Chapter 499 - 513: Accepting a Disciple

The days back home were happy and simple.

For three days straight, An Ning did nothing but eat when she woke up, play when she was full, and sleep when she was tired. Sometimes, she was too lazy to even wash her face.

From time to time, she would tease Hei Dan’er, listening to his childish babble as he sputtered out single words at people, which she found especially amusing.

Three days later, on the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month, the omens were auspicious for accepting a disciple.

At three in the morning, An Ning was dressed in a long white robe, her long hair tied up high. Her expression was solemn.

CREAK—

She pushed open the door, a White Jade Compass in her left hand and a short, irregular, pitch-black rod in her right.

"Let’s go."

At the door stood the formally dressed boy and Anna. The mother and son followed An Ning, and together they headed toward the mountain.

The three of them walked in front, followed by Jiang Xia, Master Tang, Li Chengze, Uncle An, and An Sancheng. These men were witnesses, here to see An Ning accept a disciple on another’s behalf.

Reaching the gate of the An’s house, An Ning stopped and said, "Zhou Chengzhe, you have to go up the mountain by yourself, understand? This is your trial."

The four-year-old boy, only half-understanding, said, "If I go up, I won’t have to be afraid of bad people anymore, right?"

"That’s right."

The boy nodded forcefully, his little bun-like face looking both serious and cute.

"Sister Anning, I’m super strong!"

"Yes, you’re super strong. You can do it."

An Ning casually pointed forward with the black rod in her hand, and a path opened through what had been a somewhat misty road.

"Follow the path. When you see me, you’ll have succeeded."

An Ning pointed ahead. The boy glanced at Anna, who silently mouthed ’You can do it.’ Puffing out his little chest, the boy walked into the mist.

As soon as the boy entered, the misty passage closed in and instantly swallowed his tiny figure.

Anna bit her lip, cheering for the boy in her heart. She knew this was the best choice for him.

During his recovery, the boy would occasionally point to an empty spot and say there was someone there, a scary person.

After every one of these encounters, he would feel unwell for a few days.

Since there was no way to eliminate the threat, the only option was to become someone who wasn’t afraid.

"Don’t worry, his life won’t be in danger. I’ll go on ahead. You follow Jiang Xia and the others. In half an hour, you all can start up the mountain. Just take your time."

After speaking, An Ning gave a nod to the others behind her and walked into the mist.

Anna only had time to nod. After An Ning’s figure vanished, she stared at her watch, watching the second hand crawl. For the first time, she felt time passing so slowly.

Half an hour later, the mist dispersed. The figures of the boy and An Ning were also gone.

Jiang Xia took the lead, switched on a flashlight, and said, "Let’s head up the mountain."

The group of five, staggered one after another, made their way up the mountain.

Meanwhile, An Ning was using her spiritual power to create several illusions for the boy. The first was a mountain climb, with an endless flight of stairs appearing before his eyes.

At first, the boy climbed one step at a time on his short little legs. Before long, he was using both his hands and feet to crawl upward.

The boy couldn’t climb anymore. He pouted his small, red lips and looked up at the countless steps stretching above him.

"I have to get up there! I don’t want to make Mommy sad!"

"Daddy said a real man has to protect his mommy!"

In the illusion, the boy’s hands were scraped raw and bloody and his knees were bruised, but he didn’t give up. He kept stubbornly inching his way upward.

An Ning, who had been by the boy’s side the whole time, watched this scene with gratification. ’Talent is important,’ she thought, ’but it’s nothing without enduring patience.’

The boy felt like he had been climbing for a very, very long time, but still couldn’t see the end. He stopped looking at the steps ahead and focused only on the next one, then the next, and the next.

"They’re... gone!"

The stairs vanished. Completely out of strength, the boy lay on the platform, gasping for air.

Next, An Ning set up a few other small trials, which the boy also managed to pass.

’As long as his fundamental nature is good, I can handle shaping his character later on.’

Finally, as the boy passed the last trial, the surrounding environment abruptly changed.

The sky was beginning to brighten, and the faint outline of the sun was visible.

"Sister Anning!"

The boy immediately rushed to An Ning and hugged her leg, tilting his little head up to ask, "Did I do it?"

"You did it. You did a wonderful job."

An Ning’s affirmation made the boy grin, revealing his little white teeth as his eyes curved into crescents.

An Ning helped the boy to his feet. Jiang Xia and the others were already waiting off to the side.

Anna gave the boy a thumbs-up and continued to wait quietly.

An Ning took the boy’s hand and walked toward a clearing. There were no protrusions, nothing to be seen at all.

"Zhou Chengzhe, kneel."

The boy paused for a moment before realizing Zhou Chengzhe was his formal name. He obediently knelt on both knees.

"Sir, I have found a disciple for you. Today, I have brought him here for you to see."

"If you have no objections, then from this day forward, I will teach him everything you taught me, and continue your legacy."

WHOOSH—

A clear breeze swept by, and the Compass in An Ning’s hand began to spin. The very moment the Compass stopped, the sun rose.

The first ray of sunlight fell upon the boy. The small child straightened his back, appearing as if he were cloaked in golden light.

"Thank you, Sir. I will do everything in my power to teach Zhou Chengzhe."

"Zhou Chengzhe, kowtow to Sir, who is also your master, Mr. Liu Shou’an. You must remember in your heart that your master is Mr. Liu Shou’an."

"Yes!"

The boy’s resounding "Yes!" seemed to shatter the sunlight around him. He then performed three loud kowtows, THUD, THUD, THUD, holding nothing back.

"Good. You may rise."

The boy stood up and looked at An Ning. She smiled faintly and said, "From today onward, I will begin to teach you."

"Thank you, Sister Anning."

After the simple ceremony concluded, An Ning and the boy remained on the mountain while the others headed back down.

On the mountain, An Ning laid down a few prohibitions for the boy: You must not use Feng Shui to commit evil. You must not use Feng Shui to acquire ill-gotten gains. You must not use Feng Shui to bully others. And you must not betray your country.

The boy listened very seriously. Although he didn’t fully understand everything, he understood the last part and declared firmly, "My daddy is a hero!"

How could the son of a hero betray his own country?

An Ning didn’t say much more. Perhaps the boy didn’t even really understand what "betrayal" meant.

After this simple talk, An Ning began teaching the boy how to grasp "pure qi."

This was a very mystical thing. An Ning herself couldn’t cultivate it; she used spiritual power instead.

But with her spiritual power, she could seemingly see it.

The task now was to get a wisp of this pure qi to enter the boy’s body compliantly.

On the first day, they failed.

On the second day, they failed again.

On the third day, they felt a faint sensation.

On the fourth day, they almost caught it.

On the fifth day, the boy sensed the pure qi on his own.

On the sixth day, the boy successfully grasped the pure qi, beginning his journey into Mysticism.

After his success, the boy followed An Ning up the mountain daily to practice. Once his training was done, the rest of his day was packed with a tight schedule of lessons.

Calligraphy, painting, classical Chinese, history, physical fitness...

At the tender age of four, his schedule was even busier than a high school senior’s.

But Anna was delighted, because the boy was gaining weight.

As the days passed one by one, the Spring Festival was just around the corner.