ATPnovel Chapter 29: Departure!
Chapter 29: Departure!
Seeing that no one reacted, Master Wang bowed again, "I humbly request the Great Master's permission!"
Feng Zhixue, who was standing nearby, immediately became alert, as if facing a formidable enemy.
"For a dignified sorcerer to utter such shameless words... this is a formidable enemy!" Feng Zhixue exclaimed warily.
He felt that his niche within this small group had been diminished.
Zou Yun was left speechless, both amused and exasperated.
He looked the seventy-year-old man in front of him up and down, his hair and beard all white and his face deeply wrinkled, and said in a tactful tone, "Master Wang, the journey ahead is long and arduous."
"Moreover, the journey was arduous, involving sleeping in the open and trekking through mountains and rivers."
"You are getting on in years, how can we bear to let you suffer?"
The subtext in Zou Yun's words was almost obvious.
It was practically a direct attack on Wang Fangshi, saying: "You're getting too old to walk, so stop going out and causing trouble."
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Master Wang burst into tears.
The cries were so mournful and pitiful, as if missing out on a great opportunity meant missing out on a trip with Zou Yun.
While crying, the septuagenarian suddenly collapsed to the ground and started acting like a rogue.
"Master Wang, please rise quickly. No, no!"
Upon seeing this, Feng Zhixue and Zheng Ze rushed forward almost simultaneously. They grabbed Wang Fangshi's arms on either side, attempting to lift the old master up.
Even with their combined efforts, they couldn't move him for a while.
"..."
"You shameless brat!" Even Zheng Ze, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but mutter to himself.
The image of Wang Fangshi that they had in mind—a serious, upright, and selfless figure—all crumbled into dust.
However, upon closer examination, this matter was not entirely without warning.
The fact that Master Wang personally carved those two peach wood figures for Zou Yun last time shows that he is a quick-witted person who wants to improve.
Otherwise, do you really think a master craftsman has so much free time that he would waste his time and energy carving two exquisite peach stems and then casually give them away?
"Indeed, there are many talented individuals among the alchemists!"
Zou Yun rubbed his forehead, his heart filled with countless emotions.
But seeing Wang Fangshi's expression that said, "I won't get up unless you let me," he had no choice but to quickly step forward and personally extend his hands to help him up.
Just as Zou Yun firmly grasped Wang Fangshi's arm, he exerted a slight force in his palm.
The septuagenarian, whom two strong men couldn't lift just moments before, was now being helped up as lightly as a feather.
"This old man." A hint of amusement flashed in Zou Yun's eyes.
However, he showed no sign of it on his face, and immediately put on a concerned and helpless expression, gently comforting Wang Fangshi.
He repeatedly promised that he would definitely bring him along next time he had the chance.
Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Wang Fangshi stopped crying, turned back every three steps, and reluctantly left the room.
It was as if he was quite regretful about not being able to travel with the Grand Master.
The moment Wang Fangshi's figure disappeared around the corner of the courtyard gate, his sorrowful face instantly vanished.
Instead, he adopted his usual solemnity and seriousness, as if the tantrum he had just thrown had never happened.
-----------------
After this farcical interlude, the courtyard returned to a brief period of tranquility.
Zou Yun looked at Shi Gong again.
Seeing that he didn't answer for a while, he waved his hand impatiently, "Alright, Master Shi, stop thinking about it."
"We didn't mean anything by letting you stay. It's just that you're getting old. If you stay at the Immortal Temple, at least someone will take care of you, so you won't have to go through all that wind and rain with us and die outside."
"Besides..."
He paused, his eyes sweeping over Shi Gongna from head to toe with undisguised disdain for his thin, hunched figure.
"Traveling with your old arms and legs? That would be such a waste of time!"
"......ha?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Gong seemed to be struck by an invisible lightning bolt, and his whole body instantly froze.
The turbulent thoughts in my mind burst like soap bubbles.
Instead, Zou Yun's disdainful look and the phrases "old bones" and "wasting time" kept swirling in his mind.
Shi Gong opened his mouth, but it felt as if something was tightly blocking his throat.
His perfectly prepared answer, which he had been working on for a long time, was now stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.
To be honest, what hurts more than being schemed against is being disliked.
It was late at night.
When Shi Gong lay alone on the hard wooden bed in the Immortal Temple, tossing and turning, and finally felt a little sleepy.
Sudden--
In the silent darkness, Zou Yun's voice echoed softly in his ears once more.
"Bringing you along will only waste time..."
"Old bones and limbs..."
"He was killed outside..."
"You brat!!!"
Lord Shi was furious!
-----------------
The seven-day period passed in the blink of an eye.
In the end, Feng Zhixue's heart tipped in favor of Zou Yun.
He stood before the majestic gate of the Immortal Temple, took a deep breath, and silently swore an oath to the gate with piercing eyes.
"Immortal Temple, you remember this: even if the seas dry up and the rocks crumble, I, Feng Zhixue, will surely rise again one day."
But the next second, this tragic ambition was crushed by what Zheng Ze handed over.
"Ugh, it's so heavy!"
Feng Zhixue staggered a few steps, almost being crushed by the bulging baggage.
"What did you stuff in your bag?!" he complained, grimacing.
As he spoke, Feng Zhixue couldn't help but reach out to untie the hemp rope on the thick leather bag to see what was inside.
As soon as he opened the bellows, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
"Whoa!"
Feng Zhixue gasped, pointing inside the bag and asking, "No... Master Zheng! Why did you stuff all those metals and minerals for alchemy in here?! This isn't moving house!"
Inside the leather bag, various ores of different colors and sizes were neatly arranged. At a glance, he could see cinnabar, azurite, magnetite, sulfur...
They were piled up steadily, almost overflowing.
What made Feng Zhixue's eyes almost pop out was that beneath the ore, there was a three-legged bronze furnace used for alchemy.
The taotie pattern on the furnace wall was faintly visible in the dim light inside the furnace.
He couldn't imagine how Zheng Ze had managed to stuff it in; no wonder the baggage was so heavy.
"Of course we should bring these!"
Zheng Ze looked completely at ease.
She even glanced at Feng Zhixue with an expression that seemed to say, "How could you ask such a stupid question?"
"If the Grand Master suddenly feels like refining elixirs on the road, but cannot find the materials and tools, wouldn't we be derelict in our duty?"
He patted the equally bulging bag on his back and added, "And it's not just yours; my bag is also stuffed with other medicinal materials."
As he spoke, Zheng Ze was about to unload the heavy load from his back and open it for Feng Zhixue to inspect.
"Alright! Alright! I understand..."
Feng Zhixue put his hand to his forehead, feeling the veins on his temple throbbing.
He took a deep breath, suppressed his speechlessness, and asked in an almost desperate tone, "However, Master Zheng, may I ask you a question?"
"Does Your Majesty intend for the Grand Master to eat stones with us all this way, enduring wind and rain, traversing mountains and rivers?"
He pointed to the leather bag stuffed with ore and alchemy furnaces, his voice suddenly rising, "You didn't even bring clothes or provisions? Have you ever traveled far from home?!"
Zheng Ze was taken aback by the question, but then straightened his back and answered confidently, "I am from Xianyang, and the farthest I have ever been is the Wei River for a spring outing."
The term "spring outing" refers to going out for a stroll in the spring.
The Weibin mentioned by Zheng Ze is near Shanglin Garden in Weinan, and it takes only half a day to travel back and forth to Xianyang.
"..."
Seeing that he knew nothing about the hardships of long journeys, Feng Zhixue finally managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth after a long while, "I really admire you."
Seeing that he couldn't rely on Zheng Ze, he could only sigh resignedly, "Oh well, we'll be passing through Dashi anyway."
"We'll make some additional purchases then."
Feng Zhixue quickly began to calculate and assign tasks, "When the time comes, you go and buy some provisions, dried meat, winter clothes, fur coats, firewood, charcoal, and lamp oil..."
Then, pointing to himself, he said, "I'll be in charge of preparing enough medicine, water bags, and equipment for the carriages and horses..."
"Hmm, let's prepare some dried plums and jujubes as well; Master Fang likes them..."