Mu Xuan Becomes a Disciple

When Zuo Ruotong walked out of the courtyard gate, she stopped a step beside Liu Jin.

"You're absolutely right. He's never even been to his own Flower Fruit Mountain. That's why I didn't have him become an apprentice right away. I brought him here first." Zuo Ruotong glanced back at Li Muxuan, who was following behind her. "I wanted him to see the reality of cultivation first. Only then will he know if he's truly willing to walk this path."

Liu Jin remained silent. He watched as Zuo Ruotong led Li Muxuan up the mountain. The pale white figure and the unruly youth gradually disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest. The lantern's light was left far behind; the path ahead was illuminated only by the moonlight.

He recalled the plot of "Under One Person." The Li Muxuan who entered the Quanxing Sect, the Li Muxuan who never yielded in his life, who would hold his head high even in front of the people he cared about most, did not exist at this moment. Following behind his master was a boy who had just been seen. A child who had spent over a decade calculating everything, only to discover that the answer he most desired never needed calculation.

Liu Jin leaned against the stone wall of the courtyard gate, looking up at the moon, its surface sculpted into pieces by bamboo leaves. He wasn't sure if tonight's choice was right. He only knew that some paths, once taken, had no turning back. But at least, at least on this night, on this mountain, Li Muxuan's journey wasn't over yet.

the next day,

Boss Li was invited up the mountain. Zuo Ruotong sat on a futon, while Li Muxuan stood beside her, his expression calm. Liu Jin was also there, leaning against the doorframe, holding a cup of tea.

He initially thought his son had caused trouble. Zuo Ruotong briefly explained the matter of accepting a disciple. He didn't mention the complicated details, only stating that Li Muxuan had formally joined the Sanyi Sect, and that he had invited Boss Li today, firstly to inform him, and secondly to provide witnessing. Then, with a broad smile, he accompanied Li Muxuan through the same process as Lu Jin and his son.

As Zuo Ruotong explained, he slowly withdrew his smile and gradually became serious. Looking at his son, there was no surprise, unease, or bravado in his eyes, but rather a calmness with a hint of determination.

Slightly surprised, he raised his hand and ruffled Li Muxuan's hair. His hand, calloused from years of using an abacus and flipping through ledgers, was surprisingly gentle on the boy's head. He then said to Zuo Ruotong, "I don't understand the mysteries of Xuan Gong either, but Ruotong's transformation makes me trust the sect leader even more. Since he has chosen this path himself, I urge the sect leader to guide him as if he were his own child."

Zuo Ruotong said, "To my shame, it was one of my disciples who pointed out some key points that cleared up some misunderstandings between Ruotong and me."

Boss Li followed his gaze to the door. Liu Jin, holding a teacup, nodded slightly as a greeting. Boss Li didn't press further, but simply glanced at Liu Jin—the kind of scrutiny a businessman gives, without malice, but very careful.

He didn't pry too much, and said to Li Muxuan, "Study hard within the mountain gate. You still have a lot to learn."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Li Muxuan's previously calm face, but he quickly regained his defiant demeanor: "Hmph, I know, I know. Your son will make something of himself."

Boss Li smiled. This time it was a genuine smile, not just the smile of a businessman.

......

"Boss Li's reaction was much better than I expected."

"After all, he's his own father. How could he not know what his son is like? He just didn't have a chance to see him properly before."

"Indeed. Li Muxuan's little schemes can be hidden from his peers, but they're nothing in front of his own father, who's been in business for decades. It's just that we haven't called them out on them before."

"Now it's obvious. The look in Boss Li's eyes when he left... how should I put it, it was like he was seeing his son for the first time."

"Master Zuo's 'I'm ashamed to say it' was too honest. He could have just not said it."

"So he is Zuo Ruotong."

......

Lu Jin and Li Muxuan were arranged to stay in the same courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, with two rooms separated by a skylight paved with bluestone slabs. In the skylight was an old water vat, containing two koi carp, left behind by the previous resident. Every day at dawn, Lu Jin's first task was to feed the koi. Li Muxuan woke up later; when he opened the door, Lu Jin had already finished feeding the fish and begun her morning prayers.

"Do you have some connection with these two fish?" Li Muxuan leaned against the door frame, yawning.

Lu Jin thought about it seriously for a moment: "No."

"Then you should feed it to me every day."

"They are hungry."

Li Muxuan rolled his eyes and went back to his room to wash up. When he came out, Lu Jin had already left him breakfast. Plain porridge, pickled vegetables, and a boiled egg were neatly arranged on the stone table.

"You don't need to leave me food every day," Li Muxuan said, sitting down and cracking an egg on the corner of the table. "It's my own fault for sleeping in late."

"It was just a small thing," Lu Jin said, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.

"How will you be a senior student if you act like this? You're so unpretentious."

Lu Jin opened one eye and thought for a long time, but couldn't figure out what causal relationship existed between "being a senior brother" and "not leaving food for others." So he closed his eyes again.

Li Muxuan peeled an egg, watching Lu Jin meditate. He thought this person was really strange. He didn't compete for anything, yet he did everything better than Li Muxuan. What was even stranger was that Li Muxuan didn't dislike him.

Once, the senior apprentice in charge asked the two of them to clear a section of mountain path blocked by bamboo at the back of the mountain. Lu Jin grabbed a machete and went. Li Muxuan followed behind, muttering to himself along the way, "Bamboo roots grow horizontally, cutting only the top is useless." "We should dig out the roots first." "We should divide the work, one of us cutting the bamboo and the other digging the roots, that would be more efficient." When they arrived, Lu Jin had already started cutting. Li Muxuan stood by and watched for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, then finally sighed, squatted down, and began digging out the bamboo roots.

On the way back after finishing work, Li Muxuan suddenly spoke up: "Aren't you going to ask me why I sighed?"

Why?

"Because I've realized you don't need my direction at all."

"You did a great job directing," Lu Jin said.

"But did you listen?"

"I listened. You said cutting bamboo was useless and you had to dig up the roots, so I cut down a few and then stopped."

Li Muxuan thought about it carefully and realized that Lu Jin had indeed listened; he just hadn't responded. Listening and then doing—it didn't require the steps of "nodding in agreement," "expressing consent," or "heated discussion." Li Muxuan felt that spending too much time with this kind of person might stifle him or make him lazy.

"I won't speak up anymore," Li Muxuan said. "Anyway, you know what to do."

Lu Jin rarely showed an uncertain expression: "But when you spoke, the voices were quite lively."

Li Muxuan was taken aback. He couldn't tell if it was a compliment or an insult, but he decided to take it as a compliment.

......

"I could read a hundred chapters about the daily lives of these two."

"One is naturally inclined to take shortcuts, the other is naturally talkative. They complement each other perfectly."

"Lu Jin is the most terrifying kind of person. He listens to everything you say and does it, but it doesn't affect his own rhythm at all."

"Li Muxuan has begun to accept this premise. From 'I want to outdo him' to 'Okay, he doesn't really need my command' to 'My value lies in creating excitement'."

"I've grown, although the direction of my growth is a bit strange."

"At least he's not acting now. His complaints are genuine, and his eye-rolling is genuine."

......