Life in Doubt

Zhang San began to doubt life this morning.

First of all, because he practiced his qinggong (lightness skill) to the Heavenly realm, he started talking to his target.

Alright, it's Heavenly level qinggong after all. Being a bit arrogant can be excused. I'll be more careful in the future.

Secondly, despite reading medical books for so many years, I still can't cure my own mental illness.

Fine, I admit it. It is an illness after all.

Thirdly, I somehow jeopardized my steady career for money.

What if Song Tianxing comes for me? Wouldn't I be doomed?

Fourthly, fine, it was for money. I accepted an eight-year-old apprentice. But before he could call me shifu (master), he stabbed me with a knife while I was sleeping at night!

If it wasn't for his outstanding iron cloth shirt kung fu, an ordinary person would probably have bled to death already.

Zhang San began to doubt his steady killer career. Can it really remain steady?

While bandaging himself, Zhang San secretly thought: "The biggest wish in my life is to become a killer who can retire peacefully, best if I can eat chicken legs every day until I choke to death like my master."

However, looking at Wang Xiaoer lowering his head in front of him,

Zhang San felt that he might be killed by this brat before reaching old age!

...

...

Although it was morning, the windows and doors of the painting and calligraphy shop were still closed. Zhang San sat on a fake padauk chair, looking coldly at Wang Xiaoer kneeling on the ground.

The eight-year-old had been kneeling for half an incense stick worth of time.

Anyone seeing this would feel pity.

Of course, that was on the premise that the "anyone" didn't know that this eight-year-old had stabbed his master, who hadn't gone through the apprenticeship ceremony yet, with a knife last night.

With his upper body bare, Zhang San had several layers of tight bandages around his waist. Bloodstains could still be vaguely seen on the left side of his waist and abdomen. That was probably where the wound was.

While holding the wound, Zhang San weighed his black iron knife in his hand and looked coldly at Wang Xiaoer without saying anything.

Wang Xiaoer only felt his knees hurt badly. But seeing that his "master" didn't say anything, he didn't dare stand up either. He could only say, "Master, I was wrong. Don't be angry anymore."

Zhang San smiled bitterly. He said, "No, I'm not your master yet since we haven't had an apprenticeship ceremony. What's more, I'm not fortunate enough to have such an outstanding apprentice like you. You stabbed me even before formally entering my tutelage."

Wang Xiaoer said aggrievedly, "Master, didn't you say there was no need for an apprenticeship ceremony in our sect? And I did have a reason too."

Zhang San said angrily, "We haven't had the ceremony yet and you've already stabbed me. If I accept you, are you going slit my throat next?"

"..." Wang Xiaoer knelt there, then silently squeezed his earlobes with both hands. That was what he did when admitting wrongdoings to his mother.

Zhang San found it funny but of course couldn't laugh out loud. He said coldly, "Then tell me what on earth was the reason for you to stab me? I'm curious too."

Wang Xiaoer scratched his head with his right hand in an adorable way and said naturally, "That was mainly because my mother said she would bring eight hundred taels of apprenticeship money."

Zhang San said doubtfully, "So what? When the orthodox Star Sea Sect accepted outside disciples in the past, not only did they collect apprenticeship money, those elders even secretly accepted red packets. My righteous Iron Cloth Shirt sect and White Crane Flying sect aren't inferior to their Star Sea Sect either."

Wang Xiaoer said, "Master, you should know I'm only eight years old. How would I know which martial arts are powerful and which aren't in the Jianghu? I know very little about those."

It was Zhang San who received the teaching instead. He asked impatiently, "Then?"

Wang Xiaoer said matter-of-factly, "So master, we need to first acknowledge something."

"What is it?"

"That no matter if it's apprenticeship money or red packets, they are nice euphemisms. They are essentially tuition fees, right?"

Zhang San gave a soft "humph" but didn't refute him.

So Wang Xiaoer continued, "Therefore, master, this was what I thought - my mother would come to deliver the apprenticeship money today, but I hadn't witnessed your skills yet. After all, the money was earned through my father's hard work. I have to keep tabs on her expenditure, don't I?"

Zhang San said mockingly, "So by stabbing me you were looking out for your mother?"

Wang Xiaoer stuck out his tongue charmingly and said, "You flatter me too much, master. I'm just a filial person. My mother always praises me for that."

Zhang San said in extreme anger, "Fine, fine...I'll take everything you said as truth. But did you have to stab me before the apprenticeship? You could've just told me directly that you wanted to see my skills."

Wang Xiaoer said, "Old Liu said you knew Iron Cloth Shirt kung fu and were invulnerable to blades and spears. So I wanted to test out your skills in that area. I didn't expect to really stab through you either."

Zhang San nearly spit out a mouthful of blood. He cursed, "I didn't activate my Iron Cloth Shirt! It's an internal energy skill!"

And more importantly, as a steady killer, Zhang San certainly didn't skimp on equipment. That unremarkable knife was made purely of black iron, weighing at least five catties.

By the way, for professional safety, Zhang San was also a blacksmith. His weapons were all self-forged.

Why?

Nowadays there were so many fakes that you couldn't be certain your so-called black iron weapon was actually made of pure black iron. The seller could've just added a little bit of black iron in and passed it off as being made completely out of the material.

It was like adding sugar water into bird's nest - you'd think it was bird's nest with some sugar water added, but in reality it was sugar water with a tiny bit of bird's nest.

Anyway, back to the main topic,

Zhang San said angrily, "What if you stabbed me to death?"

As a child being scolded several times, Wang Xiaoer wailed and cried, "I'm sorry, master. I wanted to slowly apply force. I didn't expect it to stab through in one go. I also didn't know master's kung fu was so inferior."

Zhang San only felt like spurting out that mouthful of blood!

His intermediate stage of Earth rank Iron Cloth Shirt could already make his flesh impervious to black iron weapons if he activated it with internal energy. But the crux was - he didn't have his internal energy activated at that time!

Yet he was now tarred with having "inferior kung fu".

Looking at the tearful child, Zhang San recalled that the boy had just lost his father recently and felt a trace of pity. He forcibly suppressed his anger, but soon questioned himself - should he just forgive this brat like that?

With that thought, a new question surfaced in Zhang San's mind.

He looked at the bawling Wang Xiaoer and asked, "Speaking of which, I can temporarily overlook you wanting to test my martial arts to avoid wasting your mother's money. But why did you have to stab me when I was sleeping at night? You could've just directly told me in the day that you wanted to check out my skills."

Hearing the word "forgive", Wang Xiaoer was overjoyed. He quickly wiped his eyes and explained, "I was afraid to ask you in the daytime in case you didn't allow me to stab you, master."

Zhang San could no longer hold it in and spit out a mouthful of blood.