Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Immortal’s Disciple (Part Two)

Xu Kang’s gesture could only be described as grand. The twenty thousand magical loaves he produced were piled into a mountain that reached as high as a two-story building, nearly filling the entire courtyard. Because Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song were closest, the magical bread that slid down nearly submerged their knees, yet neither seemed to mind. They simply reached down, picked up a loaf, and began to eat.

As they ate, they nodded in satisfaction.

“Mmm, fragrant and tender, truly delicious!”

“I taste the aroma of wheat—this must be made from wheat, flavorful, sweet, and filling. Excellent!”

Hearing their praise, Xu Kang smiled again, moved by Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song’s trust. If it were him, he would never eat food from a stranger without hesitation. Watching them praise the magical bread, he laughed and spoke.

“Uncle Master, General Huangfu, this bread is conjured by magic. It fears only water and fire; as long as it is kept from both, it will not spoil. You may distribute it freely to the soldiers to solve the shortage of provisions.”

“Ah… so it is! That’s wonderful!”

With these words, Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song were delighted, immediately directing the stunned soldiers in the courtyard to carry the magical bread to the granary for storage. To prevent the soldiers from sneaking bites, both men hustled back and forth. By the time their work was done, dawn was breaking.

Seeing their fatigue, Xu Kang produced two bags of magical fresh water and handed them over.

“Uncle Master, General Huangfu, you’ve worked hard all night. Please, have some water to refresh yourselves!”

“Heh, thank you!”

The two were indeed exhausted after a night’s work. Thanks to the magical bread, their stomachs were full, but their weariness persisted. Seeing Xu Kang offer the water bags, they accepted without hesitation, unscrewed the lids, and took a sip.

With one swallow of the magical water, a coolness swept down their throats, through their organs, and throughout their bodies, banishing all fatigue. It felt even more restorative than a full night’s sleep.

Their eyes widened in amazement.

“This… this is truly a wondrous thing!”

“Yide, what is this exactly?”

Seeing their eyes shine, Xu Kang smiled again and explained.

“This is another creation from nothing, though even rarer than the bread. I cannot make more of it, so I ask for your understanding.”

Of course, this was a lie.

---

The spell of Creating Food and Water yields one loaf and one bag of magical water each time. There is no distinction as to which is rarer.

Xu Kang said this because he needed the water bags for minting tokens as a replacement for coinage after the collapse of the wuzhu currency, and thus did not intend to give them away.

Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song, unaware of this, believed the water was truly precious. They took only a sip, then, in perfect accord, capped the bags and stored them carefully in their robes.

Watching this, Xu Kang nearly burst out laughing, struggling several times to suppress it so as not to reveal himself.

Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song noticed nothing amiss. After securing the magical water, they spoke with awe.

“To think there truly exist such masters of the supernatural in this world. It seems I was ignorant indeed!”

“Yes!”

As soon as Lu Zhi finished, Huangfu Song nodded.

“At first, I thought Yide was boasting. Now, I see I was mistaken. Yide, after only a few years of learning, has such abilities. It follows that this mysterious master could indeed raise the dead!”

After their musings, Lu Zhi took Xu Kang’s hand and led him back inside, asking kindly,

“Yide, can you tell me this mysterious master’s name and whereabouts? If only he would assist the Han, we would have no fear for its future!”

“Yes, indeed!” Huangfu Song nodded seriously. “With such a man’s assistance, His Majesty would no longer be deceived by the Ten Attendants. It would benefit the nation and the people!”

Xu Kang: “…”

Damn it, the mysterious master is just something I made up. Where am I supposed to find him for you?

At this moment, Xu Kang’s mind raced with curses, his face full of difficulty and helplessness.

“Uncle Master, General Huangfu, it’s not that I am unwilling, but… but… sigh…”

Seeing him sigh, Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song exchanged glances and gently asked, “Could it be that the mysterious master harbors some grievance against the Han?”

“Sigh… no!”

Seeing their determination to uncover the truth, Xu Kang could only sigh again and put on a troubled expression.

“My master… his dissatisfaction is not with the Han, but with me.”

“Ah?”

At this, Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song were stunned anew, surprise and curiosity etched on their faces.

Seeing their eager expressions, Xu Kang raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching, as he borrowed a storyline from his own imagination.

With a look of wistful remembrance, he began to recount his “story” to Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song.

---

“After my master revived me, he soared through the clouds and carried me to an island called Penglai Immortal Isle. We entered a mountain named Spirit Platform Mountain, where there was a cave—Slant Moon Three Stars Cave—that was my master’s abode.”

He glanced at Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song, seeing them listen intently.

He raised his brows and continued weaving the tale.

“My master’s true name is unknown to all; everyone calls him Patriarch Bodhi. After seven years with him, he asked me, ‘Shall I teach you divination and exorcism arts?’”

Upon hearing this, Huangfu Song could not help but ask, “Such a skill! Did you agree?”

“No.”

Under their gaze, Xu Kang shook his head.

“I asked if learning such arts would grant immortality. My master said it would not. So I replied, ‘Divination is less valuable than self-determination; I won’t learn it!’”

Hearing this, not only Huangfu Song but even Lu Zhi shook his head.

“Yide, you were truly confused, chasing after the illusory goal of immortality. What happened then? Did Patriarch Bodhi get angry?”

“No.” Xu Kang shook his head again. “My master simply asked another question: ‘Shall I teach you to recite sutras and pray to deities?’”

At that time, Buddhism had already spread among the upper classes, so Lu Zhi naturally understood. Upon hearing this, he nodded slightly. “Yes, if one can summon deities, that is indeed a skill. Yide, did you agree?”

“No.” Xu Kang shook his head again. “I still asked if it would grant immortality. My master said it would not, so I refused again.”

Perhaps due to their prior experience, neither Lu Zhi nor Huangfu Song appeared surprised, as if they had anticipated Xu Kang’s answer.

Seeing their silence, Xu Kang continued.

“Later, my master asked, ‘Shall I teach you meditation, abstinence, and fasting?’ I asked, ‘Would it grant immortality?’ My master told me it was like picking flowers in a mirror—impossible. So I said, ‘No, please teach me something else.’”

At this point, Lu Zhi seemed to put himself in the master’s shoes and could not help but scold Xu Kang.

“You refuse everything; such stubbornness should be punished!”

Seeing his angry expression, Xu Kang was momentarily stunned, then grinned—

I’m truly a genius!