Recalling how the Sky-Scraping Hermit had tormented him over the past few months, Shi Zhongyu was seized with fury. Finding himself completely alone under the sparse moonlight in the dead of night, he marched up to the edge of the precipice and roared into the distance, "Xie Yanke, you deserve to rot alone! You old lecher, you dried-up old pervert! Bah! I'm only sparing you because you're an old man well past your fiftieth year, otherwise this young master would have taught you a real lesson long ago!"
He paused to catch his breath before resuming his tirade at the top of his lungs.
"Hmph, just you wait! You'll get what's coming to you! I am a dragon biding his time in an abyss, a tiger stranded on the plains and bullied by a dog like you! Making me wash your clothes and cook your meals—in your dreams! When you kick the bucket, not a soul will buy you a coffin, and you can just rot out here in the wilderness! Sky-Scraping Hermit? More like Graveyard Hermit!"
Having vented his spleen, Shi Zhongyu felt immensely relieved, as though he had achieved a spiritual victory over Xie Yanke, and he burst into hearty laughter.
As soon as he turned around, he stopped dead in his tracks. Standing not far behind him in the dark was a man in his fifties with a sparse beard, a lean and refined face, and a cold expression. The man's face neither sorrowful nor joyful, a faint greenish qi hovered about his features, and his eyes glinted with mockery and ridicule.
It was none other than the Sky-Scraping Hermit, Xie Yanke himself.
In a low, gravelly voice, Xie Yanke said, "Well, well. If it isn't the illustrious eldest young master of Shi Qing and Min Rou, out here letting off steam? Since you hold Master Xie in such low regard, why don't you summon your dear parents of the Black and White Twin Swords to challenge me and back you up?"
Shi Zhongyu's eyes darted around. Figuring he had been caught red-handed anyway, his reckless, fearless streak flared up. "If you've got the guts, stop taking it out on me! Why don't you go deal with that... that bastard Gou Zazhong? Don't you always brag that your Emerald Needle Clear Palm is peerless under heaven? If you're so mighty, why don't you go wipe out Xiake Island instead of picking on this young master? Look how much weight I've lost these past few months!"
Xie Yanke laughed out of sheer anger. "Boy, it seems you won't shed a tear until you see your coffin. I knew from the start you were a slippery little scoundrel. Xie has always been an independent, proud, and aloof man—how could I ever be dragged down by a base wretch like you? No matter how great your parents' reputation is, what does that have to do with you? You never do a single good deed, but you never miss a chance to do evil. Even if Confucius were to rise from the dead, I doubt he could teach a treacherous, slippery little imp like you."
Looking thoroughly pleased with himself, Shi Zhongyu retorted, "My martial arts may not measure up, but when it comes to brains and talent, I am a rare piece of jade, unmatched through the ages! You simply lack the discernment to recognize a true gem. Heh, and take that Gou Zazhong fellow, for instance—he doesn't even have a fraction of my intelligence! Ha! Walking right onto Xiake Island to throw his life away like a total fool, and even going to the Snow Mountain Sect in my place! It cracks me up just thinking about it. How can anyone in this world be so thick-headed? Hahahaha!"
Furious, Xie Yanke snapped, "Laugh away, you little ghost! Boy, I'm only sparing your life for Gou Zazhong's sake. Under any other circumstances, if you dared speak to Xie like that, ten lives wouldn't be enough to keep you breathing! Didn't I tell you back then that if you didn't turn over a new leaf, I'd skin you three layers at a time every single day? My word is law, and a promise made is a promise kept. Don't try any of your little tricks and clever schemes with me!"
With that, Xie Yanke channeled his internal energy, a greenish hue washing over his face as he struck a nearby boulder with a single palm. With a resounding *bang*, the massive rock shattered into pieces, while Xie Yanke's hand remained completely unharmed. Looking quite pleased with himself, he clearly demonstrated that his rigorous training during this period had brought further refinement to his internal power.
Though Shi Zhongyu put up a bold front, inwardly he was scared out of his wits. Seeing such terrifying might, he dared not provoke the old man any further. A sidelong glance at the rubble on the ground sent a fresh chill through his heart, and his stomach began to rumble miserably in protest.
With a gaze as sharp as lightning, Xie Yanke swept his eyes up and down Shi Zhongyu's frame. Under that piercing stare, Shi Zhongyu felt like a frightened fawn caught by a leopard; his limbs went completely limp and he was scared out of his skin.
Without wasting another word, Xie Yanke landed a heavy slap across Shi Zhongyu's face, leaving one of his cheeks red and swollen. Receiving such a beating instantly made Shi Zhongyu much more cooperative.
Reaching out with his left hand, Xie Yanke grabbed Shi Zhongyu by the wrist and leapt back toward the cave. Shi Zhongyu shrieked in terror all the way, scraping against countless jagged rocks along the path. By the time they finally reached the cave, his shins were covered in bloody gashes, and he collapsed onto the ground, rolling about and wailing in agony.
Xie Yanke let out a cold snort, flicked his right foot, and darted back into the cave interior, vanishing without a trace. Left behind, Shi Zhongyu howled in misery for the better part of the night before finally drifting into an exhausted sleep.
The next day, having no idea how long he had slept, he was enjoying a deep slumber when Xie Yanke kicked him awake. "Lazy wretch!" the old man barked. "If you make me fall behind in my training, you'll pay for it! Get up and wash the vegetables and cook!"
Daring to feel angry but too afraid to speak, and terrified of crossing the old man, Shi Zhongyu muttered a few curses under his breath before scrambling to his feet to start stir-frying.
Yet while this pampered young master was quite capable of appreciating fine cuisine, cooking was entirely beyond him. Out of ten meals, nine would earn him a tongue-lashing from Old Xie so severe it left him thoroughly degraded.
Xie Yanke yelled that he wasn't even as good as Gou Zazhong, leaving Shi Zhongyu momentarily confused as to whether he was being insulted or genuinely being compared to that fellow.
Around noon, a figure suddenly ascended the cliff. Xie Yanke squinted to look and saw a young, sturdily built man with a slightly dark complexion, thick eyebrows, and a rosy, smooth complexion. His eyes gleamed with a bright, crystalline light—a clear sign that his internal energy had reached unfathomable depths, attaining the realm of returning to simplicity and perfection with his power neatly contained within.
Xie Yanke was momentarily stunned. For a split second, he wondered why Shi Zhongyu had changed his makeup and what game he was playing. Then, remembering Gou Zazhong—that simple, honest youth who had washed his clothes and cooked for him for over a decade—he was suddenly overcome with joy and broke into a broad smile.
As an eccentric figure in the martial arts world who had grown completely disillusioned after a tragedy in his thirties and retreated to Sky-Scraping Cliff to live in isolation from the mortal realm, Xie Yanke had only ever made an exception for Shi Potian. The boy's pure, innocent nature never failed to move him.
"Are you... Gou Zazhong?"
"Yes, Old Uncle! Ever since I came back from Xiake Island, I've been wanting to come see you. It's just that my mother passed away, and I was so heartbroken that it delayed me for quite a while. Old Uncle, have you been well all this time? I hope Elder Brother Shi Zhongyu's cooking and laundering have been to your liking. I've come to see you at last! Just thinking about how I couldn't be here to wash your clothes and cook for you made me worry so much." The words were brimming with genuine care, sounding much like a grandson reunited with his grandfather.
Xie Yanke was flooded with a complex mixture of emotions. When he had first taught the boy martial arts, his intentions had been entirely malicious—hoping the scorching heat of the Flaming Yang Manual would throw the boy's internal energy out of balance and cause him to suffer a fatal deviation. Who could have imagined that the boy would stumble upon extraordinary encounters and master supreme martial arts, yet still hold such deep gratitude toward him? *This silly lad really treats me well,* he thought to himself.
Xie Yanke patted Shi Potian on the shoulder and sighed. "That boy has toned down his behavior quite a bit here. As for the task you asked me to do, Old Xie will carry it out. My Profound Iron Tokens are not child's play; once issued, my word is law and cannot be defied."
Overjoyed, Shi Potian said, "Old Uncle, I knew you were a truly good man! On behalf of Elder Brother Shi Zhongyu, I thank you."
With that, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed to Xie Yanke.
Xie Yanke was left half-laughing and half-crying. That "Elder Brother Shi Zhongyu" of his had spent the entire previous night cursing him from dusk till dawn; far from thanking him, the little wretch was undoubtedly hatching some malicious plot in his heart.
Xie Yanke rarely laughed a few times a year, but at that moment, feeling remarkably lighthearted, he broke into a hearty, unprecedented laugh and invited Gouge into the cave to share a meal. Happily, Gouge followed him inside, eager to catch a glimpse of that Elder Brother Shi Zhongyu who was currently undergoing his arduous reformation.