Joy of Life - V1C12
Prologue: Nice Guys Finish Last
1- A Child of the Tanmai
2- The Truman Show
3- The Legacy Book
4- Studies and Ghost Stories
5- The Noctural Visitor
6- Master Wu Zhu
7- Master Fei Jie
8- One Year Later...
9- Grandmasters and Divine Temple
10- Overpowering Bàdào Zhenqi
11- The Sea Salt Merchant
12- Farewell for now, Master Fei Jie
13- Mail Order and Newspapers
14- It Hurts Like Hell!
15- Housekeeper Zhou
16- Ay-ya-ya-yaaa
17- The Three Goals
18- The Attempted Poisoning
19- The Assassin
20- Clean Up After Yourself!
Chapter 12
Farewell for now, Master Fei Jie
As another year passed, fall arrived again, and chrysanthemum flowers blanketed the mountains.
Fei Jie’s teaching career in Danzhou was initially scheduled to end in the summer, but he loved the air, the ocean breeze, and the cuisine. But mostly, he enjoyed teaching Fan Xian so much that he decided to stay longer.
After those two years, Fei Jie, an expert in taking life by poison and prolonging it, rubbed his fattening tummy. He had regrettably received a letter from the capital and reluctantly informed Count Sinan’s mother of his leave.
Knowing that the capital sent Fie Jie, the Old Mistress made no effort to persuade him to stay. Instead, she comforted him and gave him a red envelope as a token of thanks.
Down by the road heading west of Danzhou, the teacher and student said their goodbyes.
“Why don’t you listen to my advice and discontinue your Zhenqi training? It won’t end well.”
“I haven’t encountered any major problems with it; at least, not yet.”
“If there are no problems, then why did you go through barrels of alcohol in the kitchen?”
“It was an accident,” Fan Xian answered distressfully. In recent months, the Zhenqi in his body became increasingly aggressive, and these incidents occurred often. Due to these incidents, Fan Xian had to sacrifice his bedtime ghost stories with the maids. He was afraid that his hand might run astray on one of the maids' bodies in the heat of the moment, and he would make a deeply regrettable mistake.
“Learning the art of poison is learning the world’s greatest killing method. What’s the need to learn anything else?”
“Because poison can easily harm the innocent.”
Fie Jie stared into the little boy's eyes and asked, “Are you sure you just turned nine this year?”
Fan Xian looked at his teacher innocently. “It’s not my fault, I’m an early bloomer.”
Fei Jie sighed and tutted. It wasn’t easy keeping his mind sane around the little rascal for so long.
It was time to leave. Fei Jie rubbed the back of the boy’s head and looked back towards Danzhou.
“In the future, if you ever come to the capital to be a doctor, remember to look me up.”
"Yes." Fan Xian bowed in acknowledgment. He genuinely appreciated the quirky old man. Over the past two years, his old soul craved someone to talk to. While Blind Man Wu Zhu was seen as too cold, this teacher, with his remarkable background, stepped into that role. During their time together, Fan Xian could feel their bond strengthening.
“Stop practicing Zhenqi…”
“You can be quite loquacious sometimes, teacher.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m too old.” Fei Jie rubbed Fan Xian’s soft black hair with one hand while messing his white hair with the other.
“Anyway, that Zhenqi is worthless. It’s too powerful and uncontrollable.” Fei Jie hadn’t given up on changing Fei Xian’s mind. “A formidable swordsman in Dongyi City owes me a favor. I could introduce you to become his disciple.”
Fan Xian inhaled a cold breath. “Are you talking about the formidable sword grandmaster of Dongyi City?”
“That’s right,” Fei Jie said enticingly. “One of the Four Grandmasters. His practice is much more powerful than yours.”
Fan Xian was interested in something else. “How do you know him?”
“Well, when he was eight, his father called me to treat his sickness. Judging by the fact that he hugged trees all day, the little monster was dumb. I treated him halfheartedly and left with my money. I never would have known that a few years later, I’d hear that he learned the Sigu Sword style and became a Grandmaster.”
Fan Xian looked at him with disdain. “You treated him halfheartedly? Let’s not mention that you practically stole your pay; you nearly killed a world-class warrior. That is quite worthy of contempt.”
Fei Jie feigned anger and walked towards the carriage in the distance. “I have taught you everything about poisons and all related knowledge. However, I have yet to tell you one key piece of information.”
Fan Xian ran after him, his tiny legs working as fast as the wind. “What is it?”
“Finding the right antidote is easy. Finding the right poison is easy. The hardest part is the administration of the poison.”
Without turning his head, Fei Jie kept walking and did not look back. He resolved not to let this nine-year-old child see how upset he was about leaving.
Fan Xian paused, contemplating those words carefully. From his time with Fei Jie, he learned that the most difficult aspect of poison was finding one that was colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Therefore, the key lies in the method of administration.
Suddenly, he burst into laughter. It wasn’t as if he were preparing to become a master assassin or had any plans to kill anyone. Why was he stressing over this? All he needed was the assurance that he wouldn't fall prey to poisoning from the concubine at Count Sinan’s estate.
As he observed the carriage gradually fade into the distance, leaving a cloud of dust behind, Fan Xian bowed deeply. He realized that the eccentric old man had been reluctant to come to Danzhou initially, but after two years of working side by side, dissecting corpses and frog legs, they had grown fond of one another. Neither would ever forget their bond.
With a sense of melancholy at the departure, Fan Xian couldn’t help but think, “Fei Jie is an extraordinary person. I will truly miss him.”
Fei Jie’s teaching career in Danzhou was initially scheduled to end in the summer, but he loved the air, the ocean breeze, and the cuisine. But mostly, he enjoyed teaching Fan Xian so much that he decided to stay longer.
After those two years, Fei Jie, an expert in taking life by poison and prolonging it, rubbed his fattening tummy. He had regrettably received a letter from the capital and reluctantly informed Count Sinan’s mother of his leave.
Knowing that the capital sent Fie Jie, the Old Mistress made no effort to persuade him to stay. Instead, she comforted him and gave him a red envelope as a token of thanks.
Down by the road heading west of Danzhou, the teacher and student said their goodbyes.
“Why don’t you listen to my advice and discontinue your Zhenqi training? It won’t end well.”
“I haven’t encountered any major problems with it; at least, not yet.”
“If there are no problems, then why did you go through barrels of alcohol in the kitchen?”
“It was an accident,” Fan Xian answered distressfully. In recent months, the Zhenqi in his body became increasingly aggressive, and these incidents occurred often. Due to these incidents, Fan Xian had to sacrifice his bedtime ghost stories with the maids. He was afraid that his hand might run astray on one of the maids' bodies in the heat of the moment, and he would make a deeply regrettable mistake.
“Learning the art of poison is learning the world’s greatest killing method. What’s the need to learn anything else?”
“Because poison can easily harm the innocent.”
Fie Jie stared into the little boy's eyes and asked, “Are you sure you just turned nine this year?”
Fan Xian looked at his teacher innocently. “It’s not my fault, I’m an early bloomer.”
Fei Jie sighed and tutted. It wasn’t easy keeping his mind sane around the little rascal for so long.
It was time to leave. Fei Jie rubbed the back of the boy’s head and looked back towards Danzhou.
“In the future, if you ever come to the capital to be a doctor, remember to look me up.”
"Yes." Fan Xian bowed in acknowledgment. He genuinely appreciated the quirky old man. Over the past two years, his old soul craved someone to talk to. While Blind Man Wu Zhu was seen as too cold, this teacher, with his remarkable background, stepped into that role. During their time together, Fan Xian could feel their bond strengthening.
“Stop practicing Zhenqi…”
“You can be quite loquacious sometimes, teacher.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m too old.” Fei Jie rubbed Fan Xian’s soft black hair with one hand while messing his white hair with the other.
“Anyway, that Zhenqi is worthless. It’s too powerful and uncontrollable.” Fei Jie hadn’t given up on changing Fei Xian’s mind. “A formidable swordsman in Dongyi City owes me a favor. I could introduce you to become his disciple.”
Fan Xian inhaled a cold breath. “Are you talking about the formidable sword grandmaster of Dongyi City?”
“That’s right,” Fei Jie said enticingly. “One of the Four Grandmasters. His practice is much more powerful than yours.”
Fan Xian was interested in something else. “How do you know him?”
“Well, when he was eight, his father called me to treat his sickness. Judging by the fact that he hugged trees all day, the little monster was dumb. I treated him halfheartedly and left with my money. I never would have known that a few years later, I’d hear that he learned the Sigu Sword style and became a Grandmaster.”
Fan Xian looked at him with disdain. “You treated him halfheartedly? Let’s not mention that you practically stole your pay; you nearly killed a world-class warrior. That is quite worthy of contempt.”
Fei Jie feigned anger and walked towards the carriage in the distance. “I have taught you everything about poisons and all related knowledge. However, I have yet to tell you one key piece of information.”
Fan Xian ran after him, his tiny legs working as fast as the wind. “What is it?”
“Finding the right antidote is easy. Finding the right poison is easy. The hardest part is the administration of the poison.”
Without turning his head, Fei Jie kept walking and did not look back. He resolved not to let this nine-year-old child see how upset he was about leaving.
Fan Xian paused, contemplating those words carefully. From his time with Fei Jie, he learned that the most difficult aspect of poison was finding one that was colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Therefore, the key lies in the method of administration.
Suddenly, he burst into laughter. It wasn’t as if he were preparing to become a master assassin or had any plans to kill anyone. Why was he stressing over this? All he needed was the assurance that he wouldn't fall prey to poisoning from the concubine at Count Sinan’s estate.
As he observed the carriage gradually fade into the distance, leaving a cloud of dust behind, Fan Xian bowed deeply. He realized that the eccentric old man had been reluctant to come to Danzhou initially, but after two years of working side by side, dissecting corpses and frog legs, they had grown fond of one another. Neither would ever forget their bond.
With a sense of melancholy at the departure, Fan Xian couldn’t help but think, “Fei Jie is an extraordinary person. I will truly miss him.”
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
After Master Fei Jie left, time felt like it was dragging on endlessly, with each month seeming to crawl by slower than the last. The days began to blur together, often feeling dull and burdensome, as if the absence of his teacher had cast a long shadow over the months that followed.
Fan Xian found it challenging to adapt to his monotonous lifestyle. Unlike most noble boys his age, who would typically be out with friends, he was alone in Danzhou. Although he was the only child of nobility in the area, there were several potential playmates his age. However, those were new acquaintances, as most of his old friends were now busy working with their fathers in their shops. With a level of maturity far beyond his peers, he felt he had little in common with them and no longer wished to share stories that made him nostalgic. He missed the internet the most.
After Fei Jie departed Danzhou, Fan Xian lost his only meaningful conversational partner and soon began to feel both bored and lonely. As he stood on the front steps of Count Sinan's villa, he watched the throngs of people pass by, feeling increasingly isolated and uncertain about how to spend his time, trapped within a child’s body.
I can recall all the content of the books from my past and present life. I am now a master of poisons. But for what purpose? Fan Xian snorted, and I barely controlled the Zhenqi in my body.
When he first arrived in this world, he had envisioned all the wonderful things he could accomplish and found himself laughing at the possibilities. In his former life, his limitations were evident when he lay sick in bed. He had foolishly thought that, compared to the people in this world, he would possess some unique skills, like making soap or crafting glass cups. This idea sparked a list of simple yet useful tasks he could undertake.
Staring at the ceiling above his bed, Fan Xian experienced a moment of deep reflection about his life and future. He wasn't too disheartened when he realized that both soap and glass already existed in this world and were nothing extraordinary. However, when he noticed that Fei Jie had left his precious magnifying glass on his desk, he felt a sense of failure.
Fan Xian found it challenging to adapt to his monotonous lifestyle. Unlike most noble boys his age, who would typically be out with friends, he was alone in Danzhou. Although he was the only child of nobility in the area, there were several potential playmates his age. However, those were new acquaintances, as most of his old friends were now busy working with their fathers in their shops. With a level of maturity far beyond his peers, he felt he had little in common with them and no longer wished to share stories that made him nostalgic. He missed the internet the most.
After Fei Jie departed Danzhou, Fan Xian lost his only meaningful conversational partner and soon began to feel both bored and lonely. As he stood on the front steps of Count Sinan's villa, he watched the throngs of people pass by, feeling increasingly isolated and uncertain about how to spend his time, trapped within a child’s body.
I can recall all the content of the books from my past and present life. I am now a master of poisons. But for what purpose? Fan Xian snorted, and I barely controlled the Zhenqi in my body.
When he first arrived in this world, he had envisioned all the wonderful things he could accomplish and found himself laughing at the possibilities. In his former life, his limitations were evident when he lay sick in bed. He had foolishly thought that, compared to the people in this world, he would possess some unique skills, like making soap or crafting glass cups. This idea sparked a list of simple yet useful tasks he could undertake.
Staring at the ceiling above his bed, Fan Xian experienced a moment of deep reflection about his life and future. He wasn't too disheartened when he realized that both soap and glass already existed in this world and were nothing extraordinary. However, when he noticed that Fei Jie had left his precious magnifying glass on his desk, he felt a sense of failure.
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