Chapter 32: When the Ten Elders Were Young

The Lu family was hosting a grand banquet, spanning across two entire streets. Zhang Zhiwei followed Lu Jin to the adjacent street.

In the center of this street ran a canal where several painted pleasure boats were moored, each showcasing a variety of performances—from face-changing acts and floating lanterns on the water to sword dancing on the banks. The long streets lining the canal were filled with all sorts of snacks.

"Brother Zhang, would you like a candied hawthorn skewer?" Lu Jin, still a youth at heart, couldn't help but ask when he spotted the treat nearby.

A grown man eating candied hawthorns—how unseemly... Zhang Zhiwei nodded and said, "I suppose I could try one!"

Lu Jin quickly urged, "Let’s go, let’s go! We need to hurry; I see Fatty Wang over there. If we're too late, he’ll buy out the whole stall!"

Fatty Wang... Zhang Zhiwei squinted and saw a chubby little boy wearing a red vest with his hair parted neatly down the middle. The boy was tailing a little girl in pigtails, acting very solicitous.

"Shihua, look, there are candied hawthorns! Do you want one? If you do, I’ll buy them for you!"

"I don't want any!" The little girl, called Shihua, looked impatient. But then, her eyes darted around, and she changed her tune: "Actually, I do. Go buy me one!"

"All right, Shihua, wait here! I'll go get them right now!" The little boy beamed and ran toward the stall.

The moment he left, the little girl looked relieved and slipped away in the opposite direction.

"Boss, I’ll take all the candied hawthorns you have!" The little boy reached the stall, pulled out a few silver dollars, and pointed to the straw bundle holding the skewers.

"Coming right up!" The merchant, delighted, handed the entire bundle to the boy.

Just then, Lu Jin arrived on the scene. "Wang Ai, what are you doing?"

The little boy, grinning foolishly while holding the bundle, looked back at Lu Jin with a wary expression. "What’s it to you, Lu Jin? I’m buying these for myself; there’s none for you! I have to bring them to Shihua!"

Lu Jin quickly said, "Forget about Shihua! She already ran off, and you're still standing here buying hawthorns? Why aren't you chasing after her?"

"Huh?!"

Wang Ai froze. He instinctively looked back toward the little girl, only to see her disappearing at the end of the street.

"Lu Jin, hold these!" Wang Ai shoved the bundle of candied hawthorns into Lu Jin’s hands and scurried off after the girl, shouting, "Shihua! Shihua, wait for me! Wait for me!"

Zhang Zhiwei: "..."

Is this silly little fatty really the future scheming mastermind Wang Ai? And was that little girl, Shihua, actually Guan Shihua, the future shaman and one of the Ten佬? It felt strangely like a scene of a pig chasing a swallow. Did these two have a history?

"Brother Zhang, here, have some!" Lu Jin pulled two skewers from the bundle and handed them to Zhang Zhiwei.

Zhang Zhiwei accepted the treat and asked, "Are you very close with that little guy?" He was still trying to grasp the relationships between the Four Families.

"We're quite close," Lu Jin replied. "His name is Wang Ai; he's been my playmate since we were children. By the way, Brother Zhang, you know the Wang family of the Four Families, right?"

Zhang Zhiwei popped a hawthorn into his mouth, recalled the cunning methods of the Wang family head, and nodded. "I know them."

"He is the only son of the Wang family head!" Lu Jin said, munching on his snack. "And the girl he's chasing is a descendant of the Northeast's Chuma Immortal lineage, named Guan Shihua. I don't know much else; I've been cultivating at the Sanyi Sect for years, so I'm not sure how they even met!"

"I see," Zhang Zhiwei asked. "How many years have you been training at the Sanyi Sect?"

"I joined when I was eight. Counting it up, that makes almost seven years!" Lu Jin said.

"How is your progress with the Triple Reverse?"

"So-so, just so-so!" Lu Jin touched his head with a smile. "By the way, seeing you accompany the Celestial Master, you must be a direct descendant of the Zhang family from the Celestial Master's Mansion, right?"

"A direct descendant of the Zhang family..."

Zhang Zhiwei was about to agree, but after a moment's thought, he understood the implication of the question. He shook his head. "No. My ancestral home is in Huangcheng Village, Zhengji Town, Yicheng City. I was an orphan of war, and it was only after a chance encounter with my master, who was traveling down from the mountains, that I was taken in as a disciple and brought to Mount Longhu."

In the Celestial Master's Mansion, the surname "Zhang" carried three meanings. First, it was a common surname; "Zhang" is prevalent, and there are many people with that name, so it held no special significance.

Second, it referred to the bloodline of the Ancestral Celestial Master—the "direct descendant" Lu Jin spoke of—the descendants of Zhang Daoling, the founder of the Zhengyi Sect.

As the founder, Zhang Daoling was a saint who attained the Dao. His descendants almost always possessed extraordinary talent, which is why the vast majority of the sixty-four generations of Celestial Masters have been direct Zhang descendants. Someone like the later Zhang Lingyu would be a direct descendant.

However, even the bloodline of the Ancestral Celestial Master sometimes suffered from a decline in talent. To prevent the Mansion from falling into ruin due to a lackluster leader, the sect established a new rule: if a disciple of another surname showed peerless talent, they could be exceptionally granted the "Zhang" surname, becoming a "nominal disciple" and a candidate for the Celestial Master position.

Among these three types of "Zhang," the nominal disciple holds the highest prestige. It signifies that the disciple’s talent is so immense that the Mansion is willing to break tradition and entrust the position—usually held by direct bloodline—to them.

Zhang Zhiwei was one such nominal disciple.

As for his original surname, it was actually already Zhang. Because he was an orphan rescued by Zhang Jingqing, he had no name or lineage, so he naturally took his master's. The subsequent, redundant act of bestowing the "Zhang" surname upon him was merely a formality to ensure he could inherit the position with full legitimacy.

"I see! Still, being able to follow the Celestial Master so closely must mean you are highly valued. Who knows, perhaps you'll become a nominal disciple one day!" Lu Jin said with a laugh—he was truly skilled at social graces.

Zhang Zhiwei: "..."

He had intended to mention that he already was a nominal disciple, but since Lu Jin had already put it that way, he decided not to correct him, simply replying, "I hope your words come true!"

"You're too modest, Brother Zhang. By the way, since you are a monk who spends most of your time in quiet cultivation on the mountain, come with me—I'll introduce you to the rising stars of the various sects!"

"Is that so? Then I must take this opportunity to broaden my horizons!"

Originally, Zhang Zhiwei had no interest in these future "Ten佬." But after meeting little Fatty Wang, he suddenly found himself a bit intrigued. This younger generation seemed rather interesting. He wondered how he, the self-proclaimed "number one of the younger generation," would stack up against the twin gems of the Lu family, whom his master spoke of so highly?

It was hard to estimate!

To say it would be a one-sided victory might sound too arrogant or reckless. But to suggest a three-seven or two-eight split wouldn't be accurate either!

After all, it would only take one slap to settle it!

So, rounding it up, he figured a nine-one split would be about right.