Chapter 465
Chapter 465
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 465
>Chapter Title: The Reason
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Chapter 465: The Reason
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> Facing Master Wu’s words, his wife ignored him and walked straight outside. She picked up a bamboo sieve and nimbly climbed the bamboo ladder to the roof to harvest radishes.
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> Master Wu dawdled as he put on his clothes, then turned to go eat dinner. When he saw the egg placed in his noodle soup, his expression improved somewhat.
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> After finishing the meal, he tossed the bowl and chopsticks onto the table, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked out.
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> It was just dusk outside, and the yellow sunset shone on his face, making it look even more sallow.
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> A cool, crisp white radish fell from the roof, sliding right down the back of his neck. “Wash the dishes! What are you standing around for?”
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> “Ow, ow!” He reached into his clothes with one hand while rushing toward the courtyard gate.
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> He stopped at the left side of the Bai family ancestral hall and huffed toward his own house. “Hmph! The Sage was right—only women and petty men are hard to deal with!”
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> Master Wu smoothed the wrinkles on his long robe with deliberate grace. Just as he turned to leave, a fawning old face startled him.
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> “Heh heh heh~ Master Wu, off to give a lecture? Mind if I tag along?” Lv Zhuangyuan said with a chuckle, cradling his grandson.
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> Master Wu glanced disdainfully at Lv Zhuangyuan and headed toward the private school.
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> “A lecture? That’s too good for them. Teaching them is just called enlightenment! Every one of them has the comprehension of a rock. It’s like playing a lute to a cow every single day.”
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> “Heh heh heh, exactly, exactly. They’re all too old and no good for studying to become top scholars. Our family’s little Tong Sheng is just the right age to learn his letters!” Lv Zhuangyuan proudly bounced the baby boy in his arms.
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> “I’ve told you how many times: don’t bring a baby not even a month old to the school! He can’t understand a word I say!”
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> “Hey, Master Wu, this is just when babies start babbling. It won’t hurt to let him hear some sage teachings. What if he picks something up?”
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> “Sigh, playing a lute to a cow, playing a lute to a cow.” Master Wu shook his head repeatedly as he walked toward the school.
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> By the time he arrived, the others were already waiting. The moment the master appeared, the chatting students fell silent.
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> Master Wu’s gaze fell on the man in the corner wearing a conical hat and straw raincoat, and his brows furrowed slightly.
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> Compared to before the heavenly disaster, this man seemed even taller and bulkier. Even standing motionless, the oppressive aura emanating from him made Master Wu feel deeply wary.
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> More importantly, during the heavenly disaster, he wasn’t blind—he had seen the divine abilities those people displayed.
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> Thinking back on it, Master Wu didn’t even dare imagine what lay beneath that raincoat.
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> As the Sage once said: Scholars respect ghosts and gods but keep their distance.
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> He wanted to keep his distance, but he didn’t dare. He feared that disobeying their orders would lead to a miserable end.
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> He’d lived to this age and read plenty of storybooks about villains with supernatural powers who, once empowered, committed all sorts of atrocities—bullying men, abusing women, and treating lives like weeds.
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> The thought of those horrific scenes from the books happening to him made his body tremble involuntarily.
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> So now, he could only ring the bell as long as he was a monk for the day. The one consolation was that the silver still came regularly, and the villagers treated him well.
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> Master Wu quickly scanned the room, his brows furrowing again. “Eh? Why are there fewer people today?”
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> “Master, Gao Zhijian is recruiting village militiamen. They say there’s candy for those who pass, so they all went.”
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> “But Gao Zhijian’s standards are strict. Most don’t qualify, so they’ll probably be back soon.”
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> Looking at Zhao Wu, the only one among them who could be called diligent, Master Wu’s tone softened a bit. “I see. Then why didn’t you go?”
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> Zhao Wu gave a wry smile and patted his limp legs. “You’re joking, Master. With my body, I don’t even need to try to know.”
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> Master Wu nodded in understanding. With a light cough, he began the lesson.
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> Throughout the private school, people came and went sporadically—whether bored or needing to relieve themselves, Master Wu ignored them all and focused on his work.
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> Before he knew it, it was deep into the night. His throat parched from lecturing, Master Wu looked at the yawning faces below and waved his hand.
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> “That’s it for today. Remember: review the old to understand the new. I’ll quiz you tomorrow.”
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> After finishing the day’s work, Master Wu picked up his lantern and headed home.
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> In the dead of night, walking the deserted streets, Master Wu truly felt a twinge of fear—especially after the heavenly disaster.
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> But he didn’t dare show it, lest his dim-witted students see his cowardice. After all, he was a scholar.
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> As he passed the Bai family ancestral hall, his steps lightened.
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> Living in the village, he couldn’t avoid the rumors—that many had died horribly inside that hall.
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> “I am a scholar with righteous aura. I speak no nonsense of strange forces or disorderly gods. All evils flee before me!” Master Wu muttered disjointedly to himself, comforting his heart.
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> Just as he passed the hall and breathed a sigh of relief, a wooden mask suddenly lunged from the darkness.
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> Master Wu’s yelp was only halfway out when a red wooden hand clamped over his mouth. “Quiet. I’m not here to kill you. I’m looking for someone. Do you know where Er Jiu lives in the village?”
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> Seeing the master frozen stiff like a board, Liu Zongyuan asked again: “What? You don’t know? The one in the red Daoist robes. Always carries two swords on his back.”
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> Seeing the trembling finger point in a direction, Liu Zongyuan disdainfully glanced at the master’s soaked pants and turned to head that way.
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> Not long after Liu Zongyuan left, he spotted an open second-floor window in a large courtyard. “Brother Liu, I can’t move around easily right now. Come in and chat.”
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> Liu Zongyuan’s body moved like an agile monkey. With a kick off the wall and a hook of his right hand, he slipped right inside.
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> The moment he entered, he saw the red-robed Daoist sitting boldly there, with an utterly terrifying skinned beast quietly squatting at his left side, staring at him intently with its eyeless sockets.
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> “Brother Liu, long time no see?” Hearing Er Jiu’s question, Liu Zongyuan snapped back and looked at his eyes wrapped in white gauze.
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> “What happened to your peepers?”
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> “Some things happened during the heavenly disaster, so I’m blind now. No matter, just a minor injury. I’m just surprised you’re back again, Brother Liu.”
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> “Well, I rushed over as soon as I got your letter. You’ve been holed up here—you don’t know how chaotic it’s gotten outside.”
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> “Yeah, I figured. Regarding this heavenly disaster, Brother Liu, do you have any news? Two disasters in just two short years—it’s an ill omen.”
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> “Sigh.” Liu Zongyuan let out a light sigh and sat down beside Li Huowang. “Do I need to tell you? Anyone who’s not blind can see it. I’ve learned that before this disaster hit, the big shots in the Surveillance Bureau already knew.”
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> “They knew in advance? Isn’t the Surveillance Bureau for monitoring the heavens? If they knew ahead of time, why not stop it? Or could they only manage up to that point before?”
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> “Slap!” Liu Zongyuan slapped his palms in frustration. “You think they didn’t try? You think that huge setup in the capital was child’s play? Sigh! It was all ruined by those knife-stabbing sons of bitches from the Sitting Oblivion Dao!”
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> (End of chapter)