Chapter 59: THE MADMAN IS ACTUALLY NOT MAD BUT A HIDDEN GENIUS

Li Yan sighed inwardly as he considered Xiaoxiao’s words. He had indeed been too quick to judge the man based on his appearance, and although the man’s clothes were worn and his surroundings were rather shabby, neither of those things proved that he was incapable of teaching him anything.

He bowed respectfully before squatting beside the man, deciding that there was no harm in finding out what kind of knowledge the strange fellow actually possessed.

"If I agree to be your disciple, will you seriously teach me everything you know?"

The man smiled broadly and nodded. He raised one hand toward his lips before biting down on his finger hard enough to draw blood, and a small drop of crimson soon gathered at the tip.

"Let us have a blood pact, my lovely disciple. Master promises to teach you everything he knows."

Li Yan stared at the man’s bleeding finger before turning his gaze toward the empty Apothecary department. The classroom was still deserted, and after waiting for several hours, there was no sign that anyone intended to come and teach him.

He had already wasted most of the day sitting alone, and there was no guarantee that things would improve if he continued waiting. At the very least, this strange man was offering to teach him something, while the actual department had offered him nothing except an empty classroom.

Maybe this was better than nothing.

"Okay. I accept."

Li Yan bit his own finger and pressed his bloodied fingertip against the man’s.

The instant their blood touched, a sharp, burning sensation spread through his finger and traveled briefly through his body. The sensation disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived, leaving behind a strange feeling that something invisible had settled into place.

The blood pact had been formed.

From that moment onward, their relationship was no longer a casual agreement between two strangers. The pact had formally established them as master and disciple, and neither party could simply treat the relationship as a joke.

The man withdrew his hand and rose from the ground before dusting the dirt from his clothes. He stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders, looking considerably more relaxed now that he had finally acquired a disciple.

"What is your name?"

"Li Yan."

The man’s expression changed slightly when he heard the name, and he retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket before calmly wiping the remaining dirt from his fingers.

"Oh, another Li, huh?"

He carefully folded the handkerchief and put it away before turning back toward Li Yan with a cheerful smile.

"Follow me, Yan Yan. Let us head to my private quarters. Master needs to bathe and prepare you for class."

Li Yan stared at him in silence for a moment as several thoughts crossed his mind. This man had looked so much like a homeless beggar when he first encountered him that Li Yan had assumed he probably lived in the pagoda, yet he was now casually talking about his private quarters as though such a place were perfectly ordinary.

Private quarters?

Bathe?

Could it be that he was not actually a homeless beggar?

Did he stuck gold?

Li Yan followed the man, and after they walked through several quiet paths, they eventually arrived at a small manor tucked away from the busier parts of the Apothecary department.

The manor was not particularly luxurious, especially compared with the residences belonging to some of the more influential disciples, but it was still a proper private residence within the sect. The moment Li Yan stepped closer, he noticed something else that immediately caught his attention.

The spiritual Qi surrounding the manor was exceptionally rich.

Li Yan took a slow breath and felt the dense spiritual energy flowing through the area. It was even richer than the Qi surrounding his own courtyard on Purple Mountain, which was supposed to be one of the best places available to an outer disciple.

His opinion of his new master changed slightly.

This man might actually be hiding something.

Perhaps he really had struck gold.

The man opened the entrance to the manor and walked inside, leaving Li Yan to follow him through the doorway. Once they entered the main room, the man pointed toward one of the seats before looking back at his disciple.

"Find somewhere to sit. Someone will come to offer you tea and rice cakes in a moment. I will join you shortly."

Xiaoxiao’s voice sounded in Li Yan’s mind as she considered what had just happened.

"You might have really struck gold this time. That man is clearly no madman. Those eyes of his are far too intelligent."

Li Yan agreed with her assessment after speaking with the man for several moments, he had already realized that there was nothing wrong with his mind. His strange appearance and eccentric behavior had initially made him seem suspicious, but his words were coherent, and his mannerisms showed that he was fully aware of everything around him.

"Let us see what he has to offer."

Li Yan had barely finished speaking when footsteps approached from outside the room, and a figure soon entered carrying a tray filled with tea and freshly prepared rice cakes. Unlike their employer, the newcomer was neatly dressed, and his calm movements and composed expression gave him the appearance of someone who had received a proper education.

"These are Master Fu’s special rice cakes. I hope you enjoy them as much as he does. My name is Anyu. If you need anything, just knock on the table three times, and I will see to your needs."

Li Yan nodded politely and thanked him in advance before turning his attention toward the food. He picked up one of the rice cakes and took a bite, and the soft texture and delicate sweetness immediately made his eyes brighten with appreciation.

The rice cake was genuinely delicious, and Li Yan understood why Fu Hanzheng considered them special. He chewed slowly while appreciating the flavor, then reached for the second piece with the intention of enjoying another bite.

Before he could do so, a flash of white suddenly passed through the corner of his vision, causing him to pause and turn toward the entrance.

A ridiculously handsome man was walking toward the table, and for a moment Li Yan wondered whether he was the master’s son. His features were refined, his long hair was neatly arranged, and his clean robes made it difficult to connect him with the ragged-looking man who had been sitting inside the pagoda earlier.

Then their eyes met, and Li Yan immediately recognized that intelligent gaze.

His eyes widened as realization struck him. This was definitely not the master’s son. The handsome man standing before him was the same person he had met in the pagoda, only now he had cleaned himself up and revealed his actual appearance.

Li Yan felt as though he had just discovered an unexpected treasure. He had struck gold. He had really struck gold. The strange man he had initially mistaken for a mad beggar was actually someone with enough status to possess a private manor in the sect, and now that he had cleaned himself up, it was obvious that his appearance had been deliberately misleading.

"Master... is that you?"

The handsome man smiled at him with obvious amusement before taking his seat across the table. He reached for the teapot and poured himself a cup as though there was nothing unusual about the situation.

"Am I too handsome? I look a bit better once I take a bath."

Li Yan continued staring at him, still struggling to connect the refined man before him with the eccentric figure from the pagoda. His master seemed completely comfortable with the contrast and took a leisurely sip of tea before setting the cup down.

"Let me introduce myself properly. I am Fu Hanzheng, the head of the Apothecary department..."