Chapter 152: Making You Submit Thoroughly If You Don’t Accept Defeat
Chapter 152: Making You Submit Thoroughly If You Don’t Accept Defeat
Fang Jifan’s words seemed to echo through the entire room as soon as he spoke. The hall fell into a suffocating silence.
No one had ever seen someone so arrogant!
Even Xu Jing felt that at this moment, his mentor seemed to have made a terrible mistake.
“You… you…” Zhang Chaoxian was already so angry he could barely speak.
But then, Fang Jifan spoke slowly and deliberately, “I am Puji Zhenren’s Martial Uncle. What is your generation, Zhang Chaoxian? How dare you speak to me while standing?”
“…”
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent once again.
Countless Taoists looked at each other, exchanging bewildered glances, all wearing expressions of disbelief.
Zhang Chaoxian laughed loudly and said, “Well, well! You even dare to insult my Master! Come—”
Just then, a Taoist emerged from the crowd. This was the Taoist who had welcomed Fang Jifan earlier. The crowd was so dense that it was impossible to see clearly, and this welcoming Taoist had been pushed to the outskirts, unable to see anything. He knew a little about the situation, and when he heard the term “Martial Uncle,” he suddenly remembered something.
Without hesitation, he quickly squeezed through the crowd and shouted, “The Perfected Master did indeed acknowledge a Martial Uncle! Let me see, let me see…”
When he got a clear look at Fang Jifan, the welcoming Taoist froze as if he had seen a ghost. He couldn’t help but say, “Grandmaster Uncle, didn’t you leave the mountain already?”
“…”
At that moment, the Vegetarian Hall truly fell into a deathly silence.
Zhang Chaoxian’s face instantly fell, and he stared at Fang Jifan in disbelief.
In fact, just two incense sticks ago, he had learned that his Master, Puji Zhenren, had acknowledged a Martial Uncle. At the time, he wondered who this person could be, but he never expected it to be this fellow standing before him, looking at him with a faint, mocking smile.
So this person was his Martial… Martial Uncle…
Zhang Chaoxian felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
A child this young, someone who could be his grandson, was actually his Martial Uncle?
Master… Master must be confused! He spends all day secluded, reading scriptures—how could he know about worldly affairs? This Fang Jifan was notoriously wicked…
Meanwhile, the crowd behind him burst into an uproar.
The Taoists all looked pale, exchanging glances, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Some began whispering among themselves.
To them, this was truly unbelievable, and yet… it didn’t seem fake.
Even Tang Yin and the others looked at Fang Jifan in confusion.
They only knew that their Mentor had entered the Three Pure Ones Pavilion to speak with Puji Zhenren. Although he went again later, they thought their Mentor was merely trying to curry favor with Puji Zhenren of the wealthy Longquan Taoist Temple to gain some benefits.
But the question was… how did their Mentor become Puji Zhenren’s Martial Uncle?
Puji Zhenren was a Perfected Master appointed by the imperial court! He held an extremely high reputation within the Taoist Sect of the Capital. This…
Fang Jifan just smiled. This was exactly the effect he wanted. These damn stinky Taoists thought they were so high and mighty, didn’t they? They thought they were better at business than him, Fang Jifan? Come on! Let’s see who can outdo whom!
At this moment, Zhang Chaoxian had lost all his previous authority, replaced only by endless shock.
Seeing Zhang Chaoxian’s stunned expression, Fang Jifan had no intention of letting it go. He said sternly, “Zhang Chaoxian…”
Hearing his name called, Zhang Chaoxian instinctively shivered.
Fang Jifan continued, “Didn’t you want to reason with this Young Lord?”
“I…” Zhang Chaoxian was truly unwilling. Within Longquan Taoist Temple, he was second only to one person, commanding respect above all others. Among the third-generation disciples, he was the Eldest Martial Brother. But now, out of nowhere, a second-generation disciple had appeared, and… he was just a snot-nosed brat.
He had such great prestige within Longquan Taoist Temple. If he yielded to a brat like this, how could he ever command respect again?
The Taoists were growing restless, all looking toward Zhang Chaoxian, waiting for him to make a decision.
Fang Jifan stared straight at Zhang Chaoxian and said coldly, “Are we going to reason or not?”
“Your… your identity, this humble Taoist will verify it. But you are causing trouble here…” Zhang Chaoxian struggled to speak, trying to smooth things over.
No matter what, Fang Jifan was stirring up trouble. He felt he still had the upper hand in terms of reason.
Fang Jifan laughed loudly upon hearing this. “It seems you really do want to reason with me.”
Zhang Chaoxian said, “Everything comes down to reason.”
At present, he found himself in an awkward position. Fang Jifan wanted to reason, and that was exactly what he wanted.
Fang Jifan nodded and said, “Very well. Then this Young Lord will have a proper discussion with you. Come, step forward.”
Zhang Chaoxian was not foolish and naturally refused to step forward. He snorted coldly and said, “If you have something to say, then say it plainly.”
Fang Jifan smiled inwardly. He could sense Zhang Chaoxian’s dilemma. Someone like Zhang Chaoxian, who managed the entire Longquan Taoist Temple, was shrewd and experienced. If not for his unexpected status catching Zhang Chaoxian off guard, today might have been troublesome.
Fang Jifan then said, “This Young Lord only asks you: is this how you speak to your Martial Uncle?”
“…” Zhang Chaoxian trembled.
His mind was in chaos. He wanted to deny Fang Jifan’s identity outright, but judging from the doubtful expressions on the faces of the Taoists around him, it was clear that many already believed the welcoming Taoist’s words.
Fang Jifan continued, “You stand so tall. Shouldn’t you kneel and show respect when you see your Martial Uncle?”
There it was again…
Clearly, it started with reasoning.
Zhang Chaoxian’s face was contorted as if constipated, but he refused to kneel easily.
The person before him was just an insolent brat. He, a revered ‘Enlightened Master,’ how could he bow and scrape to this brat?
But…
It seemed that his Master had indeed acknowledged this Martial Uncle. His Master must be senile! How could he be fooled by such a scoundrel?
Fang Jifan saw his hesitation clearly and said sternly, “Do you wish to betray your Master and ancestors?”
“…”
Buzz…
Zhang Chaoxian felt his mind turn into a complete mess, buzzing loudly. His face was pale.
Betraying his Master and ancestors…
Like Confucianism, Taoism also placed great emphasis on seniority. To be precise, in this era, seniority was paramount. If this really was his Martial Uncle, and he didn’t show respect, it could indeed be seen as betraying his Master and ancestors.
He couldn’t bear such a crime.
Hmph! Zhang Chaoxian sneered inwardly. At most, he would just show him some respect. Once he did, he would still have reason on his side. Even if Fang Jifan was his sect’s Martial Uncle, it wouldn’t be justified for him to destroy the sect’s Vegetarian Hall.
Comforting himself this way, Zhang Chaoxian had no choice but to obediently step forward. He took a deep breath, his movements slow and difficult. “Disciple Zhang Chaoxian pays respects to Martial Uncle.”
Saying this, he knelt down.
The Taoists were all silent, not daring to make a sound.
Tang Yin and the other disciples suddenly felt a sense of absurdity as they watched their smug Mentor… This… what was happening had clearly far exceeded their expectations.
Wang Shouren looked utterly shocked because, at that moment, a few thoughts crossed his mind: Had Puji Zhenren gone mad? To actually acknowledge Young Lord Fang as his Martial Uncle? How did Fang Jifan manage to do it?
It was a question that left him racking his brains without an answer. The longer he spent around Fang Jifan, the more he realized that there were too many mysteries about him that he couldn’t unravel.
At that moment, Fang Jifan sat comfortably with his legs crossed, looking down smugly at Zhang Chaoxian kneeling at his feet.
Zhang Chaoxian, with a face ashen like death, said, “Martial Uncle, may this disciple… rise now?”
“No,” Fang Jifan replied curtly.
“…”
Zhang Chaoxian couldn’t help but say, “Martial Uncle, this disciple believes that since Martial Uncle is of the same sect, yet…”
It seemed he was about to challenge Fang Jifan.
But Fang Jifan interrupted him, “Wait.”
Zhang Chaoxian’s face turned the color of liver.
Fang Jifan said calmly, “Don’t look up when speaking to your Martial Uncle. Lower your head a little so your Martial Uncle can hear you reason properly.”
“You…” Zhang Chaoxian was thoroughly defeated. He already regretted kneeling earlier. If only he had refused to acknowledge Fang Jifan’s identity no matter what! Who would have thought that once he knelt, the other party had no intention of letting him stand up, and now… he even complained that he was looking up while speaking.
He tried hard to suppress his anger, but then he heard Fang Jifan speak slowly and deliberately, “You are the Eldest Martial Brother of the third generation. You should set an example. Respecting your teachers and honoring the Way—do you understand?”
“…” Zhang Chaoxian gritted his teeth. He finally realized he had fallen into a trap. If he were ‘betraying his Master and ancestors’ and didn’t understand ‘respecting teachers and honoring the Way,’ then what right did he have to reason with Fang Jifan?
So he took a deep breath, his bottom line gradually breaking. He had no choice but to lower his head until he was almost prostrate at Fang Jifan’s feet, his face toward the ground, and said, “Martial Uncle, may we now discuss…”
“Sure,” Fang Jifan said with a smile.
Sitting in his chair, he looked down at the prostrate Zhang Chaoxian. His gaze swept around, taking in the sight of the Taoists, all hanging their heads in dismay. He felt extremely pleased and said, “You’re the best at reasoning. You go first.”
“This disciple thinks…” Zhang Chaoxian suddenly felt as if he had been utterly humiliated. With his face pressed to the floor in a full prostration, he had lost all his earlier imposing manner and couldn’t muster any argument. “Thinks…”
Fang Jifan then said, “Why aren’t you speaking? Little Xianxian…”
Zhang Chaoxian, the dignified Eldest Martial Brother of Longquan Taoist Temple, a ‘Enlightened Master’ over fifty years old, was actually being called “Little Xianxian” by Fang Jifan. Zhang Chaoxian nearly spat out blood in anger.
But that’s how people are—once you take one step back, you take a second, then a third. He was trapped, with no way out, and had completely lost his momentum.
Clearly, Fang Jifan believed in striking while the iron was hot. He added, “Little Xianxian, don’t be nervous. Speak slowly. Your Martial Uncle is a very open-minded person. Even toward juniors, I would never act superior based on age.”
“…”
Zhang Chaoxian’s face was ashen. He was thoroughly defeated.
In his entire life, no one had ever spoken to him like this.
But oddly, these seemingly casual and amiable words left him with no temper at all. At that moment, he felt a humiliating anger at having his dignity completely stripped away.
And yet, he found he had no way to fight back.
Could it be that, encouraged by Fang Jifan, he was actually supposed to reason properly?