"Young Master Huang, here to buy wine again for your master?" The sharp voice of the innkeeper's assistant pierced through Huang Jinlong's ears, making him feel even more irritated.
His name was Huang Jinlong, the young master of the Yanquet Lou, and at just fifteen years old, people in the inn called him "Young Master Huang." He had a gentle, approachable round face, small but bright eyes, and when he smiled, his cheeks would rise, his eyes would squint into slits, and his lips curved into a perfect arc, giving off a warm feeling, as if there was always a reason to be happy, even if the sky were falling. But at this moment, he clearly wasn't in the mood to smile.
"Stop the nonsense, just pour me a pound of Drunken Immortal Green." Huang Jinlong closed his small eyelids and casually ordered.
"Xiao Long, you're just in time. Come and help me judge whether your father is being shameless. He actually dared to flirt with Wei A-niang, the tofu maiden, across the street. I'm not dead yet, and he's already planning to take a second wife. If I die, won't Yanquet Lou be ruined by that vixen?" A sharp, ear-piercing voice came from upstairs in Yanquet Lou, making Huang Jinlong's ears hurt.
A middle-aged woman with a graceful aura, wearing an apron and rolled-up sleeves, angrily descended the stairs. Behind her followed a gray-haired man, his face flushed with anger, calling after her, "Keep yelling, keep making a scene. Let everyone hear! Yes, I've had an affair with Wei A-niang, what's it to you? Haven't you had your own little flirtation with the second manager of Yanquet Lou? You talk about others but don't mention yourself! Son, you're here just in time. You come and judge this—your father's skill could let him marry anyone and live a prosperous life. Is my skill being wasted at the Yanquet Lou?"
"Yanquet Lou is not as good as you, you want to find another job? Fine, go ahead!" The woman snapped.
"Well, I'll leave. I'll run away from home or become a monk, anything's better than staying here listening to your nonsense!"
"You can't even be a monk, who would want you? How can you survive without meat for a day?"
"I'd rather eat shit than stay here eating braised meat!"
"Son, why aren't you standing up for your mother?"
"Son, don't you think I'm being wronged here?"
"Enough, enough! Just stop talking!" Huang Jinlong's ears were nearly bleeding from the shouting. He hurried to his mother's side and whispered, "Mother, Wei A-niang from the tofu shop isn't a woman. How could she be my father's second wife?"
"Ah? Really?" The middle-aged woman was stunned.
"Of course, Wei A-niang, just listen to the name and you should know. Think about our second brother's situation—father is kind to him, after all, he's a part of the family. Why get so angry over this?" Huang Jinlong said with a bitter expression.
After a moment, the woman's anger subsided. She glared at the man and stomped upstairs to hide.
"Hey, you damn woman! If you have the guts, don't run away. Today, let's clear things up!" The man shouted, having gained the upper hand.
"Father, the second manager has been dead for nearly ten years. Why can't you forget about him? His son is still working in the inn, and you keep seeing him every day. Don't drag him into your argument," Huang Jinlong whispered to his father, nodding toward a corner of the inn.
"Uh... well, I didn't know how many servants your mother has hired. I only manage the kitchen. Alright, I'll go check on the kitchen." The father awkwardly avoided the conversation, looking over at the corner, then hurried off to the back yard.
With his parents gone, the Yanquet Lou became quiet again. Huang Jinlong's ears still rang from the earlier shouting. He took the pound of Drunken Immortal Green from the servant Wang Er and suddenly had the urge to open the bottle and drink it all.
"Big brother, you really did well. With just a few words, you got them to calm down. Tell me, did father know that Wei A-niang is a man?" A soft, sweet voice came from behind Huang Jinlong.
The speaker was a young girl dressed in light pink, her face powdered with a pure, snow-white makeup. She had no eyebrows, only faintly drawn ones on her forehead.
"Second brother, I've told you so many times, stop dressing like this. How will you find a suitable marriage match for yourself when the time comes?" Huang Jinlong placed a hand on his head, feeling a headache.
"You still don't get it, do you, Brother?" Huang Erdi pouted, looking both aggrieved and playful. "I was born by mistake, with a soft heart but stuck in this body. This lady's outfit is my attempt at reclaiming myself. I don't want anything else, I just hope you can understand my struggle." She placed her finger on her cheek, accentuating her dimples, looking sorrowfully at her brother.
With a frustrated sigh, Huang Jinlong ripped open the wine seal and gulped down several mouthfuls. Shaking his head vigorously, he sighed deeply, "Actually, I'm just like you."
"Ah, brother, you mean you were born in the wrong body too?" Huang Erdi asked in surprise.
"I was born in the wrong family..." Huang Jinlong muttered under his breath, still holding onto the open bottle as he trudged up the nearby Liuhua Mountain.
Liuhua Mountain, nestled in the embrace of the northern Lotus Mountain range, boasted a rare humid climate for the North. It was referred to as a "small Jiangnan on the frontier." The mountain was covered in lush trees, with a wide variety of plant species, and it was famous for its flourishing flowers and the abundance of animals year-round, making it an ideal place for seclusion. During the summer and fall seasons, local nobles often organized grand outings, adding a sense of enjoyment to life in Benzhou.
Three years ago, he had met his master—an enigmatic figure who had retreated here to live a life of isolation. Huang Jinlong referred to her as his "forgotten master," because, although she looked to be in her thirties, there were times she appeared much older, perhaps fifty. Her speech, however, carried the innocence and purity of a twenty-year-old. With knowledge and abilities beyond that of ordinary people, free from the constraints of worldly rituals and restrictions, she seemed untouched by time, her age remaining the same as the years passed. This was a trait unique to a "forgotten master," in Huang Jinlong's eyes. To him, she embodied a freedom from the mundane world, an escape from reality that he had long dreamed of.
He had always sought a master who could guide him in the ways of the Dao, but it wasn't until three years ago that fate brought him the chance.
Seizing this rare opportunity, he rushed to the white-clad woman and immediately knelt in front of her, begging for her to take him as a disciple.
"My name is Yan Ziyao. From now on, call me Master Ziyao," the white-robed woman said, not only accepting his plea but doing so with great joy.
At the time, Huang Jinlong had no idea that this would mark the beginning of three years of hard, grueling labor.
"Disciple, has the wine arrived?" Today, as usual, Yan Ziyao was disheveled, wearing the same outfit she had worn for the past month—one that Huang Jinlong had washed for her. It had now turned gray with wear. Her room, a simple one-room dwelling, was covered in spider webs, cockroaches scurrying across the floor, and the sound of mice in the walls. It was a messy, chaotic place. The only thing about her that remained clean was her skin, which always seemed radiant and flawless despite the surrounding dirt and disarray.
"Master Ziyao, your wine…" Huang Jinlong obediently knelt down, offering the bottle of wine to her.
Yan Ziyao swiftly snatched the wine bottle, tore open the seal, and began to drink greedily, downing the entire pound of Drunken Immortal Green in one go. She tossed the empty bottle aside and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Disciple, how long have we been master and disciple? Has it been ten years?" Yan Ziyao burped after her drinking spree.
"Uh, Master Ziyao, we've only been together for three years, not ten," Huang Jinlong corrected.
"Oh, just three years…" Yan Ziyao waved her hand dismissively, as though she hadn't heard anything important.
"Master Ziyao, please don't use the word 'just.' I've followed your rules—three years of washing clothes, three years of chopping wood, three years of sweeping the floors, and a year of running errands. I've done everything to the best of my ability," Huang Jinlong said hurriedly, clearly trying to make his point.
"Hmm? Three… three…" Yan Ziyao extended her fingers, trying to count, before confusingly mumbling, "Isn't it ten years already?"
"Master Ziyao, I've been doing several tasks at once," Huang Jinlong said, lowering his head in slight embarrassment.
"Oh…" Yan Ziyao muttered distractedly, picking up a rat that had scurried across the floor and playing with it in her hand. "Now, tell me, what are the different kinds of 'forgotten masters'?"
"Uh, 'Forgotten Masters' are divided into alchemists and warriors," Huang Jinlong began, "Alchemists are further split into external alchemists and internal alchemists. As for warriors, they're divided into long-range and close-combat fighters. External alchemists include fist fighters, while internal alchemists are split into five-element masters, yin-yang masters, and sword masters. Long-range warriors include control masters and flying weapon masters, and close-combat warriors include specialists in blades, swords, staffs, spears, and whips. Five-element masters…"
Huang Jinlong continued to explain, eager to share the knowledge he had learned from his master, but Yan Ziyao raised her hand, stopping him mid-sentence.
"Hold on, let me ask you something," she said. "Do alchemists specialize in cultivating qi, and do warriors specialize in their weapons?"
Huang Jinlong responded, "You've told me before, Master, that focusing solely on cultivating qi doesn't make one a good alchemist, and only focusing on weapons doesn't make one a good warrior. The key to mastering the techniques of a Forgotten Master is to cross-train in various disciplines, so you can use the strengths of many to overcome your own weaknesses."
Yan Ziyao furrowed her brows. "Hmm, and practicing is the most important thing, right?"
Huang Jinlong shook his head. "No, Master, you once told me that it's a mistake to practice in isolation. First, you must develop an interest, then understand the history of the techniques and their future possibilities. Only after you've grasped the big picture should you focus on practicing, with a lot of real-world experience to guide you toward perfection."
Yan Ziyao seemed to pause for a moment, thinking about his response. "Did I really say all that?" She scratched her chin. "Well, at that time, I must've thought you were someone with great potential…"
Huang Jinlong was stunned. "Master, have you forgotten all that?"
"Who remembers trivial things?" Yan Ziyao replied nonchalantly, then suddenly glanced at the rat she was holding. Realizing it, she dropped it quickly and it scurried off into the corner of the room.
"Master, you promised that today you'd formally teach me the techniques of a Forgotten Master, didn't you?" Huang Jinlong asked, a little worried.