After the old Taoist drank the tea I offered, I officially became his disciple.
But at first, he didn't rush to teach me any skills. Instead, he had Huzi handle my enrollment at a nearby elementary school so I could continue my studies.
I don't know what great power the old Taoist had, but somehow he got me into a top-tier elementary school.
I was never good at school to begin with, and this was a prestigious school — so I became an even bigger drag on the class. My grades remained predictably low; I never ranked higher than second to last.
I thought that once I followed this old Taoist, I wouldn't have to attend school anymore. Guess I was dreaming.
Not only did I have to keep going to school, but the old Taoist also stole all my free time. It was downright inhumane.
I went to school during the day, and when I came home at night, the old Taoist started teaching me Feng Shui and mystical knowledge.
Strangely enough, although my academic performance was poor, I found the things my master taught me fascinating. I seemed to grasp concepts with little effort — maybe this was the talent Huzi mentioned.
While my master paid little attention to my schoolwork, almost ignoring it, he was extremely strict with the Feng Shui lessons. Even the slightest mistake meant a harsh beating.
And when I say beating, I mean real, brutal punishment. My backside would be sore and bruised every time.
So I never dared slack off when it came to his teachings.
As I grew, the material he taught became more abundant and complex — starting simple and becoming increasingly difficult.
I studied everything: the I Ching and Eight Trigrams, Qimen Dunjia, Plum Blossom Divination, Hetu and Luoshu diagrams, and the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth.
Besides that, my master also taught me martial arts and occasionally some traditional Chinese medicine — techniques on healing and saving lives.
The five Taoist disciplines — Mountain, Medicine, Destiny, Appearance, and Divination — I left none untouched.
Every day, aside from school, I trained with my master. At first, I found it hard to adapt, but gradually I became numb to it.
But there was one thing I have to mention — ever since I moved into my master's courtyard, almost every day strangers would come knocking, begging for my master's help.
Most of the time, my master told Huzi to send them away.
Only occasionally, he'd leave town for a few days. I never knew where he went, but those were the only times I could relax and take it easy.
From the day I was born, I was destined for endless calamities — every three years, a major disaster would strike.
But since I became my master's disciple, those three-year tribulations vanished like a curse lifted.
Later, I noticed a pattern: every time a three-year disaster was about to hit, my master would leave town for a few days.
And every time he returned, he looked weak and pale.
He'd then lock himself in his room for days without coming out, and when he finally appeared again, he'd look vibrant and energetic as before.
Eight years flew by. I went from a top elementary school to a top high school.
Of course, it wasn't because I studied well that I got into the top schools — I don't know what tricks my master used to get me in.
For the elementary, middle, and high schools I attended, many students fought tooth and nail for admission — elementary was a bit easier, but middle and high schools were extremely competitive.
I never understood why, given my poor grades, my master insisted on sending me to such prestigious schools — it seemed like a waste.
After entering middle school, my grades improved slightly but were still mediocre.
There was no chance I'd get into college, but my master never planned for me to attend university anyway.
Eight years later, when I graduated high school, I didn't take the college entrance exam — I gave up entirely, as my master instructed.
Even if I had taken it, I wouldn't have had any hope.
The year I graduated, my master solemnly told me he was going on a long journey and might not return for a whole year.
During that year, it would be just me and Huzi at home.
He also told me something very important: after learning for eight years, I had acquired enough knowledge to graduate.
Once he left, if anyone came looking for help, I was to handle it and charge fees.
There was no fixed pricing in our line of work — it all depended on how much the client was willing to pay.
But my master left me with three conditions.
When he told me these conditions, I nearly lost it.
I almost wanted to roll up my sleeves and fight the old man.
Especially the first condition — when I heard it, I immediately wanted to sever ties.
The old man said: "First condition — during the year I'm gone, you must earn ten million yuan and deposit it into the bank account I left you."
"Second condition — once you join the sect, you can't take any other jobs. You must rely solely on the Feng Shui and mystic arts you've learned to make a living. If I find out you earn money through other means, when I return, I'll break your legs."
"The third condition, and the most important one, is that your first job can't be in Yanbei city. Anywhere else is fine — just not Yanbei."
Not only me, even Huzi was grinding his teeth when he heard these terms.
Ten million yuan? To me, that was astronomical. Since becoming this old man's disciple, I hadn't even seen a thousand yuan in cash.
"Master, you're not joking about that ten million, right?" I asked, dejected.
"Do I look like I'm joking? Ten million — not one yuan less. If you fail, I'll break your legs when I return," the master said coldly.
"Master, please don't keep threatening to break my legs. Even if I rob a bank, I can't make ten million in a year," I said, feeling hopeless.
"That's not my problem. You have to do it," the old man said, looking absent-minded, picking his nose with one hand and scratching his foot with the other.
Seeing him act so smug, if it weren't for him being my master, I'd seriously want to beat him up.
The old man flicked a big booger onto his shoe, wiped his hand on it, and said, "Alright, I'm leaving. See you in a year. Remember those conditions — not a single one can be broken."
I watched his annoying back as he left, thinking maybe it's better never to see a master who treats his disciple like this.
Just as my master reached the door, Huzi suddenly stepped forward and said, "Master, you're gone for a whole year. Could you at least leave us some living expenses?"