To take my father as a master?"
Upon hearing the words of the portly man, Sun Chao couldn't help but scrutinize him closely. He was well aware that his father had been deeply hurt in the past when it came to accepting disciples. For many years, he had not only refrained from taking on a disciple but had also rarely offered guidance to younger individuals.
"Xiao Chao, don't listen to him; I certainly haven't agreed..." Sun Lianda, witnessing the portly man's shameless demeanor, felt both amused and exasperated. However, concerned about his own reputation, he was resolute in not yielding to the portly man's insistence.
"Ah, so it's a case of one-sided enthusiasm?" Sun Chao chuckled, patting the portly man's shoulder. "Young brother, work hard; who knows, perhaps my father will change his mind and accept you as a disciple someday..."
To be honest, Sun Chao actually hoped his father would take on a disciple. His father was reluctant to hire a caregiver, and given his own busy work schedule, he often found it challenging to attend to his father's health.
The incident where Sun Lianda fell while going to the bathroom in the middle of the night was not serious at first, but as he tried to stand up, he slipped again, resulting in a fractured leg. If he had had a disciple by his side, such an unfortunate event could have been avoided.
"You brat, stop trying to join the commotion..." Sun Lianda shot an irritated glance at his son and said, "Return that item to Xiao Fang immediately. What, is it so difficult to take it off your wrist?"
"Come on, Dad, am I that kind of person?"
Sun Chao felt a flush rise to his cheeks at his father's words. However, he was indeed reluctant to part with the rare old agarwood bracelet. After a brief pause, he turned his gaze to Fang Yi and said, "Xiao Fang, would you consider parting with this bracelet? We can negotiate a price..."
In the world of antiques, the emphasis is on elegance, and one must not speak too vulgarly. Thus, rather than asking Fang Yi if he was willing to sell, Sun Chao chose the more refined terms "parting" and "transferring." Those who barged into a shop and loudly demanded prices were often either tourists or inexperienced novices.
Seeing his son's interest in the agarwood beads also captured Sun Lianda's attention. Truth be told, he had also noticed this old artifact earlier but hadn't had the chance to speak up before his son did.
"I'm sorry, Brother Sun, but this is a relic from my master. No amount of money will persuade me to sell it!"
Although Fang Yi had grown up in the mountains, his emotional and intellectual intelligence was exceptionally high. When Sun Chao recounted the story from abroad, Fang Yi sensed his interest in the bracelet.
However, the bond of gratitude towards his master was paramount. With his master now deceased, Fang Yi was left with only a few belongings to remember him by. He would never trade these precious items for money. If he truly found himself unable to survive in society, he could always take out his Taoist credentials from the box and seek a temple to serve, continuing his path as a Taoist priest.
Of course, Fang Yi would not take such a route unless absolutely necessary, for he had made a grand vow at his master's passing: to one day restore the Shangqing Palace. He believed that if he continued as a Taoist priest in a profession with no financial prospects, he might never fulfill that aspiration.
"Young brother, I see you and your friends are new to Jinling, aren't you?" Sun Chao, unfazed by Fang Yi's outright refusal, smiled and said, "How about you hear my offer first and then decide whether you're willing to part with it?"
"Brother Sun, I grew up in the mountains and lack experience. I know you have a fondness for this bracelet..."
Fang Yi sighed, propping himself up slightly on the hospital bed, and spoke earnestly, "But this bracelet symbolizes my master's kindness. Every time I wear it, I think of him. Therefore, no matter the price, I cannot sell it..."
"This..."
Faced with Fang Yi's resolute stance, Sun Chao found himself at a loss for words. The ancients spoke of the reverence for heaven, ancestors, and teachers; the respect for one's master was a value deeply ingrained in tradition. Fang Yi's reasoning left Sun Chao speechless.
"Ah, Fang Yi, why are you so stubborn? It's just a string of beads!"
Fang Yi's refusal prompted the portly man to grow anxious. However, before he could finish his thought, he noticed Fang Yi's piercing gaze, causing his voice to drop. "I'm not suggesting you sell it; I merely wanted to inquire about the price. If it's truly a treasure, we should keep it safe..."
Having known Fang Yi for many years, the portly man understood that while Fang Yi had a gentle demeanor, he possessed a strong will. That one glance had conveyed everything; if he continued to pressure Fang Yi to sell the bracelet, he might truly provoke a rift between them.
Moreover, deep down, the portly man felt a twinge of fear towards Fang Yi. Among the three brothers, there was a secret known only to him and San Pao: Fang Yi had taken a life.
When the portly man was twelve, he and San Pao had ventured into the mountains to visit Fang Yi. Fang Yi had led them into a stream in a canyon to catch giant salamanders, a protected species outside but a favored delicacy for Fang Yi in the mountains.
Previously, the portly man had accompanied Fang Yi to catch salamanders without much thought, but everything changed when they arrived at the canyon and witnessed a shocking scene.
From a distance, they heard a woman's cries for help. Upon reaching the canyon, they saw a man in his thirties tearing at a young woman's clothing, her upper garments already in tatters as she screamed for rescue.
What infuriated Fang Yi and the others was that upon seeing them, the man continued his assault, picking up a rock and striking the woman on the head, rendering her unconscious.
Children raised in the wild often had fierce temperaments, and upon witnessing this, the three brothers could no longer hold back and rushed to confront the man. However, to their shock, he pulled out a dagger and slashed San Pao's arm.
Being merely children of around ten years old, the sight of blood made San Pao and the portly man hesitate. But Fang Yi charged forward; without any visible effort, he disarmed the man and plunged the dagger into his abdomen.
As Fang Yi withdrew the dagger, blood mixed with the man's intestines spilled forth, and he collapsed to the ground, leaving the portly man and San Pao pale with fear, momentarily frozen in place.
With intestines spilling out, survival was nearly impossible. In just a few minutes, the man ceased to breathe. Fang Yi, however, remained unfazed, his demeanor unchanged, as if he had simply hunted a wild boar in the mountains.
After the man died, Fang Yi instructed San Pao to guard the unconscious woman while he called for the portly man to help drag the body to a secluded part of the canyon stream. According to Fang Yi, by midnight, the man would be reduced to nothing but bones by the wild animals that came to drink.
Once they had dealt with the man, the three boys carried the unconscious woman back to the temple. On the way, Fang Yi advised them to say the man had fled, and both the portly man and San Pao, still reeling from the fact that Fang Yi had killed, readily agreed.
Upon reaching the temple, it was unclear what Fang Yi had said to the old Taoist priest, but after reviving and treating the woman's wounds, the old priest sent her down the mountain, and no one ever pursued the matter further.
The coldness Fang Yi displayed that day left a lasting impression on the portly man and San Pao, who refrained from returning to the mountains for a whole year. It was only after that year that they gathered their courage to visit the temple and ask Fang Yi why he had killed the man.
Fang Yi's response surprised them greatly; his ruthless action stemmed from the teachings of the old priest. The old priest had lost his entire family to bandits during the Boxer Rebellion, and he had watched helplessly as his mother and sister suffered humiliation before their deaths.
The old priest had repeatedly told Fang Yi that those who harm women deserve to be punished without mercy.
The Taoist philosophy emphasizes harmony with nature, and with the belief that "Heaven and Earth are indifferent, treating all living beings as mere fodder," Fang Yi, raised in the mountains, did not regard taking a life as a significant matter. As he thrust the dagger into the man's abdomen, he was still reflecting on his master's teachings.
Understanding Fang Yi's mindset, the portly man and San Pao realized that the cheerful and easily bullied Fang Yi also possessed a chilling side.
Thus, while the portly man and San Pao no longer distanced themselves from Fang Yi, they harbored a subtle fear of him, which explained why a mere glance from Fang Yi could command the portly man's obedience.
...
"If you wish to inquire, feel free..."
Fang Yi shook his head but did not oppose the idea. He could see that Sun Chao genuinely cherished the bracelet, and having already declined once, it would be somewhat unkind to persist in his refusal.
"Brother Sun, just how much is this bracelet worth?" The portly man, seeing Fang Yi silent, cheerfully remarked, "When I entered the room, I overheard something about three hundred thousand or five hundred thousand. Surely they weren't referring to this bracelet?"
"Indeed, this bracelet is valued at that amount..." Sun Chao sighed, a wry smile on his face. He would gladly pay three to five hundred thousand, or even double that, but it was futile if the owner refused to sell. No matter how much money he had, he could not acquire the beads from Fang Yi.
"This... this dark, unremarkable object can fetch three to five hundred thousand?"
Sun Chao's words left the portly man and San Pao utterly dumbfounded. As newcomers to society, they found even thirty to fifty thousand to be astronomical sums. To think a string of beads could be worth so much was akin to a windfall of gold.