Chapter 80: Paying Respects to the Master

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Paying Respects to the Master

Zhang Yun’s mother had passed away many years ago, not from illness, but in a tragic accident. It was a year of heavy rainfall. Continuous downpours triggered flash floods in the mountains. She had slipped and fallen into the river, swept away instantly by the raging currents.

The flash flood was too fierce. By the time someone spotted her from afar, it was impossible to mount a rescue—when they rushed to the riverbank, not even a shadow of her remained. All the streams and rivers were swelling, converging into the main river and making it even more turbulent. At the time, local authorities were overwhelmed with flood relief efforts. In other areas, people and livestock had also been swept away, and countless houses had collapsed. It was completely impossible to organize a large-scale search and rescue operation. Because of this, Zhang Yun never got to see her one last time when he returned from school.

This was a massive blow to the Zhang Family. Zhang Fu pulled through, and so did Zhang Yun. However, missing out on that final farewell remained a lingering regret in his heart.

The dream he just had left him trembling with excitement. "Was there more to the accident of my mother falling into the water? Could she still be found?" he wondered.

He had once fantasized about it—perhaps she had been lucky enough to survive the drowning. Maybe she had just washed ashore hundreds of miles downstream and couldn’t return due to amnesia or other reasons. Maybe one day, she would remember everything and come home... But as time passed and he grew older, watching videos of violent floods online made him realize how unrealistic those childhood hopes were.

"With this hint from the Mysterious Iron Ring, is there a chance I could actually find her?" he thought.

The possibility of finding someone who had been dead for years—even if it was his own mother, and even amidst his overwhelming emotional excitement—still carried a chilling sense of dread.

Zhang Yun asked himself silently, "Could this... actually just be a deep-seated obsession, my own Heart Demon? Could it be that in my dreams, my subconscious desires surfaced, and combined with the mystery of the Iron Ring, I Hypnotized myself into believing this?"

Rationally, he felt this was the more likely explanation. But... the mysterious space brought about by the Iron Ring was real, and it defied all scientific explanation. Therefore, it was entirely possible!

When Zhang Yun first considered gathering Spiritual Energy the previous night, he hadn’t thought too deeply about it; his motives were purely passive. He just wanted to replenish some Energy for the Iron Ring to keep the Peach Blossom Spring Space running. Now, whether it was his personal Heart Demon or the manifested will of the Iron Ring, it had undoubtedly influenced him. He could no longer settle for the status quo. He had to absorb as much Spiritual Energy as possible.

Unlocking more functions in the space and improving his own strength was already appealing, but the prospect of finding his mother was the ultimate driving force!

Zhang Yun pondered for a moment. If he just wanted to replenish the Energy bit by bit, collecting some old items from the countryside would suffice. But if he needed to absorb massive amounts of Energy to upgrade or restore the ring’s true power, he would need far better sources. The quality of rural antiques was limited; they could only make up for it in sheer quantity.

"Who possesses high-quality antiques?" he wondered.

Among the people Zhang Yun currently knew, perhaps Zhang Lifeng’s family had a small collection. However, his financial resources were limited, and his focus lay mostly on medicinal herbs and the like. He probably didn’t have much. Then there was He Xiong. As a wealthy boss, he might collect some good pieces. But to go a step further, the only real option was Ouyang Kunpeng!

Although Zhang Yun didn’t know Ouyang Kunpeng’s exact background, he could tell from indirect clues that the man possessed immense influence and connections. Even if he wasn’t an avid collector himself, someone at his level could definitely get in touch with top-tier collectors! An inkstone and a tattered book had yielded such a great harvest today. If he ever had the chance to get his hands on Tang or Song dynasty antiques, or masterpieces of calligraphy and painting, wouldn’t they contain astronomical amounts of Energy?

"It seems that if the opportunity arises, I shouldn’t let go of my connection with Ouyang Kunpeng..." he mused.

Dreaming of a bright future, Zhang Yun drifted into a deep sleep, only to be jolted awake by the sudden explosion of firecrackers!

It wasn’t a holiday, nor was it a wedding, a funeral, or a groundbreaking ceremony. The sudden, relentless blast of firecrackers lasted for several minutes. Let alone Zhang Yun, who was still asleep, even the villagers who were already up and working were startled by the noise.

Zhang Yun had been in the middle of a wonderful dream. In it, he was enjoying the top-tier service of a group of beautiful women. He was just reaching the best part when he was rudely awakened. Not only was it a massive buzzkill, but he couldn’t even remember what the beauties in his dream looked like anymore. What annoyed him even more was that just as the firecrackers finally stopped and he tried to go back to sleep, the distinct smell of gunpowder wafted into his room.

"Were they set off right next to my house? No wonder they were deafening!" he thought.

"Zhang Yun! Get up quickly! They’re looking for you!"

His father’s urgent shouts forced Zhang Yun out of bed. "Who the hell is so utterly tactless?" he grumbled inwardly. "Zhang Youcai? Does he want to make a big scene for a grand opening? Why the hell didn’t he discuss it with me first? Is this supposed to be a pleasant surprise or a heart attack?"

Filled with morning crankiness from having his sweet dream interrupted, Zhang Yun took his time going downstairs. He used the restroom, washed up, and got dressed before finally descending the stairs with a scowl.

When he stepped outside, Zhang Yun was completely dumbfounded.

In the courtyard, ignoring the grains drying on the ground, three people were kneeling! Xu Jin, Zhao Ye, and Ma Yuming.

"The firecrackers just now... it wasn’t Zhang Youcai, it was these guys?" he realized.

The several minutes of explosive noise had attracted neighboring villagers to come watch the spectacle. A few kids who lived further away had even sprinted over. Before Zhang Yun came down, the crowd had seen the three men kneeling in the courtyard. Unsure of what was going on, everyone was whispering among themselves.

Zhang Fu was just as clueless. He had only met Xu Jin before and knew he was a Thug brought by the cement factory owner, Li Dajiang, which left him feeling a bit panicked.

After waiting for quite a while, Zhang Yun finally appeared. The three of them instantly became excited.

"Greetings, Master!" they shouted in unison, then began to kowtow earnestly.

"What the hell are you doing?" Zhang Yun walked over, fighting the urge to kick them out of the yard one by one. These past few days, his house had turned into a bustling marketplace, with a new spectacle unfolding every day. Now, they had drawn a massive crowd to watch the drama first thing in the morning.

"After we went back, we specifically hired someone to consult the almanac," Xu Jin said, speaking on their behalf. "Today, at the exact transition between the Hour of the Rabbit and the Hour of the Dragon, is the most auspicious time to take a master. We’ve come specifically to become your apprentices!"

Just as he finished speaking, a young girl ran in from outside and handed a massive red envelope to the three of them.

To show their sincerity, they had immediately dropped to their knees after setting off the firecrackers. They just hadn’t expected Zhang Yun to take so long to come out, forcing them to remain kneeling the entire time.

"Master! This is our tuition fee. Please accept it!"

Zhang Yun had originally come down with a bad case of morning crankiness. Seeing that they were the ones who had pulled this stunt and drawn such a crowd made him even more annoyed. However, looking at the massive red envelope they were holding up above their heads, his hands started itching uncontrollably...

It was as big as a notebook, and it looked quite thick...

Rationally, he knew that even stuffed to the brim, it couldn’t hold that much cash—certainly nothing compared to Ouyang Mingruo’s rain of seventy or eighty red envelopes. But it was still incredibly tempting! He had never received such a gigantic red envelope before.

Zhang Yun was reminded of a popular meme: He Shen, Lord He, counting his silver notes while slapping his own hand, saying, "Why can’t I control my own hands?"

"Please accept it, Master!" the young girl standing nearby urged, taking the lead.

Naturally, the onlookers joined the commotion, chanting, "Accept it! Accept it!"

They had no idea what these men wanted to learn from Zhang Yun, but if there was a red envelope, why not take it? Joining the jeers and cheers was just part of the fun.

"Please accept it! I also want to take you as my master, it’s just that I don’t have enough for the tuition fee..." The girl didn’t look like she was joking; her expression was a mix of envy, slight regret, and embarrassment.