After rebirth, I picked up my mortal enemy as my apprentice Chapter 018

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“Master is obviously a good person, why did he say those words that day?”

Ke Jiu asked: “What?”

“They say that immortals don’t care about the lives of mortals, and that the experiences of mortals have nothing to do with immortals.”

The boy placed his palm on his chest, where he could still feel the warmth of the breath that Ke Jiu had passed on to him.

I’m not a heartless person. Even if I say that it has nothing to do with me, when I see someone in trouble, there’s no way I can just sit back and watch.

Ke Jiu pondered for a moment and asked, “Xiao Fan, in your opinion, what is the biggest difference between immortals and mortals?”

“He possesses many magical powers, such as calling the wind and rain, and turning beans into soldiers. He can easily do things that ordinary people dare not think about. He is an existence that transcends the limits of ordinary people.”

“You studied in a private school, didn’t you?”

Ji Fan nodded and said, “I have read it.”

Do you know the saying “The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it?”

“Yes.”

Ke Jiu said: “The immortals in your eyes are actually similar to the yellow bird behind the mantis in this world.”

“Although the yellow bird has a body size that the mantis cannot match, wings that can fly higher, and a more intelligent brain, in the eyes of experienced hunters, it is a creature that can be hunted at will.”

“Although immortals possess all kinds of powers that transcend mortal cognition and turn decay into magic, they are actually bound by rules at a higher level.”

“The laws of nature are constant. They do not exist for the sake of Yao or die for the sake of Jie. In front of the laws of nature that govern this world, the so-called immortals are nothing more than larger orioles.”

“I don’t quite understand what the master said,” the boy scratched his head and whispered, “I don’t understand what rules of heaven and earth can make the master feel ashamed of being a yellow bird.”

Ke Jiu asked, “There were so many children on the road, but you were the only one I saw?”

Ji Fan shook his head blankly. He was a little confused about what his master was asking.

“But didn’t the master save me in the end?”

Ke Jiu shook his head slightly: “So I only saved ‘Ji Fan’, not ‘the child fleeing from famine’.”

“I saved you, and there are other children fleeing famine, and I can’t change it. This is one of the ‘rules’ of heaven and earth…”

The boy’s mouth opened slightly, surprise appearing in his eyes.

“Then why? The master chose me, and I don’t seem to have anything special about me.”

“You really don’t know? Or have you never thought about it?” Ke Jiu’s fingertips pressed against his forehead. “On the way to escape the famine, your family members died one after another after contracting diseases and injuries. Why were you the only one who could still drag your broken body to Yunbai Mountain and meet me?”

“When I examined your body, I found that your five internal organs were almost exhausted, your blood and qi were seriously insufficient, and the wounds on your body were still worsening. Most Qi training practitioners would not be able to survive such injuries, but you still survived.”

“Maybe you discovered a long time ago that you are special and different from your friends, but you just don’t want to admit it.”

“I…” Ji Fan wanted to speak, but in the end he didn’t say anything.

Yes, he discovered it early on. He was different from his friends. He was very sensitive to strange phenomena in the sky and the earth. When he was playing hide-and-seek in the mountains, he realized it was going to rain before the wind came.

He could vaguely catch some “laws of heaven and earth”. When he closed his eyes and sensed carefully, he could hear the breathing of wind, rain, forest and mountain, and feel an invisible energy flowing between heaven and earth.

His friends don’t have these abilities at all. He is unique, but he subconsciously denies this and stubbornly believes that everyone is the same.

“Well, have you reached the third level of Qi training?” Ke Jiu sensed something from him and nodded gently, “As I thought, you are a very talented person.”

It seemed as if something in his body was aroused by her, and he felt a warm current flowing through his whole body.

“So…Xiao Fan, do you know? There were countless children on the road of escape, but I saved you and accepted you as my disciple instead of others.”

“It’s not a coincidence, it’s just because ‘you’ are ‘you’.”

The boy nodded: “I think I understand a little bit what the master means.”

“Xiao Fan,” Ke Jiu sighed, “Do you know? A long time ago, I saved a boy who was in a similar situation to you during the war. Although he was in a miserable state, he looked at me with a lion in his eyes.”

“He swore to me that he would ascend to the highest position in this country and that he would use his own power to pacify this chaotic world.”

“I was moved by his ambition and determination, so during the ten years in the mortal world, I helped him ascend the throne and become the monarch of that country.”

“At the beginning, he was indeed a wise king who worked hard to govern the country and bring peace to the world. I feel that my mission has been accomplished, so I choose to say goodbye to him.”

“But fifty years later, when I returned to that country, the war was still going on endlessly, just like before.”

“The young man I saved, who had lofty ambitions and wanted to save the people from disaster, has now become a cowardly, decadent king.”

“I don’t know why that young man with a sincere heart became like this in the fifty years since I left, but I understand that the world can change, and people’s hearts can also change.”

“What I interfere with and what I want to change are all part of the rules of heaven and earth. They are just a round trip in a cycle.”

Ji Fan is no longer scratching his head with one hand, he is now scratching his head with both hands.

Ke Jiu also realized that she said too much. Is it possible for a child to understand this information?

Is it because I have been suppressed for too long? Why would I say these things to a child like Xiaofan?

“No, Master.” After scratching his head, the boy seemed to have finally discovered a blind spot.

He raised his head, his eyes clear.

“Why should we place our hopes of saving the troubled times on one person? Can a person be the same when he is young as when he is old?”

“If we only rely on our own ideas to govern the country, it will be a cycle over and over again.”

“But if it is the collective will of everyone, it will be different. The individual will will become corrupted and want to seek personal gain, but people with this kind of will will be eliminated by everyone.”

“If the actions of that country, such as Donglai Country, rely on the brainstorming of Dongshan Village and other villages.”

“Then the war wouldn’t have happened, and there wouldn’t have been any subsequent fighting.”

Ke Jiuyu raised his eyebrows, feeling surprised.

Democratic thought and social equality? Although I am still naive…very childish, I take it for granted and it is unrealistic.

However, this is also the modern civic thinking that can only be produced under the cultivation conditions of modern society. This child…could he also be a time traveler?

Thinking of this, her expression became serious.

She decisively grasped the boy’s shoulders, her expression solemn, and said in a serious tone: “Xiao Fan, I want to ask a few questions, you must answer them seriously.”

Ji Fan had never seen his master with such a serious expression, and was a little stunned for the moment.

“Okay, Master, if you ask, I will answer you seriously!”

“Odds change but evens don’t. What’s the next sentence?”

“Huh?” The boy was a little confused.

What is the master asking? Is this a famous jingle? But I have never heard of it.

Ji Fan answered honestly: “I don’t know.”

Ke Jiu knew from the boy’s facial expressions and heartbeat frequency that he was indeed not lying.

Hmm… maybe this child was not in junior high school when he traveled through time, but even children know the twenty-four-character mantra.

“Freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law, what comes after that?”

At this moment, Ke Jiu’s face was serious. The boy felt that the master’s expression seemed to tell him that if he could not answer this question, the consequences would be serious.

His pupils shrank slightly, his throat felt dry, and he suppressed his uneasiness and answered, “Establish a person, establish virtue, establish life, establish destiny?”

Hmm? Why are you using feudal ethics to answer at this time?

She pinched the boy’s face habitually and asked in a deep voice: “Are there any other answers?”

“Cultivate yourself, regulate your family, govern your country, and bring peace to the world!”

This was mentioned by Confucius when he was teaching. He said that this is the ultimate ideal that anyone born under this yellow sky should have if they want to achieve something.

Is this the answer that Master wants? Will she be satisfied if I say this?

Even though he thought so, the boy still couldn’t let it go.

“No, no…” Ke Jiu’s hands unconsciously began to rub the boy’s face.

Could it be that I guessed wrong? He just happened to be there…

Unwilling to give up, she continued, “Fifty-six ethnic groups, how do you sing the next line?”

The boy shook his head.

“When you see injustice, do you shout?”

The boy shook his head.

“My family lives in the Loess Plateau?”

Shake your head.

“Phoenix Legend?”

Shake your head.

“The King of Heaven and the Tiger of Earth?”

The boy shook… No, he didn’t shake his head.

Ji Fan replied: “The pagoda suppresses the river monster!”

The feeling of surprise was about to overflow from Ke Jiu’s eyes.

My good disciple, it turns out that you are also a time traveler. I have finally been discovered.

But the boy’s next sentence poured cold water on her.

“Master, whenever the teacher at Rong Shuzhai tells the story of ‘Thunder God Suppresses the Wicked Dragon’, he always uses this couplet as his opening line. This is a very famous story. Why are you asking me about it?”

“Is…is that so?” Ke Jiu’s expression froze, and the corners of his mouth twitched. The happy smile that was about to appear turned into a bitter smile when it reached his mouth.

Did I disappoint the master?

The boy’s heart suddenly tightened and his voice became a little dry.

“Am I wrong? I’m sorry.”

“No… you are right. On the contrary, it is precisely because of this that I find you… amazing.”

The bitterness of her dashed expectation of meeting fellow townsmen only stayed in her heart for a moment.

Ke Jiu gently touched the boy’s head and smiled, “I never thought that in this world where emperors, dukes, generals and ministers are indeed different, there would be a child who would have such an idea. Xiaofan… you are amazing. In certain countries and certain times, I think you may become a pioneer.”

Yes, why should I have those useless thoughts in my mind? Whether or not he is a time traveler is not that important. What is important is that… my vision is not wrong. I have indeed accepted an extraordinary child as my apprentice.

However, Ji Fan didn’t think he could bear such praise.

The boy’s cheeks flushed slightly, his brows knitted together, and he even stuttered when he spoke.

“Well…well, Master, you praised me so much. I…I feel…quite embarrassed. I don’t deserve it.”

“If I praise you for being able to do it, then you can do it. Just take responsibility for it.”

The boy blushed and replied, “I will listen to the master.”

“Xiao Fan, do you remember what I told you before I accepted you as my apprentice?”

“The master said a lot, and I remember them all.”

Ke Jiu nodded: “You moved me at that time. I wanted to stimulate your will to survive and hope that you would live, so I said to you, ‘If you don’t like this world, then change it yourself’.”

“I don’t think you have the ability to change the world now, but… I want to see how long your passion can last when you shouted at me angrily.”

She stared into Ji Fan’s eyes, which were filled with the glimmer of dawn: “This is why I accepted you as my disciple.”