A crisp, clear “Master!” rang out, falling on the fallen leaves and resonating within Lin Yu’s soul.

Lin Yu’s ethereal form almost couldn’t hold itself together, shuddering and nearly dissolving into a blur. Inner thoughts: Wow, this kid gets into character fast! Is the newbie village tutorial starting already?

He forcibly steadied his “Mysterious Dust Master” persona, maintaining a voice as calm as an ancient well: “Rise. Under my tutelage, tedious formalities are unnecessary. However, there are three ironclad rules you must never forget, my disciple.”

Su Ming lifted his dirt-stained forehead, his eyes sparkling brightly: “Please speak, Master!”

“First, the existence of myself and this ring is the greatest secret of your life. Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, I know. If one more person learns of it, it will mean death for both master and disciple.” Lin Yu’s tone carried unquestionable authority.

Su Ming’s young face turned serious, and he nodded emphatically.

“Second, think thrice before you act, plan before you move. Do not fight for momentary pride, but seek lifelong peace. Remember, the one who lives the longest is the true winner.” This was essentially Lin Yu’s blood-and-tears summary of five hundred years of survival tactics.

“Your disciple remembers, Master,” Su Ming replied solemnly.

“Third…” Lin Yu paused; he hadn’t actually thought of a third rule yet.

His eyes (if a soul form had them) shifted, taking in Su Ming’s patched coarse cloth shirt and his bare, scarred little feet. Inner thoughts: This “vessel for navigating the world” is way too shabby! Needs some patching up first!

“Third, eat well and grow strong. The physical body is the vessel for navigating the world. If the vessel isn’t sturdy, how can one cross the sea of suffering?”

Su Ming was stunned. He had expected some earth-shattering sect rule, not this.

His nose tingled, his eyes reddened again, and he let out a forceful “Mmm!”

Lin Yu mentally gave himself a thumbs up. Perfect! It both demonstrated the master’s caring concern and resolved the awkwardness of not having a third rule ready.

Just as he was basking in his own cleverness, Su Ming suddenly exclaimed “Ah!”, his little face instantly falling.

“Disciple, what is it?” Lin Yu asked, trying to keep his tone steady.

“Master… I… I need to hurry back home!” Su Ming hopped anxiously from foot to foot. “I snuck out of the village school today! Teacher Zhou must have already told my father!”

Lin Yu: Village school?

Alarm bells rang in his mind. What? There’s schooling in the script? My future prodigy disciple is an academic underachiever? The keel of this “vessel” isn’t even laid yet, and the captain’s about to become illiterate?

“Young child, why would you abandon proper studies to run off into the mountains?” Lin Yu’s voice took on a stern edge.

“The characters Teacher Zhou taught today were too difficult… I… I couldn’t memorize them, and I was afraid he’d hit my palms,” Su Ming’s voice grew quieter as he spoke, his head drooping.

Lin Yu almost choked on his soul energy. Well then, after all my careful selection, I ended up with an illiterate host? No, an academic underachiever! How are we supposed to achieve the ultimate retirement plan of “you become the big shot while I lounge around”? Can’t read secret manuals, can’t recognize pill recipes, how are we supposed to reap benefits later?

“Nonsense!” Lin Yu’s voice suddenly rose sharply. “The path of cultivation begins with the first step. Reading and writing are the keys that unlock the door to wisdom! If you can’t even open the door, how can you talk about cultivation?” If you’re illiterate, how am I supposed to read any secret manuals we might get later? My five-hundred-year-old soul doesn’t recognize your local tadpole script!

“Hurry! Return at once!” Lin Yu urged.

“But… I’ll definitely get beaten if I go back,” Su Ming said with a terrified expression.

“Beaten?” Lin Yu’s ethereal form seemed to let out a cold laugh. “How can a disciple of mine fear a mere beating?”

He shifted his tone, his voice becoming profound and mysterious once more.

“This is your first lesson upon entering my school, called ‘Concealing One’s Edge’. A blade that shows its edge too readily is easily broken. Temporary forbearance is for the sake of longer-lasting peace. One beating can appease your father’s anger, calm your teacher’s wrath, and allow you to continue your studies. This is a worthwhile trade!”

Su Ming was confused by the explanation, but he understood the words “worthwhile trade”.

He gritted his teeth: “Alright! Master, I’ll go back and take the beating right now!”

Saying this, he carefully tucked the ring into his chest, covering it with his ragged clothes, and sprinted down the mountain on his short legs.

The evening glow dyed the village’s dirt road a golden hue.

Su Ming walked home with his head lowered, shuffling along like a little quail that had done something wrong. When he was still several dozen feet from his doorstep, he saw his second brother, Su Yang, leaning against the crooked tree by the courtyard gate, looking in his direction.

“Where have you been running off to? Father’s face is practically black as a pot bottom,” Su Yang came forward and flicked Su Ming’s forehead.

He was a head taller than Su Ming and much more robustly built.

“Second Brother…” Su Ming called out timidly.

Su Yang looked him over, his brow slightly furrowed: “Something’s off. You’re not just scared of getting beaten today.”

He leaned in closer, lowering his voice: “Your eyes are shining like you found gold ingots. Spill it, what good stuff did you dig up in the mountains? A phoenix egg?”

Su Ming’s heart skipped a beat, his master’s words immediately ringing in his ears.

He quickly shook his head, making it swing like a rattle drum: “No! Nothing at all! I just… just got fascinated watching ants move house!”

Su Yang studied him suspiciously for a long moment but ultimately didn’t press further, just patted his shoulder: “Alright, be smart later, don’t talk back.”

The moment they stepped into the courtyard, a sharp woman’s voice rang out.

“Well, look who’s finally back, our little scholar of the Su family! So, how was the learning in the mountains compared to Teacher Zhou’s? Did some monkey give you private lessons?”

The speaker was his eldest brother Su Feng’s wife, Wang Chuntao. She stood under the eaves with her hands on her hips, her lips curled in a mocking sneer.

Su Ming’s face instantly flushed bright red.

In the center of the courtyard, his father Su Shan was squatting on the ground, silently sharpening a firewood knife. The grinding stone scraped against the blade with a harsh “scrape… scrape…” sound, each stroke feeling like it was scraping against Su Ming’s heart.

His mother, Mrs. Chen, peeked out from the kitchen. When she saw Su Ming, her face was full of worry. She seemed about to say something but was glared back into silence by Su Shan.

Su Shan stood up, slipped the firewood knife back into his waistband, and casually picked up a bamboo strip as thick as a thumb that was leaning against the wall.

He didn’t say a word, just crooked his finger at Su Ming.

Su Ming trembled all over and closed his eyes in despair.

“Father…” Su Yang stepped forward, blocking Su Ming. “It was me! I told Xiao Ming to go find some medicinal herbs for me! It’s not his fault!”

“You?” The previously silent eldest brother Su Feng suddenly spoke up. He walked out of the house, his gaze falling on Su Yang like a sharp blade. “He plays truant, and you help him lie? The family tightens its belt to pay for his education alone, and this is how he wastes it?”

Su Feng pushed Su Yang aside and snatched the bamboo strip from his father’s hand.

“Father, I’ll do it! Today I’m going to straighten out both their temperaments for sure!”

Su Shan glanced at his eldest son and silently stepped aside, giving his tacit approval.

The bamboo strip whistled through the air and landed hard on Su Ming’s back.

“Smack!”

A burning, sharp pain instantly spread.

Su Ming flinched from the pain, clenched his teeth, and didn’t make a sound.

He remembered his master’s words.

“Concealing one’s edge… Endurance… This is a worthwhile trade!”

“Still dare to play truant?” Su Feng roared.

Su Ming remained silent.

“Smack!” Another strike landed on his leg.

Su Ming staggered, almost falling to his knees, but he stubbornly held his ground.

Lin Yu “watched” this scene from within the ring, mixed feelings swirling in his heart. Tsk tsk, a domestic violence scene. This kid’s got tough bones. Good, good, damage resistance is an essential quality for a survival-focused cultivator. Well, consider it body tempering.

“Eldest Brother! Stop hitting him!” Su Yang grew anxious and rushed forward to grab the bamboo strip.

Su Feng swung his arm back, and the strip landed solidly on Su Yang’s arm.

“And you have the nerve to speak!” Su Feng’s anger intensified. “It’s because you spoil him all the time that he dares to cause such trouble! Today I’ll teach you both a lesson!”

In the courtyard, the sounds of the bamboo strip striking, angry shouts, the mother’s tearful pleas, and Wang Chuntao’s fake attempts at intervention—”Oh my, stop it!”—all mingled together.

Seeing his second brother getting beaten while protecting him, Su Ming could no longer hold back his tears, which streamed down mixed with snot.

It wasn’t the pain; it was hatred for his own uselessness.

Late at night.

Su Ming lay face down on the bed, his back burning with pain.

Second brother Su Yang came in quietly holding a small bowl of medicinal ointment and began gently applying it to his back.

“Brother, I’m sorry,” Su Ming’s voice was muffled by the pillow.

“Silly boy, why say that,” Su Yang’s voice was somewhat hoarse. “Just don’t be so foolish anymore. Father and Eldest Brother only want what’s best for you.”

After Su Yang left, Su Ming opened his eyes in the darkness.

“Master,” he called out in his mind.

“Hmm,” Lin Yu’s voice responded, carrying a hint of… satisfaction? “How do you feel?” Inner thoughts: The pain of flesh is minor; what matters is that he internalized the lesson.

“It hurts,” Su Ming answered honestly.

“Good that it hurts,” Lin Yu said leisurely, his tone carrying the steadiness of an elder. “What has today’s pain taught you?”

Su Ming thought for a moment and said: “It made me understand that I’m too weak. I can’t even protect myself, and I ended up dragging Second Brother down with me.”

“The youth is teachable,” Lin Yu was very pleased. “Then, starting tomorrow, what should you do?”

“I will study hard!” Su Ming’s tone was incredibly firm. “I will carve every character Teacher Zhou teaches into my mind!”

“Good,” Lin Yu’s voice held a faint, fox-like smile. Finally managed to steer this kid onto the right path… ahem, guide him properly.

“Master,” Su Ming asked again, “Is your knowledge hidden within very profound texts? Once I learn all the characters from the village school, will I be able to understand your teachings?”

Lin Yu’s soul form froze. Ouch… that’s a tricky question! Can’t very well say the master doesn’t recognize them either, can I?

He cleared his throat (metaphorically) and began his long-contemplated “art of persuasion,” his tone sounding profoundly mysterious: “Not so. This old master’s Dao has long transcended the constraints of written words, transforming into the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. However…”

He shifted his tone.

“…words are the vessels that carry ‘principle’. If you don’t even have a vessel, how can you cross the sea of wisdom? Every character you learn now is like laying down a keel, hammering in a plank, for the great ship that will one day carry the ‘Supreme Dao’.”

“Therefore, your first task is to drain every last drop of ink from that old scholar Zhou Wen Yuan’s belly! Can you do that?”

Lying face down on the bed, even though the pain in his back was still piercing, Su Ming’s eyes shone with an intimidating brightness in the darkness.

He seemed to see a brand new path to power unfolding from the pages of yellowed books.

“I can!” Su Ming declared solemnly.

Seeing that Su Ming had been successfully persuaded, Lin Yu also smiled with satisfaction.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep