Waking up at the fifth watch, Wuming rubbed his sleepy eyes and climbed out of bed.
At that moment, there was no sign of his master, who had undoubtedly gone out early to practice martial arts.
Not daring to delay, Wuming hurriedly washed up, grabbed his treasured sword, and excitedly stepped out of the courtyard gate. Cultivation had long become second nature to him, a daily routine he never missed, come rain or shine.
Just as he had assumed his stance and begun practicing, an aged voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
"Disciple, come over here at once. Your master has instructions for you."
Though the master's voice sounded ordinary, it reverberated through the valley with a distinct resonance, rolling back and forth like waves upon the sea.
Hearing his master's call, Wuming immediately stopped practicing and replied as he walked over, "Master, don't worry, your disciple is coming right now."
The master's call came from a sheer cliff standing dozens of feet high. To be honest, that cliff was brimming with spiritual energy, truly an ideal sanctuary for a top-tier expert's cultivation.
At that moment, Kaishan Zhenren sat cross-legged atop the cliff in deep, silent meditation. Though gaunt and skin-and-bones, he still possessed the ethereal air of a Taoist immortal.
Using his lightness skill, Wuming arrived at the base of the cliff and called out, "Master, whatever instructions you have, your disciple is all ears."
Hearing that his disciple had reached the bottom, Kaishan Zhenren kept his eyes closed and instructed, "Disciple, come up here!"
Wuming was instantly astonished by the command. Whenever his master gave him tasks in the past, he had never once been asked to go up; he was always told to stand at the foot of the cliff and listen attentively. Why was his master asking him to come up today?
He felt rather unaccustomed to this sudden change and had no idea what it could mean. Could it be that his master had something crucial to tell him?
Regardless, since it was his master's command, he had to go up today, for obedience was the duty of a filial disciple.
With matters having reached this point, Wuming hesitated no longer and hurriedly answered, "Master, your disciple is coming up."
Before he even finished speaking, Wuming leaped upward, landing lightly before his master in the blink of an eye.
After steadying himself, Wuming dared not dally. He bowed deeply and asked, "Master, please give your instructions on whatever you need your disciple to do!"
Only then did Kaishan Zhenren open his eyes and say, "Disciple, the reason I called you up here is indeed to tell you something. I only hope you can follow your master's wishes and agree to it."
Seeing that his master was speaking in such an unusual manner today, Wuming grew even more bewildered, having no clue what his master was about to demand.
Unable to wait any longer, Wuming pressed, "Master, did your disciple do something wrong? If that's the case, just spell it out, and I guarantee I'll correct my mistakes."
"Actually, you have done nothing wrong; rather, it is simply time for you to leave your master." Kaishan Zhenren delivered the words with unyielding finality.
Hearing this, Wuming was struck dumb. Since he had done nothing wrong, why must he leave his master? Surely he must have misheard!
Dazed for a moment, Wuming quickly widened his eyes and pursued, "Master, what are you saying? Is it that your disciple hasn't been diligent in his training?"
"Disciple, stop guessing blindly. The reason I am making you leave is because you are already sixteen years old, and it is time for you to go and find your biological parents."
Hearing his master's words, Wuming felt as though he had been struck by a bolt from the blue. To him, leaving his master meant giving up cultivation altogether.
No, he couldn't accept this. Adopting a tone of petulant defiance, he pleaded, "Master, I cannot leave you! If I do, I'll starve to death right away."
"If you starve, you starve. This is your master's decision. I have fed and raised you for sixteen years, and from now on I will no longer support you for free. You must leave your master immediately."
To ensure his wish was fulfilled, Kaishan Zhenren refused to leave his disciple any room for negotiation.
Completely devastated by his master's words, Wuming knew his temper well; once a decision was made, it would never be easily changed.
Things having come to this, Wuming had no choice but to ask with a bitter expression, "Master, once your disciple leaves, where on earth can I go to make a living?"
"Go and find your biological parents!"
"Master, do I still have biological parents?" Wuming asked, utterly bewildered.
"How could you not have biological parents? Do you think you popped out of a crack in a rock?"
"Even if I do, they don't know me and I don't know them!" Wuming replied in utter helplessness.
"Whether you know each other depends on your affinity. Besides, the iron collar around your neck is an excellent token of identity."
Suddenly, Wuming felt that his master's words made some sense, for the iron collar around his neck had never once left him.
To tell the truth, ever since he was little, he had loathed that iron collar because it looked truly hideous resting on his neck.
He had tried to take it off several times, but no matter what he did, it refused to budge.
The collar possessed an even more wondrous property: it would expand as he grew, always fitting his neck perfectly and remaining impossible to remove.
Despite having the iron collar as a token, Wuming still worriedly muttered, "Master, can I really find my biological parents with just this drab, blackened iron collar?"
"Of course you can, there is no doubt about it. Oh right, here is your traveling money; you must keep it safe. Once you lose it, you'll go hungry." As he spoke, Kaishan Zhenren fished out a few copper coins and handed them to his disciple.
Receiving the coins, Wuming felt an agonizing pain in his heart, forcing back his tears with all his might.
Even so, Kaishan Zhenren remained unmoved, urging him on with a completely expressionless face, "Stop talking such ungrateful nonsense and get going already!"
Faced with his master's unrelenting pressure, Wuming realized with utter despair that his master would never relent or take him back.
With no other options left, he dropped to his knees and said, "Master, your disciple will return in a few days to wait upon you. Please take good care of yourself."
"Disciple, do not say such things. If you fail to find your biological parents, do not ever come back. Your master has no wish to see a useless disciple like you."
Hearing this, Wuming was left speechless. It seemed his master was truly iron-willed in his resolve to send him away to find his parents.
Since the matter was settled, Wuming hesitated no longer, and leaping forward, he threw himself off the cliff.
Only then did Kaishan Zhenren open his eyes, gazing after his disciple's receding figure as his eyes grew moist.