brother Wuling, I'm sure I'd be able to see more of my own shortcomings, which would help clarify the direction for my future cultivation."

The old Taoist priest teased, "Lingyu, aren't you afraid of being slapped and made to cry again?"

Zhang Lingyu was a little embarrassed. He didn't expect that his master had already started teasing him about this matter.

"I will ask Junior Brother Wuling to show some mercy. I would also like to ask Master for help in speaking to Senior Zhou."

The old Taoist priest stroked his beard and smiled. He was not surprised by Zhang Lingyu's request. At the same time, he also saw that there was something in his disciple's eyes that was not there before.

Perhaps, Zhang Lingyu is not perfect yet, and there are still some shortcomings in his cultivation and character.

But the old master did not expect his disciples to reach his level overnight.

The road ahead is long and arduous, but we must keep searching. As long as we are determined, we will reach our destination one day.

Outside the Tianshi Mansion, there is a rock on the mountain.

Zhang Wuling sat here, gazing at the mountains from afar. He remained motionless under the scorching sun, like a black tortoise lying on the ground, or a tiger crouching on the ground.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Zhang Wuling turned around, but his body did not move at all.

"Wuling, how is the scenery of Longhu Mountain?"

"Master? Old Taoist Priest? Why are you two here?" Zhang Wuling quickly stood up and saluted.

Zhou Meng stood with his hands behind his back, glanced at the old Taoist priest next to him, and said, "Boy, we have some things to discuss during this period. I'm afraid we don't have time to take care of you little brats for the time being."

"The old Heavenly Master just came to see me and told me that you and Zhang Lingyu should practice as Taoist companions for a while."

Zhang Wuling glanced at Zhang Lingyu who was standing beside the old Taoist priest and nodded, "Master, I'm fine."

The old Heavenly Master stepped forward and said with a smile, "Wuling, although Lingyu is older than you, there is no limit to learning, and the one who is more accomplished is the teacher. I hope you can give Lingyu more guidance."

Zhang Wuling replied, "I dare not. I also want to learn from Senior Brother Lingyu."

"Okay, let the younger generations get along with each other. Old Lu and the others are still waiting for us." Zhou Meng reminded.

The old Taoist priest nodded and said to Zhang Lingyu, "Lingyu, you can go to the waterfall in the back mountain to practice. It's quiet there and there won't be outsiders to disturb you. I will have food delivered there regularly."

"Yes, thank you, Master." Zhang Lingyu said.

After giving the instructions, the old Taoist priest and Zhou Meng left together.

Zhang Wuling stepped forward, extended his hand, and smiled brightly: "Brother Lingyu, I'm sorry about yesterday. Are you okay?"

Zhang Lingyu glanced at the hand Zhang Wuling offered, then extended his own hand. "It's alright, I made a fool of myself yesterday."

Hiss——what a strong hand!

Zhang Lingyu raised his eyebrows and calmly withdrew his hand, but he was surprised at Zhang Wuling's strength.

Even without exerting any special force, ordinary strength is much greater than his.

Zhang Wuling smiled and said, "I'm glad you're alright. Otherwise, I'd feel really bad."

Zhang Lingyu didn't believe it. If he really felt bad, he wouldn't be in the mood to come here to see the scenery.

"Junior Brother Wuling, let me take you to the back mountain."

"Okay."

The two walked along the mountain path, heading deep into Longhu Mountain.

Along the way, Zhang Lingyu introduced every landscape in the mountains to Zhang Wuling, and it was obvious that he knew every plant and tree here very well.

Then the two turned into a small path and came to a waterfall.

There are steep cliffs, silver streams splashing, a pool of water like jade, and a small house not far away.

The house is old and looks very old.

"This is it." Zhang Lingyu paused. "My master practiced here before. It's very quiet and no one will come to disturb us."

Zhang Wuling put his hands in his pockets and nodded, "The environment is very good. It's a good place to practice."

"It's just a little crude, I hope Junior Brother Wuling won't mind."

"No, this pond looks nice. I should be able to catch some fish. I just saw some wild fruits when I walked over to the mountain. It's so relaxing."

"Uh, Junior Brother has a good temper."

Zhang Wuling smiled and asked directly without further ado, "Brother Lingyu, how would you like to practice?"

Zhang Lingyu looked at Zhang Wuling with a serious expression and said seriously, "Junior Brother Wuling, do you want to learn the Golden Light Mantra?"

Zhang Wuling slowly widened his eyes.

"What?"