Chapter 24: Sparring with My Master

"Isn't this what you call flexible adaptation? Didn't you teach me to be adaptable?" Zhang Zhiwei said with a dry chuckle.

"Adaptable? You rascal, are you saying it's your master's fault in the end?"

Zhang Jingqing was so frustrated he laughed. "Besides, you covered your face, but look at your physique! You’re such a big guy; if they really wanted to find you, couldn't they?"

Hearing this, Zhang Zhiwei looked at his own frame. In this era, people with his build were still rare. He had been careless!

"Indeed, ginger is spicier the older it gets. I've learned my lesson. Next time, I'll use my Qi to manifest a 'sixteen-foot golden body'—that should guarantee no one can tell it’s me!"

"A sixteen-foot golden body?" Zhang Jingqing’s face darkened. "Why don't you put your palms together and shout 'Amitabha' while you're at it?"

Zhang Zhiwei gave a thumbs-up. "Master truly possesses great wisdom!"

"Great... great... great your head! You'll be the death of me one day!"

Zhang Jingqing grumbled, "Let's go. Get off the train. After this incident, I suspect the train will stop midway, and who knows how long that will delay us. We’ll use our spirit-walking technique to reach Jiangnan!"

"Spirit-walking to Jiangnan? Wait, Master, if we vanish halfway, won't the police investigations make it look like we’re confessing our guilt? Could we end up on a wanted list?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't care about wanted posters in this era, but it wouldn't sound great if the Celestial Master of the Tianshi Mansion and his disciple were both on one, would it?

"Who would dare put a bounty on you? Affairs of the supernatural world are handled by those in the supernatural world. And do you really think that just because you covered your face with Golden Light, people wouldn't know it was you, Zhang Zhiwei?"

Zhang Jingqing glared at him. "You can run from the monk, but can you run from the temple? You blockhead, the Golden Light Curse is the signature technique of our Tianshi Mansion. Using it to hide your identity is like plugging your ears while stealing a bell!"

Zhang Zhiwei: "..."

That... that... he supposed that was true!

Zhang Zhiwei patted his own head. Damn, he’d been reckless. If he hadn't used the Golden Light Curse, people might have assumed it was just some grudge in the underworld and likely wouldn't have suspected the Tianshi Mansion. This time, he had essentially outed himself.

*It must be that restless 'heart-monkey' affecting my judgment!* Zhang Zhiwei muttered to himself, then seized upon a slip of the tongue in his master's words to correct him: "Just a reminder, Master, we are Taoists. We should say, 'You can run from the Taoist, but you can't run from the Taoist temple!'"

"I tell you that you lack refinement in your actions, and you talk to me about running from temples?"

Zhang Jingqing hooked his index and middle fingers, raising his hand to give Zhang Zhiwei a flick on the forehead, but he held back when he glanced at the baby next to them, who was smacking its lips in a deep sleep.

"Always unserious, spouting nonsense. I'll deal with you later!"

With that, Zhang Jingqing opened the window and floated out. Zhang Zhiwei followed immediately behind.

After climbing out of the carriage and landing lightly, Zhang Zhiwei turned around, flicked his finger, and a burst of Qi shot out to shut the window he had just opened. He then watched the train chug off into the distance.

Zhang Jingqing took out four "Spirit-Horse" talismans and handed two to Zhang Zhiwei.

Zhang Zhiwei accepted them. "Master, didn't we say we were going to travel this journey like ordinary people?"

Zhang Jingqing gave him an annoyed look and immediately flicked his forehead.

*Clang!*

A crisp, metallic ringing echoed across the wilderness.

"Good lad, you've made progress. You can defend against that now. Let's see if you can handle this!"

Zhang Jingqing raised his hand again, using his Qi to manifest a large iron hammer.

Zhang Zhiwei’s face turned green. Without a word, he slapped the two talismans onto his legs and recited the Earth-Shrinking Incantation: "One step, a hundred paces; the land shrinks of its own accord. Mountains flatten, rivers run dry."

The Spirit-Horse talisman was a common type of paper charm. As one of the three major sects of talismans, the Tianshi Mansion taught these to everyone, and even if Zhang Zhiwei didn't specialize in them, he could use them with ease.

Once the talismans were attached, even a mortal could travel a thousand miles a day, let alone someone with Zhang Zhiwei's already formidable cultivation!

Before the Celestial Master could strike, Zhang Zhiwei had already greased his heels and made a run for it. His speed was incredible, covering dozens of meters in a single stride, appearing almost as if he were floating on the wind.

But behind him, Zhang Jingqing was even faster—he wasn't just striding anymore; it was practically flight. And he was carrying a half-person-tall "golden hammer" in his hand!

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Jingqing caught up and, like a game of Whack-a-Mole, brought the hammer down hard.

*BOOM!*

A massive hole half a person deep appeared in the ground.

Zhang Zhiwei, who had barely dodged, was startled. "Whoa, Master, you're playing for real!"

"I'm just testing to see if you've made any progress!"

Zhang Jingqing raised the hammer for another strike. It had been a long time since he’d probed Zhang Zhiwei’s cultivation. In the past, he’d had him spar with his fellow disciples, but he soon realized that Zhang Zhiwei was advancing too quickly; none of them could last a single exchange, and some couldn't even manage a few moves.

Therefore, to keep tabs on his disciple's potential, he would periodically find excuses to "beat some sense" into him. Besides, they were going to attend Grandfather Lu's eightieth birthday banquet, where there would undoubtedly be competitions among the younger generation. Checking his strength now gave him a good idea of what to expect... or so Zhang Jingqing told himself. He would never admit that this was just venting his frustration.

"Good lad, take this!"

Zhang Jingqing got a bit more serious, swinging the "golden hammer" as he swooped down.

*Whoosh!*

The sound of air being torn apart rang out. Zhang Zhiwei felt his scalp tingle!

He looked up. His master was already above him, the golden hammer—manifested from Qi—glowing with layers of light as it descended toward his head with lethal intent.

This didn't feel like a master-disciple test anymore; it felt like he was being hunted. Zhang Jingqing himself felt a bit helpless—it was just that this wicked disciple’s mastery of the Golden Light Curse was so high that if he didn't strike hard enough, the blow would be painless, and where would his dignity as the Celestial Master be?

*CLANG!!*

A teeth-grinding metallic crash rang out. Zhang Zhiwei was sent flying backward, his thick protective Golden Light shattered by more than half.

*Thump, thump, thump...*

Zhang Zhiwei somersaulted three or four times in the air before hitting a large boulder head-first. His head, still shimmering with golden light, smashed a deep crater into the rock, burying him inside. He looked like an ostrich with its head stuck in the sand.

This sight didn't worry Zhang Jingqing; instead, he was secretly shocked. A blow that heavy would have been hard for most in the underworld to withstand, yet it hadn't even completely shattered Zhang Zhiwei’s Golden Light. It had been so easy to break last time—this boy's progress was terrifying. It seemed he needed to put in a little more effort.

"Good lad! Your 'Five Thunders Method' may be stuck in the heart-monkey realm, but your Golden Light Curse is improving by leaps and bounds. Its intensity grows every time! Come, come, let me test your limits!"

Zhang Jingqing moved again, tearing through the air.

Zhang Zhiwei pushed against the boulder and, with a *pop*, pulled his head out. As he turned, he saw Master Zhang Jingqing coming at him, hefting the "golden hammer." It looked exactly like the time he had used a bucket to swat those child-abductors.

*Damn, is the wind finally shifting in the other direction?*