Chapter 67: Letting Go
Chapter 67: Letting Go
Not far from the gate of the County No.1 High School, next to a beef board noodle stall.
Su Chunfeng and Wang Qimin, one old and one young, sat on low stools at a low, narrow table, eating steaming, spicy beef board noodles. It was like a grandfather from the countryside, despite his fatigue, had come to the county town to visit his grandson in high school. There weren’t many words spoken, but their expressions were filled with warm, familial affection.
Wang Qimin said he had already retired.
He didn’t say much else.
After all, this was a public place, and talk involving the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts and esoteric techniques always had to be cautious.
But Su Chunfeng understood in his heart. Wang Qimin’s visit after retirement was surely still to take him as a disciple. Although Su Chunfeng had long been mentally prepared and had made his decision, seeing Wang Qimin, who seemed to have aged over a decade in just a few short days since retiring, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow and sadness.
A teacher for a day is a father for a hundred days.
Even with his reincarnation against fate from his past life to this one, that bond between master and disciple still could not truly be erased from his heart.
After the meal, Wang Qimin insisted on paying for the meal, but Su Chunfeng proactively grabbed the bill in the end—two bowls of noodles for three yuan.
“Chunfeng, walk with me for a while, would you?” Wang Qimin looked at him seriously.
“Of course.” Su Chunfeng smiled without hesitation.
The old man and the young man then walked slowly west along Yanwu Tower Avenue.
It was noon, and because they were near the No.1 High School of Jinzhou County, the street was bustling with people and traffic. The various small stalls and eateries on both sides were full of people eating.
When they reached Yanwu Tower, they turned right and went north along Kaixuan Road, which passed under Yanwu Tower. After passing through the wide archway of Yanwu Tower, it felt as if they had suddenly stepped from a noisy, bustling world into another quiet one—since it was lunchtime, there were no street stalls on Kaixuan Road. Pedestrians and vehicles were sparse. The trees on both sides, already tinged with yellow, swayed gently in the autumn breeze, casting patches of shade and scattering yellow leaves on the ground, making the autumn day feel even more serene and quiet.
“Chunfeng.” Wang Qimin finally spoke. “You probably know the reason I looked for you.”
“Yes.” Su Chunfeng nodded thoughtfully.
“Teacher did not lie to you. What I told you about esoteric techniques and such is absolutely true.” Wang Qimin sighed softly. Before Su Chunfeng could say anything, he continued, “Just like the martial arts novels people your age have read, from ancient times to the present, anyone who possesses unique knowledge does not want their knowledge to be lost. But they must find a disciple with excellent aptitude before they are willing to impart everything they know… And you, your aptitude for cultivating esoteric techniques is extremely outstanding. You could be called one in ten thousand, a rare genius!”
Su Chunfeng shook his head with a bitter smile. “But I don’t want to study esoteric techniques.”
“Do you know what esoteric techniques are?” Wang Qimin frowned slightly, looking seriously at Su Chunfeng.
Su Chunfeng was silent for a moment. “After starting high school, I specifically read some ancient texts in the library that had records of such things. Unfortunately, there were only bits and pieces of simple descriptions, like what you told me before. I think it’s probably similar to Onmyoji, Feng Shui masters, fortune tellers, and those great masters of the Yijing from ancient times to the present?”
“It seems you still cared enough to look into it.” Wang Qimin was somewhat pleased. “Actually, what I want to teach you is far more powerful and mysterious than the techniques those historically renowned masters in the books mastered!”
“I don’t want to learn it.” Su Chunfeng said. “The books record that anyone who cultivates such mystical esoteric techniques can hardly escape the fate of heavenly punishment called ‘five drawbacks and three lacks, suffering from one.'”
“That’s nonsense.” Wang Qimin declared earnestly.
“Is it?” Su Chunfeng smiled and looked at Wang Qimin. He chose his words carefully before saying, “Teacher Wang, when I was studying at Dongwangzhuang Township Middle School, I also heard about some of your past experiences. You truly suffered hardships and torment, and later your family fell apart… Now you have retired, you’re in your sixties, but you don’t even have a family anymore. I’m not deliberately poking at your old wounds, but looking at these past experiences and your current situation, and comparing them to what is recorded in the books, would you say this is just a coincidence?”
“This…” Wang Qimin was momentarily speechless.
Su Chunfeng continued, “I also heard there’s an old sage in Jinzhou County Town, surnamed Cheng, called the Iron Divination Immortal. It’s said he can draw talismans to exorcise evil and capture ghosts, and can divine fortunes, with a single divination worth a thousand pieces of gold. There are rumors that precisely because he repeatedly glimpsed Heaven’s Secrets, he finally provoked heavenly punishment, losing his eyesight and becoming blind.”
“Chunfeng, don’t listen to those rumors…” Wang Qimin looked shocked. He hadn’t expected Su Chunfeng, only sixteen years old, to be so cautious and careful. But this also showed that Su Chunfeng had developed a considerable interest in esoteric techniques after hearing his words.
“That Gong Hu who came to the school last time.” Su Chunfeng chuckled. “I happen to have relatives over at Xishan County. I’ve heard of him. He’s a local famous charlatan, uneducated and lazy, with extremely bad luck. He’s even so lazy his family’s farmland lies uncultivated. He’s dirt poor…”
“It’s because his natural talent and aptitude were too high, that’s why…” Wang Qimin said hurriedly.
Su Chunfeng smiled bitterly. “And my natural talent is so high. You want me to live that kind of life in the future?”
“No, no.” Wang Qimin was flustered. He was never skilled at talking, and faced with Su Chunfeng’s sharp tongue and clear reasoning, he was momentarily at a loss.
“Teacher Wang…” Su Chunfeng said earnestly, “You think highly of me, praise me, and have repeatedly wanted to take me as your disciple and teach me your unique knowledge. I am truly moved, and I have indeed been tempted to become your disciple and cultivate these mysterious techniques. But I feel things like these, similar to superstition, believing in them, learning them, brings no benefit. Just like those old ladies in our village who are superstitious all day, burning incense and kowtowing. Some professionally act as spirit mediums and even invite spirits to possess them. Originally, this might not be a big deal. In the end, it’s all about believing in something good. I think Dongwangzhuang Village has many such people too, right? So you should know, sir, if they usually burn incense, kowtow, visit temples to make prayers and fulfill vows, believing in doing good, then they should perform more good deeds and acts of kindness, right? But look, think about it. In daily life, why is it such people often do nasty, despicable bad things?”
In fact, the common feudal superstitious activities in the rural countryside had almost nothing to do with the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts and its techniques. But coming from Su Chunfeng, who usually didn’t talk much but today was speaking eloquently, and combined with his previous words, it seemed he had indeed twisted things together, making unreasonable connections.
Now, Wang Qimin had even less to say.
“Of course I know you are a famously good person. And I know perhaps the occultists who cultivate the Esoteric Arts of Qimen that you speak of wouldn’t do such things. But…” Su Chunfeng sighed. “Those who truly understand and know about these things, I think, are not many, right? Ordinary people would only think it’s feudal superstition, associating it with rural spirit mediums and charlatans. Think about it, if I really followed you to cultivate esoteric techniques and neglected my studies, what would my father and mother think? How would the people in our village, our relatives and friends, see me and my family?”
After saying this, Su Chunfeng fell silent, his expression worried, helpless, and tinged with a hint of guilt.
Wang Qimin also said nothing.
The old man and the young man walked silently north along Kaixuan Road in the bleak autumn wind.
Only when they saw the gate of Jinzhou County’s Second High School in the distance did Wang Qimin stop. His expression was gentle as he said, “Chunfeng, you are a very smart, mature, and thoughtful child. In the future, I won’t force you to cultivate esoteric techniques anymore. However, I hope you can promise me one thing…”
“Please tell me.” Su Chunfeng suddenly felt a pang of guilty sorrow in his heart.
“Don’t spread the things I told you. And please keep my identity as an occultist a secret.”
“You can rest assured.” Su Chunfeng nodded solemnly.
Wang Qimin still seemed a bit uneasy and unwilling. “Chunfeng, your aptitude is too good, and this world is very big. So in the future, when you go out into the wider world, you will inevitably encounter people from the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts who want to take you as a disciple. If at that time you change your mind and want to cultivate esoteric techniques, remember not to agree to anyone else. Come to me… Also, when you one day in the future truly encounter a Qimen Mystic, you must be extra careful.”
“Yes.” Su Chunfeng was moved, his eyes moistening. “Thank you.”
“Alright, you can go back now…” Wang Qimin waved his hand, his expression slightly relaxed. It seemed that even though he got an unsatisfactory result, he was no longer as entangled and helpless as before, and thus felt relieved.
Su Chunfeng sighed softly and said earnestly, “Teacher Wang, if you ever encounter any difficulties in the future and need help, don’t hesitate to find me!”
“Okay.”
“Goodbye!” Su Chunfeng turned and strode away.
“Goodbye!” Wang Qimin said gently, watching with reluctance as that exceptionally rare genius for esoteric techniques gradually walked farther away. Then he sighed softly, “What a pity.” — He knew the best age for cultivating esoteric techniques could not exceed eighteen. Once past that age, one’s foundation was basically set. Moreover, any child with good natural talent would already have a relatively sound and mature mind by eighteen. To start cultivating esoteric techniques then would make it difficult to reach higher realms.
Watching Su Chunfeng’s back grow blurry in the distance, Wang Qimin finally turned and left.
When he came from home, he had already thought it through. If he couldn’t take Su Chunfeng as a disciple on this trip, he would go home, pack his things, and take a train to travel around places like Sichuan and the Southern Borderlands, hoping to find someone with excellent aptitude to take as a disciple.
The Esoteric Arts must not be lost in his hands.
And at this moment, Su Chunfeng also felt a pang of sadness.
Perhaps in this life, he would no longer have contact with Wang Qimin—master and disciple in a past life, strangers in this life.
However, Su Chunfeng would never have imagined that the words he just said to Wang Qimin, “If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future and need help, don’t hesitate to find me!”
Would, in fact, become a prophecy!