Chapter 22: Master and Disciple

  Wei Zhao walked out of the teahouse and couldn't help but let out a sigh, feeling a lot more at ease in his heart. Doing something for the Wei family, this fake young master who had been freeloading finally had some excuse to comfort himself.

  Xianglian followed Weizhuo closely, her small face flushed red and her big eyes full of excitement. The young master was getting more and more talented, she thought to herself with an inexplicable ticklish feeling that couldn't be put into words.

  The streets were still crowded with people, Wei Xiao looked up at the sky and found that there was still plenty of time, so he slowly walked towards Yunfo Temple.

  The little girl followed behind Wei Xiao's buttocks, looking at his back, her small mouth pursed up, smiling sweetly, and her big eyes shining brightly as if thinking about something.

  "Guards!" Along with a sudden shout, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Wei Zhao.

  Wei Zhuang was taken aback and suddenly dodged to the side. Fortunately, he had practiced his footwork, barely avoiding the figure and not colliding directly.

  Just as Wei Zhuo stood still, the little girl suddenly rushed over and blocked his way, her eyes flashing with anger. "What do you want to do?" she shouted, her small face fierce, her two tiny fists clenched tightly like a mother hen protecting its food.

  Wei Xiao looked at the young man in front of him, who was about 15 or 16 years old, with a pale complexion and sparkling eyes. He wore a magnificent brocade robe, but gave off an air of timid weakness.

  Wei Xiao pushed open Xiang Liang and smiled: "Brother, do you know me?" This person had seen him at the tea house, one of the few who hadn't surrounded himself.

  The young man's eyes flickered and his fingers loosened and tightened into fists, revealing the extreme anxiety and hesitation in his heart.

  "I know you!" After a long time, the young man took a deep breath and seemed to have made up his mind.

  Wei Zhuang stared at the little girl standing in the middle and smiled: "Oh? How did you know me?"

  The young man seemed to have encouraged himself, his voice gradually becoming more stable, his eyes still shining with excitement, and he stammered: "It was Yiyin sister who told me."

  Wei Zhao nodded thoughtfully and said, "Then what did you want to see me about?"

  The young man's face turned pale again upon hearing this, but he immediately seemed to think of something and said with determination: "I'm going with you!"

  Wei Zhuo's eyes sparkled with increasing amusement as he asked, "Why?"

  The young man's face suddenly turned bright red, his chest heaving violently, his eyes darting back and forth, as he said in a low voice "I... I want to learn from you."

  Wei Zuo raised an eyebrow and smiled, nodding: "If you want to learn how to write poetry, I won't be able to teach you. As you've seen, I'm completely incapable of writing poetry."

  The young man's pale face turned bright red and said: "I don't learn poetry, I learn, I learn skills!"

  Wei Zhuo's eyes were strange and he asked suspiciously: "Learn from me? Is there something on my body that you want to learn?"

  The boy hastily nodded his head with a loud "hmm", but his tightly clenched fists were shaking slightly.

  Wei Xiao carefully sized up the young man, whose skin was fair and eyes were clear, wearing a magnificent outfit. If not for his timid and shrinking demeanor, he would have been a handsome and elegant young master. If Wei Xiao wasn't mistaken, the young man must have received some instructions from Yiyin or had something extremely important that he couldn't finish on his own, which was why he was so tense.

  Wei Zhao came over with interest and smiled at him: "Oh, what's your name?"

  The young man heard Wei Zuo's response and hastily said: "Fu Jiao, fire radical, the character Yun Ya."

  Wei Zhao furrowed his brow as soon as he heard it, "Yong" was a derogatory term, an overt insult, and he couldn't understand why his father would give his son such a name.

  Wei Zhao saw that the young Fu Yan seemed to have no displeasure, and asked in doubt: "Who gave you this name?" Generally speaking, when a child is born in Da Qi, the name is usually given by the father, but there are exceptions, that is, if the father does not know about the child before suddenly passing away. Otherwise, for the people of Da Qi who regard naming as the first right of the father, it would not be possible to let others give the child a name, even if it were an elder. If it were his uncle or aunt in his family who did not get along with him and deliberately gave him this name, it could also be understood.

  The young man was slightly stunned and also understood the meaning of Wei Zhao's words. His expression turned slightly dark as he said, "Father."

  Wei Zuo's eyebrows furrowed, and he nodded slightly. Some fathers do not like their illegitimate children, or under the instigation of other wives and concubines, they would also do such infuriating things.

  Wei Zhao now felt some sympathy for the young man, walked over and put his hand on his shoulder, saying in a low voice: "It's okay if your father doesn't like you, after you achieve success and get a title, you can change it." Having a title gave one the right to change their name.

  Fu Jiong was suddenly enveloped by Wei Qiao, and he unexpectedly gained some courage, but thinking of changing his name, his lips moved slightly, and then another wave of discouragement.

  Wei Xiao also understood that people who were used to being suppressed would find it difficult to break free from their shackles all at once. He patted him on the shoulder and smiled, saying, "It's okay, let's walk and talk as we go."

  Fu Jiong seemed to have thought of his father at home and suddenly became listless again.

  Wei Zao made some casual remarks along the way, but Fu Yang seemed to have been enlightened. He didn't mention his own life experience at all, only saying that his father was an official who was very strict with him and never looked at him straight in the eye. However, from Fu Yang's hesitant words, Wei Zao seemed to sense that what really troubled Fu Yang was not his father's severity, but some other hidden reason.

  However, the two had a shallow relationship, and Wei Zhao didn't ask much, instead asking how he knew Yiyun. Fu Jiong glanced around and changed the subject, seemingly hiding another secret. Wei Zhao was never interested in other people's business, but this young man made him feel particularly interesting.

  Xianglian followed behind the two, occasionally interjecting a sentence or two. Fu Yang didn't feel out of place at all and smiled shyly, answering every question asked. This also made Wei Zhao's good impression of him increase greatly, pulling Xiaoyazi between them, and the three began chatting and laughing together.

  Xiao Yatou mentioned the poetry competition between Wei Zhao and Feng Youli earlier, revealing the answer. Fu Yang, who had already guessed it in his heart, couldn't help but laugh loudly and uncontrollably. That Feng Youli was so confident earlier, now he's probably spreading the news everywhere. If he finds out later that the winner is seven-year-old Wei Zhao, I wonder what will happen!

  Xiangliang recited a few more lines that she had remembered earlier, and Fu Yang's face changed color as he carefully asked Wei Zhao for the original lyrics. Wei Zhao looked at the two of them speaking with great relish, and smiled as he recited the two poems.

  Fu Jiong's face changed instantly, and he stood there in a daze, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light, muttering to himself. Suddenly, he remembered the entrustment of Lin Yun before he came.

  Wei Zhao and Xiang Qiang walked out for several steps before realizing that Fu Yang hadn't followed, so they went back again.

  Just as Wei Zhuo was about to ask a question, Fu Yan's expression turned solemn, and he clasped his fists together in respect, bowing deeply: "Please accept me as your disciple, sir."

  Wei Zhao was taken aback, this action was extremely rare for Dai Qi, but once done, it was an unshakeable and irreversible decision. Wei Zhao slightly furrowed his brow, he knew that if he refused him today, this matter would become Fu Yang's lifelong 'stain', a laughing stock for the rest of his life!

  Wei Cao furrowed his brow, and his mind began to turn. He wouldn't have thought that Fu Yang would be so excited after seeing two of his poems that he'd want to become his apprentice, but Wei Cao suspected that the reason lay with Yi Yun.

  Wei Xiao nodded slightly, understanding that Fu Yang wouldn't make a baseless accusation. He reached out to help Fu Yang up from his fist-clenched stance and smiled warmly: "Yes, you are my first disciple."

  Fu Yan's expression changed greatly, in his heart he was also drumming up the courage earlier, this idea was a sudden brainstorm of his, Yi Yun's meaning was to let him make friends with Wei Zhao. He naturally understood the consequences of such things, but with Yi Yun's judgment and his own eyesight, he suddenly made up his mind. This was the first major decision he had made in his life.

  Fu Jiong's heart was also trembling with fear, but now that Wei Xiao had responded, he hastily knelt down on one knee and performed the ritual of a junior to his senior, saying: "Disciple Fu Jiong pays respects to Master."

  …………

  Two said recommended is not ideal, softly and sincerely asked for a lower recommendation.