Chapter 518 - 304: Peerless Talent!
Chapter 518: Chapter 304: Peerless Talent!
By then, whether Yuan Liu’er blamed him or not would no longer matter.
"In this world, many things do not go as one wishes. Seeking peace of mind is enough."
Not long after, Ma Liangcai returned, looking as usual. Upon receiving Yuan Liu’er’s message, he hurried to the inner hall. Just as he was about to bow in greeting, he heard Chen Yi say in a stern tone, "Kneel!"
Ma Liangcai froze. Seeing his expression, he quickly fell to his knees. "S-Shopkeeper, you..."
"What, even now, are you unwilling to call me Master?"
"M-Master?" Ma Liangcai looked at him in astonishment. Upon seeing a somewhat helpless smile appear on Chen Yi’s face, he finally realized what was happening and loudly cried out, "Master above, please accept your disciple’s bow!"
Chen Yi frowned. "Keep your voice down. Are you afraid the people outside won’t hear you?"
"Shopkeeper—no, Master, your disciple knows his mistake, hehe..."
"Hmph, wipe that damn grin off your face. Letting you be my founding disciple is already a huge bargain for you."
"Yes, yes... Master is right..."
Spotting Yuan Liu’er looking their way from outside, Chen Yi waved his hand, signaling Ma Liangcai to rise. Then, he used water to write a few lines on the table: "Go to the house next to the Locust Tree in Lin Village on the East City Outskirts and find Liu Lang. Tell him that grain distribution begins tomorrow."
Suppressing his excitement, Ma Liangcai memorized every word without missing a single detail, then knelt on the ground to bow again.
"Get out of here. Teach Liu’er well from now on, and remember to pass down everything you have learned to her."
"Yes, Master!"
"Get out."
"Yes, Master..."
Ma Liangcai did not feel the slightest bit offended. On the contrary, his face was brimming with joy. He had been by Chen Yi’s side for a considerable amount of time, so he naturally knew of his capabilities and identity. Setting aside his Medical Dao, the title of "Mr. Qingzhou" and his Perfection Realm Calligraphy Dao alone were enough to make Ma Liangcai bow his head in reverence.
Now that he had become the disciple of such a prominent figure, his future...
Thinking of this, Ma Liangcai patted Yuan Liu’er and said sneakily, "Hehe, my good disciple, we’ve struck it rich."
"Huh?"
"Just keep it to yourself and don’t spread it around. Your master is now the Shopkeeper’s disciple."
Yuan Liu’er let out an sound of understanding. "Grand-master already told me just now."
"Grand-master?" Ma Liangcai stared at her blankly for a moment before it suddenly dawned on him—he had likely stumbled into this colossal stroke of luck entirely because of Yuan Liu’er.
"My dear disciple... if your master is ever in trouble in the future, you can’t just ignore me..."
Yuan Liu’er took his words seriously and said with a stern expression, "Master, a teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime.
"If you are ever in trouble, your disciple will definitely save you."
"What I’m afraid of is that the person causing me trouble will be..."
...your grand-master.
Recalling Chen Yi’s earth-shattering capabilities, Ma Liangcai shivered involuntarily. After leaving Yuan Liu’er with a few more instructions, he hastily headed out of the city, clearly not wanting to experience Chen Yi’s methods firsthand.
Once he left, Chen Yi also walked out of the inner hall. He smiled and greeted the people around him before unhurriedly making his way back to the Xiao Family. Having notified Wang Ji and Liu Lang, and having learned that the grain merchants had bought back the grain from Cui Qingwu, he could finally relax for a few days. The rest would be up to the will of heaven.
By sheer coincidence, just as Chen Yi reached the corner of South Street, he saw Elder Master Xiao and Xiao Jinghong walking out of the Governor’s Office. Behind them, Liu Hong was seeing them off with his usual smile.
"Marquis Xiao, General Jinghong, take care. I have official duties to attend to, so forgive me for not seeing you further."
"Please stay, Lord Liu." Elder Master Xiao turned his head and replied indifferently before stepping into the carriage first.
Xiao Jinghong gave a slight nod. Just as she was about to follow, she caught sight of Chen Yi not far away. Excusing herself to the elder master, she walked over.
"Husband, let’s head back together."
"Alright. I just took a trip to the Jishi Medicine Hall..."
"I know. Husband even took in a disciple."
Chen Yi paused, then said with a smile, "Actually, I took in a grand-disciple. That Ma Liangcai’s Medical Skill is decent, but his Calligraphy Dao talent is too poor."
"That Yuan Liu’er?"
"Yes, her aptitude is quite good..."
Sure enough, Xiao Jinghong had been keeping an eye on him all along. However, since Xiao Jinghong was not at the Medicine Hall, she did not know the exact extent of Yuan Liu’er’s aptitude. She simply assumed that Chen Yi was moved by his love for talent. Besides, in her mind, it was a good thing that Chen Yi could take in a disciple. The deeper her husband’s bonds with Shu State became, the less likely it was that an incident like "fleeing from the wedding" would happen again in the future.
After testing the waters with a few more sentences, Chen Yi set his mind at ease. Just as he was about to ask about her and the elder master’s visit to the Governor’s Office, a flash of golden light crossed his vision:
[Opportunity: +22.]
[At four quarters past Noon, Duke Dingyuan Xiao Yuan...]