Chapter 1387 - 696: Conversation (Part 2)
He praised, "I didn’t expect you to have some talent, kid."
Being praised by Zhou Yi like that, Hu Yi was filled with confidence. She turned to her master and said confidently, "My talent isn’t just in using chopsticks. You’ll see in the future."
Zhou Yi teased Hu Yi for getting a bit cocky. The three of them finished their meal with laughter. But after dinner, the more Lin Beichen thought about it, the more he felt something was off. When he asked about Hu Yi’s background, Hu Yi delayed in answering.
Although he felt Hu Yi was a bit strange, Lin Beichen didn’t think much of it. He just changed the subject, saying, "Three days from now is the apprenticeship ceremony."
Hu Yi was overjoyed, she couldn’t believe she could become Lin Beichen’s disciple.
"I don’t want to wait three days, I want to acknowledge you as my master now!" Hu Yi said.
But she got a scolding from Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi gently patted her head and said, "You have a long road ahead of you, don’t be so impatient. Haste makes waste. It’s set for three days later, so three days it is."
Back in his room, Lin Beichen continued to meditate and cultivate. Now as a master, he knew he must continuously improve his skills to be worthy of the title.
Just then, Lin Beichen suddenly sensed something unusual and opened his eyes sharply, calling out into the empty room, "Who’s there?"
With a gust of wind, an elder appeared before him. Seeing this, Lin Beichen was shocked; this elder was the one he had competed against on the day of the grand event.
Lin Beichen felt tense immediately, unsure of the elder’s intentions for coming, and he knew this elder was no ordinary person, with unfathomable strength.
The elder noticed and smiled kindly, "Don’t be nervous, if I had ill intentions, I would have dealt with you that day."
The elder’s words exuded confidence, but Lin Beichen did not lower his guard. After all, this was only their second meeting, and he couldn’t trust him easily.
Lin Beichen said coldly, "You coming here so effortlessly shows you have some skills. But I think, you can’t be here just to show off, right?"
The elder laughed heartily, appreciating Lin Beichen’s cleverness and acuity. It was seeing Lin Beichen’s potential that led him to come and talk.
However, Lin Beichen didn’t want to get too entangled with the elder. He said domineeringly, "I don’t care about your purpose here, I just hope you leave soon."
The elder didn’t move after hearing this but walked slowly towards Lin Beichen, sitting down in front of him. He appeared calm and unruffled.
Seeing that the elder had no intention of leaving, Lin Beichen initially thought to call someone to drive him away. But the elder spoke first, "Don’t bother trying to drive me away, I’m here to discuss something with you."
Upon hearing this, Lin Beichen didn’t rush to expel him but wanted to see what the elder was up to. He thought that once the elder’s intentions were clear, it wouldn’t be too late to drive him away.
The elder, seeing an opportunity, pressed on, "I see you have great ability and wish to collaborate. As long as we join forces, there’s nothing we can’t achieve."
Despite the elder’s praise, Lin Beichen only gave a slight smile and thanked him. But he didn’t understand why the elder wanted to work with him, so he outright refused.
The elder was not disheartened and resolutely said, "Don’t be in a hurry to refuse. Don’t you want to know what I’m discussing with you?"
Lin Beichen originally held a firm stance, believing everyone was selfish, and the elder must want something from him to propose cooperation. He said, "No matter what you say, I’m not interested in knowing your purpose or intentions. There’s no basis for cooperation between us."
The elder continued to smile, quietly admiring Lin Beichen’s steadfastness. But he wasn’t ready to give up, as this matter was too important to him and couldn’t be achieved as well alone.
Lin Beichen also had a curiosity: at the grand event, the elder’s abilities were clearly above his, yet he still defended him. To clear this up, he asked, "You’re not just a missionary, are you? Tell me, who are you really? Let’s be honest with each other, then maybe we can move forward with cooperation."
Seeing Lin Beichen had wavered, the elder gave some perfunctory answers, then stated his position. He said that if they worked together, a bright future awaited them.
Lin Beichen fell into thought. Although he didn’t know the elder’s intentions, he guessed their encounter at the last grand event might have been a prelude to this meeting.
Therefore, Lin Beichen did not continue to refuse the elder but wanted to hear what reasons he had that might convince him to work together. He asked, "Since you don’t want to tell me who you are, you should at least tell me your purpose in coming."
The elder asked back, "If I told you my purpose, would you consider cooperating with me?"
Lin Beichen couldn’t help but laugh, "You’re so confident, huh? We haven’t discussed anything, and you’re already planning on cooperation. Are you really so sure I’ll agree?"
In the end, Lin Beichen could only begin discussions with the elder about the missionary matter, though he didn’t initially agree. But from the elder’s steadfast attitude, Lin Beichen saw that if this wasn’t resolved, the elder wouldn’t easily let it go.
The elder noticed Lin Beichen’s softened expression and seized the opportunity.
"Lin Beichen, this matter is also highly beneficial for you Daoists," the elder said sincerely.
"Of course, I have my selfish motives; I admit that. But I believe you’re not a petty person."
Lin Beichen didn’t expect the elder to be so straightforward, getting straight to the point.
After pondering for a moment, Lin Beichen looked up at the elder, "Since you’re so honest, if I insist on refusing, wouldn’t that make me unreasonable? Fine, I agree to let the missionaries stay in the Daoist Temple. Are you satisfied now?"
The elder was overjoyed when he heard Lin Beichen finally relent, achieving his goal for this visit.
"Hahaha... Great, Lin Beichen, we have an agreement. I’ll arrange for the missionaries to move into the Daoist Temple soon—rest assured, they won’t cause you any trouble," the elder said with joy.
Lin Beichen, however, remained relatively calm, seriously watching the elder. After negotiating the matter, Lin Beichen felt a complex mix of emotions, indescribable.
Suddenly, Lin Beichen walked to the elder seriously and asked, "Why don’t you want to reveal your real intentions?"
The elder did not expect Lin Beichen to ask this out of the blue, surprised, he glanced at Lin Beichen, then just smiled knowingly without answering.
"Farewell..." With those words, the elder suddenly disappeared.
Lin Beichen couldn’t help but sigh, "Always like this, truly enigmatic. Why keep secrets and act mysteriously?"
The next day, before Lin Beichen had a chance to inform Zhou Yi to prepare, the elder eagerly brought the missionaries to the Daoist Temple, ready to move in.
The elder looked at the missionaries, full of joy, and said, "From now on, we’ll live in this Daoist Temple. Everyone, mind your words and actions, don’t cause trouble, and don’t let the missionaries’ reputation be tarnished, understand?"
"Yes..." the missionaries responded in unison.
Hearing the commotion outside, Zhou Yi quickly brought people out. Seeing the missionaries had already arrived and the elder leading them, he was shocked.
He looked at the elder in disbelief and asked, "What are you doing here? Why have you come to our Daoist Temple? Please don’t disturb us, or I won’t be polite to you. Leave now; I don’t want any unpleasantness."
The elder perceived Zhou Yi’s attitude, guessing Lin Beichen might not have informed him about the matter. So he approached Zhou Yi and said, "We won’t leave. We’ve come today to stay here. So let’s not have any unpleasantness—let’s coexist peacefully from now on."
"What are you saying... I don’t believe you! Wanting to live in our Daoist Temple is wishful thinking!" Zhou Yi exclaimed, confused and angry.
"Everyone, drive them all out of the Daoist Temple!" Zhou Yi angrily ordered.