Chapter 161: Circle-Drawing Fiend
“I want to take him as my disciple, state your conditions.”
Entering the temple, the Strange Man spoke directly and simply to Gao Yu’an, his tone extremely confident.
His words left Gao Yu’an and Xiang Jiannan dumbfounded, not knowing why he would suddenly say this.
Early in the morning, someone comes to snatch the only seedling in my temple?
“Disciple, you step back first.”
Seeing Xiang Jiannan open his mouth as if to speak, Gao Yu’an signaled his disciple to step aside first. Clearly, Gao Yu’an had never encountered such a situation. He watched the Strange Man’s lips open and close several times before finally expressing his thoughts:
“Unheard of. This old Taoist has cultivated for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve encountered such a thing.”
“In the early years, I heard of Taoists and monks fighting over a female abbess, but I’ve never seen anyone try to snatch a disciple from another’s temple. Does he think Gao Yu’an is just a decoration?”
“Considering your age, quickly take back what you just said.”
Fighting over a female abbess? Does such a thing really happen in the Great Zhou Dynasty?
Unexpectedly, there was an unexpected gain. Whether it was true or not was temporarily uncertain. Xiang Jiannan, standing by, had certainly broadened his horizons.
There are actually female abbesses in the Great Zhou Dynasty. I must pay a visit sometime. There’s too much hidden information.
“You old Taoist, you get agitated after just a few words. This old man isn’t trying to take your temple.”
Completely ignoring the hostility in Gao Yu’an’s tone, the Strange Man pointed at Xiang Jiannan and continued:
“This Taoist has a root of wisdom in his heart. A small temple like this can’t keep him. This old man wants to take him away, and it’s out of good intentions.”
“Root of wisdom? Are you a bald… a Buddhist?”
He almost blurted it out. Trying hard to suppress his anger, Xiang Jiannan felt that his master might explode soon.
He never thought he would one day become a hot commodity. Watching the two old men go back and forth in front of him, he felt somewhat like the male protagonist of a novel.
They absolutely can’t start fighting later. If they’re seen by the early morning incense guests, it’ll be hard to explain.
“No, this old man came all the way from a very far place just to take your disciple away.”
“Old man, are you still not awake? Since you’re not a Buddhist, why are you talking about a root of wisdom in front of this old Taoist! Just by looking at you, you don’t seem like…”
“Do we Taoist disciples lack that?”
His face changed in an instant, and he was no longer polite to the Strange Man in front of him. Gao Yu’an said disdainfully:
“This old Taoist has always been kind to people. We’ve never met before, but you insist on forcing this Taoist to get angry. With the Grandmaster above, this disciple really couldn’t bear it any longer.”
“Our temple only has this one source of incense.”
“I’m not discussing this with you!”
Hearing Gao Yu’an call him an old man, the Strange Man’s temper flared up as well. Taoist, you look much older than me. Did you think carefully before saying that? He immediately took out his most powerful weapon and made the most forceful rebuttal to the old Taoist’s impolite words:
“This old man is thirty-eight this year. How old are you, Taoist?”
“Nonsense! With that appearance, you look at least forty. Stop talking nonsense in front of this old Taoist!”
It was as if he hadn’t said anything at all. Seeing his master directly make a judgment when he opened his mouth, Xiang Jiannan didn’t understand what was worth arguing about in this matter.
He also felt that the Strange Man in front of him was more than thirty-eight years old, looking at least sixty.
Although he had seen introductions saying that ancient people could be called “old man” at thirty-six, this situation didn’t apply in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
In the ancient world of his previous life, people’s lifespans were relatively short, but that wasn’t the case in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Even though it felt ancient to him, the people of this world clearly lived longer than in the ancient world of his previous life. The facts were right in front of him.
Therefore, Xiang Jiannan didn’t believe the Strange Man’s claim of being thirty-eight years old at all. How could he have the nerve to call himself an “old man” if he wasn’t at least seventy or eighty?
“This old man cultivates the Curse Technique Lineage, it’s normal for my face to look old.”
Publicly stating his identity in front of Gao Yu’an, the Strange Man laughed again:
“Your disciple is very talented. It’s such a pity if he doesn’t follow this old man.”
“Old Taoist, what else do you have to say?”
“The Curse Technique Lineage hasn’t died out yet? In that case, this old Taoist can’t let my disciple go even more.”
Clearly hearing the threat in the Strange Man’s words, Xiang Jiannan saw his master shaking his head like a rattle drum and thought the Strange Man had come to the wrong place.
The Curse Technique Lineage was considered a heretical path among the many cultivation systems in the Great Zhou Dynasty. The old Taoist had told him this before when he asked about curse techniques.
People who practice this kind of thing don’t live long because they are stealing the power of heaven and earth.
Going against heaven and earth would be punished. Accelerated aging was their most obvious characteristic.
This also explained why the Strange Man in front of him looked like he was sixty years old.
Others cultivate mainly for longevity, while the Curse Master Lineage does the opposite. Saying they’re not mainstream is already a very polite way of putting it.
They could only be seen in some remote areas in the south. The closer one got to the big prefectures and counties, the more this cultivation system disappeared.
It had nothing to do with being explicitly prohibited. The main reason was that the common people weren’t stupid. Even if they occasionally managed to deceive a few talented disciples, whether they could be cultivated was another matter.
For the Strange Man to live to thirty-eight, realistically speaking, was already considered pretty good.
The circles he had drawn definitely had nothing to do with them. His master had already confirmed it.
It was good to stay in Ping’an Temple. Who would want to wander around with them?
He still didn’t even know the specific location of what his master called the south.
“In that case, I’ll have to use force.”
“Little Taoist, what do you think?”
He was about to make a move. Thinking the Strange Man was also an upright man, Xiang Jiannan didn’t expect him to ask for his opinion.
He immediately stated that he didn’t want to leave Ping’an Town, firmly standing on the same side as his master.
But after saying that, he saw the Strange Man extend his finger and try to draw a circle in the air.
He asked, but he didn’t forget what he needed to do.
“In front of this old Taoist, you’re doing this?”
He only felt that the Strange Man who was making a move was too naive. He thought that the Curse Technique Lineage was really getting more and more disgraceful. Gao Yu’an immediately raised his sleeve.
The scene that followed became very harmonious. As soon as the Strange Man drew a circle, the old Taoist would wave his sleeve and collect it. The two of them repeated this over and over again, looking like they were playing a game.
“Taoist, are you afraid?”
Showing great persistence, the Strange Man continued to draw circles despite Gao Yu’an collecting them. After a few dozen rounds, the Strange Man spoke.
A circle he had just drawn was collected by the old Taoist, but he didn’t seem to react.
This, in Xiang Jiannan’s opinion, just confirmed what his master had said before. People of the Curse Master Lineage are not normal. Disciple, you look different from them.
“It’s you who’s afraid.”
His sleeves were waving constantly. Seeing the Strange Man mock him, Gao Yu’an snorted coldly.
If I were afraid, this Taoist wouldn’t have started fighting with you. The faster you draw circles, the sooner you die.
Did he really think this old Taoist didn’t know?
“If you’re not afraid, why are you collecting my circles?”
In one breath, he drew several circles in a row, and he hadn’t failed once from beginning to end. Xiang Jiannan didn’t know how the Strange Man had suddenly become so stable.
He felt that things were actually almost over. The earth-shattering scene he had imagined was nowhere to be seen. Early in the morning, it all looked so peaceful.
Wouldn’t you get bored if you just kept raising your hands like this?
“Nonsense, who in the Great Zhou Dynasty doesn’t know that you people of the Curse Technique Lineage are famous for being masters of empty promises!”
Gao Yu’an glared at the Strange Man and couldn’t help but mock him. As he spoke, he slowly switched to the other hand, his expression gradually becoming nonchalant.
This Taoist had experienced countless fights in his life, but today seemed particularly easy. Early in the morning, someone like this had appeared out of nowhere.
“Dare you let me use my own methods?”
In the blink of an eye, another five circles were collected by the old Taoist. The Strange Man finally seemed to be getting anxious.
He had inquired about this old Taoist before he came. Honestly, he didn’t really take him seriously.
From the moment he started cultivating the Curse Technique Lineage, he had prepared himself. But if it continued like this, it seemed like there would be no end.
“Go ahead and use them. What’s there to be afraid of? This old Taoist has been waiting.”
“Watch carefully!”
The little Taoist couldn’t help but listen. After Gao Yu’an finished speaking, Xiang Jiannan saw that the Strange Man had finally changed. He stopped his hand movements and took a few steps back. His two eyeballs became unusually dark.
They looked like they had no whites at all. In front of the two Taoists, his body slowly bent down.
Then, at the moment when Xiang Jiannan was extremely nervous, his right hand’s five fingers spread open forcefully, his palm facing the ground, and he started a new round of drawing circles.
