“Master, this is my offering for an apprenticeship!”
The young man respectfully placed three sandalwood boxes in front of Li Xuan.
“You’ve misunderstood. I’m not a reclusive master, and I don’t take disciples. Please take them back,” Li Xuan said with a slight headache.
The young man, named Xu Yan, came from a wealthy family in the county. His family background made Li Xuan, who transmigrated over to this world, quite envious. However, Xu Yan wasn’t the brightest, as he mistakenly believed Li Xuan to be a reclusive master and insisted on becoming his disciple.
Having transmigrated into this world over a decade ago, Li Xuan had no abilities, no perks, and couldn’t even leave the small mountain village. What was worse, the village was surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides, with only a ten-feet-wide narrow passage for entry and exit. It was an ideal place for reclusive living, and the mountain village ancestors had settled here to escape turmoil.
Now that there was no more war on the outside world, the younger generation of the village was eager to leave the small mountain village and seek their fortunes in the outside world. The nearest town was a hundred miles away, and the journey was treacherous, especially because they had to pass through a dense forest where fierce tigers and beasts frequently roamed.
Over the years, the population of the village had dwindled, and when Li Xuan arrived, there were only a dozen or so households left, mostly elderly people. Including Li Xuan, there were only five young adults left in the village, and all of them were eager to leave for the town to make a living.
However, the dangerous journey, especially the thirty miles through the sinister Devil Forest where fierce tigers and beasts roamed, had claimed the lives of several villagers who had left.
Ten years ago, a villager who had once left the village returned with the intention of taking his mother to live in the town. He claimed to have learned the art of tiger-slaying and was unafraid of the fierce tigers in the Devil Forest.
So, Li Xuan and several other young villagers set off with him. Although the Devil Forest was inhabited by fierce tigers and beasts, one could safely pass through it with a bit of luck, avoiding encounters with the dangerous creatures.
However, Li Xuan’s group wasn’t lucky.
A magnificent striped tiger appeared.
The guy who claimed to have learned the art of tiger-slaying immediately brandished his sharp knife and rushed forward with a roar, attempting a sweeping strike… but alas…
Only Li Xuan managed to escape, albeit in a sorry state. When he looked back at the situation, he believed that his survival was due to his quick decision making to turn and flee when he saw the guy’s1AKA the master of tiger-slaying foolish attack.
That tiger-slaying technique was just too unreliable; it had sent the poor guy straight into the tiger’s jaws!
Since then, the village had only Li Xuan, a young adult, left. Over the years, the elderly people who had lost their families had passed away one by one. Just half a month ago, Li Xuan had bid farewell to the last elderly resident of the village.
Staring at the empty small mountain village with no one but himself left, Li Xuan felt a mix of grief and frustration. Other transmigrators2others just like Li Xuan either rose to prominence against all odds or had extraordinary backgrounds. But what about him? He couldn’t even leave a small mountain village!
No abilities, no perks, and he might end up growing old alone in this small village.
“Sigh, I once thought I could be like the characters in web novels, roaming a thousand miles with a sword, slaying demons and becoming a legendary figure. But it seems I was being too unrealistic,” Li Xuan sighed and self-deprecatingly said, “I can’t even leave this small mountain village, how could I roam a thousand miles with a sword?”
It was this self-deprecating statement that led Xu Yan, who had somehow arrived in the small mountain village, to hear the last part, “roaming a thousand miles with a single sword.” He mistakenly thought that Li Xuan was a reclusive master and immediately knelt down, insisting on becoming his disciple.
“Master, I’ve finally found you. Please accept me as your disciple and pass down your peerless martial arts!”
“What?!” Li Xuan was taken aback, staring at the sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth dressed in luxurious clothing with a long sword at his waist. He was left dumbfounded.
“I’m Xu Yan from Donghe County. Since I was young, I’ve been determined to seek true martial arts. Meeting you today is my great fortune. I hope Master will accept me as a disciple. I promise to work hard and honor your teachings!” Xu Yan said passionately as he bowed his head against the ground.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
Seeing the youth’s passionate and respectful gesture, Li Xuan couldn’t help but think: This kid’s brain doesn’t work properly!
No matter how Li Xuan tried to refuse or deny that he was a reclusive master, Xu Yan didn’t believe him. He insisted on becoming his disciple, and his fervent determination gave Li Xuan a headache.
“I’m not a reclusive master of some sort, and I don’t know anything about martial arts. You’ve got the wrong person. Actually, I’m the one here looking to find someone to teach me martial arts!” Li Xuan explained.
“It’s impossible!” Xu Yan’s gaze remained firm. “Master, don’t lie to me. You must be a reclusive master!”
“Look at this place, surrounded by cliffs with exquisite scenery. It’s clearly a secluded hermitage. If Master isn’t a reclusive master, why would you live here alone?”
“Master, please accept me as your disciple. I won’t let you down,” Xu Yan continued to kowtow3chinese tradition where one kneels and bows their head in respect or apology, his eyes filled with passion and determination.
“I’m not a reclusive master, and I don’t know any martial arts. I won’t take you as my disciple,” Li Xuan said helplessly. He couldn’t understand why Xu Yan was so single-minded and believed him to be a reclusive master.
“I understand!” Suddenly, Xu Yan stood up with a look of realization. “To be a disciple of a great master is a serious matter and shouldn’t be rushed. I will go back and prepare the formal apprenticeship gifts!”
With that, in Li Xuan’s bewildered state, Xu Yan dashed away and quickly disappeared.
Then, half a month has passed.
During this time, Li Xuan had been regretting that he hadn’t taken the opportunity to learn about the outside world from Xu Yan, or perhaps find a way to leave the small mountain village.
Unexpectedly, Xu Yan returned, more determined than ever to take him as a master.
And he brought apprenticeship gifts with him once again!
He was very determined to make Li Xuan accept him as his disciple!
No matter how Li Xuan refused or denied it, Xu Yan firmly believed that he was a hidden expert. He opened one of the boxes.
“This is three hundred taels4Tael also known as tahil is a kind of weight measurement unit used in East Asia and Southeast Asia of gold. I know gold and silver may not be of value to you, but the apprenticeship gift is important. This is a token of my sincerity,” Xu Yan said as he revealed thirty gold ingots neatly arranged inside the box.
Li Xuan looked at the gold ingots and swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He was tempted, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and said, “I won’t take you as my disciple! I’m only a few years older than you!”
“Master, even though you look young, you must have achieved a high level of enlightenment. Your youthful appearance is a testament to that!” Xu Yan still firmly believed that Li Xuan was a reclusive master. He opened the second box.
“This is a thousand-year-old mountain ginseng, a treasure in my Xu family’s collection. It’s my second apprenticeship gift, and I hope Master will accept it!” Xu Yan’s eyes shone with anticipation as he presented the box.
Li Xuan looked at the box, where a complete, human-shaped thousand-year-old mountain ginseng with nine purple leaves was neatly displayed. The faint scent of ginseng wafted into his nostrils, invigorating his spirit.
A hundred-year-old mountain ginseng could extend a dying person’s life by three days and rejuvenate their vitality. A thousand-year-old mountain ginseng had even more miraculous effects.
Li Xuan was tempted, but he forced himself to look away and sighed deeply. “Take it back. I’m really not a reclusive master, and I don’t know any martial arts.”
Xu Yan opened the third box. “Master, this is a Nine-Leaf Yuan Mushroom, my third apprenticeship gift!”
Nine-Leaf Yuan Mushroom!
Li Xuan couldn’t help but fixate his gaze on it. The village elders had once said that among the rare herbs in the world, the Nine-Leaf Yuan Mushroom was the most precious. A nine-leaf one was the best of its kind. Consuming a Nine-Leaf Yuan Mushroom could prevent all illnesses, keep the mind sharp, prevent graying of hair, and extend life by twenty years.
It was a very rare and valuable treasure!
Li Xuan looked at the box, jade white in color, shaped like a lingzhi5a species of mushroom native to East Asia belonging to the genus Ganoderma. Hard to explain with words, if you want to know how it looks like you can Google ‘lingzhi’, with nine purple leaves growing on the stalk of the Nine-Leaf Yuan Mushroom, he took a deep breath, barely averted his gaze, and sighed in a pretense of superiority.
“It was fated for you to be here, so Master will accept you!”
Xu Yan had given him too much to refuse!
(End of Chapter 1)
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